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Cinder Fled Because Tehlu's Angels Answered Marten's Prayer

fringe mechanism · popularity 78 · 1 source thread

Marten's invocation of the named angels may have summoned them, and that descent, not Kvothe, scared Cinder off.

About: Cinder, Tehlu

Also involves: Haliax, The Chandrian, Sympathy, Kvothe, Trapis, Encanis, Selitos, The Amyr, Aleph, The Cthaeh, Marten

The theory§

During the confrontation at the bandit camp in the Eld, Marten recites a Tehlin prayer invoking Tehlu, Menda, Perial, Ordal, and Andan while Kvothe prepares his sympathy. The bandit leader, identified as Cinder, repeatedly cocks his head and searches the sky before bounding into the tent and vanishing rather than dying. This theory argues the named angels are real, callable agents, descended from Aleph's host burned from mortal sight, and that Cinder fled because he sensed them coming, not because he feared Kvothe's improvised lightning. It leans on Trapis's tale, in which Menda promises to return and set things right if called in the proper manner, and on Chronicler's remark that Kvothe is a man who has killed an angel, treating angels as physical actors. A sharper variant notes Cinder reacted only after particular invocations, suggesting the angels may have hijacked Kvothe's spell and lent it its uncanny power. The framing that Tehlu's host sprang from Selitos's company is corrected by canon: Tehlu served Aleph and was burned from sight, while the Amyr serve Selitos; and Trapis follows the Mender heresies, a losing faction, so his account is not the orthodox Tehlin position.

Evidence§

  • Trapis tells Kvothe the Church's version of Tehlu. The Story of Tehlu chasing down encanis. In this story Tehlu (Menda) says something along the lines of , "if i am called in the proper manner i will return and judge and set things right. "
    OP's premise: the angels can be summoned by being called in the proper manner. — u/Clinically_Brilliant
  • Skarpi mentions Tehlu being part of Selitos's group that dissappear from mortal sight to savel mortals from the chandrian. I believe they were the first of the Angels.
    OP grounds the angels as real agents burned from mortal sight. — u/Clinically_Brilliant
  • "Tehlu, who was Menda who you were. Watch over me in Menda's name, In Perial's name In Ordal's name In Andans name Watch over me. " Their leader turned his head as if to search the sky for something.something about the motion seemed terribly familiar. The bandit leader turned and bounded for the tent.
    Core textual evidence: Cinder searches the sky and flees right after the named invocation. — u/Clinically_Brilliant
  • they can be called. Tehlu.Perial.Ordal.Andan Marten called in his hour of need. Cinder couldnt hear him praying. He heard or felt Tehlu and his angels decending upon them. They heard his prayer and came. Thats why cinder fled. No way he could have know kvothe was going to use sympathy to call down lightning.
    OP's central claim: Cinder fled the descending angels, not Kvothe's lightning. — u/Clinically_Brilliant
  • “Kvothe had gone looking for his hearts desire. He had to trick a demon to get it. But once it rested in his hand, he was forced to fight an Angel to keep it….This is the face of a man who has killed an Angel.”
    Supporting canon: Chronicler treats angels as physical actors Kvothe can fight and kill. — u/Scottfos72
  • kvothe was trying to call lightning , but it was the angels that highjacked the spell and gave it the extra power
    Refinement: angels hijacked Kvothe's spell and lent it uncanny power. — u/hammer4love
  • This is not correct. Tehlu served Aleph as an Angel and they were burned from mortal sight. The Amyr serve Selitos.
    CounterCounter: corrects OP's Selitos claim; Tehlu served Aleph, the Amyr serve Selitos. — u/milbader
  • are we sure that Trapis' beliefs match that of the Tehlin Church? I thought Trapis was an exile from the Church for following the Mender heresies.
    CounterCounter: Trapis follows the Mender heresies, so his tale may not be orthodox canon. — u/ainRingeck

Book refs: WMF, NOTW

Tier reasoning§

tier verified: speculative reinterpretation of the camp scene, fringe holds

Contributors§

Source threads§