moved "Panurge" and "Max and Moritz" to novels section
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added separate headings for written fiction and media
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* [[Zomo The Rabbit: A Trickster Tale From West Africa|Zomo]], a rabbit from Nigerian folklore. |
* [[Zomo The Rabbit: A Trickster Tale From West Africa|Zomo]], a rabbit from Nigerian folklore. |
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=== Tricksters in fiction: novels, short stories, and comics === |
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<!-- PLEASE READ BEFORE ADDING: Before adding a name to this list, check the six traits of a trickster (above). A trickster should have several of these traits. If in doubt, please discuss on the talk page. Use sources, if possible. Unsourced additions may be removed.--> |
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⚫ | * [[El-ahrairah]] - The Prince of Rabbits, or the "Prince with the Thousand Enemies"; the trickster [[folk hero]] of the rabbits in ''[[Watership Down]]''. |
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⚫ | * [[Trickster (comics)|James Jesse/The Trickster]] - A supervillain from [[DC Comics]] and a foe of [[Flash (Barry Allen)|the Flash]]. |
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⚫ | * [[Joker (comics)|The Joker]] - The chaotic counterpart to [[Batman]]'s strive for order displays several characteristics of the trickster. Inscrutable, unpredictable and a defining obsession with gags and pranks that are sometimes harmless, sometimes deadly. |
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⚫ | * Kickaha - The Trickster from [[Phillip Jose Farmer]]’s [[World of Tiers]] novel series. Also known by his true name, Paul Janus Finnegan. |
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⚫ | * [[Loki (Marvel Comics)]] - From the [[Marvel Comics]] series, and from the Marvel movies ''[[Thor (film)|Thor]]'', ''[[The Avengers (2012 film)|The Avengers]]'', ''[[Thor: The Dark World]]'', ''[[Thor: Ragnarok]]'', and ''[[Avengers: Infinity War]]''. He is based directly on the trickster god Loki from Norse mythology. |
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⚫ | * [[Max and Moritz]] - Principal characters of the book of the same name written by [[Wilhelm Busch]] in 1865. Famous for their tricks, Max and Moritz quickly became famous characters in Germany. |
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⚫ | * [[The Mask (comics)|The Mask]] - Wears a mask imbued with [[Loki]]'s powers and lack of inhibition. |
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⚫ | * [[Mister Mxyzptlk]] - An imp from the fifth dimension featured in the ''[[Superman]]'' comics. |
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⚫ | * [[Ms. Gsptlsnz]] - The girlfriend of Mister Mxyzptlk from the fifth dimension in the ''Superman'' comics.. |
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⚫ | * [[Panurge]] - Companion of the Giant [[Gargantua and Pantagruel|Pantagruel]] in the books of [[Francois Rabelais]]. |
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* [[Rumplestiltskin]] - A character from the Mother Goose Grimm fairy tales, in which he fits many of the attributes of the trickster and often tricks other characters for his own nefarious purposes. |
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⚫ | * [[Silk (disambiguation)|Silk]] - or Prince Kheldar of Drasnia, a [[List of The Belgariad and The Malloreon characters#Protagonists|character in ''The Belgariad and The Malloreon'']] |
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⚫ | * [[Yuuzhan Vong|Yun-Harla]] - The trickster goddess of the [[Yuuzhan Vong]] religion in the ''[[Star Wars New Jedi Order|New Jedi Order]]'' series, who [[protagonist]] [[Jaina Solo]] impersonates in several novels. |
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=== Tricksters in movies, television, animation, and video games=== |
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<!-- PLEASE READ BEFORE ADDING: Before adding a name to this list, check the six traits of a trickster (above). A trickster should have several of these traits. If in doubt, please discuss on the talk page. Use sources, if possible. Unsourced additions may be removed.--> |
<!-- PLEASE READ BEFORE ADDING: Before adding a name to this list, check the six traits of a trickster (above). A trickster should have several of these traits. If in doubt, please discuss on the talk page. Use sources, if possible. Unsourced additions may be removed.--> |
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*The Trickster - an immortal extra-dimensional alien from the show ''[[Doctor Who]]''. |
*The Trickster - an immortal extra-dimensional alien from the show ''[[Doctor Who]]''. |
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* [[Bart Simpson]] - From the animated TV series ''[[The Simpsons]]''.<ref>Grand Valley State University [http://faculty.gvsu.edu/websterm/Tricksters.htm Trickster] World Mythology Course (Eng 104). Retrieved on: 2007-07-20.</ref> |
* [[Bart Simpson]] - From the animated TV series ''[[The Simpsons]]''.<ref>Grand Valley State University [http://faculty.gvsu.edu/websterm/Tricksters.htm Trickster] World Mythology Course (Eng 104). Retrieved on: 2007-07-20.</ref> |
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* [[List of Gravity Falls characters|Bill Cipher]] - A demon resembling a [[Eye of Providence|one-eyed triangle]], and the main antagonist of the animated series ''[[Gravity Falls]]''. He has many supernatural abilities and loves to use them to cause trouble for humans, including offering deals that invariably turn out badly for those who take them. |
* [[List of Gravity Falls characters|Bill Cipher]] - A demon resembling a [[Eye of Providence|one-eyed triangle]], and the main antagonist of the animated series ''[[Gravity Falls]]''. He has many supernatural abilities and loves to use them to cause trouble for humans, including offering deals that invariably turn out badly for those who take them. |
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* [[Bugs Bunny]] - A rabbit trickster, in some respects similar to Brer Rabbit.<ref>[http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/cmartin/LIT2120/studentwebpages/JSK/bugs.doc The Incarnation of a Trickster], Retrieved on July 11, 2007 {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040901093753/http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/cmartin/LIT2120/studentwebpages/JSK/bugs.doc |date=September 1, 2004 }}</ref> |
* [[Bugs Bunny]] - A cartoon rabbit trickster, in some respects similar to Brer Rabbit.<ref>[http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/cmartin/LIT2120/studentwebpages/JSK/bugs.doc The Incarnation of a Trickster], Retrieved on July 11, 2007 {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040901093753/http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/cmartin/LIT2120/studentwebpages/JSK/bugs.doc |date=September 1, 2004 }}</ref> |
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* Catnip - a Siamese cat actress who often portrays villains in plays and is also a trickster outside of acting. She is a [[Sanrio]] character who only appeared in [[Hello Kitty’s Furry Tale Theater]] (1987). |
* Catnip - a Siamese cat actress who often portrays villains in plays and is also a trickster outside of acting. She is a [[Sanrio]] character who only appeared in [[Hello Kitty’s Furry Tale Theater]] (1987). |
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* Cegorach - the trickster god (and one of the few survivors from their pantheon) of the Eldar in the ''[[Warhammer 40,000]]'' setting. |
* Cegorach - the trickster god (and one of the few survivors from their pantheon) of the Eldar in the ''[[Warhammer 40,000]]'' setting. |
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* Discord - a former antagonist from ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic]]''. He is the powerful Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony, and has become reformed, though he still sometimes play tricks on others. |
* Discord - a former antagonist from ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic]]''. He is the powerful Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony, and has become reformed, though he still sometimes play tricks on others. |
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* [[Doctor (Doctor Who)|The Doctor]] - The title character of ''[[Doctor Who]]'': Always a situation-inverter, deceiver and bricoleur, and sometimes ambiguous or trick-player, depending on the incarnations.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Britton|first1=PD|title=TARDISbound: Navigating the Universes of Doctor Who|date=2011|quote=Yet the Doctor has seldom been a straightforward hero. He has often exhibited characteristics of the trickster, for he generally relies on wiliness and rhetorical skill more than martial prowess or physical force, and his character has been frequently tinged with antiheroism}}</ref> |
* [[Doctor (Doctor Who)|The Doctor]] - The title character of ''[[Doctor Who]]'': Always a situation-inverter, deceiver and bricoleur, and sometimes ambiguous or trick-player, depending on the incarnations.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Britton|first1=PD|title=TARDISbound: Navigating the Universes of Doctor Who|date=2011|quote=Yet the Doctor has seldom been a straightforward hero. He has often exhibited characteristics of the trickster, for he generally relies on wiliness and rhetorical skill more than martial prowess or physical force, and his character has been frequently tinged with antiheroism}}</ref> |
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⚫ | * [[El-ahrairah]] - The Prince of Rabbits, or the "Prince with the Thousand Enemies"; the trickster [[folk hero]] of the rabbits in ''[[Watership Down]]''. |
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* [[Felix the Cat]] - A "transgressor of boundaries" (in the most literal sense).<ref>Patricia Vettel Tom. (1996) [https://www.jstor.org/stable/3109216 "Felix the Cat as Modern Trickster"] American Art, Vol. 10, No. 1 (Spring, 1996), pp. 64-87. Retrieved on July 11, 2007</ref> |
* [[Felix the Cat]] - A "transgressor of boundaries" (in the most literal sense).<ref>Patricia Vettel Tom. (1996) [https://www.jstor.org/stable/3109216 "Felix the Cat as Modern Trickster"] American Art, Vol. 10, No. 1 (Spring, 1996), pp. 64-87. Retrieved on July 11, 2007</ref> |
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* [[Fen'Harel]] - An enigmatic member of the elven pantheon and a recurring mythological figure in the ''[[Dragon Age]]'' series. |
* [[Fen'Harel]] - An enigmatic member of the elven pantheon and a recurring mythological figure in the ''[[Dragon Age]]'' series. |
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* Heloise - A teenaged girl and mad scientist who is also a [[tomboy]]ish trickster in the cartoon [[Jimmy Two Shoes]]. |
* Heloise - A teenaged girl and mad scientist who is also a [[tomboy]]ish trickster in the cartoon [[Jimmy Two Shoes]]. |
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* [[Hokey Wolf]] - A canine trickster who comes up with different ways to fool his victims. |
* [[Hokey Wolf]] - A canine trickster who comes up with different ways to fool his victims. |
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* [[Jack Sparrow]] - A notorious pirate captain from [[Walt Disney]]'s [[Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)|''Pirates of the Caribbean'' film series]]. Sparrow uses wit and deceit to attain his goals, preferring to end disputes verbally instead of by force.<ref name="iconic">{{cite news | title = Pirates Dead Man's Chest: Depp's Iconic Role | publisher = Emanuel Levy | year = 2006 | url = http://www.emanuellevy.com/article.php?articleID=2688 | accessdate = May 31, 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070927184450/http://www.emanuellevy.com/article.php?articleID=2688 | archive-date = September 27, 2007 | url-status = dead }}</ref> |
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⚫ | * [[Trickster (comics)|James Jesse/The Trickster]] - A supervillain from [[DC Comics]] and a foe of [[Flash (Barry Allen)|the Flash]]. |
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* [[Jareth]] - King of the Goblins from [[Jim Henson]]'s ''[[Labyrinth (1986 film)|Labyrinth]]'', who changes forms and uses magic to cajole the story's heroine through a series of puzzles. |
* [[Jareth]] - King of the Goblins from [[Jim Henson]]'s ''[[Labyrinth (1986 film)|Labyrinth]]'', who changes forms and uses magic to cajole the story's heroine through a series of puzzles. |
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* [[Jerry Mouse|Jerry]] - The mischievous mouse who constantly played tricks on the tomcat from the show ''[[Tom and Jerry]]''. |
* [[Jerry Mouse|Jerry]] - The mischievous mouse who constantly played tricks on the tomcat from the show ''[[Tom and Jerry]]''. |
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⚫ | * [[Joker (comics)|The Joker]] - The chaotic counterpart to [[Batman]]'s strive for order displays several characteristics of the trickster. Inscrutable, unpredictable and a defining obsession with gags and pranks that are sometimes harmless, sometimes deadly. |
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*[[Joker (Persona 5)|Joker]] - The main protagonist of ''[[Persona 5]]'' and leader of The Phantom Thieves of Hearts. |
*[[Joker (Persona 5)|Joker]] - The main protagonist of ''[[Persona 5]]'' and leader of The Phantom Thieves of Hearts. |
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*[[Joseph Joestar]] - The main protagonist of ''[[JoJo's Bizarre Adventure]]: [[Battle Tendency]]'' and a major supporting character in ''[[Stardust Crusaders]]''. Joseph has a supernatural talent of deception and slight-of-hand, which combined with his martial arts skills and ability to channel Hamon makes him an unpredictable fighter. He will frequently taunt his opponents both for his own amusement and as a tactic to lower their confidence. |
*[[Joseph Joestar]] - The main protagonist of ''[[JoJo's Bizarre Adventure]]: [[Battle Tendency]]'' and a major supporting character in ''[[Stardust Crusaders]]''. Joseph has a supernatural talent of deception and slight-of-hand, which combined with his martial arts skills and ability to channel Hamon makes him an unpredictable fighter. He will frequently taunt his opponents both for his own amusement and as a tactic to lower their confidence. |
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⚫ | * Kickaha - The Trickster from [[Phillip Jose Farmer]]’s [[World of Tiers]] novel series. Also known by his true name, Paul Janus Finnegan. |
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⚫ | * [[Loki (Marvel Comics)]] - From the [[Marvel Comics]] series, and from the Marvel movies ''[[Thor (film)|Thor]]'', ''[[The Avengers (2012 film)|The Avengers]]'', ''[[Thor: The Dark World]]'', ''[[Thor: Ragnarok]]'', and ''[[Avengers: Infinity War]]''. He is based directly on the trickster god Loki from Norse mythology. |
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⚫ | * [[Max and Moritz]] - Principal characters of the book of the same name written by [[Wilhelm Busch]] in 1865. Famous for their tricks, Max and Moritz quickly became famous characters in Germany. |
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⚫ | * [[The Mask (comics)|The Mask]] - Wears a mask imbued with [[Loki]]'s powers and lack of inhibition. |
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⚫ | * [[Mister Mxyzptlk]] - An imp from the fifth dimension featured in the ''[[Superman]]'' comics. |
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⚫ | * [[Ms. Gsptlsnz]] - The girlfriend of Mister Mxyzptlk from the fifth dimension. |
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⚫ | * [[Panurge]] - Companion of the Giant [[Gargantua and Pantagruel|Pantagruel]] in the books of [[Francois Rabelais]]. |
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* [[The Pink Panther (character)|The Pink Panther]] - A character featured at the start of [[The Pink Panther (1963 film)|the film]] and the [[List of The Pink Panther cartoons|animated series]] of the same name. |
* [[The Pink Panther (character)|The Pink Panther]] - A character featured at the start of [[The Pink Panther (1963 film)|the film]] and the [[List of The Pink Panther cartoons|animated series]] of the same name. |
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* [[Oberon's children#Puck|Puck]] from ''[[Gargoyles (TV series)|Gargoyles]]'' - Based on the faerie trickster from ''[[A Midsummer Night's Dream]]'', he plays a major role in the Disney animated television show "Gargoyles". |
* [[Oberon's children#Puck|Puck]] from ''[[Gargoyles (TV series)|Gargoyles]]'' - Based on the faerie trickster from ''[[A Midsummer Night's Dream]]'', he plays a major role in the Disney animated television show "Gargoyles". |
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* [[Rumplestiltskin]] - A character from the Mother Goose Grimm fairy tales, in which he fits many of the attributes of the trickster and often tricks other characters for his own nefarious purposes. |
* [[Rumplestiltskin]] - A character from the Mother Goose Grimm fairy tales, in which he fits many of the attributes of the trickster and often tricks other characters for his own nefarious purposes. |
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* [[Sera (Dragon Age)|Sera]] - A brash and capricious [[Robin Hood]]-like rogue who is a party member in ''[[Dragon Age: Inquisition]]''. |
* [[Sera (Dragon Age)|Sera]] - A brash and capricious [[Robin Hood]]-like rogue who is a party member in ''[[Dragon Age: Inquisition]]''. |
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⚫ | * [[Silk (disambiguation)|Silk]] - or Prince Kheldar of Drasnia, a [[List of The Belgariad and The Malloreon characters#Protagonists|character in ''The Belgariad and The Malloreon'']] |
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* [[Trickster]] - From the 1994 horror film ''Brainscan'', starring [[T. Ryder Smith]] as the Trickster. |
* [[Trickster]] - From the 1994 horror film ''Brainscan'', starring [[T. Ryder Smith]] as the Trickster. |
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* [[The Trickster (Supernatural)|The Trickster (''Supernatural'')]] - An antagonist of Seasons Two and Three of ''[[Supernatural (U.S. TV series)|Supernatural]]'', who often plays tricks on [[Sam Winchester|Sam]] and [[Dean Winchester|Dean]]. In Season Five, it is revealed that he is the archangel [[Gabriel (Supernatural)|Gabriel]] who came to Earth to get away from the fighting between his angelic brothers in Heaven, and that he took on the name of [[Loki (Supernatural)|Loki]] and masqueraded as a pagan god once on earth. |
* [[The Trickster (Supernatural)|The Trickster (''Supernatural'')]] - An antagonist of Seasons Two and Three of ''[[Supernatural (U.S. TV series)|Supernatural]]'', who often plays tricks on [[Sam Winchester|Sam]] and [[Dean Winchester|Dean]]. In Season Five, it is revealed that he is the archangel [[Gabriel (Supernatural)|Gabriel]] who came to Earth to get away from the fighting between his angelic brothers in Heaven, and that he took on the name of [[Loki (Supernatural)|Loki]] and masqueraded as a pagan god once on earth. |
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* [[Woody Woodpecker]] - "A less complex version of the Trickster."<ref>Tina Blue. (2001) [http://tinablue.homestead.com/motifs.html Traditional Themes and Motifs in Literature]. Retrieved on July 11, 2007.</ref> |
* [[Woody Woodpecker]] - "A less complex version of the Trickster."<ref>Tina Blue. (2001) [http://tinablue.homestead.com/motifs.html Traditional Themes and Motifs in Literature]. Retrieved on July 11, 2007.</ref> |
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⚫ | * [[Yuuzhan Vong|Yun-Harla]] - The trickster goddess of the [[Yuuzhan Vong]] religion in the ''[[Star Wars New Jedi Order|New Jedi Order]]'' series, who [[protagonist]] [[Jaina Solo]] impersonates in several novels. |
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* Zoe - A Targonian kid turned an "Aspect of Twilight", as the embodiment of mischief, imagination, and change in the video game [[League of Legends]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://universe.leagueoflegends.com/en_US/champion/zoe/ | title=Zoe - Champions - Universe of League of Legends }}</ref> |
* Zoe - A Targonian kid turned an "Aspect of Twilight", as the embodiment of mischief, imagination, and change in the video game [[League of Legends]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://universe.leagueoflegends.com/en_US/champion/zoe/ | title=Zoe - Champions - Universe of League of Legends }}</ref> |
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The trickster is a common stock characterinfolklore and popular culture. A clever, mischievous person or creature, the trickster achieves goals through the use of trickery. A trickster may trick others simply for amusement or for survival in a dangerous world. The trickster could be a personification of the chaos that the world needs to function.
Anarchetypical example is the simple peasant successfully put to the test by a King who wishes a suitable suitor for his daughter. In this fairy tale, no brave and valiant prince or knight succeeds. Aided only by his natural wit, the peasant evades danger and triumphs over monsters and villains without fighting. Thus the most unlikely candidate passes the trials and receives the prize. Such characters are a staple of animated cartoons, in particular those used and developed by Tex Avery et al. during the Golden Age of American animation.
Hynes and Doty, in Mythical Trickster Figures (1997) state that every trickster has several of the following six traits:[1]
Yet the Doctor has seldom been a straightforward hero. He has often exhibited characteristics of the trickster, for he generally relies on wiliness and rhetorical skill more than martial prowess or physical force, and his character has been frequently tinged with antiheroism
The Doctor needs his own trickster figure to transport him to his own greenworld which, perforce, must be that much more chaotic and magical and insane and governed by all the primal forces even he tries to ignore. And there he can confront those conflicts within himself and find resolution to them before returning, fixed, to his real world. And order was restored with a wedding!