I've recently realized there's a lot of circumstantial evidence to suggest that Rand's favorite philosopher "Herid Fel" from LoC may have been previously introduced in tFoH, subtly, as just "Herid", one of Hadnan Kadere's darkfriend wagon drivers.  

 

Specifically, in tFoH:2, we see the wagon driver, who Kadere later names as Herid, accidentally fall partway through the redstone doorframe ter'angreal.  In tFoH:52, we learn from Kadere that "Herid" had never been right in the head afterwards, and had run off near the Cairheinin side of Jangai Pass, sometime around Day 526 of the series.

 

Later, in LoC:18 on Day 593, we're introduced to "Herid Fel" at Rand's new school in Cairhein, where they talked about the cosmology/theology of the DO and the Bore.  Not much later, as we all know, Herid Fel was slaughtered by a gholam. We're not told much else about him except that he was Andoran, middle-aged and eccentric.  

 

So... two loony guys with the same first name, both in the same country around the same time, both with interest in the doings of the Shadow?  Are they really two guys, or just one?  

 

Could this be the BUT (Big Unnoticed Thing), that BS mentioned and everyone is puzzling over?  If Herid Fel was or had been a Darkfriend, wouldn't that likely discredit his scholarship that Rand (and Min) have since come to rely on in deciding how to defeat the DO?

 

Below are links to supporting information for the above speculations.

 

http://encyclopaedia-wot.org/characters/h/herid.html

http://encyclopaedia-wot.org/characters/h/herid_fel.html

http://wot.wikia.com/wiki/999_NE#book5

http://wot.wikia.com/wiki/Herid

 

As always, I started this thread only because I'm not aware of this topic having been discussed before, and can't currently search for it on the forums.  Let me know if I'm rehashing an old idea, or if you have any thoughts on it...

Rand or some one with Rand would have reconized that being the same person, Jordan does use the same name a few times through the series, i.e Suains uncle (Huan) who died shares the same name with a river trader captin, and the voice of a seanchan hight lord, there are also 4 people named Hu aswell. just to name two examples.

Rand or some one with Rand would have reconized that being the same person, Jordan does use the same name a few times through the series, i.e Suains uncle (Huan) who died shares the same name with a river trader captin, and the voice of a seanchan hight lord, there are also 4 people named Hu aswell. just to name two examples.

 

 

Maybe Rand would have recognized him, but "Herid" was a very minor character among the rest of the wagon teams that probably passed Rand's eyes a couple times in the Waste without making much of an impression. We're never told that Rand or anyone in his entourage even knew Herid's name. (Except for Kadere and his fellow DF's, who are likely dead/dispersed after the events of tFoH:52.

 

"Herid Fel" arrived at the at the school and apparently spent most of his time secluded there, not around Rand's entourage.  So aside from a few background Aiel, there weren't too many people other than Rand who would have layed eyes on both "Herid" and "Herid Fel".  Add to this the possibility that he changed his hair/beard/clothes, etc, and it's not so hard to believe his identity could pass unnoticed.

 

As far as I'm aware the couple other pairs of WoT characters who coincidentally share first names are all extremely minor, and their descriptions/circumstances make it clear they're different people.

 

Of course this is all speculation, and the names really could just be a coincidence, but the other similarities between Herid and Herid Fel still seem to me to weigh down on the side of something more substantial.