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Father Jonus is a wise monk who is famous in England for his intelligence and ability to make medicines that heal all kinds of illnesses and injuries. He lives in a monastery on a mountain, and Axl, Beatrice, Edwin, and Wistan decide to go there so Beatrice can ask Father Jonus for a cure to a pain she has in her side. Father Brian, who is in charge of the monastery, shows obvious reluctance to bring the group to Father Jonus, so another monk, Father Ninian, sneaks them into Jonus’s chamber, where they discover that Jonus has been subjected to a form of torture where a monk is put in a special device to protect his face and then left outside for the birds to attack. Although he is badly hurt and cannot leave his bed, Father Jonus examines Edwin’s dragon bite and Beatrice’s pain, giving them both medicine to help them. Father Jonus knows that Father Brian plans on betraying Axl, Beatrice, Wistan, and Edwin, so he gets Father Ninian to find Sir Gawain and enlist him to help defend Axl and Beatrice from the mysterious monster in the tunnels beneath the monastery.
Father Jonus Quotes in The Buried Giant
The The Buried Giant quotes below are all either spoken by Father Jonus or refer to Father Jonus. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 6
Quotes
“How can you describe as penance, sir, the drawing of a veil over the foulest deeds? Is your Christian god one to be bribed so easily with self-inflicted pain and a few prayers? Does he care so little for justice left undone?”
“Our god is a god of mercy, shepherd, whom you, a pagan, may find hard to comprehend. It’s no foolishness to seek forgiveness from such a god, however great the crime. Our god’s mercy is boundless.”
“What use is a god with boundless mercy, sir? You mock me as a pagan, yet the gods of my ancestors pronounce clearly their ways and punish severely when we break their laws. Your Christian god of mercy gives men licence to pursue their greed, their lust for land and blood, knowing a few prayers and a little penance will bring forgiveness and blessing.”
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“Yet are you so certain, good mistress, you wish to be free of this mist? Is it not better some things remain hidden from our minds?”
“It may be so for some, father, but not for us. Axl and I wish to have again the happy moments we shared together. To be robbed of them is as if a thief came in the night and took what’s most precious from us.”
“Yet the mist covers all memories, the bad as well as the good. Isn’t that so, mistress?”
“We’ll have the bad ones come back too, even if they make us weep or shake with anger. For isn’t it the life we’ve shared?”
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Father Jonus Quotes in The Buried Giant
The The Buried Giant quotes below are all either spoken by Father Jonus or refer to Father Jonus. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 6
Quotes
“How can you describe as penance, sir, the drawing of a veil over the foulest deeds? Is your Christian god one to be bribed so easily with self-inflicted pain and a few prayers? Does he care so little for justice left undone?”
“Our god is a god of mercy, shepherd, whom you, a pagan, may find hard to comprehend. It’s no foolishness to seek forgiveness from such a god, however great the crime. Our god’s mercy is boundless.”
“What use is a god with boundless mercy, sir? You mock me as a pagan, yet the gods of my ancestors pronounce clearly their ways and punish severely when we break their laws. Your Christian god of mercy gives men licence to pursue their greed, their lust for land and blood, knowing a few prayers and a little penance will bring forgiveness and blessing.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“Yet are you so certain, good mistress, you wish to be free of this mist? Is it not better some things remain hidden from our minds?”
“It may be so for some, father, but not for us. Axl and I wish to have again the happy moments we shared together. To be robbed of them is as if a thief came in the night and took what’s most precious from us.”
“Yet the mist covers all memories, the bad as well as the good. Isn’t that so, mistress?”
“We’ll have the bad ones come back too, even if they make us weep or shake with anger. For isn’t it the life we’ve shared?”
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
