Mythology of The Librarian

Last updated

In the fictional world of The Librarian , a series of made-for-TV movies from TNT, there exists a secret society of Librarians who are the guardians of a wide range of magical and mythical relics.

Contents

About the Librarians

The Librarians are a fictional secret society that have existed as an order for centuries, and often undertake global-spanning adventures to recover items to keep them safe from people who would use them for evil purposes. The Librarians wish only to increase their knowledge, and use the relics for the betterment of humankind. They have been fighting a secret war with the Serpent Brotherhood since at least the fall of the Library of Alexandria many centuries ago.

Simone Renoir states that all vampires are aware of the Librarians and their battle against evil.

Librarians of note

There have been many librarians of note over the centuries, including;

Other Library staff

The Serpent Brotherhood

The Serpent Brotherhood are a splinter group of the Librarians, who separated off back when the "Library" entrance was in Alexandria in ancient times. The Brotherhood wished to use the powers of the artifacts to rule the world and this disagreement led to a secret war between the Librarians and the Brotherhood who incited the riot that led to the destruction of the entrance to Library (in Alexandria). More recently, in 2004 the Brotherhood worked with former Librarian, Edward Wilde, to unsuccessfully steal the Spear of Destiny, to take control of the world. In 2014 they attempted to seize control of the 'Library' forcing Judson and Charlene to sever the link between the 'Library' and the New York Public Library. The current leader of the Brotherhood is Lancelot du Lac.

The Brotherhood take their name from the serpent that brought knowledge to Adam and Eve.

About the Library

The 'Library' has existed at least since ancient times, and houses both magical and powerful relics. The Library itself appears to be sentient (or semi-sentient) and sends out invitations to prospective Librarians and Guardians.

The 'Library' exists in its own pocket universe and in ancient times the entrance to the 'Library' was located in the Library of Alexandria, and the entrance had been located in the New York Public Library in New York City until 2014.

The 'Library' has a large collections annex, and a service entrance. Although there can only ever be one entrance to the main 'Library', there are sites around the world that provide entrances to the Library Annex, giving access to the books of the Library, but not to the relics.

Library of Alexandria entrance

The entrance to the 'Library' that was connected to the Library of Alexandria was destroyed when the Serpent Brotherhood incited a riot that destroyed it (sometime before the 8th Century). It has yet to be revealed where the entrance to the 'Library' was housed between the 8th century and the 1890s when the New York Metropolitan Public Library was built.

New York Metropolitan Public Library entrance

The New York Metropolitan Public Library provided an entrance to the 'Library' until 2014. The entrance was behind a hidden door disguised as a shelf of books. When Judson was first showing Flynn the entrance, he gave Flynn a clue as to how to open the door by quoting the lines "If we shadows have offended, think but this and all is mended", to which Flynn replied "That you have but slumber'd here, while these visions did appear", and immediately realised that the way to open the secret door was to pull on a copy of A Midsummer Night's Dream , the romantic comedy by William Shakespeare. Behind the secret door is an elevator shaft which can only be accessed by two marines opening two locks simultaneously. When Flynn remarked that the double lock was the same as is used on bases with nuclear weapons, Judson verified this and said they copied it from the library.

In the opening episode of The Librarians, in 2014, Judson and Charlene were forced to sever the link between the 'Library' and the New York Public Library when it was invaded by the Serpent Brotherhood.

Portland, Oregon annex

The Library Annex (which gives access to the books of the Library, but not to the relics) in Portland, Oregon, is run by Jenkins and is being used by three potential Librarians (Jacob Stone, Cassandra Cillian, and Ezekiel Jones) and their Guardian (Eve Baird) as a base of operations.

In the catalogue

The collection of relics stored in the library includes:

Real ItemsReligious ItemsMagical ItemsFictional Technology

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holy Grail</span> Cup, dish, or stone with miraculous powers, important motif in Arthurian literature

The Holy Grail is a treasure that serves as an important motif in Arthurian literature. Various traditions describe the Holy Grail as a cup, dish, or stone with miraculous healing powers, sometimes providing eternal youth or sustenance in infinite abundance, often guarded in the custody of the Fisher King and located in the hidden Grail castle. By analogy, any elusive object or goal of great significance may be perceived as a "holy grail" by those seeking such.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galahad</span> Character in Arthurian legend

Galahad, sometimes referred to as Galeas or Galath, among other versions of his name, is a knight of King Arthur's Round Table and one of the three achievers of the Holy Grail in Arthurian legend. He is the illegitimate son of Sir Lancelot du Lac and Lady Elaine of Corbenic and is renowned for his gallantry and purity as the most perfect of all knights. Emerging quite late in the medieval Arthurian tradition, Sir Galahad first appears in the Lancelot–Grail cycle, and his story is taken up in later works, such as the Post-Vulgate Cycle, and Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur. In Arthurian literature, he replaced Percival as the hero in the quest for the Holy Grail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ouroboros</span> Symbolic serpent with its tail in its mouth

The ouroboros or uroboros is an ancient symbol depicting a serpent or dragon eating its own tail. The ouroboros entered Western tradition via ancient Egyptian iconography and the Greek magical tradition. It was adopted as a symbol in Gnosticism and Hermeticism and most notably in alchemy. Some snakes, such as rat snakes, have been known to consume themselves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Batcave</span> Secret headquarters of the fictional DC Comics superhero Batman

The Batcave is a subterranean location appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It is the headquarters of the superhero Batman, whose secret identity is Bruce Wayne and his partners, consisting of caves beneath his personal residence, Wayne Manor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vatican Library</span> Library of the Holy See in Vatican City

The Vatican Apostolic Library, more commonly known as the Vatican Library or informally as the Vat, is the library of the Holy See, located in Vatican City, and is the city-state's national library. It was formally established in 1475, although it is much older—it is one of the oldest libraries in the world and contains one of the most significant collections of historical texts. It has 75,000 codices from throughout history, as well as 1.1 million printed books, which include some 8,500 incunabula.

<i>The Librarian: Quest for the Spear</i> 2004 American television film by Peter Winther

The Librarian: Quest for the Spear is a 2004 American made-for-television fantasy-adventure film and the first in the Librarian franchise of movies. It was originally released on American cable channel TNT on December 5, 2004, written by David Titcher, directed by Peter Winther and starring Noah Wyle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magic sword</span> Sword with magical powers or other supernatural qualities

In mythology, legend or fiction, a magic sword is a sword with magical powers or other supernatural qualities. Renowned swords appear in the folklore of every nation that used swords.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth Jolley</span> Australian writer

Monica Elizabeth Jolley AO was an English-born Australian writer who settled in Western Australia in the late 1950s and forged an illustrious literary career there. She was 53 when her first book was published, and she went on to publish fifteen novels, four short story collections and three non-fiction books, publishing well into her 70s and achieving significant critical acclaim. She was also a pioneer of creative writing teaching in Australia, counting many well-known writers such as Tim Winton among her students at Curtin University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Secret passage</span> Hidden routes used for stealthy travel

Secret passages, also commonly referred to as hidden passages or secret tunnels, are hidden routes used for stealthy travel, escape, or movement of people and goods. They are sometimes inside buildings leading to secret rooms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geisel Library</span> Iconic Library at the University of California, San Diego

Geisel Library is the main library building of the University of California, San Diego. It is named in honor of Audrey and Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as children's author Dr. Seuss. The building's distinctive architecture, described as occupying "a fascinating nexus between brutalism and futurism", has resulted in its being featured in the UC San Diego logo and becoming the most recognizable building on campus.

<i>The Librarian: Return to King Solomons Mines</i> 2006 American television film by Jonathan Frakes

The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines is a 2006 American made-for-television fantasy-adventure film and the second in The Librarian franchise of movies starring Noah Wyle as a librarian who protects a secret collection of artifacts. The television film was released on American cable channel TNT on December 3, 2006. Gabrielle Anwar, Bob Newhart, Jane Curtin and Olympia Dukakis co-star. It is a sequel to 2004's The Librarian: Quest for the Spear. The third film in the trilogy, The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice, was released in 2008.

<i>The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice</i> 2008 American television film by Jonathan Frakes

The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice is a 2008 American made-for-television fantasy-adventure film and the third in The Librarian series starring Noah Wyle as a librarian who protects a secret collection of artifacts from Vlad Dracula and his vampire hordes. The television film was released on American cable channel TNT on December 7, 2008. It is a sequel to 2004's The Librarian: Quest for the Spear and 2006's The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines.

The Librarian is a series of original fantasy-adventure made-for-television films from Turner Network Television (TNT) starring Noah Wyle as the Librarian, who protects a secret collection of artifacts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ralph R. Shaw</span>

Ralph Robert Shaw was a librarian, a publisher, and an innovator in library science. In 1999, American Libraries named him one of the "100 Most Important Leaders We Had in the 20th Century". He was awarded the Melvil Dewey Medal in 1953 and American Library Association Honorary Membership in 1971.

Library history is a subdiscipline within library science and library and information science focusing on the history of libraries and their role in societies and cultures. Some see the field as a subset of information history. Library history is an academic discipline and should not be confused with its object of study : the discipline is much younger than the libraries it studies. Library history begins in ancient societies through contemporary issues facing libraries today. Topics include recording mediums, cataloguing systems, scholars, scribes, library supporters and librarians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LuEsther T. Mertz Library</span> New York Botanical Garden library

The LuEsther T. Mertz Library is located at the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) in the Bronx, New York City. Founded in 1899 and renamed in the 1990s for LuEsther Mertz, it is the United States' largest botanical research library, and the first library whose collection focused exclusively on botany.

<i>The Librarians</i> (2014 TV series) American fantasy-adventure television series

The Librarians is an American fantasy adventure television series developed by John Rogers that premiered on TNT on December 7, 2014. The show is a direct spin-off of the Librarian film series, sharing continuity with the films. The Librarians are an ancient organization dedicated to protecting an innocent world from a magical and fantasy-like secret reality hidden from view. TNT cancelled the series in March 2018, days after the final episode of the fourth season. A spin-off called The Librarians: The Next Chapter will premiere during the 2024–25 broadcast season.

<i>Secret Files 3</i> 2012 video game

Secret Files 3 is a graphic adventure video game developed by Animation Arts and published by Deep Silver for Microsoft Windows iOS, Android and Nintendo Switch. It is the third and final installment of the Secret Files trilogy.

References