A young Erkynlander.
Overview[]
The young scullion-turned-adventurer who serves as the main protagonist of the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy. Fourteen years old at the beginning of The Dragonbone Chair.
Description[]
Personality[]
As a child:
- Naïve
- Childish
- Brave
- Anxious
As an adult:
Physicality[]
- Red haired (later with a streak of white)
- Freckled
- Tall and thin-framed
- Large boned face
- Blue Eyes
Biography[]
Prior to the events of The Dragonbone Chair[]
Simon was born to Susanna on Founding-year 1150 on a stormy night, two months early. Due to difficulties with the birth, Doctor Morgenes was called. He delivered the baby, but was unable to save Susanna. With her dying breath, she named the boy Seoman, explaining, "It means . . . 'waiting' . . ."
Since his father Eahlferend had died at sea, the boy was born an orphan.
Rachel, the Mistress of Chambermaids, took Seoman and raised him herself, with the help of the other chambermaids. Since everyone in the service of King John took Westerling names, she called him Simon, which was the closest name to Seoman she could think of.
The Dragonbone Chair[]
At the beginning of TDC, Simon is a 14-year-old scullery boy at the Hayholt. Because of his tendency to daydream and dawdle, Rachel often calls him a "mooncalf", constantly scolding him for his laziness. He likes to get away from work, spending hours by himself in the Hayholt's extensive network of passages. He eventually manages to become an apprentice to Morgenes. In exchange for an education (Simon particularly loves history), he must do chores and bring various plants and animals for the doctor.
His life changes forever when he stumbles onto a secret dungeon, where Prince Josua has been held captive. With the help of Doctor Morgenes, he helps the prince escape the Hayholt by way of a secret passageway within the doctor's chambers. They are discovered, however, and Simon must then escape through the same door, leaving Morgenes behind to defend them. There is an explosion that kills the doctor and all the guards at the doorway. Simon, in shock, runs through the passageway down into the depths of the Hayholt. He wanders the dark tunnels, lost, for a long time. While there, he has visions of Asu'a and the Sithi, as things were in the final days when they were killed off. Eventually, he finds his way back out above ground, where he witnesses the Norns and the Red Hand present King Elias with the magical sword Jingizu (Sorrow). Terrified, he runs away into the forest.
He wanders the forest alone for weeks, half-starved, delirious, and lost, until one day he stumbles onto a Sithi caught in a trap, about to be murdered by a man. Simon kills the man and frees the Sithi. The Sithi runs away but does shoot a white arrow near Simon. Binabik shows up and tells Simon that the white arrow means the Sithi owes him a debt, and Simon better take good care of it. Binabik then takes Simon under his protection, and they travel together towards Naglimund. They become close friends during this time and Binabik becomes something of a mentor to Simon. During this time, they have many adventures and narrow escapes. They meet the Wise Woman Geloë and gain a new traveling companion, Marya, who claims to be handmaiden to Princess Miriamele. Pursued by nightmarish hounds and a deadly hunter, they make their way through an ancient Sithi city, Da'ai Chikiza. With much difficulty, they finally reach Naglimund.
Once in Naglimund, Simon finds himself an unwilling participant in several councils deciding how to dethrone King Elias. They decide to take a two-fold strategy: 1) to gather allies and wage war against Elias and 2) to gather three mythical swords, as prophesied by the mad priest Nisses many years back. They know that Elias has one sword, Sorrow, and through much study find that Thorn is lost somewhere in the far north. Minneyar (or Memory) is as yet undiscovered. They send a small party (Simon and Binabik included) to retrieve Thorn.
Simon therefore finds himself once again a traveler, and this time into the uncomfortably cold north. On their way, they are attacked by the hellish hounds, losing several of their company, but are rescued by a group of Sithi. After a side trip into Sithi domain, Simon's White Arrow becomes the catalyst for Prince Jiriki (to whom the arrow belongs) to join them on their quest. They do find and retrieve the sword Thorn but doing so awakens the great Worm (dragon) Igjarjuk. Jiriki tries to slay it, but is nearly killed. In the heat of the battle against the creature, Simon takes up Thorn and stabs the dragon through the eye. Igjarjuk falls into a deep canyon its fate unknown. Its blood falls on Simon's face, burning wherever it runs. He loses consciousness. When he awakens, he is weak and sensitive to his surroundings. He finds that he is on Mintahok, that Binabik and Sludig have been taken prisoners, and that the dragon's blood has left him with a scar and a swath of blanched hair. Jiriki scolds him, because he has now saved the Sitha's life twice.
Stone of Farewell[]
(PLACEHOLDER)
To Green Angel Tower[]
During his knighthood vigil, Simon dreams of the parting. Simon is knighted by Prince Josua himself at the stone of Farewell, with the religious ceremony conducted by father Strangyeard.
Between the trilogies[]
Marriage and Fatherhood[]
Simon and Miriamele became the parents of a boy who they named John-Josua, after his great-grandfather John and his uncle Josua.
The disappearance of Josua[]
(PLACEHOLDER)
The Second Thrithings War[]
(PLACEHOLDER)
Becoming a grandfather and losing a son[]
(PLACEHOLDER)
The Commoner King[]
(PLACEHOLDER)
The Witchwood Crown[]
(PLACEHOLDER)
Empire of Grass[]
(PLACEHOLDER)
Into the Narrowdark[]
(PLACEHOLDER)
[]
(PLACEHOLDER)
Relationships[]
Family[]
- Eahlferend: Simon's biological father
- Susanna: Simon's biological mother
- Rachel: Simon's foster mother
- Morgenes: Simon's foster father
Friends[]
Enemies[]
Skills and Abilities[]
- Trains in the use of sword by Haesten and Sludig, and later bow and arrow by Miriamele
- Ability to walk the road of dreams
Possessions[]
- White Arrow: Given to Simon by Jiriki, the White Arrow indicates a significant debt owed by the giver to the recipient.
- Miriamele's scarf: Miriamele gifts Simon a sky-blue scarf before he sets out from Naglimund to find Thorn. Simon wears the scarf throughout his journeys, although it is presumably lost when he is captured and stripped by Inch.
- The Sword Thorn: Simon is the temporary holder and wielder of the black sword until he is separated from Sludig and Binanik after the Diggers interrupt Skodi's ceremony at the abandoned abbey near Grinsaby.
- Erkynlandish sword: This sword is giving to Simon in his knighting ceremony. It is a simple Erkynlandish blade in a tooled scabbard.
- The Sword Minneyar. Simon claims Minneyar/Bright-Nail from Guthwulf after the earl dies and carries it the series' climax.
- Sithi Mirror: Simon finds the mirror by a pool in the Sithi hunting-lodge. The mirror is a small, dark glass set in a beautifully craved wooden frame. The glass has runes etched around its edges. Jiriki explains to Simon that the mirror is a Witness and is said to be a scale of the Greater Worm. He gifts the mirror to Simon and tells him to use the mirror to call for Jiriki if he is ever in need. Simon uses the mirror multiple times and sees other places and people, including Jiriki, Amerasu, and Utuk'ku. Simon breaks the mirror in order to use a broken shard to free him and Miriamele after their capture by Fire Dancers.
- Mysterious Ring: A ring given to him by Morgenes.
Quotes[]
Quotes Of[]
- “Here I am!” he cried, and brought Thorn whistling toward the baleful eye. “I am... Simon!” - Simon, as he faces the white dragon Igjarjuk, TDC, Chapter 42: Beneath the Uduntree
Quotes About[]
- “Simon! Where in the name of holy Creation have you been!” - Rachel to Simon, TDC, Chapter 1: The Grasshopper and the King.
- "Sad enough, she thought, that red hair and those spots, but when he squints his eyes all up that way and scowls – why, the child looks half-witted!" - Rachel thinking about Simon, TDC, Chapter 1: The Grasshopper and the King.
Notes, Theories, and Trivia[]
- Williams has said that originally the character of Simon was named "Martin"[1]