Line #55 Characters/TheStoryteller


1	!! Main Characters
2
3	[[foldercontrol]]
4
5	[[folder: The Storyteller]]
6	!!The Storyteller
7	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/002c0f65.jpg]]
8	[[caption-width-right:300:''"I am a teller of stories, a weaver of dreams. I can dance, sing, and in the right weather I can stand on my head. I know seven words of Latin, I have a little magic, and a trick or two. I know the proper way to meet a Dragon, I can fight dirty but not fair, I once swallowed thirty oysters in a minute. I am not domestic, I am a luxury, and in that sense, necessary."'']]
9	--> '''Appearances:''' ''The [=StoryTeller=]'' \| ''The [=StoryTeller=]: Witches'' \| ''The [=StoryTeller=]: Dragons'' \| ''The [=StoryTeller=]: Giants''
10	--> '''Played by:''' Creator/JohnHurt
11
12	The title character, not much is known about him except his wealth of stories. He's so good that he's even been in royal service on occasion.
13	----
14	* AmbiguouslyHuman: While there's nothing explicitly saying he isn't human, those ears and that nose, combined with his overall demeanor, give the impression that he might be some kind of faerie. On the other hand, ''The Witch Baby'' depicts him as a younger man with red hair indicating he is one hundred percent mortal.
15	* ClassyCravat: Wears a nice white one to go with his waistcoat.
16	* ADayInTheLimelight:
17	** He's the protagonist of one episode, "A Story Short."
18	** He makes an appearance in "Hans, My Hedgehog" as a fortune teller, and implies that he attended the wedding party.
19	* FortuneTeller: As a sideline, he can tell one's future with UsefulNotes/TarotCards. Unfortunately the king he did this for in "Hans, My Hedgehog" wasn't pleased with the outcome and he was briefly thrown in the dungeon, which probably explains why he mainly sticks to storytelling. He does again in the graphic novels though.
20	* LargeHam: It comes with the job.
21	* LemonyNarrator: [[DownplayedTrope He usually told the story normally]], but occasionally slipped into this trope. Take this gem from "The Soldier and Death:"
22	-->'''Storyteller:''' "Death, a prisoner." The news went from one of the Tsar's 50 wives to the other, [[NewsTravelsFast spread through the town as fast as gossip,]] [[ShapedLikeItself which is what it was and nothing travels faster.]] And within four and a half minutes, the whole town knew. And within seventeen minutes, the whole country knew. And by the following morning, it was the talking point of a thousand languages! "Death, a prisoner!" "[[GratuitousSpanish Muerte, un prisionare!]]" "[[GratuitousGerman Tot, ein Gefangener!]]" "Smierz uns Nize!" ''({{Beat.}})'' I've forgotten the Greek...\
23	'''Dog:''' Ed mellitistone fon Thanatos.\
24	'''Storyteller''' ''(as if saying "that's it, thank you")'': Exactly.
25	* MysteriousPast[=/=]RiddleForTheAges: It's never explained why The Storyteller dropped into poverty (from "A Story Short"), how he met the soldier who caught Death (from "The Soldier and Death"), or how he got into fortune telling (from "Hans, My Hedgehog").
26	* NoNameGiven: He's just the Storyteller.
27	* PajamaCladHero: He's ''always'' wearing a patchwork dressing gown. Even during that one time when he was reduced to begging, he still wore it while wandering the streets.
28	* TheStoryteller: It's what he does, in fact it's how he earns his keep.
29	* TricksterMentor: He's really good at surviving by his wits. As just one example, in "A Story Short," he convinces the cook to let him eat at the kitchen by claiming to know how to make a soup with only a stone.
30	* WaistcoatOfStyle: Wears a nice red one underneath his dressing gown that wouldn't be out of place in [[Creator/JRRTolkien the Shire]].
31	[[/folder]]
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33
34	[[folder: The Dog]]
35	!! The Dog
36	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/4427110_std.jpg]]
37	[[caption-width-right:300:''"I'm a dog! It's my business to bite people!"'']]
38	--> '''Appearances:''' ''The [=StoryTeller=]'' \| ''The [=StoryTeller=]: Greek Myths'' \| ''The [=StoryTeller=]: Witches'' \| ''The [=StoryTeller=]: Dragons'' \| ''The [=StoryTeller=]: Giants''
39	--> '''Performed by:''' Brian Henson
40
41	The Storyteller's canine companion, always eager to hear his master's stories. He's almost always hungry. He also has the distinction of being the only character to appear in both the main series and the sister series ''Greek Myths''.
42	----
43	* AudienceSurrogate: His role in ''Greek Myths''. When someone dies, he'll act horrified. When something divinely weird happens, he'll ask for clarification.
44	* DeadpanSnarker: Dog loves making snarky comments.
45	* ADogNamedDog. Well he's called ''the'' Dog in the credits.
46	* GreekChorus: His main function is to ask questions and comment on the stories.
47	* NoHeroToHisValet: To the Greek Storyteller, mainly because of how stupid his master's actions were that got them both thrown into the Labyrinth.
48	* TalkingAnimal: Well it ''is'' a Jim Henson production.
49	* VocalEvolution: His voice starts out very deep in the original show, but then gets higher for ''Greek Myths''.
50	[[/folder]]
51
52	[[folder: The Greek Storyteller]]
53	!! The Greek Storyteller
54	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/greek_storyteller.jpg]]
55	[[caption-width-right:350:''"If I told the whole story your head would burst. There is no one story, there are branches, rooms, like this place. Rooms, corridors, dead ends."'']]
56
57	--> '''Appearances:''' ''The [=StoryTeller=]: Greek Myths''
58	--> '''Played by:''' Creator/MichaelGambon
59
60	An Athenian from UsefulNotes/AncientGreece, well learned in the ancient myths. He's a more dubious character than his Medieval counterpart and ends up trapped in the Labyrinth after offending the residents of Crete.
61	----
62	* ConnectedAllAlong: What he claims about the myths he tells -- that they are only branches of one bigger story. He's right; the story of Daedalus is part of the story of Theseus and the Minotaur, Orpheus and Eurydice is but a branch of the tale of Jason and the Golden Fleece.
63	* ContrastingSequelMainCharacter: While the main Storyteller had an AmbiguouslyHuman look befitting a faerie tale character, there's no question that this one is human. The main Storyteller's tales are obscure, while the Greek Storyteller's tales are some of the most famous in history. The main Storyteller is warm and jovial, the Greek one is cold and melancholic and not quite as clever or as wise as his Medieval counterpart. The main Storyteller tells stories to earn his bread and butter, while it's not entirely clear what the Greek one's primary occupation is. The main Storyteller's clothes are clean, while the Greek Storyteller's toga and robes are dirty and soiled, suggesting a live of poverty and hardship.
64	* DarkAndTroubledPast: Befitting a protagonist who lives in Ancient Greece; we know little about him save he's an Athenian who apparently needed money so bad he had to rob the dead.
65	* DramaticIrony: A purveyor of the ancient myths who ends up being imprisoned in the infamous Labyrinth of Knossos.
66	* DramaticallyMissingThePoint: Of his own myths, which show the consequences of hubris or insulting the gods; yet he thought it was a good idea to rob the dead.
67	* IdiotBall: Decided to come to the Island of Crete (which doesn't have the best relationship with Athens) to rob their dead. He ends up trapped in the Labyrinth for his troubles; the fact that his city's patron goddess is Athena the Goddess of Wisdom, makes his decision even ''more'' stupid.
68	* LargeHam: He has his moments when narrating, especially when he gets to the climax.
69	* NoNameGiven: Just like his Medieval counterpart.
70	* PermaStubble: Has a five o'clock shadow befitting his poor, dis-shelved look.
71	* RobbingTheDead: Or as he puts "exchanging their coins for smaller valuables"; this is a very grave offense as the dead of Ancient Greece were buried with coins to pay the ferryman of Hades; without it they'd be stuck on the banks of the River Styx. The Dog lampshades how stupid that was.
72	--> '''The Dog:''' That's insulting! The Gods notice and they know you insult them!
73	* TheStoryteller: One specializing in the Greek myths, which in this setting actually happened.
74	* YouDoNotWantToKnow: He visited the Oracle of Delphi once and asked about his future. He was disappointed about what he heard and advises other to not even bother to ask her.
75	-->'''Greek Storyteller:''' I visited the Oracle once. Never ask. You never hear what you hope for.

Context Characters / TheStoryteller