Pronounced Or-in, Ar-in or Awe-in, while those who fear to pronounce the name call it “Gem” or the “Glory”.
Auryn is a powerful medallion belonging to the Childlike Empress, which protects its wearer from all harm. Whoever wears AURYN becomes the representative of the Childlike Empress. Auryn appears on the cover of the in-universe book Neverending Story.
Auryn appears as two serpents, geometrically entwined, with each biting the other's tail. It is inscribed with the words “Do What You Wish”. It is canonically unclear whether Auryn had this inscription when it was in Atreyu’s possession. In Chapter 2 It is given to Atreyu by Cairon who carries it to him on behalf of the Childlike Empress. In Chapter 13 it is given to Bastian by the Childlike Empress.
Auryn affects humans differently from Fantasticans, giving them the power to make their wishes come true at the cost of losing their memories. Bastian, being lead by Grograman's words and Auryn’s inscription, believes he must continue using his wishes to find what he wants regardless of this consequence. Atreyu describes this contradiction as “It gives you the means, but it takes away your purpose”.
Translation Notes[]
The German version reads “Do what you want” (Tu Was Du Willst) which appears to be intentionally ambiguous on Ende’s part. The two general interpretations (matched in the English translation) being “do what you wish” and “find your true will”.
For the film version, the director, Wolfgang Petersen wanted the inscription to be “Do what you dream!” to which Michael Ende was strongly opposed. In a typoscript from Ende’s estate (published in 2007 for the exhibition “Michael Endre: Magical Worlds”) Ende (translated from German) writes:
"Do what you dream!" This inscription is really the opposite of what the message of my book means. Petersen believes that my English may not be enough to realise that this is the appropriate translation of "Tu, was du willst!". He only forgets – although I told him – that the sentence originally came from English, namely by the writer Aleister Crowley (died 1947), and there it says: "Do what thou wilt" (solemn church English). The "do what you dream!" is Petersen's interpretation, and it’s the wrong one. It is precisely this error Bastian is subject to and why he cannot find his way back from Fantastica. He also thinks at first that it’s about doing what he wishes, longs for, wants to do. The lion Grograman gets angry when Bastian tells him this interpretation. To find one's "true will" does not at all mean doing what one wants. This formula "Do what you want!" goes back via Rabelais to Saint Augustine. In Fantastica you can't do your “true will” either, you can only find it there. That's why it leads you back to the human world."
Trivia[]
- In the films AURYN is written Auryn.
- Auryn is always spoken/written in singular terms as a proper noun.