The Horn of Eld

[Electricman707]

There is definetly something about this horn. Adam and Tammydee both have good points. I am still thinking about it.

[daysend88]

I felt like this also. I read "The Song of Roland" Which is the French epic and the character in this poem is roland and he ends up killing himself with his horn. this gives me mixed feelings about the end now and am not sure if Stephen King meant to make that specific connection or not. what do you think?

[Evan of New York]

Howdy, I'm a brand new member and since I've been reading these posts, I've found it adds such a fascinating depth to the tale.
I just finished the last Dark Tower, and I've read all of the posts up to this point. If I may add my two cents, I think that everybody's right in a way. The possession of the Horn of Eld at the end symbolizes another lesson that Roland has learned on the level of his soul - this one being the value of love and true friendship, since he honored Cuthbert's last wishes- maybe finally allowing him entrance into the top of the Dark Tower. There were definite allusions (or foreshadowings, or pre-foreshadowings, if it does ya) to Roland repeating his quest, the folk from River Crossing saying they saw a gunslinger 100 years ago, Walter telling Roland that he just doesn't get it, I'm sure there are more references throughout. Whoever said that the character's scary sense of intuition was a clue that they'd been through the journey on some level was brilliant, it's almost as if they'd been there before and remembered the things they needed to save them. I think that on this next journey, with Roland's new found knowledge of the importance of friendship and love, he might enter the tower with the complete ka-tet. If you really think about it, none of the main tet needed to die: Eddie's death could've been saved if somebody had seen Prentiss's weapon sooner, Jake could've been saved if they had been a few seconds earlier in arriving at King's location on the road, and Oy could've lived if there was another person to keep watch (Eddie, Jake, Suzie) for Mordred. Even so, I think that each time Roland repeats his journey, he gains another key to the Dark Tower, and he gains more wisdom, so that's why the ending takes place in the last few pages: it isn't important. As Sai King said, "Endings are heartless" the heart, the importance is in the journey. Though I think that this time, Roland will conquer the Dark Tower when he blows the the Horn of Eld, as was writ in the last line of Browning's poem.
I hope that this wasn't too much of a ramble!
-Long days, and pleasant nights.

[randallFlaggfan1]

The horn symbolizes his final journey in the loop. The final Stanza of "Childe Rolande to the Dark Tower Came" has the protaganist blowing a horn upon hearing the voices from his past.

Soxfan - I appreciate your input. It's certainly awesome (not to mention interesting) to know that Sai King incorporated parts of the epic poem into his series!

[Pucker]

More than the horn, I think Roland's releasing of Susannah -- and thus sparing her life -- was the pivotal moment in the next phase of Roland's awakening . . . if, in fact, there is to be any awakening. Throughout the saga I kept getting hammered by the notion that Roland doesn't understand the nature of his quest at all. In much the same way Mr. King cautions us to enjoy the journey and not worry so much about the end, Roland is obsessed with his destination and cares not at all how he gets there. He does, indeed, have a lesson to learn, but he's a long way from recognizing it when last we see him, in my opinion.

[MemnochTheDevil]

Roland is in an endless cycle of repeating his quest for the Dark Tower over and over again until he learns what Gan wants him to learn. This could be love, friendship, etc. or it could simply be that Roland has to make what Gan considers the "right" decisions and choices throughout his quest to reach the Dark Tower. At the end of the attempt we read about in books 1-7, he once again reaches the top of the Dark Tower, opens the door, and ends up right back where he started, in the desert, chasing the man in black. But this time, he is chasing the man in black with the Horn of Eld by his side, a reward from Gan for the progress he made and the things he learned in the last cycle (i.e., books 1-7). So this time, he will repeat his quest for the Dark Tower, but it will be his last. When Roland shows up at the field of roses in front of the Dark Tower and blows the Horn of Eld, it will all be over.

The whole thing starts over each time in the desert with Roland having no surface memories of what transpired during his previous attempt to reach the Dark Tower, but memories of each quest are embedded deep in his subconscious. This is a necessary element of serving the "purpose" as Roland does. If Roland's memories were wiped completely clean at the beginning of each attempt to reach the Dark Tower, he would be doomed to repeat each attempt to reach the Dark Tower at "random" and this would lead to chaos. Roland has to be able to learn from past experiences and grow toward what Gan wants him to learn, even if this is only accomplished on the deepest and most subconscious of levels. This also helps him achieve what seems like the impossible in various situations throughout books 1-7.

The whole cycle (books 1-7) starts over each time and we see the same characters and events each time. This serves the purpose, fate, destiny, etc. If Roland encountered 7 books worth of random characters and events each time he repeated his quest to reach the Dark Tower and learn what Gan wants to teach him, it would lead to complete chaos and Roland would only be able to end his quest by random chance.

I like the idea of Roland having made this journey 18 times (the 18th being the quest we read about in books 1-7), and that the 19th time would be with the Horn of Eld and would be his final attempt. But that would have to be up to Gan, fate, destiny, etc. There is nothing saying that Roland couldn't have learned what Gan wanted him to learn by attempt 9 or any other try, but he may have been destined to accomplish his final journey to the Dark Tower during attempt 19.

I didn’t pick up many details about the Horn of Eld in books 1-7, but it is evident that it’s the last piece in the puzzle of Roland’s quest. It bothered me that Roland didn’t destroy the Crimson King in book 7. He was erased and becomes a non-issue, but he wasn’t completely destroyed. Maybe blowing the Horn of Eld completely destroys the Crimson King and ends the struggle between the White and the Red, more properly ending Roland’s quest. But how does that affect Danville’s purpose? Maybe it is simply an element necessary for the door at the top of the tower to drop Roland off somewhere besides back in the desert chasing the man in black (kind of like how black 13 helped manage the door in the cave of voices). Or it could have no other significance than simply a trophy of Gan’s approval that Roland has learned what he wanted him to. I just hate to think that Roland learned everything Gan wanted him too, but Gan makes him seek out the Dark Tower one more time for good measure, with the Horn of Eld not functioning as a tool or weapon of some sort.

[bgheff]

The horn, in addition to being a sign of his linage, represented a promise. Originally, he ignored Cuthberts dieing wish and left the horn there. In fact

Show Spoiler

When Roland reaches the Tower and hears the horn sound from the roses, he hears the Tower point out it would have only taken him all of three seconds to collect the horn, had he cared to

The fact that he has it this time around shows that he respected the wish of his dead friend and holds to his memory. If Roland is able to care about his new ka-tet much earlier this time instead of thinking them as tools, reaching the tower may end up different. At the very least, it shows he has learned a lesson about loving his friends.

[Kevin Enns]

I like to think that he ultimately didn't find redemption anyway, and that he keeps on doing the same quest infinity more times. Except maybe the battle with the Crimson King is better in this version.

[Chris1974100]

I think thats not a possibility

[charlotte98]

I was thinking about Eddie and Cuthbert, I keep thinking they must be twinners. That Eddie is Cuthbert, re-incarnated. And when Eddie sees the horn of Eld, he will remember his life as Cuthbert.
Is that crazy?

Also, I feel like Roland having the horn will somehow help him in his quest.... and... maybe this time he won't let Jake fall. That broke my heart.

Thoughts?