Twoflower
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| Characters from Terry Pratchett's Discworld series |
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| Character details | |
| Full name: | Twoflower |
| Description: | A naive tourist wearing a wide grin |
| Associations: | Agatean Empire |
| Location: | All over the Discworld, including falling off it; Agatean Empire |
| Story appearances | |
| First seen: | The Colour of Magic |
| Also in: | The Light Fantastic Interesting Times |
| Other details | |
| Notes: | Owner of The Luggage. Has two daughters, Pretty Butterfly and Lotus Blossom (first mentioned in Interesting Times). |
Twoflower is a fictional character featured in Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels.
Contents |
[edit] Character background
He is a native of the Agatean Empire, on the Counterweight Continent, where he works at an insurance (inn-sewer-ants) company and is the first tourist ever on the Discworld. After his return, he wrote "What I did on My Holidays".
A popular misconception is that Twoflower is described as having "four eyes" by a beggar at the docks in The Colour of Magic "found himself looking up into a face with four eyes", many fans have taken this to meaning he actually wears glasses, but according to his picture on The Colour Of Magic and The Light Fantastic he does actually have four eyes. Prachett himself has said that Twoflower does in fact have four eyes but he likes the idea that Twoflower wears glasses. He also wears dentures, a concept which inspires Cohen the Barbarian to have a set made for himself—out of troll's teeth (diamonds).
His adventures begin in The Colour of Magic, when he decides to visit the city of Ankh-Morpork, where he meets the inept wizard Rincewind whom he hires as a guide. Throughout the first two novels, he is followed by The Luggage, a box which moves on hundreds of little legs, carrying his belongings.
Twoflower is the optimistic-but-naive tourist (probably alluding to stereotypical American or Japanese tourists). He often runs into danger, being certain that nothing bad will happen to him, as long as he is not involved. He also believes in the goodness of human nature and that all problems can be resolved, if all parties show good will and cooperate. Rincewind, of course, remains immovably convinced that Twoflower's IQ is comparable to that of a pigeon. Rincewind described him by saying that if absolute chaos were lightning, Twoflower would be the sort to stand on top of a hill during a lightning storm wearing wet copper armour and shouting "All gods are bastards!"
Twoflower has no understanding of the exchange rate and often overpays since the smallest denomination agatean coin is made of pure gold. However, he introduces the concept of insurance to Ankh-Morpork (in particular to the Broken Drum, which would prove fortuitous as the city and tavern were both consumed in flame—the policy allowed the Broken Drum to rebuild as the Mended Drum).
His book relating his journey in the continent is considered as a revolutionary pamphlet. At the end of the novel Interesting Times he was promoted to the rank of Grand Vizier of the Empire, under Emperor Cohen. It is not known if he still holds the position following Cohen's disappearance (as told in The Last Hero).
[edit] Appearances
[edit] Books
[edit] Computer Game
Twoflower appears in the computer game NetHack as the quest leader for the tourist class.
[edit] Television
Twoflower is played by Sean Astin (alongside David Jason as Rincewind) in the two-part television adaptation.
