# Balbus — A Tangled Tale character guide > Balbus in A Tangled Tale by Lewis Carroll. **Role:** major **First appearance:** 0004-knot-i-excelsior ## Snapshot The brothers' infallible old tutor, whose calm authority and bottomless store of problems make him both their oracle and the source of their arithmetic torment. ## Who they are Balbus has been the inseparable companion of Hugh and Lambert since childhood, named after the hero of their Latin exercise-book and trusted absolutely. He rescues floundering conversations, presides over dinner with proverbs of his own invention, and hands down problems with the serene confidence of a man who has never been wrong. His unshakable certainty is the story's quiet engine: the boys accept his every startling claim on faith, and the puzzles he sets ripple outward into the lives of everyone around him. ## Relationships ### [Hugh](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tangled_tale_se/characters/hugh) _friendship_ Balbus and Hugh are close friends and frequent collaborators in solving puzzles and logical challenges. ### [Lambert](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tangled_tale_se/characters/lambert) _friendship_ Balbus and Lambert are friendly colleagues who engage in intellectual banter and problem-solving. ### [Hugh](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tangled_tale_se/characters/hugh) _friendship_ Balbus and Hugh are close friends and frequent collaborators in solving puzzles and logical challenges. ### [Lambert](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tangled_tale_se/characters/lambert) _friendship_ Balbus and Lambert are friendly colleagues who engage in intellectual banter and problem-solving. ### [Hugh](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tangled_tale_se/characters/hugh) _friendship_ Balbus and Hugh are close friends and frequent collaborators in solving puzzles and logical challenges. ## In the story ### [A Tangled Tale](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tangled_tale_se/chapters/a-tangled-tale) Leads the search for lodgings and engages in problem-solving. ### [Knot I: Excelsior](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tangled_tale_se/chapters/knot-i-excelsior) The elder knight, toiling in chain armor, grave and humorless, who poses the arithmetic challenge. ### [Knot II: Eligible Apartments](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tangled_tale_se/chapters/knot-ii-eligible-apartments) The tutor who accompanies his pupils and inspects lodgings with a focus on geometry and practical details. ### [Knot IV: The Dead Reckoning](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tangled_tale_se/chapters/knot-iv-the-dead-reckoning) The elder tourist, father of the younger traveler, who engages the Captain in conversation and tries to resolve the compensation issue. ### [Knot VI: Her Radiancy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tangled_tale_se/chapters/knot-vi-her-radiancy) The elder traveller who is anxious and pessimistic about their situation. ### [Knot VIII: De Omnibus Rebus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tangled_tale_se/chapters/knot-viii-de-omnibus-rebus) The elder traveller who breathes a sigh of relief at leaving the court, later becomes excited about the omnibus overtaking problem. ### [Knot IX: A Serpent with Corners](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tangled_tale_se/chapters/knot-ix-a-serpent-with-corners) Tutor who sets the garden geometry problem and later writes an essay on the displacement paradox. ### [Knot X: Chelsea Buns](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tangled_tale_se/chapters/knot-x-chelsea-buns) The old tutor, present at the family gathering and involved in the puzzle about the sons' ages. ### [Answers to Knot II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tangled_tale_se/chapters/answers-to-knot-ii) Balbus is mentioned as the source of the statement that there are 20 doors on each side of the Square. ### [§2: The Lodgings](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tangled_tale_se/chapters/2-the-lodgings) Poses the lodgings problem and reviews submitted solutions. ### [Answers to Knot VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tangled_tale_se/chapters/answers-to-knot-vi) Listed among the five winners for Problem 2, though noted for defective reasoning. ### [Answers to Knot VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tangled_tale_se/chapters/answers-to-knot-vii) Mentioned for his general principle about ascertaining the cost of a luncheon. ### [Answers to Correspondents](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tangled_tale_se/chapters/answers-to-correspondents) Correspondent who argued that only varieties (a) and (c) of the problem are possible. ### [Answers to Knot VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tangled_tale_se/chapters/answers-to-knot-viii) Balbus comments on the Pigs Problem, stating it cannot be solved mathematically or by verbal quibble. ### [§1: The Pigs](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tangled_tale_se/chapters/1-the-pigs) Comments that the pig problem cannot be solved mathematically nor by verbal quibble. ### [§2: The Grurmstipths](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tangled_tale_se/chapters/2-the-grurmstipths) Listed as one of the correct solvers in the class list. ### [Answers to Knot IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tangled_tale_se/chapters/answers-to-knot-ix) Balbus is the author of the Essay Problem about a solid immersed in water causing an infinite series of rises. ### [§2: Balbus’ Essay](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tangled_tale_se/chapters/2-balbus-essay) Author of the essay posing the water-immersion problem. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tangled_tale_se/characters/balbus - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tangled_tale_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_tangled_tale_se/characters