Gothos

Gothos
Fan art (cropped from this) by McDev
Biographical information
Pseudonyms	The Lord of Hate
Race	Jaghut
Appearance	Tall and gaunt, with greenish skin and long grey hair which he wore tied back. His tusk curled from his lower jaw on either side of a wide, slit mouth. A pronounced brow ridge hid his eyes.
Family	Gethol (Brother), Icarium (Son), Raest (Son).
Social information
Occupation(s)	Prisoner of the Azath House.
Title(s)	The Lord of Hate
Warren(s)	Omtose Phellack

"As sour-tempered a writer as I've ever had the displeasure of reading."

―Heboric

Gothos was the Jaghut guardian of the Deadhouse in Malaz City. He was the father of Icarium and the Tyrant Raest was also one of his offspring. Gothos was a brother to Gethol.

Gothos' Folly was one of his best known literary works, and was occasionally cited throughout the series. He was also the author of A Life in Mists.

He was tall and gaunt, with greenish skin and long grey hair which he wore tied back. His tusk curled from his lower jaw on either side of a wide, slit mouth. A pronounced brow ridge hid his eyes.

Mappo Runt argued that "Gothos's curse was in being too aware--of everything. Every permutation, every potential. Enough to poison every scan he cast on the world. It availed him naught, and worse, he was aware of even that."

In Toll the Hounds

Interpretation of Gothos by Simon Underwood

Nimander, Skintick and Kallor encountered Gothos in a Jaghut tower on the plains leading to Bastion, where he was quite rude to them but offered them tea.

Nimander purely by chance walked into the Realm where dwelled the builder of the Azath, known only as Elder. He told the Tiste Andii that every time he built his houses a Jaghut (Gothos) appeared and took them away. This suffices to explain how Gothos travelled between the Azath houses and its realm, unlike the other guardians.

In Forge of Darkness

Interpretation of Gothos by McDev

Gothos was known as the Lord of Hate, living in a nondescript building below the Tower of Hate. On the Night of Dissension, he had convinced the Jaghut that their civilization was a "misapprehension of purpose" and "a belated recognition of economic suicide." It was destined to advance until it collapsed. So the Jaghut civilization walked away from its future and broke apart into solitary individuals leaving Gothos as nearly the only resident of the once great Jaghut city of Omtose Phellack. Gothos imprisoned Hood within his dungeon to prevent him from declaring war on the Azathanai after Errastas and Sechul Lath had killed Hood's wife, Karish. He allowed Draconus to free Hood, but warned that Hood would declare a war on death itself. Draconus left his son Arathan to help Gothos continue his work on his Folly.

Quotes

"He is such a fool I fear my heart will burst."

―Gothos regarding Hood's war on death

Draconus: "How many volumes have you compiled thus far, Gothos?"

Gothos: "An even dozen stacks to match the one on the desk. Written in an execrable hand, every word, every line."

Draconus: "Not in Old Jaghut, I trust!"

Gothos: "Of course not! That would be...ridiculous. A language for the compilers of lists, a language for tax collectors with close-set eyes and sloping foreheads, a language for the unimaginative and the petty-minded, a language for the unintelligent and the obstinate--and how often do those traits go hand in hand? Old Jaghut? Why, I would have killed myself after the first three words!"

Gothos: "If only I had. I confess, Suzerain, I have indeed written in Old Jaghut."

―Draconus and Gothos on Gothos' Folly

Notes and references

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