Thom and Elayne

[nwash_10]

Good evening all! I've read these forums for a little bit now but this is my first time posting.  I'm rereading the series after The Gathering Storm reignited my obsession.

 

Any I'm currently about halfway through The Shadow Rising and just came across an interesting comparison by Jordan.  There has always been some hinting that Thom is Elayne's father.  As the series has gone on though I just sort of figured that he was just there because of his relationship with Morgase, rather than actually being her father. 

In chapter 20, Winds Rising, pg 332, Elayne and Thom are chatting on Wavedancer and she's trying to figure out how she knows him.  Jordan writes this from Elayne's POV "...but instead he talked to her as seriously as....Well, as father to daughter."

 

To me, it seems that either Jordan is screwing with everyone, giving them a false trail.  or the only other reason to make that kind of comparison is because he actually is her father.

 

 

Sorry that I got so long winded.

 

 

What are peoples thoughts?

[nwash_10]

If anyone has some proof from within' the text to prove they are I'd appreciate if you could hook me up with the book and page.

 

THANKS!!!!

[nwash_10]

Any takers?

[nwash_10]

Not that anyone cares but...

 

Even though it would be kind of cool if Thom is Elayne's father, I also think it would be kind of lame.  How many characters seem to have connections?

It would be kind of refreshing and nice is Thom was just an awesome dude who helped raise Elayne until Morgase got pissssed.

[mb]

There were similar discussions in the past.

 

This page talks about Thom's relationship to Elayne::

http://linuxmafia.com/jordan/2_nondark/2.5_lurv/2.5.4_thom-el-dad.html

 

[Graendals favourite]

Oh well, already wrote that:

 

I remember that RJ has denied it. Apparently Thom only became a full-time lover with Morgase after he had killed Taringail(who of course was plotting to kill Morgase). I understand Morgase had no affections at all toward Taringail, but Taringail I understand wanted to secure Andor as 'his,' so seeing that the children were his would have been a high priority. (Unlikely they could have been Thom's even had Morgase wished that at that point, most likely she was too dutiful for else, for instance discovery might have risked war with Cairhien.)

[nwash_10]

Just playing devil's advocate but knocking up the Morgase and having a fling with her would seem like a good reason to knock off Taringail.

 

obviously, there's some motivation for him killing Taringail.

[nwash_10]

At a post-ACOS signing [Dunwoody, GA, 9 October, 1996], RJ strongly denied that Thom was Elayne or Gawyn's father. "Thom is exactly who he says he is."

 

I guess that clears it up.....

[redisgreat]

Thom is not Elayne's father. That would be too much. I think that since Elayne and Gawyn seem to be so alike that Thom is not their father. He may be Galad's father though!!

 

[Graendals favourite]

He may be Galad's father thoug

Do we know anything that connects Thom to Tigraine? So not only was Thom Tigraine's lover while she was married to Taringail, he took up a fling with his next wife as well...  ;)

 

On a side note, I don't see why Rand hasn't figured out Galad is his brother-- he knows Tigraine was Shaiel. Well, perhaps he hasn't care to find out who Tigraine's son was.

[Majsju]

 

 

On a side note, I don't see why Rand hasn't figured out Galad is his brother-- he knows Tigraine was Shaiel. Well, perhaps he hasn't care to find out who Tigraine's son was.

 

Oh, he knows. But what do you expect him to do, run off to Galad and spill the beans, just to get some brotherly love?

[Graendals favourite]

 

 

On a side note, I don't see why Rand hasn't figured out Galad is his brother-- he knows Tigraine was Shaiel. Well, perhaps he hasn't care to find out who Tigraine's son was.

 

Oh, he knows. But what do you expect him to do, run off to Galad and spill the beans, just to get some brotherly love?

Of course  ;). Well, at least he has angsted about his parent and wanting to meet them and all that... though of course, he did meet Galad, so perhaps that was enough.

[Majsju]

 

 

On a side note, I don't see why Rand hasn't figured out Galad is his brother-- he knows Tigraine was Shaiel. Well, perhaps he hasn't care to find out who Tigraine's son was.

 

Oh, he knows. But what do you expect him to do, run off to Galad and spill the beans, just to get some brotherly love?

Of course  ;). Well, at least he has angsted about his parent and wanting to meet them and all that... though of course, he did meet Galad, so perhaps that was enough.

 

He had wanted to meet his parents back in the days, that is a quite different thing from wanting to meet them now, had they been alive. Look at Rands decision to avoid coming anywhere near Emonds Field, same thing applies to Galad. Anyone seen having a connection to Rand immidiatly becomes a target.

[Graendals favourite]

Well yea, true. I did not think he would have cared so much if Galad were a target, but if he started showing a softer side (when he had one), many people could be targeted as a consequence. Which just highlights that his three women should be in danger later on, what with the Shadow knowing about them. (For instance Moghedien of course knows all of Elayne's deepest cravings concerning Rand)

[Ashaman Kovan]

 

 

On a side note, I don't see why Rand hasn't figured out Galad is his brother-- he knows Tigraine was Shaiel. Well, perhaps he hasn't care to find out who Tigraine's son was.

 

Oh, he knows. But what do you expect him to do, run off to Galad and spill the beans, just to get some brotherly love?

Of course  ;). Well, at least he has angsted about his parent and wanting to meet them and all that... though of course, he did meet Galad, so perhaps that was enough.

 

He had wanted to meet his parents back in the days, that is a quite different thing from wanting to meet them now, had they been alive. Look at Rands decision to avoid coming anywhere near Emonds Field, same thing applies to Galad. Anyone seen having a connection to Rand immidiatly becomes a target.

 

Well maybe eventually he'll figure out that he needs people close to him that he can trust and will approach him somehow. Anything could happen.

[Galthran]

i must of missed something in the books i didnt know galad and rad were brothers

[Graendals favourite]

Well it is not clear Rand knows it either, just that he definitely should know. And, yes, he needs some brotherly love. (however one understands it)

[Cillian]

 

Of course  ;). Well, at least he has angsted about his parent and wanting to meet them and all that... though of course, he did meet Galad, so perhaps that was enough.

 

Yeah, meeting Galad the once was probably more than enough. :P

[Sandmanbm]

I think rand is a little busy right for family reunions  :)

 

 

I had the same idea about Thom being Elaine's father also, I'm pretty sure most people did, but now I don't see it.

 

Edit: TGS spoiler removed

[Ashaman Kovan]

I think rand is a little busy right for family reunions  :)

 

 

I had the same idea about Thom being Elaine's father also, I'm pretty sure most people did, but now I don't see it.

 

Edit: TGS spoiler removed

 

I think Rand is in more danger of losing himself then of anything. He can make the time. He probably will.

[rubbernilly]

i must of missed something in the books i didnt know galad and rad were brothers

 

Yeah... it's never directly addressed from the character's POV (probably because Rand either doesn't know or doesn't really care about Galad), but enough facts are laid out that the reader can be certain of it. Rand is more concerned with if he and Elayne are blood-relatives, because he wants to give her a good tumble and, well, that's just a bit awkward with your sister.

 

From the FAQ (http://www.dragonmount.com/Faq/index.php?action=artikel&cat=12&id=43&artlang=en):

Galad Damodred is the son of Tigraine Mantear and Taringail Damodred. Rand is the son of Shaiel (Tigraine) and Janduin, clan chief of the Taardad Aiel. So yes, Galad and Rand are half-brothers. Elayne and Gawyn are the children of Taringail Damodred and Morgase Trakand so they are not related to Rand except as distant cousins.

 

Tigraine was the one told by Gitara Moroso that she needed to leave her home and go into the Waste, that the fate of the world depended on it. She'd already had Galad by then (remember, she left "a son she loved, and a husband she did not"). She was taken in by the Maidens of the Spear, and married Janduin to eventually have Rand.

 

Taringail married Morgase to cement the succession to the throne, and together they had Elayne and Gawyn.

 

As a side-note, this also lends light to the death of Janduin... once you know that Tigraine was Rand's mother, you know, too, that her brother Luc had gone into the blight before Tigraine disappeared (rumors also point to Gitara Moroso having something to do with this). Luc later became part of Slayer (the other part being Isam, Lan's cousin). In the blight after Tigraine's death, Janduin runs into a man who looked so much like Tigraine that he refused to raise his spear even as the man (Luc, Tigraine's brother) killed him. More info here: http://www.steelypips.org/wotfaq/1_dark/1.4_whats-up-dark/1.4.02_slayer.html

 

Like I said, not a lot of direct, spoon-fed information linking Rand and Galad, but enough is there to draw the lines. In fact, it's kind of necessary to understand so that some of the back-story fleshes out. It really gives a lot of color to the current story.