The Eye of the World

Mat is one of Rand’s best friends. He is the oldest child of Abell and Natti Cauthon and a carefree prankster who often acts before thinking and tries to shirk work and chores. Despite being of an age, he is less mature than Rand and dreams of having adventures and leading an easy life. His lack of caution and desire to become rich quickly lead him to follow Mordeth in Shadar Logoth. Even after realizing that the man is a monster, Mat’s greed prompts him to take a tainted dagger from the treasure. The dagger slowly corrupts him, making the young man antisocial and paranoid.

The dagger’s taint draws in the Dark’s forces, endangering not only Mat but the rest of the group. Despite his shortcomings, the young man redeems himself by being a loyal friend and taking care of Rand.

Mat is described as shorter than Rand, long-limbed and wiry (13). Like most inhabitants of the Two Rivers, he has brown eyes and hair. He is good-looking and uses his appearance to flirt with women but does not want to find love and settle down. Should there be quote marks around any words or phrases in this sentence?

Perrin is Rand’s other best friend. He is the oldest child of Con and Joslyn Aybara and is apprenticed to the village blacksmith. Rigney describes him thus: “Half a head shorter than Rand, the curly-haired blacksmith’s apprentice was so stocky as to seem a man and a half wide, with arms and shoulders thick enough to rival those of Master Luhhan himself” (33). Later in the novel, after gaining the ability to communicate with wolves, his eyes become golden.

Because of his physical strength, Perrin has cultivated a level-headed and gentle personality. He is careful not to hurt someone by accident. He is conflicted to learn that a hidden ability allows him to communicate with wolves. He is afraid of his own violent and aggressive urges, which seem to be personified by the animals. Perrin’s greatest fear of losing himself and using his physical strength to hurt others comes about when he kills two of the Whitecloaks who attack him and Egwene. For the remainder of the book, he feels deeply ashamed of himself and distances himself from his friends.

While Perrin and Egwene travel together, Perrin reveals to Elyas that he loves Egwene.  However, it remains unclear whether his feelings are romantic or platonic. He is aware of Rand’s interest in Egwene and would not stand in his friend’s way, even if he were interested in something more.

Egwene is the youngest child of Bran and Marin al’Vere. She is born with the ability to channel the True Power, which is why Nynaeve is training her to become a Wisdom. She dreams of seeing the world and seems much more interested in adventures and travel than in staying in Two Rivers. After learning of her abilities, she decides to become an Aes Sedai.

Egwene is described as short, with dark colored large brown eyes and long dark hair (41). She is as stubborn and strong-willed as the young men and determined to achieve her goals. At the beginning of the story, she tries to establish control over Rand by imitating Nynaeve and calling him immature and silly. Later, she often misunderstands or misinterprets his words, sometimes on purpose, and likes needling him. By the end of the book, Egwene begins to understand the magnitude of the events unfolding around her and becomes deeply concerned about Rand, wanting to find a way to help him and keep him close.

It is possible that Egwene’s name is a play on Guinevere, King Arthur’s beloved in Arthurian legends. Should any of the words or phrases in this sentence be in quotes?

Nynaeve starts out as the Wisdom, or wise woman, of Emond’s Field. She is skilled in listening to the wind, or sensing atmospheric changes, because of her innate ability to channel the True Power. For this reason, she has become the youngest Wisdom in the Two Rivers. She is passionate and strong-willed. Constant reminders of her youth and doubts in her abilities make her prone to angry outbursts. Initially, she is unable to grasp the wider context and significance of the events unfolding but gradually begins to learn through experience and observing Moiraine.

She is described as short and slim, with dark hair and eyes (41). Her father taught her to track and hunt. After being orphaned as a teenager, she is apprenticed to the then-Wisdom. Nynaeve takes her responsibilities extremely seriously. Combined with her healer’s ethic, she feels the need to care for and protect her fellow villagers. For that reason, she follows and eventually joins the group. Her inability to protect everyone makes her feel powerless and scared. These feelings manifest in her anger and hatred of Moiraine, who represents change and outside forces. Should any of the words in this sentence be in quotes?

Moiraine is a noblewoman from Cairhien and a powerful Aes Sedai from the Blue Ajah. She is described as short and slight, with dark hair “hanging in soft ringlets” (27).

Despite her pivotal role in the story, there is almost no background information provided on Moiraine. Her main function is bringing change, revealing secrets, and guiding others. She is the motivating force behind Rand and his friends leaving the Two Rivers. She does her best to interpret the signs and guide the actions of others in her fight against the Dark One. She rarely displays emotion and projects a calm, knowing demeanor. While fair and kind, Moiraine is also ruthless and extremely pragmatic when necessary. Her life’s mission is defeating the Dark One; she is ready to pay any price to achieve it, even sacrificing herself and others.

Lan is Moiraine’s Warder, a type of bodyguard and partner that shares a physical and emotional bond with his chosen Aes Sedai. His job is to protect Moiraine. He is a good-looking, stoic man and an expert swordsman.

Lan’s character is shaped by his family’s tragic history. His parents were the Malkieri rulers, sworn enemies of the Dark One. Their kingdom is overrun by Trollocs. Lan is sent away as a baby, the last descendent of his line. His mission in life is to avenge his family’s death by fighting against the Dark One and killing as many Trollocs as possible. If not for Moiraine, he would have already gone into the Blight on a suicide mission.

Despite his taciturn nature and closed-off feelings, Lan falls in love with Nynaeve. There are signs of their developing relationship which foreshadow their confessions at the book’s end. Lan is impressed with Nynaeve’s tracking and scouting abilities. Her temper sparks his own anger, something no one else is able to achieve. Finally, he is willing to jeopardize the mission to save her when they are amidst the Whitecloak’s camp.

Because of his feelings for Nynaeve, Lan takes an interest in Rand, Mat, and Perrin, especially Rand, and becomes a mentor. He likely sees himself in Rand; the two of them share the duty of shouldering an inhumanly difficult burden—the need to fight the Dark One at any cost.

Thom is a Gleeman, a travelling entertainer. He wears the distinguishing multi-colored cloak and is a master at playing several instruments, singing, and telling stories. He is described as tall and lean, with a stoop. He has “thick mustaches, as snowy as the hair on his head […] and his face was gnarled like a tree that had seen hard times” (46).

Rigney doesn’t provide much background information for Thom, but eventually it becomes known that he used to be the Andor Queen’s Courtbard and lover. He is deeply sympathetic to the three young men and their plight; he had a nephew who could channel and who died after being mistreated by the Aes Sedai. It seems that Thom feels guilty for not paying enough attention to his nephew’s problems and not reacting quickly enough to save him. It is possible his desire to help the Emond Fielders is an attempt to redeem himself.

Despite his occasional gruff words, Thom is kind and selfless and sacrifices himself to give Rand and Mat a chance to escape. Rand, especially, is deeply saddened at the thought of the Gleeman’s death, but Moiraine seems convinced that he is still alive.

It is likely that Thom Merrilin’s name is a derivative of Merlin, the great wizard of Arthurian legend and King Arthur’s main advisor.

Tam is Rand’s adoptive father. He is present only at the beginning of the story, but it is implied that he has an enduring impact on Rand’s character and behavior. Most of Rand’s actions are motivated by his desire to protect his father and to preserve their familial bond.

Tam is originally from Emond’s Field but left as a young man to become a soldier. When the Aiel attack Cairhien to punish its king, Tam fights against them. After the last battle on the slopes of Dragonmount, he finds an Aiel woman dead in the snow with a newborn baby next to her. Since he and his wife, Kari, are unable to have children, he adopts the boy. The family moves back to Emond’s Field and Tam tries to forget his past. The only remnant of his soldier days is a beautiful sword, decorated with herons, that he gifts to Rand. It is the weapon of a blade master, implying that Tam used to be an expert swordsman.

Like the rest of the people from the Two Rivers, Tam is short and dark-haired. He is very neat, keeping the farm tidy and clean. He is also someone who keeps his word and likes to do things properly. Rand also has these traits.