The Great Hunt

One of the three main protagonists, Mat is uprooted from his home after the Trolloc attack and, like Rand, dragged down a path he never sought. Like Rand and Perrin, Mat is also ta’veren, a person around whom the Wheel weaves a specific destiny. Often defiant by nature, Mat resists that fate, opting instead to pursue his main interests: gambling and carousing. Mat is impetuous, often charging ahead without considering the consequences. He is also guilty of petty jealousy and a lack of tact. He gives Rand the cold shoulder for much of the book for supposedly putting on airs and acting like a Lord, when in fact Rand chafes at the attention and the finery just as much as Mat does. What Mat really resents is not Rand so much as the way their lives are changing. The fun and games of their youth are over, and they are all given adult responsibilities, which the immature Mat is not ready to accept. When his life is bonded to the dagger, however, it instills in him a gravitas that no amount of scolding or lecturing ever could. Despite his flaws, Mat is ever loyal, and his rash yet critical decision to sound the Horn of Valere summons Artur Hawkwing and his army, saving the protagonists.

The third of the Two Rivers trio, Perrin is also ta’veren as well as a “Wolfbrother.” He shares a deep, psychic connection to wild wolves. Perrin can communicate with them mentally and see through their eyes; he has the distinctive yellow eyes of a Wolfbrother. Perrin is a large, muscular man, and because of his size, he is accustomed to being cautious: “He had to be careful so he would not hurt someone accidentally, or break things” (112). That caution extends to his personality, too. While the impetuous Mat spends much of time sulking, angry with Rand for acting above his station, Perrin takes the long and empathetic view. He sees the struggle his friend is going through and is far quicker to forgive. Because of his size and strength, Perrin can afford to be gentle, taking his time to consider his words before speaking. This trait makes him diametrically opposed to Mat, highlighting one of the key motifs of the novel: the balance between opposites.

Egwene, daughter of the mayor of Emond’s Field, possesses great potential as a channeler. Though unofficially betrothed to Rand as a girl, fate conspires to keep them apart. While Rand goes in search of the Horn of Valere, Egwene is taken to Tar Valon to train as an Aes Sedai. Her love of Rand allows her to be duped by Liandrin and taken to Toman Head, where she is captured and collared by the Seanchan Renna. Her fierce independence is nearly broken by the sul’dam’s constant punishments, and the brief time she spends leashed to the Seanchan mistress is enough to instill in Egwene a lasting hatred for the Seanchan and their treatment of women who channel. When Nynaeve frees her from the collar, she nearly kills Renna with her bare hands. Her Seanchan training, however, does give her useful battle skills, which she uses to help defeat the Seanchan troops who seek to recapture her. In the end, she grudgingly accepts that her destiny and Rand’s lie along different paths. After his battle with the Dark One, she returns to the White Tower to continue her apprenticeship before Rand even recovers from his wounds. She understands that Rand is not the boy she grew up with, and the days of her protecting him are over.

Nynaeve is Emond’s Field’s “Wisdom” (healer), the youngest in the history of the village. Like Egwene, she also channels and is a person of interest to Moiraine, who eventually takes her to the White Tower for training. Nynaeve’s innate ability and age gives her the status of “Accepted,” allowing her to forego the “Novice” stage. As the eldest of the five who leave Two Rivers with Moiraine, Nynaeve often acts as den mother to the others, chiding them for their foolishness. Nynaeve does not suffer fools gladly, and her temper often gets the better of her. She is only able to channel the Power when in a fit of anger, and although she struggles to control it, her anger gives her channeling a ferocity that can be devastating. When the Seanchan collar Egwene, Nynaeve’s anger at Liandrin’s betrayal brings down bolts of lightning, killing several Seanchan and allowing her and Elayne to escape. After she frees Egwene from the collar, she fends off the Seanchan troops while Min and Elayne escape. She is also put through a brutal trial by the Aes Sedai in which she must confront her greatest fears. She survives the trial but is emotionally devastated afterward and furious with the sisterhood for their emotional manipulation. Still, she demonstrates a resolve and endurance unheard of in such a trial.

Although she tries to deny it, Nynaeve is in love with Lan, Moiraine’s Warder. Their love, in this installment at least, goes unfulfilled, but in her trial, Nynaeve envisions herself and Lan wedded and living a life together. There is no telling what the future holds for these two, but 12 more books in the series give their love plenty of time to flourish.

Moiraine’s influence is felt even when she is not physically present. As a Blue Ajah given to supporting righteous causes, Moiraine’s raison d’etre is finding the Dragon Reborn and guiding him to his destiny. She is unwavering in that mission as the fate of the world rests on her success. Once she finds Rand and determines him to be the Dragon, she persists in spite of his protests, his anger, and his attempts to run. As much as defeating the Dark One, her job is to persuade Rand that his path is foretold. To the bitter end, Rand claims to be only a shepherd, to which Moiraine calmly replies, “You are what you are” (677). She would repeat it 1,000 times over, just as calmly, if that IS what it takes. Moiraine is Jordan’s Gandalf, the dogged wizard from The Lord of the Rings who similarly shepherds a reluctant hero (Frodo) to his fate and frees the world of darkness in the process.

Moiraine is powerful among Aes Sedai, and unlike the Brown Ajah, whose time is consumed by lore and books, she understands that real change happens in the world of people where affairs are messy, and hands get dirty. She takes the long view, recognizing that while micromanaging may achieve short-term results, it is counterproductive in the end. When the Amyrlin Seat frets over Rand leaving on the Great Hunt—she would prefer him in Tar Valon where they can keep watch over him—Moiraine responds that Rand would only feel imprisoned. He needs his space to recognize his destiny, and although that means letting him wander off unsupervised, it is a necessary sacrifice. She has the patience and foresight to practice her own mantra: The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills.

Lord Ingtar of the House Shinowa leads the quest for the Horn of Valere after it is stolen from Fal Dara. Ingtar is a strong leader and brave warrior who, ironically, is also a Darkfriend who frees Padan Fain from prison and opens the fortress gates to a Trolloc attack. His treason is ultimately in service to his homeland of Shienar, believing an alliance with the Dark One is preferable to the anarchy of endless war with the Blight. He comes to regret that choice, however, and redeems himself in battle against a Seanchan patrol in which he sacrifices his own life so Rand, Mat, and Perrin can escape.

Ingtar personifies the military ethos of courage, duty, and honor, despite his transgressions. He is the warrior archetype standard to the genre, but Jordan gives him the complexity of darkness as well as light. His sins, revealed in a surprise at the end, endow Ingtar with the flaws that make his redemption satisfying. He is also the embodiment of obsession, refusing to ever give up his quest, even when that obsession clouds his judgment. Despite those flaws, however, Ingtar is the skilled leader every quest needs. He is experienced, able to make quick decisions, and loyal to his cause.

One of the most interesting non-human creatures to populate the world of The Great Hunt is the Ogier, Loial. Physically intimidating—Loial is roughly 10 feet tall—Ogier nevertheless shun violence in favor of more scholarly pursuits like reading and architecture. It is rare to see an Ogier outside of their natural habitat the stedding, a serene sanctuary of non-violence and natural beauty, but Loial has decided to see the world, leaving his stedding in violation of Ogier law. He is a loyal friend to Rand, offering historical and cultural insights. His love of reading is so great that he will often retreat to a quiet corner alone with a book in times of crisis. Loial is also an accomplished treesinger, an Ogier who can manipulate and nurture a tree’s growth with chants and song. Like Tolkien’s Ents, Ogier are extremely slow and deliberate creatures, finding humans altogether rash. Although he is rarely called upon to use his physical strength—violence is abhorrent to the Ogier—he kills a Trolloc with his bare hands when Rand’s life is threatened and feels tremendous guilt over it. All life is precious to the Ogier, and while killing a servant of the Dark One may be necessary, Loial takes no pleasure in it.

Merrilin, a gleeman, serves as Rand’s de facto mentor up to a point—he ultimately has his own entanglements to deal with. His protectiveness of Rand is a direct result of his failure to protect his nephew from the gentling of the Red Ajah. His consequent advice to Rand is nearly always the same: Steer clear of the Aes Sedai. As a gleeman, Merrilin earns his keep by performing songs across the land, personifying the oral tradition by which history is passed from generation to generation. Merrilin is no mere entertainer, however. He is also skilled in close combat situations. When he finds his lover dead in his room and the assassins hiding there, he dispatches them both with lightning reflexes and hidden knives. He protects Rand, Mat, and Perrin from a Myrrdraal. Merrilin is older and thus fulfills the narrative function of sage and protector, much like Merlin to King Arthur or Dumbledore to Harry Potter.

A “sniffer,” Hurin accompanies Ingtar’s party to track Fain and the Trollocs, but he quickly proves he has more to offer than just his acute sense of smell. When he, Rand, and Loial find themselves caught up in daes dae’mar, the political maneuvering among the noble Houses of Falme, Hurin offers valuable advice to Rand who seems inclined to simply ignore the Great Game altogether. Hurin advises him that playing ignorant will be perceived as simply another strategy, and not a sound one at that. The urgency with which he makes his case finally convinces Rand. Though not recruited for his battle skills, Hurin nevertheless stands by Ingtar’s side as they fight to recover the Horn from Turak and his Seanchan guards. Hurin’s sniffing ability is a mysterious and highly valuable gift—he admits he doesn’t know where it came from—but the tracker is not content to simply follow a trail. He lends his sword to the cause as well, in a testament to the courage of a man not trained for combat.