One-of-a-Kind Friendship?

[Qoheleth]

Thanks, Nautipus, for your comment on my first post, but it strikes me that I left someone out. The great friendship in the Batman mythos is triune, not dual; it should be Batman, Robin, and Alfred, not just Batman and Alfred. (Sorry, Dick and Tim.)

Also, a late add to the list: Has anyone mentioned Gilgamesh and Enkidu yet?

(And, Attalus, I wanted to kick myself when I saw your list. How did I miss D'artagnan and the Three Musketeers?)

[Attalus]

Originally Posted by Qoheleth

(And, Attalus, I wanted to kick myself when I saw your list. How did I miss D'artagnan and the Three Musketeers?)

Very likely you were thinking in pairs, not the Four Inseparables.

[vgoodgion@hotmail.com]

lyra and will

[Rosie Gamgee]

I would agree with the person that said David and Jonathan in the Bible. 1st Samuel is the book it's found in, in the Old Testament. David is the son of a shepherd who is brought to the king (Saul) of Israel to play his harp. Saul has mental/spiritual troubles and his servants suggest finding someone who is skillful with music to play for him when he is troubled. They find David, who, in addition to being a shepherd, can also play the harp exceptionally well. It would seem that while he is serving King Saul, David becomes friends with Jonathan, the king's son and heir. Anyone who knows the story of David will know that it was not Jonathan who succeeded his father as king of Israel, but David. It is an amazing friendship that can survive even knowing that the other man is going to take away your birthright. The end of the friendship is very moving: Jonathan knows that David will be king after his father--he knows that God has chosen David to be king, not Jonathan. He also knows that Saul, his father, plans to kill David to secure his own rule. Jonathan warns David, and the two share a tearful parting. They never see each other again; David spends years hiding from Saul, then eventually Saul and Jonathan both die in battle, and in the end David becomes king. In the first chapter of 2nd Samuel, David composes a song in which he commemorates the death of not only the king, but his friend Jonathan. It's very poignant and sad. I think that was truly a friendship for the ages.

Also in literature: In C.S. Forrester's Horatio Hornblower series, there is the friendship of Hornblower and William Bush, who is his first officer in most of the books. That's a great friendship as well. In the second book of the series, Hornblower is the sixth (I think it's sixth) ranking lieutenant aboard HMS Renown, and Bush is his superior. Bush becomes his friend in this book as a superior, but the relationship quickly evolves. In susequent books, Hornblower becomes the captain of his own ship, and is now Bush's superior. Professionally, they always maintain the chain of command, and their dynamic (Hornblower=brain; Bush=brawn) makes this ideal. And, and in spite of the fact that their friendship goes so much deeper than that professional relationship, there is always a certain amount of restraint to their dealings. This is in part because of Hornblowers private insecurities, and because of the discipline that life in His Magesty's Navy required. In one book, the two become prisoners of war to France, escape (in France) and are fugitives in the French countryside. This is where their friendship finally loses its stuffy, restrained nature, and from this point on they are a duo for the likes of Frodo and Sam. My only complaint about this friendship that I don't have with Sam and Frodo's is the way that it eventually ends (but I won't give that away). I thought that the relationship deserved more than Forester eventually gave it; but, hey--that's life.