Doli (fictional character)

For other uses, see Doli (disambiguation).

Doli is a fictional character in Lloyd Alexander's fantasy series The Chronicles of Prydain. Doli is one of the "fair folk", a nation of faeries, and other magical beings who live in an extensive underground kingdom that spans the entire country of Prydain.

Profile

Doli is described as a short, stocky dwarf who carries a number of weapons including a battleaxe. He is adept in many skills including hunting, fighting, as well as magical skills such as turning invisible (although he obtains this skill only after the completion of one of his adventures). When first introduced, Doli seems to be gruff, short tempered, and unfriendly, with a tender side often staunchly, yet unsuccessfully, concealed. Doli's famous line from the books, which he often states gruffly yet with obvious unspoken pride as he is setting right something that has not been done well, is "Can't stand a botched job."

As a prominent figure in the books, Doli almost always appears or is included in quests undertaken by Taran the Assistant Pig-Keeper, the Princess Eilonwy, the gentle creature Gurgi, and the self-styled Bard Fflewddur Fflam.

Appearances

In The Book of Three, the companions meet Doli when they are trapped in the realm of the Fair Folk. Doli is ordered by his king to accompany them on their journey, fights valiantly when the party is beset by their enemies, and at the end of the story is granted the ability (which he has long coveted) to become invisible.

In The Black Cauldron, Doli is part of the raiding party which inflitrates Annuvin to steal the Black Crochan, only to find that it has been stolen already. He joins's Taran's companions near the Marshes of Morva and thence on their journey, rescuing them when they are captive through the use of his invisibility.

In Taran Wanderer, Doli is turned into a frog by the enchantments of the sorcerer Morda and is rescued by Taran, Gurgi and Fflewddur. He also reveals the magic in the horn that Eilonwy had given Taran.

In The High King (winner of the Newbery Medal), Doli joins the companions again in a last effort to overthrow Arawn and bring peace to the land. At the end of the book, he returns to the Fair Folk kingdom.

In The Foundling and Other Tales from Prydain, Doli is featured in a short story concerning a farmer and his foolish wish to stay as he is always. Doli gives him a stone that causes all things around him to remain as they are (similar to the effect seen in the movie Groundhog Day).

See also

Children's literature portal

• Chronicles of Prydain characters
• Lloyd Alexander