Maerad's Thread (Spoilers for The Riddle)

**Netty** · May 18th, 2005, 02:54 AM

Have we forgotten someone? hmm maybe the main character of the book? lol

Yes, I know Cadvan is spunky, spunky, spunky and everybody loves him. *points to Mrs Cadvan* ...and that Dernhil is a sweetie pie.*hears everyone sigh*....but what about Maerad?

After all the things that she has been through, Maerad still manages to have a sort of grace and natural poise?? (I can’t think of the word). I mean if I had to stay and fight evil wights or if hulls attacked me I would most certainly go crazy.

...and then she has all the stuff surrounding the Treesong and everything that has to do with her being 'the fated one' and saving the lands from the dark. To carry that kind of responsibility at what? sixteen, seventeen? ...It takes a lot of courage and determination.

Cadvan...should also be included in the thread...one because he is spunky and two because he plays one of the most important roles in Maerads life. She has an amazing reliance on him to help her carry on with the quest (which is shown in the third part of The Riddle) and teach her practically everything about life.

btw I just found the word 'procrastination' when I was reading...It is the first time I have ever seen it in a book... is just suprising to find it in a fantasy novel.

Thanks Alison!

**Silvia** · May 18th, 2005, 03:19 AM

yes i did think of making a maerad thread but at the time i had just made the dernhill and that was enoguh for that time hehehe. i personally like maerad the best.

**soul_elements** · May 18th, 2005, 03:39 AM

I guess we generally forget to make threads about the main characters as we read about them on every other thread.

So Maerad ... Alison, what does Maerad look like to you? I've seen the Maerad on the Australian versions of the books and she's always hooded or covered somehow so you can't see her features properly (that's only from my memory so don't take my word for it). And on the American verson (The Naming) she's got brown hair. Or something like that.

I think Ali describes her as having pale skin (compared to the Pellinor people) and dark hair and striking blue eyes (like Hem). I always visualise characters when I read about them so I imagine her to be of average height (on the smallish side, actually) but she carries herself really well to make herself taller than she actually is. Prominant cheekbones and blood-red lips (bit of a Snow White with the pale skin and dark hair, hey?).

Did I mention really beautiful? So beautiful that she doesn't even realise it herself.

**soul_elements** · May 18th, 2005, 03:40 AM

PS: Why is it that the main characters have to be good-looking for us to admire them? Does this reflect our attitude, values and beliefs about heroes/heroines and beauty?

Just a note.

**yodee** · May 18th, 2005, 04:06 AM

I wonder what the darkness inside Maerad is, is it the third part of her?

**Gemini** · May 18th, 2005, 04:13 AM

I think it refers to what Sharma said "i'm within every human heart" or something. Also numerous times bards have mentioned the dark within themselves, i think that every bard has a "dark" side, as apart of the balance

Spoiler:

but what i'm more curious about is what Maerads third true name is

**Mrs. Cadvan** · May 18th, 2005, 06:08 AM

Congrats on making this thread, Netty!
I agree that with sexy sexy Cadvan, Maerad can tend to be overlooked. I actually really like her, which i think is testimony to Alison's writing skills; often I end up bored with the main character, and wanting to hear lots more about secondary characters.
Maerad is a very strong lead character, very well humanised (if that's a word) with emotions and feelings that make her very believable. She is also developed realistically and with patience, as people do in real life. Her fear of men is interesting, and I hope I'm right in thinking that Cadvan is gradually helping her to overcome that.

**alison** · May 18th, 2005, 08:44 AM

Me, I love Maerad! (But I would...) Yes, very pale skin, blue eyes, black hair, and quite short. I imagine she has quite delicate features, but actually I have no very precise picture of her, or any of my characters, which I why I'm so fascinated by what other people imagine. Yes, she is beautiful (she's a heroine, after all

) but I don't think conventionally so. I do have a very detailed idea of her inner life, which is really quite complicated.

Yes Gemini, the dark ("choose the Dark Side, Luke!") is in everyone. That's actually something that I, aside from my author hat, think is true; absolutely everyone can do terrible things, and also our faults can also be our virtues. The Bards, because they are so distrustful of Elementals, are going to link the darkness in Maerad with her Elemental heritage; but that's something beyond Light and Dark...

**Suzie** · May 18th, 2005, 01:02 PM

"i'm within every human heart"

could this be a metaphor thing. like in LOTR when that thing says it cant be killed by a man but then it was killed by a woman?(or was it frodo) so that sharma may be in every HUMAN heart but not every ELITHU heart(if they even have one)

**alison** · May 19th, 2005, 05:03 AM

You're onto something there, Suzie. One of the things being worked out through the books is this idea of good and evil being qualities that are inherently human inventions; they don't apply to the Elidhu, who are, in human terms, amoral (which is why Bards don't trust them).

**Leonie** · May 19th, 2005, 06:25 AM

I have a question!!!

You know that person with all those wolves (can't remember his name at the moment) he calls Maerad a liar and all humans liars. Does that mean they are liars because they don't accept the darkness within in them and try to repress it and so would be repressing part of themselves???

or am i just completely missing the point? and if humans are liars because of the above, would that mean the elidhu weren't because they seem to accept they are a mixture of both.

**Siobhan** · May 19th, 2005, 06:42 AM

I think his names Inka-Reb, he was a confusing character...he reminded me of one of those Japanese Sumo wrestlers lol.... I didn't understand what he was on about but at the time i thought it had something to do with Maerad's feelings or something i forget

**alison** · May 19th, 2005, 06:43 AM

Interesting question, Leonie! Well, this is my theory

- someone else might have another -

Spoiler:

Inka-Reb is a powerful Dhillarerean, and when he sees Maerad he is able to perceive certain things about her that most others can't. And one of the things he sees is that Maerad is fiercely denying parts of herself, and ignorant of others (the ignorance is maybe the real reason why he won't speak to her, because he would think her dangerous; which she is). I think, in particular, that he sees that Maerad denies her ability to love (stop jumping up and down, Cadvan/Maerad fanatix

) And remember, Maerad has killed a Bard in anger, and hasn't dealt with the implications of that, either. Inka-Reb's evading Maerad's question slightly when he says all human beings are liars, though he does mean that all humans delude themselves.

It doesn't mean that the Elidhu have a monopoly on honesty, but they probably can't see the point of lying, unless they are thoroughly corrupted like the Landrost is by Sharma; though they might be deceitful in other ways. But that's probably more to do with human beings projecting things onto the Elidhu. Arkan has a few things to say about truth as well, and he certainly isn't lying; one of the troublng things about him!

**Leonie** · May 19th, 2005, 08:01 AM

Maerad seems to understand the different parts of herself by the end of the Riddle a little bit more.

Spoiler:

Would that mean she is no longer 'lying' or deluding herself and is now facing the truth? and will therefore be able to understand more about the treesong?or is she still denying parts of herself? like for example her not having completely faced up to killing a bard?Also when Inka-Reb sees that she is denying her ability to love when she visits him, that has changed by the end of the Riddle because of her falling in love with Arkan, does that mean she is no longer as 'dangerous' as she has discovered a new part of herself and understands it better?

Also would the Elidhu manipulate the truth?or would that be considered by them to be lying?

So many questions...I think I will go read the books again and try and find some clues or answers to these questions...but when I've done my revision (sigh)