Heidi (AmazonClassics Edition) characters

Appears from the start

A five-year-old orphan who has been raised by relatives since her parents died. Cheerful, curious, and at ease outdoors, she is taken up the mountain to live with the grandfather she has never known.

Also known as Alm-Uncle

Appears from the start

Heidi's paternal grandfather, who lives alone in a hut high above the village. The villagers regard him as angry and godless, and he receives Dete's announcement with hostility, but he does not turn the child away.

Appears from the start

Heidi's maternal aunt, who has cared for her while working away from home. When a new position becomes available, Dete takes Heidi to the mountain and leaves her with Grandfather despite the villagers' doubts.

First appears in chapter 3

A goatherd boy from the mountain village who leads the local goats to pasture each day. Quiet and practical, he becomes Heidi's first young companion and teaches her the routines and hazards of the high meadow.

Also known as Peter's Mother

First appears in chapter 4

Peter's widowed mother, who shares a small, weathered cottage with her son and his blind grandmother. She welcomes Heidi when the child first visits their home.

Also known as Peter's Grandmother

First appears in chapter 4

Peter's blind grandmother, confined largely to the family's fragile cottage. She responds warmly to Heidi's voice and company, and Heidi is distressed to learn how wind enters through the worn walls.

First appears in chapter 6

A wealthy girl in Frankfurt who spends much of her time in a wheelchair. Lonely but intelligent and kind, she is delighted when Heidi is brought into the household to be her companion.

Also known as Miss Rottenmeier

First appears in chapter 6

The housekeeper who controls the Sesemann household in Clara's father's absence. Formal, status-conscious, and easily disturbed by disorder, she considers Heidi's age, dialect, and lack of schooling entirely unsuitable.

First appears in chapter 6

A servant in the Sesemann household. More amused than alarmed by Heidi's unconventional behavior, he often treats her with practical kindness while carrying out Fräulein Rottenmeier's orders.

First appears in chapter 9

Clara's frequently traveling father. On returning to Frankfurt, he listens to conflicting reports about Heidi and looks beyond the housekeeper's complaints to judge the child's effect on Clara for himself.

Also known as Clara's Grandmother

First appears in chapter 10

Mr. Sesemann's perceptive and warmhearted mother. She quickly understands that Heidi needs patience rather than ridicule and finds a way to connect reading lessons with the child's imagination.

Also known as The Doctor

First appears in chapter 12

The Sesemann family's trusted physician. Called after mysterious disturbances in the house are traced to Heidi's sleepwalking, he recognizes severe homesickness rather than misconduct and advises that she be sent back to the mountains at once.