List of animals of the Edge Chronicles
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article lists the vast array of fictional animals found in the Edge Chronicles, a series of young adult books set in a fantasy world created by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell.
For more information about the fictional world of the Edge, please see the similar article, Plants of the Edge Chronicles.
Contents |
[edit] A
- Angler - Anglers are a type of land-dwelling fish that hunt their prey by pretending to be a fruit. As soon as the creature goes to eat it, the angler launches up and eats its prey.
[edit] B
- Banderbear - Banderbears are similar to bears in our world. Though very large and intimidating, they are actually peaceful creatures. They have a very thick coat of fur which appears green, but this is actually because it's covered with Sytil moss. Banderbears have very large tusks growing out of the bottom jaw of their mouth. They lurk in the Deepwoods, and are solitary creatures, although they have regular clan meetings known as convocations, allowing only their kind. Although one Banderbear seldom meets another, they keep in contact by yodelling to one another at night, sharing every detail of their lives. In Freeglader, a great army of Banderbears destroys most of the Goblin elite during the Battle in the barley fields. Notable Banderbears include Hubble of the Galerider and Stormchaser, the unamed Banderbear who befriends Twig in Beyond the Deepwoods, Goom and the Banderbears who Rook befriends.
- Barkelves - In Stormchaser, the character Screed remembers his earlier conquests: As a rule, the travellers who passed his way journeyed in groups of their own kind. A gang of darkridge goblins, a gaggle of barkelves... It is assumed that Barkelves are relations of Oakelves.
- Barkslug - Twig makes a reference to them in the first book, on page 74 when speaking to the gloamglozer, disguised as a slaughterer. "And for stuck-up slaughterers who treat you like a hero one minute and a barkslug the next!" They are mentioned many times as items of contempt.
- Barkworm - They are mentioned in Midnight Over Sanctaphrax as minor pests that eat into old books and scrolls: "I've watched you sit there for hours, pouring over some scrap of bark, half eaten by woodmoths and barkworms..."
- Black-dwarf - In Stormchaser, the character Twig comes across all sorts of creatures in the Bloodoak Tavern: There were flat-head and hammer-head goblins.....black-dwarfs and red-dwarfs...
- Blood-Red Glister - A large beast featured in The Curse of the Gloamglozer, it is formless and forever changing shape. Like normal glisters, it feeds off of strong human emotions, but this larger variety doesn't stop until the victim is sucked dry. It is about 6 feet tall.
- Brogtroll - Brogtrolls are extremely large and strong creatures, with large drooping noses, scraggly hair, and warty skin. Most Brogtrolls are very dumb and quite forgetful. Their stength and apparent lack of morals mean they usually end up as the "dumb muscle" of any gang or the obedient heavy-lifter of a sky-ship crew.
[edit] C
- Caterbird - Possibly the most amazing creatures in the whole of the Edge. Caterbirds are the physical manifestation of the very seeds of life known as glisters. Caterbirds are born when a glister weaves a specially made cocoon in a grove of lullabee trees. Only one caterbird hatches every 100 years, and so they are very rare. They resemble real-world Hornbills in that they have a long crest-like horn sticking out of the back of their heads. The birds are uniformly black and white. They know everything that every other Caterbird (past and present) knows, making them almost omniscient.
- Cloddertrog - Cloddertrogs are large, bulky creatures, with big lumpy noses dominating their faces. Most individuals have large fourheads, small bloodshot eyes and prominent yellow teeth. Cloddertrogs are known for their violent disposition to "outsiders", but are quite loyal to friends and family. Cloddertrogs are happy with simple, heavy-lifting jobs such as loading and unloading at port docks, and are well built for such tasks. Most Clods are also quite superstitious, tending to believe in spirits and ghosts. They made up a large part of the gatekeepers of Sanctaphrax.
- Cloudeater - A giant beast, said to be drawn in from open sky in "The Winter Knights", a book by Paul Stewart . In The Winter Knights, it appears as a hauling white beast, very similar in appearance to a cloud, and it eats clouds therefor building up the whitish puss, and making it looking like a cloud. When the Cloudeater is freed it takes the appearance of a brilliant multi-colored serpent. It is mentioned that the eye of it is bigger than the great oval window in the Knights Academy.
- Crystal Spider - Creatures living in the Gardens of Light.
[edit] D
- Darkridge Goblin - In Stormchaser, the character Screed remembers his earlier conquests: As a rule, the travellers who passed his way journeyed in groups of their own kind. A gang of darkridge goblins, a gaggle of barkelves... It can be assumed that Darkridge Goblins are part of the larger Goblin family (see also Flat-head Goblin, Hammer-head Goblin, etc)
[edit] E
- Edge Wraith - Edge Wraiths are ferocious white bat-like creatures that live low beneath the Edge. They feed on the things that are poured over the edge.
[edit] F
- Firemoth - Venomous moths that live in the Gardens of Light, but sometimes go outside into the forest.
- Flat-head Goblin - Flat-head goblins are characterised by their flat, narrow heads. Flat-heads have notoriously bad tempers and are very aggressive and warlike. In many civilized places (i.e. Undertown and Sanctaphrax) they are used as guards. They are often used as deck-warriors by Sky Pirates. Notable Flat-heads include Sagbutt of the Galerider, Captain Sigbord of the Sanctaphrax Treasury Guard, Mugbutt of the Stormchaser and Bogwit of Vilnix Pompolnious's elite bodyguard and later the Edgedancer.
- Flitterwaif- flying waifs. Unlike many waifs, these creatures are actively carnivorous, and lead beings astray. They have, like all waifs, huge batlike ears, but also have wings and three curved fangs.
- Fromp - On Old Sanctaphrax, they were used for fighting against each other, while the academics betted on them. They are mistreated and starved them so they would no longer be friendly creatures and fight. They have a stripy prehensile tail, curving claws, a long proboscis like a butterfly, and rabbitlike ears. Known for their comical, spluttered warning cough.
- Forthling - The equivalent of humans. They are capable of interbreeding with other bipedal races. Seldom seen and often unknown in the Deepwoods.
[edit] G
- Gabtroll - Bizarre, civilized creatures resembling bat-eared slugs. It is not known whether they are in fact related to Woodtrolls or other trolls, as they are quite different in appearance. They are known for their stalked, green eyeballs. As they wear heavy gowns all of the time, it is unclear whether or not they possess legs.
- Ghostwaif - Tiny, pale waifs with very long barbels. Amberfuce was a Ghostwaif.
- Giant Fromp - Self-Explanatory. Do not cough, but are known for their deep, booming calls.
- Glister - They are the seeds of all life. They cannot be seen directly. Sometimes they hide inside old, dark, abandoned buildings. If a glister wanders into the open, or has a grain of chine (a mineral gathered from Riverrise) blown on it, it will crumble into dust. They react differently to different emotions; sometimes flashing, sometimes glowing. Any number of Glisters may weave themselves a cocoon in a lullabee tree grove, however, only one caterbird hatches every 100 years.
- Glintergoblin - In Cloud Wolf, a leaguesman called Marl Mankroyd made a deal with glinter goblins to get black jewels.
- Gladehawk - Varis Lodd named her skycraft "Gladehawk". Quint and Maris glimpse one in the Deepwoods during Clash of the Sky Galleons.
- Gloamglozer -It is a trickster and a shapeshifter; it can resemble any living creature, but its true form is a hideous, warty, sneering face, framed by two sinister curving horns, as well as a featureless robe that floats above the ground, long arms and calloused hands with sharp claws. The Gloamglozer is said to feed on others' emotions; it craves most fear. It does not harm you directly, since it has no physical strength, but it uses a subterfuge of lies, trickery and traps to make you harm yourself.
- Gnokgoblin - Symbiote Goblins, slightly similar to Gyle Goblins. They possess huge, flat noses that take up most of their face. They are fairly common outside the Deepwoods. They usually dress similarly to Native Americans.
- Greywaif - Smooth-skinned Waifs with two short barbels. Cancaresse the Silent may have been one of these.
- Gyle Goblin - Symbiote Goblins that live a colonial existence, similar to ants. They have huge, protruding noses, and skinny arms and legs. There is only one female in each colony, called a Grossmother. She is indescribably fat, and cooks honey to feed her colony.
[edit] H
- Halitoad- a large froglike reptile, noted for its poisonous breath which it uses to kill its prey.
- Hammelhorn - Hammelhorns are herd animals, domesticated like sheep and cows. They resemble huge mounds of shaggy hair, with a large, sad-looking face. Like the Tilder, they possess three hooves on each foot. If their long black hair is brushed up the wrong way, it bristles up and becomes extremely sharp.
- Hammer-head Goblin - From the Goblin family. Hammer-heads are similar to Flat-heads in their appearance, but their head is stretched and their eyes are spaced very far apart. They are vicious warring creatures. They often make up the elite of an goblin army and are prized as bodyguards. Notable Hammer-heads include General Tytugg of Old Undertown, Lytugg his Grandaughter and leader of the Hammer-head and Flat-head Goblins Nations and Slad and Dunkrigg of Tytugg's elite guard, who take part in the Battle of the Great Library.
- Hoverworm A snake-like creature similar to a Logworm, about a metre in length, having a poisonous bite, which causes the victim to fill with hot air and eventually explode unless given an antidote. Twig gets attacked by one shortly after leaving the Woodtroll path, and discovers a Slaughterer by the name of Gristle who has been bitten on the foot by the hoverworm.
[edit] L
- Lemkin - Small creatures which can be kept as pets. In the Deepwoods, when there is danger nearby, it lets out a screech, followed by a staccato cough to warn other Lemkins; Waa-iiiii - kha-kha-kha-kha-kha....Maris Pallitax once owned a pet lemkin name Digit.
- Long-Haired Goblin - Humanoid Goblins with a coat of long, spiky hair. Generally warlike.
- Lop-eared Goblin - Rather peaceable Goblins. There are technically many Goblin species which fall under this grouping, such as Low-Bellies.
- Low-Belly Goblin - A type of Goblin in the Goblin Nations, not far from the Free Glades. These amiable farming creatures will do nothing to harm people, for all they want to do is get the harvest in. They need a belly sling to support their naturally large stomach, or it would be too difficult to move around.
- Logworm - Mammoth, brown Hoverworms. Although non-venomous(?), they use powerful suction actions to engulf many prey items at once. They seem to hunt by lying motionless, mimicking a fallen tree, then chasing prey for long distances until it tires.
- Lugtroll
- Lumpskull - These are only mentioned once or twice. Very little info is present as of yet.
[edit] M
- Mewmel - In Midnight Over Sanctaphrax, the main characters encounter various animals whilst travelling through the Deepwoods: feline mewmels, with spiky tails and poisonous spit
- Milchgrub - These are gigantic, insectoid beings without overmuch intellect, bred by the Spindlebugs to provide food for the Gyle Goblins. The Spindlebugs leave huge amounts of fruit to nourish mushrooms, which the Milchgrubs eat; the food is converted into a form of honey by the Milchgrub bodies; the honey is extracted (as among ants) by the Spindlebugs, later to be fed to the Gyle Goblins above.
- Mobgnome - In Stormchaser, the character Twig comes across all sorts of creatures in the Bloodoak Tavern: There were flat-head and hammer-head goblins; oakelves, mobgnomes...
- Muglump - Odd frog-like creatures that have six legs, large beady eyes and are commonly found in the Mire and Undertown sewers. They feed on meat and have their nose like a periscope to walk under the mud to surprise their prey.
[edit] N
- Nightwaif - Short, nondescript waifs. Capable of hearing anything, anywhere. Known Nightwaifs : Forficule (Stormchaser), Partifule (The Last of the Sky Pirates), Patricule (Clash of the Sky Galleons) Menisculis (Clash of the Sky Galleons).
- Night-Lemuel - Tree-dwelling creatures with a mating call similar to that of a Lemkin's. They are mentioned only once, in the first book.
[edit] O
- Oakbat - In Midnight Over Sanctaphrax, the main characters come across many different animals in the Great Shryke Slave Market: past rows of sleeping oakbats, their ankles tethered to the branches with leather jesses.
- Oakelf - Oakelves are tree-dwelling beings who sleep in Caterbird cocoons, thereby opening themselves to the Caterbird's dreams and knowledge. They alone seem immune to the deadly Rotsucker, which seals such cocoons and waits for the creature within to dissolve, whereapon it cuts into the shell and drinks. Oakelves as a rule have huge eyes symbolic of their wisdom, which is considerable, and long ears similar to those of the Jedi Master Yoda featured in Star Wars. oakeveles eyes can see about every thing around them. They are valuable lookouts on Sky Pirate Ships eg. Spillins, Spiker and Spooler.
- Oakhen - In Midnight Over Sanctaphrax, the main characters encounter various animals whilst travelling through the Deepwoods: the oakhens who came in search of bulbul berries.
- Oozefish - Oozefish are natives of the Mire; foul, sluggish, vile-tasting mudskipper-analogues. Few creatures eat them (Screedius Tollinix is known to have done so). Their bones are used for divination by charlatans in Sanctaphrax.
[edit] P
- Prowlgrin - Strange animals used as mounts and guard-beasts. Mostly mouth, they resemble a sperm whale, with two small T-Rex arms and a skinny tail instead of flukes. They possess great, grinning toothy mouths, hence their name. Known users of Prowlgrins: Gabba the Gabtroll, Freeglade Lancers, Shrykes, Sanctaphrax knights. Quint rears a prowlgrin named Tash during The Winter Knights and Rook rides one named Chinquix during the War of the Free Glades.
- Piebald rat - A sewer rat considered inedible by Undertowners and Academics.
[edit] Q
- Quarm - Tree-dwellers with a distinctive squeal. In The Winter Knights, Fabius Dydex has two tame Quarms named Squeak and Howler.
[edit] R
- Ratbird
- Red-dwarf - In Stormchaser, the character Twig comes across all sorts of creatures in the Bloodoak Tavern: There were flat-head and hammer-head goblins.....black-dwarfs and red-dwarfs...
- Reed-eel - Featured in Midnight Over Sanctaphrax and mentioned briefly in some of the others. They resemble a patch of reeds, thin and green, but are actually biological organisms, with small yellow eyes and a cluster of suckers, laid out like the heads on a bouquet of flowers. They claimed the life of Spooler, Twig's oakelf crewmember, in Midnight...
- Rock Demon- Terrifying mutant beasts, resembling a huge, spiny Rotsucker. They inhabit a ravine in the shadow of the new Sanctaphrax Rock. Orbix Xaxis is known to have sacrificed Librarians and prisoners to these monsters. It is possible that they mutated from Rotsuckers. In Vox, they end the Battle of the Great Library between the Goblins and Shrykes by devouring both sides.
- Rotsucker - Rotsuckers are scavengers that prey on those foolish enough to sleep in a vacant Caterbird cocoon (though usually not Oakelves). The Rotsucker first fills the cocoon with corrosive acids, then seals the opening with a hardening agent present in glands of the skin. The prisoner initially may struggle, but ultimately gives up and decomposes into a thick, viscous liquid. The Rotsucker then breaks in and drinks the "stew". Interestingly, a Rotsucker appears to be intelligent on a more-than-instinctive level; it holds long soliloquies in its mind, though it is presumably incapable of verbal speech. Twig is ensnared by a Rotsucker as he sleeps in a Caterbird cocoon in Beyond The Deepwoods.
- Rogue Glister - A creature created by the First Scholars who managed to capture and give "life" to a glister in the Ancient Laboratory.
[edit] S
- Shryke A species of birdlike Creatures. They are vicious and cold blooded, and the females have the more colourful plumage, using the males as drab pets and slaves. Shryke teeth are used to elect a new captain by Sky Pirates (a Shryke-smile). The crew are each given a Shryke tooth and have a one day to choose a person to give their tooth to. This occurs in Clash of the Sky Galleons. Hemtuft Battleaxe wears a Shryke-feather cloak in Freeglader. Notable Shrykes include Mother Horsefeather of the Bloodoak Tavern, the black Shrykes of Imbix Hoth's bodyguard, Mother Muleclaw, Sister Slashtalon and the unusually benovolent Mother Bluegizzard of the New Bloodoak Tavern.
- Skullpelt Illusionistic predator, resembling a leather-bound skull wrapped in blue fur. Takes the form of something its prey will find appealing in the lullabee groves, to trick and kill. Thaw Daggerslash uses the skull of a Skullpelt as mask when posing as Turbot Smeal in clash of the Sky Galleons.
- Skulltrog - An extrimely primitive tribe that hunts in packs and shows no sign of verbal communication whatsoever. They attacked Rook during his journey to the Free Glades in "The Last of the Sky Pirates" but then run away when the Snickets come, but one of them got eaten by them anyway.
- Slaughterer
- Slime Mole
- Snicket - Possibly a relative of the ratbird. They have long pointed noses and stubby triangular wings. Like, the ratbird they fly in flocks; however, unlike the scavenger ratbirds, snickets appear to be hunters. In Last of the Sky Pirates they stripped a trog of meat straight down to the bone in a few moments and later completely devoured a Logworm from the inside.
- Spiderbat
- Spindlebug - Spindlebugs resemble insects, but are enormous and wholly transparent, giving them the nickname "Old Glass-legs". They tend the Milchgrubs, raising food for Gyle Goblin colonies, which operate like Ant colonies on a larger scale. Spindlebugs live for centuries and are very devoted to their work. One Spindlebug is known to have worked for Linius Pallitax, the sometime ruler of Scantaphrax; Tweezel, a cunning strategist who runs errands, calls people early for their appointments (by making them believe they are late) and looks after the family. It is he who rescues Linius while Quint is distracted by the Gloamglozer. He eventually ends up in the Free Glades.
- Stormhornet A wasp-like creature that lives on lakes, rarely seen apart from when a storm is due.
- Snowbird - It appeared in Curse of the Gloamglozer when Quint was in one of the Low Sky Cages: Above his head, a snowbird soared across the sky, mewling like a babe-in-arms.
[edit] T
- Tufted Goblin A variation of Goblin from the Goblin nations. Captain Dengreeve Yellowtusk of the Sanctaphrax Knights Academy is a Tufted Goblin.
- Termagant Trog Females of a race of humanoids dwelling underground. They are rather attractive to humans when young. Trogs of both sexes dwell in paper houses, called trogcombs, clad in garments of a lighter paper. Males are largely unseen; females are looked after by their indulgent and protective mothers. A young trog may keep a pet during this time. When the female trogs reach a certain age, they drink blood drawn from the roots of the carnivorous tree known as the Bloodoak, which causes their strength and size to increase. In addition, the drinker's hair follicles cease to function and her desires become extremely violent, hence the name "termagant". If the Bloodoak does not have blood for the trog on the appointed day, she is considered an outcaste by her race. This is what happened to Maugin.
- Tilder A herd animal, having curling horns, a speckled hide, and size comparable to that of a deer. They are herbivorous and can often be found by water.
- Tree Goblin
[edit] V
- Vulpoon A scraggly bird with a sharp beak, similar to a toucan, but with a more vicious beak. In Freeglader, the leader of the Sky Pirates takes his name from this creature.
[edit] W
- Waifs - A species with many sub-species, but most of these share the same characteristics. Recognisable for their bulbous heads and prominent ears. Most varieties of waif live in the Nightwoods, and have evolved exceptional hearing to combat the intense darkness of their habitats. Their most notable ability is their telepathy, which most characters believe to be assosiated with their hearing ( they can "hear" your thoughts), but this doesn't explain the other telepathic abilities occasionally seen in the narrative. For example, the carnivorous waifs of the Nightwoods tried to lure away characters in Midnight Over Sanctaphrax by whispering to them in their heads. This example of telepathic communication cannot be explained by very good hearing. Nor can it explain the waif character Amberfuce's ability to erase a character's mind in Vox. On the other hand, the waif character Forficule seemingly looses his ability to read thoughts when his ears are chopped off in Stormchaser. Maybe some abilities can be attributed to very good hearing, whilst others can be attributed to another factor.
- Waterwaif - related to the other waifs, but lives nearer water.
- Web-foot goblin
- Whitecollar Woodwolf-a particularly savage race of wolves, trained by civilized people as hunting aides. Frequently used by Deepwoods slavers.
- White Raven
- Wig-wig - A vicious creature in the deepwoods, usually found near densely populated places, such as the great Shryke market. They are orange and fluffy, very cute to an unexperienced eye. They soon show their dark side when they practically split in half to resemble a bear trap, and clamp their fearsome jaws upon their unlucky victim. Often mighty and noble banderbears fall victim to their feeding frenzies. Wig-wigs are very dangerous creatures, due to their tactic of overwhelming prey through sheer numbers. In Freeglader, one Banderbear speaks of them as his only fear.
- Woodbear - In Midnight Over Sanctaphrax, the main characters come across many different animals in the Great Shryke Slave Market: ...dying hollowed trees with bars at the gaping holes, forming cages to woodbears...
- Woodbee - Like normal bees except that they send out one bee to find the flowers, and when it comes back, it does flying acrobatics to tell the others where the nectar is.
- Woodmoth-A butterfly or mothlike creature, beautiful and harmless. This is the animal that Rook's companion chose to write a treatise on.
Woodtroll - Woodtrolls are short (yet stocky) creatures, made even shorter by their hunched postures. They have large feet with wide heels and stubby toes. Their faces are framed by bushy eyebrows and feature rubbery button noses. Woodtrolls are well known for their affinity with wood; most individuals are either tree fellers or carpenters. They pass down knowledge of the properties of different timbers from generation to generation. Most Woodtrolls have an instinctive fear of the unknown and are a very ritualistic tribe, with many ceremonies for different occasions. Notable is Wodgiss Night, a time of feasting. In Clash of the Sky Galleons, Wind Jackal enlists some Woodtrolls in order to get hold of some Bloodoak timber. Quint is forced to leave his son Twig in a woodtroll village
- Woodowl - Like normal owls, except that when they are about to go hunting, they meet very noisily and decide how and where to hunt.
- Woodwasp - They are used by Vilnix Pompolnius to murder Hax Vostillix in "The Winter Knights" by disguising their eggs as sugared delberry bonbons.
[edit] Evolution on the Edge
Evolution on the Edgeworld happens at a much faster pace than on Earth. In Vox, it is implied that the rubble ghouls appeared with the new environment of Screetown, even though evolution on Earth of such parasites would take at least 100 000 years while this is only ca. 35 years. Also, the half-formed mutants of Clash of the Sky Galleons have adapted very quickly to their sky-wreck environment. Of course, they are just overgrown sky-vermin. Sky-vermin are very (from the looks of the Clash of the Sky Galleons) adaptive creatures. And it wasn't clear how long the Sky Wreck was aloft in that state. But it could be that the Edge's laws of evolution are as different as its laws of physics.
