The Hermit is the third person aboard the small boat that rescues the Mariner. He is depicted as a man of God and of nature – a man who exemplifies the right way to live – and once on land the Mariner calls him a holy man and begs the Hermit to grant him absolution for his sins. The Hermit in return asks the Mariner to explain who he is, which begins the Mariner’s compulsion to tell his own story.
Hermit Quotes in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
The The Rime of the Ancient Mariner quotes below are all either spoken by Hermit or refer to Hermit. 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:
).
Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the Penguin edition of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner published in 0.
Part VI
Quotes
It is the Hermit good!
He singeth loud his godly hymns
That he makes in the wood.
He'll shrieve my soul, he'll wash away
The Albatross's blood.
Related Characters:
The Ancient Mariner (speaker), Hermit
Related Symbols:
The Albatross
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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Part VII
Quotes
I pass, like night, from land to land;
I have strange power of speech
That moment that his face I see,
I know the man that must hear me:
To him my tale I teach.
Related Characters:
The Ancient Mariner (speaker), The Wedding Guest, Hermit
Related Symbols:
Eyes
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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Hermit Character Timeline in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
The timeline below shows where the character Hermit appears in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part VI
...hears and then sees a small boat carrying a Pilot, a Pilot’s Boy, and a Hermit. The Mariner determines the Hermit to be a man of God, and decides that the...
(full context)
Part VII
The Mariner begins the final part of his tale by describing the Hermit, a pious man who “rears” his “sweet voice” from the small boat approaching the ship....
(full context)
...sinking ship, the Mariner begins to speak, causing the Pilot, the Pilot’s Boy, and the Hermit to fall into fits and go crazy, since they believed the Mariner to be dead....
(full context)
Once upon land, the Mariner throws himself at the Hermit and begs for forgiveness and absolution. When the confused Hermit asked him to explain, the...
(full context)
