Grimalkin (also called "Malky", or Shadowpuppet) is a cat who is apparently made from glass. He served as Elphaba Thropp's pet while she stayed in the Emerald City.
He later appeared in A Lion Among Men, where he is found by Brrr in Shiz and taken up as his pet. However, by the end of the novel, the Clock of the Time Dragon reveals that he was actually a cat hired by the Wizard's government to spy on Elphaba and played a small role in Fiyero's death. He is imprisoned in the Grimmerie by Yackle when she reenters the book.
Trivia[]
- It is possible that Grimalkin is based on Bungle, a glass cat who made its debut in seventh book of the original Oz series; The Patchwork Girl of Oz.
- In folklore, a grimalkin (also called a greymalkin) is an archaic term for a cat. Scottish legend makes reference to the grimalkin as a faery cat that dwells in the highlands.
- During the early modern period, the name grimalkin – and cats in general – became associated with the devil and witchcraft. Women tried as witches in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries were often accused of having a familiar, frequently a grimalkin. One such example of this is Elphaba who kept Malky as pet whilst in the Emerald City.
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