Taran was a human being.
Description[]
Born in Prydain in the Dark Ages, Taran was orphaned as a baby by a terrible war, and found by the enchanter Dallben, who decided to adopt him and raise him to help him protect the dangerous magical secrets Dallben possessed — chief among them the oracular gifts of the pig Hen Wen. Kept unaware of Hen Wen's powers throughout his childhood, Taran, whom Dallben had made "assistant pig-keeper", longed to become a great and victorious warrior.
Finally, when the Horned King threatened to use the Black Cauldron to bring about a doomsday, Dallben told Taran the secret and sent him away to a cottage near the Forbidden Forest to hide with Hen Wen. Taran however did not manage to protect Hen Wen, who was abducted by the Gwythaints and taken to the Horned King's Castle. Vowing to find her, Taran began a quest to do so, and met the strange creature Gurgi. However, he was captured and imprisoned in the Castle, but managed to escape with the aid of Princess Eilonwy and the bard Fflewddur Fflam, and, along with Gurgi, the newly-formed party of friends foiled the King's plans. During this adventure, Taran grew considerably as a person, admitting he was no legendary hero but conversely learning true bravery (as opposed to just rashness).
Taran, who progressively fell in love with Eilonwy, later went on several other adventures.
Gallery[]
Behind the scenes[]
Taran first appeared in 1985 in The Black Cauldron. He is based on the character of the same name in Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain.
The Black Cauldron merely adapts the first few books in Alexander's series, and later novels showed Taran marrying Eilonwy and eventually becoming King of Prydain. Whether this is also true of the Disney universe's Taran is unknown.
Voice Actors[]
- Grant Bardsley (The Black Cauldron)