Stephen King's the Dark Tower: The Complete Concordance Revised and Updated (37 page)

GERBER, CAROL

See
BREAKERS
: BRAUTIGAN, TED

GHOSTS IN THE MACHINES

See
NORTH CENTRAL POSITRONICS
: BLAINE

GILEAD CORPSES (FARMERS AND THEIR FAMILIES)

When Roland was a boy, STARKBLASTS used to sweep down upon the GREAT WOODS north of NEW CANAAN once or twice a year. Once he even saw cartloads of frozen bodies being drawn down GILEAD ROAD. (They had been frozen by the storm.) Roland assumed that these farming families didn’t have BILLY-BUMBLERS to warn them of the impending disaster.

W:17

GILEAD’S COUNCIL OF ELD

In
The Wind Through the Keyhole,
WIDOW SMACK tells TIM ROSS that when the COVENANT MAN is not at his hobby of collecting taxes (a job which she states is no better than licking the tears from the faces of poor working folk) he’s an advisor to the palace lords who call themselves the Council of Eld. The Widow does not believe that these men have any blood connection to ARTHUR ELD at all, although some of them are probably GUNSLINGERS. The Covenant Man’s cruelty gives the Council of Eld a bad name, which is exactly what the Covenant Man wants. (He is, after all, another incarnation of WALTER O’DIM.)

W:169

GILEAD BIG BUGS (OWNERS OF DEBARIA SALT COMBYNE)

According to WILL WEGG, Debaria’s salt mines were actually owned by big bugs in Gilead.

W:275

GILEAD LADY FRIENDLY WITH WIDOW SMACK

See
TAHEEN
,
listed separately

GILEAD, LORDS OF

According to the WIDOW SMACK, the evil tax-collecting COVENANT MAN serves both the lords and gunslingers of Gilead. We can assume that at least some of these lords are the cavaliers and perfumed diplomats that Roland speaks of so derisively in
The Gunslinger.
Unfortunately, some of them are also probably gunslingers.

I:159
(2003 edition),
I:116–17
(2003 edition)
; W:170

GILEAD STABLEHAND

When Roland was a young boy, this man was badly burned in a kerosene fire. Like the patient-prisoners of the LITTLE SISTERS OF ELURIA, he was suspended above his bed rather than being placed directly upon the sheets. He eventually died, but only after two days of shrieking.

E:160

GILEAD’S WHITE AMMIES

The white ammies were the nurses who served Gilead palace. After Roland’s old teacher CORT became confused and incontinent, they were responsible for his care. However, until he was sent to DEBARIA by his father, Roland insisted on nursing Cort himself.

W:36, W:38

GILEAD WHORE

After his coming-of-age battle with CORT, Roland went to one of GILEAD’s brothels and lost his virginity to this prostitute.

I:174, IV:107–12, VII:824

GINELLI

See
BALAZAR, ENRICO
: BALAZAR’S MEN

GIRL SCOUTS

See
DEAN, SUSANNAH
: SUSANNAH’S PRESENT ASSOCIATES

GIRL WITH BODACIOUS TA-TAS

See
CHAMBERS, ELMER

GLICK, DANNY

See
CALLAHAN, FATHER DONALD FRANK
: ’SALEM’S LOT CHARACTERS

GLUE BOY

See
ALLGOOD, CUTHBERT

GODOSH

See
PRIM

GODS OF CREATION

See
GODS OF MID-WORLD

GODS OF MID-WORLD

Mid-World is home to many gods and goddesses, and it is from these older faiths that the MAN JESUS must win his followers. Although some, like LADY ORIZA, are described to us, most of these supernatural beings remain fascinating glimmers, half-seen, half-imagined. What follows is a list of the gods that are mentioned in the Dark Tower series. For additional information about Mid-World’s folklore, see the following subentries: For Mid-World heroes and antiheroes, see
ELD, ARTHUR
, and
CRIMSON KING
. For demons and devils, see
DEMON ELEMENTALS
and
DEMONS/SPIRITS/DEVILS
. For figures from Mid-World’s folklore, see
MID-WORLD FOLKLORE
.

V:10, V:313
(Callahan calls Calla gods “second-rate”),
V:467
(some listed),
W:196

AMOCO, THE THUNDER GOD

ASMODEUS:
E:147

APON:
See
OLD STAR
,
listed below

BAAL:
E:147

BESSA:
When things go according to plan, the people of Mid-World thank Bessa and GAN. We don’t find out anything else about this god. VII:371

BIG SKY DADDY:
Some tribes of SLOW MUTANTS call the father of the MAN JESUS “Big Sky Daddy.” V:475

BUFFALO STAR:
Buffalo Star is one of the many gods of Mid-World. Roland once killed a preacher of Buffalo Star. V:467

PREACHER OF BUFFALO STAR:
V:467

CAN-TAH:
See
CAN-TAH
and
GUARDIANS OF THE BEAM
: TURTLE GUARDIAN

CASSIOPEIA:
In one of Mid-World’s folktales, Cassiopeia causes the breakup between OLD MOTHER (South Star) and OLD STAR (North Star). Old Mother (LYDIA) caught Old Star (APON) flirting with this sweet young thing. Cassiopeia found the whole affair quite humorous. III:36–37

CHLOE:
According to a Mid-World prayer said over the bodies of the dead (a prayer translated either from High Speech or from the MANNI tongue), the goddess Chloe gives strength to those who have passed over. VII:474

FORCE, THE:
See
MANNI
: OVER, THE

GAN:
See
GAN
,
listed separately

GODS OF CREATION:
VI:12

GRAY DICK:
See
ORIZA, LADY
,
listed separately

GRENFALL, LORD:
See
ORIZA, LADY
,
listed separately

GUARDIANS OF THE BEAM:
See
GUARDIANS OF THE BEAM
,
listed separately

LYDIA:
See
OLD MOTHER
,
listed below

LYDIA’S DIPPER:
See
OLD MOTHER
,
listed below

MAN JESUS:
This is a Mid-World term for Jesus. Although Christianity exists in Roland’s universe, it is not the dominant religion. CALLA BRYN STURGIS is predominantly Christian thanks to the efforts of FATHER CALLAHAN, but in other towns Christianity has been blended with pagan faiths. Father Callahan likes to call Mid-World’s other deities “second-rate gods.” The women of SERENITY follow the Man Jesus. V:2, V:6, V:7, V:14, V:27,
V:39, V:143, V:146, V:224, V:311, V:318, V:325, V:376, V:398, V:475, V:477, V:484, V:601, V:647, VII:388, VII:617, W:49, W:164, W:231, W:274

MORPHIA:
Morphia calls herself the Daughter of Sleep. Like SELENA, Daughter of the Moon, she is one of the female incarnations of Death. VII:460

NIS:
Nis is both the dream-god of Mid-World and the name for the land of sleep and dreams. Nis is also the name of the CRIMSON KING’s horse. V:500, V:549

**OLD MOTHER (LYDIA, SOUTH STAR):
Old Mother is Mid-World’s South Star and is an important fixture of the night sky. According to an old legend, Old Mother was married to APON, also known as OLD STAR. The universe was created when Old Mother and Old Star had a crockery-throwing fight over Old Star’s flirtation with CASSIOPEIA. The other gods stepped in to break up the row but the two of them haven’t spoken since. As a flirtatious gesture of respect, Roland calls AUNT TALITHA of RIVER CROSSING by this name. In the 2003 version of
The Gunslinger,
Roland looks up and sees Old Mother in the desert sky. III:12, III:36–37, III:86, III:181, III:231
(Aunt Talitha),
III:232
(Aunt Talitha),
III:239
(Aunt Talitha),
III:250
(Aunt Talitha),
IV:33, IV:98, IV:105, IV:154, V:234, VI:250, VII:723, VII:764, VII:765
(brightest),
VII:766, VII:767, VII:770, VII:802, VII:826, W:91, W:215

LYDIA’S DIPPER:
Mid-World’s term for the Big Dipper. VII:724

**OLD STAR (NORTH STAR, APON):
Old Star (also called North Star) is another name for the wickedly flirtatious husband of OLD MOTHER (South Star). The two of them had a knock-down-drag-out fight over his têteàtête with CASSIOPEIA. The universe was created from the crockery they threw at each other, but the two of them haven’t spoken since. In the 2003
Gunslinger,
Roland sees Old Star in the sky. III:12, III:36–37, III:86, III:179, III:181, IV:33, IV:98, IV:105, IV:166, IV:531, V:234, VI:250, VII:723, VII:802, VII:826, W:91, W:215

ORIZA, LADY:
See
ORIZA, LADY
,
listed separately

OVER, THE:
See
MANNI
,
listed separately

PRIM:
See
PRIM
,
listed separately

RAF:
Raf is a magical being who has wings on his legs and/or feet. He seems to be similar to Mercury, the winged messenger of the Roman gods. V:173

SELENA:
Selena calls herself the Daughter of the Moon. Like MORPHIA, the Daughter of Sleep, she is one of the female incarnations of Death. VII:460

SEMINON, LORD:
See
ORIZA, LADY
,
listed separately

S’MANA:
According to a Mid-World death prayer (either translated from High Speech or from the MANNI tongue), the forgiving glance of S’mana heals the hearts of the dead. VII:474

SOUTH STAR:
See
OLD MOTHER
,
listed above

GOLDMAN, RICHARD

See
GUTTENBERG, FURTH, AND PATEL
: DAMASCUS, TRUDY: KIDZPLAY

GOLDOVER, SYLVIA

See
DEAN, HENRY

GOOD MAN, THE

See
FARSON, JOHN

GOODMAN, ANDREW

See
DEAN, SUSANNAH
: ODETTA HOLMES AND THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT: VOTER REGISTRATION BOYS

GOOD-MIND FOLK, THE

See
TET CORPORATION

GOODMOUTH KING

See
WARRIORS OF THE SCARLET EYE
: CASSE ROI RUSSE: HUMANS: FEEMALO/FIMALO/FUMALO

GRAHAM, TOMMY

See
TOWER, CALVIN

GRANDFATHER FLEAS

See
VAMPIRES
: TYPE ONE (THE GRANDFATHERS)

GRANDFATHERS

See
VAMPIRES
: TYPE ONE (THE GRANDFATHERS)

GRAND FEATHEREX

See
FEATHEREX

GRAN-PERE JAFFORDS

See
JAFFORDS FAMILY

GRANT, DONALD

See
KING, STEPHEN

GRAPEFRUIT, THE

See
MAERLYN’S RAINBOW

GRAY DICK

See
ORIZA, LADY

GRAYS

The Grays, whom we meet in
The Waste Lands,
are one of the two bands of harriers warring over the city of LUD. They are the sworn enemies of the PUBES. Although the Grays live in the mazes and old silos below the eastern part of the city and the Pubes live aboveground in CITY NORTH, the Grays are the more powerful. With the help of BLAINE, the city’s mad computer brain, they have convinced the Pubes that they have to appease the vindictive and flesh-hungry GHOSTS IN THE MACHINES with a daily ritual of human sacrifice. The Grays signal this horrid event by playing the god-drums (actually no more than the backbeat of the ZZ Top song “Velcro Fly”) over the city’s loudspeakers.

Originally, the Grays were the city’s besiegers. They were led by DAVID QUICK, the outlaw prince. In our story, the Grays are led by ANDREW QUICK, also known as TICK-TOCK, who is David Quick’s great-grandson.

Tick-Tock and his band don’t really understand why the god-drums work, but are eager to try to control more of Lud’s computers. In the end, the computers (à la Blaine) destroy both of Lud’s warring factions.

The easiest way to tell the difference between Pubes and Grays is by checking the color of their headscarves. The Pubes wear blue ones while the Grays wear yellow ones. The Grays also have a taste for young boys.

III:232, III:238, III:240, III:244–45, III:298, III:304, III:307, III:309, III:318, III:321, III:322, III:350–61
(high command),
III:362, III:365–72, III:373–82, III:388, III:403, III:411, IV:57, V:135, V:178, VI:152

GRAY HIGH COMMAND:

BLACK-HAIRED WOMAN:
This unnamed woman has an annoying laugh, so TICK-TOCK throws a knife at her. The blade stabs her in the chest and she dies in front of JAKE. III:352–53, III:356

BRANDON:
Brandon is a short, bandy-legged man. III:353–61, III:365–72, III:374, IV:646

COPPERHEAD:
Copperhead is a tall, bespectacled man in a white silk shirt and black silk trousers. He looks like a college professor in a late-nineteenth-century
Punch
cartoon. III:313, III:365–74

GASHER:
The first time Roland’s
ka-tet
meets Gasher, he is wearing patched green velvet pants and looks like a dying, but dangerous, buccaneer. Since he is in the late stages of the nasty venereal disease known as mandrus, his face is covered with oozing sores. Gasher has gray eyes, and is bald except for a few black hairs that stick out of his head like porcupine quills. Gasher is responsible for kidnapping JAKE CHAMBERS on the city side of LUD BRIDGE. His former lover is named HOOTS. III:296–303
(takes Jake),
III:304–7, III:308, III:312–14, III:314–16
(followed by Roland),
III:323
(indirect),
III:325–28, III:328–31
(followed by Roland),
III:334–39, III:340, III:341, III:350–61, III:363, III:365–72, III:375, III:383, III:402, IV:23, IV:28, IV:88
(indirectly compared to
Charlie the Choo-Choo
),
IV:100–101
(Eddie’s bulldozer dream),
IV:646, V:44, V:55, V:165, V:187, V:204, V:493, VI:184, VI:269, VI:337, VI:400, VII:502, W:3