The Magicians of Xanth
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- See more characters of the Xanth series by Piers Anthony at List of Xanth characters.
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[edit] Aeolus
The Magician of Storms, King of Xanth prior to King Trent. He was an old and senile man who refused to admit that he was old and senile. He died of old age in the first Xanth book. He has never been featured as a prominent character in a Xanth book.
[edit] Arnolde
The first known centaur magician. His talent is to create an aisle of magic in Mundania, and can create an isle of non-magic while carrying reverse wood in xanth. He was banished from Centaur Isle when his talent was exposed. He was introduced in Centaur Aisle.
[edit] Bink
The Magician of Magical Invulnerability, Bink was the main character in the first two novels, A Spell for Chameleon and The Source of Magic. He is the son of Roland of the High Council and Bianca. Later in the series, he makes a rejuvenated appearance in Zombie Lover. His Talent is that he cannot be harmed by magic. However, at one point he gets banished for apparently not possesing a magic talent, because his talent prefers to work in roundabout ways (at one time sucking him through a whirlpool to avoid a field of magic that kills on contact, for example) to prevent the exposure of its existence. If the exact nature of his talent were known, then he would be vulnerable to those who want to attack him through non-magic means. So his talent is kept hidden by the select few who know it. It also makes him a lucky man in a series of rather bizarre and dangerous coincidents (almost breaking his ankle after tripping on a rock to escape from the Gap Dragon).
- The Source of Magic - In the second book, the stork delivered Dor to Bink and Chameleon. Bink also discovered the Demon X(A/N)th in that book on an adventure with his friends Chester The Centaur and Crombie The Soldier. Along the way he meets many more recurring characters including The Gorgon, The Siren, Grundy The Golem, Jewel The Nymph, Jonathan The Zombie Master, The Brain Coral, Crunch The Ogre, Chet Centaur, and others. Bink and his friends overcame many obstacles to find the source of magic. When they found it, it was revealed that the source was a demon named X(A/N)th who was in an astral competition for recognition with Neptune, Earth, Saturn, Pluto, Mars, Venus, etc. Despite the protests of the Brain Coral, Bink released the demon who took back all the magic he had let seep out of him, which gave Xanth its magic, leaving Xanth just as drear as Mundania. Bink, The Brain Coral, Chester Centaur, Cherie Centaur, The Good Magician Humfrey, Chet Centaur, Grundy The Golem, and Jewel The Nymph managed to convince him to return magic back to Xanth in return for reinstating the magic barrier around the demon to keep people from bothering him while he was studying. The demon also gave Bink whatever he most wanted. He couldn't think of what it was but the demon already knew and made it come true. From then on all of Bink's descendants would have magician-caliber magic including his son Dor.
- Castle Roogna - In the third book, Castle Roogna, his son Dor took over the series from Bink. Bink was featured in the book in several flashback sequences where Bink taught Dor vital information on life.
- Night Mare - Bink finally returned in the sixth Xanth book, Night Mare, where he was finally recognized as having Magician-caliber magic when he was forced to admit its nature to everyone so he could be the next King of Xanth in the Next Wave after King Trent, King Dor, King Jonathan The Zombie Master, and Good Magician King Humfrey had been ensorcelled by The Horseman.
- Golem in The Gears - In the ninth Xanth book, Golem in The Gears, Bink travelled with his old friend Chester Centaur, Grundy The Golem, and Snortimer, the monster under Ivy's bed, in search of the Ivory Tower to save Stanley Steamer AKA The Gap Dragon, Ivy's friend. They picked up several travellers along the way including a young woman named EmJay who is compiling a lexicon of Xanth along with her companion and right hand Ass, MiKe who is a Mundane donkey, and a succubus. Later, Bink was instrumental, with his knowledge of Mundane things, in getting the group out of a trap set up by the Com-Pewter. After two weeks, Bink and Chester had to head back home to their wives and they left the journey. However, Bink did make many stops to alert people that Grundy might need help along the way, and, thanks to his power's mysterious way of coincidentally aiding him, or others if he wills it, these people arrived in just the right time in a coincidental way to help Grundy. Some of the people included Jordan The Barbarian and his wife Threnody.
[edit] Dawn
Her talent allows her to know anything about the animate. She is the daughter of Dolph and Electra. She and her twin Eve were in the book Faun & Games.
[edit] Dolph
The Magician of metamorphosis, Dolph is the son of Dor and Irene. His talent is complementary to his grandfather King Emeritus Trent's, and grew in versatility as he matured. His first transformation was that of a wolf while still in his baby carriage. He was once engaged to both Nada Naga and Electra, but eventually chose Electra. He starred in Heaven Cent and Isle of View.
[edit] Dor
Dor is the son of Bink and Chameleon. He is of Magician class and has the power to make inanimate objects talk. This includes rocks, clouds, water, bones, and any other non living thing. He is King of Xanth and is married to Princess Irene. The stork delivered two children to them, Princess Ivy and Prince Dolph. A third child princess Ida will also enter the brood on account of her magical talent. He starred in the Xanth books Castle Roogna, Centaur Aisle, and Night Mare.
[edit] Ebnez
Ebnez became king in the year 909. His talent was to adapt magical inanimate items. He is the husband of Mnem and the father of the Muses. His most famous work was adapting a stone which created a magical field around the entire land of Xanth, impenetrable from either side. This was removed by order of King Trent.
See also The family of Ebnez of Xanth.
[edit] Elona
Elona became king in the year 797. She was the second female king and magician of longevity.
[edit] Eve
Her talent allows her to know anything about the inanimate. She is the daughter of Dolph and Electra. She and her twin Dawn were characters in Faun & Games.
[edit] Grey
The Magician of null magic, Grey is the son of Evil Magician Murphey and Neo-Sorceress Vadne and husband of Sorceress Ivy,who rescued him from Mundania. He can nullify any magic near him, and restore it stronger than before. On Ptero, one of Ida's moons, an older Grey is known as Royal Consort, since he is married to future King Ivy. This was only for one book, however, because the normal king on Ptero was indisposed.
[edit] Gromden
Gromden became king in the year 623. His talent was to divine the history of any object he touched. He was married to a curse fiend but had an affair with Demoness Metria which produced their daughter Threnody.
[edit] Humfrey
The Magician of Information, Good Magician Humfrey is withered, old, gnome of a man with five and a half wives. He supposedly knows everything but frequently uses various forms of divination to discover what he apparently does not know. He's been featured in all but two books of the Xanth series and it's a staple of those books for the characters to get past the three obstacles Humfrey always sets up for visitors to prove their worthiness of taking up his valuable time to ask a question. Good Magician Humfrey is instrumental in every Xanth book but was a main character in The Source of Magic and starred in Question Quest. In four of the books he was missing and others went out to search for him, but was found by Lacuna. He will serve as king again during the Nextwave invasion. In Question Quest, it was revealed that Humfrey knows about the existence of the characters in Anthony's other books, e.g., Stile being the Blue Adept or Zane being Thanatos in On a Pale Horse. In Heaven Cent, it is implied that Humfrey's actual magical talent may be no more than that of locating other magic that may be of use to him. Though probably not magical talents, he does posses extreme curiosity and a (usually) very good memory, which through the course of his life led him to become a master of information, as he recounted in Question Quest. Further, he recounted that he had believed that his native magical talents were not magician-class, and that he attended Demon University and gained a degree in magic, so that he could deserve the Magician appelation, by which he had already become known. For more on Humfrey, see The family of Humfrey of Xanth.
[edit] Ida
The Sorceress of the idea. Any idea posited to her comes true, with stipulations. First, she must believe that it will come true (as it usually does), and second, the idea must come from a person who does not know her talent. In the first book in which she appeared, The Color of Her Panties, Ida was revealed to be the lost twin of Princess Ivy. However, this may have been the result of her talent - whatever the case, it remains true. More recently, a small moon has begun orbiting her head. It is named Ptero, and contains every person who ever lived in Xanth. The Ida on Ptero has another moon that contains every person who ever might have lived in Xanth. This continues into infinity, with each moon having different shapes, inhabitants, and rules. In this manner, Ida is the caretaker of every idea conceivable (and a good many that aren't). Because of her moons, and the "blessing" her talent can confer, a visit to Princess Ida has become almost mandatory in the later Xanth books.
[edit] Irene
The Sorceress of Plants, Irene is the daughter of Trent and Iris and mother of Ivy, Ida and Dolph. She is renowned for her great beauty, green hair, and matching panties. She is married to Dor, and takes no guff from inanimate objects. She also has a reputation as a stern mother. She starred in Centaur Aisle and Dragon on a Pedestal. In addition, during the Next Wave invasion of Night Mare, Irene succeeded her mother as Xanth's second female King in known history. She used her power over plants to erect a massive arboreal defense perimeter around Castle Roogna. Her talent was not considered Magician level until Arnold Centaur decreed it so during his reign as King of Xanth.
[edit] Iris
The Sorceress of Illusion, Iris is a former queen and king of Xanth. She is married to King Trent and is the mother of Queen Irene. She is the grandmother of Princess Ivy and Prince Dolph and the great grandmother of Dawn, Eve, Harmony, Melody, and Rhythym. She once tried to seduce Bink in his travels but was turned down. Her illusions extend to all five senses, and any illusory light that she creates is indistinguishable from light produced by a corporeal source. Iris starred in A Spell for Chameleon and Night Mare. In the latter she became the first known female King of Xanth during the Next Wave invasion. Later in the series, previous female kings become known. During the Nextwave invasion, she used her power of illusion to manifest her image at every location in Xanth in order to coordinate emergency efforts among the populace. Later in the series, she makes a rejuvenated appearance in Geis of the Gargoyle.
[edit] Ivy
The Sorceress of enhancement, Ivy is the daughter of Dor and Irene. She has blonde hair with a tinge of green (from her mother). Though quite lovely she pales in comparison to her mother in her own opinion. As a result of the events of Night Mare, it is understood that she is slated to be the next King of Xanth. She starred in Dragon on a Pedestal, Crewel Lye: A Caustic Yarn, and Man from Mundania. She is married to Magician Grey.
[edit] Jonathan
Jonathan became king in the year 378. He reigned until 478. The magician of zombies, Jonathan reanimates the dead of the land of Xanth. He was a zombie when he first took the throne, but was later brought back to life. He is married to Millie the Ghost and has twin children named Hiatus and Lacuna. He starred in the books Castle Roogna and Night Mare. He will serve as king two more times as king pro-tem for Dor in Centaur Aisle and again during the Nextwave invasion in Night Mare.
[edit] Melody, Harmony, and Rhythm
The Triplet Sorceresses, their ability is to create or enable anything they envision while playing music. Their powers are squared when two play together, and cubed when all three played. They are the daughters of Ivy and Grey.
[edit] Merlin
Merlin became king in the year 204. He is the first king of Xanth, husband of Tapis, father of Jonathan and Taplin.
See also The family of Merlin of Xanth.
[edit] Muerte A. Fid
His talent was alchemy. He killed Yin-Yang and Yin-Yang's son, Lord Bliss who was Rose's father.
[edit] Murphy
The Magician who Makes Things Go Wrong. Murphy first appeared in Castle Roogna in a compeitition to determine the next king; to win, he had to prevent the construction of the castle of the title. He lost, to Roogna.
He was sealed away in the Brain Coral's pool and escaped during the Time of No Magic with Sorceress Vadne. The two raised a son in Mundania, Grey, who turned out to be a Magician as well. He was allowed to return to Xanth on the condition that he would use his power against the monarchy's enemies. He has served as king pro-term during Dor's reign.
[edit] Nero
He is the magician who brings golems to life.
[edit] Neytron
His talent is bringing paintings to life.
[edit] Patxi
He is a magician who can create invisible and unfeelable walls that can stop any creature from passing. He is the one who has created most of the enchanted paths in Xanth. He was cursed to create the enchanted paths until he was thanked. He is introduced in Cube Route where his curse was finally broken.
[edit] Quan
He was the magician of herbalism. His uncle was Muerte A. Fid.
[edit] Rana
Rana became king in the year 286. She reigned until 325. She was the first female king of Xanth and the magician of creation. She is the mother of Rune.
[edit] Reitas
Reitas became king in the year 325. He reigned until 350. He was the magician of solving problems, however, he caused as many as he solved.
[edit] Rempel
A centaur magician whose talent is to know the talents of others. He is introduced in Xone of Contention.
[edit] Roogna
Roogna became king in the year 228. He reigned until 286. His talent is to adapt living magic. Roogna is responsible for the construction and features of the castle which bears his name, Castle Roogna, now home to the monarchy of Xanth. Many of his creations, such as the cherry bomb trees, still survive on the castle grounds. He is the husband of Taplin, Merlin's daughter.
[edit] Rune
Rune became king in the year 350. He reigned until 378. He was the magician of evocation and son of Rana.
[edit] Sea Hag
She is the sorceress of immortality. She is introduced in Golem in the Gears and then reappears in The Dastard.
[edit] Sherlock
He is the magician of reversal who arrived as part of the Black Wave. He is married to Clio. He adopted Ciriana. He was introduced in Demons Don't Dream and seen again in Currant Events.
[edit] Surprise
The Sorceress of talents, Surprise can use any talent imaginable once and only once. She is the child of Grundy Golem and Rapunzel, so named because she arrived to them surprisingly five years old. In The Dastard, it was hinted that she could, in fact, use talents again after a lengthy recharge, but this has yet to be revealed to her. She starred in Geis of the Gargoyle, and was instrumental in restoring the Interface around Xanth.
[edit] Tallyho
He is the magician of talents. He lives in the the Gourd. He is introduced in Up In A Heaval.
[edit] Tapis
The Sorcess of Tapestry. She had the talent of creating enchanted tapestries, such as the one in Castle Roogna.
[edit] Trent
He is the magician of Transformation, King Trent used to be referred to as the Evil Magician for attempting to take over the throne from Xanth's previous and extremely senile king. Trent was exiled but later helped accidentally back into Xanth by Bink and Chameleon. After The Storm King died, Trent was made king as long as he married Iris of Illusion. He did so but only out of convenience. It took Trent over twenty years to recover from the loss of his first wife and son to Mundane illness in Mundania. Eventually though, Trent came to love Iris. He stepped down as king in the 6th Xanth novel Night Mare and Bink's son Prince Dor became the new King of Xanth with his daughter Irene. He lives in quiet retirement in North Village. Trent was instrumental in all of the first six Xanth books but was featured as a main character in A Spell for Chameleon and Centaur Aisle. Later in the series, he makes a rejuvenated appearance in Harpy Thyme.
[edit] Vadne
She is the sorceress of topology (changing the shape of something, but not the size, mass, or intrinsic properties). Her husband is Murphy, and mother of Grey. Her talent was not considered magician level until Dor decreed it.
[edit] Vortex
Vortex became king in the year 478. He is the magician of demon summoning.
[edit] Warren
He was a ghost when he took the throne and his talent was making ghosts.
[edit] Yin-Yang
His talent was the creation of invokable spells of both good and evil alignment depending on who he "was". In his attempts to take over Xanth in the book Crewel Lye: A Caustic Yarn, he used a faux split personality taking the form of the twins Yin, the good magician, and Yang, the evil magician. They only created spells of the type associated with their respective personalities good and evil. Chosen by Threnody and briefly married to her, Yang became ruler. After she killed herself because she was miserable, he remarried and had a son, Lord Bliss.
| The Xanth Series by Piers Anthony | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Characters | |||||
| List of Xanth characters - The Magicians of Xanth - The family of Merlin of Xanth - The family of Ebnez of Xanth - The family of Humfrey of Xanth - The Centaur family of Xanth - The Goblin family of Xanth - From the Gourd of Xanth - Mundanes in Xanth - Other characters of Xanth | |||||
| Geography of Xanth | |||||
