The Fae
The Fae is probably the most mysterious part of The Four Corners of Civilization. It is a world of its own that shares the same space and runs parallel with the human world. It is often referred to as the Faen realm as it is more of an alternate dimension than a world. It is a mystical place that few humans have actually seen, but almost all have heard stories and myths about. The Fae contains many different types of fantastical creatures, some human-like in appearance and others more beast-like or unknown. The Fae can be seen much like "Faerie," a place that seemingly only exists in tales, with all sorts of things that doesn't seem possible in our own world. Little is revealed about The Fae in the Kingkiller Chronicle thus far, but now and them there are glimpses of it showing up.
The Fae has no seasons, and there is no night or day. One side is simply day, the other is night, and if you walk from one to the other you will experience an in-between area. There are stories of humans travelling to the Fae by accident. The are sometimes walking through the woods on a moonless night and find themselves in a strange and mysterious place. Large standing stones are found all around The Four Corners of Civilization that some believe mark areas of the world where the veil between the mortal world and the Fae is very thin.6
The Fae has no seasons, and there is no night or day. One side is simply day, the other is night, and if you walk from one to the other you will experience an in-between area. There are stories of humans travelling to the Fae by accident. The are sometimes walking through the woods on a moonless night and find themselves in a strange and mysterious place. Large standing stones are found all around The Four Corners of Civilization that some believe mark areas of the world where the veil between the mortal world and the Fae is very thin.6
Fae-rie?
Without a doubt, Rothfuss had been influenced by Faerie (or Fairy) stories when writing the Kingkiller Chronicle. In some European faerie mythology, all the mystical faerie creatures live in their own realm, a place I will refer to simply as Faerie. There seem to be many similarities in Fae and the land of Faerie aside from just the name. Faerie stories contain all sorts of beings that seem unnatural to our own world. As J. R. R. Tolkien puts it in his famous essay "On Fairy-stories,":
Without a doubt, Rothfuss had been influenced by Faerie (or Fairy) stories when writing the Kingkiller Chronicle. In some European faerie mythology, all the mystical faerie creatures live in their own realm, a place I will refer to simply as Faerie. There seem to be many similarities in Fae and the land of Faerie aside from just the name. Faerie stories contain all sorts of beings that seem unnatural to our own world. As J. R. R. Tolkien puts it in his famous essay "On Fairy-stories,":
for fairy-stories are not in normal English usage stories about fairies or elves, but stories about Fairy, that is Faerie, the realm or state in which fairies have their being. Faerie contains many things besides elves and fays, and besides dwarfs, witches, trolls, giants, or dragons: it holds the seas, the sun, the moon, the sky; and the earth, and all things that are in it: tree and bird, water and stone, wine and bread, and ourselves, mortal men, when we are enchanted.7
Both Tolkien's idea of Faerie and Rothfuss' fictional Faen realm consists of a world coexisting with our own that contains not only mythical creatures, but an entire world in which man can sometimes travel.
In many Faerie stories and myths, people wander into or are taken to Faerie. A common factor in these stories are a change in time. Sometimes in these stories, people wander into the woods, are missing for days, and eventually reappear without even knowing a day has passed. Rothfuss borrows this technique and inverts it in his creation of The Fae. When Kvothe spends time in The Fae, he feels as if he is there for about a year. He grows a long, unruly beard, and when he returns to his companions he finds out only three days have passed. I think Rothfuss chose to have time go by quicker in The Fae to show how the Faen folk are wiser and more experienced than the humans. They are often viewed as dangerous and clever, so if they are immortal and live through years quicker than the humans, they would theoretically be much smarter due to wisdom gained through experience.
Faen Creatures
Some creatures found in the books are similar to things found in other mythologies around the world. One of the most important Faen Characters found in the series is known as Bast.
In many Faerie stories and myths, people wander into or are taken to Faerie. A common factor in these stories are a change in time. Sometimes in these stories, people wander into the woods, are missing for days, and eventually reappear without even knowing a day has passed. Rothfuss borrows this technique and inverts it in his creation of The Fae. When Kvothe spends time in The Fae, he feels as if he is there for about a year. He grows a long, unruly beard, and when he returns to his companions he finds out only three days have passed. I think Rothfuss chose to have time go by quicker in The Fae to show how the Faen folk are wiser and more experienced than the humans. They are often viewed as dangerous and clever, so if they are immortal and live through years quicker than the humans, they would theoretically be much smarter due to wisdom gained through experience.
Faen Creatures
Some creatures found in the books are similar to things found in other mythologies around the world. One of the most important Faen Characters found in the series is known as Bast.
Bast is a close friend and student of the main character in the series. He lives among the humans by using Faen magic to disguise himself as one of them. In his natural form he has pure blue eyes and hooved feet. Though he most often appears friendly, he can be incredibly cruel and mischievous. Bast is the central character to the short story The Lightning Tree. Bast shares similarities with the Greek god Pan. His appearance is similar since they both have the lower half of a hooved animal, but the similarities go much further. Pan is well known for his seduction endeavors. Much the same, Bast is implied to have relations with many of the girls and women in the town he resides. In The Lightning Tree, he seduces multiple women with his Faen magic. In one particular event, Bast uses a set of enchanted reed pipes to seduce a young lady.8 One of the things Pan is knownfor is his reed pipes, which makes the two an obvious comparison.9
Another significant Faen character in the series is the notorious Felurian.
Another significant Faen character in the series is the notorious Felurian.
Felurian is a well known mythical figure in The Four Corners of Civilization. She is known as one of the Fae who appears to be the most beautiful woman in the world. In the stories told about her, she takes men to her Faen home and haves sex with them until they die. In the stories, mortal men either ware out their bodies and die of physical strain or Felurian becomes bored, letting them leave. The men who leave are said to be mentally damaged because they are completely obsessed. As our protagonist spends some time with Felurian, we find out that she is using magic to lure men and to give them the absolute thought that she is the most beautiful woman. Felurian can be compared to several mythical beings we are more familiar with. The most fitting of these being the Siren. Felurian first appears in The Wise Man's Fear singing a soft tune that resonates far through the woods and draws the attention of some travelers. The Sirens were also said to sing to draw the attention of sailors. In both cases, the men would be entranced by their beauty and ultimately laid to rest.9
The firsts Fae creatures to appear in The Name of the Wind are the Scrael.
The firsts Fae creatures to appear in The Name of the Wind are the Scrael.
These spider-like creatures are known to always travel in groups. They are completely opaque, with no features aside from their knife-like legs. They are said to be from a very old, lost part of the Fae. They appear to have no purpose, but will attack without being threatened. I believe that the Scrael along with some other creatures of The Fae are used as tools by a superior Faen being.
The last mentionable Faen is the Cthaeh.
The last mentionable Faen is the Cthaeh.
The Cthaeh is viewed by the rest of The Fae as the most malicious being to exist. It is a creature that dwells in a large tree in a clearing. It has the ability to see the future clearly, meaning it can see every possible outcome of a situation. The Cthaeh uses this ability to tell whoever it speaks to truths that will result in catastrophe for many people. Flowers from the tree are supposed to cure any illness, so people in myths go to the tree for the flower and end up causing war and disaster. The Cthaeh resembles an oracular god with cruel intentions. Its role in the series is as large as any character. The main character speaks to the Cthaeh, so whatever decisions he chooses to make will ultimately cause disaster because the Cthaeh knew he would make those decisions and told him what he needed to influence him to do so.