Septimus Heap (character)

Last updated
Septimus Heap
Septimus Heap character
Septimus-slate.jpg
Septimus Heap, as illustrated by Mark Zug
First appearance Magyk
Created by Angie Sage
In-universe information
AliasBoy 412
NicknameSep (by Jenna)
TitleThe ExtraOrdinary Apprentice
OccupationApprentice to the ExtraOrdinary Wizard, soon to be 777th ExtraOrdinary Wizard
FamilyThe Heaps
RelativesSilas Heap (father)
Sarah Heap (mother)
Jenna Heap (adoptive sister)
Nicko Heap (brother)
Jo-Jo Heap (brother)
Edd Heap (brother)
Erik Heap (brother)
Simon Heap (brother)
Sam Heap (brother)
Zelda Zanuba Heap (great-aunt)
Grandpa Benji
(grandfather)

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. [1]

Contents

Description

Septimus is a small and timid-looking boy, with green wizard eyes and curly blond hair, formerly wearing a sheepskin jacket with purple and yellow stripes, and red hat during his Young Army days. Now he wears the traditional green robes of the ExtraOrdinary apprentice to Marcia and a pair of brown boots. He was very thin when he was in the Young Army. Later he filled up more due to Aunt Zelda's cabbage sandwiches in Magyk .

Development

According to author Angie Sage, the character was in her mind for a long time, and she had already decided what would happen to Septimus in the end but was not exactly sure how she would make the character get there or who he would meet on his journey. [2] For her, Septimus was someone who was in a strange and hostile world and who did not have a clue about who he really was. [3]

In the story

Before meeting the Heaps

At twelve hours old, Septimus was taken away from his mother Sarah Heap by the Matron Midwife on the commands of the evil Necromancer, DomDaniel. It was planned for him to be raised to become apprentice to DomDaniel. However, due to a mix -up, the midwife's own son was taken. Septimus was raised in the Young Army, known as Boy 412, up until the end of Magyk .

After meeting his family

In the very first book Magyk after Septimus was taken away, Silas and Sarah later adopt the orphaned princess of their Castle. When Jenna, the princess, is discovered, the ExtraOrdinary wizard Marcia Overstrand takes her away from the Heaps and circumstance had it that Boy 412 ended up escaping with them to Silas Heap's Aunt; Aunt Zelda's place. There the others discover Boy 412's magical powers and he, together with Jenna and their brother Nicko discover a hidden Dragon-Boat and save Marcia from DomDaniel. Marcia accepts Boy 412 as her apprentice, and for a return gift, Aunt Zelda reveals him to be Septimus Heap.

The second book Flyte finds Septimus as the apprentice to Marcia. His elder brother Simon kidnaps Jenna in envy of Septimus stealing his apprenticeship. Septimus along with Nicko goes out in search of Jenna and they are accompanied by his Young Army friend Boy 409 or better known as Wolf-Boy. They find Jenna in the Port and take the Dragon-Boat from Aunt Zelda's to fight Simon who damages the Dragon-Boat extensively. Septimus saves Marcia again from a placement by Simon. He found the long-lost flyte charm.

The third book Physik finds Septimus in great danger as the ghost of an evil Queen Etheldredda sends him back in time 500 years ago. There Septimus becomes the apprentice to a noted alchemist called Marcellus Pye and learns about physik. Jenna and Nicko along with a new girl called Snorri, rescue him and Marcia destroys the evil queen. Septimus cures the people of the Castle from the sicknesse which was spreading.

In Queste , Septimus is tricked to go on a deadly quest by an old and nasty ghost called Tertius Fume. He eventually goes on to the House of Foryx to search Nicko and Snorri who were trapped back in time in the previous book. Along with Jenna and Beetle, his friend, they search and bring back Nicko and Snorri. His magical power development is noticeable.

"Syren" sees Septimus promoted to Senior Apprentice as he was the only ExtraOrdinary Apprentice to have survived - much less completed - the Queste. With his newfound freedom he sets off to find Jenna, Nicko, Beetle and Snorri (who were still at the Trading Post) on Spit Fyre, to discover them tucked away safely on Jenna's father's (Milo Banda) ship: the Cerys. Events lead to Septimus, Jenna, Beetle and an injured Spit Fyre becoming stranded on a beautiful island and meeting Syrah Syara - a 513-year-old girl possessed by the Syren. Eventually Syrah is freed from the Syren and the friends all sail home together on the Cerys.

Character Speciality

Magykal Power

Septimus is the Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (Silas Heap). Therefore, he is gifted with extreme magical powers. When Marcia gives him a charm to be invisible in Magyk, he was the first to disappear without even uttering the charm. This made Marcia realize that he had extreme magical powers. She asked him to be her apprentice which he later accepted.

The Dragon-Boat also realised this magical power when Septimus held the Dragon's tiller. When Jenna, Nicko and he went to find Marcia aboard The Vengeance, he showed his magical skill by being clever enough to utter new spells so that all three of them can see each other even if they are invisible. He can transfix (paralyse) bigger beings like horses as well as unreal things like shadows as demonstrated in Flyte. He was the first one to discover the complete Flyte charm in many years and is able to fly successfully. When he went back in time to Marcellus Pye, he learnt all that he could about alchemy and "Physik" and was even able to cure the sicknesse which infected the Castle inhabitants. He is also able to do a complete Projection of a human and keep it relatively solid as he demonstrated in the House of Foryx in Queste, where in the beginning of the book he was able to conjure sound, which many ExtraOrdinary cannot do.

Relationships, likes and dislikes

Septimus is a loving and caring boy, fond of his adopted sister Jenna, brother Nicko, friends Beetle and Wolf Boy (Boy 409), tutor Marcia and pet dragon Spit Fyre. His relationship with his elder brother Simon is ruined in Flyte when Simon tried to kidnap Jenna and kill Marcia, but maintains a healthy relationship with the other Heap brothers and is closest to Nicko Heap. His relationship with Simon is later repaired when he turns away from Darke in Fyre. He rarely spends time around the Forest Heaps: Sam, Jo-Jo, Edd and Erik Heap, as they live in the Forest most of the time, but he is still close to them, as proved in Queste. Although he spends most of his time at Wizard Tower, he loves it when he gets a chance to meet Sarah and Silas and roam around the Castle with Jenna as is evident in Flyte . Septimus loves catching bugs and has vertigo which he faces, many times in the series like when he walks along Snake Slipway in Physik or going along the toll bridge to the House of Foryx in Queste. He likes having FizzFroot with his friend Beetle but hates it when he has to go on a sled ride with him under the Manuscriptorium's Ice Tunnels. He is also good friends with Wolf Boy, also known as Boy 409, as they were friends in their Young Army days. It is possible that when he was Boy 412 he had a slight crush on Jenna, as when he would be embarrassed when he had to dress silly in front of her and he would care for her more than any other person, but whether or not he still has it is still unknown. He does, however, seem to develop a more prominent crush on Syrah Syara, an ExtraOrdinary Wizard apprentice 500 years past who was lost to the Queste. Whether or not she returns his affections is unclear - she did indeed smile at him when he took her hand, but that may be because he was some of the first human contact she had had in 500 years. In Fyre, he and Rose are heavily implied to have a mutual crush on each other, which is most likely due to Septimus regularly visiting the infirmary to visit Syrah. Syrah is said to have forgotten about the events of Syren, but does get an unsteady feeling when looking at Septimus.

Possessions

Septimus wears an ExtraOrdinary apprentice belt around his waist in which he keeps all his small charms including the Flyte charm. He wears the Dragon ring of Hotep-Ra around his finger. He still has his Young Army Camp back pack and keeps an interesting collection of stuff from his Young Army days which can be handy and useful at any time. His backpack is ruined by a pack of wolverines in the forest when he goes out in search of Jenna in Flyte. He had a green rock that Jenna gave him in Magyk, but it hatched into Spit Fyre. [4]

Reception

The character was widely accepted as being extremely impressive and a well-written standalone. Manila Standard said that his character comes off as an intriguing boy, who is taught early on to live cautiously (in his Young Army days), yet he longs for the love and affection of a family. [5]

Sabina Qazi of Dawn.com said that sometimes Sage has given too much attention to the secondary characters and that takes away the heroism of the protagonist Septimus. Also, the ease with which they dispatch their enemy, takes away his glory a little but also "this very element, makes for light and humorous reading and renders the children more identifiable." She also said that Septimus was quite identifiable when compared with real world and comes off like the most intelligent but quiet boy in class whom we see at every school. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ministry of Magic</span> Fictional governmental organisation from Harry Potter

The Ministry of Magic is the government of the Magical community of Britain in J. K. Rowling's Wizarding World, headed by an official entitled the Minister for Magic. The magical government in Britain is first mentioned in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone; the Ministry makes its first proper appearance in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2003). Throughout the books, it is regularly depicted as corrupt, elitist and completely incompetent, with its high-ranking officials blind to ominous events and unwilling to take action against threats to wizard society. Dolores Umbridge was placed at Hogwarts to see what was going on at the school and prevent the news that Lord Voldemort was back from spreading. It reaches a zenith of corruption before being effectively taken over by Voldemort. At the end of the final book, following Voldemort's death, Kingsley Shacklebolt takes over the ministry, changing it for the better. By the time of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Hermione Granger is the Minister for Magic.

In J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, magic is depicted as a supernatural force that can be used to override the usual laws of nature. Many fictional magical creatures exist in the series, while ordinary creatures also sometimes exhibit magical properties. Magical objects are also described. Witches and wizards refer to the rest of the population, who are generally unaware of magic, as "Muggles" in the United Kingdom and "No-Maj" in the United States.

Beholder (<i>Dungeons & Dragons</i>) Fictional monster in Dungeons & Dragons

The beholder is a fictional monster in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It is depicted as a floating orb of flesh with a large mouth, single central eye, and many smaller eyestalks on top with powerful magical abilities.

Magical creatures are an aspect of the fictional Wizarding World contained in the Harry Potter series and connected media, all created by British author J. K. Rowling. Throughout the seven main books of the series, Harry and his friends encounter many of these creatures on their adventures in Hogwarts, the Forbidden Forest, or other locations throughout the Wizarding World. In addition, students learn to take care of creatures such as hippogriffs and unicorns in the Care of Magical Creatures class at Hogwarts. Rowling has also written Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a guide to the magical beasts found in the series, and based on the fictional textbook of the same name written by Newt Scamander and used by students at Hogwarts. Many of these creatures are derived primarily from Greek mythology and other folklore, namely British and Scandinavian folklore. Many of the legends surrounding these mythical creatures are also incorporated in the books. "Children ... know that I didn't invent unicorns, but I've had to explain frequently that I didn't actually invent hippogriffs," Rowling told Stephen Fry in an interview for BBC Radio 4. "When I do use a creature that I know is a mythological entity, I like to find out as much as I can about it. I might not use it, but to make it as consistent as I feel is good for my plot."

<i>Ultimate Book of Spells</i> Canadian TV series or program

Ultimate Book of Spells is a 2001-2002 Canadian children's animated television series produced by BKN International. It ran for 26 episodes.

<i>Sabrina: The Animated Series</i> American animated television series

Sabrina: The Animated Series is an American animated television series based on the Archie Comics character Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Produced by Savage Studios Ltd. and Hartbreak Films in association with DIC Productions, L.P., the series is an animated spin-off of the 1996–2003 live-action series Sabrina the Teenage Witch.

<i>American Dragon: Jake Long</i> American animated television series (2005–2007)

American Dragon: Jake Long, or simply American Dragon, is an American animated television series. It was produced by Walt Disney Television Animation, created by Jeff Goode and co-developed by Eddie Guzelian and Matt Negrete. It premiered on Disney Channel on January 21, 2005, and ended on September 1, 2007. Fifty-two episodes were produced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magic item</span> Magic object used or present in mythology

A magic item is any object that has magical powers inherent in it. These may act on their own or be the tools of the person or being whose hands they fall into. Magic items are commonly found in both folklore and modern fantasy. Their fictional appearance is as old as the Iliad in which Aphrodite's magical girdle is used by Hera as a love charm.

<i>Flyte</i>

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.

<i>Magyk</i>

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.

<i>Septimus Heap</i> Series of fantasy novels

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.

<i>The Magic Thief</i>

The Magic Thief is the first book in a children's fantasy trilogy published by HarperCollins in June 2008. Authored by American Sarah Prineas and illustrated by Antonio Javier Caparo, the novel follows the adventures of Connwaer, a thief, who is taken into apprenticeship by Nevery Flinglas, an old wizard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jenna Heap</span> Fictional character

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marcia Overstrand</span> Fictional character

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.

<i>Syren</i> (novel)

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.

<i>Septimus Heap: The Magykal Papers</i>

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.

<i>Physik</i>

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.

References

  1. Septimus Heap Official Site
  2. "New wizard books to become films: Angie Sage interview". BBC. 16 July 2007. Retrieved 2008-12-24.
  3. BookBrowse (June 16, 2005). "An Interview with Angie Sage". BookBrowse.com. Retrieved 2008-12-30.
  4. "Magyk (Septimus Heab Book 1) Book Reviews". Commonsensemedia.org. Retrieved 2008-12-24.
  5. Cat Maniego (September 29, 2005). "Simply Magyk". Manila Standard . Retrieved 2008-12-22.
  6. Sabina Qazi (November 27, 2005). "Children's book reviews: Simply 'magyk'". Dawn.com. Retrieved 2008-12-22.