# Grizzlebeard — The Four Men character guide

> Grizzlebeard in The Four Men by Hilaire Belloc.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Heathfield Grizzlebeard, Pelagius Grizzlebeard, the Crabtree Grizzlebeard

**First appearance:** 0003-the-four-men

## Snapshot

He is the elder companion whose long life has taught him that nothing of our sort remains—no castle, no comradeship, no love—and he says so without flinching.

## Who they are

He is the elder companion whose long life has taught him that nothing of our sort remains—no castle, no comradeship, no love—and he says so without flinching. Where the Sailor trusts to luck and the Poet to verse, Grizzlebeard counsels attending to the permanent things, the shores and harbours of a dangerous sea. His sober gravity gives the pilgrimage its emotional weight, quietly insisting that the journey be about more than scenery or appetite.

## In the story

### [The Four Men](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_four_men_se/chapters/the-four-men)

A companion met along the way, representing tradition and wisdom.

### [The Twenty-Ninth of October 1902](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_four_men_se/chapters/the-twenty-ninth-of-october-1902)

An older man met at the 'George' who agrees to journey with the narrator, calling himself by that name.

### [The Thirtieth of October 1902](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_four_men_se/chapters/the-thirtieth-of-october-1902)

Travels with the narrator, comments on Sussex and the Sailor, and spots the poet on the road.

### [The Thirty-First of October 1902](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_four_men_se/chapters/the-thirty-first-of-october-1902)

Comments on the Arun's majesty only when married to salt water; remarks on the Little People and fairy gold; trails his stick along the ground in melancholy.

### [The First of November 1902](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_four_men_se/chapters/the-first-of-november-1902)

Tells the story of his first love, a wealthy woman in the Brede valley, and reflects on his own wandering nature.

### [The Second of November 1902](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_four_men_se/chapters/the-second-of-november-1902)

Wakes the narrator, leads the group to Treyford for a final meal, and announces the parting at Harting.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_four_men_se/characters/grizzlebeard
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_four_men_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_four_men_se/characters