The Name of the Wind

The character of Chronicler functions as a narrative tool: He is the outlet for Kote to relate the tales of his younger self, Kvothe. Chronicler has a real name, Devan Lochees, but others know him simply as a scribe. He has gotten wind of Kvothe’s location on the road, which we learn at the end of the book was Bast’s doing; Bast is worried about his master’s slow fade into obscurity and failure. Chronicler’s major personality trait is related to his work. He thinks it is important to have the truth of Kvothe’s story, and this is why he goes to the Waystone Inn. Kote has heard of him by reputation as “a great collector of stories and recorder of events” (51). In the beginning, he is a hapless yet book-smart man whom mercenaries rob and who then unwisely follows a campfire to scraeling territory. The book ends on the scribe’s fear, after Bast threatens him into assisting Bast’s campaign to bring back the “real” Kvothe.

Although readers never find out exactly what Bast is, it’s clear that this man is close to what regular folks in Temerant might consider to be a “demon,” though he passes for human. Kvothe calls him one of “the folk”: “Bastas, son of Remmen, Prince of Twilight and the Telwyth Mael. The brightest, which is to say the only student I’ve had the misfortune to teach. Glamourer, bartender, and not last, my friend” (93). Bast shows deference and admiration for Kote, his master, and is cunning, witty, and handsome, with the movements of a dancer. Bast has a very dark side as well, which he reveals to Chronicler to ensure that he gets his way. It is Bast who has engineered the rumors that brought Chronicler to the inn in the first place. He tells Chronicler at the end of the book, “You are not wise enough to fear me as I should be feared. You do not know the first note of the music that moves me” (661).

Of all the characters that populate Kvothe’s childhood, Ben is the most important. The arcanist first teaches Kvothe about sympathy and awakens his intellectual curiosity, then leaves abruptly to marry a widow and tend a brewery. The narrative leads readers to believe that Ben walked into a trap, though he never again appears within the pages of this book. Ben is the one who urges Kvothe to attend the University. About him, Kvothe says, “He taught me more than all the others set end to end. If not for him, I would never have become the man I am today. I ask that you not hold it against him. He meant well” (55).

Rothfuss devotes more pages to describing this flighty young woman than anyone else in this book. More accurately, the author gives details about her by having his male characters point out how difficult it is to describe her. Kvothe first meets Denna on his way to Imre, where the University is located. They spend some romantic moments together, but she moves on. He says, about that time, “The closeness of her was the sweetest, sharpest thing my life had ever known” (217). Later, he encounters her again at a seminal moment in his life—when he sings at the Eolian to earn his silver pipes. They briefly reunite again when Kvothe leaves the University after an attack on his life to track down rumors of the Chandrian within a day’s travel. His friends believe his love for Denna will lead him to heartbreak.

Deoch at the Eolian, who also has feelings for Denna, helps illuminate her character to Kvothe, pointing out that there aren’t many options for a woman in her poor circumstances, with no money, no family, and no home. Deoch says, “She’s not to be looked down on for moving where the wind blows her. She has to take her opportunities where she finds them” (473). He points out that if things go south for her with a gentleman, leaving is her best option: “Is it any surprise then that she is harder to lay hands on than a windblown leaf?” (473). There are hints that pain motivates Denna. At the end of the book, Kote confirms this notion: “[T]here was something inside her that was badly hurt” (651).

While Kvothe makes good friends like Wilem and Simmon at the University, he makes some major enemies as well. Ambrose is a nobleman with deep pockets, and the enmity between himself and Kvothe begins as soon as Kvothe sets foot on campus, when Ambrose won’t let him into the Archives. Later, Kvothe stymies the richer boy’s attempts to seduce an unwilling Fela, and Ambrose subsequently takes advantage of Kvothe’s tired, pained state after his whipping to get Kvothe banned from the Archives altogether. Ambrose’s presence at the Eolian can be credited for Kvothe’s success there, as the protagonist determines to play the more difficult song to show Ambrose up, and Ambrose’s attempt to sabotage Kvothe by breaking his string only makes Kvothe look better.

Near the end of the book, Ambrose breaks Kvothe’s lute, causing Kvothe to call upon the wind in his anger. The resulting appearance in front of the masters raises Kvothe to Re’lar. However, Kvothe realizes that Ambrose has tried to kill him and won’t stop trying to hurt him. Kvothe, in a foreshadowing statement, implies that Ambrose’s machinations motivate his departure from the University. However, that event does not come to fruition in this book. The narrative repeatedly mentions Ambrose’s proximity to the throne in terms of the line of succession, and that one of Kvothe’s names is “Kingkiller.”