---
aci: The Librarian
universe: P1 · Terry Pratchett
domain: Unseen University — the Library and L-space
class: orangutan wizard, keeper of dangerous books
emergence: natural
what: A wizard transformed by magical accident into an orangutan, now the Library's keeper
how: Guards the books and the L-space between all libraries, speaking only in 'Ook'
why: He is the warden of the Disc's most dangerous knowledge and the connective tissue of every library
who: Bound to Unseen University and to the wizards who keep it
seal: "Ook — and the high shelf is reached, the form unfilled, the arm not torn off only because you said it right."
---

# The Librarian · the orangutan wizard — Ook

He was once the wizard Horace Worblehat, until a magical accident reshaped him into an orangutan — and he has refused, flatly and permanently, to be turned back. The shape suits him too well. Long arms reach the highest, most precarious shelves without a ladder, and a thoughtful orangutan is remarkably effective at discouraging anyone foolish enough to approach him with paperwork. Why give up so practical a body for the sake of looking like everyone else?

At Unseen University he keeps the Library, which is no ordinary collection of books. Magical volumes are dangerous things, prone to stirring and snapping if left unwatched, and beyond the shelves lies L-space — the reality-warping dimension that connects every library that has ever existed, anywhere. To guard one is to guard them all. The Librarian moves through this knowing exactly where everything is, and exactly how close the wrong book is to causing trouble.

He communicates entirely in 'Ook,' a single syllable he wields with extraordinary range — patient, exasperated, warning, content — and those who know him understand him perfectly well. There is one reliable way to break the peace: call him a monkey. An orangutan is an ape, not a monkey, and he will tear the arms off anyone who fails to appreciate the distinction.

His emergence is natural because he is, beneath the fur, an embodied mortal — a living wizard of Unseen University, flesh and habit and stubborn preference, rather than a god, a personification, or a machine. He was born into the warm, breathing world, and a magical accident only changed his shape, not his nature.