I would imagine many readers have gotten characters mixed up. For me, the one that stands out the most is that there was a Seaine, a Saerin, and a Sarene. That always struck me as taking the potential confusion to the extreme.

 

I also noticed that there was a "Silvie", as well as Silviana, and Sylvase, but you'd never mix them up because they're nowhere near each other in geography or time.

 

I also myself used to say, or think, "Talmanes" when I meant "Tallanvor" and vice versa, which is a little embarrassing since they're not quite as minor as any of the above.

 

Anyway I'm not complaining, I just thought this might be a fun topic.

Never mixed them up myself, but people do it all the time. With a series with over a thousand named characters, its bound to happen.

For me, the one that stands out the most is that there was a Seaine, a Saerin, and a Sarene. That always struck me as taking the potential confusion to the extreme.

 

Yeah, that one got me a few times as well, mainly Seaine and Saerin, I'd be reading along thinking one was the other and then have to mentally slap myself for it.

 

A.

I'm a tad dyslexic, so when I first started reading the series I wouldn't even try to figure out how to pronounce a name unless that character made multiple appearances in the story line.

 

Lets just say character confusion has been a bit of an issue for me. At one point I swore RJ was frakin with people like me, because he would have two obscure characterson on scene at the same time and they would be M............ and M............ and there would be very little difference in spelling. Or it would be A.... & A..... Or S....... & S........

 

Needless to say I have spent a lot of time in the character section of the WOT encyclopedia website.

i didnt really mix people up, but did frequently forget who the myriad background aes sedai were.

Coming into the series I had a hard time differentiating Rand from Roedran, but I got over it eventually.

 

For me, the one that stands out the most is that there was a Seaine, a Saerin, and a Sarene. That always struck me as taking the potential confusion to the extreme.

Yeah, that one got me a few times as well, mainly Seaine and Saerin, I'd be reading along thinking one was the other and then have to mentally slap myself for it.

But their personalities are so different. Seaine is such a nansy-pansy, and Searin always in control of herself and anyone around her.

i can't even try to to keep all the secondary, and tertiary, ad infinitum, characters straight. i used to try to try but it hurt my head. might as well be using a random name generator for most of them for the purposes of my understanding.

Well I always mixed up Luc and Isam, not their individual indentity, but which one is in control.

I actually mixed Rand and Tam up when I first began haha.

Coming into the series I had a hard time differentiating Rand from Roedran, but I got over it eventually.

 

For me, the one that stands out the most is that there was a Seaine, a Saerin, and a Sarene. That always struck me as taking the potential confusion to the extreme.

Yeah, that one got me a few times as well, mainly Seaine and Saerin, I'd be reading along thinking one was the other and then have to mentally slap myself for it.

But their personalities are so different. Seaine is such a nansy-pansy, and Searin always in control of herself and anyone around her.

 

I knew their personalities, it was just their names when they were in different scenes. Like The 3 ta'veren, I also contest with a touch of dyslexia so the closeness of the names brought on the "ahhh isn't she supposed to be a b*%$h? Why's she acting all goody-to-shoes all of a sudden" moments.

 

A.

faolain/falion

also reainne and reane

Reading LoC for the first time when Elenia and Enaila were in the same scenes briefly, and I was pretty confused for a while.

I thought I might get some replies on this one...

 

Come to think of it, with there being very minor Wise Ones as well as very minor Aes Sedai, sometimes I couldn't remember which groups each belonged to. "I know she can use the Power, but can she attack with it?"

 

In fact hold on a minute while I actually try to remember who Sarene actually is...

 

(5 minutes later...)

 

Okay, I just checked the Encyclopaedia Index, and Sarene is Aes Sedai, I'm pretty sure I knew that. No wonder I was confused though, looking at her Chronology she never stays in the same place...

In fact hold on a minute while I actually try to remember who Sarene actually is...

Nah, I can never forget a pretty face.

I have the exact same problem with Sarene, Seaine, and Saerin. Honestly, I still can't remember the difference. When I read their parts I just go along with it.

 

I mean, two of them are White Ajah, and two are Black seekers in the WT, right?

 

Those are the only ones I have trouble with though, I think. Sometimes the Faolain/ Falion thing threw me off, but it was never too problematic.

 

Oh, and I can never keep the various Sea Folk women straight.

You know, now that I think about it, I'm probably one of very few people who started reading the series translated rather than in the original English. What's more, it wasn't an Indo-European language, so the translator had to come up with the spellings on his/her own. Perhaps that's part of the reason why it's easier for me to differentiate characters - because I remember how their names were spelled in my native tongue (Sarene's name didn't look anything like Seaine's or Saerin's, for example).

My first read-through I skimmed a lot of the Perrin/Faile stuff and most sections relating to soldiers and battles... I had a hard time keeping Gallenne and Arganda straight although their names were nothing alike. Finally I beat it into my head with a rough mnemonic rhyme - Gallenne = Mayene, Arganda = Alliandre.