KKC Theory Wiki

Kvothe Is the King — Kote Is His Own Killer

fringe identity · popularity 286 · 1 source thread

The king Kvothe supposedly killed is himself, with 'Kote' being the instrument of that symbolic regicide.

About: Kvothe

Also involves: Chronicler

The theory§

This theory holds that Kvothe and Kote are distinct identities and that the 'kingkiller' epithet refers to Kvothe destroying his own former self: Kvothe was, in some sense, the king, and 'Kote' is the instrument of that self-regicide. The argument is offered without elaboration and runs against the grain of the text. The strongest objection is structural: the series is the Kingkiller Chronicle, the chronicle of Kvothe, who is known to the world as a king-killer, not a slain king, and if Kote had killed 'King Kvothe' then Kote, not Kvothe, would bear the title. The most that can be salvaged is that Kvothe describes himself as a self-creating myth whose best lies are the ones he told, leaving the identity deliberately constructed and ambiguous, and that 'penitent king' and 'Reshi' hint, faintly, at some royal association.

Evidence§

  • Kvothe is the king. Kote is the killer.
    OP's core claim: Kvothe was the king, Kote the instrument of his self-regicide. — u/ROIVIAN
  • Thats it. thats my theory.
    OP offers no elaboration or supporting argument. — u/ROIVIAN
  • I actually think that Kvothe could actually be the penitent king of sorts. … the only places that I remember that term used, were by Kote himself … I think it's possible that Reshi is a term used by some of the fae to mean royalty.
    Refines theory: 'penitent king' and 'Reshi' hint faintly at royal association. — u/SirJohannvonRocktown
  • Kvothe is heir. Kvothe turns himself into Kote thus killing Kvothe the King.
    Offers a mechanism: Kvothe inherits a crown then becomes Kote, killing his royal self. — u/Paratwa
  • I am a myth … A very special kind of myth that creates itself. The best lies about me are the ones I told.
    Book quote from OP-cited text: identity is deliberately constructed and ambiguous. — u/Sandal-Hat
  • The title leads me to disagree. Kvothe's story is the one being chronicled, and the series isn't called the KilledKing Chronicle.
    CounterCounter: the series chronicles Kvothe the king-killer, not a slain king. — u/UltraTurboPanda
  • So to say that Kote killed kvothe (as king ) would not make sense. Because then Kote would then be known as king killer. Not Kvothe.
    CounterCounter: if Kote did the killing, Kote not Kvothe would bear the title. — u/Samuel_blue
  • If someone could be given the nickname "Kingkiller" by being a king who committed suicide (or seemed to), that would make about as much sense as if we gave Kurt Cobain the nickname "Kurt Musiciankiller".
    CounterCounter: a king killing himself wouldn't earn the 'Kingkiller' epithet. — u/aerojockey

Book refs: NOTW

Tier reasoning§

tier downgraded: no extended textual argument, speculative wordplay

Contributors§

Source threads§