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The Unseen University (UU) is a school of
wizardry ''Wizardry'' is a series of role-playing video games, developed by Sir-Tech, that were highly influential in the evolution of modern role-playing video games. The original ''Wizardry'' was a significant influence on early console role-playing ...
in
Terry Pratchett Sir Terence David John Pratchett (28 April 1948 – 12 March 2015) was an English humourist, satirist, and author of fantasy novels, especially comical works. He is best known for his '' Discworld'' series of 41 novels. Pratchett's first no ...
's ''
Discworld ''Discworld'' is a comic fantasy"Humorous Fantasy" in David Pringle, ed., ''The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Fantasy'' (pp.31-33). London, Carlton,2006. book series written by the English author Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld, a flat ...
'' series of
fantasy novels Fantasy literature is literature set in an imaginary universe, often but not always without any locations, events, or people from the real world. Magic, the supernatural and magical creatures are common in many of these imaginary worlds. Fa ...
. Located in the fictional city of
Ankh-Morpork Ankh-Morpork is a fictional city-state which features prominently in Terry Pratchett's ''Discworld'' fantasy novels. Overview Pratchett describes Ankh-Morpork as the biggest city in Discworld and its corrupt mercantile capital. In ''The Art of ...
, the UU is staffed by a faculty composed of mostly indolent and inept old wizards. The university's name is a pun on the
Invisible College Invisible College is the term used for a small community of interacting scholars who often met face-to-face, exchanged ideas and encouraged each other. One group that has been described as a precursor group to the Royal Society of London consis ...
, and many aspects of the university are references to
Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
and
Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
. The exploits of the head wizards of the Unseen University are one of the main plot threads in the long-running fantasy series, and have played a central role in 13 novels to date, as well as the four supplementary ''
Science of Discworld ''The Science of Discworld'' is a 1999 book by novelist Terry Pratchett and popular science writers (and University of Warwick science researchers) Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen. Three sequels, '' The Science of Discworld II: The Globe'', '' The ...
'' novels and the short story, '' A Collegiate Casting-Out of Devilish Devices''.


Motto and Coat of Arms

The official motto of Unseen University is "Nunc Id Vides, Nunc Ne Vides", loosely translated as "Now you see it, now you don't". The unofficial motto is "η β π", or "Eta Beta Pi" ("Eat a Bit of Pie" or "Eat a Better Pie" (according to the novel ''Hogfather'')). The
coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...
is: ''Azure, in chief an open book proper bearing the motto "nunc id vides, nunc ne vides" and in base a wizard's hat gules with stars semy Or. For crest is an owl displayed proper.'' As usually rendered, the coat of arms resembles the
coat of arms of the University of Oxford The coat of arms of the University of Oxford depicts an open book with the inscription ''Dominus Illuminatio Mea'' (Latin for 'The Lord is my light'), surrounded by three golden crowns. It is blazoned: ''Azure, upon a book open proper leathered g ...
.


Wizardry

The title ''wizard'' is said to be derived from the archaic word "Wys-ars", meaning one who, at bottom, is very wise. In fact, the older wizards tend not to understand how magic actually works at all, instead relying on centuries of lore to achieve their effects. Younger wizards enthusiastically experiment, pushing back the boundaries of knowledge and making new discoveries about the nature of the universe. They don't understand how magic works either but have much more exciting words to explain why not. These often invoke images of
particle physics Particle physics or high energy physics is the study of fundamental particles and forces that constitute matter and radiation. The fundamental particles in the universe are classified in the Standard Model as fermions (matter particles) an ...
. The main issue is a generalized worry to where the power actually comes from and what sort of (often eldritch and downright monstrous) entities excessive use can attract. An eighth son of an eighth son is automatically a wizard. When a wizard nears death – which they know some time in advance – he formally passes on his staff to a newborn wizard. If a ''wizard'' happens to have an eighth son, this child will be a "wizard squared" or "Sourcerer", as he generates his own magic and can therefore do just about anything with no effort. This is very dangerous, both because absolute power corrupts absolutely, and because it increases background magic levels considerably. Because of this, wizards generally lack children, due to both rigid celibacy laws and overall non-enabling personality. Besides a mention of Krull (see below) and the prominent Eskarina Smith, all wizards are implicitly male, though this may be a cultural bias of the Unnamed Continent confirmed by
narrativium The Discworld is the fictional setting for all of Terry Pratchett's ''Discworld'' fantasy novels. It consists of a large disc (complete with edge-of-the-world drop-off and consequent waterfall) resting on the backs of four huge elephants which ar ...
. Wizards grade magical ability in a series of levels, the highest of which is eight. People without magical ability are "level zero". It was the opinion of many tutors at the time
Rincewind Rincewind is a fictional character appearing in several of the ''Discworld'' novels by Terry Pratchett. He is a failed student at the Unseen University for wizards in Ankh-Morpork, and is often described by scholars as "the magical equivalent to ...
was a student that he had a level that was possibly in minus figures, and that the overall magical potential of humanity would actually increase after his death. Besides the UU, Wizard magic is known to be taught at Bugarup University in Fourecks (Archchancellor, Bill Rincewind) and Krull University in the secretive nation of Krull, as well as the recently established Braseneck College in
Pseudopolis The Discworld is the fictional setting for all of Terry Pratchett's ''Discworld'' fantasy novels. It consists of a large disc (complete with edge-of-the-world drop-off and consequent waterfall) resting on the backs of four huge elephants which ar ...
, with the name Braseneck being a parody of Oxford's Brasenose College.


Grounds and buildings

The university is a large walled-off complex on the turnwise side of the Ankh, somewhat hubwards of the Isle of Gods. Aside from the Tower of Art, the geography of the UU is somewhat fluid, with rooms shifting and disappearing on a regular basis. It is much larger on the inside than on the outside. Forming much of the border is the main building, which contains the garden known as the Main Octangle and the Clock Tower housing Old Tom, the university's tongueless octiron (a fictitious magical metal) bell whose strokes silence everything briefly. Turnwise of the main building lies the Library, housing the largest collection of magical texts known on the Disc. This is analogous to the
deposit libraries Legal deposit is a legal requirement that a person or group submit copies of their publications to a repository, usually a library. The number of copies required varies from country to country. Typically, the national library is the primary reposit ...
of the UK which include three university libraries. Further hubwards of this is the High Energy Magic Building (a play on
high energy physics Particle physics or high energy physics is the study of Elementary particle, fundamental particles and fundamental interaction, forces that constitute matter and radiation. The fundamental particles in the universe are classified in the Standa ...
; the more boffinish of the students and young wizards, such as Ponder Stibbons, work here, breaking magic down into smaller particles). The spot between this building and the Library is the workspace of the university gardener, Modo, a genteel dwarf who was nearly eaten by his own compost pile. The university holds rowing contests, but because of the normal state of the Ankh, these usually amount to a jogging/sprinting race on the crusted surface. Entering the gardens over the Ankh is the Bridge of Size (a pun on Bridge of Sighs, a name used in various cities including those of Oxbridge), which connects to the Wizard's Pleasaunce (possibly a reference to
Parson's Pleasure Parson's Pleasure in the University Parks at Oxford, England, was a secluded area for male-only nude bathing on the River Cherwell. It was located next to the path on the way to Mesopotamia at the south-east corner of the Parks. The facility ...
), another small garden on the Ankh's turnwise side walled off from Hen & Chickens Field. At one point, in the novel ''
Sourcery ''Sourcery'' is a fantasy novel by British writer Terry Pratchett, the fifth book in his '' Discworld'' series, published in 1988. On the Discworld, sourcerers – wizards who are sources of magic, and thus immensely more powerful ...
'' the Pleasaunce contained a temporary new headquarters for the university staff. Entrance and exit into the complex is by one of the gates. These gates close in the evening, and students who like to get out after this have created an alternate opening known as Scholar's Entry. This is a place in the wall where bricks can be slid out to form a usable ladder, and has always been known only to students. However, many students forget that all the staff were, in their time, students themselves. The university is adjacent to Sator Square (a pun on the magical tool the
Sator Square The Sator Square (or the Rotas-Sator Square, or the Templar Magic Square) is a two-dimensional acrostic class of word square containing a five-word Latin palindrome. The earliest Sator squares were found at several Roman-era sites, all in ROT ...
).


Tower of Art

The Tower of Art is the tower that forms the university's core. It has a total of 8,888 steps up to the top (on the Disc the number 8 has great mystical significance). Originally the Tower was the only building on campus, but teaching has long since moved on to other buildings. The Tower itself is usually only used for astronomical and other observations requiring altitude and the traditional May Morning chorus song from its top (inaudible to anyone but the chorus, but traditionally applauded by all below). While historical wizards were known to build towers for themselves, the builders are unknown. It is certainly older than both the city and the university around it, and some have speculated that it is older than the Disc itself, although evidence for this is scarce. In the novel ''
Sourcery ''Sourcery'' is a fantasy novel by British writer Terry Pratchett, the fifth book in his '' Discworld'' series, published in 1988. On the Discworld, sourcerers – wizards who are sources of magic, and thus immensely more powerful ...
'' it survives many magical attacks; other, newer towers do not. In the same novel it became important for the heroic wizard Rincewind, as towers help wizards fulfill their potential. Around the top of it a magical species of raven has developed that is much more intelligent than usual. Quoth, the raven from ''
Soul Music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became ...
'' and all the books featuring
Susan Sto Helit Susan Sto Helit (also spelled Sto-Helit), once referred to as Susan Death, is a fictional character in Terry Pratchett's ''Discworld'' series of fantasy novels. She is the granddaughter of Death, the Disc's Grim Reaper, and has a number of his a ...
, is one of these. The Tower of Art is also the motif of the
Ankh-Morpork Post Office Ankh-Morpork is a fictional city-state which features prominently in Terry Pratchett's ''Discworld'' fantasy novels. Overview Pratchett describes Ankh-Morpork as the biggest city in Discworld and its corrupt mercantile capital. In ''The Art o ...
one-dollar stamp.


Library

Like the Bodleian Library at Oxford, the UU Library features chained books – although at Oxford this is done to protect the books from the students, whereas at UU it is done to protect the students from the books. The high concentration of magical lore has warped the library interior into a locus of "L-Space" where the concepts of distance and direction are only vaguely defined, with "L-Space" being an allusion to the
L-notation ''L''-notation is an asymptotic notation analogous to big-O notation, denoted as L_n alpha,c/math> for a bound variable n tending to infinity. Like big-O notation, it is usually used to roughly convey the rate of growth of a function, such as the ...
describing the complexity of algorithms. It is generally described as resembling an
M. C. Escher Maurits Cornelis Escher (; 17 June 1898 – 27 March 1972) was a Dutch graphic artist who made mathematically inspired woodcuts, lithographs, and mezzotints. Despite wide popular interest, Escher was for most of his life neglected in t ...
pastiche of the
Bodleian The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford, and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. It derives its name from its founder, Sir Thomas Bodley. With over 13 million printed items, it is the sec ...
or the
British Museum Reading Room The British Museum Reading Room, situated in the centre of the Great Court of the British Museum, used to be the main reading room of the British Library. In 1997, this function moved to the new British Library building at St Pancras, London, ...
. Within L-Space the Library contains every book ever written, possibly written, unwritten and yet to be written. Since the contents of all libraries are in L-Space, it is possible to enter a Library in one city and exit in another. Access to libraries of other times or other realities is restricted to the
Librarian A librarian is a person who works professionally in a library providing access to information, and sometimes social or technical programming, or instruction on information literacy to users. The role of the librarian has changed much over time ...
himself. In ''
Small Gods ''Small Gods'' is the thirteenth of Terry Pratchett's ''Discworld'' novels, published in 1992. It tells the origin of the god Om, and his relations with his prophet, the reformer Brutha. In the process, it satirises religious institutions, peop ...
'', he utilized this access to save several scrolls that would otherwise have been lost when the Library of Ephebe was burned down during an Omnian invasion. People entering the deeper parts of the library usually carry chalk, until the chalk turns into something else.


Octavo

The Octavo, named after a
book size The size of a book is generally measured by the height against the width of a leaf, or sometimes the height and width of its cover. A series of terms is commonly used by libraries and publishers for the general sizes of modern books, ranging from ...
and the in-Universe magical power of the number eight, features prominently in the '' Colour of Magic/ Light Fantastic'' pair of novels. It is described as the Creator's own
grimoire A grimoire ( ) (also known as a "book of spells" or a "spellbook") is a textbook of magic, typically including instructions on how to create magical objects like talismans and amulets, how to perform magical spells, charms and divination, and ...
, left behind shortly after the Creator completed Creation, and thus the most powerful book of magic on the
Discworld ''Discworld'' is a comic fantasy"Humorous Fantasy" in David Pringle, ed., ''The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Fantasy'' (pp.31-33). London, Carlton,2006. book series written by the English author Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld, a flat ...
. The Eight Great Spells that initially made the Discworld are imprisoned on its pages, giving the book sentience. It is chained down, fastened by eight padlocks: one for each head of an Order of Magic. When obtained by the university, it was stored in a locked room, off and under the library. The walls are covered with protective symbols and lead
octagram In geometry, an octagram is an eight-angled star polygon. The name ''octagram'' combine a Greek numeral prefix, '' octa-'', with the Greek suffix '' -gram''. The ''-gram'' suffix derives from γραμμή (''grammḗ'') meaning "line". Deta ...
s (a reference to precautions taken to shield
nuclear reactor A nuclear reactor is a device used to initiate and control a fission nuclear chain reaction or nuclear fusion reactions. Nuclear reactors are used at nuclear power plants for electricity generation and in nuclear marine propulsion. Heat fr ...
s; Pratchett once worked for a power generation company). The maximum time an individual can spend in the room is given as 4 minutes and 32 seconds, a figure "deduced after two centuries of cautious experimentation". As part of
Rincewind Rincewind is a fictional character appearing in several of the ''Discworld'' novels by Terry Pratchett. He is a failed student at the Unseen University for wizards in Ankh-Morpork, and is often described by scholars as "the magical equivalent to ...
's backstory, he opens the Octavo in his first year for a bet, whereupon one of the Eight Great Spells leapt from the book and lodged itself into his mind. The failure of the aforementioned security measures is later explained as the actions of the Great Spells themselves. Efforts to remove the spell fail and, unable to learn any other spells (supposedly afraid of sharing his head with a Great Spell) Rincewind is dismissed from the university. In the conclusion of ''
The Light Fantastic ''The Light Fantastic'' is a comic fantasy novel by Terry Pratchett, the second of the ''Discworld'' series. It was published on 2 June 1986, the first printing being of 1,034 copies. The title, taken from a poem by John Milton, in which it r ...
'', the Spell returns to the Octavo and Rincewind recites all eight Spells to prevent the Discworld's imminent destruction. The book is subsequently swallowed by Rincewind's
Luggage Baggage or luggage consists of bags, cases, and containers which hold a traveler's personal articles while the traveler is in transit. A modern traveler can be expected to have packages containing clothing, toiletries, small possessions, trip ...
, then spat out a few days later.


Staff

The staff usually come in a group in the books in which they appear, though
Rincewind Rincewind is a fictional character appearing in several of the ''Discworld'' novels by Terry Pratchett. He is a failed student at the Unseen University for wizards in Ankh-Morpork, and is often described by scholars as "the magical equivalent to ...
initially followed his own storyline, only being a part of the group in the ''Science of Discworld'' books and
Unseen Academicals ''Unseen Academicals'' is the 37th novel in Terry Pratchett's '' Discworld'' series. The novel satirises football, and features Mustrum Ridcully setting up an Unseen University football team, with the Librarian in goal."Tough at the Top", '' ...
, and the
Librarian A librarian is a person who works professionally in a library providing access to information, and sometimes social or technical programming, or instruction on information literacy to users. The role of the librarian has changed much over time ...
makes solo appearances in several books.
Ridcully The Unseen University (UU) is a school of wizardry in Terry Pratchett's ''Discworld'' series of Fantasy literature, fantasy novels. Located in the fictional city of Ankh-Morpork, the UU is staffed by a faculty composed of mostly indolent and ine ...
and ponder also appeared in ''
Going Postal ''Going Postal'' is a fantasy novel by British writer Terry Pratchett, the 33rd book in his '' Discworld'' series, released in the United Kingdom on 25 September 2004. Unlike most of Pratchett's Discworld novels, ''Going Postal'' is divided in ...
'' and '' Night Watch''. Ridcully alone appears in ''
Thud! ''Thud!'' is a fantasy novel by British writer Terry Pratchett, the 34th book in the ''Discworld'' series, first released in the United States on 13 September 2005, then the United Kingdom on 1 October 2005. It was released in the U.S. three wee ...
''. The wizards are referred to by their offices, rather than names. There is a slight reference to this in ''
The Last Continent ''The Last Continent'' is a fantasy novel by British writer Terry Pratchett, the twenty-second book in his ''Discworld'' series. First published in 1998, it mocks the aspects of time travel such as the grandfather paradox and the Ray Bradbury s ...
'', when the wizards notice that they not only don't know the Librarian's name, but they also don't know the names of one another. Also, in
Unseen Academicals ''Unseen Academicals'' is the 37th novel in Terry Pratchett's '' Discworld'' series. The novel satirises football, and features Mustrum Ridcully setting up an Unseen University football team, with the Librarian in goal."Tough at the Top", '' ...
, Ridcully has difficulty remembering the Dean's name, despite having started at UU around the same time.


Archchancellor

The head of Unseen University is the
archchancellor An archchancellor ( la, archicancellarius, german: Erzkanzler) or chief chancellor was a title given to the highest dignitary of the Holy Roman Empire, and also used occasionally during the Middle Ages to denote an official who supervised the wo ...
, considered an important figure and holds a seat on the Ankh-Morpork council (although this council itself has no power either), in which he acts as a magical advisor to the Patrician of Ankh-Morpork. The archchancellor of UU is considered the leader of all wizards on the Disc (by those at the UU), the
first among equals ''Primus inter pares'' is a Latin phrase meaning first among equals. It is typically used as an honorary title for someone who is formally equal to other members of their group but is accorded unofficial respect, traditionally owing to their se ...
(i.e. the other eighth-level wizards). There are a total of eight eighth-level wizards, and the number becomes progressively higher as the level decreases. It is common to ascend through the ranks by assassinating superiors. This has been known as the tradition of "dead men's pointy shoes." Unseen University has existed for thousands of years, and the average Archchancellor remains in office for about eleven months. The current archchancellor is Mustrum Ridcully who assumed the post in '' Moving Pictures'' and held it for the rest of the novels. Unlike his predecessors, Ridcully seems to have had a very successful and, above all, injury-free career as Archchancellor. He finally put a halt to the traditional method of promotion simply by being indestructible. This is related to his habit of springing up behind would-be assassins, shouting loudly at them and banging their head repeatedly in the door. He is also known as Ridcully the Brown (a possible reference to "
Radagast Radagast the Brown is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. A wizard and associate of Gandalf, he appears briefly in ''The Hobbit'', ''The Lord of the Rings'', ''The Silmarillion'', and ''Unfinished Tales''. His role in To ...
the Brown" from Lord of the Rings). At the time he became archchancellor, he had not been seen at the
university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...
for forty years, having become a Seventh Level Wizard at the exceptionally young age of twenty-seven, before leaving the university to look after his family's land. As a result, he loves hunting, owns several
crossbow A crossbow is a ranged weapon using an elastic launching device consisting of a bow-like assembly called a ''prod'', mounted horizontally on a main frame called a ''tiller'', which is hand-held in a similar fashion to the stock of a long fire ...
s and is much given to using the corridors of Unseen University as a shooting range. He also loves sport and was a Rowing Brown for the university in his youth (a parodic reference to the
Blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when ...
at Oxford and Cambridge Universities). Since wizards' favourite sports traditionally are things like Competitive Eating and Extreme Napping, other wizards find him very tiring to be around. He is not stupid but finds it very difficult to deal with unexpected information, and generally ignores it until it goes away or becomes someone else's problem. He holds the view that if someone is still trying to explain something to him after about two minutes, it must be worth listening to, and if they give up earlier, it was not worth bothering him with in the first place. Ridcully has shown the occasional flash of magical skill. For example, in '' Moving Pictures'', the Bursar is surprised to discover Ridcully's adeptness at using a magic mirror, which, like most Discworld
scrying Scrying, also known by various names such as "seeing" or "peeping", is the practice of looking into a suitable medium in the hope of detecting significant messages or visions. The objective might be personal guidance, prophecy, revelation, or in ...
devices, is hard to steer. In ''
Soul Music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became ...
'' Ridcully improvises, at short notice and with minimal assistance, a slimmed-down version of the rite of AshkEnte for summoning Death (though what he got was Susan, Death's granddaughter – not because the Rite was less effective, however; the plot of the novel was to do with Susan taking over Death's job). It is also implied that he has some degree of practical magic knowledge – instead of using a 'thaumometer' (a device that gives a numerical measurement of a magic field's strength), he licks a finger and notes the colour and size of the small spark it gives off in the air (''
The Last Continent ''The Last Continent'' is a fantasy novel by British writer Terry Pratchett, the twenty-second book in his ''Discworld'' series. First published in 1998, it mocks the aspects of time travel such as the grandfather paradox and the Ray Bradbury s ...
''). He also tends to be more practical than most of his fellow wizards such as when he revives Mr. Teatime by hitting him on the chest before any of his fellow wizards could whip up a spell. The faculty member he gets on best with seems to be Ponder Stibbons. He never seems to understand what Ponder is saying, and ponder never expects him to, but at least the young man is doing ''something'', which is more than can be said for the rest of them. He is also quite fond of the
Librarian A librarian is a person who works professionally in a library providing access to information, and sometimes social or technical programming, or instruction on information literacy to users. The role of the librarian has changed much over time ...
, dismissing a rather snide question about whether it's appropriate for UU's librarian to be an ape with the response, "''... he's the only one of you buggers who's awake more'n an hour a day''". He also gets along with Watch Commander
Samuel Vimes His Grace, The Duke of Ankh, Commander Sir Samuel "Sam" Vimes is a fictional character in Terry Pratchett's ''Discworld'' series. Vimes is depicted in the novels as somewhere between an Inspector Morse-type 'old-school' British policeman, and ...
, despite the latter's legendary dislike of magic, as both of them share the belief that the most important thing about magic is knowing when not to use it. His father was a butcher (''
Unseen Academicals ''Unseen Academicals'' is the 37th novel in Terry Pratchett's '' Discworld'' series. The novel satirises football, and features Mustrum Ridcully setting up an Unseen University football team, with the Librarian in goal."Tough at the Top", '' ...
)'', and his brother is Hughnon Ridcully, High Priest of Blind Io, and
Ankh-Morpork Ankh-Morpork is a fictional city-state which features prominently in Terry Pratchett's ''Discworld'' fantasy novels. Overview Pratchett describes Ankh-Morpork as the biggest city in Discworld and its corrupt mercantile capital. In ''The Art of ...
's religious spokesman. While priests and wizards are traditionally at odds due to philosophical differences, neither Ridcully is of a particularly philosophical frame of mind, and they tend to ignore this. In '' Lords and Ladies'' we learn he had a relationship with a young Esme Weatherwax, some fifty years before becoming Archchancellor. It is suggested in the book that, in one of the many parallel universes adjacent to the one on which the Discworld novels take place, Ridcully and Esme Weatherwax are married and have children; though it also implies that they were all probably killed by the Queen of the Elves. He is deeply affected by her death (''
The Shepherd's Crown ''The Shepherd's Crown'' is a comic fantasy novel, the last book written by Terry Pratchett before his death in March 2015. It is the 41st novel in the ''Discworld'' series, and the fifth based on the character Tiffany Aching. It was published ...
''). In the
Cosgrove Hall Cosgrove Hall Films (also known as Cosgrove Hall Productions) was an English animation studio founded by Brian Cosgrove and Mark Hall; its headquarters was in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester. Cosgrove Hall was once a major producer of childre ...
animation of ''
Soul Music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became ...
'' he was voiced by
Graham Crowden Clement Graham Crowden (30 November 1922 – 19 October 2010) was a Scottish actor. He was best known for his many appearances in television comedy dramas and films, often playing eccentric "offbeat" scientist, teacher and doctor characters. Ea ...
. In 2007's miniseries adaptation of ''
Hogfather ''Hogfather'' is the 20th ''Discworld'' novel by Terry Pratchett, and a 1997 British Fantasy Award nominee. It was first released in 1996 and published by Victor Gollancz. It came in 137th place in The Big Read, a BBC survey of the most loved ...
'' he was played by Joss Ackland, and in the 2010 adaptation of ''
Going Postal ''Going Postal'' is a fantasy novel by British writer Terry Pratchett, the 33rd book in his '' Discworld'' series, released in the United Kingdom on 25 September 2004. Unlike most of Pratchett's Discworld novels, ''Going Postal'' is divided in ...
'' he was portrayed by
Timothy West Timothy Lancaster West, CBE (born 20 October 1934) is an English actor and presenter. He has appeared frequently on both stage and television, including stints in both ''Coronation Street'' (as Eric Babbage) and ''EastEnders'' (as Stan Carte ...
.


Bursar

(Professor A.A. Dinwiddie, DM (7th), D.Thau., B.Occ., M.Coll. starting in '' Faust Eric'') The Bursar is a quiet, reserved person, who took the job of university treasurer because he had an affinity for numbers (the Archchancellor describes him as "''one of those idiot servants''") and there was less competition for the role than other faculty posts. He took over the job from the previous Bursar, Spelter, after the latter was killed trying to save the library from destruction in ''
Sourcery ''Sourcery'' is a fantasy novel by British writer Terry Pratchett, the fifth book in his '' Discworld'' series, published in 1988. On the Discworld, sourcerers – wizards who are sources of magic, and thus immensely more powerful ...
''. Dinwiddie expected that the Bursarship would be a relatively safe office to hold (considering that the normal means of obtaining an office in UU at the time was to assassinate the previous incumbent, but nobody else actually wanted to be bursar) and dreamed of spending the rest of his life quietly adding up rows of figures. Unfortunately, shortly after he became the Bursar,
Mustrum Ridcully The Unseen University (UU) is a school of wizardry in Terry Pratchett's ''Discworld'' series of fantasy novels. Located in the fictional city of Ankh-Morpork, the UU is staffed by a faculty composed of mostly indolent and inept old wizards. The ...
was appointed Archchancellor. The brashness of Ridcully's personality wore away at the Bursar, a man whose idea of excitement was a soft-boiled egg, and throughout the books his sanity decreased until, by the middle of the series (coinciding with the bizarre events of '' Reaper Man'' including the death, zombification and death of the senile 130-year-old wizard Windle Poons), Dr. Dinwiddie is almost completely insane. He is kept functional, just, by experimental dosages of dried frog pills, though the effect is sometimes erratic. The pills are actually
hallucinogens Hallucinogens are a large, diverse class of psychoactive drugs that can produce altered states of consciousness characterized by major alterations in thought, mood, and perception as well as other changes. Most hallucinogens can be categorize ...
, the idea being that a proper dosage will cause him to hallucinate he is sane. An improper dose causes him to demonstrate symptoms of
catatonia Catatonia is a complex neuropsychiatric behavioral syndrome that is characterized by abnormal movements, immobility, abnormal behaviors, and withdrawal. The onset of catatonia can be acute or subtle and symptoms can wax, wane, or change during ...
or
disorganized schizophrenia Disorganized schizophrenia, or hebephrenia, was a subtype of schizophrenia prior to 2013. Subtypes of schizophrenia were no longer recognized as separate conditions in the '' DSM 5'', published in 2013. The disorder is no longer listed in the 11t ...
. Sadly, one of the other things he hallucinates is that he can fly. He being a wizard, this is relatively easy to deal with; the other faculty members simply have to keep him from flying higher than the walls. Hex temporarily inherited the Bursar's condition after having a "''conversation''" with him, until Archchancellor Ridcully remedied the matter by convincing the ant-run thinking engine it had just been administered "LOTS OF DRYD FRORG P¼LLS". The Bursar's insanity has become a byword in
Ankh-Morpork Ankh-Morpork is a fictional city-state which features prominently in Terry Pratchett's ''Discworld'' fantasy novels. Overview Pratchett describes Ankh-Morpork as the biggest city in Discworld and its corrupt mercantile capital. In ''The Art of ...
; "''to go Bursar''" is "''to go crazy''".


Dean

The Dean of Pentacles/Archchancellor Henry of Brazeneck College. An incredibly obese man ("...looks like a man who's swallered a bed!" in '' Moving Pictures'') who is generally found in his study reading a
grimoire A grimoire ( ) (also known as a "book of spells" or a "spellbook") is a textbook of magic, typically including instructions on how to create magical objects like talismans and amulets, how to perform magical spells, charms and divination, and ...
or in the great hall eating. His only job is to sit around, sleep and eat incredibly big dinners. He also attends some of the functions that are held by guilds or clubs around the city on behalf of the university and partakes of other people's big dinners. According to Ponder Stibbons, he is "''normally never nice''". One of the Dean's more interesting characteristics is his susceptibility to whatever occult or semi-magical occurrence is happening, as well as any fads or trends – most notably in ''
Soul Music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became ...
''. He is also, when roused into action, very enthusiastic and violent, and is a part-time Watch Special Constable, on the agreement that he will not use magic in the course of his duties. In ''
The Last Continent ''The Last Continent'' is a fantasy novel by British writer Terry Pratchett, the twenty-second book in his ''Discworld'' series. First published in 1998, it mocks the aspects of time travel such as the grandfather paradox and the Ray Bradbury s ...
'', he was nicknamed "''Two Chairs''" by Ridcully, on the basis that he was the only person able to sit on two chairs at once. In ''
Hogfather ''Hogfather'' is the 20th ''Discworld'' novel by Terry Pratchett, and a 1997 British Fantasy Award nominee. It was first released in 1996 and published by Victor Gollancz. It came in 137th place in The Big Read, a BBC survey of the most loved ...
'', Ridcully is impressed by Hex, the UU "computer", and asks if there is any chance, they could fit a similar one in the Dean's head. Ponder Stibbons then informs him that the resulting brain would weigh ten tons, upon which Ridcully merely remarks "Really? Quite a large crowbar would be in order, then." In ''
Unseen Academicals ''Unseen Academicals'' is the 37th novel in Terry Pratchett's '' Discworld'' series. The novel satirises football, and features Mustrum Ridcully setting up an Unseen University football team, with the Librarian in goal."Tough at the Top", '' ...
'' it is revealed that The Dean has left UU to become the new Archchancellor of the new Brazeneck University and that his first name is Henry. The Dean became the first person to voluntarily resign from the University – something previously considered unthinkable (as people usually left 'in disgrace, in a box or, in a few cases, in bits') to the point Ridcully regards him as a traitor. Despite the fact they had been friends since their first day at Unseen University, Ridcully cannot decide what to call the Dean and eventually remembers his name is Henry (over 'Archchancellor', because that 'was out of the question', 'Dean' was 'too obvious an insult', 'Two Chairs' was 'ditto with knobs on' and 'ungrateful, backstabbing, slimy bastard' took too long to say.) By the end of the novel Ridcully is comfortable enough with his presence to refer to him as 'Dean' – which Henry lets slide.


Librarian

The Librarian appeared in the second novel of the series, ''
The Light Fantastic ''The Light Fantastic'' is a comic fantasy novel by Terry Pratchett, the second of the ''Discworld'' series. It was published on 2 June 1986, the first printing being of 1,034 copies. The title, taken from a poem by John Milton, in which it r ...
'', where he was transformed into an
orang-utan Orangutans are great apes native to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia. They are now found only in parts of Borneo and Sumatra, but during the Pleistocene they ranged throughout Southeast Asia and South China. Classified in the genus ' ...
as the
Octavo Octavo, a Latin word meaning "in eighth" or "for the eighth time", (abbreviated 8vo, 8º, or In-8) is a technical term describing the format of a book, which refers to the size of leaves produced from folding a full sheet of paper on which multip ...
fired a beam of magic upwards. On discovering that being an orang-utan had certain advantages for a librarian – he can climb up to high shelves, for example – he refused to be transformed back into a human and has remained an orang-utan ever since. The other wizards have gradually become used to the situation, to the extent that, from '' Night Watch'': "if someone ever reported that there was an orang-utan in the Library, the wizards would probably go and ask the Librarian if he'd seen it." He is known for his violent reaction to most people calling him a " monkey", as he is technically an
ape Apes (collectively Hominoidea ) are a clade of Old World simians native to sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia (though they were more widespread in Africa, most of Asia, and as well as Europe in prehistory), which together with its sister g ...
. He speaks a language whose vocabulary consists primarily of the single word ''Ook'' (originally ''Oook''), inflected for simple affirmations and negations. ''Eeek'' is also occasionally heard, particularly in moments of panic or rage. Nonetheless, most people seem able to understand him. As with other members of the UU faculty, the Librarian is referred to uniquely by his office and not by a name. If the Librarian's name were known, he could be changed back into a human, and he has since ''
The Last Continent ''The Last Continent'' is a fantasy novel by British writer Terry Pratchett, the twenty-second book in his ''Discworld'' series. First published in 1998, it mocks the aspects of time travel such as the grandfather paradox and the Ray Bradbury s ...
'' carefully excised his name from the records of the university. ''
The Discworld Companion ''The Discworld Companion'' is an encyclopaedia of the Discworld fictional universe, created by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Briggs. Four editions have been published, under varying titles. The ''Companion'' contains precise definitions of word ...
'' hints that he may once have been Dr. Horace Worblehat, which goes most of the way to explaining why he is happier as an orang-utan. ''
The Art of Discworld ''The Art of Discworld'' is a descriptive book of the world of the Discworld as portrayed in Terry Pratchett's '' Discworld'' series. It showcases the art of Paul Kidby with descriptions of characters and locations by Pratchett and some details ...
'' confirms that the Librarian was indeed Dr. Horace Worblehat, and that his fears of turning back into human are baseless at most.
Rincewind Rincewind is a fictional character appearing in several of the ''Discworld'' novels by Terry Pratchett. He is a failed student at the Unseen University for wizards in Ankh-Morpork, and is often described by scholars as "the magical equivalent to ...
is apparently the only wizard who still remembers the Librarian's name, but he has agreed not to tell anyone, possibly because the Librarian is capable of bouncing the head of a man on the pavement when holding him by the ankle. The Librarian served a brief stint in the City Watch during the reign of terror caused by the dragon of
Ankh-Morpork Ankh-Morpork is a fictional city-state which features prominently in Terry Pratchett's ''Discworld'' fantasy novels. Overview Pratchett describes Ankh-Morpork as the biggest city in Discworld and its corrupt mercantile capital. In ''The Art of ...
, where he helped to rescue
Sam Vimes His Grace, The Duke of Ankh, Commander Sir Samuel "Sam" Vimes is a fictional character in Terry Pratchett's ''Discworld'' series. Vimes is depicted in the novels as somewhere between an Inspector Morse-type 'old-school' British policeman, and ...
from the Patrician's cell. He retained an honorary position with the Watch and is considered as of ''
Thud! ''Thud!'' is a fantasy novel by British writer Terry Pratchett, the 34th book in the ''Discworld'' series, first released in the United States on 13 September 2005, then the United Kingdom on 1 October 2005. It was released in the U.S. three wee ...
'' to be one of the first members of the ' Specials' – the Ankh-Morpork City Militia. In ''
Soul Music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became ...
'', he joined the Band with Rocks In since his large hands and wide reach make him an excellent keyboard player. He remains the chief organist for the Unseen University and does not consider an organ complete without a vox diabolica stop, a thunder pedal, and a 256-ft Earthquake pipe. Fortunately, the Johnson organ in the Great Hall of Unseen University is one of the few organs thus equipped. The Librarian is a member of a small elite group of senior Librarians of Time and Space who have the knowledge and ability to travel through L-Space, an extradimensional space that connects all libraries and other large accumulations of books. He used this knowledge to save books from the great library of
Ephebe ''Ephebe'' (from the Greek ''ephebos'' ἔφηβος (plural: ''epheboi'' ἔφηβοι), anglicised as ephebe (plural: ephebes), or Latinate ''ephebus'' (plural: ''ephebi'') is the term for an adolescent male. In ancient Greek society and myth ...
in ''
Small Gods ''Small Gods'' is the thirteenth of Terry Pratchett's ''Discworld'' novels, published in 1992. It tells the origin of the god Om, and his relations with his prophet, the reformer Brutha. In the process, it satirises religious institutions, peop ...
'' and to enter our world via the library of
Sir Francis Walsingham Sir Francis Walsingham ( – 6 April 1590) was principal secretary to Queen Elizabeth I of England from 20 December 1573 until his death and is popularly remembered as her "spymaster". Born to a well-connected family of gentry, Wals ...
in '' The Science of Discworld II''. The very strict rules that members of this group are pledged to enforce are: # Silence. # Books must be returned no later than the last date shown. # Do not meddle with the nature of causality. The Librarian has been known to break both the first and third rules on occasion, but he is adamant about the second. In ''
Men at Arms A man-at-arms was a soldier of the High Medieval to Renaissance periods who was typically well-versed in the use of arms and served as a fully-armoured heavy cavalryman. A man-at-arms could be a knight, or other nobleman, a member of a kni ...
'', it is stated that the Librarian likes being the
best man A groomsman or usher is one of the male attendants to the groom in a wedding ceremony and performs the first speech at the wedding. Usually, the groom selects close friends and relatives to serve as groomsmen, and it is considered an honor to be ...
at weddings because he is allowed to kiss the
bridesmaid Bridesmaids are members of the bride's party in a Western traditional wedding ceremony. A bridesmaid is typically a young woman and often a close friend or relative. She attends to the bride on the day of a wedding or marriage ceremony. Tradi ...
s and they are not allowed to run away; in '' Lords and Ladies'' the Librarian served as the best man for Magrat and Verence. The cover of the Discworld picture book ''
Where's My Cow? ''Where's My Cow?'' is a picture book written by Terry Pratchett and illustrated by Melvyn Grant. It is based on a book that features in Pratchett's ''Discworld'' novel '' Thud!'', in which Samuel Vimes reads it to his son. ''Where's My Cow? ...
'' indicates that it has won the
Ankh-Morpork Ankh-Morpork is a fictional city-state which features prominently in Terry Pratchett's ''Discworld'' fantasy novels. Overview Pratchett describes Ankh-Morpork as the biggest city in Discworld and its corrupt mercantile capital. In ''The Art of ...
Librarian's award. The Librarian tends to spend his leisure hours at the Mended Drum, where he drinks quietly unless provoked, eats prodigious quantities of peanuts, and plays a ruthless game of Cripple Mr Onion with anyone foolish enough to take him on. The Librarian appears in orang-utan form in the video games ''Discworld'' and '' Discworld II''. In the 2008 TV adaptation of ''The Colour of Magic'' and ''The Light Fantastic'' by Sky One, he appears in both human and orang-utan form. His human form is played by Nicolas Tennant, who had previously played Corporal Nobbs in ''
Terry Pratchett's Hogfather ''Terry Pratchett's Hogfather'' is a 2006 two-part British Christmas-themed fantasy comedy television miniseries adaptation of ''Hogfather'' by Terry Pratchett, produced by The Mob, and first broadcast on Sky1, and in High Definition on Sky1 H ...
''. This adaptation also establishes his name as Horace Worblehat.


Ponder Stibbons

Head of Inadvisably Applied Magic, Praelector and Reader in Invisible Writings, the Master of Traditions, the Camerlengo of Unseen University, and among other positions, the keeper of Hex, the university's computer, Ponder Stibbons fulfills the role of the one person in the organisation who knows what's going on. Originally portrayed as an obsessive geeky student, who passed the university's graduation exam because he was allowed to take the test paper of the absent slacker genius, Victor Tugelbend, (which consisted solely of the question "What is your name?"), after a mishap with his own; he would become the head of the students whose experiments with High Energy Magic would lead to the creation of Hex, and eventually a member of the Faculty where the more senior members generally treat him as the odd-jobs man. Of course at this point he's effectively the only person who can get anything done (often without the consent of the other Faculty members) and the right-hand man of Archchancellor Ridcully. In ''
The Science of Discworld ''The Science of Discworld'' is a 1999 book by novelist Terry Pratchett and popular science writers (and University of Warwick science researchers) Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen. Three sequels, '' The Science of Discworld II: The Globe'', '' The S ...
'', Stibbons led the project to "split the thaum" (the magical equivalent of the atom). It is revealed in ''
Unseen Academicals ''Unseen Academicals'' is the 37th novel in Terry Pratchett's '' Discworld'' series. The novel satirises football, and features Mustrum Ridcully setting up an Unseen University football team, with the Librarian in goal."Tough at the Top", '' ...
'' that, due to the number of positions he holds (because somebody has to), Stibbons has accumulated sufficient votes to technically control the University Council – causing the Archchancellor to remark "Didn't anyone notice you were getting all this power?" His entry in ''The New Discworld Companion'' states: :originally rather lazy by nature, he seems to have blossomed to become the youngest and most depressingly keen member of the faculty ... as one of the few wizards at the University with his head screwed on in any fashion, he appears, quite against his will, to be in the front line. He doesn't support the theory of a beard as a sign of knowledge because he has been unable to grow one himself. In the film version of ''Hogfather'' he is portrayed by Ed Coleman. Stibbons appears in the video game Discworld II, in the High Energy Facility. He is characterized differently than in the books, as apparently the long hours of working with Hex's thaumic accelerator caused his brain to "melt". This is evidenced by his erratic speech patterns and verbal tics, as well as his denials that he is being adversely affected: he reacts to Rincewind's remarks with ''"There's no truth at all that splitting thaums causes the brain to *woof* melt! No truth at all! Haaaah! Every day, and in every way, I'm getting BETTER AND BETTER AND BETTER! They laughed at me and said I was mad, you know. HAVE A NICE DAY! HAVE A NICE DAY! HAVE A REAL, REAL, REAL NICE NIGHT-NO-DAY! HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!"''.


Rincewind

Rincewind holds the Chair of Experimental Serendipity, the Chair for the Public Misunderstanding of Magic, and the positions of Professor of Virtual Anthropology, Egregious Professor of Cruel and Unusual Geography, Reader in Slood Dynamics, Fretwork Teacher, Lecturer in Approximate Accuracy, and Health and Safety Officer. These apparently unwanted positions were awarded to Rincewind provided that he does not receive any salary. Prior to receiving these titles, Rincewind held the post of Assistant Librarian, but it is unclear whether or not he retains the office. Rincewind is often concerned with his life, as many people all across Discworld have attempted to take it. In the film version of ''The Colour of Magic'' he is portrayed by
David Jason Sir David John White (born 2 February 1940), known professionally by his stage name David Jason, is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Derek "Del Boy" Trotter in the BBC sitcom '' Only Fools and Horses'', Detective Inspector ...
.


Doctor Hix

Dr John Hix – 'Hicks with an X' in ''
Unseen Academicals ''Unseen Academicals'' is the 37th novel in Terry Pratchett's '' Discworld'' series. The novel satirises football, and features Mustrum Ridcully setting up an Unseen University football team, with the Librarian in goal."Tough at the Top", '' ...
'', after changing his name from Hicks because it didn't suit his position. Dr Hix is a
necromancer Necromancy () is the practice of magic or black magic involving communication with the dead by summoning their spirits as apparitions or visions, or by resurrection for the purpose of divination; imparting the means to foretell future events ...
. Since necromancy is officially banned in Ankh-Morpork, he is instead the Head of the Department of Postmortem Communications (although he acknowledges this is just a fancy way of saying necromancy). Dr Hix has one member of staff, a reanimated skeleton called Charlie, who helps procure the tools of the trade (which are mostly items from the joke shop down the road). Dr Hix did have another member of staff, the late Professor Flead, but insorcized him into the Pink Pussycat Club at the end of ''
Making Money ''Making Money'' is a fantasy novel by British writer Terry Pratchett, part of his ''Discworld'' series, first published in the UK on 20 September 2007. It is the second novel featuring Moist von Lipwig, and involves the Ankh-Morpork mint and ...
'' (the Professor haunts the club, and the club does not mind the loss of one chair out of the club's seating capacity). Dr Hix frequently misbehaves, performs evil deeds and makes comments in bad taste as he is required to under university statute, a fact which the other members of UU grudgingly accept. He uses the phrase "Skull ring, remember?" as an excuse for his misbehavior, much like the Patrician's use of the phrase, "Tyrant, remember?". Hix may be a parody of
Peter Higgs Peter Ware Higgs (born 29 May 1929) is a British theoretical physicist, Emeritus Professor in the University of Edinburgh,Griggs, Jessica (Summer 2008The Missing Piece ''Edit'' the University of Edinburgh Alumni Magazine, p. 17 and Nobel Prize ...
.


Hex

Hex is the UU's first mainframe computer, though instead of RAM, it is powered by a waterwheel inside a ram skull, and its mouse is an actual mouse. Its "brain" consists of a series of glass tubes filled with ants, which form its processor, and a beehive in a back room, which constitutes its hard drive. It bears a sticker up front saying that there is an anthill inside (a parody of the advertising slogan "
Intel Inside Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California. It is the world's largest semiconductor chip manufacturer by revenue, and is one of the developers of the x86 series ...
"). Initially just a computer, it has gradually developed more of a personality over the course of the series. Ponder Stibbons has by default become the person in charge of developing and operating Hex, though he admits that Hex largely develops itself.


Other staff

Other staff at the UU include: * the Senior Wrangler (described in Reaper Man as "a philosopher who looks like a horse") * the Chair of Indefinite Studies * the Lecturer in Recent Runes * the Chair of Oblique Frogs * the Professor of Revolvings * the Professor of Extreme Horticulture * the Professor of Applied Anthropics * the Reader in Esoteric Studies * the Lecturer in Creative Uncertainty *Professor of Cruel and Unusual Geography (died in
The Last Continent ''The Last Continent'' is a fantasy novel by British writer Terry Pratchett, the twenty-second book in his ''Discworld'' series. First published in 1998, it mocks the aspects of time travel such as the grandfather paradox and the Ray Bradbury s ...
, position now held by Rincewind) * the Professor of Dust, Fluff, and Miscellaneous Particles * the Lecturer in Vindictive Astronomy * the Professor of Recondite Architecture and Origami Map-Folding * Ladislav Pelc, Prehumous Professor of Morbid Bibliomancy * Professor Goitre, Posthumous Professor of Morbid Bibliomancy * Devious H. "Dragonbreath" Collabone * Professor Flead * Professor Ritornello, Master of the Music * Professor Bengo Macarona, visiting professor from Genua and extraordinary football player * Mrs Whitlow, the domineering head of the kitchen * Modo, the gardener


Past archchancellors

Notable former archchancellors include: *
Alberto Malich Death is a fictional character in Terry Pratchett's ''Discworld'' series and a parody of several other personifications of death. Like most Grim Reapers, he is a black-robed skeleton who usually carries a scythe. His jurisdiction is specifically ...
: The first Archchancellor and university founder; sent himself to the land of
Death Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...
when he performed the
Rite of AshkEnte Death is a fictional character in Terry Pratchett's ''Discworld'' series and a parody of several other Death (personification), personifications of death. Like most Grim Reapers, he is a black-robed skeleton who usually carries a scythe. His juri ...
backwards. Staying in
Death's Domain ''Death's Domain'' is a book by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Briggs, and illustrated by Paul Kidby. It is the fourth in the ''Discworld Mapp'' series, other publications of which include ''The Streets of Ankh-Morpork, The Discworld Mapp'' and& ...
, he became Death's Assistant and Butler. Returned (briefly) in ''
Mort ''Mort'' is a fantasy novel by British writer Terry Pratchett. Published in 1987, it is the fourth ''Discworld'' novel and the first to focus on the character Death, who only appeared as a side character in the previous novels. The title is the ...
'' and ''
Soul Music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became ...
'', and for rather longer during the events described in ''
Hogfather ''Hogfather'' is the 20th ''Discworld'' novel by Terry Pratchett, and a 1997 British Fantasy Award nominee. It was first released in 1996 and published by Victor Gollancz. It came in 137th place in The Big Read, a BBC survey of the most loved ...
'' when he appeared as Pixie Albert to Death's Hogfather. In the film version of ''Hogfather'' he is portrayed by
David Jason Sir David John White (born 2 February 1940), known professionally by his stage name David Jason, is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Derek "Del Boy" Trotter in the BBC sitcom '' Only Fools and Horses'', Detective Inspector ...
. * Chancellor Galder Weatherwax: A distant cousin of
Granny Weatherwax Esmerelda "Esme" Weatherwax (also Granny Weatherwax or Mistress Weatherwax) is a fictional character from Terry Pratchett's ''Discworld'' series. She is a witch and member of the Lancre coven. She is the self-appointed guardian of her small cou ...
(they have never met), he is Chancellor for the first half of ''
The Light Fantastic ''The Light Fantastic'' is a comic fantasy novel by Terry Pratchett, the second of the ''Discworld'' series. It was published on 2 June 1986, the first printing being of 1,034 copies. The title, taken from a poem by John Milton, in which it r ...
''. Note that in ''The Light Fantastic'', he is referred to as Chancellor, but Ridcully subsequently upgrades him to Archchancellor in '' Lords and Ladies'', when talking to aforementioned Granny Weatherwax. He is the 304th Chancellor of the university. In the film version of ''The Colour of Magic'' he is portrayed by
James Cosmo James Ronald Gordon Copeland , known professionally as James Cosmo (b. 1947), is a Scottish film and television actor known for his appearances in films including ''Highlander'', ''Braveheart'', '' Trainspotting'', ''Jagame Thandhiram'', ''Tro ...
. * Archchancellor Ymper Trymon: Archchancellor for the second half of ''The Light Fantastic''. Nearly causes the end of the world. In the film version of ''The Colour of Magic'' he is portrayed by
Tim Curry Timothy James Curry (born 19 April 1946) is an English actor and singer. He rose to prominence for his portrayal of Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the film ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' (1975), reprising the role he had originated in the 1973 London ...
. * Coin the Sourcerer: Archchancellor during ''
Sourcery ''Sourcery'' is a fantasy novel by British writer Terry Pratchett, the fifth book in his '' Discworld'' series, published in 1988. On the Discworld, sourcerers – wizards who are sources of magic, and thus immensely more powerful ...
''. Also nearly causes the end of the world. Others include Cutangle in ''
Equal Rites ''Equal Rites'' is a comic fantasy novel by Terry Pratchett. Published in 1987, it is the third novel in the ''Discworld'' series and the first in which the main character is not Rincewind. The title is wordplay on the phrase " Equal Rights". Th ...
'', Virrid Wayzygoose for one night in ''
Sourcery ''Sourcery'' is a fantasy novel by British writer Terry Pratchett, the fifth book in his '' Discworld'' series, published in 1988. On the Discworld, sourcerers – wizards who are sources of magic, and thus immensely more powerful ...
'', expert on the Lost Continent of Ku Ezrolith Churn during '' Faust Eric'', Sloman, who discovered the Special Theory of Slood, and Preserved Bigger, whose conditional bequest necessitated a game of football in ''
Unseen Academicals ''Unseen Academicals'' is the 37th novel in Terry Pratchett's '' Discworld'' series. The novel satirises football, and features Mustrum Ridcully setting up an Unseen University football team, with the Librarian in goal."Tough at the Top", '' ...
''.


Past students

* Eskarina Smith, commonly known as Esk, is the main character in ''
Equal Rites ''Equal Rites'' is a comic fantasy novel by Terry Pratchett. Published in 1987, it is the third novel in the ''Discworld'' series and the first in which the main character is not Rincewind. The title is wordplay on the phrase " Equal Rights". Th ...
'', where she became the Unseen University's first and only known female graduate. Esk went on to work on a new kind of magic based on not using it at all, in the company of ''
wunderkind A child prodigy is defined in psychology research literature as a person under the age of ten who produces meaningful output in some domain at the level of an adult expert. The term is also applied more broadly to young people who are extraor ...
'' wizard Simon. Although she was the pivotal character in ''Equal Rites'', she was not seen or mentioned again until ''
I Shall Wear Midnight ''I Shall Wear Midnight'' is a comic fantasy novel by English writer Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld. It is the fourth novel within the ''Discworld'' series to be based on the character of Tiffany Aching. It was published on 2 September ...
'', published a full 23 years later, where she was described as being both old and young due to her mastery of
time travel Time travel is the concept of movement between certain points in time, analogous to movement between different points in space by an object or a person, typically with the use of a hypothetical device known as a time machine. Time travel is a ...
. Though it is unclear whether or not she's a practising part of the Ankh Morpork coven, perhaps due to her shared witchiness/wizardliness, Tiffany Aching is forewarned by Mrs. Proust that she would be contacted by her. In the future, she becomes a close friend of the adult
Tiffany Aching Tiffany Aching is a fictional character in Terry Pratchett's satirical ''Discworld'' series of fantasy novels. Her name in Nac Mac Feegle is Tir-far-thóinn or "Land Under Wave". Tiffany is a trainee witches (Discworld), witch whose growth into ...
. Esk is mentioned briefly again in ''
The Shepherd's Crown ''The Shepherd's Crown'' is a comic fantasy novel, the last book written by Terry Pratchett before his death in March 2015. It is the 41st novel in the ''Discworld'' series, and the fifth based on the character Tiffany Aching. It was published ...
'', with an (unnamed) son. * Victor Tugelbend (in '' Moving Pictures'') * Adrian Turnipseed, aka Big Mad Drongo, aka Big Mad Adrian (to Archchancellor Ridcully only) (in ''
Soul Music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became ...
'', ''
The Last Continent ''The Last Continent'' is a fantasy novel by British writer Terry Pratchett, the twenty-second book in his ''Discworld'' series. First published in 1998, it mocks the aspects of time travel such as the grandfather paradox and the Ray Bradbury s ...
'', ''
Hogfather ''Hogfather'' is the 20th ''Discworld'' novel by Terry Pratchett, and a 1997 British Fantasy Award nominee. It was first released in 1996 and published by Victor Gollancz. It came in 137th place in The Big Read, a BBC survey of the most loved ...
'' and others). A geeky wizard who works with Ponder Stibbons at the High Energy Magic Building. By the time of ''
Unseen Academicals ''Unseen Academicals'' is the 37th novel in Terry Pratchett's '' Discworld'' series. The novel satirises football, and features Mustrum Ridcully setting up an Unseen University football team, with the Librarian in goal."Tough at the Top", '' ...
'' Adrian Turnipseed was working for Braseneck College and fulfilling an equivalent role there to UU's Ponder Stibbons. * Mr. Sideney: A member of Teatime's gang who break into the Tooth Fairy's castle. In the film adaptation of ''
Hogfather ''Hogfather'' is the 20th ''Discworld'' novel by Terry Pratchett, and a 1997 British Fantasy Award nominee. It was first released in 1996 and published by Victor Gollancz. It came in 137th place in The Big Read, a BBC survey of the most loved ...
'', he is portrayed by
Nigel Planer Nigel George Planer (born 22 February 1953) is a British actor, comedian, musician, novelist and playwright. He played Neil in the BBC comedy '' The Young Ones'' and Ralph Filthy in ''Filthy Rich & Catflap''. He has appeared in many West End mu ...
.


Past wizards


Drum Billet

Drum is a wizard in ''
Equal Rites ''Equal Rites'' is a comic fantasy novel by Terry Pratchett. Published in 1987, it is the third novel in the ''Discworld'' series and the first in which the main character is not Rincewind. The title is wordplay on the phrase " Equal Rights". Th ...
'', he continues the tradition of bequeathing his staff before his death to the eighth son of an eighth son. The son turns out to be a girl, Eskarina 'Esk' Smith. Later on Drum is reincarnated as an ant living under Unseen University. The name is a pleonasm, as "Drum" is slang for "House" in some English dialects, and "Billet" is a more typical military term for housing, making the name, ''House House.''


Windle Poons

Windle Poons was a very old wizard, usually moving on his monstrous wheelchair. He first appeared in ''Moving Pictures'' in which his physical and mental state could be described as "invalid, deaf, wandering of mind and hot on the ladies' behinds in his wheelchair". Strangely, it resulted in friendly relations with Ridcully, since Windle didn't mind being shouted at, and he was also used to people ignoring his questions. He died at the age of 130 shortly after his farewell party, but thanks to Death's absence he returned briefly as a zombie, being more lucid than he had been during the latter half of his life.


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Discworld & Pratchett Wiki
{{discworld Discworld organisations Discworld locations Fictional magic schools Fictional universities and colleges de:Figuren und Schauplätze der Scheibenwelt-Romane#Unsichtbare Universität