The Nonexistent Knight

Agilulf does not exist. The novel suggests that he is the product of the discarded ideals of chivalry amassing through sheer force of will into being. Ironically enough, he is an embodiment of the chivalric code who has no body. He is a knight who does not exist, whose actions are designed to bring about the return of the ideals which no longer exist. The chivalric code, by the end of Charlemagne’s rule, is much like the suit of armor which represents Agilulf’s physical form. The chivalric ethics of the knights in this time are as hollow as the armor, so Agilulf is both the manifestation of and the solution to this hollowness. Everything he does is in accordance with the ideas of honor and duty, which are set out in the chivalric code. He is so committed to his code that the other paladins resent and mock him. They do not appreciate that he corrects their exaggerated stories, nor when he tells them how to marshal their men. To the knights of Charlemagne’s court, men who believe themselves to be glorious heroes, Agilulf’s presence is a damning indictment of their selfish debauchery.

While Agilulf’s presence in the court is an absurd reminder of the faded glory of the era, Agilulf’s own actions provide a critique of the chivalric code.