I know it’s crazy, but in rereading tEotW I started thinking about Thom’s character and some weird things around him.



First off, he knows who Fain is before they “first” met in the Two Rivers. This is very strange, why would Thom know Fain?

Second, Thom isn’t afraid of the Fade at Whitebridge like a normal person should be. This in itself is really weird because this is likely the first time Thom ever saw a Fade let alone fought one. Most people would be terrified but Thom is not. Yes Thom could just be crazy brave but it is still strange.

Third, Thom doesn’t discourage the boys from exploring Shadar Logoth. Thom, above all but Moraine and Lan, should know the stories of Shadar Logoth and its dangers. The question then is, why doesn’t he tell the boys about how dangerous it is?

Fourth, he is not afraid to kill people. Yes this likely means nothing but he kills the King of Cairhien, a known Darkfriend, just off the cuff. It doesn’t make Thom a Darkfriend to kill the King, however why did the King have Thom’s girlfriend killed besides the Game of Houses? Maybe the King knew Thom was a Darkfriend and wanted to slight Thom in order to make himself appear to be better in the eyes of the DO. Also, Thom kills the King without a second thought, and yes Thom was angry but never before or after has Thom done anything similar.

Fifth, we know nothing of Thom before he was a court bard. This is not evidence of him being a Darkfriend but it seems strange not to know more of him especially when he such a large secondary character.

Sixth, Thom knows a lot about the DO and shadowspawn. Yes this knowledge could come from the stories but when considering if Thom is a Darkfriend I think this merits consideration as well.

Seventh, Thom and Rand have not seen each other since well before Rand’s epiphany and Rand gaining his "Darkfriend vision ability". Again, this proves nothing but you never know.



Most of this can be explained through simple reasoning and nothing here is solid proof he is a Darkfriend but it is something to think about none-the-less. Additionally there is much more solid evidence for him being good then bad (Occam's razor) that it is hard to consider this a real possibility.

Again, I know it is crazy, and I personally don't believe this myself, but I think Thom is someone we know very little about. I could see the DO wanting to put someone near Rand, so if all else failed, the DO could still win. So why couldn't it be Thom?