Unseen University

Lore & Background

The University has existed for thousands of years. The average Archchancellor remains in office for about eleven months, as it is common to ascend through the ranks by assassinating superiors, a tradition known as 'dead man's pointy shoes.' There are eight eighth-level wizards, with the number becoming progressively higher as the level decreases. Staff members usually appear in groups, though some have solo storylines or appear in specific books like Going Postal, Night Watch, Thud!, and Unseen Academicals. The Librarian has carefully excised his name from university records because if it were known, he could be changed back into a human.

In Their Own Story

In the library, the staff are so used to their orang-utan colleague that they would likely ask him if he had seen an orang-utan if someone reported one. The Archchancellor, Mustrum Ridcully, uses the corridors as a shooting range and has been known to shout loudly at would-be assassins while banging their heads repeatedly in doors to ensure his own safety. The Bursar, Professor A.A. Dinwiddie, keeps barely functional by experimental dosages of dried frog pills, which are hallucinogens intended to make him hallucinate being sane.

Reader's Guide

To visit the Unseen University is to enter a place where wizards are referred to by offices like 'Lecturer in Recent Runes' rather than names. The Archchancellor acts as a magical adviser to the Patrician and holds a seat on the Ankh-Morpork council, though that council has no power. Ridcully, the current Archchancellor, enjoys an injury-free term due to his indestructibility. He gets on best with Ponder Stibbons because he never understands what Ponder says, and Ponder never expects him to. The Dean is very obese, earning the nickname 'Two Chairs,' and was once the first person to voluntarily resign from the university.

Did You Know?

• The average Archchancellor stays in office for only about eleven months before being assassinated.
• Ridcully the Brown is a country wizard who can hunt small animals, similar to Radagast the Brown but with a different purpose.
• The Librarian refuses to be turned back into a human because he enjoys climbing high shelves.
• In Unseen Academicals, Ridcully had difficulty remembering the Dean's name despite having started at UU around the same time.
• Hex the thinking engine once inherited the Bursar's insanity after a 'conversation' with him.