Origin
Little is known about Thom Merrilin's early life. At some point he travelled to Caemlyn where he caught the eye of the Lady Morgase Trakand. He aided her in ascending to the throne of Andor, and she made him Court Bard. At some time before or after this the pair became lovers. When his young nephew Owyn became the subject of the attentions of the Red Ajah he left Morgase to help his family. When he returned, having been unable to protect Owyn, Morgase confronted him about leaving her. The pair fought and Thom fled Caemlyn, narrowly avoiding being executed. He took up work as a travelling gleeman, operating throughout Andor and surrounding countries.
Creation
Thom was created by
Robert Jordan for his book series
The Wheel of Time, making his first appearance in the first book of the series,
The Eye of the World. He made his first comics appearance in
Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time: The Eye of the World #4, written by Jordan and
Chuck Dixon and illustrated by
Chase Conley.
Major Story Arcs
The Eye of the World
Thom travels to the small village of Emond's Field in the
Two Rivers, just in time for the festival of Bel Tine. Shortly after his arrival in the village, however, they are attacked by a horde of Trollocs. Soon after the attack he encounters the
Aes Sedai Moiraine Damodred and her Warder
al'Lan Mandragoran attempting to bring three of the village youths,
Rand al'Thor,
Matrim Cauthon and
Perrin Aybara, out of the Two Rivers to Caemlyn. He insists on accompanying the group and rides out with them, as well as one of the village girls,
Egwene al'Vere, under cover of night. The group continues to be pursued and takes refuge in the corrupted city of Shadar Logoth. They become separated from one another, with Thom, Rand and Mat left on their own. They acquire passage on a ship captained by Bayle Domon and sail to the town of Whitebridge. Along the way Thom instructs the youths, pretending to be apprentice gleemen, in the ways of a gleeman. Arriving in Whitebridge, he and the boys are soon accosted by a Myrddraal. In an attempt to protect the boys Thom apparently sacrifices himself by attacking the Myrddraal, allowing Rand and Mat time to flee.
Powers and Abilities
As a bard and later a gleeman, Thom is a gifted storyteller. He is also a skilled player of the harp and the flute, and a capable singer. He can juggle and perform various other entertaining tricks. He is very proficient with bladed weapons, especially throwing knives. Thom is a gifted player of Daes Dae'mar, the Game of Houses, a game of political and social maneuvering that is practiced in many courts.
Other Media
Literature
The Wheel of Time Thom was originally created for the
Wheel of Time series of books.
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