Characters

The Main Characters of the Abhorsen trilogy, I'm currently in the process of drawing up a complete character list, this however will take time, will note it when i update...

Sabriel
She is the firstborn daughter of Terciel the Abhorsen. She is raised on the wrong side of the wall to be of any use as Abhorsen-in-waiting to her father, but we get the feeling Terciel is trying to protect her. Never the less, she jumps wholeheartedly into her role (with the snide help from Mogget) when Terciel is trapped in death. She defeats Kerrigor by binding him with the ring meant to control Mogget. In the second & third books she is still the ball-busting Abhorsen & also Queen of the Old Kingdom, married to King Touchstone with two children (Sameth & Ellimere) unknown to her at the time, she also has a sister, Lirael. The Bell Sabriel chooses to bind Orranis with is Saraneth, apt considering at the time she is known as a 'legendary' binder of the dead.

Ellimere
Daughter of Touchstone and Sabriel, Ellimere is the elder and more refined of the two children. She closely resembles Sabriel with her dark hair and beauty. Ellimere is a near polar opposite to her brother Sam. She prefers formality, even though she does not always wear formal clothes, and order, dividing everything into schedules. It is clear that she is intended to rule the country when the time comes, while Sam is supposed to be the Abhorsen. Trying her best to act as a perfect princess, Ellimere often seems entirely too bossy and uptight about appearances and schedules, but she does care for her brother and can be counted upon to fight when necessary. When Lirael calls upon her family to bind Orannis with the Bells, Ellimere chooses Dyrim. According to the Lore of the Bells, Dyrim has the power to 'still a tongue that moves too freely' this ties in with Ellimere's bossy nature & regal ability to shut everyone up *hehe* what a queen she'll make!

Sanar & Ryelle
Though we meet these Clayr twins in the first book, they only take on a major role in Lirael. Taller than Lirael with extremely bright blonde hair and blue eyes, the twins are so flawlessly identical that, without knowing them for a while, it is impossible to tell them apart. They have the strongest Sight in the Clayr Glacier, and were awakened when they were sixteen, an age unheard of as most girls gain their sight at a much younger age. Because of their strong Sight, they are nearly always on the Nine Day Watch and are quite often the Voice of the Watch. They seem most sympathetic with Lirael's plight and are the most-mentioned of the Clayr. The Bell the sisters choose in the binding of Orannis is Mosrael, the bells' sound is described as a Seesaw which, considering the sisters are twins & in some ways represent the two halves of one person, is apt.

Mogget
Currently in the form of a small white cat with green eyes, Mogget is known in the first two books as a Free Magic creature of uncertain background. He can take other forms and has, as Sabriels' father tells her, spent a large amount of time as a small albino man. Mogget always has a red leather collar with a bell on it, Saraneth at the beginning of the trilogy and Ranna later, formed from a silver ring set with a ruby which the Abhorsen carries. This collar restricts Mogget, binding him to the will of the Abhorsen. Mogget tends to be sarcastic and brusque due to his long tenure as a sort of servant, but he is very intelligent and helpful when he wants to be, usually with a nasty remark thrown in for good form. The freed form of Mogget is the traditional Free Magic being made of white fire with a deadly desire to kill the current Abhorsen in payment for the countless years it has been enslaved. We find out in Abhorsen that Mogget is actually Yrael, the 8th of the Nine Bright Shiners; the Spirits of the Beginning.

Touchstone
The last of the royal line, Touchstone is the bastard son of the last Queen, two hundred years before Sabriels' time. Imprisoned for those two hundred years as a wooden figurehead in Holehollow, Touchstone knows little of the events in the Old Kingdom in the first book. While a little out of the loop, Touchstone is a very strong Charter Mage and swordsman. He later marries Sabriel & becomes King of the Old Kingdom, working to restore the damage done in Kerrigors reign. Touchstone's character isn't really explored past his remorse at the loss of his mother & sisters and his love for Sabriel & his children as well as a slight 'beserker' temper that can usually be quelled by Sabriel. The bell he wields against Orannis is Ranna, which considering he was asleep for 200 is deliciously apt. (we also find out during the binding that Touchstones real name is Torrigan).

Sameth
The son of Touchstone and Sabriel, Sameth is supposed to be the Abhorsen-in-Waiting to his mother, but it becomes clear very early on he hates and greatly fears Death and entering the realm of Death, or even reading the Book of the Dead; after a brush with Hedge at the first Gate,. He does however have a knack for magical mechanisms, (such as a fly-catching mechanical frog) which subconciously points us that his destiny lies elsewhere. Tall, with the same curly brown hair as his father, Sam tends to look regal without trying. His avoidance of his Abhorsen-in-Waiting duties, as well as his general avoidance of his duties as a royal prince, worries his family. He is very athletic with some sword skills and highly technical knowledge of the Charter, but he tends to be too overconfident and too hesitant at the wrong times. Good at heart, Sam tends to make things worse for himself and others by refusing to admit his fears and inabilities. He's much better at following and supporting, but when he is most needed he follows through beautifully. When Lirael & Sameth take cover in the Abhorsen's house, we find out that he is decent of the Wallmakers...which at least explains his obsession with making things *g* It is Sameth who reforges Nemhia with the blood of the family & the pipes of the Clayr to defeat Orannis. During the binding, he chooses Belgaer, which considering the bell is called 'the Thinker' for Sam, is apt.

Terciel
The Abhorsen father of Sabriel, and Lirael. Although he never knew of even met his youngest daughter Lirael, he seems a very kind and caring father to Sabriel, although somewhat absentee. Much like Sabriel, his many walks in Death have turned his complexion unnaturally pale, also sharing the familial similarity of dark hair and tall build. He let Mogget resume his form of the small albino man where other Abhorsen's would not. He dies in the first book after being trapped in death for so long under Kerrigor's order. Sabriel then takes up his place as Abhorsen.

Lirael
Daughter of a fated one night union between the Clayr Arielle and the Abhorsen Terciel; Lirael is born as the dark-haired oddity among the strikingly blonde Clayr, Lirael has never really fitted in. She finds contentment in her role of second assistant librarian in the extensive library in the Clayr glacier. Somewhat unwilling to befriend her fellow humans she animates a small soapstone dog into a charter created 'real thing'. Dog becomes her closest friend & along with Prince Sameth & the rest of her family, she binds & 'destroys' Orannis. The bell she uses in the binding is Astarael. Described as 'the sorrowful' or 'weeper' Astarael (according to the Dog) will always be outside the Charter, will forever be conciously excluded from what she chose to create. I suppose her sorrow is understandable and with being a fellow outcast, Lirael (having been outcast from the Clayr) can identify. At the end of the trilogy, she loses Dog & also her hand, but seemingly gains the love of Nicholas Sayre. She is still Abhorsen-in-Waiting.

the Disreputable Dog
Made from a soapstone dog, with a little help from a Charter spell and a wire mesh framework and a lot of Free Magic, the Disreputable Dog is Lirael's near-constant friend and advisor. Similar to Mogget, the Dog has a collar made of Charter marks, but unlike Mogget it restrains none of her actions & is described as being akin to a Charter Stone to touch 'a way into the charter', however the Dog is more helpful and friendly than the malcontented little cat. Throughout the books the dog often surprises Lirael with her abilities, & in 'Abhorsen' we find out that Dog is actually Kibeth, the 3rd of the Nine Bright Shiners, one of the seven who bound Orannis (& also Yrael/Mogget) first time around. Obviously then, she is also the namesake of the 3rd Necromancers Bell 'Kibeth, the Walker'. Hints to her true identity are given to us all through Lirael and Abhorsen, to be honest they're quite obvious, but it never clicked with me *g*.

Kerrigor
Very powerful member of the Greater Dead. Half brother of Touchstone, he was once a royal prince (Rogir) but turned to the 'darkside' as it were & over time became unrecognizable with the use & greed for Free magics. Furthuring his plot to destroy all the Charter Marks he killed his mother the Queen and her daughters 200 years ago. During Sabriel he attempts the cliché villain role of trying to kill the main characters, destroying the Kingdom, blah blah blah. Sabriel binds him with Saraneth into the form of a little black cat, bound with the same spell as Mogget, at the end of Abhorsen he still sleeps locked away under the Abhorsen's house.

Hedge
A thin and balding necromancer in the employ of Orannis, Hedge has become steadily less of a man and more of a Free Magic creature over the last two books, though it is noted at least twice that he could be over 100 years old. He is the avatar of his employer until he releases a shard into Nicholas, mistaking the boy for Prince Sameth. Hedge provides a great challenge for Sam, burning him and scaring him away from all things related to Death. Though a powerful Free Magic Sorcerer he has become seemingly too overconfident in his abilities and turns out not to be strong enough to resist the lure of the 9th Gate.

Chlorr
Often called 'Chlorr of the Mask' A necromancer also under the power of Orannis and also of Hedge, she is a very, very old woman who was once a powerful necromancer. She wraps herself in heavy furs, even in direct sunlight and summer, with silk gloves and rings of bone. The only visible skin is terribly pale, seen around the edges of her bronze mask. She proves to be a problem for Sabriel but is a relatively small annoyance compared to Hedge and Orannis. Chlorr is old enough to have faced Abhorsens past, which makes walking in Death difficult for her as Death particularly likes to reclaim those too long out of its grasp. Towards the end of Lirael she seems to be one of the Greater Dead rather than alive, but she never gets truly banished.