Qwilleran, or Qwill as his friends call him, is the main human character in the books. He was born Merlin James Qwilleran, a fact explained by his mother (in a letter to Francesca Klingenschoen) as a product of reading King Arthur during her pregnancy. His father, Dana, was a talented theater actor who toured the country. When he met Qwill's mother, Anne Mackintosh, they chose to stay in Chicago, so he could not stay in his theater group. Qwill's grandparents strongly disapproved of this relationship, and broke off all contact with his mother; Dana, deprived of work opportunities because of the economic depression, fell into evil ways and was eventually shot dead while attempting burglary. Because of this, Qwill never knew any family other than his mother. But he does remember his mother's friend Francesca Klingenschoen, known to Qwilleran as Aunt Fanny.