Etoh

Etoh (エト, Eto) is a supporting character in The Grey Witch and the 1990 OVA anime. He also appears in a minor role in the The Kings’ Holy War and Holy Knights of Lodoss novels and the Chronicles of the Heroic Knight anime. A priest of Pharis, he is Parn's childhood friend and one of his traveling companions.

In the novels and the Chronicles of the Heroic Knight anime, Etoh becomes the King of Valis. Though never explicitly stated in the Chronicles anime, in the novels this is confirmed to be through marriage to Princess Fianna. In the Next Generation novels, after abdicating the throne, he becomes the High Priest of Pharis; in the Chronicles anime, he is already the High Priest at the time Spark and his group first meet him.

Appearance[]

Etoh has white skin, medium-length blue or black hair, and teal or brown eyes. He wears the white habit of the priesthood of Pharis, comprising a floor-length white robe with a purple sash around the waist and a golden collar and golden-tipped sleeves, and a white cloak with a gold collar covering the arms and shoulders lined in red fabric. He wears gray boots and a purple brimless cap on the crown of his head, likely based on the Catholic zucchetto. A belt around his waist holds his mace, a staff-like weapon with a point. In the OVA, he is also shown carrying a blue messenger bag when he reunites with Parn.

In The Grey Witch novel, his robe at the outset is described as "sun-bleached," likely from traveling and wear. He is also stated to be wearing "light armor" and wielding a shield, and also uses a long-range weapon called a sling. In the War of Heroes, he receives the official clothing of a Valis priest of Pharis.

As the King of Valis, in the novels, he is dressed similarly to King Fahn, with a loose robe with gold ornamentation and a circlet-style crown. In the Chronicles of the Heroic Knight anime, he is dressed similarly to his appearance in the OVA except with a tan fur collar over his shoulders, covering most of the top of his cloak.

Personality[]

Etoh is generally cheerful and calm. Despite having a similar strong sense of justice, he has more self-control and is less outwardly emotional than Parn. In the 1990 OVA, he seems to be one of the more serious members of the group, often attempting to hold Parn back or keeping the peace, but there are hints of a more lighthearted and joking side to his personality, such as when he teases Woodchuck after a gambling game gone wrong that "Pharis has other things to worry about."

He takes the discipline required for the priesthood seriously; in The Grey Witch novel, he is mentioned to pray for hours at a time as is required of the faith, lamenting when he misses prayers while traveling through the Forest of No Return. Training as a priest also helped him develop impressive inner strength, such as when he wills himself to stay awake when Karla casts a sleeping spell on the group. The aftermath of this incident, when Deedlit attempts to get Etoh to sleep and he initially refuses, hints that Etoh may tend to overwork himself because of his dedicated nature.

History[]

Etoh was born and raised in Zaxon and was close friends with Parn through their childhood. Etoh left home at fifteen to become a priest of Pharis, studying at the Pharis Temple in the capital city of Allan. It was rather strange for an Alanian to become a priest of Pharis, and to show such an aptitude for it. Alania was believed to be the resting place of Marfa, and so faith in her is far more common.

After four years of training, he returned home a priest when he was nineteen, while traveling to gain real world experience. He found Parn in the middle of a fight with a band of goblins that had been harassing their home village. The two young men joined forces to fight the goblins, which eventually led them on a greater journey with Slayn and Ghim. They originally set out to Alan to figure out what was going on in the world to provoke the goblin attacks on Zaxon. However, the city was closed to visitors and they set out toward Valis. Along the way, they met Deedlit, dark elves and kobolds, then the Alanian army. They were taken to the Fortress Myce and thrown in prison where they met the thief, Woodchuck. However, they were soon freed and were told everything they needed to know about the war with Marmo.

That night, Myce was attacked by Ashram’s army, Etoh and his companions barely escaped. They traveled onward, then passed through the Forest of No Return, guided by Deedlit. As they left the Forest, a speeding wagon under attack from fireballs caught their attention. Parn and Slayn rushed to the rescue to find the witch Karla had taken Valis' princess Fianna. The witch left Fianna in their care and they returned the princess home to Roid. While they rested in the Holy City, King Fahn held a ball in their honour. Fianna had developed a crush on Etoh which would later grow to love and lead to their marriage.

After the ball, Etoh continued on his journey with Parn. They learned that the witch, Karla, was a Kastuulian sorceress who sealed her soul to an enchanted circlet so that she could continue living through other bodies. Her current body belong to Leylia, a priestess of Marfa whom Ghim loved like a daughter. Leylia had mysteriously disappeared several years ago, and now they knew what happened, and they made it their mission to free her.

However, the Marmo war was still raging, and Etoh lent his help as a priest to heal wounded on the battlefield. After Fahn and Beld were slain, both armies withdrew. Marmo halted its advance into Lodoss after the loss of their leader, giving Parn and his companions the chance to find Karla and free Leylia. Thought they succeeded in their goal, they lost Ghim and Woodchuck in the process. Ghim was killed by Karla's final spell, and Woodchuck was possessed by the circlet after it had been knocked from Leylia's head.

Parn and Deedlit made it their mission to find Woodchuck and defeat Karla completely, but Etoh didn’t join them. He returned to Roid to continue his studies and eventually married Princess Fianna.

After her father’s death, Fianna had become regent of Valis, but tradition stated that the next king would be selected from the knighthood of Valis. Unlike other nations, bloodline does not determine the succession of the Valisian throne. When Etoh and Fianna wed, the knighthood was opposed to his succession of the throne, and to Fianna becoming queen. However, as Etoh was an exceptional priest for his age, the Falis priesthood pushed for his succession. Thus, Etoh became the Holy King of Valis.

Etoh

Contents

Appearance[]

Personality[]

History[]

Gallery[]