Rand and the Two Rivers?

[PatsNats28]

How long does news take to reach the Two Rivers? I noticed that Tam, despite having left the Two Rivers to visit Tar Valon with Abel and then fighting in the south, only finds out that Rand is the Dragon during KoD... like really? He proclaimed himself at the end of tGH. That's like over 10 books. They can't be that bad, right?

[Noreallyjustsomeguy]

Well ... it was confirmed to him in KoD ... Taim's trip to the Two Rivers probably took place in ACoS, and that's when Tam was initially told.  That's not terribly unreasonable ... Rand's name didn't get widely spread until after he took Cairhien and Andor in TFoH, and the Two Rivers is the back end of nowhere.  Plus they were isolated by the Trolloc attacks and aftermath until LoC. 

[PatsNats28]

True, but with Perrin, Loial, and the Aiel... plus all the Taraboners and Domani refugees that came to the Two Rivers which you see in the beginning of LoC, how did it not get mentioned? His name was known after Falme...

[Noreallyjustsomeguy]

Perrin, Loial, and the Aiel were deliberately not telling.  Remember that Tam asked about Rand, and Perrin sort of dodged the issue.  Verin certainly knew, as well, but again, she was deliberately not telling.

 

The Taraboner and Domani refugees were unlikely to know anything more than garbled rumors: they were refugees escaping a chaotic situation.  And Rand's name was not widely known after Falme.  The people we read about in the books knew, because they were directly involved in the story, or were leaders with spy networks, etc.  But the average man on the street would not likely have known until at least the end of TFoH when Rand openly conquered Cairhien and Caemlyn.

[PatsNats28]

Okay, let's say that's true. Even then, how is it that between LoC and KoD, Taim is the only one to bring that news? You may say that others said it as well, but I think if Tam was able to hear it from many different sources, he'd believe it. And it's not just Tam, it's everyone from the Two Rivers.

[Ozzie_aiel]

Some peddlers probably did bring news of the Dragon being reborn, but peddlers get secondhand knowledge and rumors, so said the DRs name was Ren or Ran or Rupert or something. Its not widely put around that the Dragon Reborn comes from the Two Rivers, to many people he just popped into existance in the Stone of Tear with an army of Aiel

[darth_hel]

It's possible that the rumours didn't care what his name was, could just be the Dragon Reborn did this, This new guy proclaiming himself Dragon did that, etc. The important part to people is not his name but what he does and represents.