History Main / KeeperOfForbiddenKnowledge

* Parodied in ''TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'' a giant worm girl was forced to guard the "secrets of the universe". She then lured hundreds of kids into finding it, [[spoiler: the secret was there was no secret.]] When Mindy found it, she now has to take her place in guarding the secret, while the worm is free.

* In ''FalloutNewVegas'', in the Good or Neutral Karma ending of ''Old World Blues'', the Courier becomes the new guardian of the [[MadScientistLaboratory Big Empty]], releasing technology to help the people of the Mojave Wasteland on an as-needed basis.
* In ''StarWarsTheOldRepublic'', Darth Thanaton is the member of the Dark Council who controls the Sphere of Ancient Knowledge [[spoiler: That is, until the Sith Inquisitor defeats him and inherits his place on the Council.]]

* Hermaeus Mora from ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' games.

[[folder: Multiple media ]]

[[folder: Tabletop Games ]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]

* Hermaeus Mora from ''TheElderScrolls'' games.

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* ''HarryPotter'' has the giant spider Aragog, who isn't necessarily ''evil'', but nevertheless tried to feed the protagonists to his millions of children after giving the young wizards a clue or two about the monster in TheChamberOfSecrets.

* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' brings us Wan She Tan, He Who Knows Ten-Thousand Things, a spirit in the form of a giant owl who seeks to collect all information in the universe. He once had it all in display in a library for all to see, but eventually realised how [[HumansAreBastards humans used this information to hurt and kill others]], and decided ''all'' knowledge should be forbidden.

* The ''Series/DoctorWho'' [[VirginNewAdventures New Adventures novels]] have the Library of St John the Beheaded, which collects and stores forbidden texts (both in the sense of banned-by-the-mundane-authorities and in the sense of Knowledge For Which TheWorldIsNotReady). It's definitely got the isolated or hazardous location part of the trope down pat; on Earth, it was hidden away in TheCityNarrows, and in TheFuture it will be located on an asteroid. In principle, it's an aversion of the usual some-things-man-should-not-know corollary: the founder believed that all knowledge is useful if handled carefully, and potential researchers are vetted very carefully before being offered access to the collection. (The Doctor, of course, holds the first ticket the Library ever issued.) In practice, though, pretty much every time it's appeared in a story it's because somebody's found a way to use information from the Library to cause trouble.

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[[folder: Literature ]]

* Nyarlathotep from [[HPLovecraft H.P. Lovecraft's]] CthulhuMythos is characterized like this in most of his original appearances. Both in ''The Haunter of the Dark'' and ''The Dreams in the Witch-House'' he is a gatekeeper to secrets beyond human ken, and must be appeased with human sacrifices in order to relinquish some of this knowledge, and in ''The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath'' he protects the Gods of the Earth from any mortal molestation. In his original appearance in the prose-poem ''Nyarlathotep'' he instead grants humanity information in abundance as a figure of science, leading to the entire world [[GoMadFromTheRevelation Going Mad From The Revelation.]]

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* Hermaeus Mora from The Elder Scrolls games, Full stop.

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dagon_8890.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Oh Great Dagon, why does everyone laugh at me when I ask: "What goes on its knees, then its back and then rides but goes nowhere?"]]

[[quoteright:360:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dagon_8890.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:400: Oh Great Dagon, why does everyone laugh at me when I ask: "What goes on its knees, then its back and then rides but goes nowhere?"]]

Regarding what form the forbidden knowledge takes, a TomeOfEldritchLore
is almost expected to the exception. However, sometimes the knowledge can come in the form of a living creature, memory, or (in a more modern setting) a large selection of files on a super computer. Whatever form the knowledge comes in, it usually (but not always) feels like SealedEvilInACan.

* BoomStudios ''FallOfCthulhu'' story introduces the Harlot, an obscene Eldritch horror who parodies a burlesque madame. She offers incredible and unspeakable knowledge, but in return the student becomes [[spoiler: her property kept inside a wicker box.]] The Harlot is depicted as a rival and opponent of Nyarlathotep.

* AvatarTheLastAirbender brings us Wan She Tan, He Who Knows Ten-Thousand Things, a spirit in the form of a giant owl who seeks to collect all information in the universe. He once had it all in display in a library for all to see, but eventually realised how [[HumansAreBastards humans used this information to hurt and kill others]], and decided ''all'' knowledge should be forbidden.

[[quoteright:360:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dagon_8890.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:400: Oh Great Dagon, why does everyone laugh at me when I ask: "What goes on its knees, then its back and then rides but goes nowhere?"]]

Regarding what form the forbidden knowledge takes, a TomeOfEldritchLore
is almost expected to the exception. However, sometimes the knowledge can come in the form of a living creature, memory, or (in a more modern setting) a large selection of files on a super computer. Whatever form the knowledge comes in, it usually (but not always) feels like SealedEvilInACan.

[[AC:{{Comics}}]]

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]
* ''HarryPotter'' has the giant spider Aragog, who isn't necessarily ''evil'', but nevertheless tried to feed the protagonists to his millions of children after giving the young wizards a clue or two about the monster in TheChamberOfSecrets.

[[AC:Multiple media]]

[[AC:TabletopGames]]

[[AC:VideoGames]]

[[AC:Webcomics]]

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]
* AvatarTheLastAirbender brings us Wan She Tan, He Who Knows Ten-Thousand Things, a spirit in the form of a giant owl who seeks to collect all information in the universe. He once had it all in display in a library for all to see, but eventually realised how [[HumansAreBastards humans used this information to hurt and kill others]], and decided ''all'' knowledge should be forbidden.

----

* BOOM! comics ''FallOfCthulhu'' story introduces the Harlot, an obscene Eldritch horror who parodies a burlesque madame. She offers incredible and unspeakable knowledge, but in return the student becomes [[spoiler: her property kept inside a wicker box.]] The Harlot is depicted as a rival and opponent of Nyarlathotep, (below.)

* BOOM! comics ''Fall of Cthulhu'' story introduces the Harlot, an obscene Eldritch horror who parodies a burlesque madame. She offers incredible and unspeakable knowledge, but in return the student becomes [[spoiler: her property kept inside a wicker box.]] The Harlot is depicted as a rival and opponent of Nyarlathotep, (below.)

* The ''DoctorWho'' [[VirginNewAdventures New Adventures novels]] have the Library of St John the Beheaded, which collects and stores forbidden texts (both in the sense of banned-by-the-mundane-authorities and in the sense of Knowledge For Which TheWorldIsNotReady). It's definitely got the isolated or hazardous location part of the trope down pat; on Earth, it was hidden away in TheCityNarrows, and in TheFuture it will be located on an asteroid. In principle, it's an aversion of the usual some-things-man-should-not-know corollary: the founder believed that all knowledge is useful if handled carefully, and potential researchers are vetted very carefully before being offered access to the collection. (The Doctor, of course, holds the first ticket the Library ever issued.) In practice, though, pretty much every time it's appeared in a story it's because somebody's found a way to use information from the Library to cause trouble.

* In ''{{Sarab}}'', the Hubs are the only places science may be learnt and they are very exclusive.

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]
* The ''DoctorWho'' ExpandedUniverse has the Library of St John the Beheaded, which collects and stores forbidden texts (both in the sense of banned-by-the-mundane-authorities and in the sense of Knowledge For Which TheWorldIsNotReady). It's definitely got the isolated or hazardous location part of the trope down pat; on Earth, it was hidden away in TheCityNarrows, and in TheFuture it will be located on an asteroid. In principle, it's an aversion of the usual some-things-man-should-not-know corollary: the founder believed that all knowledge is useful if handled carefully, and potential researchers are vetted very carefully before being offered access to the collection. (The Doctor, of course, holds the first ticket the Library ever issued.) In practice, though, pretty much every time it's appeared in a story it's because somebody's found a way to use information from the Library to cause trouble.

* ''HarryPotter'' has the giant spider Aragog, who isn't necessarily ''evil'', but nevertheless tried to feed the protagonists to his millions of children after giving the young wizards a clue or two about the monster in TheChamberOfSecrets.

*Tren Krom in ''{{BIONICLE}}''
*The Pillar Of Skulls in ''PlanescapeTorment'' is one.
*In ''DungeonsAndDragons,'' the ancient demon named Dagon (a reference to H.P. Lovecraft) lives within the Abyss, but holds a vast array of information due to his age and intellect, to the point he's become the shadow ruler behind the Prince of Demons' (Demogorgon) entire war stratagem and survival.
*''HarryPotter'' has the giant spider Aragog, who isn't necessarily ''evil'', but nevertheless tried to feed the protagonists to his millions of children after giving the young wizards a clue or two about the monster in TheChamberOfSecrets.
*The ''DoctorWho'' ExpandedUniverse has the Library of St John the Beheaded, which collects and stores forbidden texts (both in the sense of banned-by-the-mundane-authorities and in the sense of Knowledge For Which TheWorldIsNotReady). It's definitely got the isolated or hazardous location part of the trope down pat; on Earth, it was hidden away in TheCityNarrows, and in TheFuture it will be located on an asteroid. In principle, it's an aversion of the usual some-things-man-should-not-know corollary: the founder believed that all knowledge is useful if handled carefully, and potential researchers are vetted very carefully before being offered access to the collection. (The Doctor, of course, holds the first ticket the Library ever issued.) In practice, though, pretty much every time it's appeared in a story it's because somebody's found a way to use information from the Library to cause trouble.