Cenn Buie

Author: Atarah al'Norahn

General

Cenn Buie is one of the men on the Village Council of Emond's Field, in the Two Rivers, Andor. He is also the thatcher of Emond's Field.

Cenn is an older man, with dark skin, beady eyes, and a scratchy voice. Although he is gnarled, he is quite spry (TEotW, Ravens Prologue; Ch. 1). He is scrawny and has bony shoulders (TSR, Ch. 30). He has thinning hair (TSR, Ch. 45).

Cenn has a rather cynic view on everything. Marin al'Vere says that he was born with a sore tooth, though he is not as bad as Hari Coplin (TSR, Ch. 30). When the Whitecloaks arrive, she says that Cenn isn't much better than Hari about fawning over them (TSR, Ch. 29).

Cenn is apparently married, though we do not know his wife's name. After he finds out that Perrin is in the Two Rivers, Marin al'Vere tells Cenn that if he meddles in Women's Circle business, his wife will have him sleeping in the barn and eating what the milk cows leave (TSR, Ch. 30).

Timeline

• Cenn and the other members of the Village Council discuss the news of Logain that Padan Fain brings (TEotW, Ch. 3).

• Cenn and a mob of angry Emond's Fielders confront Moiraine after the Trolloc attack (TEotW, Ch. 9).

• Cenn sees Marin al'Vere with Perrin and company. He makes some disparaging remarks about Perrin (TSR, Ch. 30).

• Cenn and others mistake the Tuatha'an for Trollocs and scare them half to death (TSR, Ch. 45).

• Cenn participates in the big battle against the Trollocs. Afterwards, he is as gnarled as ever, if bruised (TSR, Ch. 56).

• Cenn speaks with Faile about his thatching business. He is worried that Master Hornval's new tiling business will take customers away from him. Faile points out that Cenn seems to have more roofs to thatch than he can handle, as he still hasn't finished the roof for her and Perrin's house (LoC, Prologue).

Relationships

At the beginning of the series, Cenn says that he has not much good to say about Nynaeve. He thinks that she is too young (TEotW, Ch. 1).

When Perrin first comes back to the Two Rivers, Cenn wants him to leave so as not to bring the anger of the Whitecloaks down upon Emond's Field. Soon, though, he is asking advice of Perrin and doing things the way that Perrin wants them done. Perrin thinks that Cenn is an irascible old fool (TSR, Ch. 30).

Miscellaneous

• His walking staff is nearly as tall and gnarled as he is (TEotW, Ch. 1).

• In the three arches of Nynaeve's Accepted test, she sees Cenn Buie as the mayor of Emond's Field when Bran al'Vere dies (TGH, Ch. 23).

• Cenn had an old, tarnished bugle hanging on a wall in his house. It is later used to help bring the shepherds in from the field if the Trollocs attack (TSR, Ch. 45).

• With all of the new people coming to the Two Rivers, Cenn has taken on half a dozen helpers in his thatching business (LoC, Prologue).

• When Perrin is thinking about renouncing being a lord, he worries that Cenn might be offered the role instead (ToM, Ch. 16).

Quotes

"An ill omen, no storks nesting on the rooftops at Bel Tine. There's worse to come, you mark my words." (Cenn to Rand and Tam; The Eye of the World, Chapter 1)

"Mock if you will, but if it doesn't warm enough or crops to sprout soon, more than one root cellar will come up empty before there's a harvest. By next winter there may be nothing left alive in the Two Rivers but wolves and ravens. If it is next winter at all. Maybe it will still be this winter." (Cenn to Rand and Tam; The Eye of the World, Chapter 1)

"Those things...those Trollocs didn't appear until after you came. You're an Aes Sedai. We want none of your sort in the Two Rivers. Aes Sedai bring trouble on their backs. If you stay, you will only bring more." (Cenn to Moiraine; The Eye of the World, Chapter 9)

"Him! It's him! They're after you, you young whelp, rapscallion, running off with Aes Sedai and becoming a Darkfriend. That was when we had Trollocs before. Now you're back, and so are they. You going to tell me that's coincidence? What's wrong with your eyes? You sick? You have some kind of sickness from off you've brought back to kill us all, as if Trollocs are not enough? The Children of the Light will settle you. See if they don't." (Cenn to Perrin; The Shadow Rising, Chapter 30)

"I just think we should have lamps. Perrin would tell me if I was wasting his time." (Cenn to Bran al'Vere; The Shadow Rising, Chapter 53)

"The Light shine on you, my Lady Faile, and on your honored husband, the Lord Perrin. Let me add my wishes for your continued happiness to those of the Council. Your intelligence and beauty make our lives brighter, as does the justice of your pronouncements." (Cenn to Faile; Lord of Chaos, Prologue)

"It's all these outlanders flooding in, bringing all sorts of things we don't want here. Strange ways, my Lady. Indecent clothes. You'll be hearing from the women about the way those Domani hussies dress, if you haven't already. Strangers stealing the food from our mouths, taking away our trade. That Taraboner fellow and his fool tile-making, for example. Taking up hands that could be put to useful work. He doesn't care about good Two Rivers people. Why, he..." (Cenn to Faile; Lord of Chaos, Prologue)