Unseen University

Where magic is taught, mostly by accident.

The Unseen University (UU) is a school of wizardry in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series of fantasy novels. Located in the fictional city of Ankh-Morpork, it is staffed by mostly indolent and inept old wizards. The name is a pun on the Invisible College, with many aspects referencing Oxford and Cambridge University. The exploits of its head wizards are central to 13 novels of the main series, four supplementary The Science of Discworld books, and the short story A Collegiate Casting-Out of Devilish Devices.

Quick Facts

Motto: Nunc id Vides, Nunc ne Vides ("Now you see it, Now you don't.")
Established: 1282 AM (current Ankh-Morpork calendar dates from founding)
Dean: Henry
Head: Mustrum Ridcully
City: Ankh-Morpork
Campus: Urban

Lore & Background

Unseen University has existed for thousands of years. It houses eight eighth-level wizards, with numbers increasing as rank decreases. Advancement often follows the tradition of 'dead man's pointy shoes,' where superiors are assassinated to ascend the ranks. The Archchancellor does not hold a seat on the Ankh-Morpork council, though he may occasionally advise the Patrician informally. Staff members are referred to by their offices rather than names; in The Last Continent, wizards noted they did not know each other's names or even the Librarian's name.

Reader's Guide

The Unseen University is led by the Archchancellor, currently Mustrum Ridcully. His governorship style involves listening for two minutes; if someone explains something longer than that, it is worth hearing. He gets along best with Ponder Stibbons, as neither understands what the other says. The Dean of Pentacles, an obese and argumentative wizard nicknamed 'Two Chairs' by Ridcully, resigned in Unseen Academicals to become Archchancellor Henry of Brazeneck College of Pseudopolis. Other staff include the Librarian, who manages the stacks while climbing high shelves as an orang-utan, and the Bursar, whose sanity is erratic due to hallucinogenic pills. Ridcully has shown flashes of magical skill, such as using a magic mirror in Moving Pictures and improvising a rite for summoning Death in Soul Music.

Did You Know?

The average Archchancellor remains in office for about eleven months, but Mustrum Ridcully has held the post since Moving Pictures without injury.
Ridcully the Brown got his nickname from the color of his brown robe, not from any hunting habits.