Poetry · Character

Hum

A minor character, possibly a servant or comic figure.

minor

Also known as gentle Hum, mine, your, you, I

First appearance: i

Hum's tie to Saturn is one of the pressures that moves Poetry—worth meeting in the text, not only on a cast list.

Addressed as 'Mum' in the final line, representing the speaker's own heart or inner self.

In the storyOn Hearing the Bag-Pipe and Seeing “The Stranger” Played at InveraryOpen this moment free

See Hum in On Hearing the Bag-Pipe and Seeing “The Stranger” Played at Inverary Book page

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With Saturn (professional): Hum serves as Saturn's loyal but weary attendant, bound by duty and a sense of inevitable decline. With Isabel (friendship): Hum offers quiet comfort to Isabel, sharing her grief over…

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

See Hum in i

Character Web

35 connections

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

Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Endymion's quest characters
Mythological deities and figures
Extended mythological and narrative cast

+30 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

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

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

The emotional and psychological peak occurs when the King, overwhelmed by his own confession, reveals Bertha’s…

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Relationships

Saturn
professional · ambivalent
Hum serves as Saturn's loyal but weary attendant, bound by duty and a sense of inevitable… How this plays out →
Isabel
friendship · positive
Bertha
friendship · positive
Saturn
professional · ambivalent
Hum serves as Saturn's loyal but weary attendant, bound by duty and a sense of inevitable… How this plays out →
Saturn
professional · ambivalent
Hum serves as Saturn's loyal but weary attendant, bound by duty and a sense of inevitable… How this plays out →
Bertha
friendship · positive
Bertha
friendship · positive
Isabel
friendship · positive

Saturn
Hum serves as Saturn's loyal but weary attendant, bound by duty and a sense of inevitable decline.
Isabel
Hum offers quiet comfort to Isabel, sharing her grief over Saturn's emotional distance.
Bertha
Bertha shares a warm, confiding friendship with Hum, often discussing the strange events around Saturn.
Saturn
Hum serves as Saturn's loyal but weary attendant, bound by duty and a sense of inevitable decline.
Saturn
Hum serves as Saturn's loyal but weary attendant, bound by duty and a sense of inevitable decline.
Bertha
Bertha shares a warm, confiding friendship with Hum, often discussing the strange events around Saturn.
Bertha
Bertha shares a warm, confiding friendship with Hum, often discussing the strange events around Saturn.
Isabel
Hum offers quiet comfort to Isabel, sharing her grief over Saturn's emotional distance.

Relationship notes

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

See Hum in i

In the story

Hum appears across 26 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

On Hearing the Bag-Pipe and Seeing “The Stranger” Played at Inverary
Addressed as 'Mum' in the final line, representing the speaker's own heart or inner self.
The Cap and Bells
Soothsayer summoned by Elfinan via Eban.
Chapter XXI
The soothsayer, recently arrived in the empire, whom the emperor orders Eban to summon.
XXII
Hum is the target of the speaker's summons, threatened with dire consequences if he does not comply.
XXIII
Old Hum is sought out by the slave for his knowledge of the city's shortcuts.
Eban's Arrival at Hum's Hotel
Hum is the proprietor of the hotel Eban visits.
XXXII
The Swiss servant who responds to the page's question.
XXXV
Hum speaks about the dog and tells the Swiss not to beat it.
XXXVII
Engages in dialogue about the Emperor's condition.
XLI
Hum speaks to the Emperor, requesting a drink and then accepting Nantz with a specific preparation.
XLII
The sage who responds to the Emperor's pledge by listing various Berthas.
XLIII
Hum speaks to the Emperor, revealing his knowledge of the Emperor's love for Bertha Pearl.
XLIV
Speaker who recounts knowing Bertha since her birth in an Indian wild.
XLVI
The courtier who responds with wordplay and suggests the lady is in Canterbury.
XLVIII
Comforts the Emperor and tends to his needs
LI
Exclaims to the monarch not to despair, offering reassurance.
LIV
Gentle Hum responds to the Emperor's query about the time and offers advice.
LV
Speaker who proposes to fetch the lady and advises the king on travel.
LIX
Hum is addressed and given instructions regarding the book.
LXI
Opens the window and announces the crowd to the Emperor.
LXII
Speaker who observes the morning scene and comments on the ambassador's return.
LXIII
The Emperor Hum is complimented on his poetic style and encouraged to share his verses.
LXVII
Hum is addressed by Elfinan, who urges not to delay and bids farewell.
LXIX
Hum speaks, noting the Emperor's absence and his own overindulgence in wine, and considers pilfering diamonds.
LXX
Hum, drunk and unsteady, falls down the stairs and is found dead.
LXXXVIII
Encountered far gone in liquor on the first landing, described as a vile impostor.

Chapter companion notes

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

See Hum in i

See Hum in On Hearing the Bag-Pipe and Seeing “The Stranger” Played at Inverary