Olver
A similar entry appears in the Wheel of Time Companion confirming the information available in the main story arc.
Author: Nairah Tarak
Contents
General
He claims to be nine years old, but he looks younger. He is from Cairhien and his father was killed by Shaido, and his mother died of illness (LoC, Ch. 5). Olver has a game of Snakes and Foxes that his father made for him (LoC, Ch. 22).
He is gaunt and sullen-looking, with a squashed nose, a mouth too wide for his face, and ears too big that stick out besides (LoC, Ch. 5). He is short, as tall as Mat's waist, and skinny. He is very proud and independent, and he takes after Mat and often tell women that "You have beautiful eyes".
Olver was given to a woman in Maerone to be looked after, but she didn't care about him, just about the money that went with it.
Timeline
- Mat finds Olver in Maerone and sends him off with Edorion to get a meal and a warm bath (LoC, Ch. 5). Then Olver follows the Band of the Red Hand when they head south, without Mat knowing. He helps Burdin with the horses (LoC, Ch. 22)
- Mat discovers Olver's presence and hires him as his personal messenger (LoC, Ch. 22)
- On their second night in Altara, Olver tries to kill Aviendha because she is Aiel (LoC, Ch. 38).
- Olver follows Vanin to Salidar. He accompany Mat, Elayne and Nynaeve to Ebou Dar (LoC, Ch. 44, Ch. 27).
- Nalesean gets Olver to start racing Wind (LoC, Ch. 52). At the Silver Circuit Olver wins (ACoS, Ch. 14).
- Olver moves into the Tarasin Palace, Mat bribes Madic to move Olver into his rooms to keep Tylin away from there (ACoS, Ch. 38).
- Riselle starts to take care of Olver, at Tylin's order (ACoS, Ch. 37).
- While Mat visits with Aludra, Olver makes time with some pretty women in Valan Luca's Circus (WH, Ch. 15).
- Olver enjoys his lessons with Riselle and playing Snakes and Foxes with Mat (WH, Ch. 18).
- Olver is taken to The Wandering Woman by Nerim and Lopin (WH, Ch. 30). Olver, Mat and the other Redarms leave Ebou Dar (CoT, Ch. 1).
- Juilin, Thera and Olver share a tent at Valan Luca's menagerie (CoT, Ch. 2). Thom and Tuon play Snakes and Foxes with Olver (CoT, Ch. 28).
- Olver, Nerim and Lopin helps search for Renna when she flees (CoT, Ch. 29).
- Olver asks Noal if he is related to Jain Fairstrider (KoD, Ch. 6)
- Olver tells them about the Tower of Ghenjei and that Birgitte told him how to get in (KoD, Ch. 10).
- Noal has to distract Olver with a game of Snakes and Foxes so that he doesn't follow Mat to Hinderstap (TGS, Ch. 27).
- Olver tells Mat that he has a visitor with a distinctive face, when Verin arrives, though he doesn't realise the significance of the phrase (TGS, Ch. 34).
- When the gholam returns and kills the people in Mat's tent, Olver is saved because he was in Noal's tent (ToM, Ch. 9).
- He opens Mat's letter from Verin (ToM, Epilogue).
- He goes with the Faile's party when he tries to take the Horn of Valere to Mat (AMoL, Ch. 33)
- He plans to go among the Aiel and learn from them (AMoL, Ch. 34)
- He carries the Horn when the group tries to go the The Town (AMoL, Ch. 37)
- They go through one of the gateways to the Field of Merrilor (AMoL, Ch. 37
- When Aravine betrays them, Olver is ignored and not captured. He stabs the woman in White who had held Faile (AMoL, Ch. 37)
- After she reclaims the Horn, Faile gives it to Olver to take to Mat (AMoL, Ch. 37)
- He rides Bela until she is killed by a Trolloc spear and then is able to crawl into a small crevice to hide (AMoL, Ch. 37).
- He blows the Horn (AMoL, Ch. 39)
- Jain is summoned back and returns to save Olver (AMoL, Ch. 39).
- They set off from one of the Seanchan camps on a to'raken and crash. Olver blows the horn again (AMoL, Ch. 45)
- Olver leads the Heroes of the Horn as the defend the path to Rand from the Trollocs (AMoL, Ch. 45)
- Birgitte sends Olver off with some guards to drop the horn somewhere in an ocean (AMoL, Epilogue)
Relationships
During the horse races in Ebou Dar, the boys often use their switches on each other. Mat is worried about Olver getting hurt, and if he gets even the smallest bruise Mat would never hear the end of it. Not from Mistress Anan, Nynaeve or Elayne, Aviendha or Birgitte (ACoS, Ch. 14). They are all very protective of Olver.
Caira tells Mat that Olver is tucked in his bed, where he should be (ACoS, Ch. 21).
Mat is like a surrogate father to Olver. Olver is picking up everything Mat does, especially telling women that they are beautiful. Maybe Mat isn't the best father figure, according to Elayne and the others, because he let Olver do such dangerous things, as horse racing.
Quotes
"Can we return to the Palace now?" Olver said, more a demand than a question. "I have a reading lesson with the Lady Riselle. She lets me rest my head on her bosom while she reads to me." (WH, Ch. 15)
"Oh, I just cannot decide" came a boy's piping voice from the center of the women. "When I look at you, Merici, your eyes are the prettiest I have ever seen. But when I look at you Neilyn, yours are. Your lips are ripe cherries, Gillin, and yours make me want to kiss them, Adria. And your neck, Jameine, graceful as a swan's..." - (Olver at Valan Luca's Menagerie; Winter's Heart, Chapter 15).
"You have beautiful eyes"