Rold (Dunsany)

Overview

Rold first appears at five, visiting Merimna's trophies with his mother. Before the sword of Welleran he asks what a man should do with it; she answers that men look at it and remember the captain. As he grows, he listens secretly to the purple guard singing of the heroes and learns the ramparts and their statues. He particularly loves Welleran's black marble horse with its red nostrils and the rider's jasper cloak. This childhood devotion makes the later demand to use the relic far more difficult than simply admiring it.

At eighteen Rold is strong, tall and fair-haired. Welleran's returning soul enters his dreams and draws him, still sleeping, to the trophies. He puts on the great red cloak but initially refuses to take the sword because touching it is forbidden. The ghost stops him through a dream of immobilisation, then tells him that the dead captain is grieving for his weapon. Moved by that appeal, Rold breaks the casket and takes the great curved sword. He crosses the ramparts and reaches the waiting citizens before their voices wake him. He has no conscious memory of what he has done in sleep.

Rold's recurring question about the sword becomes a question of action when the enemy armies approach. He rises, calls on Welleran and leads the attack; the cloak and weapon make the attackers believe that the old captain lives. Yet the victorious return produces no uncomplicated triumph. Seeing the killing in daylight, Rold calls the sword horrible and mourns not only the dead but the homes, children and future communities their loss prevents. His tears cannot cleanse it. The citizens grieve for Welleran while their city remains safe. The narrator's explicit dream frame governs this supernatural story, and Rold's changed judgement is central to its ending.

First appearances & development

Individual in Lord Dunsany’s authored English fantasy, explicitly framed by a dreaming first-person narrator; not a documented community tradition or historical person.

Canon & continuity

Complete 59-paragraph selected tale, including childhood and adult Rold, the ghosts’ dream intervention and grief after victory; original collection title, author line and dedication.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

1. 01

   The Sword of Welleran and Other Stories - The Sword of Welleran

   Lord Dunsany

   Retained original title and dedication lack a print year. Prior bounded edition locator failed to establish one; no release/access date substituted.

Family & connections

A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

1. Primary authored fantasyThe Sword of Welleran - complete authored English narrativeResearch access: 2026-10-21

Image credits

Original AI literary interpretation.