Getting to know Drizzt Do’Urden

An anomaly is usually a great element to focus a story on, and Drizzt Do’urden is one such anomaly that has been entertaining fans of the series written by R.A. Salvatore for years now. Born into a realm known as the Underdark, Drizzt is what is known as a drow, a black-skinned elf that originated in the twisting tunnels and treacherous caverns of his homeland. This character has been the subject of his own story and has popped up from time to time in video games and other stories controlled by Wizards of the Coast over the years, but he has yet to hit the big screen or even the small screen when it comes to being represented. This is a little bit frustrating to fans since the character is one of the most impressive in the entire Forgotten Realms setting, as his story has come a long way since he was brought into a world of betrayal and deceit that could have consumed him before he was cognizant of his place in it. The tale of Drizzt is one that is far more interesting than I can put into so few words, but detailing his life and the impact he’s had on Forgotten Realms is easy enough to tell. 

Born as the third boy of House Do’Urden, Drizzt was meant to be sacrificed to Lloth, the dark goddess of spiders that the drow worship. When one of his brothers killed his sibling though, Drizzt was spared as the sacrifice was a worthy one to their goddess. Still, having been born into a matriarchal society where women were the dominant force and men were seen as fighters or chattel to be used and discarded at will, Drizzt’s only saving grace was that he was born of a noble house and was therefore afforded at least some protection. He was still beaten severely by his sisters if he stepped out of line, and he was trained by his father, Zaknafein, to be a cold-blooded and ruthless killer. In fact, the persona that would become the Hunter, which is akin to another state of being that Drizzt can access when he needs it, is the only reason that he was able to survive when he ran away from his home. 

The reason that Drizzt ran was that he wasn’t born with the bloodlust and capacity for deceit as the rest of his race. He believed in fairness, justice, and decency, which were alien concepts to the drow race, who lived and died in a rather brutal manner and were beholden to the spider queen, Lloth, a being that Drizzt refused to follow. It was during a raid to the surface that Drizzt, who was part of the raiding party, sealed his own fate by not killing a surface elf, as he saved the life of a young elf instead by deceiving his commander. Secretly, Drizzt wished to experience the joys the surface had to offer, as he lingered behind when the sun rose, while the other drow fled the ball of light in the sky, as they’d been taught that it was something to be feared.  

After the sacrifice of his father to the spider queen, as Zaknafein traded his life for his son’s, Drizzt escaped and made his way to the surface, along with the magical panther Guenhyvar, who he had procured from a magician in the drow city of Menzoberanzan. I know, a lot of terms and a lot of names, but Drizzt’s exploits, adventures, and his importance to the Forgotten Realms stories is great enough that it needs to be told in a way that would be embraced by the fans that have stuck by Salvatore for so long. Upon reaching the surface, Drizzt began to acquire allies after a while but was still shunned by quite a few people thanks to the dark heritage of his people, who had made many enemies among the surface dwellers. His greatest allies were the companions of the hall, which included Bruenor Battlehammer, a king among his people, Catti-Brie, Bruenor’s adopted human daughter, Regis, a precocious halfling who loved to fish and was a constant irritant to Bruenor, and Wulfgar, a barbarian who was adopted by Bruenor after his people attacked and failed to sack Ten Towns, the location close to where Drizzt finally made his home for a while once Bruenor accepted him. 

The reason behind wanting to see this story brought to the big screen, or perhaps to the small screen as a series, is that the story is great enough that it can carry itself for at least a few seasons, and possibly even more since Drizzt’s story is quite extensive. All it would require is an impressive list of cast members and a director that has a definite vision that could bring Salvatore’s works to life. It’s not certain that such a thing will ever happen, but it’s nice to dream.