Kodens are very large animals that are of the same family as bears, and perhaps may be the descendents of Polar Bears.
Walker Boh and his party encountered one on their journey to recover the Black Elfstone in The Druid of Shannara. It had been magically warped by the Stone King and made to guard the pass to his kingdom. It was blind, but its other senses made up for that. It lived in a valley strewn with boulders, and its grey fur allowed it to blend in perfectly with its surroundings. According to Horner Dees, he and a group had managed to get past the Koden once before, by running faster than the members of the party the Koden managed to catch. However, this time Walker Boh used his ability to communicate with animals to make the Koden a promise that they would find a way to free it from Uhl Belk's magic if they were allowed to pass.
Walker's promise was eventually honored. After Quickening's death the resulting restoration of the land affected the Koden as well, restoring and freeing it from Uhl Belk's magical bindings. Before it left however, encountered the assassin Pe Ell, who was attempting to flee after killing Quickening, the daughter of the King of the Silver River. It is unknown whether Pe Ell was killed by the Koden or by some after effect of Quickening's magic, as he was found dead without any visible wounds, a look of terror on his face, and surrounded by Koden tracks.
Trivia
- Kodens also appear in The Legend of Shannara