Rincewind

Lore & Background

In The Colour of Magic, Rincewind guided Twoflower across the Discworld using a translation spell (or the Agatean language) to communicate. He later acquired Twoflower's sapient-pearwood Luggage at the end of The Light Fantastic, and it followed him from that point onward. During The Last Hero, he initially refused to go on the mission, only agreeing after being tricked by the Librarian and others; he later claimed to have refused only for appearances. In The Last Continent footnotes, he is listed as a professor studying the effects of different flowers on the nervous system.

Reader's Guide

Rincewind can learn foreign languages quickly and blend into any situation. He acts as a harsh critic of absurdity while complying with it, often making jokes about ludicrous events. His survival relies on luck and his ability to run rather than magic. He holds several meaningless titles at Unseen University that include meals, laundry, and up to eight buckets of coal daily, but no salary or influence. The Luggage, made of sapient pearwood, follows him everywhere, acting as a bodyguard by smashing obstacles and devouring threats.

Did You Know?

• Rincewind's name was taken by Terry Pratchett from 'Churm Rincewind', a fictitious person in early 'Beachcomber' columns.
• In the video games, Rincewind is voiced by Eric Idle.
• The Luggage is described as 'half suitcase, half homicidal maniac' and can travel to places like Death's Domain or Hell.
• VLC media player version 2.1.0 was named Rincewind, while version 3.0.0 was named Vetinari.
• A Cretaceous gymnosperm species, Phoenicopsis rincewindii, is named after the character.