KKC Theory Wiki

Eleven Creation War Figures Recur Across Every Myth and Story

fringe connection · popularity 69 · 1 source thread

All the ancient stories encode the same eleven Creation War figures, who reappear in different guises across the books.

About: The Creation War, The Chandrian

Also involves: Aleph, Iax, Selitos, Lyra, Haliax, Felurian, The Cthaeh, Skarpi, Trapis, Edema Ruh, Taborlin the Great, Illien, Alleg

The theory§

This theory holds that a fixed cast of eleven figures from the Creation War recurs, in shifting guises, across every nested story in the Chronicle. The count of eleven is drawn from Skarpi's tales (seven Chandrian, Aleph, Iax, Selitos, and Lyra), Trapis's account of Tehlu and Encanis, the Adem history Shehyn relates (Aethe, Rethe, Finol, Dulcen, and the seven Chandrian), and even the false Ruh troupe Kvothe destroys, where he kills nine and frees two. Wordplay is offered as a key: the false troupe's leader is named Alleg, read as 'allegory' and as an anagram of Lanre, while a fake-Ruh musician who plays pipe and tabor evokes Taborlin the Great. The parallels are read three ways: as literary echo, as a magical compulsion of history to repeat, or as a sign that Kvothe, the consummate storyteller, is shaping his own account to rhyme with the old myths. A recurring structural motif noted across the tales is that a man is created or made from a great woman.

Evidence§

  • I think there may be 11 famous ancient people from the Creation War that we are trying to sort out.
    OP's core claim: a fixed cast of eleven Creation War figures recurs. — u/chainsawx72
  • 11 names in Skarpi's story: seven Chandrian (not all named, but we know they are there), Aleph, Iax, Selitos, and Lyra. … 11 ancient names from Shehyn and the Adem: Aethe, Rethe, Finol, Dulcen, 7 Chandrian. … 11 names in the fake Ruh troupe: Kvothe murders 9 fake Ruh and saves 2 girls from them.
    Counts of eleven recur across Skarpi, the Adem, and the false Ruh troupe. — u/chainsawx72
  • The false Ruh leader is named ALLEG as in Allegory "a story that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning". I think the false ruh and their two prisoners are part of a key to figuring out who's who in the Creation War.
    Wordplay key: Alleg = allegory, signalling the troupe encodes the figures. — u/chainsawx72
  • Laren the fake Ruh plays pipe and tabor... that's a TABORER... so I think symbolically he represents Taborlin.
    Pipe-and-tabor wordplay links a false Ruh musician to Taborlin. — u/chainsawx72
  • In other words, I think that ALL of the ancient stories are about the Chandrian, Aleph, Lyra, Iax and Selitos.
    OP generalises: every nested tale recodes the same core figures. — u/chainsawx72
  • Laren is also an anagram for lanre
    Comment adds wordplay evidence reinforcing the encoded-identity key. — u/Outside_Conclusion13
  • How is the reader to interpret the parallels found here? 1) Literary … 2) Magical … 3) Storytelling - The events did not happen precisely as Kvothe is describing and it is the storyteller in him which is putting in all of the parallels.
    Refines theory: parallels read three ways, favouring Kvothe's storytelling. — u/Katter
  • Interesting, but you're taking some liberties to arrive at these numbers. If Menda and Tehlu are 2, then why not regen and Wereth.
    CounterCounter: the count of eleven is forced by selective inclusion. — u/TheLastSock
  • Its interesting that the numbers add up, but I doubt it means anything, the people mentioned between Skarpi's first and second stories are clearly not the same.
    CounterCounter: the matching numbers are coincidence, not the same figures. — u/TacticalDo

Book refs: NOTW, WMF

Tier reasoning§

distinct theory; relies on naming puns, fringe holds

Contributors§

Source threads§