Journey to the Center of the Earth (AmazonClassics Edition) characters

Appears from the start

A young man living in Hamburg with his uncle, Professor Lidenbrock. Axel narrates the expedition and has enough scientific training to assist the professor, but he is far more alert to danger and far less eager to gamble his life on an untested theory.

Also known as Professor Lidenbrock

Appears from the start

Axel's uncle, a Hamburg professor of mineralogy and geology. Brilliant, impatient, and intensely stubborn, he treats difficult questions as personal challenges and expects his household to accommodate his work. The discovery of a coded note in an old Icelandic book immediately absorbs him.

Appears from the start

The professor's goddaughter and Axel's beloved. Calm and practical, she is less frightened by Lidenbrock's proposed journey than Axel expects and urges him to meet the challenge with courage.

Appears from the start

Professor Lidenbrock's long-suffering housekeeper. She manages the Hamburg household and is accustomed to the noise, impatience, and sudden demands produced by the professor's enthusiasms.

Also known as Arne Saknussemm

First appears in chapter 2

A sixteenth-century Icelandic scholar and traveler whose name appears in a cryptogram hidden inside an old manuscript. Lidenbrock believes the coded message records a discovery that conventional science has overlooked.

First appears in chapter 10

A courteous Icelandic scholar in Reykjavík who shares Lidenbrock's scientific interests. He welcomes the travelers, helps them gather local information, and directs them toward a dependable guide without knowing the full purpose of their expedition.

Also known as Hans

First appears in chapter 11

An Icelandic eider-duck hunter hired to guide Lidenbrock and Axel across the island. Quiet, observant, and physically capable, Hans agrees to serve for a fixed weekly wage and approaches hardship with a steadiness that contrasts with the professor's impatience.

First appears in chapter 9

The captain who carries Axel and Lidenbrock from Copenhagen to Iceland. Familiar with the northern route and its rough water, he gives them safe passage to Reykjavík at the beginning of their expedition.

First appears in chapter 39

A gigantic humanlike figure glimpsed in the illuminated underground forest, apparently watching over a herd of mastodons. The explorers observe him from a distance and retreat rather than test whether this startling survivor is real or an illusion.