Fartumar

Fartumar is a famous knight in the service of Dagonaut and an important early model for Tiuri. Known for his horn and for tales of battle, he appears in the story mainly through what Tiuri remembers: as the experienced knight he once served as a squire, and as a voice whose example gives meaning to Tiuri’s own vigil and uncertain future.

Identity and Reputation

Fartumar is named among the best-known knights in Dagonaut’s realm, a company of men who assist the king in governing and keeping order. The kingdom’s knights are expected to answer when summoned and to defend the land; those seeking knighthood must prove not only their skill but also their loyalty, honesty, helpfulness, and courage. Fartumar’s prominence places him within this respected order, although the story offers no detailed account of his lands, family, or personal history.

Tiuri’s Squire and Example

Tiuri had served Fartumar as a squire for a time and had listened intently to the older knight’s accounts of his adventures. Fartumar’s influence is conveyed less through direct instruction than through the stories Tiuri carries with him. When Tiuri is himself caught up in an adventure, he imagines that one day a squire might listen just as breathlessly to his own experiences—if he survives and ever becomes a knight. That thought makes Fartumar both a remembered mentor and a measure of the future Tiuri hopes to earn.

The Vigil Test and Its Echo

Fartumar had told Tiuri about the night before his own knighting, when he kept vigil in a chapel with three companions. Someone suddenly pounded on the door. None of the four opened it, as the candidates were required to remain at prayer and not respond to the outside world; they later learned that the visitor had been a servant of the king sent to test them. Tiuri recalls this episode during his own vigil, imagining the possibility that someone might knock and recognizing that the candidates must not open the door. The remembered test connects Fartumar’s passage into knighthood with the trial Tiuri is about to face.

The vigil is part of a demanding final preparation: candidates fast for twenty-four hours, spend the night awake in a small chapel, and reflect on the duties they are undertaking. They are to serve their king and country faithfully, act honestly and helpfully, and fight for what is good. Fartumar’s account gives these rules a concrete precedent for Tiuri, who must hold to the same discipline before his own ceremony.

The Horn and the Stories of Battle

Fartumar’s horn is famous. Long before Tiuri’s journey, the knight used it to summon his men to battle when enemies invaded from the east. Tiuri remembers listening, almost breathless, as Fartumar recounted such adventures. Later, while traveling through the forest and hearing a horn in the distance, Tiuri recalls both the famous instrument and the stories attached to it. The sound links the danger of his present journey to the martial history he once heard at Fartumar’s side.

Narrative Role

Fartumar is not a companion on Tiuri’s journey; his presence is carried by memory. The episodes associated with him establish a pattern of instruction by example: the closed chapel door represents fidelity to a demanding rule, while the horn and battle story evoke the public responsibilities of a knight. Tiuri’s later recognition that his completed mission has shown him to be a knight, even before the king formally knights him, gives added resonance to the model he first encountered through Fartumar. The older knight’s recollections help make knighthood more than a title: it is a discipline endured and a service proved through action.