Jurgen · Character

Coth

Jurgen's querulous father, trapped in Hell and forever quarreling, whose stubborn opinions become facts the moment he holds them.

supporting

First appearance: Why Coth Was Contradicted

As a supporting figure in Jurgen, Coth is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Revealed to be the son of King Smoit and Steinvor, making him Jurgen's father.

In the storyXVI: Divers Imbroglios of King SmoitOpen this moment free

See Coth in XVI: Divers Imbroglios of King Smoit Book page

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Coth bickers with his son in the timeless idiom of family grievance — about Jurgen's tone of voice, his mother, his light women — while the fiends tormenting him withdraw in embarrassment at the sheer volume of it. Because Satan has said that whatever Coth believes will be true in Hell, Jurgen goads him into believing in pretty women and vampires, and Florimel promptly appears. Coth is both comic relief and a metaphysical hinge: his irritable certainties are the raw material from which the underworld's realities are made.

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The fuller portrait of Coth sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Coth in Why Coth Was Contradicted

Character Web

14 connections

A slice of how Coth sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Friendship
Other

Character groups

Cosmic and Mysterious Entities
Kings and Queens
Mortal and Mythic Women
Protagonist

+9 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Climax.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This is the dramatic climax because Jurgen’s calm, rational dismissal of his father Coth’s lifelong guilt—redu…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

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Relationships

Jurgen
friendship · positive
Coth is a loyal companion and fellow traveler who accompanies Jurgen on parts of his… How this plays out →
Jurgen
friendship · positive
Coth is a loyal companion and fellow traveler who accompanies Jurgen on parts of his… How this plays out →
Jurgen
friendship · positive
Coth is a loyal companion and fellow traveler who accompanies Jurgen on parts of his… How this plays out →

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Coth in Why Coth Was Contradicted

In the story

Coth appears across 7 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

XVI: Divers Imbroglios of King Smoit
Revealed to be the son of King Smoit and Steinvor, making him Jurgen's father.
XXXIV: How Emperor Jurgen Fared Infernally
Jurgen's father, seen standing in a flame in Chorasma, chewing his moustaches; he does not recognize Jurgen.
Why Coth Was Contradicted
Jurgen's father, tormented in Hell but dissatisfied with the inadequacy of his punishments; stubbornly contradicts Jurgen, inadvertently shaping reality.
XXXVII: Invention of the Lovely Vampire
Parted with his son in anger; his imagination conjured Florimel.
XXXVIII: As to Applauded Precedents
Jurgen's father, visited by Jurgen and Florimel after their marriage.
XXXIX: Of Compromises in Hell
Jurgen's father, mentioned as having invented Florimel, with whom Jurgen had no tastes in common.
XL: The Ascension of Pope Jurgen
Mentioned as Jurgen's father in the younger angel's self-identification.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Coth unlock in the free preview.

See Coth in Why Coth Was Contradicted

See Coth in XVI: Divers Imbroglios of King Smoit