How old is Thom??? someone confirm this is crazy

[Myder Avery]

I know Thom is apparently just an old gleeman with an interesting past. but I keep on remembering a scene where Thom is in a court in Barashta. Now correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't Barashta a city before the trolloc wars???

I don't think this ever happened but I wanted to be sure.

 

DOES ANY ONE REMEMBER A SCENE WHERE THOM IS IN A COURT IN BARASHTA????????

[Builder]

No... I can't remember it. Maybe you mixed him up with Asmoedan or something. He wrote music and joined the Shadwo so he could make music for evah!

[Luckers]

No, Mat and Birgitte use a Barashtan oath, and Mat remembers taking a Sea Folk woman from Allorallen to Barashta, but Thom was never a bard there.

 

The only music related note of that time is Mat remember court dances in Londaren Cor, which was a city of Eharon--of which Barashta also was a city.

 

Thom is somewhere between his mid-fifties and his late sixties.

[Caedn of the Taardad]

I don't rember anything linking Thom with a Barashtan court, but there's certainly a possibility he mentions it in a story or explenation of some sort, and that could be where you linked him with Barashta. 

[Luckers]

No, Thom never mentions Barashta, or even Eharon.

[Myder Avery]

Thanks guys, Much apreciated.

Glad I'm still crazy.

[mb]

No, Mat and Birgitte use a Barashtan oath, and Mat remembers taking a Sea Folk woman from Allorallen to Barashta

That is actually one of the memories that he got from the Eelfinn.

 

This page tells about Barashta:

http://encyclopaedia-wot.org/history/eharon/barashta.html

 

[The Watcher and Wanderer]

Thom is a rather mysterious figure.  One thing I find very interesting is that it has never been explicitly stated where he is from originally.  This is noteworthy considering that RJ has gone out of his way to let us know where most characters are from.  For example, he made it clear from the first that Bayle Doman was and Illianer even though this has held no significance what-so-ever to the plot line, except for his minor feud with Juilen.  Speaking of, Juilen's Tarianness has been continually emphasized.    Thom's style of dress and speech patterns do not match any of the cultures of Randland (execpt those of Andor, Carhien and Tear who just speak regular english) though considering his extensive travels it would be reasonable to assume that he lost his native accent over time.

 

Makes me wonder if Thom's country of origin will end up being significant, or if we are just meant to assume he is from Camlyen considering his past their.  Guess well have to RAFO.

[MikeRiley]

Did he ever mention what village it was that Owyn was abandoned by the Aes Sedai in? That was his nephew and the village was probably in his homeland.

[Luckers]

I'd always assumed Thom was originally from Andor. No real reason except that his first job as court bard was in Andor.

 

 

[RobertAlexWillis]

As did I, for the same reason.  But the location of Owyn's home village is never mentioned.

[The Watcher and Wanderer]

I'd always assumed Thom was originally from Andor. No real reason except that his first job as court bard was in Andor.

 

Was that Thom's first job.  I mean he wasn't exactly a young pup when that occured.  Granted he was Morgase's lover but I was under the impression that he was significantly older than her. 

[RobertAlexWillis]

Thom was the bard for House Trakand before he was Morgase's Court Bard in Caemlyn.  Whether that means he was there for a while before Morgase or not was never mentioned.  So, basically, we don't know for sure.  He is a good bit older than Morgase, though.

[deathgate]

Interesting observation about where he is from as RJ does usually make a big deal about that. Does anyone think there is an upcoming reason for it or was just to make him more mysterious? Also are there any other characters (other than very minor) that we don't know where they are from?

[The Watcher and Wanderer]

Interesting observation about where he is from as RJ does usually make a big deal about that. Does anyone think there is an upcoming reason for it or was just to make him more mysterious? Also are there any other characters (other than very minor) that we don't know where they are from?

 

The only other I can think of is Paden Fain, I'm pretty sure RJ has never revealed where he is from either.  Though he is a character that certainly does need to remain mysterious.

[RobertAlexWillis]

Padan Fain is from Lugard.

[The Watcher and Wanderer]

Padan Fain is from Lugard.

 

Ok, then no.  I can't think of a single other major character whose nationality is not known.  I mean RJ usually crams his characters' nationalities down our throats.  Particularly Taim, Suian, Leanne, Bayle and Juilen.  Nothing wrong with that of course, good world building means good culture building.  Its good that we can identify the nationality of one of his characters by a description of their clothing or by paying attention to their voice patterns.

[RobertAlexWillis]

Thom's personality fits Andor, but it isn't exclusively Andoran ... in part because Andor is presented as the least distinctive of the nations (since it is "home"), and partly because we know that Thom has been just about everywhere (as a gleeman after leaving Morgase ... we don't know what he did before) and fits in anywhere.

 

Andor works as his place of origin, and there's nothing to indicate against it, so he is probably Andoran, but there's nothing definitive.

[Dark Justice]

Well.. I cant really see him from anywhere else. He is definately not borderlander. He is not Tairen or cahirienin, and he is not from crazy west coast countries.. He doesnt speak like an Illianer either.

[RobertAlexWillis]

Thats what makes it tough ... he's smart enough to have erased signs of his national origin if he wanted to (accent, mannerisms, etc.) and that would make him seem like an Andoran, who don't really have any odd quirkiness thats easy to nail down.  Its that lack of defining characteristic that seems to be the Andoran's characteristic.

 

But then again, maybe he's just from Andor.

 

If he's not Andoran, then he's probably Cairhienin, just because it doesn't seem to have taken him very long to get to Owyn's village and back.  But again, we don't have firm numbers on that, so its not entirely clear.

[Yllek]

I never really though about where Thom was from before, but now that you mention the lack of it having been specified, my guess would be that Thom, being a gleeman (and a rather good one, I might add) is supposed to blend and fit-in anywhere.  Thom, being Thom, likes information about power and politics and the best way to get that is to blend in.  Most other characters have retained a lot of charicteristics of their home area in their personality, leading to it being pointed out, but Thom is practiced in blending in anywhere.  Maybee that's why it was never mentioned.