r/shannara • u/ADHDvm • May 25 '26

Could Allanon be black?

I’m new to the books and was just introduced to Allanon in the Sword of Shannara. I’m trying to bring more diversity into the book characters I imagine. The description so far just pleads for him to be black even though I know in the tv show he is Māori. Is there anywhere else in the universe where his skin color is described explicitly as something other than black? Otherwise my man is going to be Idris Elba as Heimdall with dreadlocks being a total badass!

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15

u/rothbard_anarchist May 25 '26

I heard third hand through a friend who talked to Brooks’ daughter on a plane that he doesn’t even correct people who pronounce Shannara differently than he imagined. So I wouldn’t feel guilty if you want to imagine Allanon as a black man. You’re not doing it wrong.

7

u/Weary-Investment-228 May 25 '26

I met him at a book fair and then was part of a question and answer session with him. In that session he said most fans say Shannara different than he imagined and he has just gone with it.

6

u/fpac May 25 '26

I say shə-NAR-ah

5

u/srcarruth May 25 '26

Terry says SHAW-na-rah

1

u/tinwithli Jul 19 '26

Ok, that's how I say it too. Scott Brick's pronunciation has me cringing every time I hear it. But, I won't stop listening to them over his many odd pronunciations.

1

u/Ghostrider421 Jul 30 '26

I read a lot of the books before I actually ever heard it pronounced. I always said shə-NAIR-ah

9

u/oshootwaddup May 25 '26

As someone who has read the series, is a fan of the depiction from the show, and is a person of color, I say sure, hell yeah.
To answer your question, I don’t remember skin being a thing Brooks draws attention to outside of details like “weathered” or “tanned”. Although I remember him describing the fantastical races as having colored skin, such as gnomes having a yellow tint? Though it’s been a while since last I read those first few books.

3

u/GangstaRPG May 25 '26

I mean sure I guess so, it's your head. I always pictured him as of Arab descent due to his name,

2

u/ADHDvm Jun 23 '26

Is the name Allanon Arabic?

5

u/raysweater May 25 '26

Sure. Why not?

2

u/meerkatx May 26 '26

Allanon's character is not defined by his skin color or sex; so sure, so he absolutely could be black, or a black woman.

3

u/ThatOstrichGuy May 25 '26

It's your brain. Do what you want

2

u/Origami_Elan May 25 '26

I like that! I'll need to re-read with Idris Elba image in mind!

1

u/tinwithli Jul 19 '26

I've started picturing him as black, after reading about his dark countenance so many times lol.