List of Bartimaeus characters
The following is a list of characters in the Bartimaeus series by Jonathan Stroud.
Magicians
Nathaniel/John Mandrake
One of the trio of major characters in the series. In the first book, The Amulet of Samarkand, he is a 12 year old boy who is a magician in training, great admirer of William Gladstone, and foils a coup organized by Simon Lovelace and saves the life of the Prime Minister, Rupert Devereaux. In the second book, The Golem's Eye, after assuming a post in the government, he works towards stopping insurgent attacks in London and also attempting to destroy a golem and unmask the identity of its master. In the third book, he is caught up in a revolution by the djinn on earth (mainly planned by Faquarl and Nouda), but ultimately manages to crush it. In this book, he also becomes aware of the corruptness of the magician government and he seems to desire separation from it and a return to his older and happier life. This is made significant when he faces his greatest fear (as the magician John Mandrake) and divulges his true name to Kitty Jones. Over the course of the trilogy, Nathaniel, the innocent young boy hungry for knowledge, is transformed into the arrogant John Mandrake. By the end of book three he becomes more responsible and honourable, more like his younger self. In his final moment, just before he sacrifices himself to kill the demon Nouda, he dismisses Bartimaeus, claiming that he would only botch the job and that dismissal would be the only way to get it right, although it is hinted by both Bartimaeus and Nathaniel that this is a last act of kindness and goodwill toward his long-suffering djinn. It is mentioned in Ptolemy's Gate that he is the strongest magician on the Council with the possible exception of his old master Jessica Whitwell. He later sacrifices himself, destroying Gladstone's staff and himself in order to kill Nouda.
Simon Lovelace
The main antagonist of the first book, Lovelace was a rising star in the Ministry (the Junior Minister of Trade) until, in his ambition, tried to rise too fast and as a result was sidelined by the Prime Minister Rupert Devereaux. Lovelace attempts to organise a coup d'état by summoning Ramuthra, the most powerful entity ever encountered in the series (far more powerful than a marid) to kill the one hundred most important Ministers of the government, and thus come to power. The first evidence of Lovelace's plot in the novel was revealed when Nathaniel spies on Lovelace and sees the mercenary that Lovelace hired to steal the Amulet of Samarkand, committing murder in the process. After having it stolen from Lovelace himself for a time by Nathaniel's djinni Bartimaeus, Lovelace recovered it and had his djinni Jabor destroy Nathaniel's incompetent master, his wife and house. Lovelace's coup was staged at Heddleham Hall with him and all the ministers in large room which turned out to be a giant pentacle. Lovelace summoned Ramuthra with a Summoning Horn and courtesy of the Amulet, was the only person in the pentacle safe from the great spirit. However, Lovelace's coup was foiled by Nathaniel and Bartimaeus who managed to remove the Amulet from Lovelace, who was promptly swallowed and consumed by Ramuthra, and was then dismissed by Nathaniel breaking the summoning horn. Although he appeared the ringleader of the conspiracy, like Duvall, the real mastermind was revealed to be Makepeace.
He was described by Bartimaeus as good looking in a bookish kind of way, with dark, slicked back, oily hair, glasses, and a square jaw of large, even white teeth which "flash" a lot. He also mentioned Lovelace as "the kind of person who would order murders while sitting at a tea party, sipping tea and nibbling cucumber sandwiches." A female magician named Devina describes Lovelace as "so handsome" at the State Address at Westminster Hall.
Henry Duvall
The main, yet hidden, antagonist of the second book, Duvall used a golem to wreak havoc in London. He was a werewolf, and Chief of Police for the empire, a powerful position. Though he appeared to be the ringleader of the conspiracy, like Lovelace, the real mastermind was later revealed to be Makepeace. After being caught and held at a prison, he turned into a werewolf and he jumped out of the window, but perished, as the cell was five floors up.
- The Night Police
The Night Police are the main enforcers of the law in London. They were formally led by Henry Duvall, and then Jane Farrar. The Night Police are werewolves, and are feared by all the Commoners of London. They led Kitty on a large chase, only interrupted by John Mandrake. Werewolves were first used in 2000BC by Lycaon of Arcadia. However they proved largely inefficient when policing, for they were impossible to tame and attacked anybody in sight. Gladstone implemented the Night Police, as he recognised that they would strike fear in people.
Quentin Makepeace
One of the antagonists of the third book, and in many ways the main antagonist of the series, Makepeace was (foremost) the playwright responsible for many performances, including The Swans of Araby, Petticoats and Rifles, and From Wapping to Westminster. He helped to orchestrate the Lovelace Conspiracy, the Golem Affair, and the raid upon Westminster Abbey by the Resistance, but none of these plans came to fruition, so he eventually decided to orchestrate a plan of his own. He Summoned a large number of spirits and imprisoned nearly all the major members of the government. He then summoned Nouda into his own body to gain supernatural powers, but instead his mind is overpowered by Nouda's and destroyed. His body is finally destroyed when the Staff of Gladstone is broken, destroying Nouda. He was the true mastermind behind the Lovelace Conspiracy, the Duvall Affair, and is responsible for most untoward events in the series.
He was described as short and round, redheaded and wore fancy, green (excessively frilly according to Bartimaeus) clothing. He was a flamboyant, dramatic, friendly and arrogant on the outside. This was all a façade however. Beneath his friendly demeanor was a sadistic, powerful, mastermind who was willing to make his plans work by any means necessary.
Khaba the Cruel
The main antagonist of The Ring of Solomon, an Egyptian magician in the service of King Solomon. He is described as being bald with moist eyes and twin scars on his cheeks. Originally a student of the priests of Ra in Karnak he left for Jerusalem after gaining enough power. He is perhaps the most powerful magician in the series as he is capable of summoning a marid on his own when, according to Bartimaeus, it normally takes at least two. Like the rest of Solomon's magician servants he lusts after the power of the Ring but is too afraid of Solomon's power to do so. Near the end of the book he steals the Ring from Asmira and Bartimaeus and wears for about five minutes, summoning a demonic army to destroy Jerusalem. Asmira slices off Khaba's finger with the Ring attached and, after defeating Ammet, the magician is knocked out by Bartimaeus. Solomon then imprisons him, his fate is unknown.
Other magicians
- Bess was part of Makepeace's rebellion and died after becoming a hybrid.
- Harold Button was a scholar, book collector, teacher of Jones in Ptolemy's Gate, and became part of the Interim Magicians Council as Home Minister at the end of the book. Button was a magician of no little power, able to summon many higher ranking spirits without assistance. However, while summoning a Marid, he made a mistake, in which the Marid was able to break out of its pentacle and tore off his leg before the automatic dismissal could set in. The irony was that he only summoned the Marid to ask it a few questions. Button was never interested in using his skills for his own ambition, but rather used them as a historical source to further his academic pursuits and his dislike for spirits was more as self-preservation, he also shows general concern for "commoners" which makes him different from the other magicians in many ways.
- Clem Hopkins was member and betrayer of the Resistance in the second and third books who died when he summoned Faquarl into his body. He was "thoroughly unremarkable", and "instantly forgotten". He was described as pigeon-chested, slender, with no abnormal features whatsoever. He is educated, able to read several languages, a skill highly useful for the resistance. It is mentioned that he is a commoner however this is unlikely since he was able to summon Faquarl into his body, this shows that he had magical abilities.
- Bruce Collins was the Home Secretary. In Ptolemy's Gate, he was turned into a hybrid.
- Burke was a part of Makepeace's rebellion in the third book, and died after becoming a hybrid.
- Rupert Devereaux was the Prime Minister and de jure Chief of Police in Ptolemy's Gate. He appeared in all three books and was killed in the third book when he became a hybrid. He had light brown hair and a charismatic personality that had greatly inspired Mandrake when he was young, though this respect later dwindled. He had a great passion for the performing arts, and so was great friends with the playwright Quentin Makepeace. He frequently delayed or cancelled government meetings to see plays. Near his death date, he grew paranoid with all the chances of betrayal within the government, and the strain caused his hair to became grey and his face wrinkled. He came to power by succeeding his own master, who had overthrown the previous government in a coup.
- Jane Farrar was the Assistant to the Chief of Police in The Golem's Eye and de facto Chief of Police in Ptolemy's Gate. In the second book, she attempted to charm and seduce Mandrake to get information for her master, Henry Duvall, though she was never associated with the conspiracy. In the third book, she is also shown as a brief romantic interest to Mandrake, although this connection quickly dwindles as Mandrake refuses to keep a dying Bartimaeus bound to this world, allowing him to go to the Other Place despite knowing what is presumed to be valuable information. At the end of the third book she attempts to rally her wolves against the hybrids and subsequently goes missing. It is assumed that she is dead.
- George Ffoukes was a member of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in The Golem's Eye and a fourth-level magician. He was the master of the djinni Queezle.
- Marmeduke Fry was the Foreign Secretary in The Golem's Eye. He was slain by an Imp hidden in his pie between the second book, The Golem's Eye, and the third book, Ptolemy's Gate while trying to negotiate a peace treaty with the Americans.
- Harknett was Home Secretary between The Golem's Eye and Ptolemy's Gate, but when she spoke out against the Prime Minister's policies he sent six Horlas to her house.
- Harlequin was a British spy in Prague. He was described as being old and fat, with an oddly high voice. Nathaniel came to him seeking information about Golems. He had morbid tastes, particularly his 'unusual' candle, presumably a dead man's hand. He was later shot by Czech soldiers while posing as a hot dog salesman.
- Clive Jenkins was a secretary in the Ministry Of Internal Affairs in the third book, and died after summoning Naeryan into his body.
- Helen Malbindi was Information Minister in the second book and Foreign Minister in the third book. She was killed when she became a hybrid. She was described as having a short temper and being under a lot of stress; her nose turned white and bloodless when near a tantrum.
- Carl Mortensen was the Home Secretary in the second book and Minister of War in the third book and was killed when he became a hybrid.
- Sholto Pinn was a merchant in all three books, and was sent to hospital at the end of the events in Ptolemy's Gate. When most magicians took off their contact lenses to see the special effects of Makepeace's play without distractions, Pinn kept his monocle on. When he took it off to polish it, Imps and Foliots quickly dispatched the lower levels off the government, while the members of the Council and other higher ranking magicians were taken out by Djinn. When three Djinn attempted to take out Pinn, the merchant grabbed his stick, and destroyed one with a Plasm, injured another, but was beaten by the third, who used the old man's cane as a club against him. One of the few high-level magicians to survive; oddly, he didn't take part in the Interim Council. He was rotund and wears white clothing.
- Rebecca Piper was the assistant to Mandrake in the third book and becomes the de facto Prime Minister of the Interim Magicians' Council at the end of the book. She has vole brown hair scraped back from her hairline and pinned back.
- Julius Tallow was the Minister of Internal Affairs and a third-level magician in the second book, who accused Jones and Hyrnek of attacking him after they break his car window by accident and subjects them to the Black Tumbler, leaving Hyrnek disfigured. The Hyrneks seek revenge on him and put misprints in the books he orders. This leads him to develop yellow skin, and finally leads to his death when an afrit he summons escapes the pentacle and kills him.
- Arthur Underwood was the Minister of Internal Affairs and tutor/master of Mandrake in the first book, and is killed by Jabor while trying to defeat Simon Lovelace. A middle-level magician, he was fueled by paranoia. Bartimaues describes him as looking like the old version of magicians. With a white beard and old clothing, and all he needed to complete the look was a pointed hat and cape. Arthur thought very little of Mandrake and believed him incapable of summoning so much as an Imp, but eventually learned that he had summoned Bartimaeus.
- Martha Underwood was Mr Underwood's wife, who was always very kind to Nathaniel, and was someone he confided his true name to. A rotund woman with grey hair, she was eaten by Jabor in the first book. Jonathan Stroud has said that she may be a magician who gave up their training to marry Underwood, or she is from a commoner family which associates with the magicians, such as the Hyrneks [1]. She demonstrates knowledge above that of a commoner, for instance knowing what an afrit is and what the capital of Azerbaijan is. Her husband's dislike of commoners would also make it unlikely that she was one.
- Jessica Whitwell was Security Minister throughout the series, and died trying to escape the hybrids with Shubit, her afrit, being the only magician with the courage to attempt to stand up to Nouda and the others, other than John Mandrake. She is described as bone thin with cropped white hair. She was considered to be possibly the most powerful magician in the government at the time of the series by John Mandrake. In The Amulet of Samarkand, it is said that she destroyed a marid (one of the most powerful types of spirit) by herself without the help of her own spirit. Throughout the series, she is shown to be very professional, strict, and above all, powerful.
- Withers was part of Makepeace's rebellion and died after becoming a hybrid.
Historical magicians
- Ptolemy (surname unknown) was a second century B.C. magician who was one of the first magicians to study the Other Place and the first one to visit there and return. He was a benevolent master to his demons, who wished to learn from the spirits he summoned rather than subjugate them into slavery, and was described by Bartimaeus as his most beloved master. He was twelve when he first summoned Bartimaeus, the same age Mandrake was in the Amulet of Samarkand. Ptolemy was the nephew of Ptolemy VIII and cousin to Ptolemy IX, and he lived in Alexandria, Egypt. He was kind to the common people and grew in popularity with them. For instance, he once saved a little girl from a charging bull with the help of Bartimaeus. His cousin was jealous and afraid that Ptolemy would steal his place on the throne, so he made several attempts to assassinate him. Finally, with the help of Roman magicians, Ptolemy IX succeeded. However, before he died, Ptolemy gave Bartimaeus three gifts: that he was treated as an equal, that he could travel the world and that he may live, while Ptolemy would die. Bartimaeus often took his form when in the material world as a mark of respect and stated that Ptolemy was the only magician who actually trusted him enough not to use a pentacle to control him. Ptolemy created Ptolemy's Gate, a method of reversing summons so that one could travel to the Other Place.
- William Ewart Gladstone was a very powerful nineteenth century British magician, who rose to become a Prime Minister. He led the Grand Army of the Empire on conquests that decimated countries and made them a part of the British empire, largely through the means of his staff. At the height of the Czech Empire, called The Holy Roman Empire by Bartimaeus, he talked the commoner Parliament into handing power to him and the magicians (though this is probably magician propaganda, and in fact the transition of power was more than likely a coup d'état), and raised Britain to a powerful empire. His staff is endowed with vast magical powers, drawn from several great entities trapped in a space as large as a thimble. The Staff became more powerful as Gladstone himself waned, and ended up being the most powerful talisman in centuries. It was encased with him in his tomb, protected by a mad afrit (Honorius) trapped in his bones. This was later taken by Kitty in the Golem's Eye.
- Benjamin Disraeli was another magician-prime minister, Disraeli was a rival of Gladstone's and they had a magical duel on Westminster Common.
- King Solomon was a very powerful magician who lived in the Middle East around 1000 BC, and had a magical ring, the Seal of Solomon, from which he could control over 20,000 spirits (Bartimaeus, Faquarl and Honorius being some). He features prominently in The Ring of Solomon and is the only historical magician other then Ptolemy who appears in the series. Although initially depicted as a typically greedy and heartless ruler it is revealed that he is actually a fairly virtuous individual, using his ring mainly for the common good. He is mentioned several times throughout the main trilogy by Bartimaeus.
- Gilgamesh was a powerful Babylonian King who reigned in the 2000s B.C. With Bartimaeus's help, he slayed the giant, Humbaba.
- '"Hiawatha'" was a Native American magician responsible for founding the Iroquois Confederacy. Bartimaeus claims to have been associated with him.
Commoners
Kitty Jones
Kathleen "Kitty" Jones, is a fictional character in The Bartimaeus Trilogy book series written by Jonathan Stroud. Whilst her appearance in the first book is brief, by the second book she has become a main character, and a large portion of the final two books are told from her point of view.
In the trilogy, Kitty is a commoner who works against the magician-run government, first as a member of an underground movement called the Resistance, and then on her own. Like other members of the Resistance she is resilient to the effects of magical attacks, and is able to withstand assaults from demons that would kill normal humans. She appears in Book One, but for only around two pages, in which time she spares Nathaniel's life by not having Fred kill him. She has a very close friend, Jakob Hyrnek, with whom she sustains an attack from Julius Tallow's djinni Nemaides. Nemaides used an attack known as the Black Tumbler which leaves the victim with diagonal grey stripes on the skin. Her friend Jakob unfortunately has to suffer the disastrous consequences of this attack but it does not affect her greatly, simply knocking her out. However in book two, The Golem's Eye she assumes a much larger role and some of the story is from her point of view. In book two she is duped into unleashing a terrible afrit (Honorius) onto the streets of London. In book three, Ptolemy's Gate, she assumes a more important role as she searches to look for an end to the human-djinni hatred, and delves into some of Bartimaeus's history. She becomes the second human to travel to the Other Place, Ptolemy being the first. After Nathaniel's death, she declines to be part of the new government and instead decides to travel. She and Nathaniel appear to have developed affection for each other by the end of the Ptolemy's Gate and she is upset by his death. Kitty has dark brown eyes, and straight, dark brown (veering on black) hair. She wears it long in the Golem's Eye, but has cut it short in Ptolemy's Gate. In the Third Book, her body ages when she travels to the Other Place, although it is said that the effects may improve.
The Mercenary (Verroq)
The Mercenary is a huge, muscular man who appears in all three books of the trilogy. His master is revealed to be Makepeace and the Mercenary was instrumental in all of the rebellions attempted in the trilogy. It is unknown where he comes from, but he appears to be from the same Middle-Eastern sect as the assassins who are killed by Bartimaeus in the Ancient Egypt. He wears black clothes, a wide-brimmed hat and he has a bushy beard. His voice is very deep. He has the same criss-cross of scars on the back of his hand. He has an enormous amount of resilience and can see on all seven planes. His physical endurance is also very high, as he survives Bartimaeus crushing him with a statue and throwing him down a mountainside. The mercenary is highly skilled with silver weapons and comes very close to killing Bartimaeus several times. He dies in Ptolemy's Gate after being ravaged by a Pestilence, his resilience having been reduced after a previous magical attack. The Mercenary owns a pair of Seven-league boots, which make him even more deadly and stealthy. His resilience is far more advanced than any other character mentioned or seen in the book, and Faquarl notes that it seems to 'feed' off the essence of spirits. The Mercenary is motivated solely by wealth and his survival; he joins the spirits in the Ptolemy's Gate as he knows he cannot defeat them and they had promised him wealth. There appears to be a slight error in the Mercenary's ability to see on all seven planes; in the Amulet of Samarkand, Bartimaeus manages to bypass him into Heddleham Hall while under the guise of a grocer, although he does look at them suspiciously beforehand. It could be that the Mercenary did not observe Bartimaeus on the seventh plane, or that he simply let them pass for unforeseen circumstances. Stroud has suggested that his seeing ability is not a natural gift but something he has learned, so he is not always using it.
Other Commoners
- Martin was a member of the Resistance who took Timothy's death the most personally. He scaled the terrace of Parliament and threw an elemental sphere into the magician crowd in hopes of assassinating Devereaux. Although several magicians were killed, the Prime Minister escaped the attack unscathed. After the assault, Martin jumped into the Thames, where his dead body was found the next day.
- Timothy was a member of the Resistance. He was in the party that chased after Bartimaeus at the beginning of The Amulet of Samarkand. Could "hear" magical artifacts, the sound being something like the sound of glass chinking. Bartimaeus' attempts to escape alerted the Night Police, the Resistance members fled, though Timothy was caught and killed.
- Nicholas Drew was member of the Resistance in the second book who was a reckless and passionate young man, but his fancy words mean little as he is a coward who fled at the first sign of danger. He is one of the two people to escape from Westminster Abbey alive when the Resistance awoke Honorius, Kitty being the other. The only reason Nick survived was because he fled rapidly, before anyone noticed, probably escaping the Abbey before Fred even engaged Honorius. In Ptolemy's Gate, Nicholas becomes a political activist who motivates the Commoners to rebel. He sees Kitty at the Frog Inn and promises not to tell anyone she's still alive, a promise he immediately breaks when he is held prisoner by Quentin Makepeace who summons a spirit into him.
- George Fox was the owner of the Frog Inn, where many commoners would come to discuss the tyranny of the magician's rule in Ptolemy's Gate.
- Stanley Hake was a member of the Resistance in the second book who could see spirits. He was killed by Honorius' magic as he looted the grave. He was arrogant and often stood up to Kitty and defied her authority.
- Jakob Hyrnek was the best friend of Kitty Jones. While playing cricket with Kitty in a magician's park currently empty, Kitty accidentally hit the ball too far and it struck the magician Julius Tallow's windshield and caused him to crash. He then had his spirit, Nemaides, use the Black Tumbler on Kitty and Jakob as punishment. While Kitty's resilience to magic saved her from being permanently dyed with gray and black vertical stripes, the same could not be said for Jakob. For years, Jakob isolated himself in his room, gaining a notable amount of weight, unable to bear being seen with his skin as it was, until Bartimaeus abducted Jakob as a hostage to lure Kitty to Mandrake. At the end of The Golem's Eye, Jakob leaves England and tries to convince Kitty to do the same; though she chooses to remain behind, they stay in touch.
- Rosanna Lutyens was the private art tutor to Mandrake in the first book. Mandrake greatly admired Ms. Lutyens and had a schoolboy crush on her of sorts. Ms. Lutyens attempted to defend Mandrake when Lovelace attacked him in retaliation to Mandrake's attack with mites, even attempting to strike Lovelace, though she was held back by his cronies. Because of her attempts to defend Mandrake, she was sacked. She reappears as a minor character in the third book, who influences Mandrake to return to the innocent boy he was when she had taught him.
- Terence E. Pennyfeather was the leader of the Resistance in The Golem's Eye. He was once married to a beautiful woman who was sought after by an upstart magician, but when she rejected him, she was then killed by his spirits. Terence soon after stalked the magician and cornered him. The magician summoned three foliots to attack Terence to no avail, Terence then killed the magician in revenge. Though his intentions were noble, Kitty came to see Pennyfeather as being as greedy as the magicians themselves, which lead him to be killed by Honorius.
- Anne Stephens was a member of the Resistance in the second book. An older woman who was gentle, though was a proud master pick-pocketer. Anne had the ability to see spirits and was killed by Honorius' magic as she attempted to escape with Kitty.
- Fred Weaver was a member of the Resistance seen in the first two books of the series. He was able to see spirits, and with this power he was one of the two Resistance members to steal Nathaniel's scrying glass in The Amulet of Samarkand while disguised as a paperboy. During the raid on Gladstone's tomb, he was killed. He fought Honorius, who was armed with a longsword, with his knife, and died, allowing Kitty to escape. He has a fairly high level of resilience as he managed to recover seconds after a bolt of magic from Honorius.
- Samuel Webber was employed by George Fox to work at the Frog Inn in Ptolemy's Gate. He was killed by a spirit spy trying to find out information about secret Commoners groups.
- The Four Assassins may be magicians, seeing as they can use the evil eye, they also have numerous poisons. They are known to have well-pedicured feet. They are killed by Bartimaeus in the beginning of the third book because they attempted to assassinate Ptolemy. They are known to eat oat cakes, avoid milk and women, and operate only under the full moon. They were members of the same order that Verroq belonged too; however, Verroq appears to have abandoned the rules that the sect had, though he still belongs to the order. They appear to be based on the Hashashins. They were taught how to use knives, swords, garrotes, tapeworms, kill with toe flexes and fingers, bows, and a variety of other weapons. These Four were killed by Bartimaeus, who broke one's neck, tricked two more into killing each other, and disintegrated the last one with an Inferno.
- The Hermit of the Mountain only briefly mentioned in the beginning of the third book, he was the harsh leader of the sect that the four assassins and Verroq belong to. He appears to be based on the Old Man of the Mountain. He was said to skin disciples who failed to assassinate their targets and use their skin as a wall.
- Ptolemy's cousin was a drunken blundering prince who is eventually responsible for his cousins death. He was a paranoid, pot-belled young man who actively searched for enemies in his family while waiting for his father to die. He put himself in Rome's debt forever when they killed Ptolemy for him.
Spirits
Bartimaeus
Bartimaeus, the titular (and most prominent) character of the series (Bart-im-ay-us); other names : "Bartimaeus of Uruk", "Rekhyt of Alexandria", "Necho of Jerusalem", "Sakhr Al-Jinni", "N'Gorso the Mighty", "Wakonda of the Algonquin", the "Serpent of Silver Plumes" - is a sarcastic and cheeky djinni of the fourth (or fourteenth in Amulet of Samarkand) level and 5,000 years old at the beginning of the first book. His many masters have included Gilgamesh, Solomon, Ptolemy, Tycho Brahe, Faust, Zarbustibal, and, most recently, the British boy magician Nathaniel (known as John Mandrake to his peers), who is his master for the duration of the trilogy. His trademark cheekiness and wry, often hilarious side comments annotate the novels. Enjoying insulting his master for appearance, emotions, and stupidity, the chapters that he narrates often contain humorous footnotes that add information on the nature of spirits and his history. Although he is only a middle-class djinni, his quick wits often save him in difficult situations. He has a fairly large ego, due to his many accomplishments over the ages and often becomes indignant when forced to work with jobs he considers "unworthy of his talents". He is fairly powerful for a Djinn, but has often been forced to retreat against stronger foes such as Jabor. He continually boasts of his many exploits.
Bartimaeus, according to his own boasting, seems to have played a disproportionally large part in world history, mentioning (among other things) that he played a part in the death of Genghis Khan and helped to build the walls of Prague, Jericho, Uruk, and Karnak, as well as having spoken with Solomon. Although it does not state who his master was at the time, Bartimaeus says he was in the service of several notable Ancient Egyptian rulers, including Ramses and Nefertiti. When referring to the overthrow of Akhenaton, Bartimaeus says that Nefertiti never forgave him, suggesting that they had had a more friendly relationship than Bartimaeus had with most other humans. However, Bartimaeus has also had a penchant for exaggerating his achievements and minimizing his failures; his fellow djinni, especially enemies like Faquarl, tend to be much more dismissive of his achievements and quick to bring up stories of his cowardice or incompetence. Bartimaeus speaks many human languages, including English, Czech, Aramaic, Babylonian, Arabian, German and Old Egyptian.
Interestingly, the name Bartimaeus is said to mean "Son of Talmai" which is an Aramaic version of the Greek name Ptolemy. Also, Bartholomew, a more common variation of Bartimaeus, was a saint who often went by the name Nathaniel. In an Arabian legend, Sakhr Al-jinni steals Solomon's ring. It is then trapped in a bottle, thrown into the sea and found by a fisherman. Bartimaeus, in his footnotes, refers to all these events, although he says he was trapped in a bottle long after the time of Solomon.
Faquarl
(pronounced fuh-kwarl) A greater djinni of both power and intelligence (able to take out four other greater djinn with ease), Faquarl is a constant contender with Bartimaeus, who always manages to escape from him by sheer luck or cunning. He favors the form of a chef, and enjoys spending time in kitchens for the extra space and variety of sharp weapons found there. In the first book, he is in the service of Simon Lovelace. Shortly before the third book, Ptolemy's Gate, he allows himself to be enslaved in the human body of Clem Hopkins, where he ultimately destroys the will and mind of Hopkins and gains control over his body. Later, he reveals that he was manipulating Makepeace, acting as though Hopkins was still in control over his own body. This caused Makepeace to believe that he too could control a djinni trapped within his own body, and summoned the powerful Nouda, who promptly crushed Makepeace's mind. He is killed by Nathaniel and Bartimaeus by the use of Gladstone's Staff, although Bartimaeus wonders if he felt remorse for cutting himself away from the Other Place. Kitty Jones finds during her research that Faquarl is notable in many cultures, according to Bartimaeus he tended to boast and claimed among other things to give the Greeks the idea of the Trojan horse. He is known as "Faquarl of Sparta" and "Scourge of the Aegean".
Jabor
Jabor (juh-bor), a greater djinni in the service of Simon Lovelace, is introduced and ultimately destroyed in The Amulet of Samarkand. A powerful Djinni, his preferred form is that of a tall red-skinned man with the head of a jackal, reminiscent of Anubis, Egyptian god in charge of guarding the dead. He previously worked at the temple in Ombos Egypt, where he devoured human sacrifices. He speaks rarely, and relies on brute strength and violence, often disregarding injury to himself. Bartimaeus describes him as "moronically strong to the point of indestructible". On Lovelace's orders he helped break Bartimaeus out of the Tower of London, devouring and slaying many spirits, and killed Arthur and Martha Underwood. In the end he is destroyed by Bartimaeus during their battle, when Bartimaeus traps him and forces him into a rift, ripping him apart from the draw back to the Other Place and the magic of Lovelace.
Nouda
An immensely powerful spirit with a long history of destruction, he is summoned by Quentin Makepeace and enters his body. After destroying Makepeace's mind, he is able to control his body and sets about on a systematic destruction of mankind, starting with London. After a time of raiding London with his hybrids, his essence became stronger, and Makepeace's body was destroyed, making Nouda vulnerable to Nathaniel's attacks. He believes that spirits should rule Earth, all as equals, and is manipulated by Faquarl. He is ultimately destroyed by Nathaniel using Gladstone's Staff.
Was also summoned by Montezuma and the Aztec Empire until he discovered a discrepancy in the spell and left their capital destroyed for the Spaniards that were coming. Has high tendency for consuming humans and destroying cities.
Ramuthra
One of the most powerful spirits in the trilogy. It was summoned by Simon Lovelace, using a summoning horn, to destroy the British government in an attempted coup d'état. When this fails, Ramuthra devours Lovelace and returns to the Other Place. Ramuthra is not believed to have been summoned before or since. According to Bartimaeus, at least four magicians would be needed to summon an entity of Ramuthra's power. Three were known, but the fourth was unidentified, until the events of the uprising in Ptolemy's Gate. Ramuthra "disrupts the elements", sending out "waves" or "ripples" of energy that alter the nature of objects and magic around it: turning crystal into water, wood into cheese, a man's face into a woman's, and a Pestilence into a cloud of flowers, for example. Ramuthra is transparent, visible only by the way the planes are distorted around its edges, and a slight magnification of objects seen through it. Its voice comes "from everywhere and nowhere" sounding "like a great crowd, speaking in unison."
Uraziel
Also known as the Spirit of the Ring, Uraziel is the most powerful named spirit in the whole series, and grants the person who has the Ring of Solomon on their finger limitless power at the cost of their lifeforce. He seems to have a very strong bond with his master Solomon. He is able to instantly take the Queen of Sheba to Solomon's palace when Solomon desires it, as well as being the source of power for the Ring. His name seems to be a combination of Azrael and Uriel, who were both angels, which implies his supreme power.
Other named spirits
- Affa was a djinni in service to Ptolemy who advised him on how to enter the Other Place in Ptolemy's Gate. He was killed by Roman spirits while trying to protect his beloved master.
- Ammet was a powerful spirit mentioned in Ptolemy's Gate. In the recent trilogy prequel, he is revealed to be a marid in the service of one of Solomon's magicians. Unusually among spirits, he served his master Khaba willingly as they shared the same interests and desires. In the end he is imprisoned in a wine jar by Bartimaeus and sent to the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea. While undeniably evil, it is arguable that the relationship between Ammet and Khaba is similar to the one that Bartimaeus would forge with Ptolemy centuries later.
- Ascobol was a greater djinni in service to Mr Mandrake. He was prone to sarcasm, and young by spirit terms. He only appeared in Ptolemy's Gate where he was killed by Faquarl. He normally appeared as a Cyclops. He had also served in India.
- Asmoral was a djinni who was spoken of in The Amulet of Samarkand. He was torn in two after refusing to follow his master's command to destroy Ianna. The explosion destroyed not only him, but his master and several residential areas near Baghdad; it is for this that he is also known as the "Resolute".
- Atlas was a marid in service to Phidias, who was mentioned in Ptolemy's Gate. He had unusual strength and muscular definition, and was given the task to construct the Parthenon. When the foundation was proven faulty, Atlas was charged to hold up the building indefinitely.
- Baztuk was an utukku who Bartimaeus called 'Bull-head" who appeared in the Amulet of Samarkand and fought Bartimaeus in the Battle of Al-Arish, was in service to the Khmer empire, and was also a sentry in the Tower of London. It was here that he was killed by Faquarl.
- Belazael who was apparently in service to Mr Mandrake. It is unknown if he is real or not, or if he ever served Mandrake, though it is possible that this is the name of the imp in his scrying glass. His name was shouted out by Mandrake when trying to trick Verroq in Ptolemy's Gate.
- Bertilak was a djinni in Mr Makepeace's play The Swans of Araby, appearing in The Golem's Eye. In it, he was the star of the play and his character fell in love with a human female. Given he appeared in the play he was presumably fictional and played by an actor.
- Bodmin was an imp who was killed in the Thirty Years' War. Bartimaeus posed as him in The Amulet of Samarkand, suggesting he knew Bodmin.
- Bolib was one of the hybrids in Ptolemy's Gate (possibly the hybrid in Mr Devereaux) who was killed by Mandrake and Bartimaeus.
- Borello was forced into Mr Drew's body by Mr Makepeace in Ptolemy's Gate and was killed by Mandrake and Bartimaeus.
- Castor was a djinni in service to Mr Mandrake who was mentioned in the Golem's Eye. He was an efficient spirit who possessed a fiery pride, and was dismissed after stabbing an imp with a shish-kebab skewer.
- Clovis was a foliot in service to Mr Mandrake in the Golem's Eye, and was one of two foliots Mandrake uses as "orphan children" to infiltrate the Resistance, though he once forgot to remove his tail.
- Cormocodran was third-level djinni in service to Mr Mandrake who appeared in Ptolemy's Gate. He usually looked like a man-boar and had no sense of humor, and was ultimately killed by Faquarl.
- Frisp was a one of two foliots mentioned in Ptolemy's Gate who found Bartimaeus guarding a catacomb in Rome after the Barbarian Invasion and misinterpreted why he was there, telling imps that he was avoiding conflict in it and was killed (surely by Bartimaeus ) for it.
- Fritang was lesser djinni in service to Mr Mandrake in Ptolemy's Gate, who was once discovered by children with Resilience while acting as a spy on the docks.
- Gaspar was the spirit who entered Mr Lime's body in Ptolemy's Gate, and was killed by Mandrake and Bartimaeus.
- Hathor was the goddess of love, divine mother and protector of the newborn in the Ancient Egyptian religion.
- Hibbet was one of seven imp sentries during the Golem Affair mentioned in the Golem's Eye who was killed by Honorius.
- Hodge was a very powerful greater djinni in service to Mr Mandrake who appeared in Ptolemy's Gate and was killed by Faquarl.
- Hoepo was a powerful spirit that supposedly swallowed himself whole, in lieu of fighting Bartimaeus who was mentioned in Ptolemy's Gate (though this was most likely empty bluster). He went under the guise of the "Thunder Snake".
- Honorius was a ninth-level afrit in service to Mr Gladstone in the Golem's Eye who was charged to fight in the Siege of Prague, guard Gladstone's treasures for eternity and kill anyone who broke into the tomb: he failed the latter two of these. Honorius killed four out of six of the Resistance members and six magicians who tried do steal the treasures not long after Gladstone's death, only Kitty and Nick managed to escape him. He was unique in that he didn't have his own form on Earth; instead, he encased himself in Gladstone's bones, which cured the pain of an extended stay on Earth, but seems also to have driven him mad. In his desperation to be free of Earth he attacks Mr. Duvall's Golem and is destroyed.
- Humbaba was a monstrous giant and the guardian of the Forest of Cedars in Akkadian mythology, who was mentioned in Ptolemy's Gate. Under Gilgamesh's orders, Bartimaeus distracted the dim-witted giant and slew him.
- Humphrey was one of nine djinn to help build one of the most noble buildings in Prague, the Stone Bridge, in a single night, who had the "honour" of being the usual sacrifice of the indefinitely entombed djinn, when they drew straws at dawn. The other eight gave him a pack of cards to pass the time. He was mentioned in the Golem's Eye.
- Ianna was a djinni mentioned in the Amulet of Samarkand. She fell in love with Asmoral the Resolute, who then died for her.
- Karloum was a djinni mentioned in Ptolemy's Gate, and first recorded in Ethiopia. Mandrake pretended to be debating between wanting to summon Zosa or Karloum into his body, and Makepeace said that they were "modest choices" but recommended Karloum.
- Koh was a powerful spirit killed by Bartimaeus and was mentioned in Ptolemy's Gate.
- Methys was a djinni in service to Ptolemy who was killed by Roman spirits in Ptolemy's Gate while attempting to protect his beloved master.
- Mormel was an afrit who was mentioned in Ptolemy's Gate, and was chosen by Faquarl for Ms Whitwell to be her hybrid; he was most likely given to the magician next in line, in which case, he was killed by Mandrake and Bartimaeus.
- Mwamba was a greater djinni in service to Mr Mandrake who usually took the form of a giant lizard wearing leather thigh boots in Ptolemy's Gate. She was one of the friendlier djinn in Mandrake's service, and didn't tease Bartimaeus for his decline. She formerly served under the Abaluyia tribes of Eastern Africa and was eventually killed by Faquarl.
- Naeryan was an afrit who took part in the Spirit Revolt and was killed by Mandrake and Bartimaeus in Ptolemy's Gate. She is unique in the fact that her character was adapted from the story made by Catrina Doxsee, who won the Bartimaeus Fantasy Writing Contest. Her true form consists of an indigo blue-black torso, three sharp eyes, and many spider-like limbs; she was a former ally of Bartimaeus.
- Nemaides was a djinni in service to Mr Tallow who was charged to inflict the Black Tumbler upon Jakob and Kitty after they accidentally damaged Tallow's Rolls Royce in The Golem's Eye. He, for unknown reasons, takes the form of a green monkey.
- Nittles was a foul-mouthed messenger imp in service to Mr Lovelace in the Amulet of Samarkand whom Bartimaeus literally squeezes information about Mr Lovelace out of.
- Nubbin was a lesser djinni who was first summoned and served as a sentry during the Siege of Prague and it was there that he was presumably killed. He appeared in the Golem's Eye. He took the form of a frog. A 'nubbin' is something that is small and deformed.
- Paimose was the name of a spirit Ms Jones found while looking in a demonology volume researching Bartimaeus in Ptolemy's Gate.
- Pairi was the name of a spirit Ms Jones found in a demonology volume while researching Bartimaeus in Ptolemy's Gate.
- Patterknife was an afrit in service to Mr Gladstone in the Golem's Eye who fought in the Siege of Prague. He was possibly the afrit who fought Queezle and was killed by a golem or the afrit who led the assault on the Czech Emperor and battle Bartimaeus. Used a silver scythe in battle.
- Penrenutet was a djinni in service to Ptolemy in Ptolemy's Gate who was killed by Roman spirits in an effort to protect his beloved master.
- Phoebus was an afrit in service to Chief Minister Hans Meyrink of the Czech Empire who was mentioned in the Golem's Eye and killed before the Siege Of Prague.
- Pollux was one of two foliots who found Bartimaeus guarding a catacomb in Rome after the Barbarian Invasion, and misinterpreted why he was there, telling imps that he was avoiding conflict in it, and was killed by Bartimaeus for it and was mentioned in Ptolemy's Gate. May have had some history with Castor.
- Purip was a lesser djinni in service to Mr Mandrake in Ptolemy's Gate who was one of the first to suggest a Commoners' Revolutionary War on top all of the other Revolutionary Wars.
- Queezle was a female djinni in service to Mr Ffoukes who appeared in the Golem's Eye. She is an extremely close friend of Bartimaeus; the two seeming to have a "deep relationship"; and their relationship went at least back to Prague, where she and Bartimaeus fought together, and was around 1500 years old. Her first master was a Jordanian hermit who lived in the desert and her second was a French magician; neither of them had used punishments on Queezle, and Bartimaeus noted that she had been lucky with her masters. Between Prague and London she had served masters in China and Ceylon. She was killed during the Golem Affair by the golem itself.
- Ra was the god of the sun in the Ancient Egyptian religion.
- Ramose was a spirit whose name was seen by Ms Jones in a demonology volume while researching Bartimaeus in Ptolemy's Gate.
- Rekhyt was an afrit in service to Sneferu who had a legendary vicious temperament, and was killed at Khartoum. His name was seen by Ms Jones in a demonology volume while researching Bartimaeus in Ptolemy's Gate.
- Rekhyt was a djinni with a by-name of Quishog, the Guardian of the Necropolis of Thebes who appropriately had morbid tendencies. His name was seen by Ms Jones in a demonology volume while researching Bartimaeus in Ptolemy's Gate.
- Shubit was an afrit in service to Ms Whitwell who appeared in all three volumes of the series. He broke his ties with her when she was killed and favoured the form of a bear. When going into direct battle, his claws would become nearly as long as scimitars. He was noted for his efficiency and also his humbleness and politeness, for instance, he takes his cap off when he addresses Ms Whitwell.
- Simpkin was a foliot in service to Mr Pinn who appeared in the first two volumes of the series and was one of the few spirits who actually enjoyed his servitude and was therefore regarded by others with hatred and contempt. He favoured the form of a small boy on the first plane, but was actually small and lime-green, with a bow-legged walk and a head that changes colour and size to show his emotions. He was killed by the golem during the Golem Affair, and though he had a chance to escape through a window, his compulsion to protect the store lead him to go against his instincts and attack his indestructible enemy. Bartimaeus was genuinely disappointed to learn of Simpkin's death, as he himself had wanted to kill Simpkin after they fought in the Amulet of Samarkand.
- Sophocles was a foliot in service to Mr Mandrake who appeared in the Golem's Eye and helped keep Mr Hyrnek in check while Mandrake goaded Jones into giving him the Staff, though when Mandrake gave the order to kill Hyrnek, Jones reacted by killing Sophocles instead.
- Tchue was a clever, fourth-level afrit famed for his wit (a rarity among Afrits) who fought Bartimaeus in an epic battle and was mentioned in Ptolemy's Gate (though this is most likely an empty boast he likely did know Tchue given that he references him a few times).
- Teti was a djinni in service to Ptolemy who appeared in Ptolemy's Gate and killed by Roman spirits with his colleagues while trying to protect his beloved master.
- Tibbet was one of seven imp sentries during the Golem Affair who appeared in the Golem's Eye.
- Tlaloc once fought Bartimaeus in an epic battle and was mentioned in Ptolemy's Gate. However, this is likely to be bluster from Bartimaeus.
- Truklet was an imp in service to Mr Jenkins in Ptolemy's Gate who was eaten by Bartimaeus while trying to expose him during the Spirit Revolt.
- Xerxes was an utukku that Bartimaeus called 'Eagle-beak" and a sentry in the Tower of London, where he was killed by Jabor in the Amulet of Samarkand. He is apparently younger than Baztuk or simply does not remember Bartimaeus.
- Yole was a spirit in service to Ms Farrar who appeared in Ptolemy's Gate as in a scrying glass, where he showed Farrar and Mandrake his spying on Jenkins, however his angle was poor and was duly punished by Farrar enough to make him quiver when he spoke with her.
- Zeno was a djinni who bravely flew straight to the National Gallery to fight the golem during the Golem Affair in the Golem's Eye and was promptly killed by it.
- Zosa was a djinni mentioned in Ptolemy's Gate, and first recorded in Ethiopia. Mandrake pretended to be debating between wanting to summon Zosa or Karloum into his body, and Makepeace said that they were "modest choices" but recommended Karloum.
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