Elric Chronology

A timeline of Elric of Melniboné and Elric's World.

Preface[]

This is a timeline of the events of Elric's life, and the history of his race and his world. It is largely structured as a chronological reading order for various novels, graphic novels, comics, and short stories, with some descriptions of several unwritten stories in-between. It was aggregated from various Wikiverse articles, particularly Dale E Rippke's Elric Timeline, Chronological List of Elric Stories, and An Elric Chronology, but also from Atlas of the Young Kingdoms Vol 1: The Northern Continent (An Elric! Supplement) and extensive independent research. The exact order and dates of these events are by no means certain or absolute, particularly the events of Elric's exile and the short stories in Tales of the White Wolf and Pawn of Chaos. Where possible, graphic adaptations of stories are listed in place of their text novel equivalents.

Origins of the Mernii[]

During his rule of the Fifteen Planes, Lord Arkyn of Law creates a lawful humanoid race called the Vadhagh, who evolved from aquatic mammals, and their rivals, the Nhadragh. In the Chaos Lords' bid to take over the Fifteen Planes from him, Arioch created the Mabden, humanity, to wipe out Arkyn's creations. -The Knight of the Swords
The Chronicles of Corum Volume 1: The Knight of the Swords (Graphic Novel)
Most of the Vadhagh are massacred by Mabden, but two cosmic dragons help some of them escape. These Vadhagh, who also become known as the Eldren, flee to a world without Mabden. But the Eldren females become stranded in the Six Realms of the Wheel when their dragon is trapped in a sword. -The Dragon in the Sword
The Dragon in the Sword (novel)
After John Daker/Prince Flamadin frees the dragon in the sword by splitting it in two, the Eldren women return to their manfolk in a new world where they establish the Garden of the Rune. Some of the Vadhagh/Eldren interbreed with Phoorn dragons and diverge into the Mernii race. -The Revenge of the Rose
To be a little more specific, "a mortal princess had been courted by a dragon of the Phoorn race and" "Elric’s folk sprang from that supernatural union." -The Citadel of Forgotten Myths
Eventually, the forces of Chaos conquer the world of the Garden. So, the Vadhagh and their many elfin subraces again flee to other worlds. The Mernii and Phoorn immigrate to the world of the Nihrain. -The Revenge of the Rose
Before the Mernii arrived, the Nihrain were a prosperous society who served the Cosmic Balance. To combat the Dead Gods and other powers of Law and Chaos that threatened to tip the scales of the Balance, the Nihrain reforged the two halves of the Dragon Sword into the twin Black Swords, Stormbringer and Mournblade. Out of fear for the blades' power to slay them, the Dead Gods killed themselves (removed their physical forms and joined Eternity). But while both blades had the power to absorb vitality as did all Black Swords, Stormbringer was different from the others, because a demon entered the blade at the time it was forged. As a consequence of its influence, Stormbringer caused all the Nihrain who handled it to become mass murderers. A court was assembled in the Nihrainian stables to put Stormbringer and its handlers on trial. But Stormbringer caused the judges to go mad and sentence both court and defendants to a terrible death. In the end, only ten Nihrain remained, including their leader Sepiriz. -The Skrayling Tree

Origins of Melniboné[]

-10,000 YK: The Mernii arrive at the world of the Nihrain.
-9800 YK: Elric: The Making of a Sorcerer #1 (the dreamquest/flashback) [comic]
The Mernii settle on the island Grome created for them, thus the Mernii become the Melnibonéans. There they establish Imrryr, the Dreaming City. -Elric: The Making of a Sorcerer
-9600 YK: Elric: The Making of a Sorcerer #2 (the dreamquest/flashback) [comic]
-9000 YK: Elric: The Making of a Sorcerer #3 (the dreamquest/flashback) [comic]
-8800 YK: Elric: The Making of a Sorcerer #4 (the dreamquest/flashback) [comic]
A civil war breaks out between the two cities of Melniboné: H'hui'shan, the City of the Island, and Imrryr, the Dreaming City. It ends with the people of Imrryr, which was aligned with Chaos, wiping out the entire population of H'hui'shan, which was aligned with the Balance. -The Revenge of the Rose

The Bright Empire of Melniboné[]

The reign of Rondar IV, twelfth Emperor of Melniboné
The reign of Elric I, eightieth Emperor of Melniboné
The reign of Kahan VII, 329th Emperor of Melniboné
A she-demon bears Emperor Iuntric X of Melniboné a daughter, Terhali.
8406th year of the Bright Empire: The reign of Emperor Iuntric X comes to an end. His daughter Terhali succeeds him.
9011th year of the Bright Empire: Terhali, the Green Empress of Melniboné, is overthrown by her people. She and her Golden City of Yagala are banished beneath the Sighing Lake in the Hyborian Age. Her moody son King Gadric the Eleventh succeeds her on the Dragon Throne. (Conan #14-15)
Elric Vol. 4: Weird of the White Wolf #1-5 - The Dream of Earl Aubec [Flashbacks]
Earl Aubec and the Iron Galleon (Dungeons & Dragons adventure campaign)
Earl Aubec of Malador (outline/unwritten story)
0 YK: "Earl Aubec, humanity’s greatest champion, led a decisive victory against the Bright Empire’s troops and ensured Lormyr’s independence." -Gods of Law in the Young Kingdoms
1 YK: Thanks to Aubec's actions, the human nations of the world gain independence from the shackles of the Bright Empire of Melniboné. Thus begins the Age of the Young Kingdoms, hence the dating mechanism YK. -Earl Aubec of Malador, Gods of Law in the Young Kingdoms

Elric's Early Life[]

The Roaming Forest (Rackhir short story, Elric: To Rescue Tanelorn) [Occurs sometime before Elric of Melniboné]
381YK - Elric VIII, a sickly albino Dragon Prince, is born to Emperor Sadric LXXXVI and his wife. She is said to be a daughter of an ancient albino Phoorn called Hemric in Red Pearls and Skaradin in The Citadel of Forgotten Myths. In The Enquiry, she is named Empress Salina, and is said to be Sadric the Eighty-Sixth's wife and niece. She dies in childbirth, sending her spirit to the Forest of Souls. Sadric unjustly hates Elric for it for the rest of his life. -Revenge of the Rose, Red Pearls, The Citadel of Forgotten Myths, The Enquiry by Matthew J. Jorgensen from Pawn of Chaos
392YK, Elric is 11
"Elric learns the 'Song of Approach', tames his first Dragon, and is known to the dragons as Little Cat." -Dale E. Rippke/Revenge of the Rose
397YK, Elric is 16
Too Few Years of Solitude (short story, not by Moorcock, from Tales of the White Wolf)
Sadric sends the boy Elric on one of his first dreamquests to The World Above to retrieve his mother's jade dagger and find her sister, called Lady Fernrath in Red Pearls and Lady Forentach in The Citadel of Forgotten Myths, who "introduced him to all the secrets of his ancestors". -Red Pearls
399YK, Elric is 18
Elric: The Making of a Sorcerer (Graphic Novel)
And So the Great Emperor Received His Education... [Elric of Melniboné Intro]
400YK, Elric is 19
White Wolf's Awakening (novella, not Moorcock's, Tales of the White Wolf) - Sadric LXXXVI is assassinated by his own First Minister Pent'arl. After Pent'arl fails to assassinate Elric, he executes Pent'arl and becomes the 428th Emperor of Melniboné.
401YK, Elric is 20
Pacific Elric of Melniboné Vol 1 #1-3 ~= Glenat Elric Vol. 1: The Ruby Throne Deluxe Edition (Graphic Novel)
Pacific Elric of Melniboné Vol 1 #4-6 ~= Glenat Elric Vol. 2: Stormbringer Deluxe Edition (Graphic Novel)

Elric's Exile[]

402YK, Elric is 21
"Elric bids farewell to Rackhir at Menii, has a misunderstanding with four wizards at Ufych-Sormeer, an affair of the heart at Filkhar and travels to the Eastern Continent in search of Tanelorn." -Dale E. Rippke/The Fortress of the Pearl
The Fortress of the Pearl (novel)
Elric: The Return to Melniboné (graphic story) [Elric's been away for a year]
The Black Blade's Song (novella by Moorcock, Tales of the White Wolf)
The Trembler on the Axis (novella, not by Moorcock, from Tales of the White Wolf)
A Devil Unknown (story, not by Moorcock, from Tales of the White Wolf)
Elric Vol. 2: The Sailor on the Seas of Fate #1-3 [Sailing to the Future] [~= The Quest for Tanelorn: Book 2] (comics)
Elric Vol. 2: The Sailor on the Seas of Fate #4-5 [Sailing to the Present] [~= Glenat Elric Vol. 3: The White Wolf] (Graphic Novel)
Elric Vol. 2: Sailor on the Seas of Fate #6-7 [Sailing to the Past/The Jade Man's Eyes] [~= Glenat Elric Vol. 4: The Dreaming City #1] (comics)
Elric at the End of Time (novella)
"In an untold tale that takes place at this time, Elric discovers that Yyrkoon has usurped the Ruby Throne and placed Cymoril back into her sorcerous sleep. He begins looking for ways to awaken her. He journeys to Nadsokor, the City of Beggars, and steals a scroll from King Urish that he believes will release Cymoril from her slumber." -Dale E. Rippke/The Sleeping Sorceress Book 2: To Snare the Pale Prince
A Sword Called Stormbringer (Conan the Barbarian #14, comic)
The Green Empress of Melniboné (Conan the Barbarian #15, comic)
The Eye of the Storm (1991) [The Savage Sword of Conan #189a, comic recap]
Heart of the Dragon: An Untold Tale of Elric (short story, not by Moorcock, from Tales of the White Wolf)
403YK, Elric is 22
Marvel Elric Vol 3: The Dreaming City [~= Glenat Elric Vol. 4: The Dreaming City #2] (Graphic Novel)

Elric and Moonglum[]

The White Child (short story, not by Moorcock, from Tales of the White Wolf)
"Elric leaves the Western Continent and sails by boat to the Southern Lands, where he spends some time wandering around." -Dale E. Rippke
A Woman's Power (short story, not by Moorcock, from Tales of the White Wolf)
The Prisoner of Pan-Tang (comic)
A Portrait in Ivory (short story)
404YK, Elric is 23
Elric Vol. 4: The Weird of the White Wolf #2-3 [While the Gods Laugh] (comics)
Black Petals (novella)
Red Pearls (novella)
White Steel (unwritten novella) - Presumably, Elric goes on a quest to obtain the White Sword from Xiombarg in an unsuccessful attempt to forever rid himself of Stormbringer with it. He then leaves Princess Nauhaduar. [The three novellas were replaced by The Citadel of Forgotten Myths in 2022, which takes place later in the saga.]
Elric Vol. 4: The Weird of the White Wolf #3-5 [The Singing Citadel] (comic) [I had thought the "fine woman" who loved Elric was Princess Nauha, but The Weird of the White Wolf #3 and recent revisions made in The Citadel of Forgotten Myths imply he was referring to Shaarilla of the Dancing Mist.]
405YK, Elric is 24
Elric Vol. 5: The Vanishing Tower #1-3 [The Torment of the Last Lord/The Sleeping Sorceress] (comics)
The Gothic Touch (short story, not by Moorcock, from Tales of the White Wolf)
The Soul of an Old Machine (short story, not by Moorcock, from Tales of the White Wolf)
In the Machinery of Dreams (short story, not by Moorcock, from Pawn Of Chaos)
Elric Vol. 5: The Vanishing Tower #4-5 [To Snare the Pale Prince] (comics)
405YK, Elric is 25
The Chronicles of Corum Volume 3: The King of the Swords (Graphic Novel) [The part with Elric, from issue #11 to early in issue #12, which is depicted from Elric's perspective in:]
Elric Vol. 5: The Vanishing Tower #6 [Three Heroes with a Single Aim] (comic)
406YK, Elric is 25
The Revenge of the Rose (novel)
407YK, Elric is 26
The Dreamthief’s Daughter: A Tale of the Albino (novel)
The Guardian at the Gate (short story, not by Moorcock, from Tales of the White Wolf)

Elric and Zarozinia[]

408YK, Elric is 27
Elric Vol. 6: The Bane of the Black Sword (1988) #1-2 [The Stealer of Souls/Old Wounds] (comics)
Temptations of Iron (short story, not by Moorcock, from Tales of the White Wolf)
The Last Enchantment/Jesting with Chaos (short story)
409YK, Elric is 28
Elric Vol. 6: The Bane of the Black Sword (1988) #3 [Kings in Darkness] (comic)
Elric, Moonglum, and Zarozinia arrive in Karlaak. Around this time, Zarozinia becomes Elric's new betrothed.
The Citadel of Forgotten Myths (novel) [Starts sometime after Elric is betrothed to Zarozinia] (Contains heavily revised versions of the novellas Red Pearls, Black Petals, and the unreleased White Steel. The book also implies Elric adventured away from Zarozinia in the World of Below-and-Above for two years before returning to Karlaak to marry her.)
411YK, Elric is 30
Elric and Zarozinia marry in the Ilmioran city of Karlaak. It is the strangest wedding the North Lands have ever witnessed. Elric finds happiness at last. -Dale E. Rippke (It takes place a week or two after they arrived, according to The Other Sword.)
The Other Sword (short story by Robert Weinberg from Tales of the White Wolf) [Starts little more than a month after Elric, Moonglum, and Zarozinia arrived in Karlaak, and three weeks after Elric's wedding.]
Elric Vol. 6: The Bane of the Black Sword (1988) #4-5 [The Flame Bringers/The Caravan of Forgotten Dreams] (comics) [Takes place three months after Elric's wedding.]
"For a least a year (and possibly longer) Elric lives in domestic bliss with Zarozinia in Karlaak by the Weeping Wastes. Meanwhile, Moonglum leaves the Unmapped East and joins a mercenary company defending the borders of Pikarayd." -Dale E. Rippke
412YK, Elric is 31
Elric Vol. 6: The Bane of the Black Sword (1988) #6 [To Rescue Tanelorn...] (Rackhir comic/novella, takes place concurrently with Dead God's Homecoming)
Elric: Stormbringer (1997) #1-2 [Dead God's Homecoming] (comics)
Elric: Stormbringer (1997) #3 [Black Sword's Brothers Ch. 1-5] (comic)
Elric: Stormbringer (1997) #4 Pages 1-8 [Black Sword's Brothers Ch. 6] (comic)
The events of Elric's Dream of a Thousand Years, which are listed in the next section, take place here, in #4 Pages 2-3
Elric: Stormbringer (1997) #4-5 [Sad Giant's Shield] (comics)
The Enquiry (short story by Matthew J. Jorgensen from Pawn of Chaos) [In The Enquiry, which must take place during or after Stormbringer #5, Moonglum meets Jhary-a-Conel while he and Elric are defending the Purple Towns from Jagreen Lern's armies.]
Elric: Stormbringer (1997) #6 [Doomed Lord's Passing Ch. 1-4] (comic)
Dream of a Doomed Lord (short story) [Occurs during Stormbringer #6]
Elric: Stormbringer (1997) #7 [Doomed Lord's Passing Ch. 4-6] (comic)
Beyond the Balance (short story by Nancy Holder from Tales of the White Wolf) [I think it takes place just after Moonglum's demise]
The Quest for Tanelorn: Book 3, In Which Many Things Are Found To Be One Thing (as a statue)

Elric's Dream of a Thousand Years[]

The Skrayling Tree: The Albino in America (novel)
Duke Elric (Michael Moorcock's Multiverse #1-12)
The Black Blade of the Barbary Coast (Tom Strong #31-32, comics)
The Steel Tsar (Oswald Bastable novel, revised edition, as Max von Bek) [takes place in 1941]
The Metatemporal Detective [The Affair of the Seven Virgins, Crimson Eyes, The Ghost Warriors, The Case of the Nazi Canary, Sir Milk-and-Blood, The Mystery of the Texas Twister, London Flesh, The Flaneur des Arcades de l’Opera] (short stories)
Fabulous Harbours (Second Ether novel)
The War Amongst the Angels (Second Ether novel)
The White Wolf's Son (novel)
Elric: The Balance Lost (Graphic Novel)