KKC Theory Wiki

The Third Fear: Simmon's Betrayal Will Destroy Kvothe

plausible prophecy · popularity 265 · 1 source thread

The 'anger of a gentle man' foreshadows Simmon, the gentlest character, being driven to rage and betraying Kvothe.

About: Simmon, Kvothe

Also involves: Fela, Maer Lerand Alveron, Ambrose Jakis, Felurian

The theory§

The recurring proverb 'there are three things a wise man fears: a storm on the sea, a moonless night, and the anger of a gentle man' recurs across both books and is read as structural foreshadowing for Wise Man's Fear, where the first two fears already manifest: the storm at sea on Kvothe's voyage toward the Maer, and the moonless night when he passes into the Fae and meets Felurian. This theory identifies the unspent third fear, the anger of a gentle man, with Simmon, the gentlest of Kvothe's companions, predicting that Kvothe will provoke him to rage and betrayal, plausibly through harm to Fela, the person Simmon loves above all. As a tragedy, the betrayal of the one friend least capable of it would land hardest. Competing readings map the gentle man's anger instead onto Kvothe himself slaying the false troupe and the bandits, onto Master Lorren banishing Kvothe from the Archives (where the proverb is first heard), onto Ambrose as a 'gentleman' by rank, or onto the Maer's cold fury upon learning Kvothe is Edema Ruh. A more cautious reading treats the proverb as thematic rather than a one-to-one prophecy, since moonless nights and dangerous gentle men recur many times over.

Evidence§

  • We have seen two out of three of these happen already and there have been many posts about what this foreshadowing mean and what the third is going to be.
    Frames the proverb as foreshadowing with two fears already fulfilled, one remaining. — u/XMasterology
  • since we know Kvothe will be betrayed by someone close to him, I believe this has something to do with the anger of a gentle man. The most gentle person we have seen, I believe, is none other than Sim, Kvothe's close friend.
    Core claim: the unspent third fear is Sim, the gentlest companion. — u/XMasterology
  • I think Kvothe will do something to anger him, maybe something to do with Fela, like causing her death or something, and Sim will betray Kvothe and cause him to be "killed".
    Mechanism: harm to Fela provokes Sim to rage and betrayal. — u/XMasterology
  • all of the moments that built up Sim and Fela's relationship as well as the interactions Kvothe has had with her too seemed oddly specific. Like they were being mentioned for a reason.
    Refines theory: Sim-Fela buildup reads as deliberate setup. — u/spoon_brainn
  • People really seem to not want Simmon to betray Kvothe, which is precisely why it should happen. It would be heartbreaking, but his story is a tragedy after all.
    Tragic logic: the least-likely betrayer landing hardest fits the tragedy. — u/rld6m
  • if kvothe killed fela unintentionally I find it hard to believe sim would hate him so much. He would be disappointed, angry etc but hate to the point of killing kvothe, I just don't see sim doing that
    CounterCounter: accidental harm to Fela wouldn't drive gentle Sim to murderous betrayal. — u/Sky-is-here
  • The title is thematic. It's not referring to specific events or things. … Moonless nights and dangerous gentle men have appeared all over the novels.
    CounterCounter: proverb is thematic, not a one-to-one prophecy about Sim. — u/aerojockey
  • if we are referring to all the books we have seen the anger of a gentle man when Lorren banishes Kvothe from the archives, in fact it's the first time we hear the quote.
    Competing reading: Lorren's anger already fits the third fear. — u/snakestrike

Book refs: WMF, NOTW

Tier reasoning§

tier kept: reasonable fit, but identity of the gentle man is contested

Contributors§

Source threads§