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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/27099
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

I am currently writing a medieval (low fantasy) novel set in a society akin to that of Western Europe during the Middle Ages. One of my protagonists is raised poor in a small village, but early on discovers he has blue blood.

One of his three major character traits is his vastly superior intelligence/intellect. In fact, he has what we would define as a genius level IQ (~150), though I know IQ does not account for all aspects of high intelligence. However, I am having trouble figuring out how this would clearly manifest itself with neither a good education nor much knowledge of the world to back up his gifted mind with facts.

Another of his three major character traits is his naïveté. This is in part due to being very sheltered–which is also the main reason why he has little worldly knowledge–but also owes to the fact he is only 15; he simply has not had enough time to "experience" life.

At first, I wanted to present his gifted mind through cunning and deception, (perhaps almost a bit like Tom Sawyer?) and that part of his underdog-like character was to use his sharp tongue to escape impossible situations. However, this would conflict with his third major character trait: idealism. The character is simply too compassionate, honest and honorable to be physically capable of lying to another person for personal gain, for instance. Moreover, this ties to his naïveté as well, in that part of what drives his kindness, is his belief that humans are inherently kind; he simply acts towards others they way he believes they themselves would act.

My question, then, is twofold: how could vastly superior intelligence very visibly manifest itself in someone with little or no education in the medieval world, and does kindness and naïveté conflict with the idea of this sort of character?

Original score: 3