POOK—Male ghost horse, kept solid by the chains he wears about his barrel. Friend to Jordan.
POOKA—A ghost horse, such as Pook, Peek or Puck.
PSEUDO-MEN—Half-humans who inherited man’s destructive tendencies: trolls, ogres, giants, goblins and such. Some, like the gnomes and elves, are not that bad, and ones like the fauns and nymphs are good.
PUMPKIN—A gourd that inflates things.
PUNS—Pundora’s Box was emptied into Xanth, and the region is mostly made of puns. You have to watch where you put your feet, lest you step in a pun.
PYTHON—The nemesis and sometimes delight of females, he helps guard Parnassus. A huge serpent.
Q
QUARTERPEDES—See ’PEDES
QUEST—A special mission, such as Grundy’s Quest to rescue Stanley Steamer that can lead to interesting things.
QUIETA—A tiny female imp who presents Smash with a useful little mirror. Her father is Imp Ortant. They are featured on the cover of Ogre, Ogre. The author likes to tell his daughter Penny that she was the model for that painting of Quieta.
R
RAINBOW—A magic arc of color in the sky, exceedingly choosy about when/where it appears, and it always keeps its set distance from the viewer, even when there are several viewers scattered about. (An obvious impossibility, without magic.) To those on the ground it shows bands of red, yellow, blue and green; but when a person stands on it (a tricky business) the secret riches of it show: bands of polkadot, plaid and checkerboard. Some internal bands are translucent, while others blaze with colors seldom imagined by man, such as fortissimo, charm, phon and torque. It has a tight schedule, and must move from one showing to another, so seldom remains long in one place. Rainbows know no boundaries, so their magic spreads from Xanth to Mundania.
RAPUNZEL—Ivy’s pun-pal, who lives in an Ivory Tower and has little contact with the real world, until she meets Grundy Golem. A descendant of Jordan and Bluebell, she is of mixed human and elven ancestry, so can change size readily. Her hair is magically long, capable of dangling the full length of the Tower, but it doesn’t weigh her down.
REGION OF MADNESS—Caused by airborne magic dust processed by the Magic Dust Village. Reality appears to change there, and the constellations come to life.
RELEVANT—A large entity, with a long, sinuous nose, concerned about what is pertinent.
RENEE—The ghost-girl, Jordan’s true-love in death. But when reanimated, she turns out to be TH-renee-DY.
RESURRECTION FERN—It resurrects memories of important figures in the viewer’s life, causing an emotional experience. In Mundania its effect is much diminished.
REVERSE-WOOD—The spell reversal tree, and its wood, will reverse many magical effects. The tree was blasted by a curse from the curse fiends, who did not appreciate the way it converted their curses to blessings, but the fragments of wood retain the power. In Mundania these fragments are called lighter knot, and burn ferociously, still angry about being blown out of Xanth.
RIVER ELBA—Carried conveniently coiled about the elbow by Good Magician Humfrey. “Able was I ere I saw elbow.” When the cord is untied, it is unbound and floods the region.
ROBBER FLIES—Flies who try to steal from people. Related to robber barons.
ROC-BIRDS—Largest of birds, they can be ferocious when aroused. They love rock gardens and rock music.
ROLAND—Bink’s father, an Elder of Xanth. His talent is the Stun-gaze that freezes a person in place.
ROOGNA—A King of Xanth, whose talent was adapting living magic to suit his purpose. A pudgy, informal, gardner-type man with thinning, graying hair and a gentle manner. He fought off the Fourthwave and Fifthwave, built Castle Roogna, and ushered in the Golden Age of Xanth.
ROYAL LIBRARY—In Castle Roogna, where the lore of centuries is stored. King Trent values it highly.
S
SABRINA—A young and beautiful woman whose talent is holography. Bink’s first romantic interest.
SALAMANDER—A fire-lizard that starts a magical fire that burns in the direction it starts regardless of other conditions. Water won’t put it out, for it burns almost everything, even water. It can be put out by its own ashes, and it can’t burn Salamander weed.
SALVE—A magic condiment that enables people to walk on smoke, if they smear it on their feet. But it is cursed: whoever uses it will perform some dastardly deed before the next full moon.
SEA HAG—A Sorceress whose talent is Immortality, which she accomplishes by taking over the body of some other person or creature after she dies. She holds Rapunzel captive in the Ivory Tower, for this purpose. A lovely body doesn’t remain that way long after the Hag animates it, however.
SEA MONSTERS—Assorted large serpents who live in water and are always hungry. Some are enormous.
SEA NETTLES—Plantlike animals that sting to death anyone who intrudes on their channel. The headpart is gilled like a giant toadstool, with driblets of drool.
SEA OATS—A crop that makes a foamy broth with a slightly salty taste. Sea oats are restless and move with the tide.
SECRETARY BIRD—A bird used for secretarial services, at times bird-brained.
SEEDS—The Tree of Seeds has all kinds, but of particular note are the Seeds of Doubt, Dissention and War, which are awkward to carry because of their effects on the carrier, and dangerous to grow. They flourish in Mundania.
SEL-FISH—A fish who sells instant gratification: don’t worry about the welfare of others. For some reason, the sel-fish isn’t much liked by others.
SHADE—A half-spirit, ghost, or some unquiet dead, doomed to skulk in shadow until its concern is abated. Donald the Shade helped Bink escape from the Gap Dragon, and told of the Silver Oak.
SHIELD—An invisible, thin, but absolute divider between Xanth and Mundania, causing instant death. It was adapted by King Ebnez, who caused the Shieldstone to generate it to protect Xanth from further incursions by Mundane waves. King Trent found other use for it, reopening the border.
SHOPPING CENTAUR—A centaur who shops.
SIDEHILL HOOFER—A cowlike creature whose two left legs are shorter than the right, to enable it to run around on the steep slope of a mountain.
SILVER OAK—Its leaves are pure silver and repel evil magic. It reproduces by means of silver acorns. The Mundane variety is less so.
SIMURGH—Wisest of all birds, she has seen the destruction and regeneration of the universe three times. She is the size of a roc, with feathers like veils of light and shadow and a crested head like fire. Her feathers have magical healing properties. She is the Keeper of the Seeds, and can read minds.
SIREN—A lovely young mer-lady whose song and magic dulcimer lured males to her island, but her sister the Gorgon turned them to stone. Deprived of her instrument, she did no more harm, and later married Morris the Merman.
SLOWSAND—The opposite of quicksand. It slows you down to a crawl, even if you try to jump over it.
SMASH—An ogre, actually a human/ogre crossbreed, son of Crunch. Stupid in the manner of ogres, he went to the Good Magician for an Answer, but forgot the Question. He married Tandy, daughter of Crombie the Soldier and Jewel the Nymph.
SNAILBOAT—A craft formed from a snail shell, used by Grundy to cross a dangerous acid moat. In Mundania it may be used to carry the mail.
SNEEZE BEES—Bees that make people sneeze, unlike Choke Bees that make people choke. Compare B’s.
SNORTIMER—The Monster Under Ivy’s Bed. He is composed mostly of five big, hairy arms and hands, that grab at ankles that come near the shadows under the bed. Monsters are under every child’s bed, but disappear when the children grow up, and adults don’t believe in them. They can’t leave their lair by day, because direct light turns them to dust. Bad children tease their monsters by dangling their feet and yanking them out of the way when the monster grabs. The correct response to a grab is a piercing shriek, as good children know.
SNOW-BIRDS—Birds that carry and deposit snowflakes.
&
nbsp; SNOWFLAKES—Dropped by snow-birds, they space out the mind so that things are seen that aren’t really there.
SNOWSNAKES—Snakes formed of ice that melt in heat. Poisonous, carnivorous, silent.
SOPHIS-TREE—It looks like a regular tree, but is actually an animal masquerading as a tree by standing on its thick tail and spreading its limbs out. Truly a “weed creature.”
SOULS—Souls are valuable and possessed mainly by creatures with at least some human stock. Night mares value them, though the acquisition of half a soul caused Mare Imbri to lose her edge with bad dreams. It’s hard to be appropriately brutal when you have a soul, or even half a soul.
SOURCE OF MAGIC—The actual source is the Demon X(A/N)th; rock charged with his ambience slowly moves up to the surface and is spread about Xanth. But most of the magic radiates directly from him. When he departs for a while, the Time of No Magic devastates Xanth.
SPELLING BEE—Attracted by letter plants, there’s nothing such a bee can’t spell, but it won’t necessarily tell a person about homonyms.
SPELLS—Varieties include the following (just a few) examples: anti-flea, anti-freeze, anti-rust, aversion, cleaning, coldness, happiness and curses.
SPHINX—A monster with the face of a human being, body of a bull, wings of an eagle and legs of a lion, who likes riddles. One retreated to Mundania for a nap of several thousand years, and the ignorant Mundanes thought it was a statue and knocked off its nose.
SPONGES—Some have magical properties that absorb agony and spread healing comfort.
SPRIGGAN—A giant ghost who haunts old castles and megalithic structures, tending to be destructive, which is why such structures break down. It can solidify its mouth and hands, to issue groans and shove stones.
SPRING OF LIFE—See HEALING SPRING
SPY I’S—White eyeballs hovering in midair. They whistle “Eye Spy!” as they depart on their mission.
SQUIGGLES—Of the family of voles. Cousins of the wiggles, but larger and they don’t swarm. They travel rapidly underground and are harmless, leaving piles of dirt at the surface.
STANLEY STEAMER—After the dread Gap Dragon was youthened to dragonlet status by an overdose from the Fountain of Youth, he was befriended by Ivy, who named him. He helped save Xanth from the wiggles, and became a hero, with a statue on a pedestal.
STELLA STEAMER—Or Stacey Steamer; the author never did get her name quite straight. Female counterpart to Stanley. She assumes responsibility for guarding the Gap during his youth.
STEPPING STONES—Used to get across water. They sit on the surface, never quite regularly. Incorrectly used, they become “stumbling blocks.”
STINK HORN—A plant in the shape of a horn, that makes a foul-smelling noise when blown. Children find it very funny when someone accidentally sits on one.
STONEMASON’S VILLAGE—Located in the gourd, where they make backdrops for the most formidable dreams. The masons are made of stone, and work with wood and metal and flesh.
STORK—A bird that delivers babies. It is a peculiarity of storkish nature that there is always a delay in the delivery, and it is always to the mother. The mechanism for summoning a delivery is a secret known only to adults; See ADULT CONSPIRACY.
STORM KING—Former King of Xanth. An atmospheric specialist who could brew dust devils, tornadoes, thunderstorms or hurricanes, making a draught or a downpour. But his power faded with age.
STUNFLOWER—A tall, disk-shaped flower whose song of conquest is “I’m the one flower, I’m the STUNflower!” At the word “STUN” there is a burst of blinding radiation.
STUNK—A goblin, recipient of one of Mare Imbri’s bad dreams, who later delivers a message to her.
SUCCUBUS—Magical female creature who can assume any form, to seduce unwary males. It is surprising how many males are unwary.
SUGAR SAND—Edible sand, very sweet. In Mundania it is good for miring wheels.
T
TANDY—Daughter of Crombie and Jewel, she is a girlishly small woman. Raised in the underworld, she fled when the Demon Fiant (D-Fiant) had D-signs on her. Half human, half Nymph, her talent is throwing tantrums. She marries Smash Ogre, who really appreciates a good tantrum, especially when it hits him in the face.
TANGLE TREES—Large, tentacular trees in Xanth that grab and consume unwary people and animals. In Mundania they are harmless, having regressed into Live Oaks.
TAPESTRY—This was assembled at the Zombie Master’s castle 800 years ago and taken to Castle Roogna, where it shows moving scenes of Xanth’s history. Dor once entered the Tapestry for an adventure in the past. Ivy cleaned it by using crewel lye.
TARASQUE—A horse-sized dragon with an armored shell, six ursine legs, reptilian tail, and head like that of an ant lion with tusks. It lacks fire, smoke or steam, but is one tough creature.
TAXONOMY—The classification of living things, generally regarded as a centaur specialty. Possibly it has something to do with taxes.
TECHNICOLOR HAILSTORM—Storm with colored hailstones. Some such stones are formed of ice, but some are real rocks.
THESAURUS—A dinosaurlike creature given to the use of many words in lieu of one. Popular in Mundania.
THRENODY—A human/demon crossbreed who tells Jordan a cruel lie, causing his death. She has lustrous black tresses and midnight eyes and sings a song of lamentation. Her talent is demon-striation (which see). She is under a curse: if she ever enters Castle Roogna, it will fall.
THYME—The plant at the center of the Date Palm. It is the least dramatic but the most powerful plant in Xanth, the one that ultimately governs and brings down every other living creature. If trapped by Thyme, a person becomes a living statue, unmoving, unbreathing. Ivy was trapped for a while, but her magic enabled her to escape.
TIMESTONE—Operating for increments of five seconds, it opens the Shield so people can be sent through and exiled from Xanth. No longer needed.
TOPOLOGY—Magic which changes the form of something without changing the object; i.e., stretching and folding an object changes its shape but not its nature. Vadne’s talent.
TREE OF IMMORTALITY—On the north peak of Mt. Parnassus, guarded by the Maenads (Wild Women).
TREE OF SEEDS—On the south peak of Mt. Parnassus, guarded by the Simurgh. It has all the seeds produced by all the wild plants that have ever existed, including dangerous exotics like the Seeds of Doubt, Dissention and War.
TREES—Large plants, most of them magical in some fashion. Samples: BEERBARREL, BREADFRUIT, PARASOL, ROCK MAPLE, SHOE, and TANGLE, producing beer, bread, parasols, rocks, shoes and horrible death.
TRENT—As the Evil Magician he was exiled from Xanth to Mundania, where he lived for 20 years and had a family. When that family was lost, he returned to conquer Xanth, and was recognized as the legitimate King. He is the Transformer, transforming others instantly to any other living forms. He turned out to be a good King, ushering in the Silver Age of Xanth.
TRIANGULATION—A magical means of locating something without actually going there. One of the few forms of magic that also work in Mundania.
TRITONS—See MERMEN
TROJAN—See NIGHT STALLION
TROLLA—Female Troll, leader of the Magic Dust Village.
U
UMBRELLA TREE—Has a giant canopy to shield itself against rain, and prefers dry soil. Its umbrella folds up when the sun shines.
UNICORNS—Equines, almost as rare in Xanth as horses, though whole herds of them range other fantasy lands.
V
VADNE—A woman of the past whose magic talent is topology, or the reshaping of things without changing their natures. Not quite Sorceress level. She converted Millie into a book, and was sent to the Brain Coral for storage.
VEGETABLE GARDEN—Discovered by Ivy, it contains horrors like spinach, turnips, radishes, onions and other stuff that exists only to nauseate children.
VOID—One of the five Elemental regions of Xanth. Its center is a black hole from which nothing escapes, not even light
, except the soul. Its fringe is filled with altered reality. See ELEMENTS.
VOLE—A broad family of creatures ranging from the devastating little wiggles to the giant diggle. The extremes are wormlike, but the more central members, like the squiggles, are rodentlike. There is more to be learned of these.
VORTEX—A whirling column of water in Lake Ogre-Chobee draining into the nether caverns of Xanth. Gateway Castle was built around it by the curse fiends.
W
WATER CHESTNUT—Nuts filled with water.
WATER WING—See ELEMENTS
WAVES—The several Mundane invasions of Xanth, generally bringing horror to the population.
WIDOWMAKER—A tree with reddish sap that drops deadwood on victims below.
WIGGLES—Smallest and worst of the voles. They are flying worms less than the length of a finger, loosely spiraled, that hover in midair, then zzapp forward, leaving a vacuum behind them. They drill through anything that gets in their way, instantly, which can be uncomfortable for animals. They are indifferent to external things, but can be killed by crushing, burning or cursing. Periodically they swarm, radiating out in a great sphere. When one of them gets where it’s going, it incubates for a variable period ranging from weeks to centuries, then starts a new Swarm. Thus it is important that every member of a Swarm be exterminated—and just about impossible. In Mundania they swarm mainly in buildings, and are contemptuously called termites.
Golem in the Gears Page 29
