Athos (fictional character)
Encyclopedia
Olivier d'Athos de la Fère, Comte de la Fère (born c. 1595; died 1661) is a fictional character
, a Musketeer of the Guard
in the novels The Three Musketeers
, Twenty Years After
, and The Vicomte de Bragelonne
by Alexandre Dumas, père
.
In The Three Musketeers, he and the other two musketeer
s Porthos
and Aramis
are friends of the novel's protagonist, d'Artagnan
. He has a mysterious past connecting him with the villainess of the novel, Milady de Winter
.
The oldest by some years, Athos is a father figure to the other musketeers. He is described as noble and handsome but also very secretive, drowning his secret sorrows in drink. He is very protective of d'Artagnan, the youngest, whom he regards as a son.
By the end of the novel, it is revealed that he is the Comte
de la Fère, who was Milady's husband before she married the Baron
de Winter.
In the latter two novels, he is openly known as the Comte de la Fère and is the adopted father of the young hero, Raoul, vicomte de Bragelonne (and it is ultimately revealed that he is his biological father as well). In Twenty Years After it is left uncertain whether Athos is the father of Mordaunt (John Francis de Winter, son of Milady de Winter
). Mordaunt attempts to avenge the death of his mother by killing those responsible. However, he himself dies while he and Athos struggle in the middle of the English Channel
. Athos himself almost drowns in this struggle as well causing Aramis, Porthos, and D'Artagnan to lament his death for a few moments before he resurfaces.
Athos' first name
is never told. However, in Dumas' play "The Youth of the Musketeers," the young Milady, then named Charlotte, calls the then Vicomte de la Fère, Olivier, so one may assume that this is Athos' first name.
The fictional Athos is named after the historical musketeer Armand de Sillègue d'Athos d'Autevielle (1615-1644), though they don't actually have much in common apart from the name. His birthplace is the commune
of Athos-Aspis
in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques
department. The name also resembles Mount Athos
, which is referred to in chapter 13 of The Three Musketeers
in which a Bastille
guard says, "But that is not a man's name; that is the name of a mountain
." His title, Comte de la Fère, while invented, is tied to the domains of La Fère which were once owned by Anne of Austria
, Queen of France in these novels and in the historical period in which they are set.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
, a Musketeer of the Guard
Musketeers of the Guard
The Musketeers of the Guard were a fighting company of the military branch of the Maison du Roi, the Royal Household of the French monarchy.-History:...
in the novels The Three Musketeers
The Three Musketeers
The Three Musketeers is a novel by Alexandre Dumas, first serialized in March–July 1844. Set in the 17th century, it recounts the adventures of a young man named d'Artagnan after he leaves home to travel to Paris, to join the Musketeers of the Guard...
, Twenty Years After
Twenty Years After
Twenty Years After is a novel by Alexandre Dumas, père, first serialized from January to August, 1845. A book of the D'Artagnan Romances, it is a sequel to The Three Musketeers and precedes The Vicomte de Bragelonne .The novel follows events in France during La Fronde, during the childhood reign...
, and The Vicomte de Bragelonne
The Vicomte de Bragelonne
The Vicomte of Bragelonne: Ten Years Later is a novel by Alexandre Dumas. It is the third and last of the d'Artagnan Romances, following The Three Musketeers and Twenty Years After. It appeared first in serial form between 1847 and 1850...
by Alexandre Dumas, père
Alexandre Dumas, père
Alexandre Dumas, , born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie was a French writer, best known for his historical novels of high adventure which have made him one of the most widely read French authors in the world...
.
In The Three Musketeers, he and the other two musketeer
Musketeer
A musketeer was an early modern type of infantry soldier equipped with a musket. Musketeers were an important part of early modern armies, particularly in Europe. They sometimes could fight on horseback, like a dragoon or a cavalryman...
s Porthos
Porthos
Porthos, Baron du Vallon de Bracieux de Pierrefonds is a fictional character in the novels The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After and The Vicomte de Bragelonne by Alexandre Dumas, père. He and the other two musketeers Athos and Aramis are friends of the novel's protagonist, d'Artagnan...
and Aramis
Aramis
C. René d'Aramis de Vannes is a fictional character in the novels The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After and The Vicomte de Bragelonne by Alexandre Dumas, père...
are friends of the novel's protagonist, d'Artagnan
D'Artagnan
Charles Ogier de Batz de Castelmore, Comte d'Artagnan served Louis XIV as captain of the Musketeers of the Guard and died at the Siege of Maastricht in the Franco-Dutch War. A fictionalized account of his life by Gatien de Courtilz de Sandras formed the basis for the d'Artagnan Romances of...
. He has a mysterious past connecting him with the villainess of the novel, Milady de Winter
Milady de Winter
Milady Clarick de Winter, often referred to as simply Milady, is a fictional character in the novel The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, père. She acts as a spy for Cardinal Richelieu and is one of the chief antagonists of the story....
.
The oldest by some years, Athos is a father figure to the other musketeers. He is described as noble and handsome but also very secretive, drowning his secret sorrows in drink. He is very protective of d'Artagnan, the youngest, whom he regards as a son.
By the end of the novel, it is revealed that he is the Comte
Comte
Comte is a title of Catalan, Occitan and French nobility. In the English language, the title is equivalent to count, a rank in several European nobilities. The corresponding rank in England is earl...
de la Fère, who was Milady's husband before she married the Baron
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
de Winter.
In the latter two novels, he is openly known as the Comte de la Fère and is the adopted father of the young hero, Raoul, vicomte de Bragelonne (and it is ultimately revealed that he is his biological father as well). In Twenty Years After it is left uncertain whether Athos is the father of Mordaunt (John Francis de Winter, son of Milady de Winter
Milady de Winter
Milady Clarick de Winter, often referred to as simply Milady, is a fictional character in the novel The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, père. She acts as a spy for Cardinal Richelieu and is one of the chief antagonists of the story....
). Mordaunt attempts to avenge the death of his mother by killing those responsible. However, he himself dies while he and Athos struggle in the middle of the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
. Athos himself almost drowns in this struggle as well causing Aramis, Porthos, and D'Artagnan to lament his death for a few moments before he resurfaces.
Athos' first name
Given name
A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...
is never told. However, in Dumas' play "The Youth of the Musketeers," the young Milady, then named Charlotte, calls the then Vicomte de la Fère, Olivier, so one may assume that this is Athos' first name.
The fictional Athos is named after the historical musketeer Armand de Sillègue d'Athos d'Autevielle (1615-1644), though they don't actually have much in common apart from the name. His birthplace is the commune
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
of Athos-Aspis
Athos-Aspis
Athos-Aspis is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France. It consists of two villages : Athos and Aspis.Athos is the birthplace of Athos, one of the title characters in the novel The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, père. The fictional Athos is named after the...
in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Pyrénées-Atlantiques is a department in the southwest of France which takes its name from the Pyrenees mountains and the Atlantic Ocean.- History :...
department. The name also resembles Mount Athos
Mount Athos
Mount Athos is a mountain and peninsula in Macedonia, Greece. A World Heritage Site, it is home to 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries and forms a self-governed monastic state within the sovereignty of the Hellenic Republic. Spiritually, Mount Athos comes under the direct jurisdiction of the...
, which is referred to in chapter 13 of The Three Musketeers
The Three Musketeers
The Three Musketeers is a novel by Alexandre Dumas, first serialized in March–July 1844. Set in the 17th century, it recounts the adventures of a young man named d'Artagnan after he leaves home to travel to Paris, to join the Musketeers of the Guard...
in which a Bastille
Bastille
The Bastille was a fortress in Paris, known formally as the Bastille Saint-Antoine. It played an important role in the internal conflicts of France and for most of its history was used as a state prison by the kings of France. The Bastille was built in response to the English threat to the city of...
guard says, "But that is not a man's name; that is the name of a mountain
Mount Athos
Mount Athos is a mountain and peninsula in Macedonia, Greece. A World Heritage Site, it is home to 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries and forms a self-governed monastic state within the sovereignty of the Hellenic Republic. Spiritually, Mount Athos comes under the direct jurisdiction of the...
." His title, Comte de la Fère, while invented, is tied to the domains of La Fère which were once owned by Anne of Austria
Anne of Austria
Anne of Austria was Queen consort of France and Navarre, regent for her son, Louis XIV of France, and a Spanish Infanta by birth...
, Queen of France in these novels and in the historical period in which they are set.
In film and television
Actors who have played Athos on screen include:- Herbert Delmar, in The Three Musketeers: Parts I and II (1911)
- Alfred Hollingsworth, in The Three Musketeers (1916)
- Henri RollanHenri RollanHenri Rollan was a French film actor. He appeared in 47 films between 1910 and 1962.-Selected filmography:* De afwezige * Les Trois Mousquetaires * Paris Qui Dort...
, in Les trois mousquetaires (1921) - Léon BaryLéon BaryLéon Bary was a French actor. He appeared in 52 films between 1916 and 1955. He was born in Paris, France.-Selected filmography:* The Shielding Shadow * The Mystery of the Double Cross * The Seven Pearls...
, in The Three Musketeers (1921) - Léon BaryLéon BaryLéon Bary was a French actor. He appeared in 52 films between 1916 and 1955. He was born in Paris, France.-Selected filmography:* The Shielding Shadow * The Mystery of the Double Cross * The Seven Pearls...
, in The Iron Mask (1929) - Henri RollanHenri RollanHenri Rollan was a French film actor. He appeared in 47 films between 1910 and 1962.-Selected filmography:* De afwezige * Les Trois Mousquetaires * Paris Qui Dort...
, in Les Trois Mousquetaires (1933) - Paul LukasPaul LukasPaul Lukas was an Austrian-Hungarian-born actor.-Biography:Born Pál Lukács in Budapest, he arrived in Hollywood in 1927 after a successful stage and film career in Hungary, Germany and Austria where he worked with Max Reinhardt. He made his stage debut in Budapest in 1916 and his film debut in 1917...
, in The Three Musketeers (1935) - Van HeflinVan HeflinEmmett Evan "Van" Heflin, Jr. was an American film and theatre actor. He played mostly character parts over the course of his film career, but during the 1940s had a string of roles as a leading man...
, in The Three Musketeers (1948) - John Hubbard, in The Three Musketeers (1950)
- Steve BrodieSteve BrodieSteve Brodie was an American from New York City who claimed to have jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge and survived on July 23, 1886...
, in Lady in the Iron Mask (1952) - Jean Martinelli, in Les Trois Mousquetaires (1953)
- Paul Hansard, in The Three Musketeers (1954)
- Domenico ModugnoDomenico ModugnoDomenico Modugno was an Italian singer, songwriter, actor, and later in life, a member of the Italian Parliament. He is known for his 1958 international hit song "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu "...
, in The Three Musketeers (1956) - Barry MorseBarry MorseHerbert "Barry" Morse was an Anglo-Canadian actor of stage, screen, and radio best known for his roles in the ABC television series The Fugitive and the British sci-fi drama Space: 1999...
, in The Three Musketeers (TV movie) (1960) - Georges DescrièresGeorges DescrièresGeorges Descrières is a French actor. He has appeared in 52 films and television shows between 1954 and 1996. He starred alongside Anna Karina in the 1962 film Sun in Your Eyes and portrayed the gentleman-burglar Arsène Lupin in an internationally successful TV series.-Selected filmography:* The...
, in Les Trois Mousquetaires: La Vengeance de Milady (1961) and Les Trois Mousquetaires: Les Ferrets de la Reine (1961) - Franco Fantasia, in D’Artagnan contro i tre moschettieri (1963)
- Jeremy Watson, in The Three Musketeers (1966)
- Jeremy YoungJeremy YoungJeremy Young is a British actor, born in 1934.He has numerous television credits, including Doctor Who , No Hiding Place, Adam Adamant Lives!, The Avengers, The Saint, Department S, Randall and Hopkirk , Dixon of Dock Green, Z-Cars, Softly,...
, in The Further Adventures of the Three Musketeers (1967) - Erik Maes, in Die Drie Musketiers (1968)
- Powys Thomas, in The Three Musketeers (1969)
- Yvan Tanguy, in Les Quatre Charlots Mousquetaires (1971)
- Oliver ReedOliver ReedOliver Reed was an English actor known for his burly screen presence. Reed exemplified his real-life macho image in "tough guy" roles...
, in The Three Musketeers (1973), The Four Musketeers (1974), and The Return of the Musketeers (1989) - Venyamin Smekhov, in D'Artanyan i Tri MushketyoraD'Artagnan and Three Musketeersd'Artagnan and Three Musketeers is a three-part musical miniseries produced in the Soviet Union and first aired in 1978. It is based on the novel The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, père....
(1978), Mushketyory 20 let spustya (1992), and Tayna Korolevy Anny ili Mushketyory 30 Let Spustya (1993) - José FerrerJosé FerrerJosé Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón , best known as José Ferrer, was a Puerto Rican actor, as well as a theater and film director...
, in The Fifth Musketeer (1979) - Akira KamiyaAkira Kamiyais a Japanese voice actor. He has been represented by Theater Echo, Aoni Production, and others. He is currently represented by Saeba Shoji.-Career:Kamiya made his debut on Mahou no Mako-chan in 1970 while working for Theater Echo...
, in Anime San Jushi (1987) - Kiefer SutherlandKiefer SutherlandKiefer Sutherland is an English-born Canadian actor, producer and director, best known for his portrayal of Jack Bauer on the Fox thriller drama series 24 for which he has won an Emmy Award , a Golden Globe award , two Screen Actors Guild Awards and two Satellite...
, in The Three MusketeersThe Three Musketeers (1993 film)The Three Musketeers is a 1993 film from Walt Disney Pictures and Caravan Pictures, directed by Stephen Herek from a screenplay by David Loughery and starring Charlie Sheen, Kiefer Sutherland, Chris O'Donnell, Oliver Platt, Tim Curry and Rebecca De Mornay....
(1993) - Jean-Luc BideauJean-Luc BideauJean-Luc Bideau is a Swiss film actor. He has appeared in over 125 films since 1965.-Selected filmography:* Les Bons Vivants * Mr...
, in Revenge of the Musketeers (1994) - Edward AlbertEdward AlbertEdward Albert was an American film and television actor. He was also known as Edward Laurence Albert, Laurence Edward Albert and occasionally Eddie Albert, Jr.-Early life:Albert was born Edward Laurence Heimberger in Los Angeles, California, to actor Eddie...
, in an early 1998 film of The Man in the Iron Mask - John MalkovichJohn MalkovichJohn Gavin Malkovich is an American actor, producer, director and fashion designer with his label Technobohemian. Over the last 25 years of his career, Malkovich has appeared in more than 70 motion pictures. For his roles in Places in the Heart and In the Line of Fire, he received Academy Award...
, in The Man in the Iron MaskThe Man in the Iron Mask (1998 film)The Man in the Iron Mask is a 1998 British/American historical action film directed, produced, and written by Randall Wallace. It uses characters from Alexandre Dumas' D'Artagnan Romances, and is very loosely adapted from some plot elements of The Vicomte de Bragelonne. It also bears several...
(1998) - Gordon CarpenterGordon CarpenterGordon "Shorty" Carpenter was an American basketball player, and part of gold medal winning American basketball team at the 1948 Summer Olympics....
, in Three Musketeers (1999) - Scott Hickman, in Young Blades (2001) (unaired TV series pilot)
- Jan Gregor Kremp, in The MusketeerThe MusketeerThe Musketeer is a 2001 American film very loosely based on Alexandre Dumas, père's classic novel The Three Musketeers, directed by Peter Hyams and starring Catherine Deneuve, Tim Roth, Mena Suvari, Stephen Rea, Nick Moran, Bill Treacher and Justin Chambers.The film features Tsui Hark's regular...
(2001) - Christopher CazenoveChristopher CazenoveChristopher Cazenove was an English cinema, television and stage actor.-Early life and career:He was born Christopher de Lerisson Cazenove, the son of Arnold de Lerisson Cazenove and Elizabeth Laura in Winchester, Hampshire, but was brought up in Bowlish, Somerset...
, in La Femme Musketeer (TV miniseries) (2003) - Heino FerchHeino FerchHeino Ferch is an award-winning German film and television actor.-Life:The son of a cargo vessel skipper, he was on stage for the first time in his life at the age of 15, while he was still attending grammar school...
, in D'Artagnan et les trois mousquetaires (2005) - Matthew MacfadyenMatthew MacfadyenDavid Matthew Macfadyen is an English actor, known for his role as MI5 intelligence officer Tom Quinn in the BBC television drama series Spooks and for starring as Fitzwilliam Darcy in Pride and Prejudice.In June, 2010 Macfadyen won a British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting...
, in The Three MusketeersThe Three Musketeers (2011 film)The Three Musketeers is a 2011 3D action-adventure film directed by Paul W. S. Anderson which is a reinterpretation of the novel of the same title by Alexandre Dumas, the film was released in Germany, Austria, France & Switzerland on September 1, 2011, and in the U.S...
(2011)