# Gagool — King Solomon’s Mines character guide

> Gagool in King Solomon’s Mines by H. Rider Haggard.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Gagool the old, the Isanusi, the Isanusi Gagool, old Gagool, Gagaoola

**First appearance:** 0013-x-the-witch-hunt

## Snapshot

An ancient, withered witch-finder who has outlived kings, whispers prophecies of blood, and knows the secret of the mines better than anyone alive.

## Who they are

Gagool is the Isanusi, the wise and terrible woman who does not die, and she is the one who plucked Twala from hiding and proclaimed him king when famine made the people desperate. She moves through the Kukuana court like a spider, dispensing death sentences and cryptic warnings, and she alone seems to know what lies inside the mountains. Her knowledge of the Place of Death and the mines makes her indispensable to the expedition's final destination, even as her malice makes her the most dangerous figure the party encounters.

## Relationships

### [Ignosi](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/king_solomon_s_mines_se/characters/ignosi)

_rivalry_

Gagool is a malevolent witch who opposes Ignosi's claim to the throne and seeks to destroy him.

### [Twala](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/king_solomon_s_mines_se/characters/twala)

_psychological_

Gagool is the manipulative witch who controls and advises the superstitious King Twala.

### [Ignosi](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/king_solomon_s_mines_se/characters/ignosi)

_rivalry_

Gagool is a malevolent witch who opposes Ignosi's claim to the throne and seeks to destroy him.

### [Ignosi](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/king_solomon_s_mines_se/characters/ignosi)

_rivalry_

Gagool is a malevolent witch who opposes Ignosi's claim to the throne and seeks to destroy him.

### [Twala](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/king_solomon_s_mines_se/characters/twala)

_psychological_

Gagool is the manipulative witch who controls and advises the superstitious King Twala.

### [Twala](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/king_solomon_s_mines_se/characters/twala)

_psychological_

Gagool is the manipulative witch who controls and advises the superstitious King Twala.

## In the story

### [VIII: We Enter Kukuanaland](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/king_solomon_s_mines_se/chapters/viii-we-enter-kukuanaland)

Referenced as the wise woman who hid Twala and later proclaimed him king during the famine.

### [IX: Twala the King](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/king_solomon_s_mines_se/chapters/ix-twala-the-king)

The ancient witch-doctress; delivers a terrifying prophecy about blood, white men, and a lost one, then falls into an epileptic fit.

### [X: The Witch-Hunt](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/king_solomon_s_mines_se/chapters/x-the-witch-hunt)

Commands the witch-doctresses during the witch-hunt; orchestrates the 'smelling out' of victims.

### [XI: We Give a Sign](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/king_solomon_s_mines_se/chapters/xi-we-give-a-sign)

Mocks Foulata during the sacrifice; supports Twala's decision; described as a fiendish figure.

### [Good Falls Sick](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/king_solomon_s_mines_se/chapters/xv-good-falls-sick)

Brought before Ignosi; threatens with magic but eventually agrees to reveal the treasure chamber under threat of death; claims to be ancient and unable to die naturally.

### [XVI: The Place of Death](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/king_solomon_s_mines_se/chapters/xvi-the-place-of-death)

Guides the party; mutters curses and laughs ominously; leads them to the Place of Death.

### [XVII: Solomon’s Treasure Chamber](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/king_solomon_s_mines_se/chapters/xvii-solomon-s-treasure-chamber)

Leads the expedition through the Place of Death; performs a dark ritual; reveals the secret door and the history of the treasure; mocks the explorers with cryptic knowledge.

### [XIX: Ignosi's Farewell](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/king_solomon_s_mines_se/chapters/xix-ignosi-s-farewell)

Mentioned as dead, crushed under the rock; her flattened fragments lie in the Chamber of the Dead.

### [Endnotes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/king_solomon_s_mines_se/chapters/endnotes)

Mentioned in da Silvestra's note as the witch who betrayed him; the note instructs to 'Mate Gagool' (kill Gagool).

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/king_solomon_s_mines_se/characters/gagool
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/king_solomon_s_mines_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/king_solomon_s_mines_se/characters