Encyclopedia

Gavyn

Description:
Character Profile created, owned, and updated by Deb.

We meet Gavyn for the first time in The Keeping Place (Penguin 2007 edition, page 322). Rasial and Faraf have sensed Funaga even though Elspeth cannot sense them. Using a trickly of her killing power Elspeth locates Gavyn and his protector Seely hiding in a dead tree.

‘The sturdy little boy might have been a peasant child, but he had a mass of golden curls and soft skin under the scratches, which marked him the son of wealthy parents...’ (page 322). Seely explains: Gavyn is in fact the son of a West Coast councilman, though neither his father nor home town are named in the book. His mother, also unnamed, died giving birth to him so Seely, his mother’s friend, becomes his nurse and protector. Gavyn’s father remarried, a woman called Lady Slawyna who had two grown sons. One of the son’s was a herder who threatened to have Gavyn pronounced a misfit so that he could not inherit. Gavyn, being a true misfit escaped with Seely and travelled from the West Coast to the highlands; using his talent of coercion to hide from Landfolk.

Explanations over; Elspeth invites Gavyn and Seely to ride to Obernewtyn with her. ‘Gavyn toddled over to Faraf and patted her nose clumsily. “Gavyn ride Faraf?”’ (page 326). Elspeth comments that Gavyn is a ‘Talented” boy as he shows signs of both coercion and Beastspeaking, and having passed the coercer guards ‘up the mountain’ without notice his coercive ability must be strong. As Elspeth explains that it was Rasial who actually found the pair, ‘an extraordinary long glace passed between...’ Rasial and Gavyn though Elf detects nothing.

Arriving at Obernewtyn Gavyn farewells the horses. The ‘strange sweet ringing’ sound of his mental voice reminds Elspeth of Angina’s empathising. Faraf comments the “His mind sings.” (page 329). Rasial and the boy enter the house and later Gavyn is able to coax Kella’s owlet away from her.

Elspeth asks Maruman for his impression of Gavyn. Maruman replies, “Adantar is beastspeaker-enthraller...” (page 379) Adantar means ‘something like’ joined or linked though Maruman adds that there is no Funaga word for this. Elspeth then asks why Rasial follows the boy and is told that the dog sees her future in Gavyn. (Rasial had come to Obernewtyn to seek her death).

In the Stone Key someone dreams of Gavyn walking the Blacklands with a herd of beasts.
Age:
Gavyn is a ‘little boy’. Age is not mentioned in the series but a good estimate would be around six or seven. His travels in the wild, alone except for Rasial and the Owlet (page 508) could suggest that he is older and the word toddled used when he first meets Faraf could suggest that he is younger so splitting the difference seems like a good idea.
Position:
Gavyn has no position in the series though this might change in The Sneding
Talents:
While Maruman calls Gavyn an enthraller, Alad thinks he has a combination of empathy, coercion and beastspeaking, and says that there is a ‘link of some kind between Gavyn and Rasial (page 405). Seely says “...he always knows if he is being told the truth.” (page 508) which is like the gypsy talent. He has a premonition of Seely being in danger on the West Coast (page 667). Dameon does not believe that Gavyn is an empath. He thinks the boy is an instinctive coercer. He says that Gavyn’s “...affinity with animals has nothing to do with talent...as if he is not quite human.” (Page 699). Which supports the line on page 674, ‘...the foal seemed to take him [Gavyn] as another horse.’
Notes:
'Gavyn' may have been derived from the Celtic name 'Galvyn' or meaning 'sparrow', or from the Welsh 'Gawain' meaning 'white hawk'. Gavin – white hawk of battle.
Details:
Info Tuesday 11 May 2010 - 16:55:09 by Min
Obernewtyn.net - i am a misfit