Tim the Enchanter

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Tim the Enchanter is a fictional character from Monty Python's 1974 movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail, played by John Cleese (explaining why Lancelot, otherwise played by Cleese, is wearing a helmet in scenes with Tim). In the musical version, he is played by Hank Azaria originally, and other actors include Alan Tudyk and Steve Kazee. Tim is a strange reclusive wizard or conjurer who wears ram horns on his skullcap and has a penchant for fire-based magic. His name derives from the following dialogue between him and King Arthur:

Arthur: What manner of man are you that you can summon up fire without flint or tinder?

Tim: I... am an enchanter.

Arthur: By what name are you known?

Tim: There are some who call me... 'Tim'

Arthur: ...greetings, Tim the Enchanter.

The obvious joke of the character is that he is portrayed as being mystic and mysterious, while having such a bland name. Tim's overall presence is commanding, and observers of his magic often applaud after a display. He speaks with a Scottish accent.

[edit] Tim's appearance in Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Tim is met by King Arthur and his knights in scene 20, where he stands on a mountain conjuring fireballs; when they ask him about the Holy Grail, he leads them to the Cave of Caerbannog. As he engages in dialogue with Arthur and his knights, Tim unnecessarily conjures up flames and fireballs in between responses. His warnings about the cave's guardian, the Rabbit of Caerbannog, are ignored, though, leading to the death of Gawain, Ector and Bors before the rabbit is killed with the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch.

Tim also appears earlier in the film in a scene restored in the 2001 rerelease. His role in this scene is limited to joining several characters in shouting at the Character "Dingo" to "get on with it!".

[edit] Appearances in popular culture

• Despite only having a minor appearance in the movie, Tim became something of a cult character among Monty Python fans; his legacy lives on in the Magic: The Gathering card Prodigal Sorcerer, which was nicknamed "Tim" after him, both for a supposed resemblance in the card's art and for the similarity in flavour between Tim's shooting of magical blasts and Prodigal Sorcerer's ability. Later, the Tim name was revived as "Tim on a stick" (for Rod of Ruin, a card which has a similar effect) and "Tim on a ship" (for Pirate Ship). The ability has since been used on many more cards and is sometimes informally called "Timming".

• One of the cheat codes of the RPG computer game Betrayal in Antara by Sierra Entertainment is "some call me tim". The cheat kills all opponents in a fight instantly.

• Fans of the webcomic Dominic Deegan, have nicknamed the unnamed "Infernomancer" character TIM, for The InfernoMancer.

• In the computer game Heroes of Might and Magic III, one of the cheat codes is NWCtim. (All the cheat codes are NWC followed by a Monty Python and the Holy Grail reference.)

• TinyTIM, the world's oldest active MUSH, was named in part after Tim the Enchanter.

• In the online game Kingdom of Loathing, there is an item called "enchantlers", which are worn on the head and give a bonus to spells that inflict 'hot' damage.

[edit] External links

• Monty Python and the Holy Grail: Scene 20