Changes: Meluan Lackless

Revision as of 05:48, 16 March 2017

Meluan Lackless is the sole heiress of the ancient Lackless family, and becomes the wife of Maer Alveron during The Wise Man's Fear.

Description

Meluan is described as "strikingly lovely," with a strong jaw and dark brown eyes. She has pale skin, chestnut hair, full red lips, and a "proud and graceful" neck. Kvothe finds her features to be "maddeningly familiar," but cannot place where he'd seen them before.^[1]

She is intelligent, well educated, forthright and well spoken. She enjoys boldness and has a fondness for romance.

She has an intense hatred for Edema Ruh, to the point of condoning genocide, which is likely due to her older sister Netalia Lackless running away to join a troop. Despite her charms, this fact paints her in a decisively antagonistic tone.

In the Chronicles

Kvothe first heard of Meluan when Maer Alveron commissioned him to write love songs for her, so that he could court her. After sending Kvothe to get the history of her family from Caudicus, the Maer seated them together at a formal banquet so that Kvothe could get to know her personally. Kvothe, under the guise of a member of nobility, was charmed by her, despite his discovery of Meluan's hatred for Edema Ruh.

He spent the better part of a month helping the Maer with this task, writing twenty-three letters, six songs, and a poem. The Maer revealed himself as her mysterious suitor, eventually winning her over, and they got betrothed and married within a few months. It was revealed that Meluan's older sister, Netalia Lackless, had run away with an Edema Ruh troupe and been disowned, leaving Meluan the sole heir to the Lackless lands. This is believed, by Kvothe, to be the reason behind her hatred of the Ruh.

When Kvothe returned to Severen, the Maer and Meluan revealed to him, under strictest promise of secrecy, that she possessed an ancient box without a handle, lid, or hinges, which is assumed to have been passed down to every Lackless heir since remembrance. Meluan hoped that Kvothe could help her find a way to open it without damaging the contents. Kvothe was able to discern that there was some faint engraving on one side which looked to be a Yllish story knot, but had no recommendations of how it might open. He also noted that the box had a faint scent of lemon, and could possibly contain another box inside.

Shortly thereafter, Meluan discovered that Kvothe was one of the Edema Ruh, and became furious. She gave him a wooden ring, accompanied by a scathing letter. The ring symbolizes that Kvothe is so low class that he should be considered inhuman and beneath contempt. Despite Bredon and Stapes advising otherwise, Kvothe wore the ring for all to see. Maer Alveron was forced to dismiss Kvothe from Severen completely to appease her.

Speculation

It has been speculated by fans of the series that Kvothe's mother is Netalia Lackless, meaning that Meluan Lackless is actually Kvothe's aunt. The evidence for this comes from the facts that:

Kvothe mentions that his mother was a noblewoman who was wisked away by his father, but that she never talked about her family, and they'd only ever visited her relatives once, when he had been very young.^[2]
There is a chapter in which Kvothe sings the child's rhyme about the "Lady Lackless," and his mother becomes quite adamant that he shouldn't be singing it.^[3]
Kvothe recites a song for Simmon and Wilem that his father had once written, which had gotten him into trouble with his mother, apparently for having an awful meter. The song goes:

Dark Laurian, Arliden’s wife,
Has a face like the blade of a knife
Has a voice like a pricklebrown burr
But can tally a sum like a moneylender.
My sweet Tally cannot cook.
But she keeps a tidy ledger-book
For all her faults, I do confess
It’s worth my life
To make my wife
Not tally a lot less …

Of particular interest is the last line of the song, which sounds very much like a phonetic pronunciation of "Netalia Lackless." Also, in the song, she's given the nickname "Tally," which could easily be a shortened form of Netalia.
There is another reference toward a relation between Kvothe's mother, Kvothe, and Meluan when the two (Kvothe and Meluan) first meet when the Maer is courting. He's struck by a strong resemblance to someone that he'd met before, but quickly discounts anywhere near the University or Imre. It's highly likely that she is a relative of someone that he knows, and since she has no other close relatives aside from her older sister, then it would seem that Kvothe has met her sister before—the obvious candidate being his mother.

Meluan also shares a striking physical resemblance to Denna. Though Denna is likely too young to be Meluan's older sister herself, it's possible that they have some unknown relationship to each other.

Fanarts

References

↑ The Wise Man's Fear, Chapter 67: "Telling Faces"
↑ The Name of the Wind, Chapter 8: "Thieves, Heretics, and Whores"
↑ The Name of the Wind, Chapter 11: "The Binding of Iron"

[twmf67-1] The Wise Man's Fear, Chapter 67: "Telling Faces"

[tnotw8-2] The Name of the Wind, Chapter 8: "Thieves, Heretics, and Whores"

[tnotw11-3] The Name of the Wind, Chapter 11: "The Binding of Iron"

[1]

[2]

[3]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{character infobox
-[[File:Placeholder|right|300px]]
+|image = Meluan lackless.jpg
-Meluan is the heiress of the ancient [[House Lackless|Lackless]] family, which once ruled vast areas of [[Vintas]], Modeg, and the small kingdoms. In prior generations and branches it is also known as the Lockless, Loklos, Loeloes and the Lack-key family. In the oldest part of their estates is rumored there is a secret door without a handle or hinges, similar to the door located in the Archives at the University.
+|family = * [[Maer Alveron]] (husband)
+* [[Netalia Lackless]] (sister)
+|species = Human
+|gender = Female
+|ethnicity = [[Vintish]]
+|skin = Pale
+|hair = Chestnut, long
+|eye = Dark
+|occupation = * Noblewoman
+* Heir to the Lackless lands
+* Wife to the Maer of Vintas
+|residence = [[Severen]]}}
+'''Meluan Lackless''' is the sole heiress of the ancient [[House Lackless|Lackless family]], and becomes the wife of [[Maer Alveron]] during The Wise Man's Fear.
-Kvothe first hears of the Lackless family via a child's rhyme while traveling with his troupe, and he first hears of Meluan after Maer Alveron patrons him to write love songs about her. After Kvothe saves the Maer from being poisoned by Caudicus, Alveron informs Kvothe of his wishes to woo Meluan and take her to wife. Kvothe works with Maer and finally is able to ensure their relationship and eventual marriage.
+== Description ==
-Before discovering that [[Kvothe]] is an [[Edema Ruh]], Meluan reveals to him, under strictest promise of secrecy, that she possesses an ancient box without handle, lid, or hinges which contains some unknown threat or treasure. This box is apparently passed down to every Lackless heir since remembrance. She hopes that Kvothe can help her and [[Maer Alveron]] find a way to open it without damaging the contents. [[Kvothe]] is able to discern there is some faint engraving on one side of a Yllish story knot, but has no recommendations of how it might open. He also notes the box has a faint scent of lemon and seems to possibly contain another box inside.
+Meluan is described as "strikingly lovely," with a strong jaw and dark brown eyes. She has pale skin, chestnut hair, full red lips, and a "proud and graceful" neck. Kvothe finds her features to be "maddeningly familiar," but cannot place where he'd seen them before.{{ref|TWMF|67}}
+She is intelligent, well educated, forthright and well spoken. She enjoys boldness and has a fondness for romance.
-Shortly thereafter, Meluan discovers Kvothe is one of the [[Edema Ruh]], a group for whom she harbors a strong resentment. It is then revealed the true heir of Lackless, Meluan's older sister, Netalia Lackless was either stolen by or ran away with Edema Ruh Troupers. Afterward, Maer Alveron is forced to dismiss Kvothe from [[Severen]] to appease Meluan, however, he still gives him a writ allowing him to play in his lands but falls short of issuing an official writ of Patronage.
+She has an intense hatred for [[Edema Ruh]], to the point of condoning genocide, which is likely due to her older sister [[Netalia Lackless]] running away to join a troop. Despite her charms, this fact paints her in a decisively antagonistic tone.
-Later, before Kvothe is able to leave Severen, he is given a wooden ring by Meluan. In congruance with Vintic tradition of trading rings, this ring is to symbolize that Kvothe is so low class that he should be considered inhuman and beneath contempt. Despite [[Bredon]] and [[Stapes]] advising otherwise, Kvothe wears the ring for all to see.
+== In the Chronicles ==
-==Lady Lackless Songs==
+[[Kvothe]] first heard of Meluan when [[Maer Alveron]] commissioned him to write love songs for her, so that he could court her. After sending Kvothe to get the history of her family from [[Caudicus]], the Maer seated them together at a formal banquet so that Kvothe could get to know her personally. Kvothe, under the guise of a member of nobility, was charmed by her, despite his discovery of Meluan's hatred for Edema Ruh.
-More than one form of seemingly nonsensical rhymes referring to the "Lady Lackless" appear in the Kingkiller Chronicle. Each one refers to a bit of mystery and secrecy in the history of the family.
+He spent the better part of a month helping the Maer with this task, writing twenty-three letters, six songs, and a poem. The Maer revealed himself as her mysterious suitor, eventually winning her over, and they got betrothed and married within a few [[months]]. It was revealed that Meluan's older sister, Netalia Lackless, had run away with an Edema Ruh troupe and been disowned, leaving Meluan the sole heir to the Lackless lands. This is believed, by Kvothe, to be the reason behind her hatred of the Ruh.
-{{Quote|The Name of the Wind, Chapter Eleven "The Binding of Iron" (recited by a young Kvothe in front of his mother)|Seven things has Lady Lackless
+When Kvothe returned to [[Severen]], the Maer and Meluan revealed to him, under strictest promise of secrecy, that she possessed an ancient [[Loeclos Box|box]] without a handle, lid, or hinges, which is assumed to have been passed down to every Lackless heir since remembrance. Meluan hoped that Kvothe could help her find a way to open it without damaging the contents. Kvothe was able to discern that there was some faint engraving on one side which looked to be a [[Yllish]] story knot, but had no recommendations of how it might open. He also noted that the box had a faint scent of lemon, and could possibly contain another box inside.
-Keeps them underneath her black dress
+Shortly thereafter, Meluan discovered that Kvothe was one of the Edema Ruh, and became furious. She gave him a wooden ring, accompanied by a scathing letter. The ring symbolizes that Kvothe is so low class that he should be considered inhuman and beneath contempt. Despite [[Bredon]] and [[Stapes]] advising otherwise, Kvothe wore the ring for all to see. Maer Alveron was forced to dismiss Kvothe from Severen completely to appease her.
-One a ring that’s not for wearing
+== Speculation ==
-One a sharp word, not for swearing
+It has been speculated by fans of the series that [[Laurian|Kvothe's mother]] is [[Netalia Lackless]], meaning that Meluan Lackless is actually Kvothe's aunt. The evidence for this comes from the facts that:
+* Kvothe mentions that his mother was a noblewoman who was wisked away by [[Arliden|his father]], but that she never talked about her family, and they'd only ever visited her relatives once, when he had been very young.{{ref|TNOTW|8}}
+* There is a chapter in which Kvothe sings the child's rhyme about the "Lady Lackless," and his mother becomes quite adamant that he shouldn't be singing it.{{ref|TNOTW|11}}
+* Kvothe recites a song for [[Simmon]] and [[Wilem]] that his father had once written, which had gotten him into trouble with his mother, apparently for having an awful meter. The song goes:
+<blockquote>
-Right beside her husband’s candle
+<poem>Dark Laurian, Arliden’s wife,
+Has a face like the blade of a knife
+Has a voice like a pricklebrown burr
+But can tally a sum like a moneylender.
+My sweet Tally cannot cook.
+But she keeps a tidy ledger-book
+For all her faults, I do confess
+It’s worth my life
+To make my wife
+Not tally a lot less …</poem>
+</blockquote>
+* Of particular interest is the last line of the song, which sounds very much like a phonetic pronunciation of "Netalia Lackless." Also, in the song, she's given the nickname "Tally," which could easily be a shortened form of Netalia.
-There’s a door without a handle
+* There is another reference toward a relation between Kvothe's mother, Kvothe, and Meluan when the two (Kvothe and Meluan) first meet when the Maer is courting. He's struck by a strong resemblance to someone that he'd met before, but quickly discounts anywhere near the University or Imre. It's highly likely that she is a relative of someone that he knows, and since she has no other close relatives aside from her older sister, then it would seem that Kvothe has met her sister before—the obvious candidate being his mother.
+Meluan also shares a striking physical resemblance to [[Denna]]. Though Denna is likely too young to be Meluan's older sister herself, it's possible that they have some unknown relationship to each other.
+== Fanarts ==
-In a box, no lid or locks
+<gallery widths="126" orientation="square" position="center" captionalign="center">
+commission_meluan_lackless_by_ladyscribbles-db28qts.jpg|Meluan Lackless by @ [http://ladyscribbles.deviantart.com/art/Commission-Meluan-Lackless-668895184 Ladyscribbles]
+meluan lackless.jpg|Meluan Lackless By [http://starsmooon.deviantart.com/art/Meluan-Lackless-669265586 starsmoon]
+meluan_lackless_by_wintersbird-dahqwua.jpg|Meluan by [http://wintersbird.deviantart.com/art/Meluan-Lackless-634470850  wintersbird]
+</gallery>
-Lackless keeps her husband’s rocks
+== References ==
-There’s a secret she’s been keeping
+{{reflist}}
-She’s been dreaming and not sleeping
-On a road, that’s not for traveling
-Lackless likes her riddle raveling.
-|The Name of the Wind}}
-{{Quote|The Wise Man's Fear, Chapter 108 "Quick" (recited by a young boy in a non-Ruh troupe)|Seven things stand before
-The entrance to the Lackless door
-One of them a ring unworn
-One a word that is forsworn
-One a time that must be right
-One a candle without light
-One a son who brings the blood
-One a door that holds the flood
-One a thing tight-held in keeping
-Then comes that which comes with sleeping|The Wise Man's Fear}}
-==Speculation==
-It is speculated by fans of the series that Meluan Lackless is actually Kvothe's Aunt.
-Kvothe's mother makes reference to the way in which his father stole the heart of a noble girl and whisked her away. In addition, she becomes quite concerned over Kvothe's idle singing of the child's rhyme about the "Lady Lackless."
-Yet further circumstantial evidence is provided when Kvothe is talking to Wilem and Simmon on Stonebridge and relates to them a song his father wrote for his mother, causing her to make him sleep underneath the wagon that night, where he refers to her as "Tally" and concludes with the lines:
-: ''It's worth my life<br />To make my wife<br />Not tally a lot less...''
-The Lackless sister who disappeared with the Ruh was named Netalia Lackless, and the final line appears to be a phonetic pronunciation of her name. It is likely that she made him sleep under the wagon because he had cleverly written a song that would reveal her true identity.
-Lastly, upon Kvothe's meeting Meluan Lackless for the first time, he is stricken with a powerful feeling of familiarity, as though he has seen her before. He never places the feeling or is able to explain it, and it remains an open arc in the story.
-Also notably from the same verse as mentioned above, Arliden captializes 'Tally' in one of the lines.
-"''My sweet Tally cannot cook." ''
-This is significant, and a nod to the reader that this is in fact Natalia Lackless.
-There is another reference toward a relation between Kvothe's mother, Kvothe himself and Meluan when the two (Kvothe and Meluan) first meet when the Maer is courting.
-"I helped her into her seat, her profile struck me with such a strong resemblance that I couldn’t help but stare. I knew her, I was certain of it. But I couldn’t for the life of me remember where we might have met. . . ."
-He ponders on her origin, and where he could have seen her resemblance and discounts anywhere near The University, or across the river. This leads toward a place in his past. His mother. Laurien. Formerly Natalia Lackless. [[Category:Minor Characters]]
-{{Stub}}
 [[Category:Characters]]
+[[Category:Minor Characters]]
 [[Category:Vintas]]
 [[Category:Nobility]]