401 replies to this topic

[Nisheeth]

thistlepong, on 10 May 2012 - 11:29 AM, said:

The Amyr definitely didn't act to stop the policy, which would have included Tinkers as well.  I threw out ay some point that the one ugly scar might be a broken circle brand.  One of the questions raised was what Kvothe would do to earn it.  Siding with those responsible for his people's genocide might qualify.

Then who may have been there to brand him?
That person would have to be a Ruh. he would have to know about the genocide, and about the Amyr. I don't think we have been introduced any character so far?

[thistlepong]

We haven't seen a single Rug since Greyfallow's Men were massacred, but we have roughly eight years to identify ir be introduced to one.  Or Kvothe could go all emo.

[two_by_two]

Nisheeth, on 10 May 2012 - 11:51 AM, said:

Then who may have been there to brand him?
That person would have to be a Ruh. he would have to know about the genocide, and about the Amyr. I don't think we have been introduced any character so far?

thistlepong, on 10 May 2012 - 12:04 PM, said:

We haven't seen a single Rug since Greyfallow's Men were massacred, but we have roughly eight years to identify ir be introduced to one.  Or Kvothe could go all emo.

Are you implying that Kvothe did it to himself? That seems very in character for him, to be honest, and was my first thought upon seeing Nisheeth's question. Or it could be Viari. He knows about the Ruh (and may be an honorary member, judging form his greeting), and is possibly Amyr himself.

[thistlepong]

The thing about Viari is that's he's tagged almost explicitly as not Ruh, honorary or otherwise.  Kvothe, the folks in Kvothe's stories, and even the impersonators refer to the Ruh with possessive pronouns: your family, my family, our family.  Viari refers to the family.  So yah, he probably knows them more initmately than someone like Ambrose.  Yet he remains at a distance.

[two_by_two]

Off-topic for a moment - thistle, I approve of the Doctor Who quote in your signature.

[thistlepong]

I appreciate your condonation.  Similarly off topic, I desperately wanted to know that story until I realized nothing put to screen would be as pleasing as the words themselves and my imagination.  Sliding back onto topic, I thus began to think that almost nothing we've theorized needs to be set out in so many words.  I mean, I want to know why they call him Kvothe Kingkiller and what happens with Denna and Sim, but a most of the rest can be resolved in background stories and details peppered here and there.

[bradd]

I really like that - I'm in the Kvothe-branded-himself-with-a-broken-circle camp, that works nicely! Thinking out loud here, but what about if it's not the Amyr who kill the Ruh but the Chandrian (or maybe both, not sure how that works though), and Kvothe agrees with why they do it? Would explain the betrayal Kvothe feels, and it would explain why the Cthaeh told Kvothe the Chandrian had a reason for killing his troupe? Interesting ideas though!

[two_by_two]

thistlepong, on 10 May 2012 - 09:46 PM, said:

I appreciate your condonation.  Similarly off topic, I desperately wanted to know that story until I realized nothing put to screen would be as pleasing as the words themselves and my imagination.  Sliding back onto topic, I thus began to think that almost nothing we've theorized needs to be set out in so many words.  I mean, I want to know why they call him Kvothe Kingkiller and what happens with Denna and Sim, but a most of the rest can be resolved in background stories and details peppered here and there.

That's a good point. I sincerely doubt that 90% of what we've correctly theorized ends up in the book. In fact, I would also prefer that. I find I enjoy books vastly more when the world still contains secrets. Imagination is more powerful than any words. My guess is that there will be background references that could support any number of our theories, but many more will go unexplained.

[Kvothe_ModTech]

sciborg2, on 10 May 2012 - 09:49 AM, said:

Um, by what definition is Felurian not a rapist/killer? If she were male, you wouldn't think he-Felurian was creepy as fuck? What if he-Felurian could make you want him regardless of your sexuality? Felurian is basically one of Bakker's Inchoroi dressed in seductive flesh.

Kvothe is a sympathetic character, but a fundamentally flawed one. It's what makes the story interesting. I'd like to have seen him change more in WMF, but it is a mere year and most people don't change that much in a short time. Plus I think part of the tragedy is that he is put in situations where he could change but doesn't.

I wonder if he'll find out the Amyr helped kill off the Ruh for the "greater good"....

Well she never really forces people to have sex with her, they just do it, it has been a while since I read the book but I am pretty sure Kvothe has sex with her without being forced, he is only really forced to stay there but pretty much tricks his way out. Now like i said before, I can see how people would see her in that way, but I don't think that was the way Rothfuss was trying to portray her, or maybe he was, who knows but him?

[Nisheeth]

Kvothe_ModTech, on 11 May 2012 - 03:49 AM, said:

Well she never really forces people to have sex with her, they just do it, it has been a while since I read the book but I am pretty sure Kvothe has sex with her without being forced, he is only really forced to stay there but pretty much tricks his way out. Now like i said before, I can see how people would see her in that way, but I don't think that was the way Rothfuss was trying to portray her, or maybe he was, who knows but him?

You can say she was forcing people, just not physically, but rather mentally. Her power prevents them from going and makes them stay. I think that would be sort of forcing...

[Kvothe_ModTech]

Nisheeth, on 11 May 2012 - 05:01 AM, said:

You can say she was forcing people, just not physically, but rather mentally. Her power prevents them from going and makes them stay. I think that would be sort of forcing...

Yeah true, I dunno, I guess on my reading I never really took much notice, I found myself trying to whiz through that part of the book anyway, it wasn't my most enjoyable part haha.

[Nisheeth]

Must agree with that. I did skim past it as well!!

[jumbles]

1. A possible hint about the Kaepcaen family: Sim's "father once spent two hundred fifty hard on a Kaepcaen tall" (WMFc5). They were talking about horses at the time, so I'm guessing a Kaepcaen tall is a horse.

2. I may actually believe Kvothe has a knack with locks. In WMFc4 Kvothe says, "But I've always had a knack for getting into places where I shouldn't be."

3. If Kvothe has a knack with locks, that may be more evidence of a relationship with Tehlu, since Teh is the rune for lock. Also for Kvothe and Tehlu, the Trebon doctor thought Kvothe would never wake up after the draccus incident, and when Kvothe called the wind on Ambrose, he "pinwheeled to the ground as if struck by the hand of God."

[thistlepong]

Can you, like, sum up what significance the Kvothe/Tehlu parallels have for you?

[two_by_two]

thistlepong, on 11 May 2012 - 09:59 PM, said:

Can you, like, sum up what significance the Kvothe/Tehlu parallels have for you?

Well, first of all, it could mean that Kvothe is the one who saves the world from whatever the current version of Encanis is, whether that be Haliax or the Cthaeh, just as Menda/Tehlu did in Trapis's story. Or, conversely, it could mean that Tehlu's story got blown way out of proportion, just as Kvothe's has been, and Tehlu was really just a normal dude, relatively speaking.

[jumbles]

thistlepong, on 11 May 2012 - 09:59 PM, said:

Can you, like, sum up what significance the Kvothe/Tehlu parallels have for you?

Oh, gee, I don't know. I just post things I notice and hope somebody else can use them to come up with cool ideas. But I'll give it a go.

Kvothe could be the next incarnation of Menda (i.e. Tehlu reborn).
Kvothe could be Tehlu's son.
Kvothe could just have a lot of perceived similarities with Tehlu like he does with Iax, Lanre, and Taborlin.

Edited by jumbles, 12 May 2012 - 06:58 AM.

[bradd]

What are some ideas for the thrice locked chest in Kvothe's room? The two most popular I've seen are that it holds his name or it holds his lute. I'm not sure why, but both those ideas seem a little hard to swallow... why would he lock his lute up, or why would his name need a chest that big? I dunno... so here's a nice little analogy I've been looking into over the last couple of days...

Selitos fought Lanre
Lanre attacked Selitos with the obsidian stone
Selitos wounds himself with the obsidian stone
Selitos became the Cthaeh
The obsidian stone was locked in the Loeclos box

Kvothe fought an angel/demon
The angel/demon attacks Kvothe with something made of obsidian
Kvothe wounds himself (broken circle) with the same object
Kvothe becomes Kote
The object is locked in the thrice locked chest


The problem I'm having is the complete lack of evidence to support/refute this, but as an idea, I don't think it's too bad. Can anyone take it any further/knock it down?

[unJon]

Macabre plot twist ending alert:

The thrice locked box contains Denna's body. Kvothe changed his name to Kote to repress the memory of what he did.

[Sylvester]

I dearly hope that Roah wood doesn't let smells through then...

[Ninefingers]

unJon, on 13 May 2012 - 02:20 AM, said:

Macabre plot twist ending alert:

The thrice locked box contains Denna's body. Kvothe changed his name to Kote to repress the memory of what he did.

I considered this too, but at the end of book two he clearly wants into the box. Unless Rothfuss is taking this in a REALLY odd direction, I don't think he's trying to get another look at the corpse.