Hoole

"It is not birth or magic that makes one noble. We are only as noble as our actions prove us to be."

―Hoole, To Be a King, page 18

Hoole was a male Spotted Owl, or Strix occidentalis. He was known as the first ruler of the Great Ga'Hoole Tree, the second retriever of the Ember of Hoole, and an owl of exceptional wisdom and character. He was the son of King H'rath and Queen Siv of the Northern Kingdoms.

History[]

The First Collier[]

Though Hoole does not appear as a character, his egg, laid by his mother Siv, was a source of contention between Siv and Lord Arrin, who wished to have control of the hatchling to use as leverage, as well as out of a hunger for revenge for the death of his son. Also, Ygryk and Pleek, a hagsfiend and a Great Horned Owl, wanted to have the egg since they could not have hatchlings of their own. Eventually, Siv gave the egg to Grank, and he took it to an island in the middle of the Bitter Sea where he tended to it. Hoole hatched on the night of a lunar eclipse at the same time Siv was cornered by Lord Arrin and his hagsfiends.

The Coming of Hoole[]

Owlethoole1 — Hoole on the Chinese cover of *The Coming of Hoole*, drawn as a Spotted *Owlet* - a species more closely related to the Burrowing Owl.

As a young owl, Hoole was an excellent flier and was brimming with questions to ask his "uncle" Grank, and Theo, Grank's recently appointed apprentice. At this time, Hoole discovered his firesight, but didn't say anything to anyone about this. Also, Hoole met Berwyck, a Glauxian Brother who taught him how to fish; and Phineas, a Pygmy Owl, which he soon came to befriend.

Hoole was attacked by the hagsfiends Ygryk and Pleek while he was meeting his mother Siv for the first time, disguised as a gadfeather. During this fight, Ygryk tried to snatch Hoole's eye when he fell to the ground due to a pinch from Yrgyk's half-hag to make him one like herself, but she was stopped by Siv. Hoole somehow understood that the gadfeather was his mother, and then with Grank, Theo and Phineas left for the Beyond the Beyond, because the island where they lived until then was no longer safe.

During this journey, Hoole and the others landed on the island (the future Island of Hoole) in the middle of the Sea of S'yrthghar. The island was covered with rocks, but there was a strange seedling which began to grow very fast when Hoole approached it. The group of owls didn't pay particular attention to this, except for Hoole, and they continued the journey to the Beyond. Hoole had great experience in the Beyond, such as learning how to catch coals and the dire wolves' hounting strategies. Although he was near to the Sacred Ring and then at the Owl Ember, he didn't feel its presence, much to Grank's regret.

However, when Hoole was reached by his mother and her noble troops there, during the battle against Lord Arrin and his hagsfiends who were longing to kill or capture Hoole, he felt the beckons of the Ember. So towards the end of the battle, he headed toward Dunmore and saw the Ember gleaming, and the sides of the volcano become transparent. He retrived the Ember and landed near Grank, while the troops of Lord Arrin retreated. A moment of such joy was accompanied by one of equal sadness, when both Hoole and Grank heard the farewell of Siv, who was fatally hit by Lord Arrin and, with her last breath, said to Hoole that she was pleased with him.

Finally, Hoole became a knight of the H'rathian Guard of Ice Regiment and a king, greeted Fengo and Namara, his wolf friends, and left the Beyond. Then, whereas the old palace of his father fell to the enimes, he headed toward the tree in the middle of the island in the middle of the S'yrthghar Sea (the future Sea of Hoolemere). There Hoole would set his court and rename the island "Ga'Hoole" (Great Spirit of Hoole).

To Be a King[]

After the Battle of the Short Light and the Long Night, Hoole became the mate of Emerilla and fathered several chicks. When he and Emerilla grew old, they flew to one of the volcanoes and threw the Ember of Hoole back to uphold Grank's dying wish. As he did so, Hoole spotted the dark eyes of a Barn Owl as the Ember settled in, and remained confident that a Barn Owl would retrieve it thousands of years later.

Trivia[]

On the Chinese covers of The Coming of Hoole and To Be A King, Hoole is misrepresented as a Spotted Owlet, Athene brama.
On the Russian cover of The Coming of Hoole, Hoole is depicted as a Barn Owl. On the cover of To Be a King, he appears more like a mix between a Spotted Owl and a Barn Owl.
In Estonian, Hoole means residents.