Is Eugenides his real name?

[readsintrees.livejournal.com]

Ok, ok, I know we're all excited to discuss TaT, but I want to go back to some Thief 101. During my latest re∞read of the series, I started to wonder whether or not Gen was given the name Eugenides at birth, or if he adopted it later when he decided he wanted to be a thief and not a soldier...

I mean, how did his parents know to name him Eugenides without knowing first that he was going to grow up to be a Thief? His dad sure seemed to want him to be a soldier. Do they just randomly name a few people in a generation Eugenides in the hopes that ONE of them turns out to be a worthy Thief? In "The Thief" the Magus snidely tells Gen that the current Queen's Thief is named Eugenides, and Gen snaps back that they (thieves) are ALL named Eugenides after the god of thieves. I suspect he said this just to throw the Magus further off any suspicion that Gen was the same person as the Queen's Thief. Because, if there are so many people also named after the god of thieves, how come we haven't bumped into any other Eugenideses?

Attolia/Irene tells Nahuseresh at one point that the Queen's Thief of Eddis takes the name Eugenides as a sort of title as well as a name, so although this is non-Eddisian hearsay, I wonder if it's true....Did Gen take the name Eugenides as a new name as well as a new title when he declared he was going to be the Queen's Thief? WAIT, for that matter, what if the newest Queen's Thief is female? Does she go by Eugenidia?

What do you think? Am I overlooking some passage where Gen says specifically that he was given the name Eugenides at birth?

Comments

[agh-4.livejournal.com]

Ooh! The third brother is named Temenus, and he's a soldier, if I remember correctly! Not sure which book or story that info is from, but I have it in my heart. :)

I like the idea of Moira suggesting the name, or the gods being involved somehow.

[freenarnian.livejournal.com]

*looks at my obsessively extensive charts and family trees*

...Did I really miss that info about his brother? How? Where?!

(Not to say I don't believe you! Temenus does sound vaguely familiar...)

[readsintrees.livejournal.com]

According to the character list in the back of the new paperback, Temenus is indeed Gen's brother!

Also....I want to see this family tree.

[ninedaysaqueen.livejournal.com]

He's the one who broke Helen's nose. :)

[freenarnian.livejournal.com]

I'm forming a clearer and clearer picture of why Gen's family has a reputation for being the black sheep in the Eddisian court. Stealing queens, breaking their noses, dancing on rooftops with the "Queen Thief"... (you just know the otherwise non-frivolous and businesslike Minister of War did this at some point). <3

Seriously, tho. I remember Helen's broken nose. But where in the books does it mention Temenus? Is it in QoA?

[ninedaysaqueen.livejournal.com]

No, it's The Thief. It says, "My brother Temenus had broken her nose with a practice sword when they were eleven." -269 new editions

So, Temenus is also older than him.

[readsintrees.livejournal.com]

Based on the info available at this time...I'm leaning toward Moira. Too wild of a coincidence to just randomly name a kid with a pre-destined occupation and have it work at brilliantly.

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

Gen also has a brother who is the watchmaker, and who made the watch Gen wears in QoA when they are climbing up over the ravine at night to escape the water.

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

Wait, Stenides of the impressive biceps IS the watchmaker, duh.