On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness

Andrew Peterson

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2008

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Introductions-Chapter 9

Chapters 10-19

Chapters 20-30

Chapters 31-40

Chapters 41-51

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

Leeli’s Crutch

Leeli uses a crutch to walk because she cannot use one of her legs. Her crutch is a symbol of her abilities. Although she is different, she is still capable and is usually able to keep up with her older brothers. Her crutch also ties her to Podo, who is missing a leg from his days as a pirate. Podo’s wooden leg never slows him down, and he is one of the more physically capable characters in the story. He is the one who makes Leeli new crutches when she needs them. By ensuring that Leeli always has a crutch to use, Podo shows his love and care for his granddaughter. He gives her the opportunity to be an active participant in her life and in most of the Igiby children’s adventures.

Leeli’s crutch also represents resistance in The Struggle Between Good and Evil and her determination to fight for good. After Leeli is arrested by the Fangs for kicking Slarb, Podo carves “Lizardkicker” into her new crutch, proving that even the youngest and smallest Igiby is still a formidable opponent to the Fangs. Though the Igiby children are just ordinary people (or so they think), they are still capable of fighting back against evil and standing up for one another. The crutch is symbolic proof that resistance to evil is always possible, even when a situation seems hopeless.

The Jewels of Anniera

For the majority of the book, the Jewels of Anniera are a mystery. Janner and Tink first find a reference to the Jewels in Oskar’s map of Anklejelly Manor. When the Igiby children learn that their mother has the Jewels, they cannot understand why their mother and grandfather would risk their lives to protect them. They learn that Gnag will stop at nothing to find the Jewels because a legend says that they have the power to destroy him. In these moments, the Jewels make Janner think about all the secrets that his mother and grandfather keep from him. These secrets frustrate him, but he rarely questions them; on some level, he recognizes that they are keeping him safe.

At the end of the book, it is revealed that the Igiby children themselves are the Jewels of Anniera, which connects back to the theme of The Discovery of Ancestral Legacy. The children now know that a powerful prophecy says that they are the ones who have the power to change the world for the better and to defeat Gnag the Nameless. The Jewels of Anniera are more precious than gold or silver because they represent hope for the future, the opportunity for the rightful king of Anniera to return, and the chance to defeat the evil Gnag and his minions.

Music

Leeli enjoys singing and playing the whistleharp. During the Dragon Day festival, she sings a mysterious song that Janner does not recognize. The footnotes for this chapter identify it as a song called “Holoré,” which, in its ancient definition, refers to “the stones laid deep within the earth by the Maker at the creation of Aerwiar” (344). This ties the motif of music to the theme of The Discovery of Ancestral Legacy; in this moment, Leeli is remembering where she comes from and her ancient birthright while foreshadowing later events in the series. Given that Nia fled Anniera with her children when Leeli was a newborn, there is no way Leeli would remember her home country. However, her legacy remains somewhere inside her, and music helps remind her where she belongs.

Music also thematically connects to The Struggle Between Good and Evil, as the Fangs hate hearing music. When Armulyn the bard goads the Fangs into attacking him, he incapacitates them simply by singing. Similarly, at the end of the book, Nia tells Leeli that Queen Sisters have the power to protect the kingdom through music. Music is a force for good in the world and can be used to fight against evil. Leeli’s song has a profound effect during the Dragon Day festival; everyone stops to listen. Janner can feel “[a]ll of the passion and sadness and joy of those who listened wound into one common strand of feeling” (66), demonstrating the sheer power of the music and the force for good it represents.