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The Singers the Chandrian Fear Are Namers Who Use Song to Name Powerful Beings

plausible identity · popularity 51 · 1 source thread

The Singers feared by Haliax are Namers who add a sung 'layer' to Names, letting them Name beings too complex for speech.

About: The Singers, Naming

Also involves: The Chandrian, Haliax, Felurian, Kvothe, Elodin, The Fae, Aleph, Tehlu, The Tahl, The Ruach

The theory§

Among the threats Haliax names while restraining Cinder are "the Singers," and this theory holds that they are an elite order of Namers who use song as an additional layer of Naming. The Names of concepts like Wind or Fire are short and shifting, and those of Stone or Iron static and simple, but the Names of living, ancient, and powerful beings accrete over time until a spoken Name no longer suffices and a sung one is required. This is offered as the reason Kvothe must sing rather than speak Felurian's Name — a song of four notes — during their duel, and the reason the Chandrian fear an order capable of Naming beings as old as themselves. The reasoning ties the Singers to the ancient namers, or "knowers," who in Skarpi's tale were empowered by Aleph: their mouths filled with fire and "they sang songs of power." Alternate identifications point to the Tahl, a nomadic people from beyond the Stormwal whose "songs can heal the sick and make trees dance," or to the Ruach who followed Tehlu and became the singing angels of Aleph.

Evidence§

  • Among other threats to the Chandrian Haliax mentions "the singers" in NOTW. My theory is that the singers are something above Namers.
    Core claim: the Singers Haliax fears are an order above ordinary Namers. — u/WunderBertrand
  • Names of living beings are on another level because they are building up over time. The more complex, old and powerful an entity is, the longer and more complicated the Name becomes. At some point a spoken Name isn't sufficient and another "layer" is needed to speak. A song.
    Mechanism: powerful beings' Names accrete until speech fails and a sung layer is needed. — u/WunderBertrand
  • That's why Kvothe had to sing Felurians Name. That's why the Chandrian are afraid of the singers, a group of people actually capable of Naming them.
    Evidence: Kvothe sings Felurian's Name; Singers can Name the Chandrian. — u/WunderBertrand
  • It could also be that singing a Name is only required for those who surpassed humanity or aren't a part of it to begin with like the Chandrian or Fae.
    Refinement: sung Names may apply only to non-human or superhuman beings. — u/WunderBertrand
  • To me, the singers are the Ruach that followed Tehlu. Skarpi tells their story in NotW, how Aleph empowered them to go into the world and punish or reward only what they witnessed, and gave them abilities that included singing songs of power (NotW ch 28): "Then Aleph spoke their long names and they were wreathed in a white fire. … The fire filled their mouths and they sang songs of power.
    Identifies Singers as Aleph-empowered Ruach who sang songs of power. — u/bluesy22
  • I'm pretty sure the Singers refer to the seldom-mentioned Tahl. … whose "songs can heal the sick and make trees dance" (Kvothe).
    Alternate identification: the Singers are the Tahl, whose songs heal and move trees. — u/taborlyn13
  • I always thought that the chandrian fear the singers because songs are things people sing for thousands of years over any book or story. They fear them because it’s much harder to erase a song that is sung about them.
    CounterCounter-explanation: the Chandrian fear songs as durable memory, not Naming power. — u/Mood-Zealousideal
  • The only bit I don’t really like is your comment about Kvothe’s young name being a simple name. I think that would be really quite contrary to the depth of character being put forward. … I never took from that encounter that Elodin spoke Kvothe’s deep name…
    CounterCounter: disputes that Kvothe's young Name was simple or that Elodin spoke it. — u/kestral06

Book refs: NOTW, NOTW ch 28

Tier reasoning§

plausible correct

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