KKC Theory Wiki

Auri Shapes Kvothe's Fate by Weaving Lanre and Selitos Into His Candle

fringe mechanism · popularity 207 · 1 source thread

Objects Auri finds in the Underthing symbolise Lanre and Selitos, and she weaves their essences into a candle she makes for Kvothe.

About: Auri

Also involves: Kvothe, Haliax, Selitos, Shaping, The Underthing, The Amyr, The Slow Regard of Silent Things, Auri Candle

The theory§

This theory reads The Slow Regard of Silent Things as a symbolic retelling of Kvothe's larger story, with Auri's careful placement of objects in the Underthing exerting real influence on his fate. The arm bone Auri names 'Prima Axial' is taken to stand for Lanre: 'axial' echoes Alaxel, the name the Adem give the lord of the Seven; 'prima' means leading man; the bone is broken and then healed, mirroring Lanre's death and resurrection; and it is full of shadows, as Haliax is wreathed in shadow. A glass-like crystal Auri finds near an Amyr doll is taken to represent Selitos, who drove a sliver of mountain glass into his own eye. Auri trades these objects for laurel fruit and honeycomb and renders them into a candle she makes for Kvothe, the theory holding that she thereby Shapes his life from the essences of those two ancient figures and breathes into him, with a third breath implied by the rule that 'third time pays for all.'

Evidence§

  • Auri finds an arm bone and crystal in the underthing. They are representations of Lanre and Selitos.
    OP's core claim: two found objects symbolise Lanre and Selitos. — u/TheLastSock
  • The word axial is similar to Alaxel, who the Adem's song tells us is the lord of the Seven. … prima means "leading man" which Lanre certainly is.
    Names the bone Prima Axial links it to Lanre/Alaxel, leading man. — u/TheLastSock
  • The arm being broken and healed is to the Lanre being killed and raised … The arm being full of shadows is like Lanre being surrounded by shadows.
    Bone's broken/healed and shadowed state mirrors Lanre's death and resurrection. — u/TheLastSock
  • How the Crystal is like the mountain glass Selitos stabs into his eye: … its like glass … its put near an amyr doll and Selitos founded the amyr
    Crystal near Amyr doll ties it to Selitos and his mountain glass. — u/TheLastSock
  • The Laurel Fruit and Honey Comb are used to make a candle for Kvothe. The idea is she is shaping his life, in part, from theirs.
    Traded objects become a candle; Auri shapes Kvothe's life from theirs. — u/TheLastSock
  • I theorize that Auri breaths into kvothe at least twice in the process of creating the candle. … I'm guessing there is a third time, as third time pays for all.
    Breath motif: Auri breathes into Kvothe, with a third implied. — u/TheLastSock
  • I really wish people would cite passages and page numbers. I do not remember a bone or crystal at all.
    CounterCounter: reader cannot recall the bone or crystal; wants citations. — u/EvilAnagram
  • You seem to be implying that Auri can fast travel to Newarre and Trebon? … it seems like a bit of a stretch to me.
    CounterCounter: the geography required for the trades is implausible. — u/_jericho

Book refs: WMF, slow_regard

Tier reasoning§

tier verified: chain of symbolic equivalences is a speculative leap, fringe is correct

Contributors§

Source threads§