This is a list of characters from ''
The Old Kingdom Series'', a set of novels by Australian author
Garth Nix
Garth Richard Nix (born 19 July 1963) is an Australian writer who specialises in children's and young adult fantasy novels, notably the '' Old Kingdom'', '' Seventh Tower'' and '' Keys to the Kingdom'' series. He has frequently been asked if hi ...
. The series comprises six novels: ''
Sabriel
''Sabriel'' is a fantasy novel by Garth Nix, first published in 1995. It is the first in his Old Kingdom series, followed by '' Lirael'', '' Abhorsen'', '' Clariel'', '' Goldenhand,'' and ''Terciel and Elinor''.
Plot introduction
The novel is ...
'' (1995), ''
Lirael
''Lirael'' (called ''Lirael: Daughter of the Clayr'' in some regions) is a fantasy novel by Garth Nix, first published in 2001. Named for its central female character, ''Lirael'' is the second in his Old Kingdom trilogy, preceded by ''Sabriel'' ...
'' (2001), ''
Abhorsen
''Abhorsen'' is a fantasy novel by Australian writer Garth Nix, first published in 2003. It is the third book in the Old Kingdom series (following ''Sabriel'' and '' Lirael'').
''Abhorsen'' features Lirael, who is the recently revealed Abhorsen-i ...
'' (2003), ''
Clariel
The Old Kingdom, or Abhorsen in North America, is a fantasy series written by Australian author Garth Nix. It originated in 1995 with the novel ''Sabriel'' and has continued in the novels '' Lirael'' (2001), '' Abhorsen'' (2003) and ''Goldenhand ...
'' (2014), ''
Goldenhand
The Old Kingdom, or Abhorsen in North America, is a fantasy series written by Australian author Garth Nix. It originated in 1995 with the novel ''Sabriel'' and has continued in the novels '' Lirael'' (2001), '' Abhorsen'' (2003) and ''Goldenhand ...
'' (2016) and ''
Terciel and Elinor
The Old Kingdom, or Abhorsen in North America, is a fantasy series written by Australian author Garth Nix. It originated in 1995 with the novel ''Sabriel'' and has continued in the novels '' Lirael'' (2001), '' Abhorsen'' (2003) and ''Goldenhand ...
'' (2021). In 2006, ''
Across the Wall: A Tale of the Abhorsen and Other Stories'' was released, which contained the novella ''The Creature in the Case'', which was set after ''Abhorsen''.
Chlorr of the Mask
A powerful necromancer and later one of the Greater Dead. At the beginning of ''Lirael'', she approaches antagonist Hedge at the Red Lake; but falls under his control. She wears a bronze mask over her face, giving her the name. Her story was further developed in ''Clariel: The Lost Abhorsen'', wherein Clariel was the granddaughter of the Abhorsen. She was also a cousin of the royal family. Mogget manipulates Clariel and she becomes corrupted by Free Magic. Her face became horribly scarred in ''Clariel: The Lost Abhorsen'' leading her to don the bronze mask. She is exiled at the end of ''Clariel: The Lost Abhorsen''. During this exile, Clariel adopted the name Chlorr when she chose to sacrifice her humanity in order to become more powerful and extend her life.
In ''Abhorsen'', she is forced to flee the battle at the second binding of Orannis by Mogget and Lirael.
In ''Goldenhand'' she is also known as "The Witch with No Face". Over the centuries, Chlorr has been able to insert her spirit into different bodies whenever her current body is destroyed or rendered beyond repair/healing. Her bodies are young women supplied by the Northern Tribes. These women are called "Offerings" and their only purpose is to be a future vessel for Chlorr. They are groomed from birth to be a suitable host for her.
Chlorr's original physical body is a skeletal corpse buried in Life. Her burial site lies beyond "The Great Rift"; a desolate desert plain north of the Old Kingdom devoid of growth and air. Charter magic does not exist on this plain. A portion of her spirit is anchored in Death. This spirit portion is connected to her corpse in Life. Therefore, no matter how many times she is "killed"; Chlorr can always come back from Death due to her 'whole' spirit not being made to walk through the Ninth Gate.
Corolini
Though unseen throughout the series, many references are made to Corolini in ''Lirael'' and ''Abhorsen'', wherein Corolini is the leader of the extremist 'Our Country' Party, which holds the
balance of power in Ancelstierre. He accepts huge sums of Old Kingdom gold to use his party's influence to send 200,000 refugees across the Wall, to death and enslavement by Hedge, and orchestrates the assassination attempt on King Touchstone and Abhorsen Sabriel. After this, he launches a coup; but fails to gain control over the Hereditary Arbiter (the Ancelstierran ceremonial head of state, similar to the King of England). Corolini's government has ceased to exist by the events of ''Creature in the Case''.
The Disreputable Dog
The Disreputable Dog is a remnant of the immortal 'Kibeth'; but refuses until the end of the story to identify herself as such. She is Lirael's constant companion throughout two of the three initial books. At intervals she changes her size and physique to suit the environment, or assumes various attributes (adhesive pads; enlarged teeth; or wings) to achieve the immediate need. Additionally she has the ability to cast Charter and Free Magic spells by barking; mostly to produce the involuntary movement of the subject. During the second binding of Orannis, the Disreputable Dog re-asserts her ancient role to achieve the same; then sacrifices herself to save Lirael. ''Abhorsen'' ends with her sending the recently dead Nicholas back to Life, while the Dog trots away along the border of Life and Death.
Ellimere
The older sister of Sameth, and oldest child of King Touchstone and Abhorsen Sabriel. She is destined to be the next ruler of the Old Kingdom. She wields Dyrim in the second binding of Orannis.
Named for a friend of Sabriel's, who fell during the battle at Wyverly College.
Hedge
Hedge is a necromancer in service of Orannis, who supplies Nicholas Sayre (in mistake for Prince Sameth) as the latter's
avatar
Avatar (, ; ), is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means "descent". It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, goddess or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appeara ...
. He is roughly 100 years old. Motivated by an all-consuming desire for immortality, he believes that if he frees Orannis, he will become viceroy over the Dead; but fails when tricked into passing the Ninth Gate. It is suggested (in the
prologue
A prologue or prolog (from Greek πρόλογος ''prólogos'', from πρό ''pró'', "before" and λόγος ''lógos'', "word") is an opening to a story that establishes the context and gives background details, often some earlier story that ...
of ''Lirael''; later in ''Abhorsen''; and once in '' Nicholas Sayre and the Creature in the Case'' and then confirmed in ''Terciel and Elinor'') that Hedge was once a member of the Crossing Point Scouts preventing Dead creatures from entering Ancelstierre, and a necromancer thereafter.
Kerrigor
In Life named Rogir or Rogirek: the son of the previous Queen of the Old Kingdom, and half-brother of Touchstone/Torrigan. During his youth, he tried to make use of Free Magic, but was consumed by it and became one of the Greater Dead. Desirous of power, he attempts to destroy the Charter (killing most of his family in the process) and causes a long
interregnum; but is ultimately placed in
suspended animation
Suspended animation is the temporary (short- or long-term) slowing or stopping of biological function so that physiological capabilities are preserved. It may be either hypometabolic or ametabolic in nature. It may be induced by either endogen ...
by Sabriel.
In ''Goldenhand'', (after discovering how Chlorr was able to come into power and extend her life), the Abhorsen theorized Chlorr was the one who corrupted Kerrigor.
Lirael
Lirael, the protagonist of the second and third books, is Sabriel's younger half-sister on the father's side; but is unaware of this until her nineteenth year, and largely raised by her mother's relatives, the Clayr. Because she lacks the Clayr's precognitive 'Sight', she is considered an eccentric by her neighbors at the Clayr's headquarters, and prefers solitude to company. In young-adulthood, she joins the staff of the Clayr's Library, and acquires the Disreputable Dog; and with the latter's help, vanquishes a series of monsters in the Library itself. During a later exploration, she is identified as a 'Remembrancer' (a clairvoyant able, under special conditions, to accurately perceive the past), and immediately sent to rescue Nicholas Sayre. ''En route'', she is joined by Prince Sameth (Sabriel's son by Touchstone) and Mogget, and discovers her own parentage at Abhorsen's House. Thereafter she and the dog conduct the second binding of the Destroyer. Lirael is next seen in ''Nicholas Sayre and the Creature in the Case'', wherein she has been some time in practice as Sabriel's assistant and pending successor; but specializes here, as in the Library, in the incapacitation of monsters.
Mogget / Yrael
The
Eighth Bright Shiner, an immortal entity of Free Magic; originally neutral in the struggle between Orannis and the Seven, and afterward forced to serve the Abhorsen lineage, typically as advisor or moral-support. Until the end of the initial series, he resents this control, and if freed attempts to kill the current Abhorsen, but is usually confined anew. When confined he resembles a white cat, unless permitted by his current superior to assume a humanoid form; whereas the confinement itself appears as a collar or belt of red leather, distinguished by a bell (Saraneth originally, and Ranna in the second and third books) whose influence maintains his servitude. Throughout the story his role is largely the provision of wry or sometimes snide comments on the present situation. At the climax of the third book he assumes his true form and assists the imprisonment of Orannis. As Yrael he appears as a vaguely humanoid plume of blue-white, possibly electromagnetic energy. The nickname 'Mogget' is not identified; but may be traced to the Australian and British term 'moggy', an affectionate term for cats or any non-pedigree cat.
[ ]
After the events in ''Abhorsen'', Mogget is now unbound and roams The Old Kingdom of his own accord. Sabriel reports she rarely sees Mogget, although he does visit Prince Sameth from time to time. However, he is always in cat form when he visits.
Nicholas Sayre
Nicholas is the nephew of the Chief Minister of Ancelstierre. Several months after being unknowingly invaded by a sliver of Orannis, Nicholas goes to visit Sameth in the Old Kingdom; but becomes possessed by Orannis himself. He dies toward the end of ''Abhorsen''; but is resurrected by the Disreputable Dog. In the novella, ''
Nicholas Sayre and the Creature in the Case
Nicholas is a male given name and a surname.
The Eastern Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Anglican Churches celebrate Saint Nicholas every year on December 6, which is the name day for "Nicholas". In Greece, the name and its ...
'', he assists Lirael in the imprisonment of a monster.
In ''Abhorsen'', Nicholas died but was saved from a true death by the Disreputable Dog. She gave Nicholas a "late" baptism of a Charter Mark and preserved his spirit in Death. Due to being Orannis' vessel, Nicholas has powerful and strong Free Magic in his blood. The Disreputable Dog was able to balance out the Free Magic in Nicholas with baptism.
In ''Goldenhand'', the Clayr Healers examine Nicholas and discover he is akin to a Charter Stone. He is a source of Charter Magic due to the powerful Free Magic and Charter Magic in his blood.
Orannis
The antagonist Orannis, called the Destroyer, is a malevolent, interplanetary immortal referred to as the "Ninth Bright Shiner" desirous to destroy the
biosphere
The biosphere (from Greek βίος ''bíos'' "life" and σφαῖρα ''sphaira'' "sphere"), also known as the ecosphere (from Greek οἶκος ''oîkos'' "environment" and σφαῖρα), is the worldwide sum of all ecosystems. It can also ...
of any
planet
A planet is a large, rounded astronomical body that is neither a star nor its remnant. The best available theory of planet formation is the nebular hypothesis, which posits that an interstellar cloud collapses out of a nebula to create a you ...
it encounters, but eventually imprisoned by 7 of its 8 cohorts. In the novels ''Lirael'' and ''Abhorsen'', it attempts self-resurrection aided by human agents, but is imprisoned again by the leading characters. When briefly free, it emits a series of 'manifestations', whereof the second resembles an atomic explosion; and when imprisoned, is confined in two immense metallic '
hemispheres', each containing half of its constitution, and further held by 7 apotropaic materials.
Sabriel
Sabriel is the protagonist of the first novel, and a supporting character in the second and third. Sabriel's mother died shortly after birth, but her father, the Abhorsen Terciel, rescued Sabriel. By her father's wishes, Sabriel grew up in
Ancelstierre
The Old Kingdom, or Abhorsen in North America, is a fantasy series written by Australian author Garth Nix. It originated in 1995 with the novel ''Sabriel'' and has continued in the novels '' Lirael'' (2001), '' Abhorsen'' (2003) and ''Goldenhand ...
after living a few years in the Old Kingdom with her father. Shortly before she was to graduate from her school, Wyverley College in Ancelstierre, a Dead servant of her father's gives her his
bells and his sword. She interprets this to mean that her father is trapped deep in Death. She returns to the Old Kingdom to save her father. At the Abhorsen's house, she meets Mogget, and learns that there has been no king in two hundred years. When the house is besieged by the dead, Sabriel escapes by calling a flood and flying away with Mogget on a Paperwing (a spelled plane made of paper). When this crashes, Sabriel finds herself in the ships' graveyard of the royal house, where she frees Touchstone from
suspended animation
Suspended animation is the temporary (short- or long-term) slowing or stopping of biological function so that physiological capabilities are preserved. It may be either hypometabolic or ametabolic in nature. It may be induced by either endogen ...
. They continue to the former royal city, where they find Sabriel's father's body, and she briefly revives him. Later, she and Touchstone return to Ancelstierre, to destroy Kerrigor. Nineteen years after the events of ''
Sabriel
''Sabriel'' is a fantasy novel by Garth Nix, first published in 1995. It is the first in his Old Kingdom series, followed by '' Lirael'', '' Abhorsen'', '' Clariel'', '' Goldenhand,'' and ''Terciel and Elinor''.
Plot introduction
The novel is ...
'', she has married Touchstone, who has become King, and has two children: Ellimere and Sameth; but her duties keep her incessantly busy. She is last seen in ''Abhorsen'', wherein she represents the spirit 'Saraneth' at the binding of the Destroyer.
Sameth
Sameth, called 'Sam' for short, is the son and younger child of Sabriel and Touchstone: a modest, intelligent, amiable, but often clumsy youth. His sole talent, and greatest enjoyment, is the creation of magical machines; and his greatest fear is that of inheriting his mother's office, though he is trained to do so. On the occasion that Lirael is identified as Sabriel's half-sister and heir, Sameth is identified with the otherwise extinct 'Wallmakers', and his talent as a manifestation of that identity. It is stated thereafter that his inventions prove 'most useful' to his relatives; and by virtue of a mutual quest for Nicholas Sayre, he is especially close to his aunt Lirael.
Touchstone
Touchstone (formerly Torrigan) is the illegitimate son of the previous Queen of the Old Kingdom and an unidentified nobleman, and was therefore a member of the Royal Guard before the Queen's death. A childhood friend of his half-brother Rogir (Kerrigor), Touchstone entered a berserk state at the latter's murder of their mother, and the then-Abhorsen changed Touchstone into the
figurehead
In politics, a figurehead is a person who ''de jure'' (in name or by law) appears to hold an important and often supremely powerful title or office, yet ''de facto'' (in reality) exercises little to no actual power. This usually means that they ...
of a ship in Holehallow, the Royal tomb. He was subsequently revived by Sabriel, and accompanied her to destroy Kerrigor. On this quest, he serves largely as a source of information; but once rescues Sabriel from Kerrigor's minions. In later books, he has married Sabriel and restored many of the Charter Stones that supported the Kingdom magically, and travels constantly to negotiate with other politicians. He represents Ranna in the binding of the Destroyer. The name of Torrigan is stated only at the binding, whereas that of Touchstone (bestowed by Mogget in the text) is used throughout the story, and may derive from Shakespeare's play
''As You Like It'', wherein it is that of a jester. The reference is confirmed by both Sabriel and Touchstone himself, when both speak of 'Touchstone' as 'a jester's name' or 'fool's name' upon its introduction.
References
{{Garth Nix
Old
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Old Kingdom
In ancient Egyptian history, the Old Kingdom is the period spanning c. 2700–2200 BC. It is also known as the "Age of the Pyramids" or the "Age of the Pyramid Builders", as it encompasses the reigns of the great pyramid-builders of the Fourth ...
Old Kingdom
In ancient Egyptian history, the Old Kingdom is the period spanning c. 2700–2200 BC. It is also known as the "Age of the Pyramids" or the "Age of the Pyramid Builders", as it encompasses the reigns of the great pyramid-builders of the Fourth ...