Turjan
Encyclopedia
Turjan is a fiction
al sorcerer
from the Dying Earth series
by fantasy author Jack Vance
. He first appeared in the short story collection The Dying Earth, in 1950.
At the beginning of the series, in "Turjan of Miir," Turjan is frustrated in his attempts to create synthetic life
in his nutrient vats. Turjan uses a spell to travel to an otherworldly realm known as Embelyon, in order to ask the secret from an incredibly powerful (but never seen) wizard named Pandelume, who remembers all of the thousands of spells which are lost to the rest of mankind in Turjan's time. After performing a service for Pandelume, Turjan not only learns how to create life, but also receives instruction in many different spells, as well as in mathematics
, a lost science in his own civilization. Turjan first creates a green-haired woman named Floriel, who is killed by one of Pandelume's defective creations. His second creation, T'sain, returns with him to Earth after Turjan completes his apprenticeship under Pandelume.
In "Mazirian the Magician," Turjan has been captured by an evil wizard named Mazirian, who torments Turjan in an effort to force him to give up the secret of how he imbues his artificial creations with intelligence. T'sain eventually kills Mazirian and frees Turjan, but dies in the attempt. Turjan vows to use her brain in order to recreate her in a new body.
s which protect him from harmful magic and can undo harmful enchantments.
In addition to his spellcasting ability and magical artifacts, Turjan is trained in other sciences, such as mathematics, the ability to create artificial humans from vats, and the secrets of superhumanly prolonged life.
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
al sorcerer
Magician (fantasy)
A magician, mage, sorcerer, sorceress, wizard, enchanter, enchantress, thaumaturge or a person known under one of many other possible terms is someone who uses or practices magic that derives from supernatural or occult sources...
from the Dying Earth series
Dying Earth series
The Dying Earth is a series of picaresque fantasy fixups by American author Jack Vance.-Works:The series consists of the following works:*The Dying Earth...
by fantasy author Jack Vance
Jack Vance
John Holbrook Vance is an American mystery, fantasy and science fiction author. Most of his work has been published under the name Jack Vance. Vance has published 11 mysteries as John Holbrook Vance and 3 as Ellery Queen...
. He first appeared in the short story collection The Dying Earth, in 1950.
Biography
Turjan resides in a stone castle called Miir, by the river Derna in the land of Ascolais. He spends much of his time in his study, where he keeps the ancient books which contain the one hundred spells which are still known to mankind.At the beginning of the series, in "Turjan of Miir," Turjan is frustrated in his attempts to create synthetic life
Synthetic life
The creation of synthetic life is a goal of scientists working in the fields of synthetic biology or exploring the origin of life. The term has also been used to describe recent experiments that transferred...
in his nutrient vats. Turjan uses a spell to travel to an otherworldly realm known as Embelyon, in order to ask the secret from an incredibly powerful (but never seen) wizard named Pandelume, who remembers all of the thousands of spells which are lost to the rest of mankind in Turjan's time. After performing a service for Pandelume, Turjan not only learns how to create life, but also receives instruction in many different spells, as well as in mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, a lost science in his own civilization. Turjan first creates a green-haired woman named Floriel, who is killed by one of Pandelume's defective creations. His second creation, T'sain, returns with him to Earth after Turjan completes his apprenticeship under Pandelume.
In "Mazirian the Magician," Turjan has been captured by an evil wizard named Mazirian, who torments Turjan in an effort to force him to give up the secret of how he imbues his artificial creations with intelligence. T'sain eventually kills Mazirian and frees Turjan, but dies in the attempt. Turjan vows to use her brain in order to recreate her in a new body.
Powers and abilities
Like the other wizards of the Dying Earth, Turjan practices magic by memorizing written spells, which he immediately forgets upon casting them. In his first appearance, before his tutelage under Pandelume, Turjan can memorize only four of the most powerful spells. Turjan also relies on magical devices and amuletAmulet
An amulet, similar to a talisman , is any object intended to bring good luck or protection to its owner.Potential amulets include gems, especially engraved gems, statues, coins, drawings, pendants, rings, plants and animals; even words said in certain occasions—for example: vade retro satana—, to...
s which protect him from harmful magic and can undo harmful enchantments.
In addition to his spellcasting ability and magical artifacts, Turjan is trained in other sciences, such as mathematics, the ability to create artificial humans from vats, and the secrets of superhumanly prolonged life.