- "Professor Bigby was brilliant, impatient, stubborn, and mercurial. And a 500-year-old Pixie who more or less saw humans as children to be toyed with."
- ―Henry Fogg
Professor Bigby is a former educator for Brakebills University and a previous lover of Henry Fogg.
Biography
Fighting in the American Civil War
- "It was amazing reading about how you used the Rhinemann at Gettysburg to help win the war for the Union."
"And it was you who slipped it to Rupert Chatwin for the Battle of the Bulge. I mean, you changed history.
"Oh, I did, yes. Many times." - ―Alice Quinn, Quentin Coldwater, and Bigby
Bigby has lived for over 500 years, during which she once slept with a god, with the experience leaving her glowing for weeks.
Bigby also fought in numerous wars in her life, notably winning the Battle of Gettysburg for the Union during the American Civil War.
Teaching at Brakebills
Bigby had worked at Brakebills University as an instructor of Battle Magic for the students for over a century, from the 1870s to 1979, when the school board outlawed the subject and terminated her employment. Prior to leaving, Bigby insisted that students would one day need battle magic again, and left a series of clues on how to locate her hidden in the library.
Helping Alice Quinn
In 2017, Bigby was located by Henry Fogg, Alice Quinn, and Quentin Coldwater to obtain the Rhinemann Ultra to defeat The Beast. After Quinn and Coldwater convinced her to give them the spell, Bigby instructed Quinn on how to perform the spell, insisting that she kill The Beast quickly, as her enhanced power was waning fast.[1]
Personality
Bigby is described by Henry Fogg as brilliant, impatient, stubborn, and mercurial, with a penchant for treating Humans as toys for her own schemes.
Magic and Abilities
Magic
- Pixie Physiology: Bigby is a member of the Pixies, a humanoid race, with differentiating features such as pointed ears and a long lifespan. She is able to retain her magical abilities independent of the Wellspring, and was unaffected when the Old Gods shut off the source of magic for the universe.
- Longevity: As a Pixie, Bibgy ages much slower than humans and has lived for over half a century.
- Enhanced Senses: Bigby was able to sense Alice Quinn's enhanced magical power, as well as the relationship between Quinn and Quentin Coldwater.
Abilities
- Gifted Intelligence: As a Pixie, Bibgy has a natural penchant for riddles and mind games, and is said to be incredibly intelligent and mercurial, making her a great tactician. She was able to predict that students at Brakebills would need battle magic again after it was outlawed by the school, and created a series of elaborate puzzles for Henry Fogg to find her.
- Skilled Combatant: Having lived for centuries, Bigby has become highly proficient in battle magic, having taught the course at Brakebills University before it was outlawed. She was able to use the Rhinemann Ultra to win the Battle of Gettysburg for the Union during the American Civil War, and later taught the spell to Rupert Chatwin and Alice Quinn to use during the Battle of the Bulge and against The Beast, respectively.
Relationships
Allies
Trivia
- In The Magicians, Bigby is a portly male Pixie and the faculty advisor for the Physical Magic students.
- Bigby's name is a reference to a wizard from Dungeons and Dragons' Greyhawk setting. Several spells in the D&D Player's Handbook also bear Bigby's name, such as "Bigby's Grasping Hand" and "Bigby's Crushing Fist", among others.
Appearances
| Appearances for Bigby |
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In chronological order: |