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12[[center: [-[[Characters/TheWheelOfTime Main Character Index]] | '''Ta'veren''' | [[Characters/TheWheelOfTimeOthersFromTheTwoRivers Others from the Two Rivers]] | [[Characters/TheWheelOfTimeRoyalLineOfAndor Royal Line of Andor]] | [[Characters/TheWheelOfTimeTheWhiteTower The White Tower]] | [[Characters/TheWheelOfTimeTheBlackTower The Black Tower]] | [[Characters/TheWheelOfTimeIndependentCharacters Independent Characters]] | [[Characters/TheWheelOfTimeTheAiel The Aiel]] | [[Characters/TheWheelOfTimeTheWhitecloaks The Whitecloaks]] | [[Characters/TheWheelOfTimeSeanchan Seanchan]] | [[Characters/TheWheelOfTimeHeroesOfTheHorn The Heroes of the Horn]] | [[Characters/TheWheelOfTimeTheShadowAndDarkfriends The Shadow & Darkfriends]] ]]-]
13
14The last three Ta'veren of the Third Age in which ''The Wheel of Time'' books take place.
15----
16[[foldercontrol]]
17
18[[folder:Rand al'Thor]]
19!!Rand al'Thor
20[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wot_rand_al_thor_by_reddera_d4pa4fe.jpg]]
21
22->''"He is born again! I feel him! The Dragon takes his first breath on the slopes of Dragonmount! He is coming! He is coming! Light help us! Light help the world! He lies in the snow and cries like the thunder! He burns like the sun!"''
23
24A farm boy from a village so remote that they didn't even know they were technically part of a kingdom, Rand had no idea he was adopted until one fateful Winternight when [[TheUsualAdversaries Trollocs]] attacked his home town. Thereafter he was told by the story's TheMentor that [[BigBad The Dark One]] was trying to find him (or perhaps one of his two friends, Mat Cauthon and Perrin Aybara), and was convinced to flee. This was just the first step in Rand's journey into discovering that he is a male channeler, [[TheChosenOne The Dragon Reborn]], and fated by the Wheel of Time to lead the fight against Shai'tan...
25----
26* TheAntiNihilist: [[spoiler:His salvation and transformation on Dragonmount at the end of Book 12 the result of realizing that the Wheel continues to turn and put people through the same trials so that they can have second chances to fix their mistakes.]] [[ShadowArchetype Contrast]] [[ArchEnemy the Nae'blis]], who had a slightly different epiphany about the Wheel, but came to [[StrawNihilist the opposite conclusion]].
27* AmazonChaser: To a degree, in that the first official member of his BattleHarem was a member of an AmazonBrigade of [[ProudWarriorRace Aiel]] who he chased through a gateway before OneThingLedToAnother.
28* AndTheAdventureContinues: [[spoiler:Having accomplished everything he set out to do and left behind his former life, Rand is last seen riding south to explore the world as himself, not as the Dragon Reborn - just as he'd wanted to do from the start of the series. He is implied to have become so powerfully Ta'varen that he's able to light his pipe just by thinking about it without needing to channel]].
29* AsskickingLeadsToLeadership: The ChosenOne, a leader of all who opposes the Dark One (at least in spirit), the strongest male chaneller of Light, and the MasterSwordsman.
30* BabiesEverAfter: [[spoiler: At least six, two with Elayne and four with Aviendha.]]
31* BadassBoast: Gives a few. The one below stands out for breaking TheScottishTrope as he rains down destruction upon the Shadow's forces, although it's spoken while Rand is [[SanitySlippage erratically losing control of his faculties]] and [[PowerIncontinence unleashing his power against his own allies as well as his enemies]].
32-->'''Rand''': Come against me, if you dare! I am the storm! [[DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu Come if you dare, Shai'tan!]] I am the Dragon Reborn!
33* BatmanGambit: How he [[spoiler: wins and survives the Last Battle. He knows that Callandor - the AmplifierArtifact he needs for the fight - is flawed in that it has no buffer to prevent its wielder from burning himself out from using too much power. Also, it can only be triggered by a male channeler, but two female channelers are needed to direct its powers safely. He ''also'' knows Moridin would try to steal it if given the opportunity...so he does just that. As soon as Moridin nabs the sword, Rand, Moraine, and Nynaeve link their channeling with him and use the combined weave to grab Shai'tan and seal it away. Thanks to his PsychicLink with Moridin, he is able to switch bodies, give Moridin the death he'd [[DeathSeeker been seeking]], and [[WalkingTheEarth leaves his life as the Dragon Reborn behind]].]]
34* BroughtDownToBadass: [[spoiler: Perhaps. After he survives the final battle by a FreakyFridayFlip, he is no longer able to channel the One Power or the True Power and (as with both Perrin and Mat) he is no longer ta'veren. Unlike most channelers who are burned out, however, he does not seem to suffer from any withdrawal effects. However, moments after verifying that he can no longer channel, Rand imagines his pipe being lit, and it is. There is no explanation given, and what exactly it means is left intentionally ambiguous.]] He's also still a MasterSwordsman, albeit that [[spoiler: he'll have to relearn a fair bit since he's in a different body]].
35* TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive: And it's sending a bazillion shadowspawn to say hello.
36* CelibateHero: For the first five books or so in the series (and even for a while after, to a lesser extent), Rand is one of these. It seems to largely stem from the fact that he considers himself in a (non-sexual) relationship first with [[ChildhoodMarriagePromise Egwene]] and then with Elayne. Sort of. Still, he has a LOT of opportunities that he turns down, he's extremely uncomfortable with the idea of being sexually attracted to someone (as seen best in his reaction to his recurring TwoPersonPoolParty EroticDream), and he's explicitly the last of the three Two Rivers boys to get laid. The explanation is probably that he's confused and playing it safe; ItsNotYouItsMyEnemies also comes into play.
37* ChangelingFantasy: Along the down-to-earth family, fantastic lineage line. Rand has the blood of the Andoran royal line combined with that of a chief of one of the better ProudWarriorRace examples you're likely to find... but more often than not, it's the rockheaded stubbornness he learned from the Two Rivers people he grew up around that saves him.
38* ChildhoodMarriagePromise: With Egwene. She breaks it in Book 4 after realizing she doesn't love him anymore.
39* TheChosenOne: Who chose him? Everyone! He's The Dragon Reborn for the Westlands and Seanchan Empire; he's He Who Comes With The Dawn for the Aiel; he's The Coramoor for the Sea Folk. The only side that hasn't "Chosen" him by Book 13 is [[DarkIsEvil the Shadow]], and they still recognize him for what he is.
40** Even the wolves have a name for him: Shadowkiller. Still, it's less a mention of a Chosen One than it is a RedBaron.
41** Inversion: The [[spoiler:Sharans]] also have a chosen one called [[spoiler:the Wyld or Dragonkiller, that is to say the one who is supposed to kill Rand. This is the only Chosen One myth in the setting that is ''not'' a memory of the Dragon Reborn, and the one who fits the bill is Demandred]].
42*** [[spoiler: Possible DoubleSubversion; Rand does technically fulfill the prophecy of Bao the Wyld, both with his occasional uses of the True Power but even more so after switching bodies in the finale, when he wills fire to light without weaving.]]
43* CoolButInefficient: The whole FlamingSword thing. The most powerful channeler ever to live, and this is what he does with it? Invoked by [[PsychoExGirlfriend Lanfear]] in one of her (many) attempts to get him to come to the dark side. [[spoiler: Because its main purpose is for sealing the Dark One, not fighting.]]
44* CoolCrown: The Crown of Swords, formerly known as the Laurel Crown of Illian. It is so called because there are not only laurel leaves of gold, but also small swords hidden amongst them to remind the wearer of the importance of their rule.
45* TheDeadHaveNames: Well, initially [[MenAreTheExpendableGender female dead]] do, anyway. As he is progressively DrivenToMadness, he begins a MadnessMantra internally that includes every female character who his interaction led to the death of, including those he himself killed and those he assumes to be dead, but really aren't. [[spoiler:Lews Therin adds his own dead to the list sometimes, though Rand initially objects. When the two have a SplitPersonalityMerge, the list expands to both genders. In the climax of Book 14, however, he [[HeroicResolve lets go of this]] when [[NotTooDeadToSaveTheDay Egwene]] reminds him that [[HeroOfAnotherStory he isn't the only hero in the world]], and so he "lets [the dead helping him] be heroes" rather than just mourning their sacrifices.]]
46* DeathByChildbirth: [[spoiler: Shaiel, a member of the local AmazonBrigade, during the aftermath of a battle.]]
47* DespairEventHorizon: [[spoiler:Rand blows straight through this and out the other side in ''The Gathering Storm''. The instigator is a combination of [[WouldntHitAGirl being forced to kill Semirhage and Elza]], [[MyGreatestFailure seeing that Ebou Dar is doing well without his rule]], and his feeling of the endless repetition of the Wheel of Time itself causing endless conflict.]] [[spoiler:He gets better, with help from [[HearingVoices Lews Therin]] of all people.]] Note the parallels and how time repeats itself. When the Kinslayer went insane, he [[PaterFamilicide killed his family]] (hence the epithet). Rand realizes he's hit his DarkestHour when ''he almost does the same''.
48* {{Determinator}}: Suffers from ''2'' separate wounds that will never heal and give him constant pain. These were made by [[ArtifactOfDoom very nasty things]] and are competing with one another for the opportunity to kill him- oh, and did we mention that any time he overexerts himself they tear open and he nearly bleeds out? Then he lost a hand. Beyond this, there is the massive psychological trauma of discovering what he is and what he must do to succeed. Rand's reaction to all this? Push ''harder''. It gets to the point where other Two Rivers people, who are themselves [[PlanetOfHats known for being]] {{Determinator}}s, think his will is incredible.
49* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: [[spoiler:Subverted. Rand's goal near the end of the series is to not seal the Dark One away again, but to kill him completely. However, as he learns during his duel and fully acknowledges when he has the Dark One in his grasp, fully capable of destroying him forever, that would just make his situation [[BrainwashingForTheGreaterGood that]] [[CrapsaccharineWorld much]] worse. So, instead, he seals the Bore completely.]]
50* DisappearedDad: [[spoiler: His father, Janduin, could not get over the loss of his beloved, and went north as a DeathSeeker. He found it at his brother-in-law's hands.]] As of A Memory Of Light [[spoiler:it was quite fortunate that he found it, as we learn that many of the deathseekers were turned to the Shadow.]]
51* DistractedByTheSexy: He was raised in a community where even kissing was a bit of a big deal, so he ends up in plenty of awkward situations that leave him blushing furiously in the first few books, especially when [[WorldsMostBeautifulWoman Lanfear]] or [[InnocentFanserviceGirl the Aiel]] are involved. Once he gets used to it, however, he becomes able to IgnoreTheFanservice.
52* DrivenToMadness: By both [[TheCorruption the taint]] of ''saidin'' and, as stated by Tam in Book 12, [[ItSucksToBeTheChosenOne the insane pressures of the world around him]]. [[spoiler:He gets better in Book 13 due to what is implied to be the reintegration of his split personality, but some, such as recent Amyrlin Seat [[UnluckyChildhoodFriend Egwene al'Vere]], find this hard to believe.]]
53* EnemyWithin: Rand's personal expression of madness [[spoiler: is that he hears the voice of his previous incarnation, Lews Therin Telamon, in his head. LTT appears to be an actual personality and has gotten into conversations with Rand, and at one point took control of Rand's ability to channel and showed off some fancy spells.]]
54** Interestingly, according to Semirhage, [[spoiler: Lews Therin in Rand's head is ''real'', where the voices that most channelers hear are not. This is not a good thing, as it only serves to highlight how far Rand's descent into madness has gone. However, this ''is'' one of the Forsaken we're talking about, so take it with a grain of salt.]]
55** As of the end of "The Gathering Storm", [[spoiler:Rand has had a SplitPersonalityMerge and has stopped hearing voices. Instead, he remembers everything from his past life and no longer talks about Rand al'Thor and Lews Therin as though they were two different people]].
56* FakingTheDead: As of the end of Book 14, [[spoiler:"his" funeral pyre was actually Moridin's, who died as a result of Rand's wounds due to their {{synchronization}} and a soul swap. He's free to live out his life in the Fourth Age, unable to channel, but seemingly able to use some other kind of magic, in Moridin's body, with his survival only known to his lovers...and Cadsuane and Alivia]].
57* FarmBoy: He starts out the series as a shepherd in a small rural town before answering the Call to Adventure. Lan initially calls him "sheepherder" frequently to lampdshade his inexperience in the ways of battle.
58* FieryRedhead: Increasingly over the course of the series due to his SanitySlippage. However, he calms down significantly in Books 13 and 14. To begin with, he was rather mild mannered, though not to the extent of [[GentleGiant Perrin]].
59* FightsLikeANormal: For the first fifth of the series, he sticks to fighting with a sword, since he's not sure exactly what's going to happen when he tries to channel.
60* FisherKing: Particularly apparent in ''Towers of Midnight''[[spoiler:, where the sky brightens and unspoiled food is found because he is in the vicinity, but goes bad again once he leaves]].
61** Subversion: in ''A Memory of Light'' we learn that [[spoiler:he makes plants grow by quietly singing a song that makes plants grow]].
62* GoodIsNotNice: Well, to start with, even if Rand wins, the world's still gonna be a shambles. He started out nice enough, but in Randland, it really does [[ItSucksToBeTheChosenOne suck to be the Chosen One]]. [[spoiler:[[TookALevelInKindness Subverted]] as of ''Towers of Midnight''.]]
63* GoodParents: And despite the early loss of Kari, Rand is the first to admit that Tam gave him a good upbringing and after seeing Tam's [[SoProudOfYou interactions]] and [[PapaWolf fierce protectiveness]] of his son in the latest books, it's ''very'' clear why Rand loves his [[BadassNormal father]] so much.
64* TheGoodKing: Played with. During his early days of governing Tear, he's surprisingly effective, using his strong position to push reforms through and playing the Tairen lords against each other to keep his authority secure, with help from Moiraine and Thom. As he starts accumulating more and more kingdoms, however, he's less and less able to keep things under control, which is not helped at all by his habit of Travelling between cities every few days, his leaving governance in the hands of other people (who aren't always popular with the locals), [[SanitySlippage or his shortening temper and cold, cruel-seeming facade]]. Even at his worst, however, he's still motivated primarily by a desire to ready and protect the lands and leave some good behind such as well-funded universities and legal protections for commoners.
65* HappilyAdopted: With his birth mother dead after the Battle of the Shining walls he was found, not even named, by a survivor of said battle, Tam al'Thor, who took him in and brought him home to his wife, Kari.
66* HeroicBSOD: An epic version over the course of the series, especially in ''The Gathering Storm''.
67* HeroicBastard: His biological parents weren't married to each other, although his adoptive parents were.
68* HiddenHeartOfGold: Is annoyingly fond of assuming these in order to [[ItsNotYouItsMyEnemies protect his loved ones]], particularly in the older books but spread throughout.
69* HonorBeforeReason: A lot of the time. [[spoiler: After his EpiphanyTherapy, downplayed.]]
70* HowDoIShotWeb: All the channelers experience this to a large degree, but Rand especially: despite being the {{reincarnation}} of the most powerful magician ever, he still does half of everything by instinct, sometimes learning ''from himself'' by MegaManning a spell he didn't know existed until he saw himself cast it; and sometimes he can't even touch the Power at all. He finally manages to [[TookALevelInBadass Take A Level In Badass]] during the fifth book, when he gets a teacher, [[spoiler:Asmodean himself]].
71* IdiotBall: Very often, though he's not alone in this. [[spoiler:He seems to have become a DumbassNoMore with his [[TookALevelInKindness moment on Dragonmount]], however.]]
72* IgnoreTheFanservice: Starting around the fourth book, he shows a lot of progress in dealing with the [[DistractedByTheSexy distracting]] situations he finds himself in. He's put around a bunch of Aiel women with no sense of privacy, his or theirs, and gets over it. When a political [[TheChessmaster chessmaster]] sends women to try to seduce him, he makes an [[BadassBoast intimidating speech]] and scares them away. When Aviendha [[PleasePutSomeClothesOn strips down in front of him]], he looks away. (And finds a way to use it to embarrass ''her'' instead, prompting her to put her clothes back on at light-speed.) When Min, in a sort of inexperienced seduction attempt, begins planting herself in his lap while he's on his throne, he's still perfectly able to rule (though not without some initial internal discomfort). [[spoiler:When Lanfear uses her powers to insert herself into his EroticDream, he doesn't even flinch.]]
73* ItsNotYouItsMyEnemies: Does this to two of his love interests (it only works temporarily, and even then only because they both have other things going on), but can't bear to do it to the third. This is also the reason he never drops by to visit his village or his father.
74* ItSucksToBeTheChosenOne: This could easily be the name of the series, the theme is so prominent.
75--> '''Jasin Natael:''' I would not take your place for all the world, not with the fate that accompanies it. Death or madness, or both. "His blood on the rocks of Shayol Ghul..." That is what The Karaethon Cycle, the Prophecies of the Dragon, says, is it not? That you must die to save fools who will heave a sigh of relief at your death. No, I would not accept that for all your power and more.
76* JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope: [[spoiler: Stops himself just in time at the end of ''The Gathering Storm,'' holding enough power to crack the world like an egg and then deciding not to do it. Another example of a JustInTime aversion would be him realizing he was going to ''balefire'' Tam in rage, and deciding to run away instead.]]
77* TheKidWithTheLeash: [[spoiler:The Dark One briefly comes into the Pattern... because Rand drags him out to kill him, but then changes his mind and metaphysically ''choke-slams'' him back into his prison.]]
78* KissingCousins: He becomes worried at one point that he might be related to [[spoiler:Elayne, through the royal line of Andor]], and it turns out that they are, albeit so distantly that no one would call it incest. However, [[spoiler:both he and Elayne ''do'' share a mutual half-brother, Galad, who is Rand's maternal and Elayne's paternal half-brother. Rand knows this by Book 5, but it's unclear if Elayne ever learns about Rand being Tigraine's son during the series proper. Galad definitely doesn't until he and Gawyn learn it in Book 14.]]
79* KneelBeforeZod: To the [[spoiler:Salidar Aes Sedai]] at the end of Book Six following the Battle of Dumai's Wells. They comply.
80* LawOfInverseFertility: [[spoiler: Not counting Min (who's implied to be on birth control) and assuming that Aviendha does indeed get pregnant with her quadruplets after the sex scene in book 14 as many readers assume, Rand produces an incredible six children in just three total sexual encounters with Elayne and Aviendha. A mild example, however; although Rand certainly didn't intend to knock Elayne up, he is not at all unhappy when he learns he's going to be a father. Though as far as we know he's unaware of another four on the way...]]
81* LegacySeeker: Wanting to be remembered for more than just ending the Age, he founds institutions of science and higher learning in the nations he conquers, so the new Age can get off to the best possible start.
82* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: When he loses his hand in the fight with Semirhage, his biggest concern is that he's going to have to re-learn sword fighting all over again, as he used to fight with both hands on the sword, and using only one hand is a completely different fighting style. [[LampshadeHanging Everyone present, including the often-angry Nynaeve, tells him it's perfectly normal to lament his lost hand, despite his refusal to do so.]]
83* ManipulativeBastard: In the later books, and at his most ruthless, he proves himself to be quite deft at this. He decides to get rid of his Forsaken rival Graendal by confirming her location with a cat's paw, while patiently waiting out of sight as he prepares to just [[PragmaticHero blow her entire base up with balefire]] in an attempt to kill her and everyone else inside it. He does so, and even ends up killing one of the other Forsaken sojourning there, although [[spoiler:Graendal herself catches on at the last moment and rushes to escape.]]
84* MarryThemAll: After trying and largely failing at ItsNotYouItsMyEnemies and some considerable angst, Rand begins to resign himself to this with his three love interests in Book 9. [[spoiler: However, Rand never ''technically'' marries any of them, at least before the end of the series, and the four of them are essentially the only major characters to end the series unmarried.]]
85* MasterOfAll: Rand definitely counts, combining world-class swordsmanship, [[RealityWarper ta'veren status]], [[DreamLand dreamwalking]], and THE most powerful magical ability in the world.
86* MasterSwordsman: You technically become a "blademaster" if you kill one in combat, [[spoiler:which Rand does at the end of Book 2, but there was some luck involved; later, he actually earns the title]]. According to WordOfGod, he is one of the best swordsmen in the series.
87* MessianicArchetype: Thus far, [[spoiler:He has acquired two wounds on his palms, a spike through his foot, been stabbed in his belly (well, twice, but still) and wears a crown of "swords" which look like thorns. Did we mention that his "blood on the rocks of Shayol Ghul" will be the only thing that can buy mankind's salvation from the Dark One? And don't you just love the fact that he didn't become "whole" until he climbed a mountain? While doubting himself? And in extreme pain?]] All of this points to him beeing a CrystalDragonJesus.
88* MindlinkMates: With Min, Aviendha, and Elayne, via Warder bond.
89* MissingMom: ...who also died.
90* MyGreatestFailure: [[spoiler: Moiraine's HeroicSacrifice hit him particularly hard.]]
91** Though after [[spoiler:Moiraine is rescued]] and [[spoiler:he gains Lews Therin's memories in full, to the point where he considers himself the same man]], not to mention [[spoiler:his becoming better at accepting the sacrifices other people make on his behalf]], he seems to instead land upon [[spoiler:Demandred's FaceHeelTurn, which he puts down in part to the arrogant way that he, as Lews Therin, treated Barid Bel (Demandred pre-fall), fuelling the latter's resentment.]]
92* NewPowersAsThePlotDemands: Justified, [[spoiler: his Lews Therin personality keeps digging up memories of how to channel from his previous life, so he SuddenlyAlwaysKnewThat.]]
93* OneManArmy: [[spoiler:In ''Towers of Midnight'' he takes on an army of one hundred thousand Shadowspawn in one battle, and wins, using Arrows of Fire, [[TeleFrag Deathgates]], and what is essentially PowerOfTheStorm for over an hour straight.]]
94* ParentalAbandonment: His mother died when he was very young, leaving his father to raise him on his own. [[spoiler:In reality neither Tam nor Kari are his parents; his father was an Aiel and his mother was daughter-heir to the throne of Andor before running away to become a Maiden of the Spear. She died on Dragonmount shortly after his birth (thus setting the series in motion) and his father went to the Blight to fight and die to the Shadow after hearing of her death.]]
95* PastLifeMemories: As Lews Therin Telamon. After he works out his issues in ''The Gathering Storm,'' these become less flashbacks and glimpses and more just memories he has. He describes them in ''A Memory of Light'' as a "clearly-remembered dream".
96* PersonOfMassDestruction: All channelers are to a degree, but Rand stands out due to his sheer strength, as well as the volatility of the One Power itself. Very few franchises include, not only a ''weaponized'' RetGone spell, but a situation where this spell was overused to the point of threatening a [[ApocalypseHow/ClassZ Class-Z Apocalypse How]].
97* PhysicalGod: [[spoiler: In the end of his battle with [[TheAntiGod the Dark One]], he uses so much of the One Power and the True Power that the BigBad is deemed an insignificant ''pest'' by comparison, screaming in futility, and he more ''allows'' it to live rather than having difficulty killing it. This is also one fairly common interpretation of the [[ShrugOfGod very mysterious]] [[EpilepticTrees incident]] with Rand's "impossible pipe" at the end of the series' epilogue.]]
98* PowerLevels: Rand, being TheChosenOne, is one of the most powerful channelers in the series. Other channelers describe him as being off the charts in every dimension. [[spoiler:And he becomes even more powerful after coming down from Dragonmount in Towers of Midnight. The aforementioned OneManArmy entry has him splitting his flows thousands of times, so much that the Asha'man with him couldn't count them all.]] In fact, only [[TheDragon The Nae'blis]] equals him, and he primarily uses [[TheDarkSide the True Power]] rather than the One Power.
99%% * PowerTrio: TheKirk, TheHero
100* PragmaticHero: Grows into one as part of his CharacterDevelopment. When mulling over how to defeat his Forsaken opponent Graendal, he decides that because [[TheChessmaster she's more cunning than he is]] he doesn't stand much chance of beating her at her own game. So, he simply decides not to play it, lulling her into a false sense of security and then just blowing up her entire castle with Balefire, killing her and everyone else inside it. [[spoiler:''She'' narrowly escapes; the rest of the castle is not so fortunate.]]
101* RagsToRoyalty: From sheepherder in the Two Rivers to ruler of much of the Westlands and the Aiel Waste in about two years.
102* ReadingsAreOffTheScale: Rand is one of the most powerful Channelers of either gender ever to live. Even an army of battle-hardened Asha'man are unable to come close to grasping his mastery of ''saidin''.
103* RealityWarper: [[spoiler:At the end of the story, Rand, unable to channel, ''thinks'' about his pipe being lit - and it is. The story explicitly states that no One Power is involved]].
104* RedRightHand: Heroic example as he has his hand [[spoiler:exploded by a fireball from Semhirage.]]
105* RefusalOfTheCall: He tried; He tried ''so hard''. The downside of being ''ta'veren'' is that the Pattern will drag you kicking and screaming to your destiny, which he eventually [[ResignedToTheCall resigned to]].
106* {{Reincarnation}}: The only one shown up front as both individuals from two different Ages. Others are either an ImpliedTrope or the result of applications of TheDarkSide.
107* RestorationOfSanity: He's on the slippery slope to full insanity for most of the second half of the series, but [[spoiler:his epiphany on Dragonmount at the end of Book 12 fully brings him back out of it]].
108* ReverseArmFold: This becomes his default posture after [[spoiler: he loses a hand]].
109* RichesToRags: In the end, [[spoiler:he is in Moridin's body, using a bunch of coins and riding a stolen horse bareback in clothes Alivia gave him for when he woke up, going, in the words of the book, "from Dragon Reborn to horsethief". Considering what the [[ItSucksToBeTheChosenOne stress of rule did to him]], as well as the fact that he just had wanted to go WalkingTheEarth to see the world as a normal person, he's more [[EarnYourHappyEnding relieved]] and [[{{Irony}} amused]] than upset. Though the coins Alivia left for him are worth a substantial amount]].
110* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: When Rand hears a rumour that one of the Forsaken killed [[spoiler: Elayne's mother,]] he does not take it well. [[spoiler:He eventually blasts Rahvin with what is probably the most powerful balefire blast we've seen so far. Well, until he finds Graendal's hideout in Book 12...]]
111* TheStoic: He turns himself into one as the series progresses. [[spoiler: He has been so OffTheRails successful that now he's a JerkAss, to the ire of both fandom [[GenreSavvy and other characters]]. He gets better, but not before he gets significantly worse...]]
112* TookALevelInBadass: Starts the first book as a farmboy who barely knows how to wield a sword and can only channel in the most random of circumstances. By the end of the fourth he is [[spoiler: a blademaster, has taken control of one of the strongest nations on the continent, and carries around a magical object that would allow him to melt said continent, and is beginning to control his gift of being one of the two most powerful channelers in the world (Ishammael is said to be as stong as him...)]]. And by the culmination of his power near the end of the series, [[spoiler:he is able to use so much of The Force and TheDarkSide simultaneously that he can render TheAntiGod an insignificant pest in his grasp]]. He's come a ways from herding sheep.
113* TookALevelInJerkass: Progressively as the books go on, as per his SanitySlippage [[DrivenToMadness via]] ''saidin'''s taint, due to him wanting to become "harder" to face Tarmon Gaidon. It gets to the point where he openly tells people that he doesn't "want their help", he rather "needs to use them". [[spoiler:It comes to a head in ''The Gathering Storm'', where he has a HeelRealization and a bout of EpiphanyTherapy at the conclusion.]]
114* TookALevelInKindness: As of ''Towers of Midnight'', his epiphany on Dragonmount results in this.
115* TranquilFury: In ''The Gathering Storm'', [[spoiler:after killing Semirhage, Rand spends the rest of the book in this. The rest of the characters find it ''incredibly disturbing,'' and he even manages to glare down Cadsuane]].
116* UnskilledButStrong: To a diminishing extent as the series progresses. At first Rand is exceptionally powerful but doesn't really know how to channel and operates mostly by instinct. However, even later in the series when he's learned the finer points, it is noted that there are some areas of channeling that he is still poor at, especially more delicate operations like Healing and Compulsion.
117* WalkingTheEarth: This is Rand's immediate plan after [[spoiler:[[SealedEvilInACan resealing the Dark One]], in Moridin's body. The series ends on the next page, however, and WordOfGod is firm that there will never be any definitive guide to what comes next, so what exactly happens to Rand in the years ahead is up the reader to decide]].
118* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: All male channelers are condemned to go mad ''by'' their ability to channel. [[spoiler:He cleanses the taint from ''saidin'' in Book 9 with help from Nynaeve, and solves his own madness in Book 12.]]
119* WindsOfDestinyChange: ''Ta'veren'' cause probability to go all out of whack. ContrivedCoincidence is an {{invoked}} power for them, and HeadsTailsEdge is pretty normal as well. Rand has it even worse than the others; he alters probability so strongly that just sitting in a populated area for more than a few minutes starts causing unbelievable coincidences across an area of miles. In fact, he can't stay in one place for very long because of it.
120* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: All that stuff in the WhatTheHellHero entry and elsewhere about all the horrible things Rand has done? Over the course of the series he has received two wounds from [[ArtifactOfDoom Artifacts of Doom]], lacerations that have not healed in years and as far as we know never will. He has some degree of memory of his previous life, a figure reviled worldwide for killing his own family and causing ApocalypseHow. Plus dozens of implanted memories from ancestors given as a sort of [[GeneticMemory magical history lesson]], and himself in alternate realities, all of which had rough lives in war-torn worlds. Rand developed severe claustrophobia from being locked in a box for weeks, and after that he was imprisoned in ''another'' jail cell which happened to be pretty small. Later, his hand was blown off by a fireball, and he might be going blind. All this happened to a guy with the weight of the world on his shoulders. He's killed thousands himself (mostly in battles, but not entirely), and endangered the lives of the world, is not only prophesied to cause much more damage than he already has, but also to die in the rapidly approaching final battle... and considering what he's been through, can you blame him? He actually gets pushed to the edge of this trope at the end of book 12, after [[spoiler:almost killing his own father]] and having a DespairEventHorizon because HisStoryRepeatsItself and he feels all of reality is nothing but an endless series of suffering, death, and destruction. [[PutThemAllOutOfMyMisery So he should end it all]]. Luckily, he doesn't.
121* WouldntHitAGirl: He has extreme difficulty harming a woman or even having anything bad happen to them, which can [[HonorBeforeReason get in the way of reason]], sometimes. [[spoiler: he does kill a woman once, however, during Book 3, by decapitation with a flaming power-wrought sword. This causes him lasting guilt for several books on.]] Later on we get a bit more insight into what's going on here. Rand hangs on to this one ''[[InvokedTrope on purpose]]'' because, to his own tortured psychology, it represents the MoralEventHorizon and becoming TheUnfettered. This is why, when he is ''[[AttackItsWeakPoint forced]]'' to give up on it later ([[spoiler:Semirhage, in ''The Gathering Storm'']]), he [[FromBadToWorse goes batshit crazy]].
122* WoundThatWillNotHeal: Two that overlap. He has an evil staff stabbed into his side, with [[ArtifactOfDoom Fain's Shadar Logoth dagger]] slashed over that. The two are from [[TheDarkSide two]] [[HeWhoFightsMonsters separate]] versions of evil influences, and are competing for the opportunity to finally kill him.
123* YouAreTheTranslatedForeignWord:
124** ''Car'a'carn'' - Old Tongue for the Aiel "chief of chiefs".
125** ''Coramoor'' - Sea Folk title for the Dragon Reborn.
126** ''Ta'veren'' - "A person around whom the Wheel of Time weaves all surrounding life-threads, perhaps ALL life-threads, to form a Web of Destiny." Essentially a Main Character in practice, this leads to WindsOfDestinyChange, with different results depending on the person.
127* YouCantFightFate: because you were spun into the Pattern for a purpose. "The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills," is how Moiraine puts it. It works both ways, though: if you ''don't'' fight the Pattern, you will find it giving you what you need. The Wheel helps its ''ta'veren''.
128[[/folder]]
129
130[[folder:Matrim Cauthon]]
131!!Matrim Cauthon
132[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mat_cauthon_by_reddera_d6hd4hy.jpg]]
133
134->''"Suddenly she saw [Mat] in a new light. A buffoon? No. A lion stuffed into a horse-stall might look like a peculiar joke, but a lion on the high plains was something very different. He was loose on the high plains, now. She felt a chill. What sort of a man had she entangled herself with?"''
135
136A troublemaker with a penchant for jokes, women, wine and gambling, Mat was stolen away on Winternight at the same time Rand was. Figuring he was just being swept along on an adventure, Mat had no idea that he too was a ''ta'veren'', almost as important to the Light as Rand is. While he can't channel, Mat has developed an impressive array of badass powers and has become a FourStarBadass. He also has more funny moments to his name than the whole rest of the cast combined.
137----
138* AccidentalMarriage: Also a SelfFulfillingProphecy, but this quote from Book 13 says it best.
139-->[[spoiler:'''Moiraine:''' You ''accidentally'' married the Seanchan Emperess?]]
140* AcquiredPoisonImmunity: Of a sort, as revealed in Book 14, to [[spoiler:the [[HatePlague evils]] of Shadar Logoth]].
141-->'''Mat:''' [[spoiler:There's an odd thing about diseases I once heard, Fain. [[ItOnlyWorksOnce Once you catch a disease and survive it, you can't get it again.]]]]
142* AndThisIsFor: during the final showdown with the gholam.
143* AnimalMotifs: Is associated both with [[CunningLikeAFox foxes]] and ravens, to show he is [[CleverCrows clever]] and [[CreepyCrows dangerous]]. (Both also have mythological significance)
144* ArrangedMarriage: [[spoiler:He said his vows in Book 9, she in 11. ([[ItMakesSenseInContext Don't ask.]])]]
145* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler:Happened in Book 5, when he is lightning'd to death by Rahvin but gets better when Rand kills Rahvin with [[DangerousForbiddenTechnique balefire]], a spell which causes in-universe {{Rewrite}}s. However, since his death technically didn't exist, he assumes it was his [[TheManTheyCouldntHang near-death]] in Rhuidean immediately after making his ThreeWishes in Book 4. Nevertheless, his death was real enough for the Pattern to break his bond with the Horn of Valere, allowing Olver to use it in Book 14.]]
146* BadassLongcoat
147* BadassNormal: Well, for varying values of "normal." Rand is a PhysicalGod and one of the most powerful magic-users ''in the history of fiction'', at one point taking on an army of a hundred thousand by himself without breaking a sweat. Mat is BornLucky, has an AntiMagic artifact, a spear, and his Eelfin PastLifeMemories. That's it... but part of the fun Robert Jordan has in the series is PlayingWith PowerLevels without actually marking them up. Mat is Rand's equal in physical combat, can use his luck to his advantage, can NoSell magic in a way Rand cannot, and is unquestionably a better tactician, at one point winning a battle for Rand by ''trying to run away from it''. (See "YouCantFightFate" below for more details.)
148* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: [[spoiler:Mat blows his ThreeWishes this way. He ''thought'' he was going to get three true answers, and made his wishes in a frustrated rant. Fortunately for him, his wishes were actually pretty good ones even if he made them without realizing it.]]
149* BecauseDestinySaysSo, Mat will have to: 1) [[HandicappedBadass give up half]] [[EyepatchOfPower the light of the world]] [[AnArmAndALeg to save the world]] (in other words, lose an eye); 2) come BackFromTheDead; and 3) marry the Daughter of the Nine Moons.
150* BlackComedyRape: After Mat is used as a boytoy whether he likes it or not by Queen Tylin of the very S&M matriarchal nation of Altara, Elayne jokes about how he's getting a taste of his own medicine for his womanizing, although she does apologize once she understands the seriousness of the situation.
151%%* BlaseBoast: When he wants to impress a woman.
152* BornLucky: Especially as he comes into his power as a ''ta'veren''. He practically can't go for a walk without tripping over a ChekhovsGun. [[spoiler:If that wasn't enough to clue you in, consider the name of his wife: Fortuona (Fortune). Mat is married to Lady Luck]].
153* ButtMonkey: His "luck" has more to do with random events favoring him when he desperately needs it than with being fortunate or happy (he is still the luckiest man pertaining fortune, the other facet is just stronger still). If you were to hear described everything that happens to him in the series without luck being mentioned, you wouldn't think he was lucky at all. [[spoiler: Almost as soon as the adventure starts, he catches a HatePlague that nearly kills him on four separate occasions before he's finally cured of it. Then he risks his life to save three young female channelers who use the One Power to treat him terribly when he rescues them. Then he gets hanged and left for dead (possibly even dies) before Rand resuscitates him. As a result of the hanging he gets saddled with thousands of years' worth of unwanted memories of battle, which cause him to become the general of his own army when it's the last thing in the world he wants. Then he has to [[TearJerker kill in self-defense a woman he's slept with when she tries to kill him.]] Then he has to look after two of the three same female channelers from last time, and ends up getting raped by a queen for it. [[DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale (Others in-universe]] think this is [[BlackComedyRape very funny.)]] Then he gets caught in the middle of an invasion that leaves him seriously injured and forced to spend more "quality time" with his rapist. ''[[OverlyLongGag Then]]'' [[OverlyLongGag he is]] [[SuperPersistentPredator stalked by an invincible killer,]] [[AccidentalMarriage accidentally gets married,]] and [[EyeScream loses an eye.]]]] And, in general, since this is a WorldOfBadass, his own badass qualities are usually unnoticed and unappreciated by his fellow main characters. Additionally, while both he and Perrin get one book off, Perrin's absence is for his honeymoon, while Mat's is because he was hit with a collapsing building.
154* TheCasanova[=/=]ChivalrousPervert: He's as flirtatious and perverted as they come, but he'd never even ''dream'' of forcing himself on a woman, and never continues to pursue one who gives him a firm "no". Interestingly, though, he holds his SexlessMarriage sacred and refuses to seduce other women anymore. He's not above some flirting and dancing, though, which are just good manners in his opinion. He is still on the lookout for nice looking women, but only for his friends. As of Book 14, the SexlessMarriage isn't so Sexless anymore, [[spoiler:Tuon's even pregnant with his child(ren).]]
155* CatchPhrase: "It's time to [[ProfessionalGambler toss the dice]]." Sometimes said in the Old Tongue. This becomes the Band of the Red Hand's motto.
156* TheCharmer: Though he thinks he stops this behavior once he is married. His idea of good manners is lecherous flirting though.
157* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Not quite so hidden anymore, but enough that [[spoiler:Tuon]] thinks the quote at the top of these entries.
158* CunningLikeAFox: He is referred to in prophecies as "The Fox that makes the Ravens fly" [[spoiler:(ravens being the symbol of the Seanchan Empire, from whence his destined wife comes from).]] His foxhead medallion is a visual representation.
159* CurbstompBattle: Thanks to his [[spoiler: HatePlague immunity]], he effortlessly takes down [[spoiler: Padan Fain near the end of The Last Battle.]]
160* DeadpanSnarker: He is far and away the snarkiest character in the series.
161* DeconfirmedBachelor: It was a prophecy and poor choice of words that got him married.
162* DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale: PlayedForLaughs. Mat gets "pursued" later in the series by a MrsRobinson who won't take no for an answer. He ''learns to live with it.''
163* EyeObscuringHat: Wears his hat this way after [[spoiler:losing an eye]], in a nod to Odin.
164* EyepatchOfPower: Book 13. Rather than winning a battle or sacrificing others, he allows the Eelfinn to rip out his eye, permanently removing half the "light" of the world and dooming half of his vision to eternal darkness. [[spoiler: He gets an eyepatch for it in Book 14.]]
165* EyeScream: [[spoiler:In ''Towers of Midnight'', the Eel'finn rip one of his eyes out as their price to release Moiraine.]]
166* FourStarBadass: First and foremost with the Band of the Red Hand, and then [[spoiler: later with the Seanchen and eventually the combined forces of the Light in Tarmon Gaidon.]]
167* FriendToAllChildren: When he was infected with the HatePlague in Books 1, the only people he relaxed around were children. He ends up rescuing Olver later.
168* GeneticMemory: While all three boys have this to a fair extent, Mat has more moments with it than the other two, being subconsciously fluent in the Old Tongue. In the first book he shouts Manetheren's war cry, meaning that this effect predates the HatePlague and the Eelfinn filling his head with stolen memories.
169** PastLifeMemories: And before meeting the Eelfinn, there are many hints that Mat's GeneticMemory isn't all that genetic. Some of his Old Tongue outbursts and memories suggest he was previously a top-ranking Manatheren general, or even a king.
170* GenreBlind: Exhibits some of this in the first book, particularly in Shadar Logoth. This leads straight to his being infected by a HatePlague.
171* GenreSavvy: He becomes increasingly so after [[spoiler:gaining the memories and super luck. He ends up figuring out how to navigate and escape the Tower of Ghenjei, quickly realizes that something's wrong with Gareth Bryne in The Last Battle, and that there's a spy hiding in plain sight in the Seanchan command post.]]
172* HatePlague: In Books 1 and 2, which made him a major JerkAss. The two together [[TheScrappy soured a lot of the fandom on him]], though after he got better, and particularly after he started being awesome, he got RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap for many.
173* HiddenDepths: [[spoiler: Tuon]] lampshades it in [[spoiler:her]] POV at one point:
174-->[A] man of many layers? Matrim Cauthon made an onion look like an apple!
175* HypocriticalHeartwarming: With a dash of SelectiveObliviousness--repeatedly Mat keeps insisting he wants to protect Olver from harmful influences and would like to know who among the Band is corrupting him with swearing and TheCasanova[=/=] ChivalrousPervert tendencies. But it should be fairly clear to the reader that said person is... Mat himself.
176* IJustWantToBeNormal: He just wants to drink and gamble and chase girls. The Pattern keeps forcing him to deal with [[MageSpecies Aes Sedai]], nobles, and people trying to kill him.
177** Unlike many examples, instead of ''wanting'' to be normal, Mat continually insists that [[ImplausibleDeniability he]] ''[[ImplausibleDeniability is]]'' [[ImplausibleDeniability normal]], and is just an ordinary guy caught up in Aes Sedai business and Rand's destiny. Despite the fact that he has supernatural luck, an AntiMagic medallion, the [[spoiler: memories of history's greatest generals, helped invent cannons, is one of the [[BadassNormal best non-magical fighters]] in the series, is married to the most powerful woman in the world]], and is a ''ta'veren''. You sometimes get a sense that he knows he's lying to himself.
178** After he [[spoiler: gets married, he continually insists that just because his wife is a noble, it does NOT make him a noble. Cue several characters telling him "Yes, it does."]]
179* ImNotAHeroIm: Constantly talks about how he isn't a hero, in spite of performing many a heroic deed in the process. This is told best in Book 14.
180-->'''[[spoiler:Rand's thoughts]]:''' It was about a hero who insisted with every breath that he was anything but a hero.
181* InstantExpert: After picking up an ArtifactOfDoom and being cured of its HatePlague, Mat wakes up with "holes" in his memory. [[spoiler:Later, thanks to the Eelfinn, they are filled (and/or over-filled) with ''hundreds'' of people's memories, all of whom are soldiers. With so many leaders to draw on, he can step into the role of TheStrategist with ease.]]
182* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: after he gets healed of the HatePlague (and actually becomes a narrator), he starts showing his true colors.
183--> The Amyrlin gave an exasperated sigh. “You remind me of my uncle Huan. No one could ever pin him down. He liked to gamble, too, and he’d much rather have fun than work. He died pulling children out of a burning house. He wouldn’t stop going back as long as there was one left inside. Are you like him, Mat? Will you be there when the flames are high?”
184* LadyKillerInLove[=/=]LastGirlWins: [[spoiler:Tuon.]]
185* TheManTheyCouldntHang: The "price" given by the Finn the second time he visits them is a hanging, resulting in a nasty scar. However, the fact that he is revived by CPRCleanPrettyReliable shows that it might have been a case of NotQuiteDead.
186* MeaningfulRename: In Book 14, Tuon renames him "Knotai" ("Bringer of Destruction to the Enemies of the Empire"). However, only the Seanchan call him that.
187* MoralityChain: [[spoiler:For Tuon. Had he not been present at the negotiations between Egwene and Tuon in Book 14, things would not have ended well for either woman]].
188* MyGodWhatHaveIDone:
189** He reacts this way when he realizes he was very close to hitting Gawyn with a strike designed to kill during their sparring match in early Book 3. While he was able to stop himself, he chides himself for even thinking of using it
190** He's the last of the three Ta'veren to take another man's life. It sickens him when he realizes he goes from never having killed anyone to killing three men in one night, but quickly overcomes it due to "Kill or be killed."
191* NoSell: [[spoiler: Since he was previously infected and cured of his HatePlague, he's completely immune to it. That lets him [[CurbstompBattle effortlessly slaughter]] the otherwise unstoppable Padan Fain in The Last Battle.]]
192* NothingButSkinAndBones: The curse of Shadar Logoth and the Healing magic that removes it leave him outright skeletal, forcing him to [[BigEater eat massive amounts of food]] over the next few weeks just to [[IntentionalWeightGain return to a moderate weight]].
193* PapaWolf[=/=]ParentalSubstitute: Acts it to [[TagalongKid Olver]]. Others realize it, but he doesn't.
194* PowerDynamicsKink: Queen Tylin basically forces him to become her lover at knifepoint and constantly makes fun of him, calling him "little duckling", and treating him as her boytoy, but it is strongly implied that he did enjoy this at least to some extent, since he later admits some affection for Tylin, and is devastated when [[spoiler:he accidentally allows the gholam to kill her]].
195* PowerOfTrust: [[spoiler: Part of how he prevents Tuon's assassination early on in ''A Memory of Light'', and gets Egwene's approval to take command of the forces of the Light in The Last Battle.]]
196* PowerTrio: TheMcCoy side of it, with shades of FragileSpeedster, PluckyComicRelief and TheSmartGuy.
197* ProfessionalGambler: One of his most constant traits, [[spoiler: which eventually translates into his strategy for The Last Battle.]]
198* RedHerring: [[spoiler:Since Book 2, it was assumed that Mat was the Hornsounder of the Horn of Valere, to blow it in the Last Battle. However, it appears that his temporary death from Rahvin held in that regard, as [[TagalongKid Olver]] ends up being the Hornsounder at the Last Battle instead.]]
199* RuleOfSymbolism: Mat is frequently characterized as having things in common with Odin.
200** Odin once sacrificed an eye and hanged himself from a Tree of Knowledge for wisdom. Mat does the latter in Book 4, [[spoiler:and the former (half the light of the world) in Book 13, getting an eyepatch for it in Book 14]].
201** Odin is also the FourStarBadass of the Norse Pantheon, and has a magic spear. Mat is often seen as TheStrategist due to his GhostMemory of combat from the Eelfinn, and his ''ashanderei'' is his weapon since acquiring it in Book 4. [[spoiler:As shown in Book 13, the "magic" aspect is also in check, as the ''ashanderei'' is also a way out of the Tower of Ghenjei.]] Speaking of the ''ashanderei'', [[spoiler:one of the (in this case untrue) rumours about Mat noted in book 13 is that his weapon supposedly never misses, which was an aspect of Odin's spear.]]
202** Odin has two ravens named Huginn (Thought) and Muninn (Memory) who he sends out and brings back to learn about the world. Mat's spear has an inscription that includes both the terms "Thought" and "Memory", and his title among the Seanchan is Prince of the Ravens, his sigil being a pair of ravens.
203** Odin had the gift of poetic inspiration, while Mat had, even before Book 4's [[TookALevelInBadass levels in badass]], the ability to subconsciously speak in the Old Tongue.
204** Odin had magical abilities in a society where the magic was female. Mat is supernaturally BornLucky, is ''[[WindsOfDestinyChange ta'veren]]'', and has [[AntiMagic the foxhead medallion]] in a world where the only legal magic for a long time is through the use of ''saidar''.
205* SelfFulfillingProphecy: [[spoiler:Mat's AccidentalMarriage to Tuon.]]
206* ShroudedInMyth: By his own men, oddly enough. They think such things as that his hat gives him magical powers.
207* TheStrategist: From Book 5 and onwards. [[spoiler: It's taken to the logical extreme when Mat takes control of the armies of the Light in ''A Memory of Light'']]
208* TookALevelInBadass:
209** Book 3, when he recovers from his HatePlague and directly beats two extremely promising swordfighters at the same time in a friendly bout.
210** Book 4, when Mat gets the ThreeWishes and much of his signature equipment (foxhead AntiMagic medallion, InstantExpert memories). However, he doesn't get to ''show off'' that level until Book 5.
211* TrueLoveIsExceptional: {{Lampshaded}} in one book. His destined love is a [[BlueBlood noble]], [[MageSpecies can learn to channel]], and is [[ACupAngst boyishly slim]]. His usual type is the exact opposite of that, since he hates nobles, dislikes anything to do with the One Power, and likes his women plump and busty.
212* UnluckilyLucky: He uses the fact that he was BornLucky to get through battle after battle safely. However, the same luck ([[YouCantFightFate or fate]]) keeps getting him in battle after battle...
213* UpperClassTwit: How Mat looks upon every noble alive. [[spoiler:This becomes HypocriticalHumor when he marries Tuon, accidentally [[YouAreWhatYouHate becoming a noble]], even though he denies this.]]
214-->'''Mat:''' I'm no lord. I've more respect for myself than that.
215* WindsOfDestinyChange: Again, Mat is a ''ta'veren''. This is par for the course for him. Unlike Rand and Perrin, though, he normally gets ''good'' contrived coincidences, whereas theirs can go either way. His is being BornLucky.
216* WorthyOpponent: [[spoiler: Demandred considers him as this when they lead the opposing armies in The Last Battle. Mat's centuries-worth of warfare tactics and AntiMagic make him the only one who can lead the forces of Light effectively.]]
217* WouldntHitAGirl: Intentionally, anyway. He has an AccidentalMurder of an Aiel lover who turns out to be TheMole, but feels bad about it. In a later book, he makes a nearly fatal mistake in hesitating to kill another woman, with [[spoiler:Tuon]] coming to the rescue and commenting on his oddly endearing "weakness". Mat's not as bad about this as Rand, but he's still pretty bad.
218* YouCantFightFate: Mat tries to ScrewDestiny on a regular basis, for instance by determinedly saddling his horse in Book 5 and deciding he will not participate in a major battle Rand is trying to win. He ends the day the ''opposite'' of "not participating": [[spoiler: by merely stopping to warn some troops that they are about to walk into an ambush, he ends the day in command of that squad, enlarges it into a personal army, kills the enemy general in single combat, and becomes by popular acclaim the hero of the day.]] (In comparison, Rand spends his time playing artillery from a tower, which gets knocked over by bad-guy lightning, and accomplishes nothing.)
219** [[spoiler: Again in ''A Memory of Light'', when he had intentionally gone to the other side of the continent from Shayol Ghul (Ebou Dar, the Seanchan stronghold). Cue Rand showing up and thanking Mat for leading him to Tuon]].
220[[/folder]]
221
222[[folder:Perrin Aybara]]
223!!Perrin Aybara
224[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/perrin_by_ariel_burgess_official_wheel_of_time_artist.jpg]]
225->''"If he was the leader, it was time to start leading."''
226
227An apprentice blacksmith and son of farmers, careful with his strength, Perrin is the quiet one. He thinks, he's careful, he's spare with words. He is also, like his childhood friends Rand and Mat, a ''ta'veren'', and uniquely talented in his own right. He is the closest to the FarmBoy archetype of the PowerTrio, being close with his parents and mustering most of his followers and resources from their hometown of The Two Rivers.
228----
229* AchievementsInIgnorance: It's implied that he is able to deflect balefire in ''Tel'aran'rhiod'' because he doesn't know that ''nothing'' can block or deflect balefire.
230* AlwaysSaveTheGirl: When Faile is in danger, rescuing her becomes more important than ''anything.'' This is very important during the Last Battle, when Perrin has to choose between helping save her or Rand, and when [[spoiler:his love for Faile is what snaps him out of Lanfear's Compulsion]].
231* AnimalEyeSpy: Perrin can sense wolves at a distance and get an impression of what they are experiencing.
232* BattleCouple: With Faile.
233* TheBeastmaster: "Let us hunt, Young Bull."
234* BecomingTheMask: Perrin hates that axe and wants to get rid of it. His personal mentor tells him to throw it away only when he's started to like using it.
235* TheBlacksmith: Which aids in the selection of his ''other'' weapon.
236* BrokenRecord: His litany of self-doubts re-asserts itself over and over throughout the run of the series.
237* BusmansVocabulary: A variant in that he looks at almost any problem in terms of blacksmithing. This is PlayedForLaughs in Book 14.
238-->'''Rand:''' You're a genius, Perrin.\
239'''Perrin:''' [[WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer So long as it's about blacksmithing, I suppose I know a thing or two.]]\
240'''Rand:''' But this.... [[{{Realpolitik}} this]] [[LampshadeHanging isn't about blacksmithing]], Perrin...\
241'''Perrin:''' [[TheAllSolvingHammer Of course it is.]]
242* CluelessChickMagnet: He remains completely oblivious when all the young Tinker women make advances on him in tEotW.
243* DreamWeaver: In Tel'aran'rhiod, he is essentially a [[DreamWalker Dreamer]], which means being able to manipulate dreams through the power of [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve belief or disbelief]]. By the end of Book 14, [[spoiler:he is the most powerful known Dreamer in the world, with Slayer dead and the Aiel Wise Ones refusing to enter Tel'aran'rhiod in the flesh.]]
244* TheEveryman: Much of the narrative's efforts to sell Perrin as a likeable protagonist center on his humble, unpretentious view of himself.
245* FarmBoy: He gets called this on a regular basis by Faile.
246%%* FirstGirlWins: Faile
247* GentleGiant: Characterized like this at the beginning of the series, but it shows up less as he takes on more responsibility for protecting people.
248* HenpeckedHusband: He dearly loves Faile, and he's very careful not to lose his temper in general. She would actually like it if he was more forceful.
249* HeroicSelfDeprecation: He's just a blacksmith, honest. (He stops doing this as much in later books, realizing that [[BecomingTheMask he can't stop people from seeing him as something he's not]].)
250* HeWhoFightsMonsters: Is in danger of becoming this when trying to rescue Faile from the Shaido, seeing as he was willing to work with both the Seanchan and Masema to do it. His HeelRealization (and axe-throwing) comes when he uses ColdBloodedTorture on a prisoner, to the horror of most of his followers and the disturbing glee of Aram.
251* HotBlade: [[spoiler:After going through several hammers, he ends up constructing ''[[HotBlade Mah'alleinir]]'', a Power-wrought hammer that is warm to the touch, but burns Shadowspawn it hits.]]
252* HugeGuyTinyGirl: The huge guy to Faile's tiny girl.
253* IJustWantToBeNormal: Has this attitude about being a [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent Wolfbrother]], at first. [[spoiler: Ditto for when he's first made a lord over his protests.]]
254* ItsAllMyFault: Usually regarding his inability to protect Faile from this or that threat, but absent that, he still finds plenty of other things to beat himself up over.
255* LoveTriangle: [[spoiler: Perrin has to endure advances from Berelain, a FemmeFatale queen of a minor country. She and Faile almost get into a CatFight at one point.]]
256* TheLancer: Although Perrin has the look of TheBigGuy, in many ways he is more of a Lancer to Rand--calm, methodical, and intelligent where Rand is brash and bold while Mat is thoughtless and passionate. With Mat being the general, Perrin acts more as Rand's NumberTwo, is TheReliableOne as opposed to Mat's carefree roguishness, and has a single steady relationship instead of three or being a HandsomeLech. And interestingly, during Rand's AntiHero phase, Perrin was the one who most acted as a MoralityChain keeping him from SlidingDownTheSlipperySlope... but later, when determined to rescue Faile, it was Perrin who became in danger of being HeWhoFightsMonsters, willing to [[IDidWhatIHadToDo do what he had to do]] by allying with the Seanchan and Masema (and using the latter's [[ColdBloodedTorture methods]]) to stop the Shaido. By the end of the series he has decided his role is to do the things Rand can't or shouldn't have to do, to be TheCowl to Rand's [[TheCape Cape]], and thus let him still be the hero he needs to be. [[spoiler:And so he kills Lanfear, a dark but necessary act Rand could never do and which Perrin himself had strong difficulties with in the past.]]
257** Again: PowerLevels. Not a PersonOfMassDestruction like Rand. He and Rand both have experience as a FrontlineGeneral, but it is not their expertise in any way, as it is Mat's. But both as a NatureHero and in the wolf dream, Perrin is completely unbeatable, two places where both Rand and Mat cannot compete and in some cases cannot even ''go''.
258* TheMasochismTango: In Perrin's marriage with Faile. Though they get better about it.
259* MeaningfulName: [[spoiler: His Power-wrought hammer is named in the Old Tongue to mean "He Who Soars," after Hopper. It is also named to sound phonetically similar to Mjolnir.]]
260* MenOfSherwood: Perrin is always surrounded by a few dozen Two Rivers men and various other capable and good folk who just tend to fall into his orbit. Most of them are not even major secondary characters, but they are mostly named and have slight narratives: they aren't disposable RedShirt mooks, in other words.
261* MyGreatestFailure: In the fourth book, Perrin rushes home to protect his family. It doesn't work.
262* NeckSnap: He does this to Lanfear, after breaking her Compulsion at the end of the series.
263* TheNoseKnows: He is able to sniff out individual emotions from people, even.
264* OurWerewolvesAreDifferent: Perrin is a "wolfbrother" and can communicate telepathically with wolves. He also has "wolf dreams" in which he ''is'' a wolf, Young Bull, and has met one wolfbrother who has become [[ShapeshifterModeLock Mode Locked]] in wolf-think, which only increases his fears of BecomingTheMask. Finally, he has the aforementioned SupernaturalGoldEyes, and enhanced senses. [[spoiler:Eventually he learns that the risk of BecomingTheMask was never really a threat, and that wolfbrother chose the wolf intentionally, so Perrin strikes a balance with his wolf side.]]
265* PapaWolf: Punning aside, you want to avoid threatening his wife or his village.
266* PowerTrio: TheSpock, mostly via being TheStoic, the MightyGlacier, the SensorCharacter and TheBigGuy.
267* PrefersRawMeat: One side effect of his Wolfbrother powers is a growing preference for the rarest meat he can get his hands on. Since he still sees himself as primarily human, he insists on his chops being at least seared on the outside.
268* PsychologicalProjection: He does not respect his neighbours' pro-monarchal beliefs because he does not share them.
269* RealityWarper: By the end of ''A Memory of Light'', Perrin's ability to manipulate the "Wolf Dream" is second to none, including Egwene, Amys, Slayer, and any of the Forsaken. In fact, he is so [[OverpoweredTropes Overpowered]] there that he becomes one of the most powerful characters in general, particularly once he learns to leverage "shifting" to jump himself around in the waking world as well. In fact, by this point in the story, he is a JustForFun/SuperWeight at the least.
270* TheReliableOne: If there is one trope the story wants you to think is applicable to Perrin, its this one.
271* ReluctantRuler: He is dragged into a position of leadership by circumstances and the popular demand of the various characters who fall into his army and retinue over the course of the books. Even long after he has resigned himself, he still voices misgivings, sometimes to others, and constantly to himself.
272* ReluctantWarrior: From the first pair of minced-meat Whitecloaks in ''Eye of the World'' through to Lanfear at the climax of the Last Battle, Perrin is shown as consistently uneasy about killing, both before and after the fact.
273* ScarilyCompetentTracker: As a Wolfbrother, he has a sharper sense of smell, sight and hearing than normal humans, and puts them to good use.
274* SensorCharacter: Perrin's connection to wolves grants him a sense of sight and smell on par with that of a wolf. He routinely notices people walking up behind him by catching their scent before they make a sound.
275* SupernaturalGoldEyes: Eventually his epiphet, as "Perrin Goldeneyes", and a result of being a Wolfbrother.
276* TeleportersAndTransporters: As he develops his skills in ''Tel'aran'rhiod'', he eventually learns how to ''shift'', as he calls it, to various locations around the world, usually in order to [[ScarilyCompetentTracker follow a scent]]. [[spoiler:By the end of Book 14, he also learns how to transfer himself to "the wolf dream", as he calls it, in the flesh with whoever he is holding on to, and then back again, allowing him to also do this in the waking world.]]
277* TeleportSpam: Once he gets the hang of the ''shifting'', he adopts this into his fighting style in the World of Dreams.
278* TheMenFirst: Life is a precious commodity to Perrin: he's not very fond of people being willing to lay down their life for his and he agonizes over decisions that put the soldiers serving under him at risk, though he is capable of making a hard choice.
279* ThisIsUnforgivable: His reaction upon seeing just some of the crimes that the Prophet's men have been committing in Ghealdan. When he sees that one had been keeping a count of "trophies" (heavily implied to be the number of women he raped), he declares that any of the Prophet's men who are caught in the act will be hanged.
280* TookALevelInBadass: Perrin is a tagalong character, lacking a solo campaign until Book 4. [[spoiler:Over the course of that novel he returns home, defends his people against not only the milieu's ChurchMilitant but TheUsualAdversaries, gets married, and by popular acclaim is elected Lord Perrin Goldeneyes of the Two Rivers. In Book 6 he comes back with an army, ready to take his place on the world stage.]]
281** He practically [[LevelGrinding level grinds]] in badass in ''Towers of Midnight''. That HenpeckedHusband GentleGiant [[spoiler:manages to get the Children of Light on his side, comes to terms with his wolf powers, has a win against [[ArchEnemy Slayer]], [[TrainingFromHell masters the mechanics]] of [[DreamLand Tel'aran'rhiod]] to the extent of ''blocking [[RetGone Bale]][[DeathRay fire]] with his bare hands'', upgrades his iconic weapon with magic, and is instrumental in defeating [[QuirkyMiniBossSquad Mesaana]] and saving the White Tower.]]
282* UpbringingMakesTheHero: True to some extent for all ''Wheel of Time'' protagonists, but particularly the Two Rivers characters, whose idyllic and character-building rural upbringing seems to have prepared them to handle real power with humility and perspective.
283* VoluntaryShapeshifting: In [[DreamLand Tel'aran'rhiod]], he eventually becomes capable of willingly transforming between Perrin Aybara the man and Young Bull the wolf.
284* WeaponsOfTheirTrade: TheBlacksmith-turned-Lord Perrin Aybara fights with both a forging hammer and an axe. His conflict over the choice of weapon is an ongoing theme; he throws the axe away when he realizes he's become too comfortable with killing, has a minor crisis when reminded that he's killed a lot of people with the hammer as well, but settles on the hammer as a weapon because it has the ability to create as well as destroy.
285* WhatYouAreInTheDark: The final moment of the Last Battle is this for Perrin: [[spoiler:[[SadisticChoice allow Lanfear to Compel him so as to kill Moiraine and Nynaeve, make Lews Therin serve her, and save the Dark One thus putting him in Lanfear's debt, or break free of the Compulsion and stop her...by killing her]].]] The Moral Dilemma is played for all the drama and heartache it could be, since Perrin is both a pacifist at heart (and has seen the dangers of violent ways both through his own axe and the fate of Aram) and a chivalric fellow like Mat and Rand. But in the end he chooses the second option...and while the LesserOfTwoEvils, Perrin and the author don't let the reader forget it was still an evil option. Nevertheless, Perrin resolves never to let Rand or anyone else know what he did--not because he views himself as having failed morally, but because he feels his actions were questionable and he doesn't want to burden anyone (namely Rand) with such painful tasks and choices.
286* WillfullyWeak: It's mentioned that because he is so strong, he could very easily hurt people by accident if he didn't keep himself under control. This is responsible for his GentleGiant nature.
287* WindsOfDestinyChange: ''Ta'veren'', remember? His particular variation is to bring things he needs to him, mostly people, subconsciously.
288* WouldntHitAGirl: He comes from the same background as Rand and Mat, but it doesn't come up as much. [[WouldHitAGirl Also occasionally spanks or manhandles Faile when she gets uppity.]]
289** Played amusingly when Galina [[spoiler:(a Black Ajah Aes Sedai)]] needs an excuse to curry sympathy with the Shaido Aiel. She tells Perrin to hit her, which startles him away from ignoring everything else but rescuing Faile. Naturally, he refuses, even though it was Galina's request to be hit. Berelain does it for him.
290** Shockingly averted in AMOL when [[spoiler:he suddenly snaps Lanfear's neck from behind]].
291[[/folder]]

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