The Magicians of Xanth
Encyclopedia
The Magicians
of Xanth
are mostly humans with the most powerful magical talents. With such powerful talents, they are the only people who qualify to be the King of Human Xanth. Female Magicians are also called Sorceress
es.
The Magician of Storms, he was discovered by Good Magician Humfrey at the age of six, succeeded him as King of Xanth at the age of 22, and reigned until he was 93. Four years after becoming king, he declared that anyone born without a magic talent would be exiled from Xanth. By the time of A Spell for Chameleon
, he was old and senile, but refused to admit it, and died of old age before the end of the book. He was succeeded by the formerly evil Magician Trent.
Aeolus reappears in Humfrey's flashbacks in Question Quest
, which reveals how and when he was found by Humfrey, ascended to the throne and made his declaration to banish anyone born without magic.
Later, in Xone of Contention
, Magician Grey and the golem Robota travel back in time to the events of A Spell for Chameleon, and meet King Aeolus in person. During their meeting with him, they learn he is not actually as foolish as he seems: he keeps his soul in a soular cell, created centuries before by Magician Yin/Yang, which prevents aging and death for the person whose soul is stored inside. However, the cell cannot undo aging suffered before that point. Claiming he does not need his soul with him all the time, Aeolus removes his soul from the cell only when he needs to invoke his talent, since it remains with his soul, and pretends to be senile in order to avoid onerous tasks. Grey later notes that since he has no soul most of the time, he also has no conscience, explaining most of his behavior. Despite Aeolus's efforts to stave off death, he is ultimately unsuccessful, dying not too long after the two time travelers leave the village.
The first known centaur magician, introduced in Centaur Aisle
. His talent is initially portrayed as the ability to generate an aisle of magic around his body while in Mundania, and its discovery when he was ninety years old led to his banishment from Centaur Isle. Despite being banished by his fellow centaurs, he is well regarded by humans, as his talent enabled the rescue of King Trent and Queen Iris from a Mundanian prison.
Arnolde becomes the first centaur king for a brief time in Night Mare
, at the age of ninety-eight. During his reign, he declares that Sorceresses are merely female Magicians, and therefore eligible to serve as Kings of Xanth. In Golem in the Gears, he reveals that he has discovered he can create an aisle of non-magic in Xanth while carrying reverse wood. In Roc and a Hard Place
, he is found to have moved into the Region of Madness with his friend Ichabod Mundane, which helps sustain his life due to the concentrated magic there, but the two leave the Region temporarily in order to help Demoness Metria travel to Mundania (without his magic aisle, she would not be able to exist there).
The true nature of Arnolde's talent is finally revealed in Currant Events
: though he long believed it was a concentration of magic within his body that had generated the aisle, he actually has the ability to translate gravity (the magic of the Demon E(A/R)th) into Xanth magic in an aisle around him. After he and Clio (the Muse of History) persuade David Baldwin to let Demon E(A/R)th develop a connection with him, E(A/R)th enhances Arnolde's talent by lending him more energy.
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
. The later books are taken over by his magician-caliber family members.
At one point he gets banished for not possessing a magic talent. To prevent the exposure of its existence, his talent prefers to work in roundabout ways, at one time making an invisible giant walk by to stop him from revealing his talent while under a truth spell, for example. 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 - thus making (his own) magic the indirect cause of his injury. 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 coincidences (almost breaking his ankle after tripping on a rock to escape from the Gap Dragon).
When Bink freed the Demon X(A/N)th, the magic of Xanth, which poured from his slumbering body into the land, left with him. Bink's power caused X(A/N)th to return and take up permanent residence in Xanth, restoring the magic. Bink promised X(A/N)th the Shieldstone for undisturbed study and X(A/N)th granted all of Bink's descendants Magician-Caliber talents.
.
and Isle of View
.
To Magician Dor
's Page
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
, Ogre, Ogre
, and Night Mare
.
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 Family of Ebnez of Xanth.
Elona became king in the year 797. She was the second female king and magician of longevity.
.
in the novel Man from Mundania
. Their children are the Triplet Sorceresses Melody, Harmony, and Rhythm.
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.
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.
The Magician of Information, Good Magician Humfrey is a withered, old, gnome
of a man with five and a half wives. His talent is purportedly to know the answer to every question. In actuality, his talent is to know where to find the answer to every question. As such, he uses various forms of divination to discover the actual answers.
Humfrey's castle (the original Castle Zombie) is enchanted so he can alter it at a moment's notice, as well as the three challenges that any visitors must solve in order to enter the castle and ask Humfrey their questions. The challenges are always arranged so his visitors can prove their worthiness of taking up his valuable time to ask a question.
Good Magician Humfrey is instrumental in every Xanth book, but serves as a main character in The Source of Magic
. During the NextWave Invasion of Night Mare
, he serves as the fourth King of the chain. In Dragon on a Pedastal, he is accidentally exposed to water from the Fountain of Youth, which results in his being turned into a baby. He resumes his preferred age of about a hundred years old in Golem in the Gears, and goes missing (along with his current wife and their son) in the following book, Vale of the Vole
. He is searched for by Dolph in Heaven Cent
, and then by Ivy in Man from Mundania
, in which his whereabouts are discovered by Ivy and Grey Murphy. At his direction, Grey moves into his castle and serves as Magician of Information in his place.
He finally returns to Xanth proper in Question Quest
when Lacuna travels to Hell and learns his history, thus enabling him to leave Hell for good and arrange for all five and a half of his wives to leave on a temporary basis. The novel also reveals 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
. Since his return from Hell, Humfrey has resumed his duties as Magician of Information.
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 have 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 appellation by which he had already become known.
, 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 (see article Moons of Ida (Xanth)), and contains every person who ever existed, exists, will exist, or might exist in Xanth. The Ida on Ptero has another moon (Pyramid) where the inhabitants use a barter system that results in givers gaining size and receivers losing size. This Ida has Torus, who has Cone, who has Dumbbell and so on. This continues into infinity, with each moon having different shapes, inhabitants, and rules. The exact sequence of planets has only been revealed up to fifteen, however they have traveled further in canon. 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. It is revealed in "Air Apparent
" that this chain extends into Mundania itself and cycles back to the original Ida. Marries Prince Hilarion in "Knot Gneiss
".
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.
Iris is a secondary entity in the Xanth
Universe, but a very important one. She is said to have a wonderfully devious mind full of intelligence. She is married to Trent.
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 Rhythm. In A Spell for Chameleon
, she attempted to seduce Bink 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 (although several books later it is revealed that there were previous female kings). During the Next Wave 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
.
Iris made a plate of rice look, smell, and taste like dragon steak for Bink. After recreating the city of Stone Hinge, she held it with hardly any effort, even in her sleep. When her daughter, Sorceress Irene, married Magician Dor, Iris clothed every one in attendance in the illusion of zombies.
, 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. Their children are the Triplet Sorceresses Melody, Harmony, and Rhythm.
Jonathan (also known as the Zombie Master) 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 the son of King Merlin and Sorceress Tapis. 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 served as king two more times as king pro-tem for Dor in Centaur Aisle
and again during the Nextwave invasion in Night Mare
.
" she is summoned and ages 6 years due to a garbled decade spell Rhythm uses so she can be with Cyrus. After saving Xanth, she is abolished until her parents can have her rightfully.
, Rhythm marries Cyrus Cyborg and goes to live on Counter Xanth.
Merlin became king in the year 204. His talent is Knowledge. He is the first king of Xanth
, husband of Tapis, father of Jonathan and Taplin.
See also Family of Merlin of Xanth.
His talent was alchemy. He killed Yin-Yang and Yin-Yang's son, Lord Bliss who was Rose's father. According to Question Quest
, he was only half-human at most.
The Magician who Makes Things Go Wrong. Murphy first appeared in Castle Roogna in a competition to determine the next king; to win, he had to prevent the construction of the titular castle. 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 in a flashback scene in Man from Mundania
. 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.
where his curse was finally broken.
He was the magician of herbalism. His uncle was Muerte A. Fid.
, he attempted to become king of Xanth and defeated the Sorceresses Melody, Harmony, and Rhythm in direct magical combat. However, he was then lured into a giant egg made from material that he had already used his talent on, and is now confined within the egg.
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.
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.
.
Roogna became king in the year 228 and 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, which becomes home to the monarchy of Xanth after being rediscovered in the first Xanth novel, A Spell for Chameleon
. 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.
Rune became king in the year 350. He reigned until 378. He was the magician of evocation and son of Rana.
She is introduced in Golem in the Gears, serving as the main antagonist as she prepares for her latest body switch. Her efforts are halted through the efforts of Grundy Golem, resulting in her banishment to the Brain Coral's pool. She escapes 33 years later during the events of The Dastard
, when a glitch ejects her, as well as several other people. Despite her best efforts and an alliance with the Dastard himself, her soul is finally banished from Xanth for good by the actions of four residents of the moon Ptero (who have temporarily switched places with their younger counterparts on Xanth).
Her origin as a pre-First Waver is revealed in Question Quest
, and her full history (including the discovery of her talent) is revealed in The Dastard, while possessing one of her latest victims.
, and accompanied Dug Mundane as a friend. He later featured in Currant Events
, where he discovered his talent, allowing him to reverse the natures or characteristics of anything, as well as giving him power over reverse wood. He fell in love with and married Clio, and adopted Ciriana (whose talent was initially an immunity to the Adult Conspiracy, until he reversed it).
, she found out that she could in fact use talents again after a lengthy recharge, but the Dastard saw how happy she was and went back in time and successfully prevented her from finding this out. However, she has also realized that by using her imagination, she can produce any given effect in multiple ways, effectively bypassing the limitation. She starred in Geis of the Gargoyle
, and was instrumental in restoring the Interface around Xanth. She was also a central character in Stork Naked
and has a daughter with Umlaut.
, and passed his job on to Magician Teillo when he was asked a non-self serving question about his job by Sammy Cat. His predecessor was the one who assigned the talent of cursing to all the descendants of the original Curse Fiends.
Trent has been a major entity in the Xanth
series since the very beginning. Not only is he a very powerful magician, he is also a great King and an honorable, intelligent man. He is married to Iris.
King Trent used to be referred to as the Evil Magician for attempting to take over the throne prior to A Spell for Chameleon
. Trent was exiled to Mundania but later helped accidentally back into Xanth by Bink and Chameleon. After The Storm King died, Trent was made king on the condition that he marry 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
, after which Bink's son Prince Dor became the new King of Xanth with Trent's 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
. He is one of the few (aside from Humphrey and Bink's future wife) that grasps Bink's extraordinary talent of protection from all magic.
form. Any offspring sired while in a form will be in that form.
For Bink's Source of Magic quest Trent transformed Crombie into a griffin.
(changing the shape of something, but not the size, mass, or intrinsic properties). Her husband is Murphy, and her son is Grey. Her talent was not considered magician level until Dor decreed it.
Vortex became king in the year 478. He is the magician of demon summoning.
He was a ghost when he took the throne and his talent was making ghosts. He reigned for forty-three years until he was exorcized by the people.
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 or 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.
Magician (fantasy)
A magician, mage, sorcerer, sorceress, wizard, enchanter, enchantress, thaumaturge or a person known under one of many other possible terms is someone who uses or practices magic that derives from supernatural or occult sources...
of Xanth
Xanth
Xanth is a fantasy world created by author Piers Anthony for his Xanth series of novels, also known as The Magic of Xanth.-History:The name Xanth is in itself an unintentional pun, which matches the playful tone of the books...
are mostly humans with the most powerful magical talents. With such powerful talents, they are the only people who qualify to be the King of Human Xanth. Female Magicians are also called Sorceress
Magician (fantasy)
A magician, mage, sorcerer, sorceress, wizard, enchanter, enchantress, thaumaturge or a person known under one of many other possible terms is someone who uses or practices magic that derives from supernatural or occult sources...
es.
Aeolus
- The eighteenth king of Xanth
The Magician of Storms, he was discovered by Good Magician Humfrey at the age of six, succeeded him as King of Xanth at the age of 22, and reigned until he was 93. Four years after becoming king, he declared that anyone born without a magic talent would be exiled from Xanth. By the time of A Spell for Chameleon
A Spell for Chameleon
A Spell for Chameleon is the first book of the Xanth series by Piers Anthony.-Plot introduction:In this adventure, Bink is exiled to Mundania because he has broken Xanth law by not having a magical talent...
, he was old and senile, but refused to admit it, and died of old age before the end of the book. He was succeeded by the formerly evil Magician Trent.
Aeolus reappears in Humfrey's flashbacks in Question Quest
Question Quest
-Plot summary:The book begins with Lacuna, one of the mischievous Castle Zombie twins, seeking a way to fix her "dull" life. To do so she comes to ask Grey, Ivy's betrothed and pro-tem magician of knowledge, for the answer. However, Grey doesn't want to answer her question because he knows that...
, which reveals how and when he was found by Humfrey, ascended to the throne and made his declaration to banish anyone born without magic.
Later, in Xone of Contention
Xone of Contention
Xone of Contention is the twenty-third book of the Xanth series by Piers Anthony.-Plot introduction:Dug, the Mundane who had had an adventure in Xanth through the Companions of Xanth computer game, is now happily married to Kim. His friend Edsel on the other hand is on the rock with his marriage...
, Magician Grey and the golem Robota travel back in time to the events of A Spell for Chameleon, and meet King Aeolus in person. During their meeting with him, they learn he is not actually as foolish as he seems: he keeps his soul in a soular cell, created centuries before by Magician Yin/Yang, which prevents aging and death for the person whose soul is stored inside. However, the cell cannot undo aging suffered before that point. Claiming he does not need his soul with him all the time, Aeolus removes his soul from the cell only when he needs to invoke his talent, since it remains with his soul, and pretends to be senile in order to avoid onerous tasks. Grey later notes that since he has no soul most of the time, he also has no conscience, explaining most of his behavior. Despite Aeolus's efforts to stave off death, he is ultimately unsuccessful, dying not too long after the two time travelers leave the village.
Arnolde
Served as king pro-tem during Trent's reign.The first known centaur magician, introduced in Centaur Aisle
Centaur Aisle
Xanth's King Trent has left for drear Mundania, leaving Dor to practice governing the magical kingdom of Xanth. Dor's magical talent is communication with the inanimate which for information gathering is very helpful, but for dealing with citizens needing discipline it leaves room for improvement...
. His talent is initially portrayed as the ability to generate an aisle of magic around his body while in Mundania, and its discovery when he was ninety years old led to his banishment from Centaur Isle. Despite being banished by his fellow centaurs, he is well regarded by humans, as his talent enabled the rescue of King Trent and Queen Iris from a Mundanian prison.
Arnolde becomes the first centaur king for a brief time in Night Mare
Night Mare
Night Mare is the sixth book of the Xanth series by Piers Anthony.-Plot introduction:Xanth is under threat of a barbarian invasion from Mundania...
, at the age of ninety-eight. During his reign, he declares that Sorceresses are merely female Magicians, and therefore eligible to serve as Kings of Xanth. In Golem in the Gears, he reveals that he has discovered he can create an aisle of non-magic in Xanth while carrying reverse wood. In Roc and a Hard Place
Roc and a Hard Place
-Summary:One year after the events of Geis of the Gargoyle, Demoness Metria, whilst making her husband Veleno deliriously happy, finds that the stork will not acknowledge her summons. Seeking to summon the stork, Metria are sent on a quest by the Good Magician Humphrey...
, he is found to have moved into the Region of Madness with his friend Ichabod Mundane, which helps sustain his life due to the concentrated magic there, but the two leave the Region temporarily in order to help Demoness Metria travel to Mundania (without his magic aisle, she would not be able to exist there).
The true nature of Arnolde's talent is finally revealed in Currant Events
Currant Events
Currant Events is the twenty-eighth book of the Xanth series by Piers Anthony, and the first book in the second Xanth trilogy.-Plot summary:...
: though he long believed it was a concentration of magic within his body that had generated the aisle, he actually has the ability to translate gravity (the magic of the Demon E(A/R)th) into Xanth magic in an aisle around him. After he and Clio (the Muse of History) persuade David Baldwin to let Demon E(A/R)th develop a connection with him, E(A/R)th enhances Arnolde's talent by lending him more energy.
Bink
- Served as king pro-tem during Trent's reign.
The Magician of Magical Invulnerability, Bink was the main character in the first two novels, A Spell for Chameleon
A Spell for Chameleon
A Spell for Chameleon is the first book of the Xanth series by Piers Anthony.-Plot introduction:In this adventure, Bink is exiled to Mundania because he has broken Xanth law by not having a magical talent...
and The Source of Magic
The Source of Magic
-Plot introduction:This novel begins one year after the events of A Spell for Chameleon, and describes the adventures of Bink after he has settled down with his pregnant wife, Chameleon. King Trent had appointed Bink the Official Researcher of Xanth at the end of the previous book, and given him...
. He is the son of Roland of the High Council and Bianca. Later in the series, he makes a rejuvenated appearance in Zombie Lover
Zombie Lover
Zombie Lover is the twenty-second book of the Xanth series by Piers Anthony.-Plot summary:Breanna, a beautiful young newcomer to the enchanted land of Xanth, must deal with a distressing dilemma...
. The later books are taken over by his magician-caliber family members.
At one point he gets banished for not possessing a magic talent. To prevent the exposure of its existence, his talent prefers to work in roundabout ways, at one time making an invisible giant walk by to stop him from revealing his talent while under a truth spell, for example. 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 - thus making (his own) magic the indirect cause of his injury. 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 coincidences (almost breaking his ankle after tripping on a rock to escape from the Gap Dragon).
Talent
Bink's power prevents him from being harmed, or negatively affected with the intent of harm, through magical means. For example, when he was exiled from Xanth, he went through the Shieldstone, which kills anything on contact, without even a scratch, and arrived back in Xanth. His power cleverly conceals itself by acting through coincidence and also keeps Bink's loved ones from harm. There are only a few people (very clever people) who have ascertained the nature of his talent. "Bink's talent is the most wonderful and devious talent in Xanth".When Bink freed the Demon X(A/N)th, the magic of Xanth, which poured from his slumbering body into the land, left with him. Bink's power caused X(A/N)th to return and take up permanent residence in Xanth, restoring the magic. Bink promised X(A/N)th the Shieldstone for undisturbed study and X(A/N)th granted all of Bink's descendants Magician-Caliber talents.
Appearances
- The Source of Magic - In the second book, the storkStorkStorks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout bills. They belong to the family Ciconiidae. They are the only family in the biological order Ciconiiformes, which was once much larger and held a number of families....
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 playing a game with the other omnipotent, immortal demons; E(A/R)th, D(E/A)th, D(E/P)th, and T(E/N)th. Despite the protests of the Brain Coral, Bink released the demon who left the Land of Xanth, inadvertently taking back all the magic he had let seep out of him, which gave the Land of Xanth its magic, leaving the Land of Xanth just as drear as Mundania. Bink's talent, acting as always in long-term coincidence, managed to make X(A/N)th return to the cave he was previously contained in, to study the Land of Xanth and it's inhabitants. X(A/N)th's presence there also returned magic back to the Land of Xanth. The demon planned to eliminate the existence of any creature who knew of his presence there, in the cave, but was convinced by Bink to let them live, and instead the magic shield would be placed to block the entrance of the cave containing X(A/N)th. The demon was convinced by Cherie to give Bink a reward for freeing him, which was that all of Bink's descendants would have Magician-Caliber talents, but also gave Bink an orb that would grant one wish that would work for any selfish thing within the magical realm. He couldn't think of anything to wish for, and per Humfrey's advice, gave the orb to Crombie. From then on all of Bink's descendants would have magician-caliber magic including his son Dor and his granddaughter Ivy. - 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 travelers 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 donkeyDonkeyThe donkey or ass, Equus africanus asinus, is a domesticated member of the Equidae or horse family. The wild ancestor of the donkey is the African Wild Ass, E...
, and a succubusSuccubusIn folklore traced back to medieval legend, a succubus is a female demon appearing in dreams who takes the form of a human woman in order to seduce men, usually through sexual intercourse. The male counterpart is the incubus...
. 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.
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 & GamesFaun & Games
-Plot introduction:A young faun discovers his friend has gone missing into the Void and thus, the tree that nymph is bound to will wither and die. The hero wishes to save his friend's tree but in doing so, he risks his own tree.-Characters in Faun & Games:...
.
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 to marry Electra. He has twin sorceress daughters: Dawn and Eve .He is sworn, by the Simurgh, to protect Che Centaur along with all other winged monsters. He starred in Heaven CentHeaven Cent
Heaven Cent is the eleventh book of the Xanth series by Piers Anthony. It is the second book of a trilogy beginning with Vale of the Vole and ending with Man from Mundania.-Plot introduction:...
and Isle of View
Isle of View
Isle of View is the thirteenth book of the Xanth series by Piers Anthony.-Plot introduction:Che, Chex Centaur’s winged foal, has been kidnapped by a group of goblins. It is up to Jenny, a girl from the world of Two Moons, to save him. Dolph finally has to decide who to marry: Electra or Naga...
.
Dor
- The twentieth king of Xanth
- Served as king pro-tem during Trent's reign.
To Magician Dor
Magician Dor
Dor is the protagonist of Castle Roogna and Centaur Aisle of the Xanth series by Piers Anthony. He is the King of Xanth for most of the series. He is Magician Bink's son and Sorceress Irene's husband.-Talent Breakdown:...
's Page
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
Centaur Aisle
Xanth's King Trent has left for drear Mundania, leaving Dor to practice governing the magical kingdom of Xanth. Dor's magical talent is communication with the inanimate which for information gathering is very helpful, but for dealing with citizens needing discipline it leaves room for improvement...
, Ogre, Ogre
Ogre, Ogre
-Plot introduction:Smash the half-ogre goes to see the Good Magician Humfrey to get his question answered, although he doesn't know what his question is. The magician's answer: Travel to the Ancestral Ogres to find what you seek...
, and Night Mare
Night Mare
Night Mare is the sixth book of the Xanth series by Piers Anthony.-Plot introduction:Xanth is under threat of a barbarian invasion from Mundania...
.
Ebnez
- The sixteenth king of Xanth
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 Family of Ebnez of Xanth.
Elona
- The fourteenth king of Xanth
Elona became king in the year 797. She was the second female king and magician of longevity.
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 & GamesFaun & Games
-Plot introduction:A young faun discovers his friend has gone missing into the Void and thus, the tree that nymph is bound to will wither and die. The hero wishes to save his friend's tree but in doing so, he risks his own tree.-Characters in Faun & Games:...
.
Grey
The Magician of null magic, Grey is the son of the Magician Murphy and Neo-Sorceress Vadne and husband of Sorceress Ivy, who rescued him from MundaniaEarth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
in the novel Man from Mundania
Man from Mundania
Man from Mundania, the twelfth book of the Xanth series by Piers Anthony, concludes the trilogy of Vale of the Vole and Heaven Cent.-Plot introduction:...
. Their children are the Triplet Sorceresses Melody, Harmony, and Rhythm.
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.
Gromden
- The tenth king of Xanth
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.
Humfrey
- The seventeenth king of Xanth
- Served as king pro-tem during Trent's reign.
The Magician of Information, Good Magician Humfrey is a withered, old, gnome
Gnome
A gnome is a diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, first introduced by Paracelsus and later adopted by more recent authors including those of modern fantasy literature...
of a man with five and a half wives. His talent is purportedly to know the answer to every question. In actuality, his talent is to know where to find the answer to every question. As such, he uses various forms of divination to discover the actual answers.
Humfrey's castle (the original Castle Zombie) is enchanted so he can alter it at a moment's notice, as well as the three challenges that any visitors must solve in order to enter the castle and ask Humfrey their questions. The challenges are always arranged so his visitors can prove their worthiness of taking up his valuable time to ask a question.
Good Magician Humfrey is instrumental in every Xanth book, but serves as a main character in The Source of Magic
The Source of Magic
-Plot introduction:This novel begins one year after the events of A Spell for Chameleon, and describes the adventures of Bink after he has settled down with his pregnant wife, Chameleon. King Trent had appointed Bink the Official Researcher of Xanth at the end of the previous book, and given him...
. During the NextWave Invasion of Night Mare
Night Mare
Night Mare is the sixth book of the Xanth series by Piers Anthony.-Plot introduction:Xanth is under threat of a barbarian invasion from Mundania...
, he serves as the fourth King of the chain. In Dragon on a Pedastal, he is accidentally exposed to water from the Fountain of Youth, which results in his being turned into a baby. He resumes his preferred age of about a hundred years old in Golem in the Gears, and goes missing (along with his current wife and their son) in the following book, Vale of the Vole
Vale of the Vole
Vale of the Vole is the tenth book of the Xanth series by Piers Anthony.It begins a trilogy including Heaven Cent and Man from Mundania. The novel was written as a satirical jab at the canalization of the Kissimmee River in Piers' native state of Florida as a result of the effects of the 1947...
. He is searched for by Dolph in Heaven Cent
Heaven Cent
Heaven Cent is the eleventh book of the Xanth series by Piers Anthony. It is the second book of a trilogy beginning with Vale of the Vole and ending with Man from Mundania.-Plot introduction:...
, and then by Ivy in Man from Mundania
Man from Mundania
Man from Mundania, the twelfth book of the Xanth series by Piers Anthony, concludes the trilogy of Vale of the Vole and Heaven Cent.-Plot introduction:...
, in which his whereabouts are discovered by Ivy and Grey Murphy. At his direction, Grey moves into his castle and serves as Magician of Information in his place.
He finally returns to Xanth proper in Question Quest
Question Quest
-Plot summary:The book begins with Lacuna, one of the mischievous Castle Zombie twins, seeking a way to fix her "dull" life. To do so she comes to ask Grey, Ivy's betrothed and pro-tem magician of knowledge, for the answer. However, Grey doesn't want to answer her question because he knows that...
when Lacuna travels to Hell and learns his history, thus enabling him to leave Hell for good and arrange for all five and a half of his wives to leave on a temporary basis. The novel also reveals 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
On a Pale Horse
On a Pale Horse is a fantasy novel by Piers Anthony, first published in 1983. It is the first of eight books in the Incarnations of Immortality series...
. Since his return from Hell, Humfrey has resumed his duties as Magician of Information.
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 have 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 appellation by which he had already become known.
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 PantiesThe Color of Her Panties
The Color of Her Panties is the fifteenth book of the Xanth series by Piers Anthony.-Plot introduction:Mela Merwoman, one of the protagonists of The Color of Her Panties, was introduced in Heaven Cent attempting to trick Prince Dolph into marrying her. Still desperate for a husband, Mela goes to...
, 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 (see article Moons of Ida (Xanth)), and contains every person who ever existed, exists, will exist, or might exist in Xanth. The Ida on Ptero has another moon (Pyramid) where the inhabitants use a barter system that results in givers gaining size and receivers losing size. This Ida has Torus, who has Cone, who has Dumbbell and so on. This continues into infinity, with each moon having different shapes, inhabitants, and rules. The exact sequence of planets has only been revealed up to fifteen, however they have traveled further in canon. 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. It is revealed in "Air Apparent
Air Apparent
Air Apparent is the thirty-first book of the Xanth series by Piers Anthony, which was first mentioned in the "Author's Note" in Currant Events. Piers Anthony stated that notions from his readers have already been set aside for use in this installment in the same "Author's Note."-Plot...
" that this chain extends into Mundania itself and cycles back to the original Ida. Marries Prince Hilarion in "Knot Gneiss
Knot Gneiss
Knot Gneiss is the 34th book of the Xanth series by Piers Anthony-Plot introduction:This is about Jumper's friend Wenda Woodwife, who has a nymphly front but no back, being hollow from behind, who speaks with the forest dialect: "I wood knot dew that to yew." She has to transport a boulder made of...
".
Irene
- Served as king pro-tem during Trent's reign.
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
Centaur Aisle
Xanth's King Trent has left for drear Mundania, leaving Dor to practice governing the magical kingdom of Xanth. Dor's magical talent is communication with the inanimate which for information gathering is very helpful, but for dealing with citizens needing discipline it leaves room for improvement...
and Dragon on a Pedestal
Dragon on a Pedestal
-Plot introduction:This book centers on Princess Ivy, the 3-year-old daughter of King Dor and Queen Irene, the search for her, and the spell on Gap Chasm that caused people to forget it existed breaking apart into "Forget Whorls".-Plot summary:...
. In addition, during the Next Wave invasion of Night Mare
Night Mare
Night Mare is the sixth book of the Xanth series by Piers Anthony.-Plot introduction:Xanth is under threat of a barbarian invasion from Mundania...
, 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.
Iris
- Served as king pro-tem during Trent's reign.
Iris is a secondary entity in the Xanth
Xanth
Xanth is a fantasy world created by author Piers Anthony for his Xanth series of novels, also known as The Magic of Xanth.-History:The name Xanth is in itself an unintentional pun, which matches the playful tone of the books...
Universe, but a very important one. She is said to have a wonderfully devious mind full of intelligence. She is married to Trent.
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 Rhythm. In A Spell for Chameleon
A Spell for Chameleon
A Spell for Chameleon is the first book of the Xanth series by Piers Anthony.-Plot introduction:In this adventure, Bink is exiled to Mundania because he has broken Xanth law by not having a magical talent...
, she attempted to seduce Bink 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
A Spell for Chameleon
A Spell for Chameleon is the first book of the Xanth series by Piers Anthony.-Plot introduction:In this adventure, Bink is exiled to Mundania because he has broken Xanth law by not having a magical talent...
and Night Mare
Night Mare
Night Mare is the sixth book of the Xanth series by Piers Anthony.-Plot introduction:Xanth is under threat of a barbarian invasion from Mundania...
. In the latter she became the first known female King of Xanth during the Next Wave invasion (although several books later it is revealed that there were previous female kings). During the Next Wave 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
Geis of the Gargoyle
-Plot introduction:SUMMARY:Seeking a spell that will restore the polluted river Swan Knee to a state of purity, guardian Gary Gargoyle finds himself face-to-face with the Good Magician Humfrey.-Characters in Geis of the Gargoyle:Gary Gargoyle...
.
Talent
Iris's Illusions appeal to all five senses. She can even render invisibility and silence. After creating an illusion she can hold it with minimal effort. While inside of magic her illusions can extend a short distance outside of magic.Iris made a plate of rice look, smell, and taste like dragon steak for Bink. After recreating the city of Stone Hinge, she held it with hardly any effort, even in her sleep. When her daughter, Sorceress Irene, married Magician Dor, Iris clothed every one in attendance in the illusion of zombies.
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). As a result of the events of Dragon on a PedestalDragon on a Pedestal
-Plot introduction:This book centers on Princess Ivy, the 3-year-old daughter of King Dor and Queen Irene, the search for her, and the spell on Gap Chasm that caused people to forget it existed breaking apart into "Forget Whorls".-Plot summary:...
, it is understood that she is slated to be the next King of Xanth. She starred in Dragon on a Pedestal
Dragon on a Pedestal
-Plot introduction:This book centers on Princess Ivy, the 3-year-old daughter of King Dor and Queen Irene, the search for her, and the spell on Gap Chasm that caused people to forget it existed breaking apart into "Forget Whorls".-Plot summary:...
, Crewel Lye: A Caustic Yarn
Crewel Lye: A Caustic Yarn
Crewel Lye: A Caustic Yarn is the eighth book of the Xanth series by Piers Anthony.-Plot Introduction:This book is a story within a story as one of Castle Roogna's ghosts, Jordan the Barbarian, tells Princess Ivy his story of betrayal and death via the magical medium of the Tapestry.-Plot...
, and Man from Mundania
Man from Mundania
Man from Mundania, the twelfth book of the Xanth series by Piers Anthony, concludes the trilogy of Vale of the Vole and Heaven Cent.-Plot introduction:...
. She is married to Magician Grey. Their children are the Triplet Sorceresses Melody, Harmony, and Rhythm.
Jonathan
- The sixth king of Xanth
- Served as king pro-tem during Trent's reign.
Jonathan (also known as the Zombie Master) 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 the son of King Merlin and Sorceress Tapis. 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
Night Mare
Night Mare is the sixth book of the Xanth series by Piers Anthony.-Plot introduction:Xanth is under threat of a barbarian invasion from Mundania...
. He served as king two more times as king pro-tem for Dor in Centaur Aisle
Centaur Aisle
Xanth's King Trent has left for drear Mundania, leaving Dor to practice governing the magical kingdom of Xanth. Dor's magical talent is communication with the inanimate which for information gathering is very helpful, but for dealing with citizens needing discipline it leaves room for improvement...
and again during the Nextwave invasion in Night Mare
Night Mare
Night Mare is the sixth book of the Xanth series by Piers Anthony.-Plot introduction:Xanth is under threat of a barbarian invasion from Mundania...
.
Kadence
Kadence is the Sorceress of Alignment. She is the daughter of Sorceress Princess Rhythm and Cyrus, the first cyborg in Xanth. Her talent is a variation of her name, Cadence, making anything move to a common beat. In "Two to the FifthTwo to the Fifth
- Plot introduction :According to Pier Anthony's newsletter,"Two to the Fifth" is "the story of Cyrus Cyborg, a playwright who is considered a catch by several of the lovely actresses in his plays. The Princess Rhythm, age twelve, confesses to having a crush on him. He refuses to take that...
" she is summoned and ages 6 years due to a garbled decade spell Rhythm uses so she can be with Cyrus. After saving Xanth, she is abolished until her parents can have her rightfully.
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. Of mortal creatures, only Ragna Roc could overcome them in direct magical combat. They are the daughters of Ivy and Grey. Melody had blonde hair with a tinge of green and blue eyes like their mother, Harmony has brown eyes and hair like their father, and Rhythm has red hair and green eyes like their cousin Dawn. When using their talent, Melody hums out a tune, Harmony plays her harmonica harmonizing with her sister, and finally Rhythm beats out a rhythm on her drum. In Two to the FifthTwo to the Fifth
- Plot introduction :According to Pier Anthony's newsletter,"Two to the Fifth" is "the story of Cyrus Cyborg, a playwright who is considered a catch by several of the lovely actresses in his plays. The Princess Rhythm, age twelve, confesses to having a crush on him. He refuses to take that...
, Rhythm marries Cyrus Cyborg and goes to live on Counter Xanth.
Merlin
- The first king of Xanth
Merlin became king in the year 204. His talent is Knowledge. He is the first king of Xanth
Xanth
Xanth is a fantasy world created by author Piers Anthony for his Xanth series of novels, also known as The Magic of Xanth.-History:The name Xanth is in itself an unintentional pun, which matches the playful tone of the books...
, husband of Tapis, father of Jonathan and Taplin.
See also Family of Merlin of Xanth.
Muerte A. Fid
- The twelfth king of Xanth
His talent was alchemy. He killed Yin-Yang and Yin-Yang's son, Lord Bliss who was Rose's father. According to Question Quest
Question Quest
-Plot summary:The book begins with Lacuna, one of the mischievous Castle Zombie twins, seeking a way to fix her "dull" life. To do so she comes to ask Grey, Ivy's betrothed and pro-tem magician of knowledge, for the answer. However, Grey doesn't want to answer her question because he knows that...
, he was only half-human at most.
Murphy
- Served as king pro-term during Dor's reign.
The Magician who Makes Things Go Wrong. Murphy first appeared in Castle Roogna in a competition to determine the next king; to win, he had to prevent the construction of the titular castle. 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 in a flashback scene in Man from Mundania
Man from Mundania
Man from Mundania, the twelfth book of the Xanth series by Piers Anthony, concludes the trilogy of Vale of the Vole and Heaven Cent.-Plot introduction:...
. 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.
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 RouteCube Route
-Plot summary:Cube Route contains a crossover to Phaze, a world in Anthony's seven-book Apprentice Adept series.-Summary:In the magical land of Xanth, wishes are far more than mere words...
where his curse was finally broken.
Quan
- The thirteenth king of Xanth
He was the magician of herbalism. His uncle was Muerte A. Fid.
Ragna Roc
A powerful magician bird with the talent of turning what he sees into illusion or making illusions that he sees real, but only once. In Two to the FifthTwo to the Fifth
- Plot introduction :According to Pier Anthony's newsletter,"Two to the Fifth" is "the story of Cyrus Cyborg, a playwright who is considered a catch by several of the lovely actresses in his plays. The Princess Rhythm, age twelve, confesses to having a crush on him. He refuses to take that...
, he attempted to become king of Xanth and defeated the Sorceresses Melody, Harmony, and Rhythm in direct magical combat. However, he was then lured into a giant egg made from material that he had already used his talent on, and is now confined within the egg.
Rana
- The third king of Xanth
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.
Reitas
- The fourth king of Xanth
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.
Rempel
A centaur magician whose talent is to know the talents of others. He is introduced in Xone of ContentionXone of Contention
Xone of Contention is the twenty-third book of the Xanth series by Piers Anthony.-Plot introduction:Dug, the Mundane who had had an adventure in Xanth through the Companions of Xanth computer game, is now happily married to Kim. His friend Edsel on the other hand is on the rock with his marriage...
.
Roogna
- The second king of Xanth
Roogna became king in the year 228 and 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, which becomes home to the monarchy of Xanth after being rediscovered in the first Xanth novel, A Spell for Chameleon
A Spell for Chameleon
A Spell for Chameleon is the first book of the Xanth series by Piers Anthony.-Plot introduction:In this adventure, Bink is exiled to Mundania because he has broken Xanth law by not having a magical talent...
. Many of his creations, such as the cherry bomb
Cherry bomb
Cherry Bombs are approximately spherical shaped exploding fireworks, ranging in size from three-quarters-inch to one-and-one-half-inch in diameter...
trees, still survive on the castle grounds. He is the husband of Taplin, Merlin's daughter.
Rune
- The fifth king of Xanth
Rune became king in the year 350. He reigned until 378. He was the magician of evocation and son of Rana.
Sea Hag
She is the sorceress of immortality, born into the true first human colony of Xanth, 2200 years before the First Wave. When she dies, she can take over any body she wishes, male or female (a fact she discovered after her first death).She is introduced in Golem in the Gears, serving as the main antagonist as she prepares for her latest body switch. Her efforts are halted through the efforts of Grundy Golem, resulting in her banishment to the Brain Coral's pool. She escapes 33 years later during the events of The Dastard
The Dastard
-Plot introduction:The Dastard is a vile, loathsome man with the power to travel back in time. He uses this to neutralize people's joyous moments and if this includes removing the existence of sentient beings, so be it. Despite this selfish, amoral attitude, The Dastard finds himself involved with...
, when a glitch ejects her, as well as several other people. Despite her best efforts and an alliance with the Dastard himself, her soul is finally banished from Xanth for good by the actions of four residents of the moon Ptero (who have temporarily switched places with their younger counterparts on Xanth).
Her origin as a pre-First Waver is revealed in Question Quest
Question Quest
-Plot summary:The book begins with Lacuna, one of the mischievous Castle Zombie twins, seeking a way to fix her "dull" life. To do so she comes to ask Grey, Ivy's betrothed and pro-tem magician of knowledge, for the answer. However, Grey doesn't want to answer her question because he knows that...
, and her full history (including the discovery of her talent) is revealed in The Dastard, while possessing one of her latest victims.
Sherlock
The Magician of Reversal, he arrived in Xanth as part of the Black Wave, as seen in Demons Don't DreamDemons Don't Dream
Dug, a Mundane, is transported in to the magic land of Xanth when he plays a computer game introduced to him by his friend for a bet. The game consists of the player having a companion, who is usually a well known Xanth character, and being led through the magical world of Xanth, defeating...
, and accompanied Dug Mundane as a friend. He later featured in Currant Events
Currant Events
Currant Events is the twenty-eighth book of the Xanth series by Piers Anthony, and the first book in the second Xanth trilogy.-Plot summary:...
, where he discovered his talent, allowing him to reverse the natures or characteristics of anything, as well as giving him power over reverse wood. He fell in love with and married Clio, and adopted Ciriana (whose talent was initially an immunity to the Adult Conspiracy, until he reversed it).
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 the stork surprisingly didn't bring Surprise until she was five years old. In The DastardThe Dastard
-Plot introduction:The Dastard is a vile, loathsome man with the power to travel back in time. He uses this to neutralize people's joyous moments and if this includes removing the existence of sentient beings, so be it. Despite this selfish, amoral attitude, The Dastard finds himself involved with...
, she found out that she could in fact use talents again after a lengthy recharge, but the Dastard saw how happy she was and went back in time and successfully prevented her from finding this out. However, she has also realized that by using her imagination, she can produce any given effect in multiple ways, effectively bypassing the limitation. She starred in Geis of the Gargoyle
Geis of the Gargoyle
-Plot introduction:SUMMARY:Seeking a spell that will restore the polluted river Swan Knee to a state of purity, guardian Gary Gargoyle finds himself face-to-face with the Good Magician Humfrey.-Characters in Geis of the Gargoyle:Gary Gargoyle...
, and was instrumental in restoring the Interface around Xanth. She was also a central character in Stork Naked
Stork Naked
-Plot summary:Surprise summons the stork with Umlaut, only to discover with dismay that the stork refuses to deliver her baby due to a clerical error. Off on an adventure to find her child, she seeks the aid of Pyra, who wields a tool that can find, and enter, alternate realities...
and has a daughter with Umlaut.
Tallyho
He is the magician of talents, creating and assigning talents to newly conceived babies. He lives in the Gourd. He is introduced in Up In A HeavalUp In A Heaval
-Plot introduction:An innocent piece of Mundane Snail Mail has provoked the dreaded Demon JUter to hurl his Red Spot at the magical land of Xanth...
, and passed his job on to Magician Teillo when he was asked a non-self serving question about his job by Sammy Cat. His predecessor was the one who assigned the talent of cursing to all the descendants of the original Curse Fiends.
Tapis
The Sorceress of Tapestry. She had the talent of creating enchanted tapestries, such as the one in Castle Roogna. She was the wife of Merlin and the mother of Jonathan and Taplin. Taplis took Electra in when she was a child, but at some point after Electra's 847-year sleep began, she was turned into a magic seed, which was rained on and sprouted in the year 1100, restoring her to her human form. Unfortunately for Tapis, this sprouting was unhappened by the actions of the Dastard after he met her, leaving her trapped in seed form.Trent
- The nineteenth king of Xanth
Trent has been a major entity in the Xanth
Xanth
Xanth is a fantasy world created by author Piers Anthony for his Xanth series of novels, also known as The Magic of Xanth.-History:The name Xanth is in itself an unintentional pun, which matches the playful tone of the books...
series since the very beginning. Not only is he a very powerful magician, he is also a great King and an honorable, intelligent man. He is married to Iris.
King Trent used to be referred to as the Evil Magician for attempting to take over the throne prior to A Spell for Chameleon
A Spell for Chameleon
A Spell for Chameleon is the first book of the Xanth series by Piers Anthony.-Plot introduction:In this adventure, Bink is exiled to Mundania because he has broken Xanth law by not having a magical talent...
. Trent was exiled to Mundania but later helped accidentally back into Xanth by Bink and Chameleon. After The Storm King died, Trent was made king on the condition that he marry 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
Night Mare
Night Mare is the sixth book of the Xanth series by Piers Anthony.-Plot introduction:Xanth is under threat of a barbarian invasion from Mundania...
, after which Bink's son Prince Dor became the new King of Xanth with Trent's 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
A Spell for Chameleon
A Spell for Chameleon is the first book of the Xanth series by Piers Anthony.-Plot introduction:In this adventure, Bink is exiled to Mundania because he has broken Xanth law by not having a magical talent...
and Centaur Aisle
Centaur Aisle
Xanth's King Trent has left for drear Mundania, leaving Dor to practice governing the magical kingdom of Xanth. Dor's magical talent is communication with the inanimate which for information gathering is very helpful, but for dealing with citizens needing discipline it leaves room for improvement...
. Later in the series, he makes a rejuvenated appearance in Harpy Thyme
Harpy Thyme
-Plot summary:Gloha Goblin-Harpy is searching for love, and decides to ask the Magician Humfrey where she can find it. He tells her to ask his second son Crombie the Soldier. Gloha goes on a quest for love, accompanied by Magician Trent and Cynthia, a winged centaur filly....
. He is one of the few (aside from Humphrey and Bink's future wife) that grasps Bink's extraordinary talent of protection from all magic.
Talent
Trent's power allows him to transform any living thing into any other living thing. Whatever form he renders becomes one's "natural"form. Any offspring sired while in a form will be in that form.
For Bink's Source of Magic quest Trent transformed Crombie into a griffin.
Vadne
She is the sorceress of topologyTopology
Topology is a major area of mathematics concerned with properties that are preserved under continuous deformations of objects, such as deformations that involve stretching, but no tearing or gluing...
(changing the shape of something, but not the size, mass, or intrinsic properties). Her husband is Murphy, and her son is Grey. Her talent was not considered magician level until Dor decreed it.
Vortex
- The seventh king of Xanth
Vortex became king in the year 478. He is the magician of demon summoning.
Warren
- The fifteenth king of Xanth
He was a ghost when he took the throne and his talent was making ghosts. He reigned for forty-three years until he was exorcized by the people.
Yin-Yang
- The eleventh king of Xanth
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
Crewel Lye: A Caustic Yarn
Crewel Lye: A Caustic Yarn is the eighth book of the Xanth series by Piers Anthony.-Plot Introduction:This book is a story within a story as one of Castle Roogna's ghosts, Jordan the Barbarian, tells Princess Ivy his story of betrayal and death via the magical medium of the Tapestry.-Plot...
, he used a faux split personality
Dissociative identity disorder
Dissociative identity disorder is a psychiatric diagnosis and describes a condition in which a person displays multiple distinct identities , each with its own pattern of perceiving and interacting with the environment....
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 or 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.