Mat Cauthon (The Wheel of Time) A Character Examination

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My character examination of Mat Cauthon from the Wheel of Time
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[@ryantoth676]

" “I have lived for four centures," he said. "Perhaps I am still a youth, in that all of us are, compared to the timeless age of the Wheel itself. That said, I am one of the oldest people in existence." Moiraine smiled. "Very nice. Does that work on the others?" He hesitated. Then, oddly, he found himself grinning. "It worked pretty well on Cadsuane." Moiraine sniffed. "That one...Well, knowing her, I doubt you fooled her as well as you assume. You may have the memories of a man four centuries old, Rand al'Thor, but that does not make you ancient. Otherwise, Matrim Cauthon would be the patriarch of us all." " is still my favorite

[@nathanprime2434]

LOVE LOVE LOVE, these moments!

[@Arctic_Stark]

I love this interaction so much, for multiple reasons. The obvious one being the part about Mat, but also because this was the moment where Rand was most like his old self from book 1. And also because it showed the difference between Moraine and everyone else, and how well she knew the boys from Two Rivers.

[@genebaker6964]

There are so many great and fun Mat moments. At the final battle: Mat: The 1st and most important thing is to know what your enemy is up to. Elayne: I thought the most important thing was to know the terrain. Mat: That to

[@Jamestp19]

One thing I love about Mat is that he would get something like a hangnail and complain about constantly and to everyone around him, but then get a grievous wound that is 100x more painful and try and hide it and act like it was no big deal.

[@brettmoore8880]

Yes. Mat gets a splinter and tells you about it for 3 hours or until you pay him off to stop talking. Mat gets his eye yanked out... Whats everyone looking at?? It was always missing. Lets hit the tavern. Blood and ashes.

[@jacoblehnen4372]

Like losing an eye.

[@DreadPirateBob]

The girls mentioned it in the books. When he stops complaining you know it's serious

[@countspyder4769]

True but that 9 times out of ten comes out of a desire to not be healed by an Aes Sedai

[@revan0890]

I loved how Rand described Mat as being a hero who insists he is not during Rands struggle with the Dark One.

[@revan0890]

I also liked Mat's first selfless act in the Dragon Reborn when he gives a refugee mother and her baby a purse of gold. It was a bit surprising as Mat has always come across as being completely selfish, especially on a first read through.

[@xbaxdark]

All the good heroes in WoT never think of them selves as heroes, though it's especially strong with Mat. Also the two rivers boys always think one of the other lads is better with girls.

[@countspyder4769]

That is like my favorite scene in the series

[@Iansco1]

That is the definition of one. A hero is the guy who wants none of it and does it because he has to.

[@garrettwagner5270]

My favorite Mat moment is the conversation he has with Mistress Anan about a man and his boots. Fantastic.

[@DanielGreeneReviews]

AWESOME scene. Damn I wish I had remembered that and talked about it.

[@bsomebody13]

My single, most favorite WoT moment.

[@nekmewxelagrowing6432]

Yep Matt's my favorite to read about im always waiting it to shift back to him even though ive read all the books like 10+ Time's. man and boots was always one of my favorite parts...

[@seanypat1030]

Such a good moment

[@DarkSol16]

A man of unconventional wisdom. I'm honestly surprised I still remember the scene you are talking about. I guess that's how good that writing was.

[@PodcastoftheFallen]

One of my top 3 moments in the series is during the Six Story Slaughter when Mat is facing down the gholam that's going after Elayne. "Sighing, Mat tugged the useless knife into it's scabbard. 'You can't have her,' he said loudly. Promises. One jerk broke the leather cord around his neck; the silver foxhead dangled a foot below his fist. It made a low hum as he whirled it in a double loop. 'You can't bloody have her.' He started forward, the medallion spinning. The first step was the hardest, but he had a promise to keep." I think this is the moment Mat became my favorite character in the series. He may mess around and act like he doesn't care, but he really does, and he'll always keep a promise he makes, no matter what it entails. And the best part about his character is that he would have saved Elayne without the promise. He just uses that as an excuse because he doesn't admit to himself how good of a guy he is.

[@samabbott1396]

nbcardall ii

[@Ben-xj2rf]

One thing I don't really like about Sanderson's books is how he handled Mat's characterization. Robert Jordan never explicitly stated that "mat has a promise to keep, so he's gonna keep it." He showed it through Mat's actions. Sanderson decided to explicitly state that Mat will always keep his promises, and it seems like a situation where he's telling instead of showing.

[@scottgraham7064]

Rereading the books right currently. It is said multiple times during Jordan's books that may keeps all his promises.

[@abigailslade3824]

Blood and bloody ashes

[@meostafford]

I also loved it when in the same scene he kicked the door in chasing the gholam, he was not going to be denied at that point.

[@cooperbaird1192]

I love the scene In the white tower after he awakens and goes to spare with the Warders and starts speaking a forgotten language. That’s when his story really made me pay attention

[@waxy1277]

He could barely hold himself up and he still whooped em quite easily.

[@danhathaway7984]

Yes book-3 is where the character really starts taking-off and becoming a fan favorite.

[@brianmckee2267]

Matt is a dnd character who rolls natural 20s constantly

[@TheKyfe]

He's got a loaded dice that has a "21" instead of a "1." lol

[@woogawoogawoogawooga7184]

halfling with lucky, bountiful luck, and halfling luck go brrrrr

[@rhondaserges5136]

As I read this DnD is being played in another room lolol

[@blairbuskirk5460]

Best Matt moment was the strange formation of his band of the red hand. All while trying to sneak out of a battle, he ends up leading an effective group of mixed horse and foot, and takes the head of the enemy's figurehead leader.

[@bjj_hero]

"It was about a hero who insisted with every breath that he was anything but a hero." Mat might be a conflicting character for some people but he's my favorite character by far.

[@robwest2813]

100% agreed!

[@gryphonwing1945]

Just going to drop my 2 favorite quotes from him here: "When you knew you were going to hang, the only thing to do was grin at the noose." "'I don't know,' Mat said. 'But it's setting Sharans on fire, so I'm mostly certain that I like it.'"

[@thrasher3224]

“Almost dead yesterday, maybe dead tomorrow, but alive, gloriously alive, today.

[@Lettumkno]

Mat’s description of the uncomfortable bench he was sitting on to meet Aes Sedai always tickled me. Something along the lines of “Made by cross-eyed trollocs from the bones of the damned” Having it burned right after the meeting made me laugh out loud.

[@CrazyAjvar]

My favourite Mat moment was when he spanked Aes Sedai. 😂

[@chadwhitfield6946]

And they couldn't do anything while he wore the fox head medallion.

[@tehdoctorz3937]

Poor Joline 😂

[@Felzorful]

That moment he tried to save egwene. Out of the camp. And woot not lision to what they had to say. And then only reply and dont you dare use the powet on me again. Had me laugh so much

[@user-lt6ho5kt7v]

@@chadwhitfield6946 yeah, no. Even if you are immune to channeling, world around you isn't. You still can be affected by a rock dropping on you. Medallion is not a complete defence from channeling

[@bobbytang9924]

Nyneave kicking Mat buttocks was one of my favourite lol

[@jonahaguilar6606]

Rand honors the dead too. He had a huge list in his head. He honored them so much he went insane.

[@DanielGreeneReviews]

I found what Mat did rather healthy and normal. What Rand did was... well insane. Burning their faces and names in his head even if he didn’t know them. Well admirable, whole other ball park compared to what Mat was doing. In my opinion.

[@jonahaguilar6606]

True.

[@TheTorment]

Yeah but Mat does that out of his own need... he doesn't make a routine out of it, doesn't try to see it as a way to better himself (like Rand), those thoughts just strike him out of the blue and he just spends a while thinking about a person in a very private way, remembering the nice moments with that person or imagining what could have been if he/she didn't die. Rand on the other hand is not personal at all, he's just interested in the impact he has on people's lives and the impact these deaths have on him. Also, we can't even be sure if this listmaking trend is a creation of his own personality, because, as far as I remember, he initially only honored women with his list, and he started doing it when he started going crazy because of Saidin and his personality began to merge with Lews Therin's, who was obsessed with Ilyena's death and started poisoning Rand's mind with his guilt and self-loathing over killing a woman so precious to him

[@jonahaguilar6606]

Well Rand is Lews Therin, so treating them as 2 different people isn’t right. Also, deaths were too personal for Rand, not the other way around. He loathed himself for something that wasn’t his fault. And to be clear, I’m not saying Mat doesn’t honor the dead, I’m saying Rand does too.

[@TheTorment]

Well Rand and Lews are different people until the epiphany at Dragonmount when Rand 'absorbs' the Lews Therin personality and 'unlocks' all his memories while getting free of the madness that came with them. Before that he kinda has a split personality with some random traits and memories of Therin seeping into Rand's mind, but he has no control over this and they are not really one person. And my point is that Mat's honoring seems deeper and more personal because he actually thinks about the people and genuinely misses them, while in Rand's case it's pretty much all about himself - 'I f*cked up, heads have rolled, even if I'm the badass kickass Dragon Reborn I can't ressurect people so I should now wallow in sorrow for months so I don't make the same mistakes again, because my mistakes make people die.' Rand is constantly on the lookout for ways to improve himself and he feels guilty about nearly everything... Mat recalls his good times with people he lost just because he feels like it

[@TheMMSpirit]

The creator prepared for the Last Battle. It gave the Dragon Reborn the tools needed to win. His hands, one a relentless force, to hunt and kill the forsaken in the world of dreams. To call the sprit wolves to counter the army of darkhounds, and to bind the nations together after the Last Battle. Rand's other hand was what the pattern called "the Son of Battles". Men called him the Gambler, the Trickster, and the Fox through the ages, he was reborn hundreds of times always to lead men in war. In his last life, Matt was Aemon, king of Manatheran and called the Sword that could not be Broken. Matt recovered the memories of hundreds of lives of battles and campaigns at Rhuidean and this was to counter Demandred. Demandred spent centuries learning the art of war, and was the Dark One's most important general in the War of Power. With an army of Shaaramen, thousands of Dreadlords, and hundreds of thousands of shadowspawn, only one who also spent centuries learning war could counter that.

[@setharoth114]

Love Mat and love this video! Personally, I think the "romance" between Tuan and Mat is pretty great, but mostly just because it played with my expectations as a reader. Him accidentally proposing to her was probably one of funniest moments in the series for me, but I really expected the typical love story where she comes out of her shell and he learns to appreciate her and they bond and find more in each other than met the eye originally but... nope. She basically decides "yeah, he'd probably be good for the Empire to have around. Guess I'll marry you" but never develops really any affection for him. And Mat has no idea how to handle the fact that he's married. Where a romance like Faile and Perrin is more emotionally satisfying as we see them put aside their own interests and work together as a couple, Mat and Tuan more represent a traditional monarchical marriage where they are brought together by circumstance rather than affection. I like having that represented in the vast world of Wheel of Time. Just my two cents. Keep up the good work, love the videos!

[@DanielGreeneReviews]

For me the romance was poorly written. There were scenes that made it seem Tuan secretly loved Mat a lot. Others where it totally contradicted that idea. Not in a “she’s conflicted or hiding it” way, but I’m a the author can’t decide way. Totally up to interpretation, but it just did not click with me. Even Mat showed that inconsistency. I totally get it was supposed to be a them being conflicted or hiding it, but that just didn’t land while I read it.

[@ob3alva]

Matrim is a playboy who can do amazing things and Fortuona comes from a distant continent and completely authoritative culture. It's just different, I personally enjoyed it, I was never getting what I wanted from them but that was the point and it always made me laugh. Everything about their situationship is not supposed to happen under normal circumstances even though Mat has been through crazy things and Tuon is Seanchan next in line to rule. When two people are attracted to each other against those odds it's just never gonna land the way you would normally expect it. Which was enjoyable in my eyes

[@johanjarvinen]

@@DanielGreeneReviews The way the romance is written Mat grows to lover her (we see that quite explicitly) while Tuon isn't accustomed to thinking of marriage as a matter of love. However, the hints that Tuon does feel something more for Mat than she acknowledges are there specifically to show that while she isn't ready to admit it to herself yet, there is love beneath that facade. Neither of them is conditioned to be looking to settle down or fall in love, so it makes sense for it to happen without them realizing at first.

[@GreeneZonee]

My favorite mat moment is when Brigette goes to check out the person arrested in the palace and it's mat and he's gambling with the guards lol I laughed for way too long at that

[@billyalexander7210]

I like Mat's relationship with Tuon and Olver because those relationships contrast with Mat's personality. You would never expect him to be with someone like Tuon and Matt would never want a kid, but he has Olver.

[@blairbuskirk5460]

I have a sinking suspicion that Olver is the wheel's next spinning of Giadal Cain which puts his time with the band as great early training but Matt desperately wanted the child to have as normal a childhood as one could have given the Shaido scenario.

[@willkuehler8918]

In my audiobooks for the Wheel of Time my bookmarks go Perrin does something cool, Rand is going bonkers etc. Except for anytime Mat is involved then I just type "Mat" and I know it's a good part.

[@TheKyfe]

I think the romance with Tuon was deliberate. RJ had plans to continue the WoT universe with Mat and Tuon as the main story. Their romance would have been expanded upon then.

[@revpembroke3082]

Nothing about Tylin, huh? Yeah, probably for the best. I found Siuan Sanche's story to Mat about her uncle to be quite appropriate. Her uncle was a gambler, a carouser who died trying to pull one more kid out of a burning orphanage. Mat just has the luck that the fire would never hurt him. Of course it isn't a great romance. I'm not sure it can be. Mat grew to love Tuon, but I do not believe she loves him.

[@erenliebert4576]

@Ralph well it's shown from Mat's perspective, he doesn't seem to look at anything too seriously even if it is, golam, that would make people shit their pants turns into a sparring match partner for him, Seanchan that would be conceived like awful slaveowners and totalitarian crazy absolutists are just weird but funny people for him, and etc. He is a great person and does not hate anyone or anything, yeah he is constantly talking and complaining, but he will be the first one to help you there when is needed

[@tiagodagostini]

Well Tuon was a character that sees the world as a chain of prophecies and premeditations. How is she not mesmerized by a man that basically the universe twist itself to make things work ok for him?

[@OrneryOctorok]

I actually think it makes sense that only Mat really finds a moment for every person. Since he's lived so many alternate lives, and at least most of their deaths, he understands more than anyone else, that being remembered is the most someone can help the dead.

[@Ratatoskr0_0]

Mat reminds me of Loki and Odin respectively. Loki was a trickster and had a dark side, while Odin had a spear and two ravens, wore a wide brimmed hat, hung from a tree as a sacrifice and gave one of his eyes for his ravens Hugin and Munin, or Thought and Memory. Odin was also the Viking God of War/Princecraft, Medicine and Magick. (Thor was God of Thunder, Rain and Justice for the Common Man).

[@tiagodagostini]

Mat is Odin (Spear, Ravens, One eyes, knowledge of a thousand men) Perrin is THor (well the hammer names gives everything)

[@papaaeon7210]

I just remember how Mat smashed a Aiel babe before even Rand. Lmao

[@Ben-xj2rf]

she was a darkfriend though

[@LongShaynx]

@@Ben-xj2rf in the words of The Lonely Island "still counts"

[@indranigomes9874]

@@LongShaynx hahaha love that song

[@chadwhitfield6946]

And had to kill her.

[@Jesse-B]

@@Ben-xj2rf Does that mean a friend of the light wouldn't have let him play hide the sausage?

[@rachaelbaringson613]

Is no one going to mention the time that Mat wore a pink ribbon around his hat? Despite the fact that he loathes the color?

[@chrissleeping65]

It was a punishment his wife gave him and he took it like a man

[@shawnduket5417]

I love Mat. While Rand, Perrin, and Mat all grew up in the same village and are the same age, it's Rand and Mat's friendship that makes me love Mat even more. When Rand goes to Rhuidean, Mat goes with wanting answers about what " those snaky people" told him about. He even comments about Aviendha and Moiraine running in their birthday suits. Mat's character progression is so enthralling and relatable that I would love to spend a night out on the town drinking and carousing with him. That's just how likable a character he is. I could go on and on about Mat.

[@Stratocaster893]

Yeah, on my first read through of WoT I would speed read through most of the other characters chapters just so I could get to his chapters faster. Then I would slow down and savour them. My favourite character in all of fantasy because he's not just a fun and likeable guy but the situations he finds himself in are in my opinion always the most entertaining.

[@tehdoctorz3937]

One of my favourite moments from Mat was his letter to elayne in towers of midnight.

[@ardinhelme687]

I'm so sad we didn't get to see them have dinner together, like, after that letter and everything we know about Mat, I was so ready for this trainwreck dinner scene and it just got glossed over. Tragic.

[@Lettumkno]

“Are you going to swear at her too?” “Of course I am. How else will she know it’s from me?”

[@brycezen1896]

So like I feel like Mat might have been the character which Jordan had the easiest with Mat doesn’t get a POV chapter until book 3 and instantly becomes a fan favorite. Personally I think Mats true character shows true even in the first book despite his more negative traits as a youngster

[@TheDeadman419]

one of my gripes about the books is that we don't get to see as many characters interacting with Mat towards the end when everyone's grown and matured. I never really liked Egwene, Nyneve, and Elanye's treatment of Mat as either someone to be used or watched over (on top of the contempt they sometimes seem to have for him). Eventually everyone matures a little and Nyneve and Egwene seem to treat him with something almost akin to respect. Elanye's relationship with him is almost sibling-like. She jokes with him, treats him with respect, argues with him, and even compliments him and I loved it. I wish I had more chances to see that. I love these characters and I want more opportunities to see them interact and work off of each other as much as I want to see them butt heads (because it's pretty funny when they do). I think the problem was that too many times he's dealing with the three of them at once. When they're all together the girls almost seem to bully him. Most obvious example would be the Stone of Tear when they just *had* to flex their one power muscles on him just because they were annoyed that they had to be saved by him. But whenever they're talking one on one with a character the girls seem much more respectful and reasonable.

[@DarkSol16]

I actually really liked the romance between Mat and Tuon. Although, I'm not sure if its just because I really liked both characters rather than actually enjoying the romance itself.

[@robwest2813]

Matt trying to leave the Aiel battle against the Shaido and winding up leading it, killing Couladin and inadvertently forming the Red hand in the process is one of my all time favorite moments from any series I’ve read.

[@deBebbler]

I understand how Galad was an unpalatable character in The Dragon Reborn, but Gawyn wasn't his insufferable self until much later. In the Scouting and Discoveries chapter, he even shares a moment of levity with Mat after he got his ass handed to him. Just a small detail I didn't agree with in your nice summary of the character.

[@carolbriscoe9337]

I love his total loyalty to Rand, even when he's afraid his friend is going crazy. And when he thinks of Rand,, his mind shows exactly what Rand is doing. Their closeness is amazing as his is generosity. Perrin has some of the same ability but keeps thrusting it aside.

[@IbnShisha1]

Mat is my favorite character in fiction, not just in WoT. He gets lost a little bit in the final three books (and Sanderson has freely admitted that as well). I don't know if he's confirmed this or not, but I feel like Wayne is the evolution of what he tried to do with Mat. Also, to some extent, Lift, though judging from reactions I've seen, that one isn't working out as well. I like her so far from her WoR chapter and Edgedancer (haven't finished OB yet), but that's probably because of how much Mat and potential Matness I see in her.

[@bsmnt23]

I haven't seen your video on Olver yet, but there's one thing that people always seem to forget about the WoT: it continues after the last page. The kingdoms will have to rebuild, the entire dynamic of their lives have changed with the cleansing of Saiden and there's an ENTIRE HALF A CONTENENT of Darkfriends out there to deal with, never even mind the Seanchan multiple crises. Olver is going to be in that generation who faces it, and he's been perfectly trained to do so. His "Uncles" in the Band have taught him to fight with a panoply of weapons, but also a hundred other lessons passed to him by the utter scoundrels he's surrounded by (including Mat). Every one of those lessons is going to contribute to his living the kind of life and having the kind of exploits that are going to completely eclipse even those of Jain Farstrider (that's another video right there, you can do, BTW). Honestly, if I could I'd like to see a series based on him than anyone else in the series.

[@kyle18934]

I didn't think about that. He will problably be the next hero of legends.

[@brent9355]

I'm absolutely convinced Oliver is Gaidal Cain.

[@tompadfoot3065]

@@kennethwatson4489 I think that at one point Jordan was very heavily hinting that he could be (really ugly, good with horses, loves soldiering), but dropped that thread later on. Still, Olver *is* the Hornbearer now, and that's a hell of a lot of power to give to a 10 year old boy.

[@kylenewlin3160]

@@kennethwatson4489 He was born while Bridgette was still bound to the world of dreams. Time works differently there and even though it was mere days in the book It could have been years back that the pattern dropped him out.

[@Celvinbell]

If you're going to throw out "top three Wot moment" on us, it'd be great to consider making a top 10 WoT moments video. Things like Falme, Dumai's Wells and many more could be fun to sort out. My underdog moment on that list might be Verrin's confession.

[@PodcastoftheFallen]

Yes that moment was amazing! I think top 5 or so for me are Mat facing down the gholam in Ebou Dar, Lan facing Demandred, Dumai's Wells, Verin's confession, Rand on Dragonmount, and on and on and on

[@revan0890]

Verin's confession was awesome. After rereading the series you can actually see hints of it and I think that is why the revelation worked so well.

[@matthewsmith4647]

5. Mat and Rand comparing their accomplishments 4. Moraine entering the tent pre last battle. 3. 2 Varrin Sadies confession. 2. Rand going Zen 1. Lan vs Domadred

[@masattac]

@@matthewsmith4647 Listening to the audiobooks is great, but you really should look up how the names are spelled at some point XD

[@nickcooke2955]

Verrins confession mindfucked me so hard. Rereading the books brings a whole different view of her and i like her all the more because of it.

[@markstott6689]

He's a very special character indeed. When he becomes General Fieldmarshall of Allied forces he becomes a legend. The evil Axis is doomed.

[@peterkennedy7219]

Good video. I loved Mat's development as the books went on and he became one of my favorite characters in the series.

[@wheelhouse15]

Some of the best scenes that perfectly exemplified his nature were when Birgetta came into the guardhouse and found Mat dicing with the guards and their exchange, and Mat playing one up with the Dragon Reborn. One of my theories is that most, if not all, of Mat's memories from the Finn are actually his past lives. I'm not sure if that was ever really explored.

[@mykeusgaming1510]

I have got to reread this series, it’s amazing.

[@joelieastell244]

You kinda make Mat sound like Deadpool. I love Mat wandering the streets of each city they go to. He’s so ground-level.

[@tomm8120]

One of the best mat moments are when Rand visits Tuon and Mat and him have a back and forth banter bit. “By the way, I saved Moiraine. Chew on that as you try to decide which of the two of us is winning.”

[@leviathan7751]

you mention Galad and Gavin being the most hatable characters up to that point and redeeming themselves later. I disagree, at that point, Gavin is likable and Galad isn't. And by the end, that has completely turned around. Gavin turns into a piece of shit that is totally selfish and even defends that selfishness trough his love for egweyne. and Galad turns into a real hero, and his battle against demanded was epic.

[@shawnn7502]

Agreed. I never had a problem with Galad. Gawain became one of the worst characters in the book by the end. I seriously wanted Rand to balefire him.

[@countspyder4769]

@@shawnn7502 YES so much YES

[@slidenaway]

HIS NAME IS GAWYN, sheesh lol

[@phillipthompson4253]

I think Olver is actually meant to be Gaidal Cain reborn into the pattern. He was ugly by Robet Jordans descriptions. Bergitta knew he was already cast out into the world. Maybe Jordan just never got the chance to develop that plot line. Anyway i think that's why he spent so much time building up that storyline. Tell me what you think? Would that being a possibility change your opinion of Olver's plot development?

[@chrissleeping65]

"Mat Loses people close to him more frequently than anyone else in the series"......Hopper and Perrin's entire family "are we a joke to you Daniel!?" 🤣 lmao

[@IcyToasty]

I just discovered your channel so happy to see I'm not the only one passionate about this story

[@daveowulf6646]

watching this 3 years later - you have come a long way my friend. Your delivery and pacing but most of all your confidence has improved tremendously.

[@StandardEnvy]

When Matt wakes up at the tower and fights galad and gawn on a bet with a stick is so amazing especially when the master warder tells them about how the greatest swordsman ever loses to a farmer with a staff

[@GITMachine]

I believe Jordan loosely based that fight on Musashi's first duel (Musashi is regarded as perhaps the greatest duelist to ever live...he mostly fought with dual swords but was known to have fought with other weapons as well). It's hard to discern truth from legend, but it is generally agreed that in Musashi's first duel he beat his opponent (to death) with a staff when he was only 13. His opponent fought with a wakizashi (small sword). The man Musashi fought was said to be arrogant and extremely over-confident in his abilities. The story of that duel was often taught to aspiring Bushido swordsmen and was meant to impart the lesson that you never underestimate your enemy, no matter what the circumstances. I like to think RJ was deliberately imparting that lesson to the reader, especially in regards to Mat's character.

[@christinathomas943]

This is so great! Thanks for all your videos. Could you possible do one of Nynaeve? Her character growth is just so great, especially in her relationship with Rand. (And of course with Lan)

[@dbeaton1111]

@Robertson Thirdly That was the time she tricked Lan and put him over a thousand miles away from where he wanted to go, and where she agreed to "travel" him. Then she assumed that he would forgive her. I never could stand Nynaeve for arrogant stunts like that. When the chips were down, she always let him know who was in charge. Mat had the right idea; when an Aes Sedai got out of hand, he spanked them.

[@graceannpierce4302]

Yes ! I knew I was saving this for when I would need "shine" . so glad a "like" brought me back. You take me back into WOT . Love having you put to words and through expression (video) so many thoughts and feelings I like to believe were/are in my mind . Gotta stay away from the news and politics (hah hah hah ..sob). Your videos give me hope and smiles ! Thank You Daniel !

[@misterfitzgerald]

Grace Ann Pierce a reminder.

[@peterroy756]

Just a note, oliver was the wheels rebirth of Guidal Cain who apparently is linked to the "brother of battles", it is a link to whom he becomes. In this age the blower of the horn of valere. Certainly Matt is linked to those warriors of legend as is Oliver. Drawn together by the wheel of time. Possibly the leader of the horns heroes and a culmination of all heroes of the horn.

[@tompadfoot3065]

Olver isn't Gaidal unfortunately. Birgitte specifically states that she felt Gaidal being reborn during the series, when Olver was already like 10. I think before that Jordan was hinting that Olver might be, but he's not. At least according to the rebirth rules Birgitte laid out.

[@meostafford]

I always thought Mat was at arms length to everyone until he tried to give Elaine the Fox Head medallion in Ebou Dar when they where going to get the bowl of the winds. It was more personal than when he saved the girls earlier in Falme. It was more than a promise to Rand to bring them back, he was worried about her and tried to protect her yes, but in a different way I thought.

[@ibrahimN17]

my favorite of all time !

[@hashpond420]

I think my favourite Mat moment early in the series is the conversation he has with Siuan, where she tells him he reminds her of an uncle she had. A most self centered man (paraphrasing) who died saving people from a burning building.

[@Raistlinsdragonclaw]

I agree on the tuon comment. I like him with oliver. I think it showed even more depth of matt being an amazing man

[@NinjaLill]

Mat was always the one who did everything because it needed to be done. Perrin, Rand, Lan, they all did their’s, but Mat gave us Seanchan

[@LegacyTCG1]

I have always had Mat as my favorite, I believe it has more to do with him being the most fun character to read, I believe my personality and his are very similar so I could relate to him the most. Perrin was always number 2 until the later books.

[@desislavageorgieva2362]

I new from the beginning that he´s gonna be my fave, as well as Nynaeve :)

[@michaelboyd8537]

Mat is my all time favorite character. And I'm a forgotten realms fan

[@randombailey1166]

Mat is my favorite character in the whole series, tied with Egwene. Both of them are so goddamn cool.

[@Fuahsawas]

I love your intro. I lost my shit over you rising from the ground haha.

[@gd17102009]

There had to be more Mat and Brigitte moments and conversations

[@roolenoir3183]

Well done!!!

[@marksharman8029]

Yeah. I'm looking forward to this character in the series (not that I am currently able to view it right now). Lots of development to come.

[@nickthomas6923]

You are Mat in my mind! xx

[@mathewstormblessed4706]

Top 3 moments indeed! I agree.

[@roslolian11]

Mat is the most popular character because he is basically the "Batman" of WoT's "Justice League". Unlike Rand, Egwene etc who have magic powers and Perrin who has wolf powers Mat is the only completely normal person, all he has is skills and memories from different commanders but fundamentally he is still a normal, albeit extremely lucky, person. Despite being the least powerful one of the three Mat imho turned out to be one of the most important people in stopping Shaitan, arguably just as important as Rand himself. He saved the main cast several times over and then he led the entire alliance against the Forsaken and trollocs to keep them busy while Rand and co sneaked in. Definitely my fav character in the entire series I like reading about him more than Rand's to be honest.

[@havtor007]

Least powerfull and normal i do not think you understand how powerfull his powers are. He has the combined memory of potentially 1000s of people or even more. He is always lucky when he needs to be. Making him baseicly unkillable in a fight.

[@222damien]

I would have loved to see Mat and Tuon in the Seanchan empire. Kicking ass and taking names...

[@vildonfire]

@@uuamenator When i finished the last book (audiobook) for the first time, i had to have a 3 week downtime from any other book. I had to process it all. The loss was too great. The loss of the epic saga aswell as the loss of some amazing characters. Their deaths hit me so hard, one really feels pain and loss. It's crazy what feelings you build up during all those books.

[@Ben-xj2rf]

@@uuamenator The aftermath didn't need to be told though. How do you write an epic fantasy when you've already defeated the ultimate evil? It would be completely un-epic, and would need a different tone in order to work.

[@briankowalczewski9827]

i got the first 3 books for a friend this past Christmas and while discussing the first book with her she made the comment that she really didn't like mat very much to which I said, very straight faced, you will. 😎

[@lukecartwright535]

My favorite mat moment is immediately after rand meets the wise ones n clan chief's, bows down and asks their permission to enter rhuidean, mat sorta clunkily does the same thing and they LET HIM IN despite it being utterly against their ancient customs. Hilariously done

[@richardwhite3521]

“ …at the time of this recording, the next person who subscribes will be my 3000th subscriber. “ That’s awesome to see, congrats on scoring that subscriber and all the subsequent subscriptions since!!

[@tiagodagostini]

One thing that amazes me how little people point out. IS that while Perrin being the source of Thor myth is obvious (because of the hammer name).. amazingly people fail to notice Matt is Odin (Spear, One Eye, Knwoledge of a thousand men, military genius, RAVENS, bloody Ravens! )

[@rongarrity4525]

Book three when Elayne, Nyneave, and Egwen want Mat to bring a letter to Elayne's Mother. He sizes them up and their intentions perfectly. " ‘One pretty woman means fun at the dance. Two pretty women mean trouble in the house. Three pretty women mean run for the hills.’ ” He gave Nynaeve an even tighter smile than her own. “My da used to say that. You’re up to something, Nynaeve. You are all smiling like cats staring at a finch caught in a thornbush, and I think I am the finch."

[@spencergreen3581]

Im surprised you didn't mention the comparisons between Mat and Odin. The main three all compare to a different Norse god, perrin is Thor, Rand is Tyr, and Matt is Odin

[@matthewsmith4647]

Mat = Loki lol

[@havtor007]

@@matthewsmith4647 odin because of the being hanged for knowladge losing an eye it is really clear similarites. (forgot to add not just hanged hanged on a tree and yet survive it) Odin is also mischivius he is not afraid to use his magic to trick people trolls or anything. However loki is the trickster he is the one that will f with you but because of nobel reasons he is both selfish and selfless example when mjølner got made there was also a foldable ship, the weapon that odin uses, gold hair to freya that would grow, and 6 other things.

[@jbennie65]

I find it weird that we agree on everything except Tuon. Matt and Tuon are hands down my favorite relationship of the series. I'm still hoping that the widow hires Brandon Sanderson to write the further adventures of the Prince of Ravens.

[@williammeek765]

He is the most developed of all the Two Rivers five.. His chapters I read slowly. Savouring every word. To me he is the ultimate high fantasy character..

[@jaysheth1541]

Mat is Creator's last laugh on Dark One's machinations to distance Seanchan from the mainland. Mat and Rand, i imagine, healing wounds of Lews Therin and Artur Paendrag post Wheel of Time novels. Mat is Prince of Ravens who combines elements of Creator and plays with a little bit of Darkness as well. Rand is pure white, Perrin is Gray, and Mat is a 🌈. Mat is Creator's Ace Wild Card to truly put Dark One's undercurrent to rest in new Age. :-)

[@darthvex1971]

Best Matt scene is when he is in town of Marin and he dances with a server and goes back in time 2000 years.....

[@factbeaglesarebest]

Matt is the most intriguing and real character. He’s more relative to his age. He’s corky having fun but goes on to realize he’s got something to do for the world

[@meachew]

My favorite :)

[@weazz]

Re-reading the series atm, and I forgot how annoying Matt was in the 1st book, the 2nd book not as much, but from the 3rd book till the end, he becomes my favorite character in the entire saga.

[@wa1w511]

Matt was my favorite from the beginning, because everyone else had superpowers, and Matt had nothing, so we get full development and story arch from Mr. Cauthon.

[@stormthepitbull]

Mat against the brothers is excellent !

[@BlerdDaddy85]

Matrim Cauthon is the guy that hates doing the thing but he does the thing anyway because he promised and doesn't trust anyone else to do it the best way.

[@damanOts]

Mat is an obvious parallel of Odin. Rand is a parallel of Tyr. Tyr was the original main god of the Norse pantheon, but Odin was more popular, so Odin replaced him. Fitting then, that Mat is the most popular character, so much so that he was going to get a spin-off series I've always wondered if RJ did this purposefully

[@zan1am]

I would follow Mat to the Pit of Doom, - I was not a Mum when I started the books and now for the umptieth time I'm reading it - I would definitely say something to him about his ''upbringing'' if Olver, but I would still follow him . 💗

[@phil_theimbecile7512]

No dislikes... Easy to see the favorite

[@randomchild4223]

I loved Mat and Tuon together. They're super different but both dynamic enough to keep the other on thier toes. I think they would have been bored if they ended up with anyone else.

[@darkingbogs]

How about doing Logain?

[@cloudbloom]

Logain is an awesome character

[@TheBronzeKnight]

My favorite of the three main characters

[@upload2010]

Yay!

[@zan1am]

I think as an old-er person, I kind of like how Tuon and Mat's relationship - evolved(?) . Mat had already known of her, over time before even meeting her had come to accept his fate. Tuon has a kind of a 'foretelling' gift too - she can read signs and omens ... and probably had some kind of inkling, when they met they already kind of knew. We all got the big romances from Perrin and Faile, Lan and Nynaeve, Rand and the poly amory triangle/square(?) thingy. So having the M-a-T thing play out almost like a Fate/Foretold arranged marriage works with me. And I also loved - after the mind-games the Faile led Perrin round, and the complications that Lan and Nynaeve had, never mind the complexities of Rand and his uhmmm 'harem' (^_~) - how it was an acceptance, a respect of two very intelligent people, the slow learning of each the other. And yes these two would be able to sit in quiet company of each other and be boring together. And after all the headiness of the 'love-thang' it's good to be able to do that. As I said Mat is kinda my favourite subject - so long comment is long please forgive. And probably as I said I am an older person, hitting our 25th wedding anniv. soon, with someone I've known since uni. for 30 years. So many apologies. I love meandering through your content having only just recently discovered it. Thank YOU. for all the work you put into your videos

[@thedarkonestaint6105]

Mat is my favorite character.

[@mikevasquez1103]

I thought the Tower of Ghenjei was a great sequence for Mat using his luck to navigate to the Chamber of Bonds. It was interesting how sacrificing half the light of the world meant losing an eye. I honestly thought that was going to play out much differently. I figured that was a metaphor for him either allowing or helping the Seanchan to conquer half of the world. Considering the Snakes and Foxes parallel to the Aefinn and Eelfin, it was a big oversight on his part to not mention the "Snakes" in his deal thus leaving them vulnerable to the Aelfin getting Jain killed, but it did facilitate a very edge of the seat sequence. I LOVED his "way out" with his Ashandarei and epic exit. Mat Cauthon is the Jack Sparrow of the Wheel of Tine.

[@tiagodagostini]

Well by that point in the series ( Hanging, Wide hat, SPear, knwoledge of thousand men, Pricne of ravens) it shoudl already be obvious that Matt was Odin and all that was missing is to him lose an eye.

[@friendlychap]

Mat has thousandfold PTSD...

[@jacoblehnen4372]

I would love to see Matt with the assistance of Perrin take back the Seanchan empire after the last battle.

[@victorvalandybernard7944]

Dont understand. Matt in the book is the husband of thon , he is the prince of the ravens

[@clutch1141]

Mat is the most relateable character. I cant imagine being Rand or Perrin but I'm halfway to being Mat already. Also, I get what youre saying about Mat becoming a different character when he goes to the white tower for healing but I think the immature prankster of a boy that he was in Emonds field fits perfectly to the man he matures into by Memory of Light.

[@TheTorment]

Yeah that's a matter of perspective. I really like Mat, but he isn't relatable to me at all and I'd probably even have trouble writing such a character in a convincing way. On the other hand I have shitloads of things in common with Perrin, to a point that many of his inner monologues hit me hard, because I often feel the same way about myself or things around me

[@Ben-xj2rf]

@@TheTorment good characters don't need to be relatable, just believable.

[@whitefish066]

Coming here to refresh my mind on the Mat. I'm thing if taking ideas for my first D&D character from Mat. So sad how the show twisted his character.

[@jn2292]

Who was the greatest swordsman of all time? Matt's fight was one of the best parts of his story and the overall story as well.

[@JJWOOLF]

Top 3 moment for me too. Mat in the warder training yard.