Shea Ohmsford
From The World of Shannara
| Shea Ohmsford | |
|---|---|
| Race: | Half-Elf |
| Gender: | Male |
| Hair color: | Blond |
| Eye color: | Blue |
| Loyalty: | Flick Ohmsford |
| First appearance: | The Sword of Shannara |
| Birth: | Unknown |
| Death: | Unknown |
Shea Ohmsford is one of the main characters in The Sword of Shannara and the main hero of the War of the Warlock Lord. Shea Ohmsford is the last descendant of the Elven King Jerle Shannara and heir to the prophecy of the Sword of Shannara.
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Description
Allanon sees Shea as:
| “ | ... the young man's slim countenance and slight build. He noted the telltale Elven features immediately - the hint of slightly pointed ears beneath the tousled blond hair, the pencil-like eyebrows that ran straight up at a sharp angle from the bridge of the nose rather than across the brow, and the slimness of the nose and jaw. He saw intelligence and honesty in that face, and ... he saw determination in the penetrating blue eyes, | „ |
| -- The Sword of Shannara (1977), pp. 16-17 | ||
Elsewhere Shea is described further as "hard-headed, pragmatic, and raised in the tradition of the workingman ... staunchly conservative, an advocate of the old ways"[1]
War of the Warlock Lord
Flight from Shady Vale
Shea appears in the story late at night after having run errands for his adopted father Curzad on the day in which Allanon enters Shady Vale. He is introduced to the Druid Allanon. Allanon states that he has come to Shady Vale for to find him. Then will not tell him more till the morning. Shea is quite uncertain why it is that Allanon is there for Shea.
In the morning Allanon meets with Shea and begins by telling him much of the history of the Four Lands, focusing on the Warlock Lord and the Second War of the Races. Shea listens to much of it, but disagrees greatly with a number of points. Having been taught and firmly believing that the Race of Man is the one that has always been persecuted and was never the one to be the oppressor. Allanon concludes his narrative by telling Shea that he is in fact the only descendant to the lineage of Jerle Shannara, and his is now the legacy of the Sword of Shannara.
Later that evening Shea has more questions for Allanon but discovers he has left. Later discovering a note from Allanon to flee at the sign of the Skull. He will send Balinor to guide him and has left Elfstones for him to use for his protection.
More than three weeks later Balinor appears at the Ohmsford Inn and warns Shea to flee. He has been followed and will continue south to draw away his pursuers. That evening Flick wakes Shea and they see a Skull Bearer outside the inn. Shea decides to flee the Vale and head towards Leah to get the help of his friend Menion Leah.
To Culhaven
Shea and Flick are nearly caught by a Skull Bearer twice on their two and a half day flight.[2][3] Both times they are saved by the coming of the daylight. Shea is very staunch in his determination to seek the help of Menion against Flicks firm objections.
By the afternoon on the third day the two reach Leah. Shea tells Menion everything that Allanon told him and what has transpired. Menion immediately offers his help, and the trio leaves the following morning. After being lost for three days in the Lowlands of Clete, Shea remembers to Elfstones given to him by Allanon. After some fumbling Shea is able to use the Elfstones to discover where the Black Oaks are and the three are able to get out of the Lowlands of Clete.
They set out through the Black Oaks in the morning. By the early evening they reached the edge of the Mist Marsh where they are soon attacked by a Mist Wraith. Trying to regain his feet Shea was knocked back, hitting his head and losing consciousness. He wakes from Menion calling his name, the situation desperate. Using the Elfstones, he was able to summon the magic and destroy the Mist Wraith.
As they continue their journey into the night, suddenly Shea realized that he has lost sight of Menion in front of him. Unable to locate him, the brothers continue and by the early morning hours are able to break clear of the Black Oaks. In the afternoon when they continue, they head north and reach the Silver River. They were saved from a Skull Bearer in the evening by the intervention of the King of the Silver River. Once they saw him, the fell asleep into a wondrous dream filled sleep, to be awoken the next day by Balinor just outside of Culhaven.
References
- ^ Brooks, Terry (1977). The Sword of Shannara pp. 77
- ^ Brooks, Terry (1977). The Sword of Shannara pp. 66-67
- ^ Brooks, Terry (1977). The Sword of Shannara pp. 73-75
| Major Characters in The Sword of Shannara |
|---|
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Allanon · Balinor · Dayel and Durin · Flick · Hendel · Keltset · Menion · Palance · Panamon Creel · Shea · Minor Characters |
