The Eye of the World: Chapter 3

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Author: Dinn da Noor

The Peddler

Chapter Icon: Dragon's Fang

Point of View: Rand

Location: Emond's Field

Characters: Padan Fain, various Emond's Fielders, Rand, Mat, Perrin, the Village Council, Nynaeve, Egwene

Outline

Padan Fain tells of a False Dragon in Ghealdan. Egwene tells Rand she wants to be a Wisdom.

Summary

Surrounded by a cloud of villagers and farmers, the peddler stops in front of the inn. People join the crowd continuously, constantly watching the peddler, Padan Fain, who is as always smiling and laughing. The Village Council joins the spectators who are eager to hear news from the outside.

Perrin Aybara joins Mat and Rand, excited about the gleeman.

The peddler eventually starts talking and tells them that it is war going on in Ghealdan and that people are flocking around the Dragon. With this comment everybody gasps and starts shouting that it can only be another false Dragon. Fain says that they cannot be sure whether he is the Dragon Reborn or just a false Dragon, but that this one can channel the One Power and that a party of Aes Sedai has ridden south from Tar Valon to deal with him.

The Village Council brings the peddler to the inn to discuss the issue more thoroughly. Mat, Perrin and Rand start discussing the news and tales about the Dragon and Aes Sedai. Mat has just told the others that Bili Congar named the Dark One last year when Nynaeve comes to them and tells Mat that he "shouldn't be off his mother's apron strings". Rand suddenly notices Egwene standing behind the Wisdom watching them. He tells Nynaeve what the peddler said, and she quickly leaves to get the Woman's Circle to "find out anything useful".

Egwene starts talking to Rand and tells him that she wants to become a Wisdom. Rand is disapproving about it, but suddenly Mat says that Perrin got a coin from Moiraine too, and that he saw the rider too.

Perrin says that Master Luhhan didn't quite believe him, but he carried his biggest hammer with him that day. When Egwene asks what they talk about, Mat and Perrin start talking about their encounters with the black-cloaked rider. Egwene thinks it's silly that they shall go around and spread tales scaring children. She is about to say something when the door to the inn opens and the gleeman comes out.

Notes

Common Themes

Isolation of the Two Rivers

• Taren Ferry folk are foolish

Men and Women

• Rand thinks Perrin is much better with girls than he is
• Nynaeve and Egwene both think that none of the boys are old enough to be off lead strings
• Nynaeve thinks the village council will ask all of the wrong questions and none of the right ones and it will take the Women’s Circle to find out anything useful

Overconfidence in their own knowledge/Acting on poor information

• Egwene dismisses the boys tale about the man they saw, with little justification other than it is outside of her experience
• Perrin thinks that anyone who believes the Dragon will be Reborn to save the world is a fool

Character Development

Mat

• When Mat repeats a tale of how the Dragon will be reborn to save the world, Perrin says the merchant was a fool for telling it and Mat a fool for listening
• Mat seems excited by the talk of war
• Mat is willing to believe the stories that the Aes Sedai don't serve the Dark One

Rand

• Rand finds the tales of Aes Sedai as Darkfriends more convincing than the ones where they are not

Perrin

• Perrin doesn't like the talk of war

Mysteries

What is special about Egwene being able to listen to the Wind?

Nynaeve can also do it, but not all Wisdoms do, even though all claim to

Characters

First Appearance

Padan Fain, Perrin, Hu Barran,Tad Barran, Nynaeve, Egwene, Thom

First Mention

Logain, Bili Congar, Mistress Ayellin, Bandry Crawe, Lem Thane

Places

First Mention

Sea of Storms, Aryth Ocean, Aiel Waste, Ghealdan

Spoilers

This section contains Notes on this Chapter which may contain spoilers. Please expand to view.

Misconceptions

• The Dark One and the Dragon are confused
• The Dragon started everything, but it was the Aes Sedai that broke the world
• Aes Sedai serve the Dark One.

This comes from stories, though not all of them say the Aes Sedai are Darkfriends. Presumably some do, or at least the ones commonly told in the Two Rivers

• They rarely tell stories of the Dark One in the Two Rivers

Mysteries

What is special about Egwene being able to listen to the Wind?

This is also quickly settled, as being a matter of the One Power. It is not entirely clear if any person who can channel is able to do it, or if it is a talent. Alternatively, it may be a matter of Wilders

Miscelllaneous

Once again, Cenn, who is typically considered the most foolish Council member is the only one who is right that the Pattern is throwing up false ones for a reason and that the Dark one could be behind the long winter .

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