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Madoc’s Red Cap
The golden acorn is a symbol for Oak’s potential as the leader of Faerieland. Jude finds the first golden acorn in one of Liriope’s dresses and discovers a hidden message inside, instructing someone to take Liriope’s son far away from the High King’s Court. Eventually, after finding another golden acorn among Oriana’s possessions, Jude realizes that the hidden message pertains to Oak. Just as acorns grow into oak trees, Liriope is hoping her messages will help Oak develop into a noble person. She knows he will one day be a viable candidate for the throne, and she does not want someone to kill or corrupt him before that can happen. This knowledge then encourages Jude to go out of her way to protect Oak, in the hope that one day, he’ll grow into the noble and kind young man his biological mother wanted him to be.
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The Golden Acorn Symbol Timeline in The Cruel Prince
The timeline below shows where the symbol The Golden Acorn appears in The Cruel Prince. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 17
...up and takes off the dress Locke let her borrow. As she takes it off, a golden acorn falls from one of its pockets. The object intrigues Jude, so she decides to keep...
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Meanwhile, Jude lays in her bed and looks at the golden acorn . While examining it, she sees a hole at the bottom and realizes the acorn...
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Chapter 24
...Locke and intends to marry him the following day. While in Oriana’s room, Jude spots a golden acorn identical to the one she found in Liriope’s dress pocket.
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