The Kingkiller Chronicle · Character
Hemme
Also known as Master Hemme
- Supporting
- First seen · Book 1 · Ch. 36
Master Hemme is an imposing university instructor with fair skin and a solid, commanding build who looks impressive in his dark master's robes as he strides onto the stage behind a large stone worktable. His sharp features and authoritative posture command instant silence from assembled students, though his face can flush to a fearsome red with a visibly pulsing vein at his temple when angry or drain to ashen white when struck by sudden pain. He moves with the dignity of his station but may occasionally favor his left leg slightly after suffering a sympathetic injury.
- Gender
- male
- Age
- 50s
- First appears
- Book 1 · Ch. 36
- Books
- 2
Master Hemme begins as a stern, physically imposing Naming instructor whose authority is challenged when student Kvothe publicly humiliates him during an early lecture. By the second book his antagonism has hardened into open institutional warfare: he leverages his growing political power to raise Kvothe’s tuition, preside over disciplinary hearings, and ultimately claim the Chancellorship itself. Across both volumes his once-dignified presence devolves into a red-faced, vindictive bureaucrat whose every smirk signals another obstacle placed in Kvothe’s path.
Description
Master Hemme is an imposing university instructor with fair skin and a solid, commanding build who looks impressive in his dark master's robes as he strides onto the stage behind a large stone worktable. His sharp features and authoritative posture command instant silence from assembled students, though his face can flush to a fearsome red with a visibly pulsing vein at his temple when angry or drain to ashen white when struck by sudden pain. He moves with the dignity of his station but may occasionally favor his left leg slightly after suffering a sympathetic injury. His broad, middle-aged frame carries a round face perpetually scowling like an angry moon, with gleaming eyes and lips curved in an unpleasant smile. Dressed in University master's or chancellor's robes, he glowers with stormy intensity, broad back turned in muttering rage.
Connections
Family & partnersFriends & mentorsRivals
Kvothestudent-master
Begins as a master holding a personal grudge, escalates into open academic persecution, and finally wields the Chancellorship itself as a weapon against Kvothe.
Story so far
BOOK 1The Name of the Wind
- Strides onto the lecture stage in full master’s robes, instantly silencing the class with his commanding presence.
- Suffers a sympathetic backlash when Kvothe links their injuries, causing his face to drain white and forcing him to favor his left leg.
- Publicly flushes crimson with rage, a pulsing vein at his temple betraying his loss of composure before the entire hall.
BOOK 2The Wise Man's Fear
- Glowers during admissions interviews, using his authority to inflate Kvothe’s tuition as an act of petty revenge.
- Presides over disciplinary proceedings against Kvothe, relishing the chance to impose further sanctions.
- Ascends to the Chancellorship, his smug triumph marking the institutional peak of his rivalry with Kvothe.
Key events
- Book 1
Ch. 37Kvothe's University AdmissionsKvothe arrives at the University and impresses the masters with his vast knowledge during his admissions interview, securing admission and a tuition of negative three talents. - Book 1
Ch. 40Kvothe Humiliates Master HemmeIn Sympathy class, Kvothe uses a wax doll linked to Hemme's hair to burn the master's foot, publicly demonstrating advanced sympathy and earning the master's enmity.
Appearances
Meet Hemme in Bookworm
Meet Hemme in your EPUB — spoiler-safe to the book you're on.