Family of Humfrey of Xanth
The magician Humfrey has the largest known extended family in Xanth. Characters from nearly the beginning of Xanth to many in current day Xanth are included in this long list. Due to various events in Humfrey's history, he has found himself the husband of five and a half wives. After going to Hell to retrieve Rose in the novel Question Quest, he discovered that his other wives still wished to be a part of his life. In an exchange with the Demon Xanth, each wife now spends a set amount of time with Humfrey in rotation while the rest wait in Hell.
The extended families will be listed under the wife who connects them to Humfrey.
Humboldt
He is Humfrey's older brother and introduced in Question Quest.
Unnamed sister
While telling the story of his past in Question Quest, Humfrey reveals that he has an older sister, whose name is not revealed.
Dana Demoness
She is Humfrey's first wife. She left him shortly after the birth of his first son Dafrey, since Dafrey got her soul piece that had allowed her to love. However, in she later discovers that she had not gotten rid of her entire half soul and returns to Humfrey disguised as his new wife Maiden Taiwan, seduces him and produces their second child Matt A Door. Her name is actually Dara Demoness; she just never bothered to correct Humfrey.
The family tree from Dana Demoness
| Humfrey | Dana Demoness | ||||||||||||||||
| Dafrey | Matt A Door | ||||||||||||||||
Dafrey
He is the first son of Humfrey. A half-demon, he nevertheless has a full soul because his mother gave him the half-soul that had given her the ability to love Humfrey. In The Color of Her Panties it is revealed that once Dafrey grows up and has a child, he passes the soul on to that child and loses it himself.
Matt A Door
He appears briefly in Up in a Heaval. His talent was making doors into unobtainable areas, but only those that are inaccessible. Sadly, he slept most of his life away and died before discovering his father's identity.
Maiden (Matron) Taiwan
She is Humfrey's second wife after Dana Demoness, whom he married mainly so his son Dafrey would have a mother. She left him when Humfrey abdicated the throne and went in search of Castle Roogna. She was introduced in Question Quest. Studied physics at Squeedunk University, finished first semester of senior year prior to arriving in Xanth. Used scientific application of Xanth's magical laws, including Law of Similarity, to invent faster than light propulsion system for centaur's voyage to Alpha Centauri. Joint founder of Mai-Den Industrial Park, the first Xanth corporation, secretly chartered by King Ebnez as an armorer. Enjoys virtual Sorceress status as her results are roughly equivalent to what Magician-level magic can achieve.
The family tree from Maiden (Matron) Taiwan
| Humfrey | Maiden Taiwan | Maiden China | Maiden Japan | Maiden Mexico | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Maiden China
She is the sister of Maiden Taiwan and was introduced in Currant Events.
Maiden Japan
She is a sworn sister of Maiden Taiwan and was introduced in Currant Events. Studied computer science at Squeedunk University, finished first semester of senior year prior to arriving in Xanth. Created Com-Pewter as a result of her research into the limits of how science functions in Xanth. Joint founder of Mai-Den Industrial Park, the first Xanth corporation, secretly chartered by King Ebnez as an armorer. Enjoys virtual Sorceress status as her results are roughly equivalent to what Magician-level magic can achieve.
Maiden Mexico
She is a sworn sister of Maiden Taiwan and was introduced in Currant Events. Studied chemistry at Squeedunk University, finished first semester of senior year prior to arriving in Xanth. Joint founder of Mai-Den Industrial Park, the first Xanth corporation, secretly chartered by King Ebnez as an armorer. Enjoys virtual Sorceress status as her results are roughly equivalent to what Magician-level magic can achieve.
Mai-Den Industrial Park
Founded by Maidens Taiwan, Mexico, and Japan, who were first introduced in Currant Events. As recounted in Knot Gneiss, these ladies came from their respective countries on scholarship to Squeedunk University (where Grey Murphy was a student a generation later) to study science, as they were unable to do in their home countries due to gender discrimination. They met for senior spring break at a resort in Fort Lauderdale, deciding to first form a sisterhood and later a corporation to jointly develop and market their inventions. Unfortunately, their plane encountered wind-shear and they did not make it back to Squeedunk to finish their diplomas. Instead, they were rescued by the Demoness Nan O'Tek, who teleported them out from the plane as it was about to crash, in exchange for an oath of lifetime loyalty. Together they applied the rigors of science-based research and development to the laws of magic and the artifacts of Xanth, to create inventions of significant utility and power. Based on this success they approached King Ebnez to create Xanth's first corporation, the Mai-Den Industrial Park. The corporation has now become a major, but secret, defense contractor for the Kingdom of Xanth. They have acted occasionally as contractors to the Good Magician Humfrey.
Rose Pax of Bliss
Daughter of Lord Bliss and Lady Ashley Rose, Rose is Humfrey's third wife and mother to Humfrey's only daughter, Rosetta. She is also known as Rose of Roogna.
The family tree from Rose Pax of Bliss
| curse fiend | Gromden | Demoness Metria | Veleno | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Demon Ted | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bluebell Elf | Jordan the Barbarian | Threnody | Yin-Yang | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Grundy Golem | Rapunzel | Repulsive | Lord Bliss | Lady Ashley Rose | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Surprise | Umlaut Golem | Humphrey | Rose Pax of Bliss | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prize | Stone | Rosetta Stone née Bliss-Humfrey | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rosetta Bliss-Humfrey
She is the only daughter of Humfrey and Rose and wife of Stone. Her talent is to bring stones to life when she concentrates.
Stone
He is the husband of Rosetta.
Rosetta Stone
She is the daughter of Rosetta and Stone. Her talent is being able to translate languages.
Lord Bliss
He is the son of Yin-Yang, husband of Lady Ashley Rose, and father of Rose (Bliss) of Roogna.
Lady Ashley Rose
She is the wife of Lord Bliss and mother of Rose (Bliss) of Roogna.
Yin-Yang
See Yin-Yang.
Gromden
See Gromden.
Metria
First introduced in Vale of the Vole, the Demoness Metria becomes a common character in the series. She is well known for her inability to choose the correct word at random times during her speech, a trait which often gives her away when she is in demonic disguise. Like all demons, Metria can change shape and appearance at will and uses this ability to cause much mischief in Xanth. She is the mother of Threnody by Gromden and Demon Ted by her husband Veleno. It is said that she always tells the truth, but she strives to do it in a way that will lead the one asking questions into mischief.
Threnody
Threnody is a half-demon/half-human woman whose father was King Gromden and whose mother was Demoness Metria. Threnody betrays and murders Jordan the Barbarian in Crewel Lye: A Caustic Yarn, after which she ends up in a loveless marriage with Magician Yin-Yang. Due to a curse placed on her by her curse-fiend stepmother, Threnody cannot enter Castle Roogna or it will fall. She and Yin-Yang live outside the castle, which ultimately causes it to become abandoned by the Xanth monarchy until Bink rediscovers it in A Spell for Chameleon. She eventually kills herself, and haunts Castle Roogna for 400 years as a ghost known as Renee. After death, she re-meets Jordan, also a ghost, and they fall in love. When Jordan was reanimated by Princess Ivy at the end of Crewel Lye, he also reanimates Renee - only to find out she is really Threnody. Eventually Jordan forgives her and they get married. Threnody was a main character in the Xanth books Crewel Lye: A Caustic Yarn and Golem in the Gears. Her name may be a reference to a song of mourning (considering the auspices of her first death) or to the Ralph Waldo Emerson poem of the same name, written about the death of his son.
Jordan the Barbarian
Jordan is a barbarian adventurer with the talent of regeneration. In Crewel Lye: A Caustic Yarn, his brief union with Bluebell Elf produces Rapunzel, Grundy the Golem's wife. He is betrayed and murdered by the woman he loves, Threnody, who was actually attempting to protect him from the evil Magician Yin-Yang. Both Jordan and Threnody became ghosts haunting Castle Roogna until being reanimated by Ivy 400 years later, after which they get married. Jordan is the star of the Xanth book, Crewel Lye: A Caustic Yarn. In their recent appearances, Jordan and Threnody seem to have a sadomasochistic relationship, relating to Jordan's ability to regenerate wounds, limbs, etc.
Bluebell Elf
A minor character only referenced briefly in Crewel Lye: A Caustic Yarn, Bluebell is the elf with whom Jordan had a tryst which would eventually produce Rapunzel.
Grundy the Golem
A sarcastic, doll-sized golem, made out of string and clay, that was brought to life by the Demon X(A/N)th in a display of the demon's power in The Source of Magic. His talent is Translation; he can understand and speak to any living thing. He is the husband of Rapunzel and father of Surprise. He starred in the ninth Xanth book Golem in the Gears and appeared as a primary or secondary character in many of the previous books.
Rapunzel
Rapunzel's talent is her hair, which grows fast and thick. She first appears in Golem in the Gears imprisoned in the Ivory Tower as a captive of "Mother Sweetness," the Sea Hag. She is able to change sizes due to her ancestors, Jordan Barbarian and Bluebell Elf. After Grundy rescues her in Golem in the Gears, they get married, eventually having a magician-caliber daughter named Surprise.
Repulsive
She is Rapunzel's sister who is introduced in The Dastard. Her talent is making face masks
Surprise
See Surprise.
Veleno
He is the husband of Metria and father of Demon Ted. His talent is changing white popcorn into rainbow popcorn
Demon Ted
He is the son of Metria and Veleno. Is best friends with DeMonica and good friends of the triplet princesses because they are all the same age
Umlaut Golem
He is husband to Surprise.
His talent is emulation, making himself appear to be something he is not. Originally a construct of the Demon Jupiter for a contest, he eventually was given half a soul from Surprise making him a real person.
Prize
She is the daughter of Surprise and Umlaut Golem and appears in Stork Naked.
Sofia Mundane
She is Humfrey's fourth wife and mother to his second son, Crombie. She is also known as Sofia Socksorter. She is Humfrey's only wife from Mundania.
The family tree from Sofia Mundane
| Humfrey | Sofia Socksorter | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Grinelle Griffin | Crombie the Soldier | Jewel Nymph | Crunch Ogre | curse fiend | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Griselda Griffin | Tandy Nymph | Smash Ogre | Brawye Brassie | Blyth Brassie | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draco Dragon | Eskil Ogre | Bria Brassie | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Becka Dragongirl | Brusque | Briskil | Nina | Epoxy Ogre | Benzene Brassie | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nora | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Crombie
Crombie the Soldier is the son of Sofia Socksorter and Good Magician Humfrey. He is a woman-hater (largely because of his mother and Demoness Metria, as revealed in Question Quest), a friend of Bink, and a friendly enemy of Chester Centaur. He swears allegiance to King Trent as a soldier. He's also the husband of Jewel the Nymph and father of Tandy the Nymph. His magic talent is to point in the direction of anything. Tandy married Smash Ogre and they produced a grandson for Crombie named Esk Ogre. Esk married Bria Brassie, and they have given Crombie three great grandchildren: Brusque, Benzene Brassie, and Epoxy Ogre. Crombie is a main character in the Xanth book The Source of Magic.
Jewel the Nymph
Jewel was a main character in the second Xanth book, The Source of Magic. She is a nymph who plants jewels all around the land of Xanth, the wife of Crombie The Soldier, and mother of Tandy The Nymph. In The Source of Magic Bink of North Village is tricked into drinking from a love spring, whose water makes the victim fall in love with whomever/whatever they see next (and is the means whereby many cross-breed individuals and races of Xanth such as the Centaurs were created). Jewel was the first person Bink saw, so he instantly fell in love with her. The problem was, Bink was already married to Chameleon. Bink was cured of this love during the Time of No Magic, when the spell, like all others, failed. Later, Crombie the Soldier, (whom Jewel healed in The Source of Magic) and Jewel The Nymph took a love potion together to fall in love with each other. This was necessary because Crombie was (is?) a confirmed woman-hater and Jewel had fallen in love with Bink. They do not live together, since Crombie's job keeps him at Castle Roogna, and Jewel's task of planting gems keeps her in the underworld, but they (Crombie in particular) seem to like it that way. As a rule, Crombie only comes to see Jewel and Tandy when he is on leave (probably when he wants to get intimate with Jewel). Although Jewel is very mature for her kind, she remains basically a nymph at heart, and thus has no problem with this arrangement.
Tandy
Tandy the Nymph is the daughter of Crombie and Jewel, wife of Smash, and mother of Eskil. Tandy has the talent of throwing a tantrum, an invisible explosive ball of energy that can stun the victim for a short period of time. The tantrum only happens when she is under emotional stress such as anger or fear. In the fifth Xanth novel, Ogre, Ogre, Tandy rode Mare Imbri, a night mare, to ask Humfrey how to deflect a demon's unwanted sexual attentions. Humfrey's solution was to enlist Smash Ogre to protect her. During his contract the two fell in love and ultimately married, eventually producing a son named Eskill Ogre.
Grinelle
A griffeness from the Magic Dust Village who seduced Crombie with water from a love spring while he was under a spell that turned him into a griffin. She then sprinkled him with Lethe elixir afterward so he would forget. She is the mother of Griselda. She was introduced in The Source of Magic.
Griselda
The griffon daughter of Crombie and Grinelle. Since Crombie was a human in griffon form while she was conceived, she was born with human intelligence. She was introduced in The Dastard.
Crunch the Ogre
He is a vegetarian ogre, husband of a Curse Fiend and father of Smash Ogre. Crunch first appeared in The Source of Magic.
Smash
Smash the Ogre is the son of Crunch the Ogre and a curse fiend, husband of Tandy the Nymph, and father of Eskil. He traveled through Xanth protecting Tandy in Ogre, Ogre. He was first seen in Castle Roogna and later appeared as a main character in Centaur Aisle and Night Mare. Due to a brush with an Eye Queue vine in Ogre, Ogre, he becomes more intelligent and civilized than the average ogre, and eventually is able to transform back and forth between his ogre form and a smaller, more manlike shape.
Blythe Brassie
Originally known as Blyght Brassie and changed her name to Blythe, she is the wife of Brawye and mother of Bria. She traveled under Smash's protection in Ogre, Ogre. She also appears in Night Mare.
Brawye Brassie
He is the husband of Blythe and father of Bria.
Eskil
He is the son of Smash and Tandy; husband of Bria; father of Brusque, Briskil, Epoxy Ogre, and Benzene Brassie. He is sometimes called Esk Ogre, but as a quarter ogre Eskil can only become an ogre when he's angry, and then it's undependable. His actual talent is protesting; when Eskil says, "No!" he really means it, as the person/creature told "no" has to stop what they were trying to do. Esk was the main character in Vale of the Vole.
Bria Brassie
She is the daughter of Blythe and Brawye, wife of Eskil, and mother of Brusque, Briskil, Epoxy Ogre, and Benzene Brassie. Like all Brassies, Bria originally came from the Realm of the Hypnogourd in the land of brass. She can be a hard case, but always has a soft spot for Eskil Ogre.
Brusque
He is the son of Eskil and Bria. He is the husband of Becka Dragongirl
Draco Dragon
A Dragon that lives in the same mountain as the Naga. He killed Merwin Merman over a misunderstanding. During a mishap with a love spring he ended up having a daughter Becka, who is half human
Becka Dragongirl
The daughter of Drago Dragon and unnamed human woman, she is able to shift between dragon, human and hybrid forms. She is the wife of Brusque
Briskil
He is a possible son of Eskil and Bria and husband of Nina. Seen in Faun and Games.
Nina
She is the wife of Briskil. Seen in Faun and Games.
Epoxy Ogre
He is the son of Eskil and Bria. He has the talent of making things hard and fast.
Benzene Brassie
She is the daughter of Eskil and Bria. She has the talent of making things soft and loose
Gorgon
She is Humfrey's fifth wife and mother to his third son Hugo. Based on the mythological Gorgon (most specifically Medusa), her talent is a face which turns any living creature that sees it to stone. Humfrey has nullified this effect by placing a screen of invisibility around her face and, years later, masking that with an illusionary copy of her actual visage. She was first introduced in The Source of Magic as a danger, but not as a malicious creature.
The family tree from Gorgon
?+?
|
+-----+-----+
| |
Human Man+Mermaid Nabob Naga Nara Naga+Nathan
| | |
+--+--+ +-----+-----+ Nefra Naga Grossclout
| | | | |
Humfrey+Gorgon Siren+Morris Merman Merwin Merman+Melantha Merwoman+Naldo Naga Nada Naga----+----Demon Prince Vore
| | | | |
Hugo+Wira Cyrus---------+---------Merci Merwoman Nadine Naga DeMonica
|
Liz
Hugo
He is the son of Humfrey and Gorgon and husband of Wira. His name is a combination of his father's and mother's names. He was a childhood friend of Ivy. He is hopelessly inept; for example, his talent, conjuring fruit, often produces overly ripe or rotten examples. Ivy enhanced his talent and qualities in Dragon on a Pedestal, but only in her presence. After his marriage to Wira, Hugo, like many a married man in Xanth, shapes up a bit.
Later, it is discovered that Hugo's ineptitude was caused by a seed from the Mediocre-Tree; once the seed was removed, he was able to conjure perfect fruit without Ivy's enhancement.
Wira
She is the blind wife of Hugo. Her talent is sensitivity. She often greets characters after they have surmounted the three challenges required to gain admittance to Good Magician Humfrey's castle, and appears in this capacity in most Xanth novels following the Question Quest. Wira is the one person Magician Humfrey does not treat like an idiot. Recently was given the ability to see as a gift by the Nimby for helping find his lost son Nimbus.
Liz
The daughter of Hugo and Wira, granddaughter of Humfrey and Gorgon. Her name is based on her talent of summoning and taming lizards. She is introduced in Board Stiff and still a young infant. It is hoped by her mother that she will eventually become a dragon tamer.
Siren
She is the sister of Gorgon, aunt of Hugo, wife of Morris, and mother of Cyrus. Being half human, she's able to turn her fish tail into legs unlike most freshwater merpeople. Her talent is that when she sings while playing her enchanted dulcimer, all males are enchanted to follow the music to her location. She traveled with Smash in Ogre, Ogre. She was first seen in The Source of Magic.
Morris Merman
He is the husband of the Siren and father of Cyrus.
Cyrus Merman
He is the son of the Siren and Morris and husband of Merci.
Merwin Merman
He is the first husband of Mela and father of Merci.
Melantha Merwoman
Her first husband was Merwin with whom she had Merci. After his death she married Naldo. She is introduced in Heaven Cent and is the main character in the fifteenth Xanth book, The Color of Her Panties. Incidentally, her panties are plaid.
Merci Merwoman
She is the daughter of Mela and Merwin.
Naldo Naga
He is the son of Nabob, brother of Nada, and husband of Mela. He helps the goblins in Isle of View.
Nadine Naga
She is the daughter of Naldo and Mela. She is seen in The Dastard.
Nada Naga
She is the daughter of Nabob, sister of Naldo, wife of Vore, and mother of Demonica. She becomes betrothed to Dolph in Heaven Cent under false pretenses, and lived in Castle Roogna for several years afterwards, becoming close friends with Dolph's older sister Ivy. Dolph calls off their engagement two books later in Isle of View. As a young woman, her breast size was legendary throughout Xanth.
Nabob Naga
He is the father of Naldo and Nada.
Demon Prince Vore
Properly addressed as D. Vore. He is the son of Grossclout, husband of Nada, and father of Demonica.
Demonica
She is the daughter of Nada and Vore.
Grossclout
He is the father of Vore. His title is Demon Professor, and he is in charge of the demon's school (as revealed in the Question Quest ). Grossclout is also administrator for the Companions of Xanth game, which was the subject of Demons Don't Dream. He is incredibly intelligent and horribly impatient with lesser intellects (that means practically everyone), whose brains, Grossclout claims, are full of mush. He has a fierce rivalry with Metria with a tiny tinge of mutual respect.
Nara Naga
The mate of Nathan and mother of Nefra Naga. She is introduced in Zombie Lover.
Nathan
The human mate of the naga Nara and father of Nefra Naga. He is introduced in Zombie Lover.
Nefra Naga
She is the daughter of Nara Naga and Nathan, a human. She is the cousin of Naldo and Nada. Because she has a human parent she has magic talent of switching the positions of objects. She is introduced in Zombie Lover.
MareAnn
She is Humfrey's first love and his fifth "and a half" wife. Despite her name, she is human. She possesses the talent of summoning equine beasts of any kind, such as centaurs, unicorns and winged horses. However, after losing her innocence, she would no longer be able to summon unicorns, which were her favorites, and so refused to marry Humfrey. However, after spending time in Hell (where she met Humfrey's other wives), she lost her innocence and her ability to summon the unicorns. As a result, when she was rescued from Hell, she agreed to marry Humfrey at last.
The family tree from Mare Ann
| Humfrey | Mare Ann | ||||||||||||||||
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