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SPOILER WARNING!
This article contains heavy discussion of plot details of the original Unwanteds books. You are at risk of major spoilers if you haven't read up to Island of Dragons. Be careful!

Karkinos, also known as the Island of Legends, is a huge island-sized crab. He is the last island to the west of Artimé. From west to east, he is the first island in the Seven Islands. However, after Island of Dragons, Karkinos hangs out next to Artimé, making the order different. He is home to multiple other creatures.

Locations/Appearance

Karkinos is a small island compared to some of the others, as Florence is able to see most of him just by standing[1], but is still huge. He is covered in trees and sand, but the red rim of his shell is still visible at the edges. His huge claws are covered in twin reefs.[2][3]

Inhabitants

The Island of Legends is inhabited by multiple magical and legendary creatures.

History

It's unclear just how Karkinos got to the Seven Islands, or how he was created. He's been sitting there for thousands of years, though[5]; Talon sometimes thinks that he may have been here before the sea.[6]

Trivia

  • Karkinos might be based on the Greek mythological crab Karkinos, also known as Carcinos or Cancer. Karkinos was a crab that tried to stop Heracles in defeating the Hydra, and was turned into a constellation as a reward for his help.[7]
    • While they share a name, this also does not explain literally anything about Karkinos' origins in the books. Also, our Karkinos is not a constellation. He might literally just be named "crab," which seems to be true as that's what Spike calls him at first[8], and not have anything to do with the mythological one.
  • Talon specifically says that he is "known to some as the Island of Legends,"[9] suggesting that Talon is aware of the rest of the Seven Islands and knows that the island has a name.

Gallery

Official Artwork

Disclaimer: While these artworks are official, there are many differences in how the characters are portrayed compared to their book descriptions. While they can be used as reference for fan artworks, they are not an accurate representation of how the characters may actually look.

References

  1. The Unwanteds: Island of Legends, "The Tale of Talon" (360)
  2. The Unwanteds: Island of Legends, "A Brief Respite" (355)
  3. The Unwanteds: Island of Dragons, "Old Friends and Traditions" (143)
  4. The Unwanteds: Island of Legends, "The First Life of Lhasa" (383)
  5. The Unwanteds: Island of Legends, "The Tale of Talon" (364)
  6. The Unwanteds: Island of Legends, "The Tale of Talon" (363)
  7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancer_(mythology)
  8. The Unwanteds: Island of Legends, "The Tale of Talon" (361)
  9. The Unwanteds: Island of Legends, "The Island of Legends" (353)


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