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Trader Mags is a female magpie who raids the old buildings of the Others and sells her wares throughout the Southern Kingdoms. She is great friends with Madame Plonk, the singer at the Great Ga'Hoole Tree, who is her most frequent and dedicated customer. She has an assistant named Bubbles who is rather foolhardy, and wears a bandanna to cover her missing eye that was plucked out by a crow.
History[]
The Journey[]
Trader Mags came to the Great Tree to sell her wares. Her apprentice, Bubbles, showed Eglantine a piece of isinglass, or mica, which recovered her from her stone-stunned state.
The Shattering[]
Trader Mags visited the Great Tree, and sold Otulissa a fleck dowsing rod and a chart about the brain and gizzard of owls. She also traded a piece of amber with a beetle inside it to Primrose, who gave her some turquoise chips in return.
The Outcast[]
Trader Mags went on a business trip and left Bubbles in charge of her shop. When she came back, she was dismayed to hear that all her Others' green eye paintings had been traded to a rogue smith. Trader Mags became suspicious when among the traded goods were tongs and an artistic piece of silver. Recognizing the silver as a work of the Rogue Smith of Silverveil, Trader Mags realized something terrible had happened to her. After scolding Bubbles for her stupidity, she went out to investigate.
The Golden Tree[]
Several of Trader Mags' wares, including tapestries and jewelry, were bought by the Guardians of the Guardians of the Ember to dedicate a worship for the Ember of Hoole.
The Band and Coryn later came to Trader Mags for Book of Kreeth. Trader Mags denied having such a book, until Coryn revealed that they heard of it from a slipgizzle from a grog tree. Trader Mags confessed she gave the book to a soldier or hireclaw, but wouldn't exactly tell who he was. Twilight, in frustration, tore off her bandanna, revealing her bald spot due to a crow pecking her eye out. After recovering it, she told the soldier was a large Barn Owl who had a nick on his beak. Trader Mags then asked if they were interested in her wares. Soren decided to get some teacups for his daughters in return for a rabbit skin.
Exile[]
Trader Mags tells Otulissa about the Striga and how he has been in the Southern Kingdoms longer than they thought.
Watch Wolf[]
Mags's granddaughter, Luce, appears to Faolan and Edme. Luce mentions that her grandmother, whom she speaks about in past tense, hinting that Mags is no longer living, had a missing eye just like Edme.
It should be noted that though Mags's name was never mentioned, it's highly unlikely that there would be another trading magpie who was missing an eye and who collected the items of the Others, in the Ga'Hoole universe.
Personality[]
Trader Mags is a social, outgoing magpie, who develops special relationships with almost everyone she meets. She can be rather sharp at times, especially to her scatterbrained apprentice Bubbles. However, she is usually good-natured and enjoys cracking jokes, and is very kind to young owls and her friends in her own way. And she truly does appreciate Bubbles and would never take her for granted. She also never lies about her products, as the fleck dowsing rod she sold Otulissa really worked.
Trivia[]
- In the German edition of the books, Mags is named Ellie, a play on the German word for magpie, Elster.