Moiraine and Galad relatives?

[Celebrinnen]

Hi!

I am sorry if this topic has been discussed earlier, but the search did not work due to server optimizing and 5000+ postings seemed a bit too many to look through... I have wondered for quite a long time already if Moiraine and Galad are relatives? They both are of House Damodred of Cairhien, one by herself and the other by father. If they are, that makes Moiraine and Rand relatives as well? I may be mistaking but I cannot recall anything concerning that matter from the books. If I am right, I wonder if this has some significance after Moiraines return?

[David Selig]

Yes, Moiraine and Galad are relatives. Moiraine is a half-sister of Galad's father Taringail.

 

Rand and Moiraine aren't blood relatives though, since he and Galad only share a mother - Tigraine.

[didymos]

Rand and Moiraine aren't blood relatives though, since he and Galad only share a mother - Tigraine.

 

Well, we can't be sure. The way the noble houses intermarry, it's quite possible they're distant cousins, in much the same way that all the Andoran Houses trace back to Ishara. But since we don't have detailed genealogies of Cairhienin nobility, it's just a possibility. And they wouldn't be considered "related" in the day-to-day sense anyway.

[Kaznen]

The noble houses between Cairhien and Andor don't marry each other that often. Taringail was nephew to King Laman and Tigraine(Rand and Galad's mom) was the Daughter Heir of Andor. But marriage between the rank and file nobles of different countries in the Southlands are quiet rare.

[didymos]

The noble houses between Cairhien and Andor don't marry each other that often.

 

I don't recall that coming up in the books, but regardless: "not often" is still more than "never" and thus it remains possible that Rand and Moiraine actually are distantly related. Which is the only point I'm making: we cannot categorically say they are not. We can only say that they're not as far as we know, and maybe that it is unlikely (I disagree on the latter, as outlined below).

 

But marriage between the rank and file nobles of different countries in the Southlands are quiet rare.

 

Maybe so, but irrelevant. For one, when I said "the way they intermarry", I wasn't implying that it occurred with great frequency, just that it was an accepted part of the political landscape. Probably should have used a different phrasing though. For two, Damodred and Mantear aren't "rank and file" houses anyway, so the likelihood of them having been involved in a greater than average number of such marriages over their respective histories is, well, greater. For three, it really doesn't take many of these high-level "spouse exchanges" to get to the point that the nobilities of multiple nations are basically all related to each other to some degree, especially when the non-inheriting kids resulting from these unions get married off into somewhat lesser houses "internally", and their non-inheriting kids get married off into yet other houses, etc. Now add in the occasional case of people at a given rank marrying up (meaning more blood ties to those houses more likely to intermarry) and their own infrequent crossovers with other national nobility and I'd say that the odds of Rand and Moraine being cousins, if very distant ones, are actually not too shabby. Quite good, in fact.

[mb]

Yes, Moiraine and Galad are relatives. Moiraine is a half-sister of Galad's father Taringail.

 

Rand and Moiraine aren't blood relatives though, since he and Galad only share a mother - Tigraine.

Rand and Galad are actually half siblings which does make them blood relatives ("half blood" ones).

 

Not sure if child of a half sibling (Galad to Moiraine) would be a relative type; or a half sibling of a parent (Moiraine to Galad).

If Taringail & Moiraine were full-blood siblings, Moiraine would have been Galad's aunt and Galad would have been Moiraine's nephew.

 

 

This just occurred to me:: The relationships between Moiraine/Galad, those are the same between Galad & Elayne's/Rand's children.

 

 

If they are, that makes Moiraine and Rand relatives as well?

Main person to connect Moiraine & Galad is her half-brother or his father. There is no such person with Rand.

[dovien]

Rand and Galad are actually half siblings which does make them blood relatives ("half blood" ones).

Oh no... you just made me realise... WoT has a 'half-blood prince' >.<

[mb]

Rand and Galad are actually half siblings which does make them blood relatives ("half blood" ones).

Oh no... you just made me realise... WoT has a 'half-blood prince' >.<

The country being Cairhien? There might actually be 2 depending on who keeps its throne. (Galad if Elayne or Gawyn keep it; Gawyn/Rand if Galad keeps it.)

[Finnssss22]

Moiriane is Taringail's half sister, their blood father is Dalresin Damodred.

She is Galad's, Elayne's and Gawyn's aunt by blood the same as Lord Luc/Slayer is uncle by blood to Rand and Galad.

Galad links them all as will Elayne and Rand's children.

Moiraine will be great aunt to Rand and Elayne's children, Luc their great uncle.

[mb]

Aunt would for sure be Moiraine's relationship to Taringail's children if she was his full-blood sister.

Moiraine's relationship to the 3 (Galad/Gawyn/Elayne) is not exactly the same as Luc to Galad/Rand; so Moiraine is not exactly "aunt" to the 3.

[Finnssss22]

Aunt would for sure be Moiraine's relationship to Taringail's children if she was his full-blood sister.

Moiraine's relationship to the 3 (Galad/Gawyn/Elayne) is not exactly the same as Luc to Galad/Rand; so Moiraine is not exactly "aunt" to the 3.

 

 

The only difference is that Luc and Tigraine are full brother and sister where Moiriane and Taringail only share their father.

It still means Moiriane is Elayne's, Galad's and Gawyn's aunt by blood just not quite as strongly as Luc is uncle to Galad and Rand but she is still their aunt none the less.

[David Selig]

I really wish that someone in the books will mentions at least once that Moiraine is the aunt of Elayne, Gawyn and Galad. It bugs me it's never mentioned directly and nobody seems to care about it the slightest bit.I know Moiraine distanced herself from the Damodreds, but still...

 

Something like "I wouldn't want to see my niece dead, even though we aren't close" by Moiraine when Thom asked her why she wanted him to go to Tanchico in TSR would've been perfect.

[Valkyria]

I recall Rand trying to figure out if he had any relationship to Elayne when he found out who is mother was, but which book mentioned that Lord Luc was Rand's uncle? I just don't recall and it could have been many books ago for me.

 

Thanks!

[mb]

I recall Rand trying to figure out if he had any relationship to Elayne when he found out who is mother was, but which book mentioned that Lord Luc was Rand's uncle?

There are a number of books that reveal it; most of them indirectly. Winter's Heart explicitly; Slayer's only POV.

[Finnssss22]

I recall Rand trying to figure out if he had any relationship to Elayne when he found out who is mother was, but which book mentioned that Lord Luc was Rand's uncle? I just don't recall and it could have been many books ago for me.

 

Thanks!

 

Luc's disappearance is mentioned as early as tEotW but it's not till LoC in Rand's conversation with Dyelin that you mentioned that he and us know.

If there was any doubt, it is dispelled in WH by Slayer himself.

[Valkyria]

Thanks all!

[Finnssss22]

The real question for me about Slayer has do about Isam.

According to the time lines, Luc went to the Blight in the year 971.

Isam however, was born about the same time as Lan (953) because we know Isam was an infant when Malkier was overrun in 955.

My question is what exactly was going on with Isam in the 18 or so years before Luc arrived?

Raised by Myrddraal? Scary thoughts.

[JenniferL]

A handy visual aid.

 

http://wotfaq.dragonmount.com/node/123