Gurgi

Gurgi is a fictional character in The Chronicles of Prydain, the series of fantasy novels by Lloyd Alexander.

Gurgi is the hero Taran's faithful companion, appearing in all five books.

He is described as being some sort of cross between man and animal (although lacking the intelligence of one and the wisdom of the other, respectively), having long arms, covered with fur and leaves, and ever hungry. His manner of speech is filled with rhymed pairs of words ("Crunchings and Munchings", "Boatings and Floatings"), and redundant phrases; he refers to himself in the third person.

Appearances

(Some Plot Spoilers)

In The Book of Three Taran first meets Gurgi in his quest to locate Hen-Wen, the Oracular Pig. At first Taran is disdainful of Gurgi, believing him to be more of a nuisance than anything else. By the end of the book he learns the value of true companionship.

In The Black Cauldron, Gurgi, along with Princess Eilonwy, sneakily follows the Companions to the Black Gate of Annuvin. Gurgi would accomapny the Companions to the Marshes of Mova and eventually be the one to find the Cauldron.

In The Castle of Llyr, Gurgi accompanies Taran in escorting the Princess Eilonwy to the Isle of Mona and faces all sorts of dangers when the she is kidnapped by a foe long thought dead.

In Taran Wanderer, Gurgi follows Taran on what might be the most important quest of his life, and proves to be a true friend.

In The High King, Gurgi's bravery is proven from beginning to end and when all is said and done, he must make the hardest choice of all.

Additional information

The name Gurgi may be a variation on Gruagach (see Púca).

In Disney's animated version of The Black Cauldron, Gurgi is portrayed as a small badger-like creature, whose speech distortions somewhat resemble those of Donald Duck.

Some speculate that Gurgi may in fact be one of a species of creatures; Orgoch, Orddu and Orwen have referred to him as "the Gurgi".

The cover on one edition of The Black Cauldron shows Gurgi looking like a reggedy humanoid with bushy hair and thin limbs, almost like a starving vagrant.

Prydain enthusiasts tend to agree that Gurgi is probably some sort of primitive primate, given his affinity with animals and his agility.

Gurgi possesses a magical wallet that provides somewhat tasteless and dry, though nourishing, food indefinitely. While his mount has no name per se, he is often see riding a shaggy pony.

*The Chronicles of Prydain*
Characters
Princess Eilonwy > Fflewddur Fflam \| Taran \| Gurgi \| The Horned King \| Arawn \| Gwydion \| Dallben
Books
The Book of Three (1964) > The Black Cauldron (1965) \| The Castle of Llyr (1966) \| Taran Wanderer (1967) \| The High King (1968) \| The Foundling and Other Tales from Prydain (1970)
Other media
The Black Cauldron (film)>The Black Cauldron (film) \| The Black Cauldron (video game)
Other
Caer Dallben > Cauldron-Born \| Dyrnwyn

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