Tim the Enchanter
Encyclopedia
Tim the Enchanter is a fictional character
from Monty Python
's 1975 movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail
played by John Cleese
. In the play Spamalot
based on the movie, the part was originally played by Hank Azaria
. Tim is a strange reclusive wizard or conjurer
who wears ram horns
on his skullcap and has a penchant for fire
-based magic
. Tim's overall presence is commanding, and observers of his magic often applaud after a display. He speaks with a Scottish accent
.
:
On the UK release of the DVD, the actors explain that "Tim" was intended as a particularly unlikely and non-menacing name for such a powerful wizard.
In an interview with Shaun Micallef
in 2007, John Cleese claimed that "we chose 'Tim' to annoy Tim Brooke-Taylor
".
conjuring fireballs. When they ask him about the Holy Grail
, he leads them to the Cave of Caerbannog. As he engages in dialogue with Arthur and his knights, Tim needlessly conjures up flames and fireballs in between responses. His warnings about the cave's guardian, the Rabbit of Caerbannog
, are ignored, leading to the death of Bors
, Gawain
, and Ector
, before the rabbit is killed with the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch
. The events of Scene Twenty make it clear that Tim could probably destroy the Rabbit without much effort, but this apparently does not occur to him or any of the other characters.
Tim also appears earlier in the film in a scene restored in the 2001 re-release. His role in this scene is limited to joining several characters (before any of them are formally introduced) in shouting at the character Dingo to "get on with it!"
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from Monty Python
Monty Python
Monty Python was a British surreal comedy group who created their influential Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four series...
's 1975 movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a 1974 British comedy film written and performed by the comedy group Monty Python , and directed by Gilliam and Jones...
played by John Cleese
John Cleese
John Marwood Cleese is an English actor, comedian, writer, and film producer. He achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on The Frost Report...
. In the play Spamalot
Spamalot
Monty Python's Spamalot is a musical comedy "lovingly ripped off from" the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Like the film, it is a highly irreverent parody of the Arthurian Legend, but it differs from the film in many ways, especially in its parodies of Broadway theatre...
based on the movie, the part was originally played by Hank Azaria
Hank Azaria
Henry Albert "Hank" Azaria is an American film, television and stage actor, director, voice actor, and comedian. He is noted for being one of the principal voice actors on the animated television series The Simpsons , on which he performs the voices of Moe Szyslak, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, Chief...
. Tim is a strange reclusive wizard or conjurer
Conjuration
Conjuration is used in many video games, mainly RPGs, where it is usually referred to as summoning.* A notable example is the Final Fantasy franchise which incorporates summoning of monsters to fight alongside the characters....
who wears ram horns
Shofar
A shofar is a horn, traditionally that of a ram, used for Jewish religious purposes. Shofar-blowing is incorporated in synagogue services on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.Shofar come in a variety of sizes.- Bible and rabbinic literature :...
on his skullcap and has a penchant for fire
Fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....
-based magic
Magic (paranormal)
Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
. Tim's overall presence is commanding, and observers of his magic often applaud after a display. He speaks with a Scottish accent
Scottish English
Scottish English refers to the varieties of English spoken in Scotland. It may or may not be considered distinct from the Scots language. It is always considered distinct from Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic language....
.
Tim's name
His name derives from the following dialogue between him and King ArthurKing Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
:
- Arthur: What manner of man are you that can summon up fire without flintFlintFlint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
or tinderTinderTinder is easily combustible material used to ignite fires by rudimentary methods. A small fire consisting of tinder is then used to ignite kindling. Anything that can be ignited by a match can be considered tinder; or by more rigorous definition, anything that begins to glow under a shower of...
? - Tim: I... am an enchanter.
- Arthur: By what name are you known?
- Tim: There are some who call me... 'Tim'...?
- Arthur: ...greetings, Tim the Enchanter.
On the UK release of the DVD, the actors explain that "Tim" was intended as a particularly unlikely and non-menacing name for such a powerful wizard.
In an interview with Shaun Micallef
Shaun Micallef
Shaun Patrick Micallef is an Australian actor, comedian and writer. After ten years of working in insurance law as a solicitor in Adelaide, Micallef moved to Melbourne to pursue a full-time comedy career in 1993...
in 2007, John Cleese claimed that "we chose 'Tim' to annoy Tim Brooke-Taylor
Tim Brooke-Taylor
Timothy Julian Brooke-Taylor OBE is an English comic actor. He became active in performing in comedy sketches while at Cambridge University, and became President of the Footlights club, touring internationally with the Footlights revue in 1964...
".
Tim's appearance in Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Tim is met by King Arthur and his knights in Scene twenty, where he stands on a mountainMountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
conjuring fireballs. When they ask him about the Holy Grail
Holy Grail
The Holy Grail is a sacred object figuring in literature and certain Christian traditions, most often identified with the dish, plate, or cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper and said to possess miraculous powers...
, he leads them to the Cave of Caerbannog. As he engages in dialogue with Arthur and his knights, Tim needlessly conjures up flames and fireballs in between responses. His warnings about the cave's guardian, the Rabbit of Caerbannog
Rabbit of Caerbannog
The Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog is a fictional beast in the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It is the antagonist in a major setpiece battle, and makes a similar appearance in Spamalot, a musical inspired by the movie...
, are ignored, leading to the death of Bors
Bors
Bors circa 540s-580s, is the name of two knights in the Arthurian legend, one the father and one the son. Bors the Elder is the King of Gaunnes or Gaul during the early period of King Arthur's reign, and is the brother of King Ban of Benoic. Gaunnes is the Fredemundian dynastic kingdom of Neustria...
, Gawain
Gawain
Gawain is King Arthur's nephew and a Knight of the Round Table who appears very early in the Arthurian legend's development. He is one of a select number of Round Table members to be referred to as the greatest knight, most notably in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight...
, and Ector
Hector de Maris
Sir Hector de Maris is a Knight of the Round Table in Arthurian legend. He is the younger half-brother of Lancelot and the natural son of King Ban of Benwick and the Lady de Maris. Sir Bors and Sir Lionel are his cousins....
, before the rabbit is killed with the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch
Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch
The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch is a fictional weapon from the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It bears a striking resemblance to the Sovereign's Orb of the United Kingdom, and seems to draw some inspiration from the Holy Spear of Antioch...
. The events of Scene Twenty make it clear that Tim could probably destroy the Rabbit without much effort, but this apparently does not occur to him or any of the other characters.
Tim also appears earlier in the film in a scene restored in the 2001 re-release. His role in this scene is limited to joining several characters (before any of them are formally introduced) in shouting at the character Dingo to "get on with it!"
Appearances in popular culture
- One of the cheat codes of the RPG computer game Betrayal in AntaraBetrayal in AntaraBetrayal in Antara is a Windows 3.1 computer role-playing game developed and published by Sierra On-Line in 1997, after the success of their previous RPG, Betrayal at Krondor. Sierra had lost the rights to produce another game based on Raymond Feist's Midkemia, and therefore had to create the game...
by Sierra EntertainmentSierra EntertainmentSierra Entertainment Inc. was an American video-game developer and publisher founded in 1979 as On-Line Systems by Ken and Roberta Williams...
is "some call me Tim".
- In the trading card game Magic: The GatheringMagic: The GatheringMagic: The Gathering , also known as Magic, is the first collectible trading card game created by mathematics professor Richard Garfield and introduced in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast. Magic continues to thrive, with approximately twelve million players as of 2011...
the Prodigal Sorcerer card is often affectionately called "Tim", because of his ability to damage any target (as Tim the Enchanter summons fiery explosions anywhere). There is also a card called "Ovinomancer" that has art that directly references Tim the Enchanter, as the character depicted is an elderly wizard with a long beard and horned skullcap. In the World of Warcraft Trading Card GameWorld of Warcraft Trading Card GameThe World of Warcraft Trading Card Game is a collectible card game based on Blizzard Entertainment's MMORPG, World of Warcraft. The game was announced by Upper Deck Entertainment on August 18, 2005, and released on October 25, 2006...
expansion, Through the Dark Portal, there is a card called "Tim," who has the same cost, stats, and ability as Prodigal Sorcerer. The flavor text for the card contains the quote "There are some who call me... Tim."
- According to Thomas Erdelyi in the liner notes of All for NothingAll For NothingAll For Nothing is a female fronted hardcore band from south-side Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Behind the in-your-face hardcore, you will find metal and punk-rock influences in their music, all contributing to their own unique style....
, The Replacements album TimTim (album)Tim is an album released in October 1985 on Sire Records by the alternative rock band The Replacements. It was their first major label release...
was named for the wizard.
- In the online comic strip "Bob and GeorgeBob and GeorgeBob and George was a sprite-based webcomic which parodied the fictional universe of Mega Man. It is written by David Anez, a physics instructor who lives in the American Midwest. The comic first appeared on April 1, 2000 and ran until July 28, 2007...
", Tim was quoted by Bob when he used his fire attacks on Megaman and Bass to knock them off a tower.
- In the role playing shooter game, BorderlandsBorderlands (video game)Borderlands is a science fiction based first-person shooter with RPG elements that was developed by Gearbox Software for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. It was first revealed in the September 2007 issue of Game Informer magazine...
, there is an achievement labeled "There are some who call me...Tim".
- A popular overdrive guitar pedal by Paul Cochrane (Tim/Timmy) is named after Tim the Enchanter.