Quiver me timbers

[1Brotherbill]

Being that the main characters are all good with the bow. Why is it that nobody carries a quiver in the story? Everyone has a bow but now quiver. I don't recall any mention of one in the story but it has been proven that my memory of the story is flawed to say the least. I remember Rand, Mat, and Perrin often talking about fresh bow strings and having an arrow ready. But nothing about only having a dozen or so arrows left.

 

Just seems strange to me.

[shortkut]

don't either Perrin or slayer use a quiver in TAR?

[Durinax]

Being that the main characters are all good with the bow. Why is it that nobody carries a quiver in the story? Everyone has a bow but now quiver. I don't recall any mention of one in the story but it has been proven that my memory of the story is flawed to say the least. I remember Rand, Mat, and Perrin often talking about fresh bow strings and having an arrow ready. But nothing about only having a dozen or so arrows left.

 

Just seems strange to me.

there is multiple mentions of this, one in the portal world when the grolm come upon rand, also I believe in tDR with the darkhounds and perrin. Those are two that come out right away

[thisguy]

Quivers are mentioned. But, you're right, bowstrings are mentioned far more often.

[Mr Ares]

Quivers are mentioned. But, you're right, bowstrings are mentioned far more often.

No, quivers are mentioned far more often than bowstrings. TSR alone has more references to quivers than the entire series has to bowstrings (Ideal Seek search turned up 20 bowstrings, 120 quivers, 22 quivers in TSR).

[thisguy]

Well, I'm on a reread - just started book five. Seems like they mention "axe" or "sword on his hip and a quiver bristling with arrows" and then every time it's raining they mention bowstrings - or tying a guy up with bowstrings. Whatever.

[roocifer]

I remember it mentioning Birgitte's quiver, and Aiel carrying the quivers at their hips. But I assume RJ and BS just got to a point where they figured if the character had a bow, we'd assume they'd have a quiver too, so no need to mention it every time.

[thisguy]

I remember it mentioning Birgitte's quiver, and Aiel carrying the quivers at their hips. But I assume RJ and BS just got to a point where they figured if the character had a bow, we'd assume they'd have a quiver too, so no need to mention it every time.

 

It must get a little boring. I wonder if they keep a cut and paste list on a separate word file:

 

"bristling quiver on hip"

"don't upset Aes Sedai"

"Padan Fain's a jerk"

[Alanna]

They're mentioned more in the earlier books, but I think later on, they might be mentioned less because they move on to other weapons. Rand winds up pretty much only using his sword or the OP. Mat gets his ashandarei. And Perrin of course has his axe.

[Zorlon]

I remember it mentioning Birgitte's quiver, and Aiel carrying the quivers at their hips. But I assume RJ and BS just got to a point where they figured if the character had a bow, we'd assume they'd have a quiver too, so no need to mention it every time.

Not me.

 

Every time a quiver wasn't mentioned I've imagined their arrows being pulled out of the same place Optimus Prime's trailer comes from when he transforms.

[1Brotherbill]

Ever wear a cloak and try and draw a sword or pull a arrow out of a quiver on the other side? Picture Rand walking around Fal Dara trying to get out of the city. Bag made out of a cloak over one shoulder held by bow (Huck Finn style). Sword on one hip. Wearing a cloak and coat. And no mention of Quiver. You would assume he would have one being he tells all the guards that he is going to hunt rabbits. Maybe it's a shoulder quiver. Then the cloak is really going to be a problem.

 

First book. Rand walking down the road with his dad. Bow in hand with one arrow nocked ready to fly. Cloak flapping in the wind in fact he has to hold it shut with one hand. Again no mention of quiver. And have you held a long bow with a thirty plus inch arrow with one hand while walking next to a horse and cart with your free hand holding a cloak shut.

 

First book. Party traveling through the blight. Mat turns and fires an arrow behind them because he is getting aggravated. You wouldn't fire an arrow at nothing if you only had a few to shoot. You would make sure that you had something to shoot at. Making an arrow from scratch is a time consuming thing you wouldn't want to waste them like that. I don't care how aggravated you are.

 

Numerous fights through the first few books where Mat is shooting at Trollocs or whatever and he is loosing arrows like crazy. From the feel of the story he would have a quiver as big as a garbage can. When he would probably hold a dozen at the most.

 

I just think that RJ was shy on this aspect of the story. And BS didn't have to deal with it being that the main caricatures have evolved into less bow related people.

[Luckers]

According to Ideal Seek the word quiver is used 120 times in books 1-12.

[TristanWebb]

how many times does it mean something you use to carry arrows though?

[FarShainMael]

Most of them:

 

http://dposey.no-ip....t=0&c=0&p=0&d=3

[bustycops1987]

I think in general it sort of just depends on how you picture the stuff. In general though I think quivers were more then mentioned often enough for it not to be oversight when they weren't. I always pictured them with bow and quiver, even if every Two Rivers / Aiel mention didn't have a laundry list description of all their specific gear. It still happened often enough with quivers being mentioned that you know it wasn't some huge oversight if all that stuff wasn't listed every single time.

[Mr Ares]

Ever wear a cloak and try and draw a sword or pull a arrow out of a quiver on the other side? Picture Rand walking around Fal Dara trying to get out of the city. Bag made out of a cloak over one shoulder held by bow (Huck Finn style). Sword on one hip. Wearing a cloak and coat. And no mention of Quiver. You would assume he would have one being he tells all the guards that he is going to hunt rabbits. Maybe it's a shoulder quiver. Then the cloak is really going to be a problem.

"he buckled the heron-mark sword to his waist and hung his quiver" TGH chapter 2.

 

First book. Rand walking down the road with his dad. Bow in hand with one arrow nocked ready to fly. Cloak flapping in the wind in fact he has to hold it shut with one hand. Again no mention of quiver. And have you held a long bow with a thirty plus inch arrow with one hand while walking next to a horse and cart with your free hand holding a cloak shut.

"Half the time when he tried to tug the cloak back around him it caught on the quiver swinging at his hip". "Rand paused in the act of putting his bow and quiver in the back of the cart". Both EotW chapter 1.

[Colin al'Caar]

Ever wear a cloak and try and draw a sword or pull a arrow out of a quiver on the other side? Picture Rand walking around Fal Dara trying to get out of the city. Bag made out of a cloak over one shoulder held by bow (Huck Finn style). Sword on one hip. Wearing a cloak and coat. And no mention of Quiver. You would assume he would have one being he tells all the guards that he is going to hunt rabbits. Maybe it's a shoulder quiver. Then the cloak is really going to be a problem.

 

First book. Rand walking down the road with his dad. Bow in hand with one arrow nocked ready to fly. Cloak flapping in the wind in fact he has to hold it shut with one hand. Again no mention of quiver. And have you held a long bow with a thirty plus inch arrow with one hand while walking next to a horse and cart with your free hand holding a cloak shut.

 

First book. Party traveling through the blight. Mat turns and fires an arrow behind them because he is getting aggravated. You wouldn't fire an arrow at nothing if you only had a few to shoot. You would make sure that you had something to shoot at. Making an arrow from scratch is a time consuming thing you wouldn't want to waste them like that. I don't care how aggravated you are.

 

Numerous fights through the first few books where Mat is shooting at Trollocs or whatever and he is loosing arrows like crazy. From the feel of the story he would have a quiver as big as a garbage can. When he would probably hold a dozen at the most.

 

I just think that RJ was shy on this aspect of the story. And BS didn't have to deal with it being that the main caricatures have evolved into less bow related people.

 

Mat carries a bow and quiver at least to Baerlon...it's mentioned....Plus, if one uses and bow to shoot an arrow can't it be assumed that arrow came from some form of storage device?