Editing Eternal Champion (section)

==General overview==
Many of Moorcock's novels and short stories take place in a shared [[Multiverse (Moorcock)|Multiverse]]: an array of interconnected parallel universes, many-layered dimensions, spheres, and alternative worlds, spanning from the [[Big Bang]] to the [[Ultimate fate of the universe|End of Time]] and from planet Earth to faraway galaxies. All these regions of spaces and parallel timelines are given shape by two metaphysical forces which are perpetually opposed to each other: Law and Chaos, which represent perpetual stasis and ever-changing disorder. Since a clear-cut prevalence of either Law or Chaos would erase all life from the Multiverse, a third force known as the Cosmic Balance enforces certain limits on the powers of Law and Chaos, which in turn ensure the continued existence of the Multiverse. Law, Chaos, and the Balance are implied to be non-sentient, but they do manifest through god-like beings who express one facet or another of the three cosmic principles, and in turn, these deities can empower mortal creatures as their heralds and representatives.

The '''Eternal Champion''' is an appointed [[paladin]] of Balance who is bound to exist in each and every world and age of the Multiverse, so that Law and Chaos are perpetually kept in check; however, he often does not know of his role or struggles against it, never to succeed. Since he must intervene whenever either Law or Chaos has gained an excess of power, requiring him to tip the scales accordingly, he is always doomed to be surrounded by strife and destruction, although he may go through long periods of relative quiet.

All the different Eternal Champions are implied to be different facets or "incarnations" of one semi-conscious being (a [[platonic archetype]] of a sort): most of them are peerless fighters and generals and have an unbreakable bond with a sentient Chaos-aligned weapon, the '''Black Sword''', which, in turn,  takes on a different form for each Champion. Likewise, many Champions are aided by an '''Eternal Companion''' and an '''Eternal Consort''': a sidekick and a love interest who are themselves aspects of two semi-divine figures. This recursivity through the Multiverse is further underlined by the number of Champions, Companions, and mentor-figures to the Champions Moorcock has given the ''J'' and ''C'' initials, as a form of naming ''fil rouge''; in the same vein, many Champions and Companions belong to one branch or another of the extensive von Bek dynasty.

Space- and time-travels through the Multiverse are in fact possible, to the point that one humanoid species called the Eldrens is spread among many different worlds and ages and interacts with many different Champions; however, cosmic laws establish that no two Eternal Champions can coexist in the same situation, or the very fabric of reality would be severely damaged. The only exceptions are cataclysmic events such as the end of a Cycle of Cycles of the Multiverse's progression, or an invasion by hostile entities from an entirely separate multiverse: in these cases, different incarnations of the Champion may join forces to thwart the impending threat, possibly by temporarily merging their individual bodies into a true demigod of immense power.