Erath

Erath is the antagonist in the embedded tale of Daura and her family: motivated by his brother’s death at Armar’s hands, he disguises himself to trick Daura into going to an isolated sea rock. His false message precipitates a rescue attempt and a succession of deaths, though the tale does not disclose what ultimately becomes of Erath.

Identity and Motive

Erath is identified as the son of Odgal. His grievance is personal: Armar had slain Erath’s brother, and Erath acts in response to that loss. Rather than confront Armar directly, he uses disguise and a fabricated message to direct Daura toward a place where she will be exposed and separated from her family.

Deception and Its Immediate Consequences

Disguised as an aged figure associated with the sea, Erath approaches Daura and describes a distant rock bearing a tree with conspicuous red fruit. He claims that Armar is waiting there and that he has come to carry Armar’s message of love. Daura trusts the account and goes to the rock. When no Armar answers her calls, Erath’s deception becomes apparent: he flees laughing toward land, leaving her stranded.

The Rescue and the Chain of Loss

Daura’s voice carries across the sea, bringing her brother Arindal down from the hill. He finds Erath on the shore, seizes him, and binds him to an oak. Arindal then sets out by boat to bring Daura back. The attempt becomes fatal: Armar arrives in anger and strikes Arindal, who dies before reaching shore. The boat breaks apart, and Armar enters the sea in an effort to save Daura, but does not return. Daura remains alone on the rock and later dies from grief. These deaths follow Erath’s lie, although the account does not say that he planned each outcome or reveal what happens to him after Arindal binds him.

Narrative Role

Erath functions as the tale’s instigator: the disguise gives his revenge its means, and the false promise sends Daura into peril. The sequence also turns on a bitter reversal. Arindal captures the deceiver, but leaves him bound when he goes to rescue his sister; meanwhile, Armar’s intervention transforms the rescue into further loss. Erath’s brief appearance thus helps set the tragedy in motion, while the surviving account leaves his own fate unresolved.