KKC Theory Wiki

Kvothe and Auri Unconsciously Name Things When They Describe Them

plausible mechanism · popularity 79 · 1 source thread

When Auri lists what's 'in' a thing, she may be reciting parts of its true Name without realising it.

About: Auri, Kvothe, Naming

Also involves: The Amyr, Iax, The Arcanum

The theory§

On the rooftops of the University, Auri tells Kvothe she has seen a lightning bolt that looked like a tree, and when he asks what was 'in' it she answers "Galvanic Ionization, river-ice and the sway a cattail makes." This theory holds that these listings are not whimsy but fragments of a thing's true Name, spoken without conscious effort. Auri perceives the world through her sleeping mind at all times and sees the inner principles of things directly, so naming flows out of her the way speech flows out of others. The reading draws on the Arcanum ranks E'lir, Re'lar and El'the, glossed as 'one who sees, listens and speaks,' and on the tale of the man who listened to objects until he could name and unfold them, casting Auri as a listener whose gift may be what unmade her mind. Read this way, her rooftop games are an unintentional tutoring of Kvothe, who has a natural knack for naming but keeps getting in his own way by overthinking.

Evidence§

  • Auri says she saw a lightning bolt that looked like a tree. When Kvothe asks what was in it, Auri responds with "Galvanic Ionization, river-ice and the sway a cattail makes". Maybe when they do this, those things are ACTUALLY part of the Name of that thing, and they do it without thinking?
    OP's core claim: Auri's listing of what's 'in' a thing is unconscious naming. — u/DrTeeny
  • E'lir, Re'lar and El'the mean something like "the one who sees, listens and speaks" … We have an example of a listener in the story of Iax … the man who listened to the objects and could name them after listening. That's how he unfolded the house … I think Auri is capable of listening and that is part of what broke her mind.
    Grounds theory in Arcanum ranks and the listener archetype; ties listening to Auri's broken mind. — u/Parudom
  • Auri views the world directly with her sleeping mind at all times and sees the inner principles of things. Either these things are just normal to her now, or she's actively trying to get Kvothe's mind to work this way, too
    Explains the mechanism: Auri perceives inner principles directly, perhaps tutoring Kvothe. — u/czechancestry
  • Auri is “seeing” deep names in the items and calling them out, but Kvothe thinks it’s a game and “plays along.” What Kvothe doesn’t realize, he has a knack at naming
    Refines: Auri names deep names while Kvothe unwittingly plays along despite his own knack. — u/luckydrunk_7
  • Kvothe is a master namer when he stops overthinking things. He gets in his own way. … Kvothe, when hes being honest and lovely with Auri is incredible.
    Supports the tutoring angle: Kvothe names best with Auri when not overthinking. — u/Shadeun
  • Kvothes Name maedre means Flame, Thunder, broken tree. So your theory makes all lot of sense
    Corroborating textual parallel: Kvothe's name echoes Auri's lightning-tree listing. — u/Karawana_17
  • I always saw that more like a poethic and imaginative way to see stuff … I'd argue that isn't naming, but a prior step to be able to name.
    CounterCounter: it may be poetic perception or a precursor to naming, not naming itself. — u/Parudom

Book refs: WMF

Tier reasoning§

tier verified: ties Auri's descriptive lines to the Arcanum's see/listen/speak framing, a reasonable fit, plausible holds

Contributors§

Source threads§