[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Brendan]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/brendan_exploring_the_forest.jpg]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Evan [=McGuire=] [[spoiler:(child); Micheal [=McGrath=] (adult)]]

A bright, imaginative and curious 12-year-old who leads a sheltered life in the Abbey of Kells.
----
* ArbitrarySkepticism: When Aisling, a fairy, warns Brendan of a demon-god named Crom Cruach, he dismisses it as "pagan nonsense", even though he quickly recognized Aisling as a fairy.
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Brendan [[spoiler:manages to defeat Crom Cruach]]. Keep in mind, this is a monstrosity that has [[spoiler:killed off most of Aisling's people]], a race of very powerful, very well-armed warriors. And he does it [[spoiler:with chalk]].
* FriendToAllLivingThings: There's the whole goose scene where he's introduced, where he's very gentle with it once it's caught. He also quickly makes friends with Pangur Ban the cat and later Aisling, a forest sprite.
* HeIsAllGrownUp: [[spoiler:And has completed the ''Book of Kells''.]]
* TheHero: The main character of the film.
* HistoricalPersonPunchline: [[spoiler:In the final scene, it's all but said that the image of the red-headed face on the Chi Ro page is a self-portrait of Brendan.]]
* IdiotBall: Holds one briefly when Aisling tries to warn him of Crom Cruach. If he doesn't believe in Crom because he's "[[ArbitrarySkepticism Pagan nonsense]]," then what's Aisling?
* InnocentBlueEyes: To show his naiveté (especially from his uncle's POV) and his curious nature.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: Brendan seems to be close to all the Brothers at Kells, some of them being old enough to be his grandfather. The biggest example would be Aidan, who takes Brendan under his wing and teaches him how to become an illuminator.
* InterspeciesFriendship: Between him, a human, and Aisling, a forest fairy.
* KindheartedCatLover: Forms a close bond with Pangur-Ban.
* {{Nephewism}}: When Brendan was very young, his parents died in a Viking attack. His maternal uncle, Cellach, managed to save Brendan from the same grisly fate, and grafted him into the Abbey as a brother.
* NiceGuy: Brendan is a polite, honest, and respectful young boy.
* PropheticDreams: A couple of times throughout the movie. Most notably, he dreamed of Iona being sacked by Vikings the night before Brother Aidan arrived and brought news that Iona has fallen to the Northmen. He also dreamed of the Eye of Crom Cruach before he'd even heard of its existence and of being attacked by black tendrils in a fashion similar to how Aisling was later when he went into the cave.
* ProtagonistTitle: In the alternative title -- "Brendan and the Secret of Kells".
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Aisling]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aisling.jpg]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Christen Mooney

A forest fairy and one of the Tuatha De Danann, who lives in the woods outside of Kells.
----
* AnimalMotifs: Wolves. It's [[{{Animorphism}} the animal she turns into most often]] and she's TheLeader of a wolf pack.
* {{Animorphism}}: One of her abilities is being able to turn into animals. She mainly turns into a wolf, but the opening shows her as a salmon and a deer as well.
* BadassAdorable: Is it common to see a cute, petite albino girl lift heavy statues and turn into a fierce wolf?
* BigOlEyebrows: She has noticeably thick, black eyebrows that aren't even the same color as [[MysticalWhiteHair her hair]]. This is because she's largely based on director Tomm Moore's younger sister as a child, and she also had thick eyebrows.
* BizarreAlienBiology: Her aging process. She doesn't ''look'' any older than Brendan and acts as immature as a young child. Though she states that she's been around for a ''very'' long time. It's also implied that her kind seems to age rapidly when under physical duress.
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: She has hints of this. She doesn't seem to have any qualms about threatening a child, then trying to befriend said child afterwards.
* BreakoutCharacter: She pretty much stole the audience even with the limited screentime she had. Aisling even found her way into [[https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/50-greatest-animated-characters-2/ ranked 45 in Empire's list of 50 best animated movie characters.]] She also had the honor of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtHXICLmaW0 going to the Oscars in 2010]] when the film was nominated for Best Animated Feature. Director Tomm Moore says [[http://whitefangkakashi300.deviantart.com/journal/There-and-Back-Again-387372034 here]] that he's thought of doing a short film on Aisling (or Pangur Ban), but he's hesitant about it because of people's head-canons.
* TheCutie: She's probably the sweetest character in the film, especially being the [[TheSmurfettePrinciple only girl.]]
* TheFairFolk: Downplayed; she's nicer than most examples, but she's ''very'' protective of her forest and isn't above siccing her wolves on people she views as trespassers. She even threatens to set the wolves on Brendan if he doesn't leave. While Brendan refers to her as a "fairy" in the film, one of the tie-in comics confirms that she's one of the Tuatha De Danann, a race that was portrayed by Christian writers as fairies but were actually the pantheon of Ireland's pre-Christian deities.
* FallenPrincess: The tie-in comic that focuses on her reveals her parents were the King and Queen of the Tuatha De Danann, with her as their beloved princess. She was even shown wearing a floral headdress and a fanciful gown. When Crom Cruach consumed her people and her parents, she escaped and was left to fend for herself in the forests, becoming a rag-wearing WildChild as a result.
* FriendToAllLivingThings: She states that the forest is hers, and it's implied that she can communicate with everything in it. She later forms a close friendship with both Brendan and Pangur Ban.
* GreenThumb: Implied to be one of her abilities. One scene shows her using magic to make small white flowers grow out of solid rock, and after [[spoiler:Brendan defeats Crom Cruach]], she's nowhere to be seen but there's a trail of those same flowers leading away from the cave.
* HeroicNeutral: She actively tries driving people away from her forest so they would leave her and her forest alone. However, whenever Brendan is in distress (inside and outside her forest), she's usually the one to rescue him.
* HolyBurnsEvil: More like Holy Burns Pagan, since she's not evil. She cannot tread upon holy ground, preventing her from aiding directly in Brendan's escape from the abbey. This is purely due to her status as a fairy, not a commentary on her moral alignment.
* ImmortalImmaturity: She states herself that she's "lived through many ages", but most of the time she acts as childish as she looks.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She's more than a bit prickly towards Brendan at first, initially setting her wolves on him and then demanding that he leave her forest, but she soon warms up to him and becomes quite loyal to him afterwards.
* LastOfHerKind: She's the last of the Tuatha De Danaan. She reveals to Brendan that Crom Cruach was responsible for the destruction of her people, and the tie-in comic centered on her confirms outright that she's the last of them.
* TheLightfooted: There's a lot of emphasis on how graceful and light-footed she is whenever she moves, even when she's on all fours.
* MeaningfulName: Aisling has a meaningful name in more than one way: not only is it an Irish girl's name meaning "dream" or "vision", it's also a kind of Irish poetry that frequently features a woman who [[NationsAsPeople represents Ireland itself]], while calling back to its previous pagan beliefs. In the film, Aisling serves the same purpose.
* MorphicResonance: Whenever she changes shape, you can tell it's her thanks to her white colouring and green eyes.
* MysticalWhiteHair: She has white hair and, being of TheFairFolk, is definitely magical. According to the tie-in comic, it's a racial trait of all her people.
* OffscreenTeleportation: All but spams this, particularly in her first encounter with Brendan, whenever she drops offscreen, she could pop up anywhere.
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: She looks like a little girl who's around Brendan's age, but she states outright in the opening that she's "lived through many ages", and [[spoiler:decades later, when Brendan is an adult, she looks exactly the same as she did when he was a child]]. She makes a [[https://41.media.tumblr.com/760ec1295cc641fcd1c7256dda43261e/tumblr_nk3z9sZXPV1so3spio1_1280.jpg brief cameo]] in the movie ''WesternAnimation/SongOfTheSea'', which is set during TheEighties, and she certainly doesn't look a thousand years older.
* RunningOnAllFours: She occasionally walks or runs on all fours, showing her connection to nature and how wild she is.
* ShapeshifterModeLock: Due to the amount of damages she's taken from Crom Cruach, she's stuck as a wolf. However, by the end of the film, we briefly see her in her ShapeshifterDefaultForm, implying the lock is wearing off.
* SuperStrength: This petite girl can lift and/or push down statues with ease.
* {{Teleportation}}: Aisling has the ability to appear one place to the next, and she's done this on screen. Though whether it's this or her SuperSpeed is up for debate.
* {{Troll}}: Shortly after her and Brendan meet, she goes from threatening to a playful jerk.
* VoluntaryShapeshifting: She's able to turn into a wolf, and the opening narration shows she can at least turn into a deer and a salmon as well.
* WallCrawl: She has some kind of magic that allows her to do this, as shown when she scales a high tower so she can free Brendan from it.
* WhiteWolvesAreSpecial: In her wolf form, she stands out among the other wolves in the film due to her white fur. Since she's really a fairy with MysticalWhiteHair in her regular form, it highlights her magical nature.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Abbot Cellach]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/abbot_cellach_7.jpg]]
%%[[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/BrendanGleeson

A former illuminator who now superintends a wall to protect the Abbey of Kells from invasion.
----
* ArtisticLicenceHistory: The real Cellach mac Congaile [[spoiler:died only eight years after founding the Abbey]], but the movie character [[spoiler:is alive when the adult Brendan returns at the end]].
%%* BadassPreacher: An abbot.
* CantTakeCriticism: He has this mentality whenever someone questions or doubts him regarding building the wall to protect Kells. He either shuts up his dissenters and even throws his nephew to the brig for outwardly doubting him. He soon regrets this and sees that his naysayers were right when his single-minded focus on building his wall actually led to Kells and some of the citizens being destroyed.
* ControlFreak: He's so paranoid about the Northmen that he's overhauled all normal functions of the Abbey in favor of building a defensive wall. Not even the benches in the scriptorium are free from his tight control; when Aidan moves in, Cellach rearranges to make room for his work, but refuses to let Aidan have any say in the layout of his work space. It wouldn't be so bad if his ideas were sound, but often times he ignores good points brought up by others simply because they're being insubordinate and pulls rank to make them stop talking.
-->'''Cellach''': The scriptorium will be arranged according to my instructions.\\
'''Aidan''': But it's not a good--\\
'''Cellach''': ''It will be as I say.''
* DidntThinkThisThrough: [[spoiler:He spends so much time with the wall that it never occurs that he should have ''also'' spent that much time with the scaffolding. And by the time he realizes...]]
* FatalFlaw: His ControlFreak tendencies; by not listening to other people's opinions it makes him unwilling to listen to any reason. His obsession with supporting the wall ends up dooming everyone he tried to protect.
* ForYourOwnGood: Cellach locks Brendan in his room to protect him after Brendan refuses to give up visiting the forest and working with Brother Aidan.
-->'''Cellach''': If I can't trust you to stay out of harm's way, you'll have to remain here until you see sense.
* GoodIsNotNice: Abbot Cellach is strict and controlling, but he is not cruel. He just wants to protect the monastery from Vikings. Even when he locks Brendan in the tower as punishment, he ensures he is fed every day.
* GoodScarsEvilScars: The comic book [[http://www.comixology.com/The-Secret-of-Kells-Prequel-1/digital-comic/ICO000385P prequel]] reveals the Abbot's scar came from [[spoiler:a Viking's sword while rescuing Brendan as a toddler.]]
* HeroicBSOD: He goes through one when he's under the impression that the Northmen killed Brendan.
-->'''Cellach''': (lying on the ground, staring at the destroyed scriptorium) I'm so tired... Tang, leave me be... please... ''leave me be.''
* HistoricalDomainCharacter: Cellach mac Congaile was the first Abbot of Kells.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: A non-villainous example. His wall was intended to keep the Northmen out, but it ended up trapping everybody in. Additionally his focus ''only'' on the wall and not on the scaffolding meant that when the scaffolding broke -- due to so many people trying to escape -- there were more people dead than alive.
* ItsAllMyFault: He blames himself for [[spoiler:the death of numerous villagers in Kells and the (presumed) death of Brother Aidan and Brendan]].
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: The Abbott is a stern, no-nonsense man with a stubborn disposition, but in the end he does mean well.
* LargeAndInCharge: The abbot dwarfs everyone else living in Kells, standing a full head taller than even the towering Brother Assoua.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: [[spoiler: After realizing that the wall he worked so hard to build only left the people he swore to protect trapped, particularly because he never ever thought to support the scaffolding...]]
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: [[spoiler:His focus on supporting the walls and not the scaffolding means that when the former is destroyed and the latter has numerous people climbing it to escape, it ends up with ''numerous'' people dead at his feet and cutting the escape route of the survivors besides.]]
* PapaWolf: The prequel comics shows that he ''killed'' vikings to protect his nephew.
* ParentsAsPeople: He's technically Brendan's uncle, but he's still more or less a parental figure to his nephew; while he can be very strict and harsh towards Brendan, it's clear that he still cares a great deal for him, telling Tang to give his breakfast to Brendan after locking him in his room and [[spoiler:being utterly devastated when he thinks Brendan was killed by the Northmen]].
* PerpetualFrowner: Never see him smile once. [[spoiler:Until Brendan's return.]]
* PetTheDog: There are several moments showing that despite his cold exterior, Cellach is still a good man and actually has the best interests at heart.
** When refugees approach Kells after their home is destroyed by the Northmen, Cellach doesn't hesitate to open the gate and give them shelter--explicitly, he does this without regard for whether they're Christian or pagan and no mention is made of converting refugees.
** He's shown to be working the hardest at finishing the wall.
** When Brother Tang offers him breakfast, Cellach tells him to give it to Brendan instead.
** During the siege of Kells, Cellach's first action is to find Brendan.
* ProperlyParanoid: While he can be a bit harsh at times, it's hard to blame him seeing the wave of destruction the Northmen are bringing towards Kells.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: His actions aren't ideal (his actions being working his subjects from day to night, locking Brendan in his room and refusing to hear any critique whatsoever of his designs), but his motives are good (his motives being protect Kells from [[KnightOfCerebus The Northmen]]).
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Brother Aidan]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/brother_aidan_by_carriejokerbates_d8u4x1q.jpg]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Mick Lally

A master illuminator, responsible for illustrating the Book of Iona (later to be known as the Book of Kells). However, given his advanced age, he's no longer the artist he used to be, and turns to Brendan to help him finish what he started.
----
* TheAce: He was considered to be the perfect illuminator, largely due to the fact that he was the Keeper of the Eye of Crom.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: He's a bit quirky and even a little childish at times, but he's known as a master illuminator. While his skills [[FeelingTheirAge aren't what they used to be since he's getting older]], he clearly knows his craft well and passes his knowledge along to Brendan.
* ButNowIMustGo: [[spoiler: After traveling with Brendan for over ten years, Aidan eventually passes away due to his old age, but is content knowing that Brendan has finished the Book of Kells.]]
* CoolOldGuy: A lot warmer than the Abbott and becomes good friends with Brendan.
* FamedInStory: There's a lot of stories about Aidan. Some say he has a third eye, others a third arm. Turns out neither one of them are true.
* FeelingTheirAge: Since he's getting older and his eyesight and motor skills aren't what they used to be, he asks Brendan to complete the Book for him while still mentoring him on technique.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: With Brendan, who's young enough to be his grandson.
* KindHeartedCatLover: Pangur-Ban was his constant companion throughout his travels. Kind to cats and good with kids too!
* ManChild: Aidan has clearly not let go of his childish side, despite the fact that he carries the immense burden of loss and responsibility.
* MentorArchetype: To Brendan. Aidan teaches Brendan the fine art of illumination so Brendan can complete the Chi Ro page, since Aidan himself is too old to complete the task.
* NiceGuy: Aidan is easy going, kind, warm, and optimistic.
* ParentalSubstitute: [[spoiler: He becomes one to Brendan, especially after the two are forced to leave Kells.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Pangur-Ban]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tumblr_m1pjpq0c0c1r2u6t2o1_500_7.jpg]]
->'''Voiced by:''' N/A

Aidan's pet cat and traveling companion.
----
* AmplifiedAnimalAptitude: She's a smart cat. Her SilentSnarker reactions imply she understands what's being said, and she knows to go to Aisling for help when Brendan is unable to go himself. Whether her knowing to grab a cell key from the Abbot's room and use it on Brendan's cell door is her intelligence or Aisling's guidance is more ambiguous.
* CatsAreSnarkers: Of the SilentSnarker variety; while she can't speak, her confused or exasperated reactions to what goes on around her more than make up for it.
* DefrostingIceQueen: She tends to ignore Brendan at first, but she gradually warms up to him. [[spoiler:Eventually, after Aidan's death, she now travels with an adult Brendan.]]
* HumanlikeAnimalAging: She's rather long-lived for an ordinary cat. By the end of the film, [[spoiler:she's outlived Aidan and continues to accompany Brendan well into his adulthood]], and she doesn't look any older.
* MeaningfulName: Pangur-Ban is named after [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pangur_Ban the oldest known poem written in the Irish language]], which is about a cat with the same name.
* TheShadowKnows: Even when transformed into a sprite by Aisling, her shadow remains that of a normal cat.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Illuminators]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/secret_of_kells_size_comparison_13b_barry_reynolds_1.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''Left to right'': Brothers Tang, Leonardo, Assoua, Sergei, Jacques, Friedrich, and Square]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Liam Hourican (Brothers Tang and Leonardo), Paul Tylack (Brother Assoua), Paul Young (Brother Square)
A group of Illuminators who also live in the city of Kells and assist Abbot Cellach in building the wall. Several of them are of different ethnicities.
----
* ButtMonkey: All of them provide form of comedy relief. Especially Leonardo.
* CoolOldGuy: They all keep their knowledge of Brendan assisting Brother Aiden a secret, and even encourage him to continue writing the Book of Kells.
* HeroWorship: As illuminators themselves, they hold Brother Aiden in very high regard.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: With Brendan. They're all adults while Brendan is only twelve, but they still treat him as a friend and fellow monk.
* MultinationalTeam: An Irish monk, an Italian monk, a Chinese monk, an African (Moor) monk, and an English monk, who was originally supposed to be Afghan. There's also a monk with a German accent, a gloomy Slav, and a French monk.
* SoleSurvivor: [[spoiler: The only brother seen after the siege of Kells is Brother Tang, who had locked himself in the tower with the survivors who made it up the scaffolding before it collapsed. The others sought sanctuary in the main cathedral, and the last we ever see of them is them staring in horror as the Northmen break down the door...]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Northmen]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/secret_of_kells_northmen.jpg]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Uncredited
The main antagonists of the story. They are an army of Vikings ravaging Ireland in search of gold.
----
* TheBadGuyWins: While a small squadron of them were mauled to death by Aisling's wolves (one of whom appears to be the leader of the horde), it's implied that their ravaging of Ireland is still ongoing and they get away ''[[KarmaHoudini scot free]]''.
* BigBad: They're the main antagonist of the story.
* BlackSpeech: Their language is an incomprehensible, guttural series of growls and snarls punctuated with the occasional "Gold".
* BloodKnight: They're vicious, bloodthirsty raiders who kill everyone they come across.
* CatchPhrase: '''''GOLD.'''''
* DevouredByTheHorde: Three of the Vikings, one of whom appears to be the leader of the raid, are ripped to shreds by Aisling's wolves.
* TheDreaded: Word of the horrors they've committed travels far, and the monks are terrified of the mere idea of their arrival.
* EvilSoundsDeep: Their voices are deep, growling and guttural.
* HornyVikings: Their helmets sport large horns, which, combined with their BlackSpeech and shadowy appearance, make them look more like demons than human beings.
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: One of them tries to finish off Cellach by running him through with his sword.
* KarmaHoudini: Aside from the small squadron of Northmen that get mauled to death by Aisling's wolves, they as a whole get away with their rampant destruction of Brendan's village and Ireland as a whole.
* KickTheDog: Their barbaric ways and callous cruelty give them plenty of opportunities to spitefully hurt others through the movie:
** Aside from their constant raid and pillaging of Ireland, the leader has a quite literal example. When Pangur-Ban lunges at the leader, he slaps her away.
** When a wounded and unarmed Cellach trundles [[spoiler:to the scriptorium, to free Brendan before it burns down, the Vikings attack him]].
** The Vikings [[spoiler:tear up the book of Kells that took months if not years to illuminate]].
* KnightOfCerebus: Their introduction into Kells shifts the fun-loving, cutesy tone of the movie into a dark and horrific tone. Hell, they provide more of a threat than ''[[EldritchAbomination Crom Cruach]]''.
* LackOfEmpathy: When the leader reads the Book of Iona (a.k.a the Book of Kells), the book that has touched everyone who's read it (even [[ControlFreak Cellach]]), his response was to tear out the pages, throw said pages in Aidan's and Brendan's faces and walk off with the gold cover. [[LanguageBarrier While it’s entirely possible that this is simply because he could not read Latin,]] the fact that he regularly leads [[RapePillageAndBurn destructive raids of abbeys and monasteries]] without any hint of remorse doesn’t give the impression of a compassionate individual.
* {{Leitmotif}}: ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bk9-ALPPXJs Vikings]]''
* NoKillLikeOverkill: The Vikings make it a strong point to wipe out everyone in Iona except Aidan who escaped, and [[spoiler:do the same to most of the residents at Kells, even when it wouldn't benefit them]].
* RapePillageAndBurn: They aren't shown to do any raping, but they ''sure'' do love their pillaging, killing and burning.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: A good number of them have red eyes.
* WouldHurtAChild: They openly try to kill Brendan, and it wasn't the first time they've tried to kill him.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Crom Cruach]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/crom_4.jpg]]
->'''Voiced by''': N/A
The secondary antagonist of the movie. It is a pagan deity that consumes anything that comes within its sight.
----
* {{Autocannibalism}}: After Brendan puts out its eye, it blindly [[{{Ouroboros}} bites down on its own tail and begins to devour itself]], consuming itself into nothingness.
* AnimalisticAbomination: A monstrous, ancient pagan god that manifests itself in the form of a snake, albeit with many oddities in its form.
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: It acts more like an animal rather than a malevolent force.
* BodyToJewel: When removed, its eyes turn into magical lenses/magnifying glasses of what appears to be cut crystal.
* DiskOneFinalBoss: Crom Cruach is faced part way through the narrative, with the Vikings being the main threat of the film.
* TheDreaded: Aisling is absolutely terrified of it, and refuses to even speak its name when she's in its temple. It's implied that Cellach is afraid of Crom, too, or at least afraid of its cult.
* EldritchAbomination: It's a giant snake demon/god that consumes everything in sight.
* SnakesAreSinister: He's an EldritchAbomination in the shape of a snake (or something similar).
* VillainOfAnotherStory: Of Aisling's story. He's murdered Aisling's entire people, leaving her to be the LastOfHerKind. She even cowers in fear at the mere ''thought'' of confronting him.
* YourSizeMayVary: His eye shrinks rather dramatically between appearances. At first, it's nearly as big as Brendan. When next we see it, it's about the size of an apple (it briefly seems to take on a size between these two, but it appears to merely be the way it was thickly wrapped that gave this impression).
[[/folder]]
----