KKC Theory Wiki

Bast Is the Hidden Son of Kvothe and Felurian

fringe identity · popularity 402 · 3 source threads

Bast may be the Fae child of Kvothe and Felurian, with shared 'twilight' titles and a father-son bond as evidence.

About: Bast, Kvothe, Felurian

Also involves: Denna, The Fae

The theory§

This theory holds that Bast is the Fae child of Kvothe and Felurian, raised in the Fae where time runs differently and grown to adulthood by the time he comes to the mortal world to find and study under his father. The reasoning rests on a chain of shared titles and reinterpreted words: Felurian is the Lady of Twilight, Bast is styled 'prince of twilight,' and 'Reshi' is read not as 'teacher' but as 'father.' His evident dislike of Denna is reframed as a son resenting any woman set beside his mother, and his urgent project to reawaken Kvothe's heroic spark is cast as a son trying to restore the man Felurian once thought worthy of a child. The differing flow of Fae time is invoked to explain how a child conceived during Kvothe's brief stay could already be an adult only a year or two later in the frame. The theory faces hard obstacles: Bast is identified as the son of one Remmen, not Kvothe; he is described as roughly a hundred and fifty years old, older than Kvothe himself; he relates a first-hand account of the Cthaeh's mischief from centuries past; and his low opinion of Felurian sits awkwardly with the supposed devotion of a son.

Evidence§

  • Could Bast be the son of Kvothe and Felurian who grows up in the Fae and as an adult or late teen comes to the human world to find and learn from his father? He dislikes Denna b/c how can she hold a candle next to his mother.
    OP's core claim: Fae-raised son returns to learn from father, dislikes Denna over his mother. — u/mtjp82
  • So Bast is named as the “son of Remmen” and “prince of twilight.” Kvothe has a shitload of names and maybe Remmen is one of them? Felurian is known as “Lady of Twilight.”
    Title argument: shared 'twilight' styling, Remmen possibly a Kvothe name. — u/Huffdogg
  • Bast seems to fear that if he leaves Kvothe, no one else will teach him. Perhaps he is an outcast because he is a halfbreed? Also everyone assumes that Reshi means “mentor” or “teacher” but maybe it’s “dad.”
    Reinterprets 'Reshi' as father and Bast as outcast halfbreed. — u/Huffdogg
  • I’ve been on this theory train ever since I noticed Bast is referred to as the “prince of twilight” and Felurian is referred to as the “queen of twilight”. I totally agree Reshi is father.
    Reinforces twilight-title parallel and Reshi-as-father reading. — u/Broken_Diagram
  • Time moves differently in the Fae. The way he claims he is a bastard the way Kvothe does. That story gave some good insight into Bast.
    Adds Fae time and Bast's bastard self-identification echoing Kvothe. — u/Viperbunny
  • No. Kvothe guessed (while speaking with his friends) he was in the Fae for roughly a year. Said he had to shave a few times because it got too long. So, if 3 days is roughly a year then a year in the Fae is 100 to 120 years. Bast is 150. Meaning this entire story is taking place 1 and a half to 2 years after his time in the Fae? No. Mathematically it doesn't make sense.
    CounterCounter: the Fae-time math cannot make Bast old enough in the frame. — u/ProtoKop
  • “Chronicler, I would like you to meet Bastas, son of Remmen, Prince of Twilight and the Telwyth Mael.
    CounterCounter: text names Bast's father as Remmen, not Kvothe. — u/qoou
  • if he is there to recuperate Kvothe because he's his father, i'd expect bast to be kinder about Felurian than I think he is.
    CounterCounter: Bast's unkind view of Felurian sits oddly with devoted-son theory. — u/ItsAnApe

Book refs: NOTW, WMF

Tier reasoning§

fringe correct: own evidence carries strong counters (Bast older than Kvothe, oath denies it)

Contributors§

Source threads§