KKC Theory Wiki

Auri the Namer Saved Kvothe in His Battle With the Angel

fringe connection · popularity 77 · 1 source thread

Auri shattered the fountain's cobblestones with the name of stone to save Kvothe during the 'battle with the angel'.

About: Auri, Kvothe

Also involves: Naming, Fela, Shaping

The theory§

Auri is widely read as a namer, shown most clearly by her apparent knowledge of the name of stone, a power the books first demonstrate through Fela. Since Rothfuss prepares revelations through parallel and callback, the theory treats Fela's naming of stone as groundwork so that Auri's later use of the same power would not read as a contrivance. It proposes that Auri saved Kvothe during the famed 'battle with the angel,' tearing apart the cobblestones of a fountain in her effort to protect him, which would explain why those stones can never be repaired. A strong counter-current holds that Auri may herself be the angel, fitting the small, blonde, halo-haired girl Aleph calls up alongside Tehlu against Haliax; another holds that Auri is a shaper rather than a namer, since in Slow Regard she works her will on the world without speaking, and stones frozen beyond repair read as shaping rather than naming.

Evidence§

  • Many readers agree that Auri is a namer. … one clear hint is that she seems to know the name of [stone]
    OP's premise: Auri is a namer who knows the name of stone. — u/KeyInternational3503
  • Rothfuss rarely states things outright; instead, he prepares the reader through parallels and callbacks … That’s why I think we were shown Fela naming stone first—so it wouldn’t feel like a “deus ex machina” when Auri is later implied to do the same.
    OP argues Fela naming stone is groundwork for Auri doing the same. — u/KeyInternational3503
  • The scene at the fountain fits this: the cobblestones were shattered, and no one has ever been able to repair them. To me, that’s strong evidence that naming was involved.
    OP's key evidence: unrepairable shattered fountain stones imply naming. — u/KeyInternational3503
  • So I like to think it was Auri who saved Kvothe “in the battle with the angel.” … I can almost picture her on the rooftop of a nearby house, tearing everything apart in her desperate attempt to protect him.
    OP's conclusion: Auri saved Kvothe during the battle with the angel. — u/KeyInternational3503
  • Isn't there also a phrase along the lines of: Her hair floating around her head like a halo?
    Comment adds halo-hair detail reinforcing Auri's angelic imagery. — u/Steakbearnaise
  • My fear is that Auri might be the angel.
    CounterCounter: Auri may be the angel Kvothe fights, not his savior. — u/HortonFLK
  • I think she is primarily a Shaper, not a Namer. The one time we see her use any kind of power (in Slow Regard), it's specifically stated that she does not speak. She exerts her will directly upon the world.
    CounterCounter: Auri is a shaper, not a namer, undermining the naming premise. — u/Cavane42
  • The stones not being able to change sounds more like shaping than naming to me. Naming commands a thing, shaping changes the nature of a thing. Those cobblestones have been shaped into believing they're shattered cobblestones
    CounterCounter: unrepairable stones read as shaping rather than naming. — u/Zakadactyl

Book refs: NOTW, SRoST

Tier reasoning§

fringe confirmed: speculative leap, commenters mostly countered

Contributors§

Source threads§