by Robin Furth
V:71–87 (fed by Mia), V:122, V:183 (indirect), V:184, V:241 (baby), V:370–76, V:377–78, V:382, V:383, V:391, V:393 (baby), V:394, V:472 (indirect), V:478, V:479–83 (480 poison with a heartbeat), V:577, V:583–84 (pregnancy), V:617, V:628–29 (indirect), V:674, V:688, V:697, V:700–701, V:703, V:704, V:706, VI:5, VI:8, VI:10–11, VI:16, VI:50, VI:51–52 (inside Susannah/Mia), VI:55, VI:56, VI:61–125, VI:194, VI:216, VI:222 (as monster baby), VI:223 (dream monster baby), VI:224 (kid), VI:227 (baby), VI:228, VI:229, VI:231, VI:233, VI:234, VI:235–56 (Mia’s pregnancy), VI:256–61 (and trip to Dixie Pig), VI:297, VI:347–85, VI:408, VII:19 (baby), VII:38 (dan-tete), VII:47 (baby), VII:52 (baby), VII:55–71 (birth; 71 leg shot off), VII:76 (monster—Jekyll and Hyde, twin with two fathers), VII:141 (chap), VII:149–50, VII:157, VII:160–64, VII:166–88 (Roland’s blue bombardier’s eyes), VII:192, VII:226, VII:238, VII:261–63, VII:301, VII:314–18, VII:332 (were-spider), VII:399, VII:406, VII:518, VII:537, VII:540, VII:549, VII:550, VII:589, VII:593–94, VII:595, VII:615–16, VII:618, VII:619–24, VII:625, VII:626, VII:627, VII:631–32, VII:639, VII:640, VII:648–50, VII:653, VII:667, VII:671, VII:710 (stays in Dandelo’s but for two days; hears Tower sing in minor key), VII:721, VII:722, VII:725, VII:727, VII:730, VII:731, VII:741, VII:750, VII:751–56, VII:759, VII:762–63, VII:765–71 (dual body’s brain in white node; killed on 770), VII:774–75, VII:779, VII:822–23
MORGENSTERN, CONCHETTA
See HAMBRY CHARACTERS: HAMBRY MAYOR’S HOUSE (SEAFRONT)
MORKS
See BREAKERS
MORLOCKS
See GRAYS: GRAY HIGH COMMAND: TICK-TOCK
MORPHIA
See GODS OF MID-WORLD
MORT, JACK (“THE PUSHER”)
Despite the fact that he was a professional CPA, the prim Jack Mort had a very nasty hobby. He liked to “depth-charge” people. In other words, he liked to kill them. Mort dropped the brick that hit five-year-old ODETTA HOLMES on the head. Years later, he pushed her in front of the A train at CHRISTOPHER STREET STATION.
Like WALTER, Mort is a man of many disguises. Dressed as a priest, he shoved JAKE CHAMBERS in front of a Cadillac on FIFTH AVENUE. Quite understandably, Mort is the human embodiment of the Death card found in Walter’s tarot pack. He is also the destination of the magic door labeled “The Pusher.”
Jack Mort divides the world into “Do-Bees” and “Don’t Bees.” Do-Bees get away with their crimes while Don’t Bees get caught. This extremely unpleasant character (who also happens to come in his pants when he kills) keeps a scrapbook of his murders. His gold-rimmed glasses, blue eyes, and expensive address (he lives at 409 Park Avenue South) fool people into thinking he is not a psychopath. But not only is Mort psychologically imbalanced, he is also a fairly easy target for demons/demonic presences who want to use a mortal agent to do their dirty deeds. When Mort killed Jake, he was actually no more than the pawn of Walter, also known as the MAN IN BLACK. Underneath his business suits, Jack Mort wears women’s underwear.
II:315–26, II:339–59 (Roland in control), II:360–86 (Roland in control. Mort dies), II:389, III:15, III:59–62 (62 dark hair. In Book II said to be blond), III:103–6 (and Jake’s death), III:261, III:262, III:266, V:72 (indirect), V:479, V:597, VI:221, VI:232, VII:567
MORT’S ASSOCIATES:
BALD MAN WITH GLASSES: This guy works in Mort’s office. II:326, II:339
CURD-FACED TEENAGE GIRL: After missing his opportunity to push JAKE in front of a car, a very angry Mort shoves this girl out of his way. II:317–18
DORFMAN: Jack Mort handles the difficult Dorfman account. II:326, II:340, II:350
FAT MAN WITH GLASSES: This man works in Mort’s office. II:339–40
FRAMINGHAM, MR.: Mort’s boss. II:382
MUCCI, TIMMY
See CHAMBERS, JAKE: JAKE’S FAMILY, FRIENDS, ASSOCIATES AND ALIASES
MUDMEN
See FAGONARD CHARACTERS
MUFFIN, BILL
See RIVER CROSSING CHARACTERS
MUNOZ, ROSALITA
See ORIZA, SISTERS OF
MURDOCK, REVEREND
See HOLMES, DAN
MURRAY, PROFESSOR
See DEAN, SUSANNAH: ODETTA HOLMES’S ASSOCIATES
MUSHROOMS, GIANT YELLOW
See MUTANTS: VEGETABLES
MUTANTS (MUTIES)
Although the GREAT OLD ONES and their destructive culture disappeared many generations before the rise of GILEAD, the poisons they left in soil, water, and air remained. We cannot be certain whether these destructive ancients engaged in all-out chemical and biological warfare, but it seems probable. By the end of their reign over MID-WORLD, most of their women were already giving birth to monsters, as the people of FEDIC could testify.
By the time Roland was a young man, Mid-World was still full of genetically mutated beings which were commonly referred to as muties. As we learned in MEJIS, both domesticated and wild muties could be carefully bred to breed true. However, since this process was extremely slow, “threaded stock,” or those that were born healthy and perfectly formed, were extremely valuable.
The most horrific mutants of Mid-World were actually the SLOW MUTANTS. These physically disgusting beings were once men and women, although they often bore little resemblance to their human forebears. The Slow Mutants that infested the old underground railway systems of Mid-World and the ruined kitchens of Gilead’s castle had green, phosphorescent skin. Their mutations were as varied as they were horrible. Some had insect eyes, others had suckered tentacles. Many of them were nocturnal, preferring dark places to light ones. Although most Slow Mutants were ugly, stupid, and cannibalistic, some tribes (such as the CHILDREN OF RODERICK) retained their human dignity.
III:223, IV:13–14, (Candleton), IV:115 (men of Mid-World and mutant sperm), IV:140 (babies), IV:203, VI:372, VII:670
ANIMALS, BIRDS, REPTILES:
GENERAL: IV:14 (muties and threaded stock), IV:123 (werewolves), IV:203
ASSES (ALBINO): The MANNI own these beasts. VI:21, VI:23, VI:152
DEER (MUTANT DOE): VII:633
DEER, BLUE: TIM ROSS saw these mutant dwarf deer in the ENDLESS FOREST while traveling with the NORTH CENTRAL POSITRONICS guidance mechanism, DARIA. The deer were less than two feet high. W:228
DRAGON-BIRDS AND PTERODACTYLS: III:406, IV:13
ELK: See HAMBRY CHARACTERS: TRAVELLERS’ REST: ROMP, THE
EROMOT: Rhea’s poisonous pet snake. See RHEA OF THE CÖOS
HAMBRY MUTANT HORSES: IV:203, IV:254, IV:359 (muties)
MUSTY: Rhea’s six-legged tomcat. See RHEA OF THE CÖOS
MUTANT DOE AND FAWNS: IV:14–15
MUTIE GELDINGS: The MANNI of CALLA BRYN STURGIS arrive at the TOWN GATHERING HALL in a buckboard drawn by a pair of mutie geldings. One of these muties has three eyes; the other has a pylon of raw pink flesh poking out of its back. V:14
RAVEN: IV:15
ROMP, THE: See HAMBRY CHARACTERS: TRAVELLERS’ REST
SNAKES IN LUD’S WASTELANDS: III:413, IV:3
SUCKERBATS: See DEMONS/SPIRITS/DEVILS
TRIPOD-STORKS IN LUD’S WASTELANDS: III:407
WASTELAND MONSTROSITIES: Roland’s ka-tet sees these whitish, leaping creatures while zooming through LUD’S WASTE LANDS in BLAINE’s Barony Coach. III:407
WILD DOGS: Packs of these dogs are known to wander the BORDERLANDS of MID-WORLD. They have no vocal cords so are silent predators. V:397
HUMAN MUTANTS (MINOR MUTATIONS): Thanks to the poisons that the OLD PEOPLE left in MID-WORLD’s air, soil, and water, Roland’s level of the TOWER contained many human mutants. The most disfigured of these beings were known as SLOW MUTANTS, see SLOW MUTANTS, listed later in this entry.
HALF-MUTIE FARMER: At the beginning of The Wind Through the Keyhole, Roland catches sight of this old farmer spying on his tet as they walk southeast along the PATH OF THE BEAM. The farmer has a jerking tentacle hanging from one corner of his mouth. W:5
MUTIES SUPPORTING FARSON: In Wind Through the Keyhole, we learn that in the scrubla
nds beyond GILEAD, many of the people are mutants, and many of them support the Good Man, JOHN FARSON.
For page references, see FARSON: FARSON SUPPORTERS
INSECTS:
ALBINO BEES: Roland’s ka-tet comes across these mutant bees while on their way to LUD. These insects are truly terrible to see—they are sluggish, snowy white, and produce poisonous honey. Even their hive looked as if it had been melted by a blowtorch.
Roland believes that the bees’ mutation was a result of the Great Poisoning, which destroyed so much of Mid-World. (See GREAT POISONING in APPENDIX I.) III:283–84, III:286, III:311
GIGANTIC BEETLES: These are found in the WASTE LANDS beyond LUD. III:413, IV:3, IV:13
SPIDERS: Roland found these rather disgusting creatures in the cellar beneath the WAY STATION. They had eyes on stalks and as many as sixteen legs. I:89
WASPS: Some of the fields in CALLA BRYN STURGIS contain nests of mutant wasps. The ones that attacked TIAN JAFFORDS’s uncle had stingers the size of nails. V:1–2
SLOW MUTANTS (HUMAN MUTANTS): Mid-World’s Slow Mutants are the direct descendants of those men and women who were exposed to and tainted by the poisonous fallout of the OLD PEOPLE’s Great Cataclysm or Great Poisoning. Their appearances vary greatly—from shuffling humanoids to what can only be described as fungi with brains. Although many Slow Mutants (such as the GREEN FOLK of ELURIA and the mutants below the CYCLOPEAN MOUNTAINS) attack ordinary humans on sight, others, such as the CHILDREN OF RODERICK, have maintained their humanity and human dignity. A few have also retained their respect for the divine forces of the multiverse. For example, Roland has heard that some tribes of Slow Muties refer to the MAN JESUS as BIG SKY DADDY. I:137, I:157–58, I:175–80, II:379, III:33, III:171 (subhuman things under mountains), III:223, III:245, V:475, VI:152 (Maine walk-ins as slow mutants), VI:243, VII:25, VII:51
CHILDREN OF RODERICK (RODS): The Children of Roderick are a band of wandering slow mutants who originated in the distant SOUTH PLAINS, a land beyond those known to the people of GILEAD. Before the world moved on, they gave their grace to ARTHUR ELD and so owe allegiance to the Eld’s final human descendant, Roland Deschain. Despite their allegiance to the First Lord of Light, many of the Rods now serve as the CRIMSON KING’s groundskeepers in the DEVAR-TOI. Their dirty little village is located about two miles from THUNDERCLAP STATION.
In appearance, the Rods resemble a cross between the radiation-sick slow mutants and a band of lepers. Boogers are their favorite tasty treats. According to FINLI O’TEGO, it is not good to touch the skin of a Rod since many of the diseases they carry are easily transmittable.
In DINKY EARNSHAW’s opinion, the Rods are untrustworthy, since their mouths tend to run at both ends. However, the Rods still remember their allegiance to the Eld, and at least one of their number—HAYLIS OF CHAYVEN—is instrumental in the destruction of the Devar. Many of the WALK-INS sighted in western MAINE are actually Rods. VII:50, VII:51, VII:114, VII:130, VII:180, VII:216–17, VII:223, VII:225, VII:234, VII:256–57, VII:300, VII:319, VII:321, VII:322, VII:323, VII:324, VII:329, VII:330, VII:338, VII:340, VII:341, VII:346, VII:347, VII:348, VII:351, VII:357
CHEVIN OF CHAYVEN: Green-skinned, lyre-carrying Chevin of Chayven is the first of the Children of Roderick that Roland and EDDIE encounter on their way to LOVELL, MAINE. His one double-yolked eye, fang-like booger, talon-toed feet, and urine stench are quite a shock to Eddie.
When Roland first sees this grim-looking creature scurrying into the roadside growth, he calls the Rod forth saying, “So come forth, ye child of Roderick, ye spoiled, ye lost, and make your bow before me, Roland, son of STEVEN, of the line of ELD.” Chevin, who among his own people is a minstrel, comes forth. After questioning him about FEDIC and the DEVAR-TOI, Roland cuts short the Rod’s slow and painful half-life by shooting him. VII:48–50, VII:52 (indirect), VII:114, VII:120, VII:130, VII:142, VII:216, VII:217, VII:329
HAMIL: Father of Chevin of Chayven. VII:51
GARMA: Garma is HAYLIS OF CHAYVEN’s female friend. She does the “pokey-poke” with him when he gives her snotty tissues. Talk about a cheap date. VII:349
HAYLIS OF CHAYVEN (CHUCKY): Haylis of Chayven is a red-haired Rod whose nose has been eaten away by a large, strawberry-shaped sore. EDDIE thinks he looks like Chucky—a nasty killer-toy from a horror movie—but when Haylis smiles he seems sweet and child-like. Like the rest of his kind, Haylis owes allegiance to Roland. Because of this allegiance, he plants sneetches in the DEVAR-TOI, initiating THUNDERCLAP’s final battle. VII:319–24, VII:329–35, VII:337–42, VII:346–49, VII:351, VII:357, VII:406
ONE-EYED WOMAN WITH DEAD CHILD: EDDIE DEAN sees this WALK-IN by the magical doorway of CARA LAUGHS. VII:130
CYCLOPEAN MOUNTAIN MUTANTS: The Slow Mutants living beneath the Cyclopean Mountains are some of the most hideously misshapen of all human muties. Their brains are also the most seriously damaged. Like the GREEN FOLK of ELURIA, their skins are greenly phosphorescent, but their appearance is much less humanoid. Many have developed insect-like eye-nodes and some have suckered tentacles instead of arms. Those that have retained hands tend to have webbed fingers. Roland and JAKE CHAMBERS are attacked by these mutants while they travel beneath the Cyclopean Mountain range in pursuit of the MAN IN BLACK. I:157–58, I:175–80
GREEN FOLK: See ELURIA CHARACTERS
MUDMEN: See FAGONARD CHARACTERS
SLOW MUTANTS OF GILEAD: When Roland returned to his home city more than twelve years after its fall to the GOOD MAN, he found Slow Mutants nesting in the ruined kitchens. I:137
TOTAL HOGS: This desert tribe of Slow Mutants held the Blue Bend of MAERLYN’S RAINBOW fifty years before Roland and his ka-tet arrived in HAMBRY. IV:437
WALK-INS: See WALK-INS, listed separately
VEGETABLES (MUTANTS)
GIANT YELLOW MUSHROOMS: In the fairy tale “The Wind Through the Keyhole,” recounted in the novel of the same name, Young TIM ROSS saw these giant yellow mushrooms while he and the NORTH CENTRAL POSITRONICS guidance mechanism DARIA travelled in the region of the ENDLESS FOREST that sat just beyond the FAGONARD swamp. The mushrooms were four feet high and had caps the size of funeral umbrellas. Daria warned Tim not to touch them. Not only were they too poisonous to eat, but if he brushed their dust on his skin, he would die of seizures. W:228
RHEA’S MUTANT VEGETABLE GARDEN: See RHEA OF THE CÖOS, listed separately
MYSTERY NUMBER
See NINETEEN; see also NINETY-NINE
N
NASSAU CHARACTERS
See DEAN, EDDIE: DELTA FLIGHT 901 CHARACTERS
NEW YORK CUSTOMS
See DEAN, EDDIE: DELTA FLIGHT 901 CHARACTERS
NIGEL THE BUTLER
See NORTH CENTRAL POSITRONICS
**NINETEEN (CHASSIT, KA-TET OF NINETEEN)
One of the most immediately striking changes made to the 2003 version of The Gunslinger is the addition of three front pages. On the first is a quote from the novel Look Homeward, Angel; on the second is the lone number 19; and on the third is the single word RESUMPTION. These are all vital clues about the nature of Roland’s quest, and about what he is going to find over the course of the three final books of the series.
In the 2003 Gunslinger, we also find out that the number nineteen is a magic number. After WALTER O’DIM resurrects the weed-eater NORT in the dried-up town of TULL, he implants a secret door in Nort’s memory and imagination. That door, which holds back the secret horrors of the afterlife, is locked. But the lock has a key, and the key is nineteen. In a letter written to Roland’s lover ALICE, Walter confides the nature of Nort’s door, what Alice will find when she opens it, and the numerical key to the lock. Driven on by a maddening curiosity, Alice speaks the word nineteen and pays the price for it. Nineteen is the key to the Land of Death.
At the beginning of Wolves of the Calla, our tet refers to the number nineteen as the “mystery number.” They find themselves gathering firewood in bundles of nineteen branches and even see its double digits take shape in
the sky’s passing clouds. Many of the important figures they meet or otherwise have dealings with—from DONALD FRANK CALLAHAN and CLAUDIA Y INEZ BACHMAN to RICHARD PATRICK SAYRE—have nineteen-letter names. When EDDIE DEAN questions ANDY, CALLA BRYN STURGIS’s Messenger Robot, about how he predicts the WOLVES’ cyclical invasions, Andy states that he cannot answer. The reason? Directive Nineteen. Directive Nineteen also plays an important part in Wind Through the Keyhole. In that book, Directive Nineteen fries the circuits of TIM ROSS’s Portable Guidance System (and good friend), DARIA. Why? Because she offers restricted information to the young gunslinger-to-be.
And the coincidences continue. GRAN-PERE JAFFORDS was nineteen years old when he and his WOLF POSSE faced down the Greencloaks on the Calla’s EAST ROAD. When Eddie saves CALVIN TOWER from BALAZAR’s thugs (Calla NEW YORK’s version of the Wolves), he discovers that Tower’s great-great-great-grandfather wrote about Roland Deschain in his will, a document drawn up on March 19, 1846. Both Father Callahan and his friend ROWAN MAGRUDER end up in room 577 of Riverside Hospital after being attacked by the HITLER BROTHERS (5+7+7 = 19). When SUSANNAH DEAN and her demon-possessor, MIA, travel to 1999 New York, they stay in room 1919 of the PLAZA–PARK HYATT hotel.
Although nineteen plays an important role throughout Wolves of the Calla and Song of Susannah, not until the final book of the Dark Tower series do we learn the full significance of this curious number. Chassit (High Speech for “nineteen”) is the password for the OLD ONES’ DOOR, which connects our world’s New York with END-WORLD’s FEDIC. When nineteen (the ka of our world) joins with NINETY-NINE (the ka of Roland’s world), they form 1999, which happens to be the KEYSTONE YEAR in the KEYSTONE WORLD. Nineteen ninety-nine is the year that MORDRED DESCHAIN is born, and on June 19, 1999, our kas-ka Gan, STEPHEN KING, is hit by a minivan in LOVELL, MAINE. Hence, it is in 1999 that the fate of the DARK TOWER is decided.
