Nessus (Pierson's Puppeteer)
| Nessus (Pierson's Puppeteer) | |
|---|---|
| Ringworld character | |
| First appearance | 1968 |
| Created by | Larry Niven |
| Information | |
| Gender | Male |
Nessus is a male (of the second type, his species has three sexes) character in Larry Niven's Known Space universe, of the species Pierson's Puppeteer, an herbivorous species noted for two heads whose mouths act as capable hands. Pierson's Puppeteers are technically advanced in most of the physical sciences.
Nessus, like all Puppeteers ever met by humans, is insane by Puppeteer standards. Those who are sane are far too sensible (read "cowardly") to go off-world or interact with non-Puppeteers. Nessus demonstrates traits that in humans would be diagnosed as schizophrenia, manic-depressive disorder, displacement, and at times, extreme suggestibility.
Nessus is featured in the short story "The Soft Weapon" (printed in the 1968 collection Neutron Star) and is also one of the expeditionaries to the Ringworld in the 1970 book of the same name. Nessus is a central character in the novels Fleet of Worlds and Juggler of Worlds, as well as a tangential character in Destroyer of Worlds and Betrayer of Worlds, set almost 200 years before Ringworld.
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