Who is L'oric's mother?

 

 

Short answer: We don't know.

 

Long answer: The only reference to her is short on detail:  

 

"'Well,' L'oric muttered, 'actually it would be Dera'tin'jeragoth.'

 

Osric studied his son. 'So like your mother,' he sighed. 'And is it any wonder we could not stand each other's company? The third day, always by the third day. We could make a lifetime of those three days. Exaltation, then comfort, then mutual contempt. One, two, three.'

 

L'oric looked away. 'And for your only son?'

 

Osric grunted. 'More like three bells.'"

 

(HoC, UK mmpb p.819)

 

 

This doesn't really narrow it down at all. L'oric's mother is presumably an important ascendant or god of some kind, given that she is of equal status to Osserc, has a strong personality and seemed to be free to come-and-go as she pleased. But you can read the above passage as implying that she is dead or alive, there is a sense of her being "in the past."

 

L'oric does appear to be a full-blooded Tiste Liosan, which would suggest his mother was also a Tiste Liosan (Osserc is a full-blood Tiste Liosan).

 

Throwing a spanner into the works, L'oric does not seem to be a Soletaken Eleint (this hasn't been confirmed, but L'oric has been in several situations by the end of HoC where being able to turn into a huge flying dragon would've saved his life, and he didn't do it). Since evidence elsewhere in the series suggests that this is a hereditary trait, we would have to explain why L'oric was not an Eleint if both his parents were. It may be that L'oric was born before Osric became an Eleint, but this would make L'oric incredibly old and we don't even know if Osric was once non-Eleint.

 

 

 

Possible candidates - this is simply a list of powerful female ascendants, since the only characters we can really eliminate are the males.

 

1. The Queen of Dreams. A known associate of Osserc, but the following exchange with L'oric almost certainly eliminates her:

 

 

"'You were my father's friend!' 

 

'Friend? L'oric, we were too powerful to know friendship. Our endeavours far too fierce. Our war was with chaos itself, and, at times, with each other. We battled to shape all that would follow. And some of us lost that battle. Do not misapprehend, I held no deep enmity for your father. Rather, he was as unfathomable as the rest of us - a bemusement we all shared, perhaps the only thing we shared.'"

 

(HoC, UK mmpb p.584)

 

 

Clearly, this does not suggest a mother-son relationship.

 

2.  One of the Tiste Sisters - Menandore, Sukul Ankhadu & Sheltatha Lore. The first two are less likely - since they are daughters of Osserc - but incest among the Eleint is not unheard of. It would also meet the requirement for the mother to have Tiste Liosan blood. All are Soletakan Eleint however, which would make both of L'oric's parents Eleint and rendering his non-Eleint nature somewhat confusing. Lore is the daughter of Scabandari Bloodeye, and so L'oric would be expected to have inherited Tiste Edur characteristics from her.

 

3. Another female Tiste Andii or Edur. Unlikely, since L'oric appears to have no Edur or Andii traits.

 

4. The Eres'al. They would make a great couple, but seems far-fetched.

 

5. Another female god - for example Nightchill. This would neatly solve the problem, but we just don't know either way.

 

6. Any woman in the series, past or present. Because we can't rule them out.

 

In summary, we don't know.

 

 

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