Thom and Moiraine

[Marie 73]

I have relatives in their 70s too, and they are pretty active, outgoing, bubbly,etc. I guess it comes down to how you age, and Thom seems like he's aged fine (on the inside).

 

Oooh and it seems I made Morgase younger than she is in my head: she was closer to 30 when she was with Thom, so Olivia was right about it being 15 years since he left, but his ass is in his 70s, there's just no way around it.

 

I don't know why I thought Morgase was so young...or maybe Elayne threw me; I always confuse myself with her age.

[AshSnow 0]

So Morgase is in her mid 40's? I envisioned her a bit younger than that as well. I only have two relatives in 60's. One 80's. Everyone else died. Great Grandma made it to 104...

 

Probably from the way she was portrayed. Beautiful and in her prime? I don't quite remember, but they said something, that made it seem she wasn't too young, or too old, and looked pretty dang good. It made me think she was about 35 or something.

[Brynefan 2]

Morgase's aging has most likely slowed a bit as a result of her training in the Tower.

[Kaitlin 22]

Morgase's aging has most likely slowed a bit as a result of her training in the Tower.

 

Yes, I'm thinking you're right about this.

 

EotW did have some minor inconsistencies having to do with OP channeling as well in some spots. It is not inconceivable (Inconceivable!) at all that there would be inconsistencies with age, but I do think Thom is pretty damn old in comparison to Moiraine. Maybe I'm wrong about his actual age, but Moiraine's a channeler. She's going to live for a very long time if something else doesn't kill her first.

 

Thom was still able to do flips and things until his knee was damaged. I guess he's pretty fit.

[Marie 73]

I think RJ makes all the men a little better than they would be in reality.

 

The thing about EotW is, being the first novel I think RJ was working a lot of the kinks out. For instance, in the first edition Moiraine says something to Nynaeve along the lines of "a week to ten days" and later on RJ settles on making ten days a week...obviously it hadn't been that way at first.

[Tosh 8]

Wouldn't a person's "prime" be in their twenties or somesuch in a medieval-ish world? Perhaps a little older depending on their profession.

[Marie 73]

Yes, but this isn't our world exactly. I mean, how many people have you seen with acne or in need of eyesight help? How many people have all their teeth? They also know to wash their hands, etc.

 

People in WoT live around as long as we do, even though they don't have our technology. And in our time, people's prime keeps getting extended because our health keeps improving. If WoT peeps health is as good as it seems, then it makes sense that their prime would last past just the glorious twenties.

 

Not to mention, RJ, being an older male, would be biased.

[Kaitlin 22]

*nods* Yes, he refined things as he went along. Moiraine's staff was just a tool she used for focusing, but after she lost it in the first book he never had her use another.

[Brynefan 2]

Prime: "The time of maturity when power and vigor are greatest"

 

Which, from a cynic's point of view, translates into "just before you start to decline". ;D That can differ from person to person.

[Marie 73]

I think in Thom's case that really would be when he was with Morgase...poor boy definitely started declining with Owen's death.

[Kaitlin 22]

*hmmphs* It didn't help that Morgase chased him out and wouldn't listen. The beheading part just comes from her being a Queen. That's just to be expected.

[Brynefan 2]

Perhaps Gareth whispered dirty lies into her silly royal ears and she believed him

 

(Un)likely scenario:

 

Bryne: "He's run away with one of the maids!" (Which in fact lies dead, wearing a blonde wig, in his closet after a BDSM accident).

 

Morgase: "Kill them!"

 

Bryne: *Grins* I've already taken the liberty to kill the maid.

 

Morgase: "Good! Go find Thom now." (Doesn't see the lack of logic in the situation)

 

Bryne bows and takes leave.

 

Aside from that odd train of thought, Gareth said something like "sometimes a man does strange things for a woman". I can't remember exactly and my books are stuffed into a box right now. The Fires of Heaven, Trapped. That I'm sure of. Just before he tells Thom to "play stones" with him.

 

I still don't know what either of them really saw in her. She's described as smart and a good ruler, but she proves time after time that isn't the case. Perhaps it's like this episode of South Park.

[Ekho 52]

I think Morgase was a good queen, the whole Rahvin affair wasn't really her fault

[Brynefan 2]

I don't blame her for the Rahvin incident. It's just the small things that bug me.

[Kaitlin 22]

The fact that she got away from Forsaken compulsion was something, even though it wasn't done by the best expert of it.

 

She didn't really bother me with a lot of her Queen stuff, but her parts just had no connection with the rest of the books. Maybe her doing stuff on her own for a little bit wouldn't have been bad, but she just never reconnects, not as who she was anyway.

 

I wonder who really has the worst temper, Moiraine or Morgase? *doesn't feel sorry for Thom with Moiraine anyway* >: P