# The Psammead — Five Children and It character guide

> The Psammead in Five Children and It by E. Nesbit.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Psammead, The faithful Psammead, the Sammyadd, A Sammyadd, Sammyadd

**First appearance:** 0001-five-children-and-it

## Snapshot

A grumpy, ancient sand-fairy with bat ears and snail eyes, bound to grant one wish a day — and to watch each one curdle.

## Who they are

Buried for thousands of years in a gravel-pit, the Psammead speaks in weary sighs and treats the children's desires as tiresome impositions on its retirement. It grants wishes literally and without warranty, then vanishes underground before the consequences arrive, leaving the children to explain the unexplainable to grown-ups who cannot believe in Sammyadds. Its stingy, pedantic magic is the engine of every misadventure, and its refusal to be seen or believed is what keeps the children's secret — and their guilt — locked inside the nursery.

## Relationships

### [Anthea](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/five_children_and_it_se/characters/anthea)

_friendship_

Anthea forms a friendly bond with the Psammead, the magical creature, often negotiating wishes with empathy.

### [Cyril](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/five_children_and_it_se/characters/cyril)

_friendship_

Cyril interacts with the Psammead with a mix of curiosity and impatience, often pushing for wishes.

### [Anthea](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/five_children_and_it_se/characters/anthea)

_friendship_

Anthea forms a friendly bond with the Psammead, the magical creature, often negotiating wishes with empathy.

### [Cyril](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/five_children_and_it_se/characters/cyril)

_friendship_

Cyril interacts with the Psammead with a mix of curiosity and impatience, often pushing for wishes.

### [Cyril](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/five_children_and_it_se/characters/cyril)

_friendship_

Cyril interacts with the Psammead with a mix of curiosity and impatience, often pushing for wishes.

### [Anthea](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/five_children_and_it_se/characters/anthea)

_friendship_

Anthea forms a friendly bond with the Psammead, the magical creature, often negotiating wishes with empathy.

## In the story

### [Beautiful as the Day](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/five_children_and_it_se/chapters/i-beautiful-as-the-day)

The sand-fairy discovered in the gravel-pit; grants the wish for beauty, though initially struggling; explains its ancient history.

### [Golden Guineas](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/five_children_and_it_se/chapters/ii-golden-guineas)

Grants the wish for boundless wealth, filling the gravel-pit with gold guineas, but warns it won't do much good.

### [III: Being Wanted](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/five_children_and_it_se/chapters/iii-being-wanted)

Grants the wish to make the Lamb unwanted, which leads to the gipsy episode; the wish reverses at sunset.

### [Wings](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/five_children_and_it_se/chapters/iv-wings)

The Psammead warns Anthea about the dangers of flying at sunset and tells a story of a Ninevite boy.

### [VI: A Castle and No Dinner](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/five_children_and_it_se/chapters/vi-a-castle-and-no-dinner)

Grants Robert's wish that the others can wish without being present; becomes faint from the effort.

### [Bigger Than the Baker’s Boy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/five_children_and_it_se/chapters/viii-bigger-than-the-baker-s-boy)

Grants Robert's wish to be bigger than the baker's boy, then refuses to reverse it.

### [Grown Up](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/five_children_and_it_se/chapters/ix-grown-up)

The Psammead agrees to Cyril's request for instant wishes and later fulfills the wish that makes the Lamb grow up.

### [XI: The Last Wish](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/five_children_and_it_se/chapters/xi-the-last-wish)

Grants the final wish for a long sleep and to be seen again; disappears into the sand.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/five_children_and_it_se/characters/the_psammead
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/five_children_and_it_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/five_children_and_it_se/characters