The Elenium/YMMV

• Acceptable Targets: Apparently, short people, since much is made of Avin Wargunsson's height. Granted, Thalesia is known for its gigantic looming Scandinavian-type warriors, but the constant mockery, contemptuous dismissal, and outright insults hurled in his direction are...a little unsettling. And its Played for Laughs. The only thing which prevents this from becoming a Dude, Not Funny moment is that Avin is genuinely such a sniveling coward, social climber, and nasty, plotting evildoer that you can't help but feel contempt for him yourself and enjoy what happens to him. (Though again, some of his actions may be justified, or at least understandable, due to the constant ridicule and rejection he has suffered all his life.) That, and what happens sadly is Actually Pretty Funny.
  • What seems to be this directed at homosexuals via the Baron Harparin ends up being a fairly clear demonization and denouncing of pedophilia, since the gay owner from Mirtai's past is depicted quite fairly, honestly, and sympathetically.
• Alas, Poor Villain: After everything Martel has done, when he lies dying Sparhawk and Sephrenia both gather to his side and mourn his death. Sephrenia even grants him her blessing, which she had withheld after Martel's fall from grace.
• Non Sequitur Scene: In The Shining Ones, Aphrael summoning a spaceship manned by a species of snake-women from another dimension to take the party to where the Bhelliom is hidden
• Canon Sue: Arguably, Xanetia, the Delphae priestess on the cusp of godhood who's feared by everyone but her own kind, has incredible magical powers that can't be detected even by the gods, can melt you into goo with one touch, and manages to make nice with Sephrenia within half a book despite aeons of Fantastic Racism. Oh, and she can read minds. She even uncovers Zalasta.
  • Lampshaded and perhaps justified in-universe; Xanetia and her people were basically allowed to evolve godlike powers (in the form of a curse, which is undetectable by the laws of the local Functional Magic) by their own God, in contrast to the gods of Styricum, who deliberately restrict their followers' powers. As a result, Xanetia can more or less do anything her mind is capable of, and the supernatural awe she inspires in others is probably, like Aphrael, deliberate. Needless to say; Sephrenia, the goddess Aphrael, and every other Styric character are deeply suspicious of what amounts to an entire race of evolving gods, and frequently view it as a very, very dangerous thing.
    • It's also sort of lampshaded in that Styricum's biggest gripe with the Delphae is that they are just so damn perfect and perceived to be really smug about it.
      • Which is pretty rich, coming from the Styrics.
• Crowning Moment of Funny: See the entry, but really, the entire sequence in Cippria where Sparhawk and Kurik break into the Elenian consulate turns into a comedy act, from a random naked lady to an unnecessary bridge to Sparhawk's juvenile shenanigans once they're inside:

After a moment, he heard Kurik's hoarse whisper coming from the kitchen door. "Is that you?"
For an instant, he was tempted to whisper back, "No," but then he got himself under control again.

• • Ulath does this occasionally.

Sparhawk: Ulath, I've got a question.
Ulath: For me? Oh, Sparhawk, you shouldn't have!

• Fridge Logic: It's said several times that what people call 'magic' is in essence asking a god to perform an action for you. After Azash and Cyrgon die, how the hell could Zalasta perform magic?
  • Specifically, sanctioned Styric magic is asking a god to perform an action for you. There are other ways of doing magic, like the way renegade Styrics call upon powers of the imprisoned Elder Gods...or rather, the same powers the Elder Gods use (like the one who could call upon demons and otherworldly monsters). In fact, Zalasta never received power from Azash at all, and likely not much if anything from Cyrgon. He's basically the greatest Styric magician in history, and didn't need them.
  • Has anyone else noticed that with Ehlana's being barren, there will be no more Sparhawks as he has no son- and thus, no more champions? Nobody in the books did, and Sparhawk at least should find this to be a fairly major issue.
  • It's implied that Talen will be taking up the position.
• Full-Frontal Assault: Bellina, under Azash's curse, who hangs out naked in her brother's cellar butchering and eating children alive.
  • And then inverted when the Knights run across a horde of naked revelers trying to summon Azash into a clay idol, and promptly assault them.
  • Also done by Lillias during her farewell to Sparhawk.
• Hilarious in Hindsight: During the second book the Knights are approached by a displaced Troll in the dark who starts shouting for them to hand over the child who stole from him. Everyone automatically assumes it's Talen. It's inexplicable at first, until you find out later the Troll is actually Ghwerig and he's looking for Flute, not Talen, whom everyone thinks of instantly when they hear "child" and "thief".

Ulath: How could Talen pick a Troll's pocket? They don't even have pockets!

• Magnificent Bastard: One could make a case for Martel. The man has his fingers in just about every Evil Plan in the books, and just when you think you've stopped them all, he shows up at Chyrellos with a massive army, having tricked Wargun into chasing shadows hundreds of miles away, to declare Annias Archprelate by force. Oh, and the Ehlana thing? Just a scheme he and Azash cooked up.
• Narm: Annias' title is Primate. It makes sense if you think about the origin of the word, but it's hard to take a guy seriously when people are practically calling him "ape" left and right.
  • This troper actually joked about Azash corrupting Annias with the promise of tons of bananas.
  • Scarpa. His character lose a lot of points when you know that his name means "Shoe" in Italian.
    • That might be a bit of Fridge Brilliance, since Scarpa's status as a bastard son of a prostitute caused everyone (even his own father) to kick him around all his life (and generally treat him like something you'd scrape off the bottom of one).
• Sequelitis: One could make a case for the Elenium being some of Eddings' best stuff. But then the Tamuli comes along, which is a big step down, largely thanks to an abundance of Harmless Villains.
• Tear Jerker: Aphrael can be a very irritating character at times, but her declaration of "They're killing my children, Sephrenia! All over Eosia! The Elenes are killing my children! I want to die!" made this troper want to cry.
  • Martel's last words: "This isn't so bad.... I get to die in the presence of the only two people I ever really loved." Both of whom are his enemies, and one of whom blesses him in his dying moment and sheds tears over it. Also, arguably supports Foe Yay.
  • No mention of when Kurik is killed? And Talen, crying over his father's body: "He's dead, Sparhawk! My father's dead!"
• Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: Ghwerig the troll. In reality, he is maddened by the loss of Bhelliom, and he devotes most of the rest of his life to searching for it, and even though, he eventually finds it, but is killed by Sparhawk and Kurik. Even they feel a little sorry for him when he sobs about how lonely he is.