Petra Anhill

A similar entry appears in the Wheel of Time Companion. Other information about the character is also included in the Companion, but we did not use it in the TarValon.Net Library.

Author: Toral Delvar

General

Petra is the strongman in Valan Luca's Circus (TFoH, Ch. 17), where he has worked since it was just a few dozen people (KoD, Ch. 8). He is the biggest man Nynaeve has ever seen, not tall but wide, with arms the size of tree trunks (TFoH, Ch. 17). He is a little shorter than Mat but at least twice as wide (CoT, Ch. 2; CoT, Ch. 8). He is married to Clarine (TFoH, Ch. 17) and shares a wagon with her.

Timeline

• He and Clarine welcome Nynaeve and Elayne when they join up with the circus (TFoH, Ch. 17).
• He breaks up a fight between Cerandin and Nynaeve and makes them both apologise (TFoH, Ch. 33).
• He watches Birgitte and Luca's archery contest (TFoH, Ch. 36).
• He performs in Samara, dressed only in bright blue breeches to show off his muscles (TFoH, Ch. 37).
• He prepares to leave with the rest of the circus to escape Masema (TFoH, Ch. 47).
• He offers to help escort Nynaeve and Elayne to the river when they leave (TFoH, Ch. 48).
• He is camped with the rest of the menagerie outside Ebou Dar (WH, Ch. 16).
• He warns Mat and Egeanin when Seanchan soldiers come to the menagerie (CoT, Ch. 2).
• He goes with the rest of the Menagerie when Mat leaves them after Maderin (KoD, Ch. 25).
• At some point he joins the Seanchan and is one of the guards outside Ebou Dar when Mat enters the city (AMoL, Ch. 11).

Miscellaneous

• He doesn't even feel it when Nynaeve hits him in the stomach (TFoH, Ch. 33).
• He smokes a pipe (TFoH, Ch. 47).
• He intends to retire one day and set up an inn with Clarine (CoT, Ch. 2).
• He and Clarine are friendly and likeable and invite Nynaeve and Elayne to tea when they move in with the circus (TFoH, Ch. 17).
• He enjoys watching others gamble, but does not do so himself (CoT, Ch. 2).
• When Mat leaves the circus, he leaves him and Clarine a purse of gold for friendship, to help them buy their inn (KoD, Ch. 25).

Quotes

"We're strangers everywhere, you see, and a lot of people think they can take advantage of strangers. But if we let one man get away with it, ten more will try, if not a hundred. Sometimes the local magistrate, or what passes for one, will uphold the law for us, too, but only sometimes. Because we're strangers, and tomorrow or the next day, we'll be gone, and anyway, everybody knows strangers are usually up to no good. So we have to stand up for ourselves, fight for what's ours if need be. Once you do that, though, it's time to move on." (Petra to Mat; KoD, Ch. 8)