Character guide

Anthea

major

Also known as Anthea shuddering, Presently Anthea

Anthea is the child who smooths things over — coaxing the Psammead down from its sand-bath, hushing Jane before a wish goes wrong, and gently steering the others when Cyril's cleverness outruns their patience. She is also the one the learned gentleman calls in to hear her 'dreams' of Babylon, a conversation that leaves her flushed with a secret she can't quite explain. Her steadiness matters because the Amulet's quest needs someone willing to wash off the glue and try again.

Cyril

major

Also known as Master Cyril

Cyril is the brother who grabs Jane's hand before a wish can carry them off to Egypt, reasoning that they daren't leave home in case the Queen of Babylon arrives that very minute. He is impatient with enchanted logic — 'I wish people would teach you magic at school like they do sums' — and stung when adults doubt him. His restless cleverness drives the children forward even when the Amulet refuses to cooperate.

Jane

major

Also known as Miss Jane

Jane is the child who consents to stop painting only because Chinese white gives you a queer feeling in the throat, and who blurts the question that cracks a scene open — 'Whatever are you doing?' — when the others hang back. She is fond of rhinoceroses, plaintive about being left out, and the first to cry 'Then we've found it!' when the Amulet gleams on a sailor's chest. Her frankness keeps the adventures from becoming merely clever.

Robert

major

Also known as Master Robert

Robert is the one who says 'I see' and means it, who asks whether the Amulet will work both ways, and who remembers — too late — that the Queen of Babylon couldn't lift anything from the Museum's glass cases. He is eager to prove himself, quick to shout 'Oh, glorious!' at a glimpse of the joined charm, and honest about his own confusion. His enthusiasm gives the quest its momentum, even when his memory lets it down.

The Psammead

major

Also known as Psammead, the good old Psammead

The Psammead is bound to the children by an old wish that servants never notice it, which is why old Nurse walks past the sand-bath without a glance. It is sharp-tongued and grudging — 'You must have bolted your breakfast most unwholesomely' — yet it remembers being glad to jump into Anthea's arms and does so again. Its magic is the engine of the book, but its real gift is the uncomfortable accuracy with which it names the children's motives.

The Priest

supporting

Also known as the priest

The priest belongs to the world the Amulet opens — Babylon, its temples, its learned men, its careful ceremonies — and he treats the children's arrival as something to be weighed rather than merely wondered at. He is the counterweight to the learned gentleman of Fitzroy Street, a figure whose authority comes from living inside the history the children only glimpse through a charm. His presence raises the stakes of every visit to the past, because he understands what the Amulet is for.

Rekh-marā

supporting

Also known as O Rekh-marā, the Reverend Rekh-marā

Rekh-marā belongs to the temple world of ancient Egypt, where the Amulet is his by right and the children are thieves. Bound and threatened with the guards, he trades curses for a treaty, promising to deal fairly while clearly meaning to get his relic back. His suspicion of the children's 'fair words' and his sulky, furious dignity make him the story's most unpredictable ally, forcing the four siblings to negotiate with a power older and angrier than themselves.

Old Nurse

supporting

Also known as Nurse, poor old Nurse

Old Nurse keeps the Fitzroy Street household running while the children slip through the Amulet into Babylon and beyond, and she notices only that they seem quiet and pale. Her cheerful blindness to their adventures — she assumes they mean the Royal Academy — makes her both comic relief and a quiet source of tension, since every journey risks the one minute when the Queen of Babylon might arrive and find no one home to greet her.

The Captain

minor

Also known as the captain

A sea captain who interacts with the children during their travels.

Julius Caesar

minor

Also known as Caesar

The Roman leader encountered by the children in ancient times.

Mother

minor

Also known as poor dear Mother

The children's mother, briefly referenced as away from home.

Imogen

minor

Also known as little Imogen

A little girl encountered during the children's adventures.

The Babylonian Queen

minor

Also known as the Queen

A queen encountered during the children's visit to Babylon.

Ji-jimmy

minor

Also known as Mr. Ji-jimmy

A character with a whimsical name appearing in the story.

Pheles

minor

A mysterious figure associated with the Amulet's magic.

Pharaoh

minor

Also known as XI Before Pharaoh

The Egyptian ruler met by the children in their journey.

Father

minor

The children's father, mentioned but not present in the story.

Ritti-Marduk

minor

A Babylonian character who assists the children in the past.

Mr. Devant

minor

Also known as Mr. David Devant

A magician who performs for the children in London.

Jimmy

minor

Also known as Dear Jimmy

A boy who becomes a friend of the children.

Wells

minor

A historical figure briefly referenced in the narrative.

Pussy

minor

A cat belonging to the children's household.

Nisroch

minor

An ancient deity or figure invoked in the story.

Squirrel

minor

A pet or animal encountered by the children.

The Lamb

minor

A young child or nickname used in the story.

Ur Hekau Setcheh

minor

An Egyptian magical figure referenced in the quest.

Bobs

minor

A nickname for a character, possibly a pet or friend.

Panther

minor

An animal or nickname used in the narrative.

Old Levinstein

minor

Also known as old Levinstein

A shopkeeper or character encountered by the children.

The Egyptian

minor

Also known as the Egyptian

An Egyptian figure met during the children's travels.

Tyre

minor

A place or personified city referenced in the story.

Poseidon

minor

The Greek god mentioned in the Atlantis episode.