This article catalogs the key characters from the books in the Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage. These include the books Magyk , Flyte , Physik , Queste , Syren , Darke , and Fyre. Some characters play a central role in all the books, while others are only central to the plot in one or two of the books. When reviewing the first book in the series, Magyk, Sabina Qazi of Dawn.com described the characters as follows:
These characters remind us of the different types of people around us. Sage separates the qualities that make us who we are and typecasts them into these roles. The good and the bad characteristics are accompanied by the dull and the intelligent, the silly with the mature and the unapproachable with the loving. But this doesn’t mean that her characters are not well-rounded people. They are, but by highlighting certain aspects of their personality, she makes it easy for the reader to think of real people in terms of these characters. Thus an evil principal becomes the necromancer, the dead queen loved grandparent, Septimus as the most intelligent but quiet boy in class and Jenna, perhaps, as the new best friend in the neighbourhood" - Dawn.com [1]
The Heaps are the main characters in the series. Although the story revolves mainly around the protagonist Septimus and his sister Jenna, the whole family comes together in the adventures. They are a heap of Heaps. [2]
Silas is the father of the Heap household. He is an Ordinary Wizard with wizard green eyes, curly hair and wears the traditional blue cloak of Ordinary Wizards. Silas was apprenticed to former ExtraOrdinary Wizard Alther Mella but left his apprenticeship, thus losing the title to Marcia Overstrand. He loves his family and is on good terms with everybody except with Marcia. Silas loves to play Counter Feet with the gate-keeper of the Castle, Gringe. His addiction to the game makes him forget more important things like his family. He was responsible for accidentally releasing the spirit of Queen Etheldredda in Physik . [3]
Sarah is the mother of the Heap household. She has the witch-like blue eyes and fair curly hair of the Heap family. She studied with the Physik woman, Galen, about Magykal herbs and plants and it was there that Silas Heap met her while getting lost in the forest one day. Sarah, though she is loving and caring in nature, is somewhat forgetful and sometimes more concerned about other things rather than the well-being of her near ones. Sarah has learned Physik and can also do some Magyk. Like Silas she is on good terms generally with everybody, except Marcia.
Critics were surprised by Sage's portrayal of Silas and Sarah as they show least concern for the welfare of their children. The critics have written about situations where the characters' lack of affection is more pronounced:- like when Jenna was kidnapped and they are convinced that Simon cannot kidnap her or when Septimus is sent back in Time. [4]
Simon Heap is the oldest Heap son. He wanted to be Marcia's apprentice but lost to Septimus. He betrayed his family in the second book Flyte by joining the evil necromancer DomDaniel and made a bargain with the dead necromancer—to restore him to life, if he's taken on as the next Apprentice to the ExtraOrdinary Wizard. He kidnapped Jenna and tried to kill Marcia by a Placement on her but was thwarted by Septimus and the others. He later learnt his mistakes and reformed his ways. Simon is romantically involved with Lucy Gringe, gatekeeper Gringe's daughter. Together at present they stay in an apartment in the Port. According to Fantasy Literature review, he's like the typical bad-guy who makes the mistake of not killing his enemies straight-away. Simon moved to the Darke side and even tried to kill his siblings Septimus and Jenna. However, note that Simon knew that Jenna was not his real sister and thought Septimus was only pretending to be his little brother so he might not have behaved in the same manner to Nicko, Erik, Edd, Jo-Jo, and Sam, all of whom he saw as real brothers. He has since changed his ways, becoming good and has tried to return to the Castle. [4] [5]
Sam, Edd and Erik (twins) and Jo-Jo are the second, third, fourth and fifth Heap sons, respectively. They all started living in the forest after Sarah took them there for refuge at Galen's place. Wendron Witches visit them quite a lot. Generally they are quite aloof from the happenings of the outside world and have adapted to the ways and life of the Forest. Sam loves fishing and used to go with Silas for catching fish. He was the one who showed Septimus and the others the actual path to the House of Foryx. Jo-Jo has a crush on Marissa, a Wendron Witch. Edd and Erik are twins and love to joke around. [4]
The sixth son of the Heap family. He has a medium-build figure, with the characteristic green eyes of a wizard and the curly straw-colored hair of the Heap family, and has a happy and helpful disposition. As a son of a wizard, Nicko has learned Magyk but is not very interested in it. He is more interested in boats and sailing, a passion which brought him and Snorri Snorrelssen closer. He is apprenticed to Jannit Marten, who owns the boatyard of the Castle. Nicko loves his brother Septimus and adoptive sister Jenna dearly, and helps them in every possible way. He became romantically involved with Snorri, whom he met during events from Physik and was lost with her in time in Queste. He returned to the Castle during the events of Syren and was one of the main sailors of Milo Banda's ship, the Cerys. In Darke , he helped get Septimus to the Darke Halls. Snorri also left the Castle during Darke to return home with her mother. Although Nicko enjoyed her company, he felt 'free' after she left. [6]
The eponymous protagonist of the series, Septimus spent the first ten years of his life in the Young Army as Boy 412 after DomDaniel attempted to abduct him. As the Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, aptly named Septimus, he has exceptional Magykal powers and is currently apprenticed to the ExtraOrdinary Wizard Marcia Overstrand, whom he trusts more than anyone else. He shares his birthday with Jenna, his adoptive sister.
Adopted by the Heap family as a baby in place of Septimus, Jenna is actually the daughter of the assassinated Queen, and thus a Princess. She is a small girl, with deep violet eyes, fair complexion and wears a deep red cloak with the gold circlet of the Princess on her head. Although loving and caring at heart, she can sometimes be very stubborn. She loves her family dearly and would do anything for them. For a long time, she was unsure and unhappy at the thought of being future Queen, but she has come to accept her heritage and future.
Zelda Heap is actually Silas' aunt but is known as Aunt Zelda to all and greatly loved for her happy-go-lucky nature, although she and Marcia are known to have disputes regarding usage of Magyk without "disrespecting" Mother Nature. As the current Keeper of the Dragon Boat, she resides in a cottage on Draggen Island in the Marram Marshes. She is of medium-build, often wears a tent-like dress (which gives her a dumpy appearance), and has a shock of flyaway grey hair, a wrinkled smiling face, and the bright blue eyes of a White Witch. Apparently, she has absolutely no sense of taste and cooks dishes mainly consisting of cabbages and eel. The only other person who appreciates her cooking is Septimus. She has a pet cat called Bert which she transformed into a duck (they're easier to keep in the Marram Marshes) and also is friends with a marsh creature named Boggart. Zelda is the one who revealed the true identity of Boy 412 as Septimus Heap. She is generally very helpful. This is reflected many times in the series; like the time she helps Jenna when the Dragon Boat is badly damaged by Simon's ThunderFlash or reviving Merrin Meredith from being Consumed and dying. Zelda did not appear in the fourth book Queste. In Syren, Zelda sends Wolf-Boy for an errand to The Port Witch Coven, the success of which will entitle him to be a Keeper. [7] In Fyre, she begins to become forgetful and later reveals that she has lost one of the bowls that are used to save the Dragon Boat as the Marsh Python ate it. She then leaves Wolf Boy (now known as Marwick) to be the Keeper as she realises that she is too old and it is her time to die, and goes to visit with her brothers Benjamin and Theo Heap in the Forest as her final resting place.
Benjamin and Theo are the grandfathers of the Heap household. Benjamin Heap is the father of Silas. He is a shape shifter. When he got old, he decided to permanently assume tree-form instead of becoming a ghost. Silas kept searching for his father, And sometimes addresses a random tree in the hope that it's his father, until when, the Wendron Witch mother, Morwenna Mould shows him his father's location. Septimus and Nicko met their Grandpa Benji while they were in the forest searching for Jenna in Flyte . Benjamin saved them from a pack of Wolverines and they got to know him.
Theo Heap is the second brother to Benjamin and Zelda. Like his elder brother, he is also a shape-shifter and shifted to be a Storm Petrel. On stormy nights in the Marram Marshes, Zelda keeps a lookout for any Storm Petrels which might be blown away to the marshes and hopes to meet her brother again one day. In Magyk there is an instance when Theo is blown in by a storm and sits on the cottage's roof seeing Zelda see Septimus Heap's (he was Boy 412 then) true identity and family in the pond.
The following are the other important characters in the series who have played a major part in the story.
The current ExtraOrdinary Wizard. Ambitious and willful, Marcia is a very powerful wizard. Although she seems stern, bad-tempered and often intimidating, there are a number of instances when she shows she truly has a good heart. She loves her apprentice Septimus dearly and feels great responsibility to protect both him and his sister, perhaps with her life. She also has arguments occasionally with Silas Heap and Jillie Djinn, neither of whom she gets on well with. She is a tall woman, with long, dark curly hair and deep-green eyes, and generally wears a deep purple tunic with her trademark purple python-skin boots. Her symbol and source of power, an Akhu-Amulet, hangs around her neck.
Ex-ExtraOrdinary Wizard, before Marcia. He used to be Marcia's tutor before he was murdered in a conspiracy hatched by DomDaniel to take over the Castle. He is present in the world as a ghost and helps Septimus and the others on their adventures. Described to be wearing the purple cloak of the ExtraOrdinary wizard, he has his white shining hair styled as a ponytail at his back and wears big brown boots. In the middle of his ghostly chest he still has an impression of blood indicating the place where a bullet hit him and he died. Alther, being a ghost, can only go to places he has once visited in his lifetime. If he tries to visit some other place, he is Returned, thrown backwards off his feet by an invisible force, which he hates. But still, he can sometimes cause things to be moved about like he did to annoy DomDaniel in Magyk . Being an ex-ExtraOrdinary Wizard he was automatically summoned in the Gathering In Queste . Alther has always shared romantic feelings for Alice Nettles, former Chief Customs Officer, and stays with her ghost in front of the Palace. [8]
Snorri is an independent and somewhat mysterious young Northern Trader, who comes to the Castle to trade her goods and to find her father. Born to Olaf and Alfrun Snorrelssen, Snorri is a pale complexioned girl with white blonde hair and pale blue eyes with an air of mystery around them. She helps the Heap family, and is especially friends with Nicko, with whom she shares a love of sailing and who she has romantic feelings for. As a Spirit Seer, she can see all spirits, even if they have not chosen to reveal themselves to others. She has an orange pet cat named Ullr who turns into a deadly Black panther at night. Snorri helped to prevent Etheldredda's spirit from murdering Jenna, by summoning her father's spirit who stopped Etheldredda from pushing Jenna into the fire conjured by Marcia. In a review by Katie Dickinson of Waterstones.com, she said that the character was interesting and she hoped that Snorri and her mysterious cat would stay on in the series. Snorri, however, leaves the castle at the end of Darke to return home with her mother. [9]
A Necromancer and ex-ExtraOrdinary Wizard, he is the main antagonist of the first novel. His main purpose is to regain control of the Wizard Tower from Marcia and tries a number of times to do so. DomDaniel is described as a tall man wearing the black robes of Darke Magyk. On his head is a tall cylindrical black hat which denotes him as a necromancer. DomDaniel is generally described as a conniving, power-hungry and cunning man. He once Consumed his apprentice's body so that he can trick Marcia into giving him her Akhu-Amulet. Marcia Banished him but he tried to take revenge through Simon's help in Flyte. Marcia was able to Identify him again properly and he was completely finished though his ghost endured. But ultimately he vanished into apparent non-existence after his bones were consumed by Spit Fyre.
Actual name O. Beetle Beetle, he is Septimus' best friend from the Manuscriptorium. Introduced in Flyte , Beetle has become a regular character in the series. He assists Septimus on their adventures, and has some of them of his own accord. Beetle is the General Dogsbody and Inspection Clerk in the Magykal Manuscriptorium and Spell Checkers Incorporated and is well loved by all. He also inspects the ice-tunnels under the Manuscriptorium on his sled. Beetle is generally in awe of Marcia but internally has developed a crush on Jenna. He is bitten by the aie-aie and affected by the plague which spread in the Castle in Physik but recovered from it by the medicine brewed by Septimus. After he was fired from the Manuscriptorium by chief scribe Jillie Djinn for discussing Manuscriptorium business in front of Jenna and for saying unflattering things about Jillie Djinn, Beetle joined Septimus and Jenna to bring back Nicko and Snorri from the House of Foryx. In Darke, Beetle is named Chief Hermetic Scribe after the death of Jillie Djinn.
Beetle got his name from his mother, Pamela Beetle, after his father, Brian Beetle, died from a snake bite. His mother, who simply called Brian "Beetle", was forced to impromptu name her child, and all she could do was wail: "Oh, Beetle... Beetle!" Duly, the toddler's name became O. Beetle Beetle. In Syren Beetle assists Septimus and Jenna, while being stranded on the Syren islands, to take care of Spit Fyre and to save the Castle from the impending dangers. [10] In Darke, Beetle is trapped in the Manuscriptorium during The Great Undoing and later is picked to become Chief Hermetic Scribe. He is quite mature for his age and is the youngest person to pass the Manuscriptorium entrance exam. He is also very intelligent. He is about three years older than his best friend Septimus. They share a love of FizzFroot and a hatred of Darke magic. Beetle always wears his Admiral's jacket given to him by Milo Banda in Syren. Beetle is described as stocky and has a shock of black hair. He loves going through the Manuscriptorium Ice Tunnels.
Introduced in Magyk , Merrin Meredith is a boy who was mistaken for Septimus and was apprenticed to DomDaniel. When a matron midwife stole Septimus at birth from Sarah Heap to give to DomDaniel, circumstance had it that her own son, Merrin, was taken away by DomDaniel and the real Septimus ended up in the Young Army. After his apprenticeship, Merrin is continuously looked down by DomDaniel who always expects him to do brilliant magic (thinking him to be Septimus), which he fails to do. As a whole, Merrin is an unhappy, nasty boy. He was once Consumed by DomDaniel and almost died but was Revived by Zelda. After DomDaniel is destroyed he became Simon's apprentice but ran away from the Badlands to take revenge on Septimus. He took a job in the Manuscriptorium and joined hands with a ghost, Tertius Fume, to send Septimus on a deadly Queste . [11] He is the main villain in Darke and wears the Two-Faced ring only to have his thumb chopped off and him reunited with his mother.
Stanley is an ex-Secret Service Message rat. His association with the Heaps began in Magyk when he was sent by Sarah to give a message to Silas in the Marshes. From then onwards circumstance had it that Stanley became involved in the adventures of Septimus and his friends. This led to his separation from his wife Dawnie, who went to live with her sister. At present, Stanley is working to set up the Secret Service Message agency again by taking Jenna's permission. Stanley adopted 4 baby ratlets he found on the long walk and claims that he will love them 100 times more than he will ever love Dawnie. Jenna returned from the island of the Syren with rats available for employment. The rats were aboard the Cerys. [12]
The Substantial Spirit of an ancient queen with a history of filicide, Etheldredda wreaks havoc on the Castle when her spirit is accidentally released by Silas in Physik . Etheldredda, being an ancient queen is described having the typical dressing sense and looks of a somewhat Renessaince period. Etheldredda was a tyrannical ruler during her rule. Having already murdered her two unnamed twin daughters, she was on the verge of killing her daughter Esmeralda, who was the successor to the throne, when she was thwarted by Septimus and the others back in time in Physik . After getting released, Etheldredda makes a plan to kill Jenna and reclaim her throne again. Marcia defeats her and destroys her forever with help from Snorri Snorrlesson and her father Olaf. Katie Dickinson of Waterstones was impressed by the character and said that "Queen Etheldredda leaves you shivering". [9] Rebecca of Fantasy Literature said that Etheldredda is quite an unnerving villain. She is described to be "As strict and severe as the worst storybook governess and ultimately quite as evil as any fairytale stepmother". [4] [13]
Etheldredda's son, Marcellus is a renowned Alchemist, who has drunk the potion of immortality. He is over five hundred years old and lives in the Castle near Snake Slipway. When Septimus was sent back in time in Physik by Etheldredda, he became Marcellus' apprentice. While coming back to their own time, Septimus promised Marcellus to prepare a youth potion so that the present Marcellus regains his youth which he did. He seems to dislike having to interact with the outside world, as he understands so little of the modern time and prefers staying at home, though he is on good terms with Septimus and Jenna, who resembles his long gone sister Esmeralda. Critics found his character to be "not the quite good guy, yet not the quite bad guy either." [4] [14]
Better known as Boy 409, he is a friend of Septimus from the Young Army who got almost drowned one night in an expedition to the Forest, and was left for dead. He was later adopted by wolverines, and left when he got too big. Septimus later met him in his brother's camps in the Forest, where he had been found and re-christened as Wolf Boy. [15] He attempted to help Jenna find Septimus in Physik. He is currently apprenticed to Aunt Zelda and is in the process of becoming the first male Keeper. In Syren, he takes the test to become Keeper. At the Port Witch Coven, he discovers that he must feed Lucy Gringe to the Grim. The two manage to escape, but get tangled with some nefarious sailors. He gets along well with Lucy, except that he doesn't like her screaming. Later, when they meet Septimus, Jenna, and Beetle, he is wary at first. However, he becomes friends with Beetle. Aunt Zelda has grown extremely fond of him and is relieved to see him safe and sound at the end of Syren. In Darke, it is found out that his name is actually Mandy Marwick and he has two other brothers, Matt and Marcus.
Lucy Gringe is Simon Heap's love interest. In Magyk the pair tried to marry, but the wedding was put off when Simon was dragged away by guards. She refused to believe that Simon had turned evil, and in Physik she set off to find him in the Badlands. It was revealed that they found each other, and the pair looked after Merrin for a short spell before he ran away. In book 5 aka Syren she was captured by the port witch coven but escaped along with Wolf-Boy, only to run into more trouble on The Marauder. She storms The Cerys along with Jenna, Septimus, and Wolf-boy when it became overrun with Skipper Fry and The Crowe Twins, and also saves Miarr's life. In Darke it is announced that Lucy and Simon will marry. Lucy is described as a pretty girl with large brown eyes and brown hair in plaits, which she ties with colored ribbons. She is quite bossy and stubborn, but she is very determined and loyal, and had a warm heart underneath her blunt exterior.
The Wizard of Id is a daily newspaper comic strip created by American cartoonists Brant Parker and Johnny Hart. Beginning November 16, 1964, the strip follows the antics of a large cast of characters in a shabby medieval kingdom called "Id". The title is a play on The Wizard of Oz, combined with the Freudian psychological term id, which represents the instinctive and primal part of the human psyche.
Mrs. Dalloway is a novel by Virginia Woolf published on 14 May 1925. It details a day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway, a fictional upper-class woman in post-First World War England. It is one of Woolf's best-known novels.
Princess Zelda is the titular character in Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda video game series. She was created by Shigeru Miyamoto and introduced in the original 1986 game The Legend of Zelda. She is one of the central characters in the series, having appeared in multiple incarnations over more than three decades. In the fictional storyline of the series, she is a princess of the kingdom of Hyrule, an associate of the protagonist Link, and bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom.
Captain N: The Game Master is an American-Canadian animated television series that aired on television from 1989 to 1991 as part of the Saturday morning cartoon lineup on NBC. The show was produced by DIC Animation City and incorporated elements from many of the most popular video games of the time from the Japanese company Nintendo. There was also a comic book version by Valiant Comics, despite only featuring characters from games produced by Nintendo. The show is also part of an hour-long block in Season 2 with The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 and with Super Mario World in Season 3 in a half-hour block.
Comic and manga adaptations of The Legend of Zelda series of video games, especially in Japan, have been published under license from Nintendo.
Flyte is a 2006 children's novel by Angie Sage and the second book in the Septimus Heap series. The book's cover was modelled after the in-story book: How to Survive Dragon Fostering: A Practykal Guide with the Flyte Charm lying on top. Flyte was released in March 2006 through HarperCollins and Bloomsbury Publishing.
Magyk is a fantasy novel written by English author Angie Sage. It is the first book in the seven-book Septimus Heap series. The sequel, Flyte was released in March 2006, Physik in March 2007, Queste in 2008, Syren in September 2009, Darke in July 2011, and Fyre in 2013. The book cover of Magyk alludes to the diary that the ExtraOrdinary Wizard Marcia makes for her apprentice, Septimus Heap. The cover also depicts Septimus's Dragon Ring, rendered as if it were sitting atop the diary.
Angie Sage is an English author of children's literature, including the Septimus Heap series, the TodHunter Moon trilogy, and the Araminta Spook series.
Septimus Heap is a series of fantasy novels featuring a protagonist of the same name written by English author Angie Sage. In all, it features seven novels, entitled Magyk, Flyte, Physik, Queste, Syren, Darke, and Fyre. The first, (Magyk), was published in 2005 and the final, (Fyre), in 2013. A full colour supplement to the series, entitled The Magykal Papers, was published in June 2009, and an online novella titled The Darke Toad is also available. A sequel trilogy, The TodHunter Moon Series, set seven years after the events of Fyre, began in October 2014.
Jane and the Dragon is a CGI children's animated television series based on the books of the same name by Martin Baynton. The show is directed by Mike Fallows and the motion capture is directed by Peter Salmon; it is co-produced by Weta Workshop in New Zealand and Nelvana Limited in Canada. The series follows the comedic exploits of Jane, an adolescent girl training to be a knight, and her friend, Dragon, a talking, flying, 300-year-old, fire-breathing dragon.
"Head and Shoulders" is a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It was his first story to be published in the Saturday Evening Post, with the help of Fitzgerald's agent, Harold Ober. The story appeared in the February 21, 1920 issue and was illustrated by Charles D. Mitchell. It later appeared in his short story collection Flappers and Philosophers.
The Midwife's Apprentice is a children's novel by Karen Cushman. It tells of how a homeless girl becomes a midwife's apprentice—and establishes a name and a place in the world, and learns to hope and overcome failure. This novel won the John Newbery Medal in 1996.
Jenna Heap is a leading character in the Septimus Heap book series by Angie Sage. She is the adoptive sister of Septimus and the adoptive daughter of Silas and Sarah Heap. Jenna has many friends in the book, and many enemies, too. Although she acknowledges they are not her birth family Jenna loves her adoptive familym including her seven brothers, her grandfather Benji, her parents, and her Aunt Zelda.
Marcia Overstrand is a fictional character in the Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage. She is a powerful ExtraOrdinary Wizard. Septimus is her apprentice.
Mark Zug is an artist and illustrator who is known for his work with the Septimus Heap series and Harlan Ellison's adaption of I, Robot. He has illustrated many collectible card games, including Magic: The Gathering and Dune, as well as books and magazines. He lives in Pennsylvania.
Septimus Heap is the protagonist in the bestselling book series Septimus Heap, by Angie Sage. He is the Apprentice to the ExtraOrdinary Wizard, Marcia Overstrand. He was once a member of the Young Army, known as Boy 412.
Syren is the fifth book in the child fantasy Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage. It was released on September 29, 2009 by HarperCollins and Bloomsbury Publishing. Sage went on a book promotion tour for Syren as well as a contest to promote it further.
Septimus Heap: The Magykal Papers is a supplementary book to the Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage. Released in July 2009, the book is divided into four sections dealing with The Castle, The Palace, The Wizard Tower and the other parts of the Septimus Heap world. It consists of biographies of the main characters, their journals and notes, and other items.
Physik is a fantasy novel by Angie Sage. It is the third book in the seven-book Septimus Heap series. The story focuses primarily on the 500-year-old spirit of Queen Etheldredda, who attempts to use Septimus Heap to attain immortality.
The Legend of Zelda is a high-fantasy video game series created by Japanese game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. It is primarily developed and published by Nintendo, although some portable installments have been outsourced to Capcom, Vanpool and Grezzo. The series' gameplay incorporates elements of action, adventure and puzzle-solving games.