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Meggie Nguyen

Professor Lee

Writing 39B

12 November 2021

The Consequences of Power

If you were given an object that gave you the opportunity to wish for whatever you

wanted, at the cost of your own memories, what would you wish for? Michael Ende explores this

concept in The Neverending Story, with Bastian, the main character, who enters a fantastical

world and is given AURYN, an amulet that grants him any wish at the cost of him losing his

memories of his real life. Through AURYN, Bastian is able to call upon other magical objects

which have antecedents in other German fantastical literature and which can be transformative or

detrimental to the user’s journey. By showing how Bastian misuses powerful objects such as the

book, AURYN, Sikanda, and the Ghemmal, Ende causes his audience to reflect on what a

sudden bestowal of power might reveal about their own character.

As Bastian gets more engrossed in the book he is reading, he begins to intertwine with

the book, a magical item connecting the book’s realm, Fantastica, to Bastian’s current world. The

protagonist of the book that Bastian is reading, Atreyu, goes on a journey to heal the sick ruler of

his land, the Childlike Empress, by finding a human to give her a new name. As the book

progresses, Bastian’s voice and thoughts can be heard in certain events and Atreyu even sees him

when looking through the mirror gate, a gate that reveals one’s true and deepest nature. As

Bastian reads the book, he notices that it re-tells all the events that he experienced earlier that day

along with everything that he has read up to that point. Bastian thinks, “He, Bastian, was a

character in the book which until now he had thought he was reading. And heaven only knew
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who else might be reading it at the exact same time, also supposing himself to be just a reader”

(Ende 196 - 197). At this moment, Bastian recognizes the power of the book and that he is now

part of the story. Ende alludes to the novel as a device that can transport readers into another

world as they get invested in the novel. Throughout reading The Neverending Story, the audience

explores their own character, questioning what would be revealed if they were to stand in front of

the magic mirror and wonder if they possess the ability to give the Childlike Empress a new

name. The novel enchants readers and takes them on a journey of self-discovery as they learn

from Bastian’s mistakes and leaves them reflecting on what they would have done differently.

The book also transports Bastian into Fantastica and grants him new knowledge as he grows

from his experiences. The book in The Neverending Story as well as the novel itself, are magical

items in which Ende incorporates to give his audience and Bastian the ability to experience the

land of Fantastica and gain newfound knowledge about themselves.

After Bastian gives the Childlike Empress her new name, Moon Child, she disappears

and leaves him with the AURYN in Fantastica. The AURYN is a powerful object that fulfills any

wishes that Bastian has while taking away memories of his original life. At first, Bastian uses the

AURYN for reasons that he deems “good” but with time, the power of AURYN causes him to go

out of control and use it for more selfish reasons. Living in Fantastica are depressed worm-like

creatures named Acharis which Bastian encounters. Originally Bastian would use his wishes on

actions that he deems helpful to others, such as turning the Acharis, the Everlasting Weepers into

the Shlamoofs, the Everlasting Laughers, “​​Here's my wish: … That when you wake up, you shall

crawl out of your skins and turn into bright-colored butterflies. That you shall be lighthearted and

happy" (Ende 291). However, near the end, Bastian begins to use his wishes for selfish reasons,

such as when he is being crowned emperor, “Every single delegate, when his turn came, had to
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bow down before the throne, touch the ground three times with his forehead, kiss Bastian's right

foot” (Ende 367). Ende creates a contrast in Bastian’s personality using these events to show how

too much power can end up being destructive. At first, he worked towards turning miserable

creatures into joyous creatures, yet as time went on, he starts to use his wishes for his own gain

and pleasure. Ende demonstrates that despite good intentions, there is always the possibility of

using the power for more selfish, trivial actions. Furthermore, Bastian becomes skeptical and

loses trust in Atreyu as the power gets to his head when Atreyu was actually trying to save him.

Bastian says, “I didn't ask for your opinion. You make me sick with your lecturing. And now you

question my victory and ridicule my magnanimity … Shut up and leave me be! … I'm sick of

you!” (Ende 331). Up until this point, Atreyu was someone that Bastian considered his friend

and someone he could confide in, but with the excess of power Bastian has, he ends up

disrespecting and ignoring Atreyu through the manipulation tactics of a sorceress named Xayide.

Xayide takes advantage of Bastian in this situation as she turns Bastian against one of his closest

friends, Atreyu. Without a friendly advisor, Xayide seizes the opportunity to convince Bastian to

use his wishes for inconsequential activities, which causes further memory loss for Bastian. Due

to the excess of power, Bastian ends up losing parts of himself—his memories—to get what he

desires, transforming him into someone unrecognizable. With Bastian’s character development,

Ende teaches readers that too much power, such as having unlimited wishes, can get to one’s

head and change them into becoming selfish and ignorant.

Proceeding one of Bastian’s wishes with AURYN, Bastian’s creation ends up giving him

a sword, and Bastian names the sword Sikanda. Sikanda is a magical sword that can destroy

anything as long as it willingly goes to Bastian’s hands. Bastian uses Sikanda in a battle, “The

assailants managed to push Bastian back from the top of the stairs and to attack him from all
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sides, yet not one of their mighty blows touched him. Sikanda whirled around him so fast that it

looked like hundreds of swords. And a few moments later he was surrounded by a heap of

shattered black armor in which nothing stirred” (Ende 327). Similarly in David Dickens’s

“Rings, Belts, and a Bird’s Nest: Invisibility in German Literature,” a sword is used in battle to

achieve victory. Dicken states, “In battle his Burgundian hosts must fight against invading

Saxon-Danish forces, he uses his sword Balmung … to help achieve victory” (Dickens 31).

However, the powerful sword that Dickens mentions contrasts to Sikanda such that it requires

effort and thinking for the user to defeat the enemy, whereas Sikanda is able to defeat anything if

it jumps to the user’s hands. Sikanda differs from the swords found in German literature since it

over-exaggerates strength and power. Bastian is able to mindlessly defeat his enemies with

Sikanda’s magical abilities which he would have not been able to do so with an ordinary sword.

Reporter Jamie Siedal observes that “[there] were [medieval] swords so strong they were deemed

magical … Unlike common blades, these would not shatter. When swords clashed, the special

steel would bite deep into its opponent with scarcely a scratch on its own surface” (Seidel).

Sikanda resembles the qualities of the swords found in Germany that were so strong and

powerful that they were deemed magical. Ende appeals to the fantastical element in his novel by

making the Sikanda the most powerful weapon in Fantastica, while also applying the

characteristics of swords found in Germany. However, as Bastian learns about the capabilities of

his sword, he becomes arrogant in his mannerism. Bastian says, “Sikanda needs no help. Just

stay behind me and don't get in my way” (Ende 326). By owning such a powerful sword,

Bastian’s mindset changes and he becomes less humble. He no longer has to work to accomplish

victory in his battles, but instead, lets Sikanda do all the fighting for him. Although Bastian is

given strength, he loses humility and misses out on all the hard work required to achieve his
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goals which affects the development of his character. After realizing the strength that his sword

possesses, Bastian speaks arrogantly which demonstrates how much one can change with access

to power.

Finally, Bastian is given a magical belt that he names Ghemmal which has the ability to

turn the wearer invisible. Xayide, a power-hungry sorceress, convinces Bastian into thinking that

Atreyu and Falkor do not have his best interests in mind and tells him to wear the belt and listen

to their true intentions. Blinded by Xayide’s devious tactics, Bastian is unable to notice that

Atreyu is doing what he thinks is best for Bastian. Instead, Bastian uses Ghemmal to eavesdrop

on their conversation and thinks, “[Atreyu’s] friendship now meant nothing to him. That was

over and done with” (Ende 357). With great power, Bastian gets manipulated by Xayide since

she hopes to turn him into an empty shell that she could control. As a result, he ends up calling

off his friendship with Atreyu and believes that his good friend is out to get him while being

unaware of Xayide’s trap that he has fallen into. Xayide resembles a villainous archetype and

serves as a lesson that owning great power often attracts untrustworthy people who will try to

take advantage of that power. Since Bastian is also going on a journey of self-discovery, his

naivety and access to great power make him fall victim to being exploited by Xayide. Thus

readers can learn to be cautious of the people around them and be aware of their true intentions.

In “Invisibility Cloaks and Magic Belts: Garments and Fashion Accessories in the Middle High

German Dietrich Cycle,” Chenari Benati writes, “This magic belt belongs to a category of

accessories which play a role in the development of the narrative, since their acquisition

represents an important turning point in the plot … this garment becomes the visual expression

of an external help given to one or other character and sets, therefore, the basis for the future

development of the narration” (Benati 10). Similar to what Benati writes, Ende uses Ghemmal as
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a turning point in Bastian’s friendship with Atreyu since he no longer trusts him. By using

Ghemmal, Ende sets forth the narrative of Bastian’s distrust in Atreyu and the end of their

friendship as he decides to follow Atreyu to the end of the world to get revenge for his disloyalty.

Ghemmal further proves that access to too much power would be detrimental to its user since it

creates distrust in Bastian’s friendship with Atreyu and for their connection to be severed.

All in all, Ende effectively uses magical objects in The Neverending Story to describe the

detrimental effects of wielding too much power. Bastian goes on a transformative journey as he

receives access to unlimited powers and meets characters that help him along the way and also

those who do not have his best interests at heart. With the book, readers can learn that great

power comes from knowledge and AURYN teaches that good intentions can always change for

the worse. Additionally, Sikanda emphasizes the importance of humility and hard work, whereas

Ghemmal educates the audience about trust and friendship. Despite the strong temptations and

urges to hold high power in today’s society, with that power comes a burden to carry which one

must recognize and acknowledge when making decisions in their day-to-day life.
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Works Cited

Benati, Chiara. Invisibility Cloaks and Magic Belts: Garments and Fashion Accessories in the

Middle High German Dietrich Cycle.

http://www.disclic.unige.it/pub/26/QPS26BENATI.pdf.

Dickens, David B. “Rings, Belts, and a Bird's Nest: Invisibility in German Literature.” Jstor,

International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts,

https://www.jstor.org/stable/43308129.

Ende, Michael. The Neverending Story. Puffin Books, 1993.

Seidel, Jamie. “Magical Medieval Ulfberht Steel Swords Traced to Central Germany.” News,

News.com.au - Australia's Leading News Site, 16 Dec. 2014,

https://www.news.com.au/technology/science/archaeology/magical-medieval-ulfberht-ste

el-swords-traced-to-central-germany/news-story/ff570e2dded50d2975ee1d46bd070845.