When do Thom and Min meet

[Guest Slanter]

In several of Min Farshaw's POVs she mentions that she keeps knives hidden on her person the way that Thom Merrilin taught her. However I cannot think of any point in the series that Thom and Min had any interactions with each other or were even in the same city. Excepting just prior to tEoTW when they were both in Baerlon and when Rand and co. passed through. Am I just missing something. Thoughts?

[fionwe1987]

In several of Min Farshaw's POVs she mentions that she keeps knives hidden on her person the way that Thom Merrilin taught her. However I cannot think of any point in the series that Thom and Min had any interactions with each other or were even in the same city. Excepting just prior to tEoTW when they were both in Baerlon and when Rand and co. passed through. Am I just missing something. Thoughts?

They were together in Salidar, remember?

[Orderofolde]

Yep, both of them were there in Salidor, though I had some trouble trying to remember.  One thing that I do know is that we've seen none of the viewings of Thom outside of a Moiraine mention that she knew the man she was to marry or some such.  unless I'm wrong and can't remember.  My current reread should help me remember though.

[AquilaInfernus]

There are two viewings of Thom mentioned directly, off the top of my head.

 

The first is the cloud of lights and shadow in Baerlon that Min mentions to Rand (I believe it refers to everyone there, and later Nynaeve. Though when with Perrin and Rand reunite the lights seem to hold the Shadow at bay). The second is Thom reaching into a fire and bringing out Moiraine's blue jewel unharmed, representing he rescue from the 'Finns

[Kadere]

No, Thom is reaching into the fire to pull Moriaine's bead out is a Dream Egwene has in TDR.

The two things Min sees about Thom are in EotW. They are of a man, not him, juggling fire, and the White Tower (which makes no sense to Min seeing as how he's a man). Likely the man juggling fire is Mat and references saving Moiraine, and the White Tower is because he'll become her warder, but we really don't know specifically.

[zshadez]

No, Thom is reaching into the fire to pull Moriaine's bead out is a Dream Egwene has in TDR.

 

The two things Min sees about Thom are in EotW. They are of a man, not him, juggling fire, and the White Tower (which makes no sense to Min seeing as how he's a man). Likely the man juggling fire is Mat and references saving Moiraine, and the White Tower is because he'll become her warder, but we really don't know specifically.

 

I'd imagine with Thom's history the man juggling fire is either his nephew. Min's visions arn't foretellings, she just sees pieces of the pattern. Thom's driving influences are a man juggling fire (His nephew) and the White Tower (who gentled his nephew). I've never seen anyone connect these to Mat. o_O

[a5m]

Owen, his nephew, is in the past so it shouldn't be that. I'd go with what Kadere said, it's likely Mat and the reference to being a Warder.

[zshadez]

Again, Min's visions aren't foretellings. She doesn't see the future, she sees auras and pieces of the pattern. She sees seven ruined towers for Lan... the towers are already ruined. The viewing for Thom is what you find out later to be his driving motivation for helping the boys, his nephew and the White Tower. A Man juggling fire might reference Rand, or Mat's fireworks... but it doesn't. This was a very early viewing in the first book, and one of the few that show something other than a glimpse of what's in store for a character.

 

Saying the viewing refers to something other than the major facet of Thom's past which we later find is what leads to him entwining himself with the boys repeatedly when the viewing matches that perfectly doesn't make any sense.

[Barid Bel Medar]

INTERVIEW: Oct 19th, 1994

Compuserve Chat

 (Verbatim)

 

KEVIN

Are Min's visions absolute foretellings or probabilities?

 

ROBERT JORDAN

Her visions are absolute foretellings.The problem is, she doesn't always know what it means. The only changes from that are two visions she's had which indicated the possibility of the future forking, an "either/or." And that's the only time she's ever had anything like that.

 

INTERVIEW: Nov 11th, 1998

MSN eFriends Interview

 (Verbatim)

 

SLAYER

Do Min's viewings always predict the future, or do some tell about the past, mainly the seven towers around Lan in The Eye of the World?

 

ROBERT JORDAN

Um, her viewings are always concerning the future.

 

[Suttree]

Again, Min's visions aren't foretellings. She doesn't see the future, she sees auras and pieces of the pattern.

Ermm what? They absolutely are fortellings and all Min sees is concerning the future in her viewings...

 

Edit: Gah, ninjad by Barid and with the proper quotes no less!!!

[zshadez]

I've always taken that as something changed when the series grew, like the appearance of traveling in the EotW prologue.

[driedraspberry]

Regarding Min and Thom, I thought it was pretty silly that RJ made it so she learned some badass knife throwing skills from him in a matter of a month or so (or was it longer?). It would have been perfectly in character for Min to already have acquired those skills pre-series.

[Ozzie_aiel]

I'm sure she had some knife skills already, given her usual outfit, her good looks and that men from that time period sometimes didn't know the difference between yes and no, but I can see Thom helping her improve those skills. There probably wasn't much else for them to do in Salidar

[Dastion]

Min's knife thing is mostly just his habit of 'templating' many characters. Like how nearly every female cook in the books very fat and carries her spoon like a scepter.

 

Unless a character is directly associated with a different means of fighting (ie she's a soldier, channeler, or Birgitte) the default appears to be either knife throwing or martial arts, with more 'exotic' characters leaning towards the latter.

[Whizbang]

Thoms is, like, a really good teacher. He only had a few weeks with Mat and Rand, but taught them how to juggle, play the flute, and in Mat's case, throw knives. The juggling and flute thing only came on Bayle Domon's boat, which they were on for only a few days. Then he teaches Min knives in a matter of a few weeks, and most of that time he is out scouting.

[David Selig]

Yeah, Thom has superhuman teaching skills. He taught Mat to juggle with 6 balls at once in 2 weeks and he taught Elayne to do back flips and cartwheels on a tight rope in about the same time.

[Ozzie_aiel]

Hes not out scouting all the time, we only know of once into Amadacia to find out what the Whitecloaks are up to. In the forests around Salidar warders would more likely be used to scout, being better at it and showing the might of Aes Sedai better than a Tairen thief-cather and old gleeman could. Most of their work would've likely been something less time consuming, leaving plenty of opportunity to teach. And not including any indulgent warders who may give her a few tips as well

[driedraspberry]

<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote'data-author="Ozzie_aiel" data-cid="2710287" data-time="1355901826"><p>

I'm sure she had some knife skills already, given her usual outfit, her good looks and that men from that time period sometimes didn't know the difference between yes and no, but I can see Thom helping her improve those skills. There probably wasn't much else for them to do in Salidar</p></blockquote>

 

Those were my thoughts, it would have made perfect sense for Min to be skilled with knives just going by her lifestyle, but it's strongly implied that Thom taught it all to her. She never even carried knives prior to his super teaching.

[Viperswhip]

She was a pretty tomboy in a rough mining district. She had some toughness already. No great surprise she could pick up some skills pretty quickly.