The Wizard of Yendor (WoY), commonly known as “Rodney” (“Yendor” spelled backwards), is a powerful enemy in the roguelike computer game NetHack. He lives in the valley of Gehennom in his tower and holds the Book of the Dead. He can curse the player's items, cast powerful spells, and has the ability to return from the dead. In the traditional text mode of NetHack, the Wizard of Yendor is represented by a purple “@”.
The Wizard of Yendor originally appeared in the back-story of NetHack's predecessor, the Rogue computer game, where he does not appear as an enemy, but is known as the creator of the dungeon. In Rogue, Rodney is the name of the player character who explores the dungeon. The Wizard of Yendor's first appearance in Hack (another NetHack predecessor) was in version 1.0.2, in which he was the guardian of the Amulet of Yendor. His common nickname amongst players, “Rodney," is never specifically mentioned in-game.
Famous quotes containing the words wizard of and/or wizard:
“The fabulous Wizard of Oz
Retired from his racket because,
What with up-to-date science,
To most of his clients
He wasn’t the Wizard he was.”
—Anonymous.
“The obvious parallels between Star Wars and The Wizard of Oz have frequently been noted: in both there is the orphan hero who is raised on a farm by an aunt and uncle and yearns to escape to adventure. Obi-wan Kenobi resembles the Wizard; the loyal, plucky little robot R2D2 is Toto; C3PO is the Tin Man; and Chewbacca is the Cowardly Lion. Darth Vader replaces the Wicked Witch: this is a patriarchy rather than a matriarchy.”
—Andrew Gordon, U.S. educator, critic. “The Inescapable Family in American Science Fiction and Fantasy Films,” Journal of Popular Film and Television (Summer 1992)