THE SWORD
OF
ARAMUN
PART 2
TRIAL-BLAZING
HIGH FANTASY
TELEVISION
SERIES
THAT IS
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 The Sword of Aramun, a thrilling and addictive fast-paced ancient war-action-romance drama, is a trial-blazing High Fantasy television series never before attempted in Asia. It is a work of art, a defining television series and an instant classic. The detailed fantasy worldbuilding, which is weaved into the amazing storytelling, transports the viewers to a magical time and place. Strange races or species with blue or purple blood or superpowers and also, magical creatures inhabit the land. The unpredictable epic wars between the Ago Alliance and the Arthdal kingdom, fought fiercely with bronze and iron swords across the mythical continent of Arth, involves a hero who is a savage warrior, a legend and mythical god. The shocking and unexpected war strategies and the unpredictability of the war situations change the history of Arth. And the unique, groundbreaking television series, The Sword of Aramun, the best drama not only of 2023 but probably the 21st century, has also changed South Korean television history.  When The Sword of Aramun or
Arthdal Chronicles 2 hit the screens, according to Soompi, ‘... it shot to No. 1 on Good Data
Corporation’s weekly list of the TV dramas that generated the most buzz. The
company determines each week’s rankings by collecting data from news articles,
blog posts, online and social media about dramas.’ 
The television series would not have been a stunning
masterpiece without the talent, imagination, creativity and storytelling
power of the screenwriters, Kim Young Hyun and Park Sang Yeon, Director
Kim Kwang Sik and his assistant, Bae Tae Jong and the action choreographers.
The Sword of Aramun is beautifully filmed like a movie by the amazing Choi Chan Ming, Cinematographer and Director of Photography, and and his team. With his magic, one feels that one is in the midst of the action. The wardrobe, makeup and music departments should also be commended for the success of the series.
The television series stars stellar lead actor Lee Joon Gi, whose mould-breaking, sterling portrayal of the twins of clashing characters and personalities, Eun Seom and Saya, has elevated the action-fantasy genre to a whole new level. Playing the twins with perfection and distinction, Lee, the multiple international award-winning actor brings us to the highs and lows of the war situations in the televison series.
Lee Joon Gi's top-notch performance is complemented by the brilliant performance of the other main actors, Shin Sae Kyeong who plays Tanya, the High Priest; Jang Dong Gun who takes on the role of Tagon, the king of Arthdal, while Taealha, his queen is played by Kim Ok Vin. Many talented supporting actors have also contributed to the success of the television series.
THE PHYSICAL SETTING ARTH A FICTIONAL, MYTHICAL CONTINENT   The television saga is set in a fictional realm - a mythical continent called Arth where powerful gods or the reincarnation of powerful gods, Inaishingi-Aramun Haesulla and Asa Sin lived among strange races (who have unusual traditions and lifestyles). The magical creatures that exist include Kanmoreu, a heavenly horse, and a magical bird. The scriptwriters have provided maps that
show the location and brief history of the fictional realm.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttpEJwhBk-M&t=1s TIME PERIOD EIGHT (8) YEARS AFTER TAGON’S ENTHRONEMENT The Sword of Aramun, the
sequal of Arthdal Chronicles Season 1, opens eight (8) years after Tagon had
ascended the Arthdal throne. Eun Seom, the reincarnation of the god, Inaishingi, has risen to power by uniting 30 tribes to form the formidable Ago Alliance. The rise in power of Arthdal in the west and the rise of the Ago Alliance in the East inevitably lead to fierce wars that would end in the destruction of Arthdal . TIME PERIOD THE END OF THE BRONZE AGE AND THE BEGINNING OF THE IRON AGE
Though Arth bears some
similarities to Earth, there are some features that set them apart. Although the tale is set at the end of the Bronze
Age and the beginning of the Iron Age, the iron industry in Arth’s Iron Age
is unlike the Iron Age of earth. One
source of the iron which is obtained by the Ago Alliance is from a fictional
meteorite retrieved from the bottom of
a lake, the Lake of Stars. The ginormous meteorite is hauled up by the super divers from the Momo Tribe. THE SEASONS The television series is mostly set in Summer and
Autumn. The viewers see a lot of green grass and trees in the first battle on the plains. It feels like summer.
  In the confrontation between the identical twins, the forest floor, which is laid with Autumn leaves, resembles a sea of leaves.
In the war before the fall of Arthdal, the whirlwind fire spreads easily because of the dry leaves and branches. The raging fire cloaks the screen, and the audience can almost feel the suffocating heat and smell the smokey, charred odours of the flames that destroy the Arthdal army.
THE MYSTERIOUS, PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT THE FOREST IS ALIVE Most of the action and wars take place in the natural environment in Arth. The wars are fought along rivers, on the plains (the Plains of Hanchoa), and the forests (forested mountains). The savage warriors of the Ago Alliance live among nature while most of soldiers of Saram descent live in the civilised world of Arthdal. The
forested mountain in The Sword of Aramun, a mysterious place, is a
character in this television series. It seems
to be alive and listening when Inaishingi delivers a passionate speech to it. The experience is earth-shattering. After watching the magical segment of the drama,
if one were to walk into a forest, one would wonder if it would come alive.    THE SOCIAL AND CULTURAL ENVIRONMENT The Sword of Aramun opens with the prophecy concerning the three main characters, the Children of Prophecy, who feature importantly in the story: Eun Seom (Sword), Saya (Mirror) and Tanya (Bell). The trio is destined to bring the power of the nefarious king Tagon to an end.
It was a time
when three main races or species, the Sarams, Igutus, and Neanthals live on the Arth continent. A
minor species is the Momo people. All have different cultures and gods. The Neanthals and Momos speak their own unique languages.
The Sarams are a red-blooded human-like race. Most of them live
in Arthdal. The Wahans from Iark were captured by the Arthdal soldiers and
became their slaves.
The Sarams worship 8 gods. The most important god is Airuju.
There are other religions. Tagon claims to be the Reincarnation of the
Arthdal god, Aramun Haesulla. One of the religious sects is the White Mountain Heart,
the members of which believe that the god Aramun Haesulla was an Igutu. The Sarams fear and hate the Igutus and the Neanthals. The
foreign races are ostracized or killed.
The Neanthals, a vanishing race, are blue-blooded, long-haired,
peace-loving race who are one with Nature. Their eyes glow blue when
agitated. They speak a strange, unique language. The Neanthals, a long-haired
race, love nature and live peacefully in the natural world. Of all the races
or species in the story, the Neanthals are the strongest but the strongest among them is Nunbyeol who can also wield a sword. Tagon, who once headed the elite Daekan troop had nearly annihilated the Neanthal race in a genocidal war called The Great Hunt. Except for a handful who remained in Arth, those who survived had fled to Irkebaek under the leadership of 'Father god'. Irkebaek is a very far place to the west of the Arth continent.  The Igutus, the offspring of
Sarams (red-blooded) and Neanthals (blue-blooded) are purple-blooded species who have purple lips. They cover the purple colour of their lips with cosmetics, if necessary. Their
eyes glow purple when agitated. The Igutus are stronger than the Sarams but weaker than the Neanthals.
Igutus can probably learn the
Neanthal language easily since Saya is able to do so during his long sea
journey with Eknad in the final
episode. Eun Seom and Saya, the identical twins, are children of Ragaz, a Neanthal, and Asa Hon, a Saram. Lee Joon Gi’s portrayal of Igutu characters, the savage Eun Seom and the Machaviallian Saya is believable. Looking at the the purple glow in the eyes of the savage warrior or his twin brother gives one the chills and goosebumps. Eun Seom
Eun Seom
Saya
Tagon, the king of Arthdal, is also an Igutu.
Igutus in Arthdal hide their identity to avoid persecution. Tagon kills whosoever learns of his Igutu identity. Saya, who had been adopted by Tagon, had been kept in a tower for most of his young life to prevent his secret identity from being exposed. The blood of Arok, Tagon and Taealha’s son,
is a slightly different shade of purple.  The various tribes in the
Ago Alliance are tolerant of Igutus and Inaishingi-Eun Seom is well-respected
and loved by them. The fantastical idea of purple Igutu
blood, a mixture of the blue blood of the Neanthals, and the red blood of
Sarams who resemble earthlings, is an interesting and unique concept. The extraordinary Igutu blood holds the attention of the audience and the tension escalates with the revelation of Inaishingi, Tagon and Arok’s Igutu blood. But what startles is the proclamation by Tanya, the very powerful High Priest, that purple blood is sacred. The twist in the thrilling story is that the blood of Aramun Haesulla, the god of Arthdal, was purple. He was an Igutu.
   Inaishingi Eun
Seom (and Saya) and Tagon had hit the jackpot. What began as determination on
Tanya’s part to create a future opportunity for Inaishingi to ascend the
Arthdal throne would soon trigger a series of relentless changes in Arth and
Arthdal.
The Momos, who have superpowers, are seafaring people who speak a unique language. They have a deep connection to the water or sea; they live by the sea and have amazing swimming skills. Momos can dive deep into the sea and have no difficulty in staying underwater for some time. The most interesting fact about the Momo tribe is they pride themselves in their practice of 'galma', an act of repaying the debts or favours they owe to others or to absolve them from blame. It is a strange custom of the Momos that the members of the Ago Alliance witnessed on a few on a few occasions. One involved Karat, the half-brother or beogeumbari of Karika, the Xabara (chief) of the Momo tribe. There was a huge fight in which a strange person had thrown him into the water. Pressing him down into the water, the stranger had hoped to drown him. Karak, who was able to hold his breath under the water, leapt up to plunge a dagger into him. It turned out that the strange man was an Igutu. Sitting in the water, Karat performed a strange ritual for the dead man to absolve him from blame and 'to resolve his galma'.
Karat also helped the Ago Alliance to retrieve the meteorite from the lake to repay Karika's previous debt to Eun Seom. Eun Seom had saved Xabara Karika's baby.    The wars that are
fought tell of the conflict between Arthdal which has dominated and
controllled the various tribes of the Arth continent and the response of the
tribes which has sought to destroy its tyrannical and ruthless power. The
conflict spans the entire contient of Arth. Destined to be
king, Eun Seom rises to become the Reincarnation of the god Inashingi. He
easily unites 30 tribes and they march towards Arthdal, fighting wars on the
plains and the forests along the way.
Eun Seom is a competent horseman and swordsman. One of the interesting aspects (there are innumerable) of the wars is the sensual way that Eun Seom mounts and straddles his horse. What fantasies rush through the imagination of the audience are not exactly known but it does make the heart race. The first war, which
is fought on the open plains, sees the twin brothers on opposing sides; Eun
Seom leads the savage Ago warriors while Saya heads the Arthdal army as their
general.     The audience watch the blood
and are aghast at the spilling of the blood in the horrifying bloodbath! They shudder at the gore and the brutality of the Ago savages.   The second battle,
which is fought between Inaishingi-Eun Seom and Tagon in the forests, involves the use of Scorched Earth tactic by the Ago Alliance against the Arthdal
army. The Ago warriors, who dominate the forests, are cunningly lured out of
their comfort zone into the open plains where they prove to be vulnerable.
Many Ago soldiers are sacrificed and they retreat into the forest pursued by
the Arthdal soldiers who try to flush them out with a fire strategy.   But the tables are
turned when Inaishingi fights fire with fire. The Arthdal soldiers are
trapped in the Whirlwind of Fire.
       The whirlwind fire leads to the destruction of the Arthdal army. The Ago Alliance advance towards Arthdal to fight the final thrilling battle in Tagon's own turf.   
 Arthdal, the most
powerful kingdom in Arth soon falls under the onslaught of the army of the Ago Alliance
with the help of the races with super powers, the Neanthal and the Momo sea
tribe.  
Every civilization, warring nation or military
troop needs a hero. And Eun Seom is a compelling hero. He is The Sword and he
has The Sword - a Warrior, Legend and Hero; he is destined to be a hero of the Arth continent. The greatest component of heroism is courage. Nobody is a hero without
taking risks. The way Eun Seom fights is selfless, virtuous and always
against the odds especially when Tagon’s Arthdal army is superior in numbers and
war technology. Eun Seom becomes Inaishingi,
the strongest warrior in the east of the continent of Arth. It is
unbelievable that he, the leader of the Ago Alliance, is able to destroy
Arthdal’s most elite troops. He serves to protect the people in
the Ago Alliance and stands firm against Tagon's tyranny. The Sword of Aramun ensures the deeds of heroes like Inaishingi-Eun Seom would not pass away and his name would not wither. Lee Joon Gi, South Korea’s top action actor, who plays the charismatic hero of the war-based televsion series, makes a stunning impression with his multi-layer portrayal of the complex hero and his spectacular stunts and action scenes. His tears at the horrific sight of divine horse being killed and at the dreadful sight when Tanya is being tied like a sacrificial lamb fill almost every eye with tears. In times of unbelief, Lee’s portrayal of Eun Seom makes us believe in heroism again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfRH8JWWs70&ab_channel=ILZANpire  
Eun Seom is a hero
to the Ago Alliance, greatly admired and respected but he is a reluctant to
add another hero label to his belt. Eun Seom refuses as first, to take on the
mantle of dual gods, Inaishingi and Aramun Haesulla to end the wars in Arth. The High Priest of
Arthdal, Tanya, insists that he has to unlock the mysteries of his link with
Aramun Haesulla. Eun Seom,
skeptical about the Sword, the Mirror and the Bell, being the Children of the Prophesy, brushes aside her supposed frivolous beliefs. He could not possibly be
Aramun Haesulla because he, Eun Seom, was the Reincarnation of Inaishingi. Inaishingi and
Aramun had been bitter enemies since 200 years ago. Tanya suggested
that the biggest tragedy in Arth was the fierce rivalry between Inashingi and
Aramun Haesulla.
But, Tanya tells him in no uncertain terms that she believes in his Inaishingi-Aramun Haesula combined destiny. She showed him
Aramun’s last will and oracle. ‘When the zelkova
tree cracks and my sword is revealed, Aramun shall know their mission.’ After lightning strikes Inaishingi's arm, Yangcha fights him and tries to kill him. Inaishingi falls the cliff but miraculously survives. He climbs up and declares he would be both Inaishingi and Aramun Haesulla. Yangcha is ordered to convey a message to Tanya. Raising his lightning-scarred right hand which holds the iron sword, he proclaimed, ‘No matter how you see it, this sword is mine! Tell her - I, Eun Seom of the Wahan Tribe, will become Inaishingi and Aramun Haesulla!’
He is determined to fulfill his mission as dictated by the oracle. He would accept the mission to unite the powers of the two gods, Inaishingi and Aramun. There is a note of finality in his voice.
In the end, he defeats Tagon, the nefarious king and ascends the
Arthdal throne. A Fantastic and Realistic Image of Inaishingi's arm One heck of an arm.  One thing about
Lee’s portrayal of Inaishingi when he flashes his arm as lightning strikes. The audience must be thinking. ‘What a magificient sexy arm!’ ' In the ending
episode, Lee flashes his bare arm again. You feel the pleasure of seeing the
Lichtenberg Figures streaking across his arm. What a magnificient sight! This is one of the many reasons why we call The Sword of Aramun a visually stunning High Fantasy television series!
A High Fantasy tale cannot do without some
fantastic creatures. The Sword of
Aramun speaks of two such creatures, Douri or Helper, who is thought to be
the divine horse, Kanmoureu, which, according to legend, is the heavenly horse
of Aramun Haesulla. The divine horse is an important character in the series.
The heavenly horse,
a sentient being, refuses to allow anyone except Inaishingi-Eun Seom to ride it.  During one incident, Tagon mounted the horse but it reared and threw him to the ground.  It is clear to Tagon that Inaishingi is the real Aramun Haesulla, the master of Kanmoreu, the heavenly horse.   That Inaishingi-Eun Seom has a strong and heartwarming bond with the heavenly beast is surprising and puzzling since the god, Inaishingi, was the enemy of Aramun Haesulla, the god of Arthdal.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cw-SDyfLZDp/?img_index=1 What it shows is
Eun Seom is destined to be both Inaishingi and Aramun Haesulla.
 In an exciting sequence in the war between the twins, Inaishingi whispers to Douri or Kanmoreu to rear in the air. He repeated his instructions to the stallion to repeat his amazing feat. It was an impressive sight as the horse reared with its front legs high in the air. The Arthdal horsemen fell to the ground and in the end, Kanmoreu, the legendary divine horse, lured the Arthdal horses to the Ago camp.
 
Mubeck, the commander of the Daekan elite troop, remembers a similar previous experience when chasing Kanmoreu, the divine horse of Aramun Haesulla. He then realises that the rider of the black stallion, Eun Seom is The Chosen One, and the horse is really Kanmoreu.
  Another
fantastical creature is the strange magical bird who was flying in the cave
where the tomb of Aramun Haesulla was discovered.
The chirping of the
strange magical bird had attracted Tanya’s
attention. The bird had a
turquoise head, white body and black tail. It settled on
Aramun’s tomb. On the spot that it landed was the last message that Aramun Haesulla had engraved onto the tomb. The magical bird had shown her the crucial message of Aramun Haesulla. WHEN THE ZELKOVA TREE CRACKS AND MY SWORD IS REVEALED, ARAMUN SHALL KNOW THEIR MISSION
The Iron Age has come to Arthdal. Yeolsan has obtained knowledge of iron. This has caused strife between the king, the queen and Tanya, the daughter of Yeolson. Yeolson is tortured by the queen to reveal how he has melted the iron ore. Later after some investigations, they learn that he might have used limestone. Yeolsan expounds to Tagon that the mass production of cheap iron products like swords would make bronze a thing of the past. And, the Arthdal army, when supplied with the iron swords to fight their wars, would be a formidable army to be feared.
Yeolsan later presents Eun Seom with an iron sword, which the younger man tests. When he swings it,
a ringing sound is heard.
Astonished, Eun Seom realises the iron sword is far superior to his bronze sword. The iron sword, which is lighter and stronger than the bronze sword, is the pride of Arthdal. And Yeolson makes it clear: Have no delusions about it. Arthdal could produce iron swords in great numbers very easily.  The Ago Union does not even have enough bronze swords, what more iron swords. 'Thousands and millions of Arthdal soldiers would swarm across Arth with iron swords. Millions – such frightening numbers! Yeolson had
painted a petrifying picture of the future armies of Arthdal which would
rapidly advance from the west to the east to destroy its rivals. Yeolson has magnified a future so horrible that Eun Seom, in his small Ago world, could never have imagined. The threat is not in the remote future or the not-so-distant future but the immediate future – NOW. He makes no bones about it; he is explicit and unambiguous. In Yeolson’s opinion, it is unquestionable that the Ago army has zero chance against an invincible invading army armed with a new war weapon. Yeolson insists that Eun Seom show the lethal weapon to his people and persuade them to disperse in the hopes that many lives will be spared. If not, they might just die in vain. But Eun Seom knew that they will forever live in the shadows and mortal fear of Tagon and Arthdal.
But, fortunately, Eun Seom has divine help. His past good deeds ensures that he has help from the Momo tribe. He had saved the baby of Karika, the chief from the Momo Tribe and Karat, her half-brother and his friends help to retrieve the humongous meteorite from the bottom of the Lake of Stars.
The Ago people
could extract the iron from the meteorite to make iron swords to fight Arthdal.
 
In this tale, living dieties or gods walk among the various strange races in the Arth continent including Sarams, Neanthals and Momos. There are at least two living deities or gods in the tale who seemed to have magical powers.
Eun Seom, who was the Reincarnation of Inaishingi, and also, Aramun Haesulla, has strange powers. When he fell off the cliff, he could crawl rapidly up like a spider.
   A Fantastic and Realistic Image of Inaishingi's arm One heck of an arm. In a scene between Yangcha and Inaishingi, the former had followed the latter secretly and fought with him near the zekova tree. It has been raining heavily and lightning struck the tree. Inaishingi who lifted his hand holding the iron sword given to him by Yeolson, was struck by lightning.
At that moment, the zelkova tree broke into two, leaving the stump standing while the branches fell into the deep ravine below. The scene is shockingly amazing. No words can describe the experience of seeing the fantastic lightning scene. It is FRIGHTENING yet so THRILLING. The lightning coursed through the metal sword, a conductor of electricity and flowed right through his arm, causing a massive shock. The flashes of electricity left a spidery network of bloody red lines running along the length of his rippling muscular arm. The Lichtenberg Figures. Yangcha took advantage of the moment of distraction to slash at Eun Seom but as fate would have it, his sword, like the tree, also broke into two.
Inaishingi fell off the edge of the cliff.
If you’d ever doubted Inaishingi is a god, then this is the moment when your doubts vanish. There is no shadow of a doubt about his divinity.
You might not believe it but the superhero, like a furious giant spider on all his fours, impressively scaled the steep incline of the cliff to reach the summit. It is an AMAZING sight.
His ferocious predator look matches the thunderous, devastating storm.
The combination of the directing, cinematography, lighting and musical score of the scene is unbelevable. You cannot but compare everything in this scene positively with the great movies of the west and the fantastic superheroes of the western cinema! Phenomenal.        
Tanya, the High Priest of Arthdal is the Reincanation of Asa Sin, has psychic and telepathic powers. She could read the thoughts of others and relay thoughts to them.
When Tagon decided to sacrifice Tanya in order to win the war against the Ago Alliance, the hero had to rescue the maiden in distress. Tagon tied her to a pole on the roof of the city wall, Inaishingi was shocked and saddened. She could hear his thoughts and could send loving messages to him through telepathy although he was quite a distance from her.
 
A god with superhuman powers, Tanya used her psychic powers to speak to Eun Seom. She, standing on top of the high city walls, could see him seated on his stallion on Arthdal’s doorsteps. To her, her beloved Ago leader was an impressive figure. She declared that she was a god.
'Of course, I’m the great reincarnation of Asa Sin, the god of Arthdal.’
She reminds him of his role as a leader in Arth.
‘Eun Seom, gods have their own paths. Inaishiingi should follow Inaishingi’s path.'
His destiny is to be Aramun Haesulla, in addition to being Inaishingi. He was to be the hero who would unite all the different races in the continent of Arth.
We see Inashingi sink to the lowest point of his life as he helplessly watched Tanya's suffering. It is a heart-breaking moment which bring tears to the eyes of the audience.
   In a scene with Saya, Tanya knew that Saya was jealous of his own brother, his blood relative, his own identical twin. She knew about what he wanted to conceal. If the rebellion that they had
planned against Tagon succeeded, Saya was going to kill Eun Seom and replace
him. Imagine, Saya wanted to become Eun Seom. He was too power-hungry.
Tanya dealt him a crippling blow. It was then that she revealed
that she had the psychic power of reading the thoughts of others. A divine
power. She had read his thoughts.
  The High Priest could also cast curses in the name of supernatural justice on wicked people if necessary. Tanya's cursing is best understood as an art. It requires composure, wit, knowledge, skill and practice. Her gruesome curses put fear even in the hearts of Tagon and Taealha, the wicked king and queen of Arthdal.  There are other characters who have magical powers – Nunbyeol, a Neanthal who claims to be ‘the strongest creature in the world’, and Karika, the Sabara or Chief of the Momo Tribe. In the final episode, a group of superheroes consisting of Inaishingi Eun Seom, the High Priest Tanya, the Neanthals led by Nunbyeol, the Momo tribe led by Xabara Karika, and a fledging hero, Saya gather to fight Tagon, the evil king and Taealha, his ambitious, nefarious queen.
Nunbyeol, ‘The strongest creature in the world’, and the two Neanthal men, Nosunaho and Issruv, have incredible strength. They can fly up and down from great heights. Their punches can send their enemies flying into the air.
  
The Neanthals unite with the Momos to defeat Tagon. Karika and her superstrong warriors from the Momo Tribe could swim and hold their breath underwater for a considerable length of time. Karika can fly into the air and land gently on the ground.
    In the end, Tagon is defeated. With his death, Inaishingi-Aramun Haesulla ascends the Arthdal throne.  The Sword of Aramun, the epic war saga with its unique story, top-rated acting performance, fantastic storytelling, amazing directing and cinematography, best action sequences, best set design, stunning soundtrack, beautiful costumes and makeup, has captured the global attention. It is indisputably the best television series of 2023. |
