On the Sir Didymus and Ambrosius page, I commented on how weird it was that one dog rode the other.

Here’s the situation as I see it:

  • Didymus is some kinds of terrier. Ambrosius is an Old English Sheepdog.
  • In the non-Labyrinth world, Ambrosius is Sarah’s dog, Merlin, and Didymus is a puppet.
  • In the Labyrinth world, Sir Didymus the dog is a valiant knight, and Ambrosius is still a dog: Didymus rides Ambrosius.
labyrinth didymus ambrosius 2 Labyrinth Questions – When a Dog Rides a Dog

Sir Didymus in the act of oppressing Ambrosius

Think about the kind of humanity that each of these characters has – the differences are profound, despite their shared species.

Why does Didymus talk, and Ambrosius not talk?

In The Labyrinth, are some breeds of dog superior to others?

Is there some kind of terrier supremacy movement?

labyrinth didymus ambrosius Labyrinth Questions – When a Dog Rides a Dog

"Sure, I'm gonna betray Sarah - at least I'm not riding a naked dwarf"

But why then does Ambrosius have the ability to clearly understand English and follow directions?

Is Ambrosius held in servitude to Didymus? Is this a form of indentured labor? Where is the move for dog equality?

And why doesn’t Ambrosius wear clothes? He’s got a saddle, but that barely compares to Sir Didymus’ elaborate get-up.

What if Hoggle rode around a mute, naked, subservient dwarf? I don’t think that would go over nearly so smoothly. What if Bowie rode around Mick Jagger or someth- oh….

As if that wasn’t enough, Ambrosius has to hang around the Bog of Eternal Stench. We know that Didymus doesn’t smell it, but why wouldn’t Ambrosius? He’s profoundly dog-like in most other ways- why wouldn’t his nose be?

That’s a pretty cruel place to keep a dog.

It’s also interesting to note the specifics of Didymus’ accent – his archaic English places him in another time. A older time, distinguished by royalty, class, and… slavery.

In conclusion, Sir Didymus is a tool of canine class-ist, species-ist oppression. Woof.