The family of Humfrey of Xanth

:See more characters of the Xanth series by Piers Anthony at List of Xanth characters.

The magician Humfrey has the largest known extended family in Xanth. Characters from nearly the beginning of Xanth to many in current day Xanth are included in this long list. Due to various events in Humfrey's history, he has found himself the husband of five and a half wives. After going to Hell to retrieve Rose in the novel "Question Quest", he discovered that his other wives still wished to be a part of his life. In an exchange with the Demon Xanth, each wife now spends a set amount of time with Humfrey in rotation while the rest wait in Hell.

The extended families will be listed under the wife who connects them to Humfrey.

Humboldt

He is Humfrey's brother and introduced in Question Quest.

Dana Demoness

She is Humfrey's first wife. She left him shortly after the birth of his first son Dafrey, since Dafrey got her soul piece that had allowed her to love. Her name is actually Dara Demoness; she just never bothered to correct Humfrey.

The family tree from Dana Demoness

Dafrey

He is the first son of Humfrey. A half-demon, he nevertheless has a full soul because his mother gave him the half-soul that had given her the ability to love Humfrey.

Maiden (Matron) Taiwan

She is Humfrey's second wife after Dana Demoness. She left him when he set off to find Castle Roogna. She was introduced in Question Quest.

The family tree from Maiden (Matron) Taiwan

Maiden China

She is the sister of Maiden Taiwan and was introduced in Currant Events.

Maiden Japan

She is the sister of Maiden Taiwan and was introduced in Currant Events.

Maiden Mexico

She is the sister of Maiden Taiwan and was introduced in Currant Events.

Rose Pax of Bliss

Daughter of Lord Bliss and Lady Ashley Rose, Rose is Humfrey's third wife and mother to Humfrey's only daughter, Rosetta. She is also known as Rose of Roogna.

The family tree from Rose Pax of Bliss

Rosetta Bliss-Humfrey

She is the only daughter of Humfrey and Rose and wife of Stone.

tone

He is the husband of Rosetta.

Rosetta Stone

She is the daughter of Rosetta and Stone. Her talent is being able to translate languages.

Lord Bliss

He is the son of Yin-Yang, husband of Lady Ashley Rose, and father of Rose (Bliss) of Roogna.

Lady Ashley Rose

She is the wife of Lord Bliss and mother of Rose (Bliss) of Roogna.

Yin-Yang

See Yin-Yang.

Gromden

See Gromden.

Metria

First introduced in "Vale of the Vole", the Demoness Metria becomes a common character in the series. She is well-known for her inability to choose the correct word at random times during her speech, a trait which often gives her away when she is in demonic disguise. Like all demons, Metria can change shape and appearance at will and uses this ability to cause much mischief in Xanth. She is the mother of Threnody by Gromden and Demon Ted by her husband Veleno.

Threnody

Threnody is a half-demon/half-human woman whose father was King Gromden and whose mother was Demoness Metria. Threnody betrays and murders Jordan the Barbarian in "", after which she ends up in a loveless marriage with Magician Yin-Yang. Due to a curse placed on her by her Curse-Fiend Stepmother, Threnody can't enter Castle Roogna or it will fall. She and Yin-Yang live outside the castle, which ultimately causes it to become abandoned by the Xanth monarchy until Bink rediscovers it in "A Spell for Chameleon". She eventually kills herself, and haunts Castle Roogna for 400 years as a ghost known as Renee. After death, she remeets Jordan, also a ghost, and they fall in love. When Jordan was reanimated by Princess Ivy at the end of "Crewel Lye", he also reanimates Renee - only to find out she is really Threnody. Eventually Jordan forgives her and they get married. Threnody was a main character in the Xanth books and Golem in the Gears. Her name may be a reference to a song of mourning (considering the auspices of her first death) or to the Ralph Waldo Emerson poem of the same name, written about the death of his son.

Jordan the Barbarian

Jordan is a barbarian adventurer with the talent of regeneration. In "", his brief union with Bluebell Elf produces Rapunzel, Grundy the Golem's wife. He is betrayed and murdered by the woman he loves, Threnody, who was actually attempting to protect him from the evil Magician Yin-Yang. Both Jordan and Threnody became ghosts haunting Castle Roogna until being reanimated by Ivy 400 years later, after which they get married. Jordan is the star of the Xanth book, . In their recent appearances, Jordan and Threnody seem to have a sadomasochistic relationship, relating to Jordan's ability to regenerate wounds, limbs, etc.

Bluebell Elf

A minor character only referenced briefly in "", Bluebell is the elf with whom Jordan had a tryst which would eventually produce Rapunzel.

Grundy the Golem

A sarcastic, doll-sized golem that was brought to life by the Demon X(A/N)th in a display of the demon's power in "The Source of Magic". His talent is Translation; he can understand and speak to any living thing. He is the husband of Rapunzel and father of Surprise. He starred in the ninth Xanth book Golem in the Gears and appeared as a primary or secondary character in many of the previous books.

Rapunzel

Rapunzel's talent is her hair, which grows fast and thick. She first appears in Golem in the Gears imprisoned in the Ivory Tower as a captive of "Mother Sweetness," the Sea Hag. She is able to change sizes due to her ancestors, Jordan Barbarian and Bluebell Elf. After Grundy rescues her in Golem in the Gears, they get married, eventually having a magician-caliber daughter named Surprise.

Repulsive

She is Rapunzel's sister who is introduced in The Dastard.

urprise

See Surprise.

Veleno

He is the husband of Metria and father of Demon Ted.

Demon Ted

He is the son of Metria and Veleno.

ofia Mundane

She is Humfrey's fourth wife and mother to his second son, Crombie. She is also known as Sofia Socksorter. She is Humfrey's only wife from Mundania.

The family tree from Sofia Mundane

Humfrey+Sofia Mundane (Socksorter)
Grinelle-*-Crombie-+-Jewel Nymph Crunch Ogre+Curse Fiend (2)
|
Griselda Tandy Nymph--------+------Smash Ogre Blyth Brassie+Brawye Brassie

Eskil Ogre-----------+---------Bria Brassie
Draco Dragon+? Nymph +---------------+-------+-------+---------------+
| | |
Becka--+--Brusque Briskil+Nina Epoxy Ogre Benzene Brassie
Nora

Crombie

Crombie the Soldier is the son of Sofia Socksorter and Good Magician Humfrey. He is a woman-hater, a friend of Bink, and a friendly enemy of Chester Centaur. He swears alliegence to King Trent as a soldier. He's also the husband of Jewel the Nymph and father of Tandy the Nymph. His magic talent is to point in the direction of anything. Tandy married Smash Ogre and they produced a grandson for Crombie named Esk Ogre. Esk married Bria Brassie, and they've given Crombie three great grandchildren Brusque, Benzene Brassie, and Epoxy Ogre. Crombie is a main character in the Xanth book The Source of Magic.

Jewel the Nymph

Jewel was a main character in the second Xanth book, The Source of Magic.She is a nymph who plants jewels all around the land of Xanth, the wife of Crombie The Soldier, and mother of Tandy The Nymph. In The Source of Magic Bink of North Village is tricked into drinking from a love spring, whose water makes the victim fall in love with whomever/whatever they see next (and is the means whereby many cross-breed individuals and races of Xanth such as the Centaurs were created). Jewel was the first person Bink saw, so he instantly fell in love with her. The problem was, Bink was already married to Chameleon. Bink was cured of this love during the Time of No Magic, when the spell, like all others, failed. Later, Crombie the Soldier, (whom Jewel healed in The Source of Magic) and Jewel The Nymph took a love potion together to fall in love with each other. This was necessary because Crombie was (is?) a confirmed woman-hater and Jewel had fallen in love with Bink. They do not live together, since Crombie's job keeps him at Castle Roogna, and Jewel's task of planting gems keeps her in the underworld, but they (Crombie in particular) seem to like it that way. As a rule, Crombie only comes to see Jewel and Tandy when he is on leave (probably when he wants to get intimate with Jewel). Although Jewel is very mature for her kind, she remains basically a nymph at heart, and thus has no problem with this arrangement.

Tandy

Tandy the Nymph is the daughter of Crombie and Jewel, wife of Smash, and mother of Eskil. Tandy has the talent of throwing a tantrum, an invisible explosive ball of energy that can stun the victim for a short period of time. The tantrum only happens when she is under emotional stress such as anger or fear. In the fifth Xanth novel, "Ogre, Ogre", Tandy rode Mare Imbri, a night mare, to ask Humfrey how to deflect a demon's unwanted sexual attentions. Humfrey's solution was to enlist Smash Ogre to protect her. During his contract the two fell in love and ultimately married, eventually producing a son named Eskill Ogre.

Grinelle

A griffeness from the Magic Dust Village who seduced Crombie with water from a love spring while he was under a spell that turned him into a griffin. She then sprinkled him with Lethe elixir afterward so he would forget. She is the mother of Griselda. She was introduced in The Source of Magic.

Griselda

The griffen daughter of Crombie and Grinelle. Since Crombie was a human in griffen form while she was conceived, she was born with human intelligence. She was introduced in The Dastard.

Crunch the Ogre

He is a vegetarian ogre, husband of a Curse Fiend and father of Smash Ogre. Crunch first appeared in The Source of Magic.

mash

Smash the Ogre is the son of Crunch the Ogre and a curse fiend, husband of Tandy the Nymph, and father of Eskil. He traveled through Xanth protecting Tandy in Ogre, Ogre. He was first seen in "Castle Roogna" and later appeared as a main character in Centaur Aisle and Night Mare. Due to a brush with an Eye Queue vine in "Ogre, Ogre", he becomes more intelligent and civilized than the average ogre.

Blythe Brassie

She is the wife of Brawye and mother of Bria. She traveled under Smash's protection in Ogre, Ogre.

Brawye Brassie

He is the husband of Blythe and father of Bria.

Eskil

He is the son of Smash and Tandy; husband of Bria; father of Brusque, Briskil, Epoxy Ogre, and Benzene Brassie. He is sometimes called Esk Ogre, but as a quarter ogre Eskil can only become an ogre when he's angry, and then it's undependable. His actual talent is protesting; when Eskil says, "No!" he really means it, as the person/creature told "no" has to stop what they were trying to do. Esk was the main character in "Vale of the Vole".

Bria Brassie

She is the daughter of Blythe and Brawye, wife of Eskil, and mother of Brusque, Briskil, Epoxy Ogre, and Benzene Brassie. Like all Brassies, Bria originally came from the Realm of the Hypnogourd in the land of brass. She can be a hard case, but always has a soft spot for Eskil Ogre.

Brusque

He is the son of Eskil and Bria.

Briskil

He is the son of Eskil and Bria and husband of Nina.

Nina

She is the wife of Briskil.

Epoxy Ogre

He is the son of Eskil and Bria.

Benzene Brassie

She is the daughter of Eskil and Bria.

Gorgon

She is Humfrey's fifth wife and mother to his third son Hugo. Based on the mythological Gorgon (most specifically Medusa), her talent is a gaze which turns any living creature to stone. Humfrey has nullified this effect by placing a screen of invisibility around her face and, years later, masking that with an illusionary copy of her actual visage. She was first introduced in The Source of Magic as a danger, but not as a malicious creature.

The family tree from Gorgon

?+?
+-----+-----+

Merman+Human Woman Nabob Naga Nara Naga+Nathan
|
+--+--+ +-----+-----+ Nefra Naga Grossclout
| | |
Humfrey+Gorgon Siren+Morris Merman Merwin Merman+Melantha Merwoman+Naldo Naga Nada Naga----+----Demon Prince Vore
| | |
Hugo+Wira Cyrus---------+---------Marcie Merwoman Nadine Naga DeMonica

Hugo

He is the son of Humfrey and Gorgon and husband of Wira. His name is a combination of his father's and mother's names. He was a childhood friend of Ivy. He is hopelessly inept; for example, his talent, conjuring fruit, often produces overly-ripe or rotten examples. Ivy enhanced his talent and qualities in Dragon on a Pedastal, but only in her presence. After his marriage to Wira, Hugo, like many a married man in Xanth, shapes up a bit.

Wira

She is the blind wife of Hugo. She often greets characters after they have surmounted the three challenges required to gain admittance to Good Magician Humfrey's castle, and appears in this capacity in most Xanth novels following the Question Quest. Wira is the one person Magician Humfrey does not treat like an idiot.

iren

She is the sister of Gorgon, aunt of Hugo, wife of Morris, and mother of Cyrus. She traveled with Smash in Ogre, Ogre. She was first seen in The Source of Magic.

Morris Merman

He is the husband of the Siren and father of Cyrus.

Cyrus

He is the son of the Siren and Morris and husband of Mercie.

Merwin Merman

He is the first husband of Mela and father of Mercie.

Melantha Merwoman

Her first husband was Merwin with whom she had Mercie. After his death she married Naldo. She is the main character in the fifteenth Xanth book, "The Color of Her Panties". Incidentally, her panties are plaid.

Mercie Merwoman

She is the daughter of Mela and Merwin.

Naldo Naga

He is the son of Nabob, brother of Nada, and husband of Mela. He helps the goblins in "Isle of View".

Nadine Naga

She is the daughter of Naldo and Mela. She is seen in The Dastard.

Nada Naga

She is the daughter of Nabob, sister of Naldo, wife of Vore, and mother of Demonica. She becomes betrothed to Dolph in "Heaven Cent" under false pretenses, and lived in Castle Roogna for several years afterwards, becoming close friends with Dolph's older sister Ivy. Dolph calls off their engagement two books later in "Isle of View". As a young woman, her breast size was legendary throughout Xanth.

Nabob Naga

He is the father of Naldo and Nada.

Demon Prince Vore

Properly addressed as D. Vore. He is the son of Grossclout, husband of Nada, and father of Demonica.

Demonica

She is the daughter of Nada and Vore.

Grossclout

He is the father of Vore. His title is Demon Professor, and he is in charge of the demon's school (as revealed in the "Question Quest" ). Grossclout is also administrator for the Companions of Xanth game, which was the subject of "Demons Don't Dream". He is incredibly intelligent and horribly impatient with lesser intellects (that means practically everyone), whose brains, Grossclout claims, are full of mush.

Nara Naga

The mate of Nathan and mother of Nefra Naga. She is introduced in Zombie Lover.

Nathan

The human mate of the naga Nara and father of Nefra Naga. He is introduced in Zombie Lover.

Nefra Naga

She is the daughter of Nara Naga and Nathan, a human. She is the cousin of Naldo and Nada. She is introduced in Zombie Lover.

Mare Ann

She is Humfrey's first love and his fifth "and a half" wife. Since her talent of summoning unicorns(And other equine species such as a centaur) was contingent upon her innocence, she refused to marry Humfrey. However, after spending time in hell with Humfrey's other wives, she finally marries him since she lost her ability to call unicorns a long time ago.

The family tree from Mare Ann