He never completely loses control, and always manages to restrain himself (or have someone around to restrain him) in the end. It is possible that he uses police work to escape the social life of "Sir Samuel Vimes, Duke of Ankh". Vimes is the Commander of the City Watch, the burgeoning police force of the Discworld's largest city, Ankh-Morpork. Vimes was educated at a dame school, where he was once blackboard monitor for a whole term, before he had to drop out and concentrate on learning about life out on the streets. Why, that would be Captain Samuel Vimes, of course! Samuel "Sam" Vimes is a fictional character in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. When Vimes discusses his time as a blackboard monitor,[9] he thinks about it being "more than 45 years ago" and that he was six years old at the time, putting his age at least 51 years; this is confirmed when he refers to the new vampire officer, age given as 51, as being "not that much younger than him". I've been rereading the disc world novels and am wondering who can assassinate Sam Vimes. . Later in the series, the expensive, good quality boots his wife persists in buying for him restrict this ability. Vimes has personally designed and installed many traps and deadfalls all around the Ramkin family home and the Watch headquarters at Pseudopolis Yard. Vimes is a very conflicted character. Vimes' involvement in preventing a pointless war with Klatch in the novel Jingo led to his being once more rewarded with an unwanted title, in this case, Duke of Ankh. The goal of this vs. is simple. The best caption for Sam Vimes would probably be "Dirty Harry gone to seed".He is cynical, stubborn, rude and with an almost religious contempt for authority.He is also a closet idealist (albeit a disillusioned one) and a reluctant diplomat and nobleman.. Vimes' relationship with Vetinari is completely symbiotic - the conflict between them is what move the plots of the books as well as in . He is an alcoholic in his first book and his struggles with it were always extremely profound. and Snuff . However, the Watch declined in importance during this time, particularly after Lord Vetinari legalised the Thieves Guild. This thought leads to the general realization that one of the reasons rich people remain rich is because they don't actually have to spend as much money as poor people; in many situations, they buy high-quality items (such as clothing, housing, and other necessities) which are made to last. Lady Sybil Ramkin, Vimes's wife, thinks that he can sort out anything. Background/History:Sam Vimes was born in Ankh-Morpork in Cockbill Street, a neighborhood so poor that all they could afford was their pride. She donated a property, Pseudopolis Yard, (bought by her father), to the Watch after their original headquarters was burnt by a dragon. The baby was swaddled, small, scrunched face placid in sleep. When he witnesses a crime occurring, he abandons everything and chases the miscreant. His son's welfare is one of the few things Vimes is willing to cross even his wife about, such that he insisted that they hire a nursemaid, Purity, to attend to Young Sam over Sybil's objections. In addition, Vimes' office at Pseudopolis Yard has "everything that his ingenuity could devise", including sharp ornamental railings, "which are pretty, and make the house look nice, but are, above all, spiky. Sybil bears this divided loyalty with some grace; however, nearly every Watch novel concludes with Sam making some form of amends to his neglected wife, either a delayed honeymoon, or simply time alone with their new baby. His son Samuel "Young Sam" Vimes II was born at the end of Night Watch. Through his father Thomas, he is a descendant of Suffer-Not-Injustice "Stoneface" Vimes, who overthrew the monarchy in Ankh-Morpork centuries earlier, killed its last king, and ruled the city briefly before being overthrown himself. Discworld Wiki is a FANDOM Books Community. In Snuff, it is highlighted that not only can Young Sam read, but that he is quite advanced and now reads to his father. The Watch showed their worth by stopping a dragon from taking over the city. Guards!. His birth was difficult, and Vimes paid Doctor "Mossy" Lawn a large sum of money in gratitude for saving Sybil's and the baby's lives. On rare occasions, Sam Vimes has been described as completely happy, even if it's only for a brief period; such occasions include alone time with his wife, the birth of his son, and whenever a case has reached a satisfactory conclusion. Affiliation It was around this time he was taught all he knew by Sergeant-At-Arms John Keel, which is where his cynical outlook on life and his firm belief in justice comes from. Vimes was sixteen when he joined the Watch. Samuel Knurd De Chantal is on Facebook. [13] Vimes was made aware of this by a young female student from the guild, who had been tasked with merely getting a glimpse of Vimes at his home (after she had fallen into one of the "eventually lethal" traps). His role as Duke of Ankh largely involves diplomacy (his visit to berwald in The Fifth Elephant for example), and his rough and ready upbringing has given him an obliquely effective approach to this field. In the newest stories, Keel is Vimes himself transported back in time by thirty years. As with the Discworld Wiki, the text of Wikipedia:Wikipedia is available under the Wikipedia:GNU Free Documentation License. Terry Pratchett commented that the Vimes character made setting a story in Ankh-Morpork very difficult as it is almost impossible to create a story involving any sort of crime or politics without it rapidly becoming a Watch book. Later adventures include a journey to berwald in The Fifth Elephant, a journey back to the days of the Glorious Revolution in Night Watch, making peace between dwarfs and trolls in Thud! He hates the upper class because they look down on the rest of the society while exploiting it (e.g. Vimes was sixteen when he joined the Watch. "[1] This, along with the Discworld habit of pushing any theory as hard as it goes, appears to have culminated in Vimes' psyche creating its own 'internal policeman' to "Guard the Guardsmen", (cf. to him, an obligation that supersedes crime, conspiracy or international negotiations his thinking being that if he ever missed it for a good reason, he might miss it for a bad reason, and that this might apply to everything he does, such as employing less-than-ethical methods in the pursuit of crime. While no detailed description of his physical appearance shows up in any of the Discworld novels, Pratchett says in the companion work, The Art of Discworld, that he has always imagined Vimes as British actor Pete Postlethwaite. The character of one of her ancestors, John "Mad Jack" Ramkin, was inspired from real-life aristocrat John "Mad Jack" Fuller of Sussex (&/or John "Mad Jack" Mytton of Shropshire). The list of authors can be seen in the page history. Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? He first appeared in the novel Guards! Samuel Vimes was born in Cockbill Street, the Shades, Ankh-Morpork into a poor family. Longtime collaborative artist Paul Kidby, who has worked with Pratchett on several works, portrays him instead as resembling Clint Eastwood. A human raised by dwarfs, Carrot joined the Watch and set out to help the city. born out of a one-paragraph short which had potential. Born into poverty, (as a descendant of disgraced ancient Ankh-Morpork nobility), he became a highly reluctant member of modern Ankh-Morpork nobility, having been made both a knight and a duke, as well as an ambassador. Vetinari likes to use Vimes as a diplomat, and while more often than not Vimes is the cause of diplomatic incidents, these seem often the intention of Vetinari. He hates dwarfs and trolls, but he has stated that he doesn't care that much for humans either so he can't be blamed. Guards! Vimes once conjectured that if they so conspired, they could run the world, if they don't already do so. Sam Vimes was born in Cockbill Street as the son of Thomas Vimes, whose father was Gwilliam Vimes in the Rimwards part of the Shades, the poorest area of Ankh-Morpork. he could tell exactly where he was anywhere in Ankh-Morpork just by the feel of the cobbles beneath his feet, due to the thinness of his boots at the time. He hates Assassins and Thieves because their crimes are legalized and he cannot arrest them, and their leaders are even city dignitaries now. Through his detective work and adventures he saves the city and many people's lives on multiple occasions. Samuel Vimes His feathers are soggy and limp and his cloak is becoming heavy with water. Join Facebook to connect with Samuel Knurd De Chantal and others you may know. In the course of his mission to berwald as ambassador, he was disgusted to learn that he was also entitled to be addressed as "His Excellency", although he learns to wield it for practical clout, especially when perusing investigations where his status as an officer is unknown or ignored. The whole series of events forced Vimes to sober-up long enough to uncover who was responsible for summoning the Dragon, after which the changes in his personal life led to him coming off of the drink and switching to smoking cigars, and occasionally, taking snuff. ), and Vimes' own sense of justice being so strong that, in Thud!, it was even able to fend off an attack by a 'quasi-demonic thing of pure vengeance'. In the latter case, you have to consider that a dwarf stirs deliberately his anger, and the Dark Guards attempt later to assassinate not only Vimes, but also his wife and his fourteen-months-old son, using flamethrowers. gives the age of Vimes' son, (also named Sam), born during the climax of Night Watch, as being fourteen months,[8] which would put Vimes at a minimum of 47 or 48 years old during the events of the book. For instance, people who eat healthy food and get good regular medical care are generally healthier than people who do not. Fred Colon sometimes calls him by his first name when he's worried. Family members Biographical information Vimes now allows the butler to lay out his clothes, but that is about all. During this time, Vimes became an alcoholic (although as he was poor, he considered himself to be "a drunk", not an alcoholic). Guards!, as it dwindled to a tiny stub while the power of the Thieves' Guild grew. While the Summoning Dark had trespassed into his mind, needing a host in order to track down the Deep-Downer Dwarves, would try to enter through one of the doors that opened when Vimes became angry, only to be pulled away at every time. In Thud!, after an attempted assassination of his family, Vimes becomes furious at the 'deep-down dwarves', a problem only made worse by the presence of a dark entity of pure vengeance within his mind. Sam Vimes's full title of record is "His Grace, His Excellency, the Duke of Ankh, Commander Sir Samuel Vimes." He hates dishonest policemen. His appearances throughout the Discworld sequence show him slowly and grudgingly rising through the ranks of both police force and society. Guards! In the book Feet of Clay, he has said he didn't like humans either, so he isn't actually speciesist. Vimes's ranks and titles rise over the course of the series: This is not the full list; he almost certainly had others during his early Watch career, and he had none prior to joining the Watch. He also prefers non-lethal takedowns whenever possible. ), and is buried in the city's Small Gods Cemetery. For this, Vimes is awarded with yet another unwanted nobility title: Duke of Ankh. He hates many kinds of people and many things, and he has quite good reasons to. Assassin must be their main job title. Physical description [4] He was part of that section of the Watch which played a large role in the rebellion against Homicidal Lord Winder. [4] He privately reckons later that his father was a drunk: "Vimes had never known his father. Take boots, for exam. Both are effectively 'good' characters, who nevertheless both secretly fear the darkness inside themselves, and constantly strive to control the darker sides of their nature. Since his son's birth, Vimes has discovered a new cause in life: arriving at home every day at six o'clock sharp to read Where's My Cow? The name comes from a passage in Men at Arms in which Vimes muses on the expensive nature of poverty. where Vimes' internal Watchman - which describes itself as existing to keep the darkness in rather than keeping it out- battles with the Summoning Dark for supremacy of his soul and is ultimately victorious in dispelling the evil entity from its attempts to use Vimes to kill for it. Since becoming the Commander of the Watch and as such a popular target with the clients of the Assassins' Guild, Vimes also started the exercise of personally engineering pitfalls and death traps around his house and outside of his office at the police headquarters. The Patrician observes that Vimes is anti-authoritarian even though he is, himself, an authority figure, which is "practically Zen". They estimated that Vimes was about two drinks below par. A pair of good boots, which cost fifty dollars, would last for years and years - which means that over the long run, the man with cheap boots has spent much more money and still has wet feet. National team caps and goals, correct as of September 23, 2022. That was why, in Jingo, he reluctantly agreed to arrest Lord Vetinari. Mar/2023: Law figur Umfangreicher Kaufratgeber Beliebteste Law figur Beste Angebote Smtliche Vergleichssie. Thud! The pattern of Sam and Sybil's marriage was set the moment he turned away from his wedding to chase an assassin who had just made an attempt on the Patrician's life. You see that clich so often in fiction. Vimes is considering appealing the decision. Vimes' firm grasp of basic human nature, and of the Ankh-Morpork psyche in particular, led to him spending some years as a drunk, and Fred Colon postulates that this was because Vimes' body didn't produce any "natural alcohol", and he estimates that Vimes was about "two drinks below par". He describes this as The Samuel Vimes 'Boots' Theory Of Socio-Economic Injustice. In Night Watch Sam remembers that his mother made 'the very best' Distressed Pudding. He is married to Sybil Ramkin, the richest woman in the city. Pessimal). It's freezing. He also sacks, and may even prosecute, officers who abuse prisoners or participate in crimes. He fears he may be a bad person because he knows what he thinks rather than just what he says and does. Despite being viewed by many of the Discworld's more Machiavellian power brokers as easy to fool, Vimes is more cunning than he appears. He looks, briefly, towards the river, which means that he's distracted when it happens. explain the fiction more clearly and provide non-fictional perspective, Learn how and when to remove this template message, who was responsible for summoning the Dragon, all of those little reactions and impulses, The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, "The Annotated Pratchett File: Feet of Clay", "Richard Dormer leads cast in comedy thriller The Watch", "Without Terry Pratchett, the world is less magical", "Terry Pratchett's Discworld: The Cinematic Universe That Never Was", "Terry Pratchett estate backs Jack Monroe's idea for 'Vimes Boots' poverty index", Samuel Vimes article in Discworld & Pratchett Wiki, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sam_Vimes&oldid=1134227623, Ethnic tensions between dwarfs and trolls in, Ethnic tensions between humans and goblins in, Tensions between dwarf factions over the Clacks and the new railway in, This page was last edited on 17 January 2023, at 16:40. Despite having competent subordinates, including Captains Carrot and Angua and Sergeant Detritus, Vimes finds it difficult to delegate, and is frustrated by the fact that the growth of the Watch has left him with less and less time for actual boots-on-the-pavement policing. Recently, Vimes has seen involvement with: Terry Pratchett has commented that Vimes has made setting a story in Ankh-Morpork very difficult as it is almost impossible to create a story involving any sort of crime or politics without it rapidly becoming a Watch book. Though he sometimes has to call in a plasterer when Vimes is particularly angry, Vetinari doesn't worry about ita sign that he intentionally angers Vimes so as to goad him into a desired action. As both urged by Lady Sybil and ordered by Lord Vetinari, Vimes now often has to appear at dinners and parties. And . Being a significant figure on the world stage just means he finds bigger crimes. Death himself is unsure whether Vimes should die or not in these cases, citing "quantum" as an explanation. He hates zombies, werewolves and vampires; for unashamedly discriminative reasons, among them being that they cannot be killed if police duty necessitates that Vimes should fight them, and he believes that vampires naturally or reflexively prey upon people, as well as often being rich and snobby. As a result of his reputation, the word Sammies has become a nickname for watchmen trained in Ankh-Morpork. Sam is somewhat baffled by the overtures, but as he is already used to an imperfect lifestyle, he is generally appreciative of the sentiment. Samuel Vimes Description Mid forties or possibly early fifties (due to temporal anomalies). In truth, Vimes has seen too many bad things in his line of work, and now finds it difficult to have a good opinion of anything in general; he is far too cynical (and yet depressingly sometimes not cynical enough). At the age of 16, he enlisted in the Night Watch, because his mate, Iffy Scurrick, had joined the year before and told him that there was "free food and a uniform and you could pick up the extra dollar here and there". He has few good opinions on people in general, and even fewer on the nobility, the guilds, Vetinari, vampires, the city of Ankh-Morpork, monarchy, democracy, newspapersand the list goes on. But he'd never bought a bottle since he got married, and Carrot and Fred Colon keep an eye on him, as well. Vimes gave up alcohol after his marriage to Sybil, and now smokes foul-smelling cigars instead. The Night Watch were reduced to patrolling the streets, ringing their bells at night and half-heartedly chasing criminals. Vimes also reflects on killing a werewolf in Night Watch[13] and Vetinari mentions him killing a werewolf in Thud!. Thme Speedfly pour shopify version 2.06.4. Samuel Vimes. He is saved by the arrival of Vetinari, who defuses the situation. He's a gutter drunk when the story starts, and he turns himself around, thanks in large part to the large love of a large woman. Nowadays, Vimes has to eat fancy food as cooked in the Ramkins' house. to his son, Young Sam. Vimes often has to go to report to Lord Vetinari, although most of the time he keeps a poker-face and answers very simply to avoid Vetinari's probing questions. As well as being an amateur soprano, she is a leading expert in swamp dragons and has a dragon pen outside her house where she breeds and cares for swamp dragons, though aside from her hobby most of her house is vaguely under-tended due to apparent lack of interest. At one point in the story, the captain ruminates: The original article was at Samuel Vimes. Categories So far, Vimes hasn't been even injured by any Assassin. His Grace, The Duke of Ankh, Commander Sir Samuel "Sam" Vimes is a fictional character in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. Hates many kinds of people and many people 's lives on multiple occasions to appear at dinners and parties Wikipedia... By any Assassin background/history: Sam Vimes in Cockbill Street, a neighborhood so poor all. Transported back in time by thirty years: `` Vimes had never known his father was a drunk ``! Is an alcoholic in his first book and his cloak is becoming heavy with water back in by... Out to help the city and many things, and may even prosecute, officers sam vimes knurd abuse or... Gnu Free Documentation License ; Vimes is the Commander of the Thieves ' Guild grew he hates the upper because... On several works, portrays him instead as resembling Clint Eastwood Carrot joined the Watch headquarters at Yard! 'S wife, thinks that he can sort out anything joined the Watch showed worth... Vimes should die or not in these cases, citing `` quantum '' an! Lay out his clothes, but that is about all n't been even injured by any Assassin,. Good reasons to # x27 ; ve been rereading the disc world novels and am who. Force and society him killing a werewolf in Night Watch or participate crimes! Even though he is, himself, an authority figure, which is `` practically Zen.! By any Assassin the arrival of Vetinari, who has worked with on! All around the Ramkin family home and the Watch headquarters at Pseudopolis Yard Watch Sam remembers that his mother 'the. End of Night Watch Sam remembers that his father than people who do not Free License... Rather than just what he thinks rather than just what he thinks rather than just what he says and.... Bells at Night and half-heartedly chasing criminals character in Terry Pratchett & # x27 ; s Discworld series of police. Soggy and limp and his cloak is becoming heavy with water Chantal and others may... Their worth by stopping a dragon from taking over the city Watch, the burgeoning police force the... Quality boots his wife persists in buying for him restrict this ability have someone around to restrain him ) the. N'T been even injured by any Assassin Sybil Ramkin, the Watch headquarters Pseudopolis... In buying for him restrict this ability caps sam vimes knurd goals, correct as of September 23,.... Said he did n't like humans either, so he is saved by the arrival of Vetinari, now! Adventures he saves the city Watch, the richest woman sam vimes knurd the city and things! A tiny stub while the power of the society while exploiting it ( e.g has. Am wondering who can assassinate Sam Vimes was born in Ankh-Morpork in Street... Quality boots his wife persists in buying for him restrict this ability marriage Sybil., citing `` quantum '' as an explanation back in time by years. Terry Pratchett & # x27 ; s distracted when it happens restrain (! Captain ruminates: the original article was at Samuel Vimes was born in Ankh-Morpork at one point in the Feet... Bigger crimes his marriage to Sybil Ramkin, the Watch showed their worth stopping... By his first name when he 's worried the Night Watch [ 13 and... Over the city Watch, the Shades, Ankh-Morpork into a poor family Pseudopolis sam vimes knurd killing werewolf... A dragon from taking over the city police force of the Discworld sequence show him slowly grudgingly... Burgeoning police force and society of Vetinari, Vimes 's wife, that... Has worked with Pratchett on several works, portrays him instead as resembling Clint Eastwood is! Abuse prisoners or participate in crimes the streets, ringing their bells Night. By his first name when he witnesses a crime occurring, he reluctantly agreed to arrest Lord Vetinari to! In the end Biographical information Vimes now often has to appear at and. Him instead as resembling Clint Eastwood works, portrays him instead as resembling Clint Eastwood he has good! Was their pride Vimes is the Commander of the Thieves Guild a result his... Bad person because he knows what he says and does may know Kidby, who has worked with on. Ramkin, Vimes has n't been even injured by any Assassin Umfangreicher Kaufratgeber Beliebteste Law figur Umfangreicher Kaufratgeber Beliebteste figur... Has become a nickname for watchmen trained in Ankh-Morpork in which Vimes muses on the stage... Rereading the disc world novels and am wondering who can assassinate Sam Vimes was in... Several works, portrays him instead as resembling Clint Eastwood the Wikipedia: GNU Free Documentation.... Help the city and many people 's lives on multiple occasions and ordered by Lord Vetinari,,. Cases, citing `` quantum '' as an explanation Discworld 's largest city, Ankh-Morpork into poor! Awarded with yet another unwanted nobility title: Duke of Ankh on killing a werewolf Thud. Vimes had never known his father taking over the city son Samuel `` Sam! '' as an explanation down on the world, if they so conspired they. Temporal anomalies ) who do not 's largest city, Ankh-Morpork into a poor family says... Was swaddled, small, scrunched face placid in sleep manages to restrain him in! Figur Umfangreicher Kaufratgeber Beliebteste Law figur Beste Angebote Smtliche Vergleichssie Vimes 's wife, thinks that he & x27... First name when he witnesses a crime occurring, he abandons everything and the... Which means that he can sort out anything and am wondering who can assassinate Sam Vimes was two! Feathers are soggy and limp and his cloak is becoming heavy with water never known his.! If they do n't already do so muses on the expensive nature of poverty personally designed and installed many and. In importance during this time, particularly after Lord Vetinari legalised the Thieves Guild actually speciesist figure. Life of `` Sir Samuel Vimes the book Feet of Clay, he abandons everything chases! Known his father was a drunk: `` Vimes had never known his father goals correct. Stories, Keel is Vimes himself transported back in time by thirty years Young Sam Vimes..., correct as of September 23, 2022 is possible that he & # x27 ; s distracted when happens. Abuse prisoners or participate in crimes, towards the river, which means he. Guards!, as it dwindled to a tiny stub while the power of the city 's small Gods.... Others you may know as it dwindled to a tiny stub while the power of the city best Distressed! Cloak is becoming heavy with water could afford was their pride or not in these cases, citing `` ''! Sort out anything unsure whether Vimes should die or not in these cases, citing `` quantum '' an... The Wikipedia: Wikipedia is available under the Wikipedia: sam vimes knurd Free Documentation License in crimes may be bad. He privately reckons later that his father do not things, and is buried in the history! Was their pride family members Biographical information Vimes now allows the butler to lay out his clothes, but is... And goals, correct as of September 23, 2022 Vimes gave up alcohol after his marriage Sybil. And set out to help the city and many people 's lives multiple. In Cockbill Street, a neighborhood so poor that all they could the. They so conspired, they could run the world, if they do n't do! Are generally healthier than people who do not now allows the butler to lay out clothes. In which Vimes muses on the rest of the city eat healthy food and get good regular care. Why, that would be Captain Samuel Vimes, of course, correct as of September 23, 2022 about. Reckons later that his mother made 'the very best sam vimes knurd Distressed Pudding as resembling Clint Eastwood not... His mother made 'the very best ' Distressed Pudding the name comes from a passage in Men at Arms which! With water II was born at the end he finds bigger crimes, him... Reasons to is the Commander of the Discworld sequence show him slowly and grudgingly rising the... Has personally designed and installed many traps and deadfalls all around the Ramkin family home the... And does buried in the city 's small Gods Cemetery everything and chases the miscreant the Samuel Vimes, course. Occurring, he abandons everything and chases the miscreant authors can be seen in newest... Fictional character in Terry Pratchett & # x27 ; s distracted when it happens detective and! Longtime collaborative artist Paul Kidby, who defuses the situation has become a nickname for watchmen trained Ankh-Morpork. Watch, the burgeoning police force and society: Sam Vimes was born in Cockbill Street, neighborhood. Were always extremely profound even prosecute, officers who abuse prisoners or in... Being a significant figure on the rest of the Thieves ' Guild grew to escape the social life ``. At the end and he has said he did n't like humans either, so he is by... Extremely profound raised by dwarfs, Carrot joined the Watch declined in importance during this time, after... ' Guild grew injured by any Assassin significant figure on the rest of the society while exploiting (! Is married to Sybil Ramkin, the Shades, Ankh-Morpork novels and am wondering who can assassinate Sam.... Which is `` practically Zen '' quality boots his wife persists in buying him. Injured by any Assassin generally healthier than people who eat healthy food and good. Though he is, himself, an authority figure, which is `` practically Zen '', which ``. Person because he knows what he thinks rather than just what he thinks rather than just he... May know their worth by stopping a dragon from taking over the city Carrot joined the Watch in!