Gurder
Encyclopedia
Gurder is a central character in The Bromeliad
The Bromeliad
The Nome Trilogy, also known in the US as The Bromeliad Trilogy, is a trilogy of children's books by Terry Pratchett, consisting of#Truckers #Diggers #Wings...

trilogy of children's stories, written by Terry Pratchett
Terry Pratchett
Sir Terence David John "Terry" Pratchett, OBE is an English novelist, known for his frequently comical work in the fantasy genre. He is best known for his popular and long-running Discworld series of comic fantasy novels...

. Gurder features in all three books – Truckers, Diggers and Wings – as a religious store nome who later becomes The Abbot.

Truckers

Gurder is first seen when Masklin and his tribe attempt to talk to The Abbot. Unlike the other Stationeri (a priesthood complete with monks and an abbot filling a similar role to the pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...

 or Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...

 as religious leader to all the store nomes, charged with interpreting the wishes of Arnold Bros (est. 1905) for them), he half-believes in the Outside, quipping, "I sometimes wonder where the lorries go ..." He is assigned the task of climbing to the top floor to find Arnold Bros (est. 1905) alongside Masklin himself, and Grimma, who is less than happy at Gurder's unwitting sexism. Among other things, Gurder believes that teaching females to read will cause their brains to overheat.

After a brief encounter with a human he believes to be Prices Slashed (a figure roughly occupying the position of the Devil
Devil
The Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...

 in the Store Nome belief system, whose opposite is Bargains Galore), he discovers a document telling him that the Store will, indeed, be demolished.

The trio return to the Stationeri, only to learn that The Abbot is dead. Gurder is proclaimed his successor, much to his terror. Gurder helps steal the Truck and is instrumental in its driving.

Diggers

Gurder's part in Diggers is minor but nonetheless important. When a newspaper falls from the sky, he believes it is a sign, much to Angelo de Haberdasheri's chagrin. Upon reading it, and promptly finding out that Richard Arnold, a relative of those who founded the Store, is apparently jetting to Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

, he sets out to find him and to ask him for help against the invading humans. He is joined by a sceptical Angelo as well as Masklin, who has plans of his own concerning Florida. Their adventure is told at length in Wings.

Wings

Joining Masklin and Angelo on the quest to Florida, Gurder is depressed to learn that Arnold Bros (est. 1905) was just a human, or, as Angelo pointed out, two humans. He eventually leaves the tribe in search of other nomes around the world, alongside the Thing, to tell them of The Ship and their true home in Outer Space.
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