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The Skin Dancer Asks Whether Kvothe Is a Chandrian or a Shaper

plausible identity · popularity 78 · 1 source thread

The Skin Dancer's Ademic question 'Te Rhintae?' may ask if Kvothe himself is a Chandrian, hinting at his true nature.

About: Kvothe, The Chandrian

Also involves: The Cthaeh, Naming, Shaping, The Adem, Chronicler

The theory§

When the Skin Dancer-possessed townsman confronts Kvothe in The Name of the Wind, it speaks the Ademic words 'Te aithiyn Seathaloi? Te Rhintae?', which visibly frightens and angers Kvothe. Because 'Rhinta' is the Ademic word for the Chandrian, this theory reads the second question as 'Are you a Chandrian?', hinting at something hidden in Kvothe's nature. Competing readings expand rather than dismiss the catch: 'Rhinata' appears in the Archives motto 'Vorfelan Rhinata Morie,' rendered as 'the desire for knowledge shapes a man,' linking the root to shaping, so the demon may be asking whether Kvothe is a Shaper or whether he has changed his true name. The 'rhinna' flower that grows on the Cthaeh's tree shares the same root, binding the Chandrian, shaping, and the Cthaeh together in a single web of vocabulary. The first clause is read by some as invoking Seathaloi, possibly the followers of Selitos, making the whole utterance a demand to know which side of the old war Kvothe stands on.

Evidence§

  • And before Kvothe attacks him he says "Te aithiyn Seathaloi? Te Rhintae?" to Kvothe. This seemed to frighten/annoy Kvothe a lot. Is this because he is asking Kvothe if he is a Chandrian (Te Rhintae)?
    OP's core argument: the demon's question frightens Kvothe and may ask if he is Chandrian. — u/PeachDrinkz
  • The Rhinta are the Chandrian (in Ademic), and Te could mean "you" … or "The"
    OP's linguistic basis: Rhinta means Chandrian, Te means you, supporting the reading. — u/PeachDrinkz
  • The phrase "Vorfelan Rhinata Morie" being translated by Willem as "the desire for knowledge shapes a man" led many people to assume that Rhinata means Shaper/Shapes. So the skin dancer could be asking more generally if he is a shaper.
    Refines the reading: same root means shaper, so the demon may ask if Kvothe is a Shaper. — u/TheSciolists
  • OR "Te Rhintae?" could even mean "You changed your true name?" … Perhaps the skin dancer was looking for Kvothe, and Kvothe was surprised that it found him … despite the fact that he changed his name.
    Alternative refinement: question may ask if Kvothe changed his true name. — u/TheSciolists
  • And the rhinna flower is what grows from the Cthaeh's tree. … "rhinna" and "rhintae" almost have to be connected. Also, the Chandrian are called "rhinta."
    Adds evidence: rhinna flower root links Chandrian, Cthaeh, and the word. — u/SpyNinjaRobotDragon
  • Seathaloi I think was related to followers of Selitos, aka the Amyr. So he asks are you allied … with Selitos, and then asks are you a shaper/chandrian/whatever it may mean.
    Decodes the first clause: asks which side of the old war Kvothe is on. — u/sammeksill
  • I also think Kvothe knows what the possessed man asks and pretends not to.
    Supports that Kvothe understood and concealed the question's meaning. — u/twelphknight
  • It means "Do you know the muffin man, muffin man, muffin man."
    CounterCounter via mockery: dismisses the over-interpretation of the Ademic phrase. — u/Frydog42

Book refs: NOTW

Tier reasoning§

tier upgraded: rests on a verbatim Ademic line and the established Rhinta/Chandrian gloss, strong textual basis

Contributors§

Source threads§