- "Money is seldom a treasure, my friend".
Horatio Torquemeda Marley was a famous Captain and adventurer, well regarded throughout the Caribbean. He was also the elected Governor of the Tri-Island Area, though that didn't stop him from satiating his hunger for seeking dangerous thrills around the world. He fell victim to the machinations of the evil pirate LeChuck during his search for the legendary treasure of Big Whoop. He and his crew returned home, unable to speak of the atrocities they witnessed.
He would later be known as Herman Toothrot, after he lost his memory in an unfortunate accident. He then lived the life of a hermit for several years on Monkey Island, unable to remember one iota of his past. In Escape from Monkey Island, Guybrush Threepwood helped him recover his memories. This drove Horatio to seek revenge against LeChuck and Ozzie Mandrill, and put a stop to their plans.
He was the grandfather of Elaine Marley, who would later relinquish her gubernatorial powers to him after he recovered his memories, and returned to Mêlée Island.
Name Change[]
Herman assumed the name Herman Toothrot, when he noticed the initials engraved on his accordion that hit him on the head, which consequently induced his amnesia, were H. T.
Why he thought that the H and the T stood for Herman Toothrot remains a mystery, though Toothrot was the name of the Seamonkey's first mate according to the log that presumably actually belonged to Horatio.
Biography[]
The Search for Big Whoop[]
Around 20 years before Guybrush Threepwood arrived on Mêlée Island, Pirate Captain Horatio Torquemada Marley was Governor of the Tri-Island area.
The tale of his transformation began when he sailed off on board his ship 'The Elaine' with his crew, Rum Rogers Sr., Young Lindy and Rapp Scallion the cook, to find the Legendary Treasure of Big Whoop.
They stopped to stock up on supplies at Blood Island. While there they met the pirate LeChuck (who was alive at the time). One night LeChuck got talking to Rogers in the Goodsoup bar. Rogers having had a few too many drinks blabbed about what they were doing and LeChuck took an interest. He got Rogers even more drunk and stole the map to Big Whoop, then made himself a copy before returning the original. It became a race to the treasure.
LeChuck got to Dinky Island first, shortly followed by the crew half an hour later. They found out that Big Whoop was actually a gateway to hell. Whoever passed through it would gain incredible power, but would also become undead. LeChuck used it and became an immortal ghost.
The crew witnessed this and were horrified. They promised to never let the secret out. First they buried a fake treasure under an enormous 'X' that any later explorers who got that far would believe was Big Whoop and then they split their map into four pieces, taking one each. The crew returned to their respective homes and Marley returned to Mêlée Island. They began spreading rumors such as that the treasure could be found on Inky Island and so on, to throw people off the trail.
LeChuck wanting to ensure the location of Big Whoop was kept a secret known only to him vowed to kill each member of Marleys crew.
LeChuck's Wrath[]
LeChuck kept his promise as best he could. Rapp died in a fire in his Weenie Hut on Scabb Island, Young Lindy committed suicide after going broke on Booty Island and Rum died in an accident involving a toaster and his bath in his home on Phatt Island.
Some time after this Marley sailed to Australia to get away from the life of Governor of the Tri-Island area. While there he met Ozzie Mandrill. In a boat race they had been preparing for, Mandrill rammed him into a freak whirlpool. LeChuck took credit for this as everyone thought Marley had been killed.
Amnesia and Herman Toothrot[]
However Marley had washed up shipwrecked on Mêlée Island and the shock of this freak incident had made him lose a lot of his memory. Seeing the initials H.T. on his accordion, he assumed the name Herman Toothrot.
Later on that year, he became first mate under an unknown pirate on a ship called the Sea Monkey. They sailed out together to find the legendary Monkey Island. The two had purchased a map on Mêlée Island but it turned out to be a recipe. The two were forced to spend months in the sea looking for the Island with tension rising between them, because of Toothrot's snoring and lack of hygiene.
To fix their relationship, Toothrot offered to prepare dinner. Apparently he used the strange recipe, which was actually the Voodoo spell needed to find the Island. While preparing the meal, the two pirates fainted and when they came back, they found that the ship had magically found its way there. The two sailed their rowboat out to shore and explored (which a brief return because Toothrot had forgot to go to the bathroom).
Toothrot would spent twenty years on the island. In the meantime he settled in a "fort" near a volcanic crater, with his only possessions being a cannon, some cannon balls, rope and a telescope. At one time he entered the underground tunnels under the Monkey Head and saw that LeChuck's ghost ship was there.
Eventually, the Captain accidentally hung himself while trying to install a rope swing. Toothrot knew he could not get back alone. He trained some monkeys to sail the ship to Mêlée and find help. He decided against going with them for fear of having to spend weeks stuck on a ship with them. When they got there Stan claimed the ship unknowingly leaving Toothrot stranded on Monkey Island until Guybrush Threepwood arrived.
During that time he had a struggling relationship with the Cannibals. He lent them his Banana Picker and as a collateral they gave him the Monkey Head Key. Then they had a disagreement about who should return first. Herman refused to return the Key before they returned him the picker. He considered himself the only 'civilised' person on the island.
At some other time they threw the oars of his rowboat in a chasm and he consulted Yammer, Hem, and Haw, attorneys at law (who communicated with him with messages in a bottle) in order to sue the Cannibals.
Apparently he had a hidden boat somewhere but for some unknown reason (perhaps because there was nobody to rescue him with it) he never used it.
Monkey Island[]
When Guybrush Threepwood arrived on the island Toothrot tried to greet him but Threepwood had his head stuck in the ground. However Toothrot met Threepwood a number of times in various locations on the island. Toothrot asked Threepwood to retreive his picker from the hut of the Monkey Island Cannibals and said he will exchange it for the key to the giant monkey head.
Toothrot found Guybrush (possibly with Bob after LeChuck had left for Mêlée, and then he revealed his hidden ship and agreed to take Threepwood back there, but only if Guybrush promises to rescue him with it. Guybrush agreed and went away to battle LeChuck. Meanwhile Toothrot discovered the tunnel in the alley behind the church that led to Dinky Island, the home of Big Whoop.
On Dinky Island[]
Toothrot lived on Dinky Island for some time where he taught philosophy or more specifically 'Neo-existentialist Cartesian Zen Taoism'. While living as a hermit there he became a philosopher and taught who ever came by. He lived under a canopy made from a blanket and spends most of his time sitting in a meditation position. His only philosophical question is to ask "If a tree falls in a forest and no ones around to hear it, what colour is it?" after much guessing it is revealed to Guybrush to be "All colours".
Toothrot declared that he now owns Dinky Island as he is the sole Human inhabitant.
Before Guybrush Threepwood arrived on the island, the only other known students were the Men of Low Moral Fiber. Threepwood a year later found him again while searching for Big Whoop.
Return to Monkey Island[]
While Threepwood fought LeChuck once more, Toothrot must have gone back to Mêlée Island. From there he sailed his ship to Monkey Island again. He made a good home on the beach out of his ship (he felt that to be a good hermit, you could not own a ship). He built a mine in the canyon for gold.
One day while mining in his cart, he had an accident. This knocked his memory out completely. Threepwood came to the Island again and found Toothrot in a daze. He threw various objects at him, each one knocking some memory back into his mind.
Recovering His Memories[]
Eventually, Marley/Toothrot remembered his true identity and that he was Elaine Marleys grandfather. Now he had to rescue his granddaughter from LeChuck with a bit of help from Threepwood.
They unleashed the Secret of Monkey Island (a giant Monkey Robot/ Ultimate Insult) along with Jojo Jr., the monkey prince. They used it to defeat LeChuck and Ozzie Mandrill. Once LeChuck and Mandrill had been killed, Horatio Marley became Governor of the Tri-Island area again.
Terror Island[]
For some inexplicable reason Marley reverted back to is alternate ego Herman Toothrot while searching for the Golden Keys to the Secret of Monkey Island. He found his way to a dark cave on Terror Island, where he found the key down in a deep pit.
Over the course of three days he wrote out a dissertation on the cave walls, and eating pages from a book, until his lantern ran out of fuel. Soon after he broke the lantern and turned it into a rat trap, which he used to survive in the cave for years.
After spending a decade in the cave, Guybrush Threepwood discovered him. After a wrestle for the Golden Key, Guybrush broke his own lantern, and escaped leaving Toothrot behind. How Toothrot escaped was part of another story.
Elaine later rescued him from the cave.
Quotes[]
- "Hi! I'm Herman Toothrot! Don't bother to say hello. I've only been waiting twenty years to talk to somebody civilized, I don't mind." (brief pause) "Fine. By the way, you might want to think about putting out that fire. Someone could be hurt."
- I'm the only CIVILIZED person on the island. There's a native tribe of hunter/gatherers-- --well, HEADhunter/gatherers, actually----but I don't talk to them. They ARE cannibals, but they're not dangerous... ...unless you lend them something.
Behind the Scenes[]
- Herman Toothrot was added to the original The Secret of Monkey Island game late in production. Ron Gilbert felt that the Monkey Island chapter of the game was far too quiet before you reached the Cannibal village and decided a hermit inhabitant might make it more interesting. It is unknown though unlikely whether he had any intention to have Toothrot revealed as Elaine Marleys lost grandfather.
SoMI Multiple Endings[]
Two endings are possible regarding Toothrot's fate in The Secret of Monkey Island. It hinges on one event.
If the Sea Monkey is sunk when Guybrush Threepwood is attempting to knock bananas from the beach on the tree, Toothrot later reveals he has a hidden ship and they go together to Mêlée Island in it. (This ending is later adopted as canon.)
If the Sea Monkey is not sunk however, Otis, Carla, and Meathook will take Threepwood back to Mêlée and leave Toothrot stranded again.
Gallery[]
Herman's varied sketches.