A Question about Eddis and The Thieves

[irenengen4ever.livejournal.com]

 I was rereading the KoA, coming up with some theories (see my post about Eddis and Sophos) and I started to wonder if Eddis had a new Thief.  I don't remember any mention of one, but it has been a traidition.  I can't remember if the subject was discussed in the QoA (my aunt has taken my book) and it made me think about it a lot.  I know that they have to go through training, etc, and it seems like they go through it with the current Thief.  Since Gen sort of went from Thief to King, and didn't have a child (we know he learned from his mother and grandfather) I really started to think.  Does the position of The Thief of Eddis have to be passed down through families?  I'm not sure this is ever discussed, so does anyone have theories?

Comments

[ninedaysaqueen.livejournal.com]

Interesting question.

I agree with Gypsymoongate. The title does seem to be have become hereditary over the eons as Irene mentions that the title could pass to one of Eugendies's nephews or nieces.
I don't think there could be a new Thief of Eddis while Eugendies is still alive, because the title is lifelong.

Notice this quote...

"It's a lifelong title. You'd be Queen's Thief if you were bedridden, and you know it." p68 of "Queen of Attolia"

Apparently, a Thief still remains a Thief even if he is unable to function as one; but it's hard to say if becoming king of another country still fits into this category.
Since we know that Helen is to be The Last Eddis (and I am not referring to our fellow sounis member), it seems Eddis will either be destroyed or incorporated into another country possibly making the station dissapear.

I, for one, hope for solid answers to these questions in the coming books.

[alineadrklrdsis.livejournal.com]

I always thought that Gen was still the Thief of Eddis. In KoA Costis remarks that no one thought to question that somebody else called the Thief of Eddis a king. So at that point the Attolians still considered him the Thief. Then there's also that conversation between Eddis and the Magus about the Thieves only swearing loyalty to Eddis itself not its rulers. The Magus at least still considered him the Thief, possibly Eddis too. Good question.

[pigrescuer.livejournal.com]

I would think no new Thief. Apart from all the other reasons everbody above me has given, it's only been a few months!

Also, even if there was somebody suitable, who's going to train them? I think Gen might be the last Thief, as Eddis is the last Eddis.

[in-my-niteshirt.livejournal.com]

Notice that with both positions, his name is also his title. So another way to ask the same question is, 'Is he Eugenides or is he Attolis?' Only his Eddisian friends call him Eugenides anymore. Attolians ought to call him Attolis, right? Any Attolian that calls him the Thief of Eddis is trying to be disrespectful, not accurate.

Seems to me any oath of loyalty he previously took to Eddis will be trumped by whatever oaths of loyalty he must have taken at his coronation. If that were not the case, he'd just be a royal consort or something, not the king.

[sublimelysuki.livejournal.com]

I...saw that Gen has every intention of training himself a successor.

Well, it gets a bit more complicated than that. Eddis is going to 'splodey, and Helen is the last Eddis, so I saw Eddis and Attolia as becoming a single entity. But at the end of KoA Gen asks Costis if he will serve him (Gen) and his god. When Costis accepts, he makes a statement that he will never fall unless the god himself lets him. I took this to mean that Costis is going to have to hake the place of Thief, since Gen is going to be King. Where this fits into the future rescuing of Sophos, and killing of Nauseresh, I'm not positive, but according to Philogos, Gen can't do it because he only has one hand. And, you know, is known. This fit in with why Gen was so concerned with Costis' Medean accent and vocabulary.

That...got long.

[ballet2nite.livejournal.com]

I always felt as though Eugenides could do both, like if Eddis needed him, then he would be there, but he wouldn't act against either nation. Kings do get a little time off don't they?