[split] What does the name "Farseer" really mean? SPOILERS ALL BOOKS

[Farseer]

Maybe Fool was the sponsor, naming him as Changer

Just on the subject of a White Prophet renaming a Catalyst, I found this in FF:

"And then he required of her that she go to her parents, and deny them both, saying, "I have no mother, I have no father. I am only the Catalyst of the White Prophet Hoquin." And further she must say, "I give you back the name you gave me. I am Redda no longer but Wild-Eye, as Hoquin has made me." For he had named her thus for her one eye that always peered to one side."

Possibly this example of Hoquin and Wild-Eye is a one-off but if it was Fool who renamed Fitz "Changer", then maybe all WPs tended to change the names of their Catalysts? Will have to check into the rest to see if there are more instances.

It's also interesting to note that Wild-Eye had to deny her parents to then fully embark on her Catalyst role. Fitz did not have to do this because he did not have either parent in his life.

[Nuytsia]

The Fool seems to do a lot of things differently than previous WP's!
But I tend to agree that the passage wouldn't have been included if it didn't have some significance to Fitz - so you are probably right about the naming of Changer.

[Farseer]

It's interesting to note that Bingtowners have a naming day where "naming-day presents" are given. I found this in Chapter Twenty-Six of SOM, 'Gifts', where Malta finds the dream-box in Keffria's 'secret' cupboard.

---

It's also interesting to note that Wild-Eye had to deny her parents to then fully embark on her Catalyst role. Fitz did not have to do this because he did not have either parent in his life.

Just thinking on this and, by extension, Fitz often had to deny/walk away from a number of significant people in his life so he could remain unencumbered whilst fulfilling his role as Catalyst eg Molly, Burrich, Nettle etc. While he would never have considered it from this perspective (rather thinking that it was something he had chosen to do), he was obviously fated to leave them behind.

At the beginning of AQ, Fitz himself noted that Burrich was a final link to be severed - "Tomorrow Burrich would leave and I would be free. Free to follow my heart's desire, with no intervention from anyone" - and although he thought he was undertaking this severing to pursue selfish gain (to kill Regal), this severing had to take place for him to finally make his way to Verity and ensure an heir to the throne etc.

[Farseer]

Altogether there were twelve runes, with six that seemed to signify characters and six signifying locations:

Characters

hunter
warrior
fisher
allmother
smith
weaver [/align]

I can't help but consider a possible connection between six characters and six kittens...

[Farseer]

While I have peviously given a slightly different reasoning for the significance of the number twelve with the twelve other men in the Man Ceremony, I am wondering if even the actual number of known [[Skill-pillars]] at each location has something to do with it (especially if each man does truly represent a Skill-pillar and, further, if the markings on their mask possibly represents each destination)? There are about twelve that we know of already that are documented in the wiki...hmmm...

[Nuytsia]

But what if the name refers not only to Fitz, but to Fitz's descendants as well? So far he only has one daughter, Nettle. But now that he's married to Molly he might have other heirs as well....
What if one of them is the next White Prophet? .....
Then the name 'Farseer' would apply literally to the child Prophet: he or she would see far, far into the future.

I just got to that bit referred in the OP in my re-read of Royal Assassin, and I can't find any particular clue in or around it as to what it could mean. I really do wonder if it does literally refer to a future prophet in the Farseer line, as NeverBeenWise suggested.

If that's so, I'm still wondering how the requisite genes get into the Farseers....... hmmmm !!!

[Nuytsia]

Just re-reading Assassin's Quest and it made me think of this thread.....
I still don't know exactly what the passage in the OP might mean, but it does seem that the most obvious reason for the name Farseer is as Mervi indicated.
I had forgotten all this! But I'm at the bit where Fitz is drawn to witness the Raiders attacks at night in his dreams (and he sometimes occupies peoples' bodies, and sometimes he comes across Verity). It is in some ways similar to the passage when King Shrewd (and the Fool) see the raid on Siltbay (? the one where Molly is there). I wondered why those people in particular are drawn there - why not all Skilled ones? (they certainly never come across Will, Burl, Carrod). I guess it is meant that only the Farseers are drawn to witness these events, because their people are suffering??
Maybe this specific link to their peoples' suffering is one 'practical' reason why a Farseer on the throne is a good idea...
Made me wonder if Regal might have had more empathy with his people if he were Skilled. It also made me wonder why he seems to have no hint of the Skill, seeing as he apparently has Farseer blood from both sides of the family - and Galen has the Skill without (??) Farseer blood from his father. Or have I forgotten something that explains this?

I had always assumed that farseers were named so after their ability to use the Skill - they are able to "see" far in space, if not in time. However, the Fool seems to think that the name should mean seeing far ahead in time, and maybe he also means that Fitz has earned that title because he sees the future through the Fool's predictions?

IDK, IDK.

[Nuytsia]

Woops I HAD forgotten!
I'm now up to the bit where it's mentioned that Regal does have the Skill..... but quite weakly it seems as he needs to leech off Justin to use it.

Made me wonder if Regal might have had more empathy with his people if he were Skilled. It also made me wonder why he seems to have no hint of the Skill, seeing as he apparently has Farseer blood from both sides of the family - and Galen has the Skill without (??) Farseer blood from his father. Or have I forgotten something that explains this?

['thul]

Galen was very weakly skilled... Since physical hardiness is needed to be good with it, then regal is obviously even weaker... even with his (potentially) better blood... Regal is not exactly the prime example of healthy, he overindulges in smoke, weakening him further... and he's not got training...

[Nuytsia]

I don't know if particular physical hardiness is required to be good at the Skill? And I'm not sure that Regal is particularly unheathly?

But I'd agree he is weak in the Skill, as per previous post. He does continue to get more and more evil too (reading AQ now)