# Mannaeus — Short Fiction character guide

> Mannaeus in Short Fiction by Gustave Flaubert.

**Role:** supporting

**First appearance:** 0011-herodias

## Snapshot

A Samaritan giant who guards Herod's dungeon and hates Jews with a violence as steady as his mummy-still face.

## Who they are

Mannaeus serves Antipas as jailer and confidant, a masseur-built sentinel whose cutlass and ape-like suppleness make him the tetrarch's instrument for keeping Iaokanann hidden. His Samaritan hatred of the Jews—rooted in the destroyed temple on Mount Gerizim—gives his vigilance a sectarian edge that complicates his loyalty. He matters because his watchfulness over the imprisoned prophet turns the palace into a pressure chamber, where every whispered word from the dungeon reaches Antipas through him.

## Relationships

### [Herod Antipas](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_22_se/characters/herod_antipas)

_professional_

Mannaeus is Herod Antipas's executioner and trusted servant, carrying out his grim orders.

### [Herod Antipas](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_22_se/characters/herod_antipas)

_professional_

Mannaeus is Herod Antipas's executioner and trusted servant, carrying out his grim orders.

### [Herod Antipas](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_22_se/characters/herod_antipas)

_professional_

Mannaeus is Herod Antipas's executioner and trusted servant, carrying out his grim orders.

## In the story

### [I: The Curse](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_22_se/chapters/i-the-curse)

Not present in this chapter.

### [II: The Crime](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_22_se/chapters/ii-the-crime)

Not present in this chapter.

### [Herodias](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_22_se/chapters/herodias)

An executioner who beheads John the Baptist at Herod's command.

### [I: The Palace](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_22_se/chapters/i-the-palace)

A giant, aging servant who rushes to kill the Essene Phanuel on Herodias's command, but is stopped by Antipas.

### [II: The Voice](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_22_se/chapters/ii-the-voice)

Old servant who feeds doves and uses his strength to lift the heavy lid of the pit.

### [III: The Banquet](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_22_se/chapters/iii-the-banquet)

Summoned by Antipas during the confrontation with the Pharisees.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_22_se/characters/mannaeus
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_22_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_22_se/characters