Nestor (Tintin character)

Nestor
Nestor (right) with Bianca Castafiore
Publication information
Publisher	Casterman (Belgium)
First appearance	The Secret of the Unicorn (1943)
Created by	Hergé
In-story information
Supporting character of	Tintin

Nestor is a fictional character in The Adventures of Tintin, the series of classic Belgian comic books written and illustrated by Hergé. He is the long-suffering butler of Marlinspike Hall.

Nestor is the epitome of a butler (or, in French, majordome) of French society. Noble, loyal, always the domestic servant, Nestor serves his master Captain Haddock and any house guests such as Tintin, Professor Calculus, or Bianca Castafiore.

Character history

Nestor made his first appearance in The Secret of the Unicorn. In this story, he dutifully served as butler for the The Bird brothers, Marlinspike Hall's original owners and the villains of the adventure. Tintin had been kidnapped by Max and G. Bird and locked in their cellar. When Tintin broke out and attempted to contact his friends by the house telephone, Nestor entered the room and asked who he was. A scuffle ensued, during which Nestor loyally stood by his employers. By the end of the story when the Bird brothers' criminal activities were exposed, Nestor was cleared of any wrongdoing. All evidence at the Bird brothers' trial showed that Nestor was ignorant of their true agenda, while Tintin and Haddock reasoned that he cannot be judged for his previous masters' actions.

Nestor remained as the butler of Marlinspike Hall when Captain Haddock reclaimed the property, Haddock regarding Nestor as part of the place. He continued to be a staple character in all of the subsequent Tintin stories set at the hall, loyally serving his friends Haddock and Tintin.

In The Castafiore Emerald, he is depicted as being stereo-typically suspicious of gypsies, while in Tintin and the Picaros he is shown drinking his master's whisky and listening at doors to Tintin and Haddock. In contrast, after Prince Abdullah's visit causes him to visibly lose weight in The Red Sea Sharks, Nestor's understatement was that the prince's visit had been a little trying on him.

Nestor almost never leaves the grounds of the estate. This is not to say he does not participate in Tintin's adventures. Should the adventure come to the hall, as it does in The Castafiore Emerald, Nestor becomes as embroiled in the mystery as any of his friends.

See also

• List of The Adventures of Tintin characters
• List of fictional butlers

References