| “ | You will tell me the binding of Apophis. Then you will tell me how to neutralize the enchantment around Brooklyn House. You know Kane’s defenses better then anyone. Once I destroy him, I will have no opponents. | ” |
–Menshikov demanding Set aid in his goal to destroy the Kanes in The Throne of Fire. | ||
Vladimir Menshikov was a Russian magician who was in charge of the Eighteenth Nome, and was also the grandson of the infamous Prince Menshikov. He was an assassin for rogue magicians,[1] and was the third most powerful magician in the world. He is a descendant of the priests of Ra, the ones that wrote the Book of Ra, as well as the main antagonist of The Throne of Fire. He died when Michel Desjardins extracted Apophis from him.
History[]
Vladimir believed he could save the world by using the one piece of the Book of Ra he had in his possession. Unfortunately, it backfired horribly on him and burned his eyes and throat, scarring him. Menshikov's agenda changed, and he became determined to summon Ra so that he could destroy him. This led to Vladimir following Apophis and being controlled by chaos.
The Kane Chronicles[]
The Throne of Fire[]
Vladimir Menshikov was first seen when Sadie took a ba trip to the First Nome. Vlad was attempting to convince Desjardins to hunt the Kanes, and to follow his bidding.
Later on, Menshikov meets Carter and Sadie in Saint Petersburg. He is seen summoning and imprisoning Set, then he later summons a tjesu heru that poisons Carter.
Deep in the Duat, Menshikov races the Kanes to the end of the River of Night. There, after changing the course of the river, he hosts Apophis and demanded that they pledge their loyalty. After their refusal, he battles against the Kanes, then later Desjardins. Eventually, Menshikov loses and gets cast in the Duat.
Appearance[]
Vlad dresses in all white, wearing a suit and scarf and sunglasses. He has a chubby face, a pleasant smile, and curly gray hair. His eyes are ruined, however, appearing as if they have been "splashed with acid, then repeatedly clawed by cats". This was caused by him trying to awaken Ra with only one out of three scrolls. He wears a silver, snake-shaped pendant. According to Sadie, he looks like an evil ice-cream man.[2]
Personality[]
Menshikov is ruthless, and eager for destruction. His own pride caused his downfall, and he got so trapped in his own bitterness and resentment he turned over to Chaos. Menshikov is bloodthirsty but cunning, and is talented at deception.
Carter notes that Vlad, in the end, seemed to hate being controlled. He may felt pity at one point, without Apophis's influence. It was possible he only became so evil because of Apophis's control.
Abilities[]
- Divine Words: Like other magicians, he could an control the language of the universe.
- Animal Charming: Menshikov mentioned his specialty was snakes.
- Curses: Menshikov managed to drain Desjardin's life and power.
- Chaos Magic: Under the control of Apophis, Vlad could control the essence of chaos.
Relationships[]
Apophis: Apophis is the only being that Menshikov cares about other than himself. He is undyingly loyal to Apophis, although he did show a bit of remorse when Apophis took him over.
Michel Desjardins: Menshikov pretended to be the Chief Lector's friend for a period of time in The Throne of Fire. In reality, he was doing this in order to manipulate Desjardins's control over the House of Life and its forces, while also draining his power steadily as well.
Sarah Jacobi: Jacobi was one of Menshikov's assassins when he ordered several evil magicians and demons to attack Brooklyn House. She may have saw him as a role model, because she took over his nome in St. Petersburg, and waged war on the Kane Family even after his death in the Duat. Similarly, like Vladimir before her, Jacobi ultimately aligned herself with Apophis in secrecy.
'Set: It is revealed in The Throne of Fire that Menshikov was the only other mortal to know Set's secret name, Evil Day, besides the Kanes. Menshikov summoned him illegally several times on the varying information he wanted to know.
Carter Kane: Menshikov hates all Kanes, as they prove a threat to his plan for ressurecting Apophis, and Carter is no exception. While at his nome in Russia, he casted a spell that would have killed Carter if Sadie Kane had not intervened and healed him.
Sadie Kane: It is presumed that Menshikov hates Sadie just as much as Carter Kane, but there is relatively no information upon this topic.
Bes: Bes participated in Menshikov's grandfather's dwarf wedding, so he hates Menshikov personally. It is unknown whether or not Menshikov returns this.
Etymology[]
- Vladimir is a masculine given name of Old Slavic origins meaning “of great power.”
- Menshikov is a a surname or Russian origin.
Trivia[]
- Sadie nicknamed him the 'Ice Cream Man'.
- Some think that Vlad's nickname, "Vlad the Inhaler" may come from the Romanian ruler, "Vlad the Impaler", due to their fiendish and evil behaviors. Menshikov's could also may come from his dry, husky voice resembling an asthmatic.
- Menshikov did not use Divine Words. Some think that when Vlad yelled Nyet that it was a spell. That is unlikely, since Nyet is Russian for "no". Set probably caused the resulting sandstorm (Set was trapped in a jar like a genie and was released by Sadie to attack Vlad) because Set is the secondary god of chaos. The sand sent Vlad into the wall. Set then proceeded to drop three malachite vases over his head.
- In the Polish translation, he is known as Wład Parownik (Vlad the Evaporator) in order to sound similar to Wład Palownik (Vlad the Impaler)
- Vlad's friendly expression is deceiving, because when he takes off his glasses, it reveals ruined eyes.
- Vladimir Menshikov is one of the main antagonists of the series, despite only appearing in one book.
- It is ironic that Menshikov's goal of sowing destruction eventually killed him.
- Despite his efforts to free Apophis, by the end, he wanted to die. The Kanes could see in his eyes that he was begging for them to kill him when he was possessed.
- He died when Apophis escaped his mortal body. Vladimir Menshikov's body disintegrated when Vlad/Apophis was execrated by Desjardins.
- Desjardins died shortly after casting the disintegration spell to destroy Apophis and Vladamir from the spell cast over him to weaken him.
- In Russian, Vlad and Vladimir are different names.
References[]
- ↑ The Throne of Fire, hardcover, page 58
- ↑ The Throne of Fire, page 42