The
Condor Trilogy is a
trilogy of three
wuxia novels by
Jin Yong.
The novels in the trilogy are:
The Legend of the Condor Heroes (射鵰英雄傳) (1957)
The Return of the Condor Heroes (神鵰俠侶) (1959)
The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber (倚天屠龍記) (1961)
Plot
Book I
The story is set in the
Song Dynasty and at the beginning of the
Jurchen Jin invasion of northern China. The first part of the novel revolves around the friendship of two men, Yang Tiexin and Guo Xiaotian, who become heroes in their own right as they fight the Jin invaders. The bond between the duo is so strong that they pledge to each other that their unborn children will become either sworn brothers (if both are of the same sex) or a couple (if they are of opposite sexes).
The story focuses on the trials and tribulations of their sons after Guo's death and Yang's disappearance. Guo Jing, Guo Xiaotian's son, grows up in Mongolia under the care of Genghis Khan. Yang Kang, on the other hand, grows up in Jin as a Jurchen prince's son. Guo is mentored by the "Seven Freaks of Jiangnan" in martial arts but he is a slow learner and only manages to master part of the skills he was taught. Yang is mentored by Qiu Chuji of the Quanzhen Sect and he learns the evil "Nine Yin White Bone Claw" from Mei Chaofeng secretly.
The boys' personalities differ largely from each other due to the difference in the manners they were raised. Guo is honest, loyal and righteous, but slow witted. Conversely, Yang is clever, but scheming and treacherous. They eventually meet one another and their respective lovers, Huang Rong and Mu Nianci. The main plot follows Guo and Huang's adventures and their encounters with the Five Greats. Meanwhile, Yang plots with the Jurchens to destroy his native land of Song. Yang refuses to acknowledge his ethnicity and is strongly driven to acquire wealth, fame and glory. His treachery is slowly unveiled throughout the novel through the encounters he has with the protagonists.
Assisted by Guo, the Mongol military destroys the Khwarezm Empire and Western Xia, leaving the Jin Dynasty with no ally left to turn to and its eventual destruction. The Mongols subsequently turn their attention towards Song. Guo is unwilling to aid the Mongols in conquering his native homeland and leaves Mongolia. Guo returns to Song and helps his countrymen in countering the Mongol invasion. On the other hand, Yang meets his retributive end, leaving behind Mu Nianci and their unborn son.
Book II
The protagonist,
Yang Guo, is the
orphaned son of the antagonist,
Yang Kang, of
the first novel. He is raised briefly by the couple
Guo Jing and
Huang Rong before being sent to the
Quanzhen Sect for better guidance in moral values and orthodox martial arts. At Quanzhen, Yang is often picked on and bullied by his fellow students and his teacher Zhao Zhijing is biased against him. Yang flees and ventures unknowingly into the nearby Tomb of the Living Dead, where the
Ancient Tomb Sect is housed. He is saved by
Xiaolongnü, a mysterious maiden of unknown origin, and becomes her disciple. They live together in the tomb for many years until Yang grows up. By then, Yang sees Xiaolongnü more than merely his highly-respected teacher, as he has gradually developed romantic feelings for her.
However, their love is forbidden by societal laws in the Confucianist society of that time. Throughout the story, their love meets with several trials, such as the misunderstandings that threaten to tear them apart and the encounter with Gongsun Zhi. Finally, after their reunion and marriage, Xiaolongnü leaves Yang again, owing to her belief she cannot recover from a fatal poison, and promises to meet him again sixteen years later. While Yang is wandering the land alone, he meets several formidable pugilists and a giant Condor. His adventures gradually mould him into a courageous pugilist, whose prowess matches the Greats of his age. Yang serves his nation by helping the Han Chinese of Song defeat the Mongol invaders, delaying their advances for another fourteen years. At the end of the novel, he is finally reunited with Xiaolongnü and they are recognized as heroes.
Book III
Set in the late Mongol
Yuan Dynasty, the story revolves around a pair of priceless and extremely powerful weapons, known respectively as the Heaven-reliant Sword (倚天劍) and Dragon-slaying Saber (屠龍刀), which many pugilists covet. Either or both of them are thought to allow their wielder to rule the
wulin (martial artists' community), according to a widely circulating rumour in a repeated
mantra, "Honoured by the
wulin, the precious saber slays the dragon, it commands the world, who dares disobey? If the Heaven-reliant does not appear, who can challenge it?" (武林至尊，寶刀屠龍，號令天下，莫敢不從！倚天不出，誰與爭鋒？). The reason for that is lost at the beginning of the story. In addition, a subplot reveals the fates of the Guo and Yang families from the first two novels.
The protagonist, Zhang Wuji, is of mixed heritage: his father, Zhang Cuishan, hails from the righteous Wudang Sect under the master Zhang Sanfeng, while his mother, Yin Susu, is from the unorthodox Heavenly Eagle Cult. As a boy, he lives with them and his godfather, Xie Xun, on the isolated northerrn island where he was born. He returns to the Chinese mainland and loses his parents after they are cornered by several pugilists coveting the Dragon-slaying Saber. At the same time, he is wounded by the Xuanming Elders and survives after seeking medical treatment from Hu Qingniu.
His adventures further lead him to discover the long-lost Nine Yang Manual and he masters the skills within, becoming a formidable pugilist. Subsequently, he resolves the conflict between the Ming Cult and the six major orthodox sects, who are intent on destroying the cult. He earns the respect of the cult's members and becomes its leader after mastering the powerful skill "Heaven and Earth Great Shift". He reforms the cult and helps to improve its relations with the other sects. He becomes a key figure in leading the rebel forces to overthrow the Yuan Dynasty.
Throughout his adventures, Zhang finds himself entangled in a complex web of love relationships with four maidens. The first, Yin Li, is a horribly disfigured girl, who is actually his cousin. The second, Xiaozhao, is a beautiful Chinese-Persian servant girl who understands him very well. The third, Zhou Zhiruo, is a childhood friend whom he develops a strong bond with. The fourth, Zhao Min, is a Mongol princess and his former arch-rival. Yin Li is apparently killed in the middle of the story while Xiaozhao returns to Persia after it is revealed that she is destined to lead the Persian Ming Cult.
Zhou Zhiruo's character is the most complicated of the four as she loves Zhang Wuji, but has to turn against him as she is bound by an oath to her teacher Abbess Miejue (who hates and distrusts Zhang). Miejue devises a vicious scheme for Zhou to seize the two weapons by exploiting Zhang's love for Zhou. Zhou also turns vicious after Zhang reneges his promise to marry her and she swears vengeance on him. Zhao Min is initially Zhang's rival as they are on opposing sides. However, Zhao gradually falls in love with Zhang after their various encounters and she even turns against her clan to help Zhang.
At the end of the novel, Zhang decides to retire from the jianghu after he mistakenly believes that the Ming Cult's members are intending to turn against him. He decides that Zhao Min is his true love and they leave for a reclusive life far away from society. Zhang gives up an opportunity to become the emperor, as the Ming Cult eventually overthrows the Yuan Dynasty, and ideally he will become the new sovereign. Instead, Zhu Yuanzhang becomes the emperor and founds the Ming Dynasty.
Category:Condor Trilogy
Category:Literary trilogies
