The Chief Duffer, as seen in the 2010 movie.
Dufflepuds (also known as Duffers or Monopods) is the general name used to refer to the servants of the magician Coriakin. The Dufflepuds lived together in a community on an island, serving Coriakin and working under the command of the Chief Duffer.
They believed Coriakin to be a tyrant, when in fact he was actually trying to educate the Dufflepuds and help them survive.
History[]
The Duffers worked for Coriakin for many generations; how many is not known. Their constant foolishness led them to rebel against him for trying to help them. As punishment, they were made into Monopods. Later, however, they grew to hate their new appearance so deeply that they used Coriakin's magic to make themselves invisible.
In NT 2306, they kidnapped a party of Narnian visitors, and forced Queen Lucy of Narnia to undo the invisibility spell, which they had come to dislike. At that time it was declared by Aslan that they were not yet ready to see him. It is possible that eventually they were ready and able to meet with him.
Later, Reepicheep taught the Duffers how to use their large feet as sort of a small raft or boat, and he even taught them how to fashion crude paddles to help them steer themselves in the water. They even paddled out, as the Dawn Treader and its crew sailed out of sight.
Character[]
- "It's got to be a little girl, or else the magician himself, if you see my meaning, for otherwise it won't work. And why not? Because nothing happens."
- ―The Chief Duffer[src]
The duffers were loyal to one another, and especially to their leader, whom they loudly and constantly supported with many voices of full-hearted agreement. In fact, he rarely managed to say more than six or seven words without being interrupted by their encouragements and agreements.
The dufflepuds were somewhat cowardly, quite foolish, and very full of themselves, but they were not bad-natured people. They were most like simple children in character. They possessed infallible logic, and concluded (among many other profound statements) that water is "powerful wet stuff".
Appearance[]
Dufflepuds, as they appear in the book.
The dufflepuds were originally common dwarfs called Duffers, and were said to be rather plain creatures. They were later transformed into Monopods by Coriakin as punishment for disobedience. In this form, each had only one leg, right under its body, and a huge foot the size of a small coracle.
Although almost everyone else liked the change, the duffers were so ashamed of their new, "uglified" form that they snuck into the magician's library and used his magic book to turn themselves invisible.
By the time Caspian and his crew reached the island, the fickle duffers had become "mortal tired of being invisible," but they were too afraid to sneak upstairs and use the magician's book again, so they threatened the travelers with death unless Lucy would do it for them (only the magician or a little girl can say the spell).
She succeeded, and, as far as we know, they remained visible Monopods for the rest of their lives.
The name Dufflepud is a garbled combination of Duffer and Monopod. They combined their old name of Duffers (given by Coriakin) with the new name of Monopods (given by the visitors) to create their final name of "Dufflepuds." Not being able to pronounce "Monopod" properly, they also called themselves Money-puds, Pomonods, and Poddymons, before settling on Dufflepuds.
Trivia[]
- A Dufflepud's single foot is so large that it can be used as an umbrella when he is on his back, or can be used as a canoe if the Dufflepud goes on water.
- The relationship between Coriakin and Dufflepuds is likely a metaphor for God and humanity, and the story of him turning them into Monopods was probably self-irony on the part of Lewis. Lewis was born with only one functional joint in his thumbs, that impeded his physical activities, and led to him becoming a writer. I. e. his God-given handicap allowed him to fulfill his true potential, pretty much like the Dufflepuds eventually found advantages in being one-legged.