Malazan Empire: Mistress Wu - Malazan Empire

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Mistress Wu No, you read it right, MISTRESS Wu

#1 User is offline   Toc_theyounger 

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Posted 21 January 2017 - 12:00 PM

Quote

It must be taken as given that a man who happens to
be the world’s most powerful, most terrible, most
deadly sorceror, must have a woman at his side.
But it does not follow, my children, that a woman
of similar proportions requires a man at hers.
Now then, who wants to be a tyrant?
Mistress Wu
Malaz City School of Waifs and Urchins1152 Burn’s Sleep


From Chapter 2, tBH.


I don't know how many of you noticed this, but there seems to be a Mistress Wu as well. I faintly recall ST arguing about a son that some deduced to be either Temper or Braven Tooth. Any theories here that I might have missed?

Also her nature of musings assumes a certain amount of...taciturnity towards powerful men and women, and the question of gender equality that SE seems to kick up so much. In fact, the recent Pixels interview he gave on Violence against women (highly recommend you listen to it if you haven't) also has him stress gender equality along the same lines, and I remember him saying something along the lines of how most of the readership ignore the fact that in his world, women are equally powered as men are.

Anyhow, any theories about Kellanved's actual blood family? Also, given that this has been penned by Mistress Wu of the Malaz City School of Waifs and Urchins indicating a role for her perhaps?


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#2 User is offline   Aptorian 

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Posted 21 January 2017 - 01:26 PM

The Child of Kelanved/Shadowthrone is the Malazan Empire. Not Temper or anyone else as far as we are aware.

Also the topic of this thread actually relates to information from a later book and as such shouldn't be discussed here.

LATEST BOOKS SPOILERS

Spoiler

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#3 User is offline   Vengeance 

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Posted 21 January 2017 - 02:39 PM

I moved this thread to dancers lament.

Apt is correct in his interpretation of WU.

-Venge
How many fucking people do I have to hammer in order to get that across.
Hinter - Vengy - DIE. I trusted you you bastard!!!!!!!

Steven Erikson made drowning in alien cum possible - Obdigore
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#4 User is offline   Aptorian 

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Posted 21 January 2017 - 07:01 PM

Actually getting back to addressing the central question, I think there is a bunch of possible interpretations to make of that passage.

1. There is woman who is called Mistress Wu who runs some kind of shelter or home for kids. Considering Dancer's Lament, this would make sense. I could see Wu supporting or even organizing similar organizations as the one he built in Li Heng. What better way to cultivate a following of loyal hands than to hand pick promising young talent right of the streets?

For all we know Mistress Wu could be what's her face from the gang in Li Heng.

2. There is no Mistress Wu. Rather the passage is political. Mistress Wu could be nick name for Laseen. The blurb is about the ambitions of Laseen and her capabilites. Towards the end of Kelanveds time as the official ruler of the Empire, there could have been rumblings about a need of leadership. A more prominent and visible ruler, like say an ambitious leader of the Claw.
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#5 User is offline   Toc_theyounger 

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Posted 22 January 2017 - 05:56 PM

Great points, Apt.
Here's my take on why I think this is a bit more familial in nature for Kellanved.

The blurb is more of a reflection of the old adage that goes on about all strong male leaders needing a female counterpart to keep them stable.
However, the point that Mistress Wu (and in turn SE) is making is that it is hypocritical of people to think that men are the only ones who can do great things and they need women for support. And that it is possible for women to do great things and need men to support them (which I absolutely agree with).
Now why this leads me to believe that this familial with respect to Kellanved is that since Kell became a great sorceror and ruled a great empire and hence qualified for needing a strong women to support him, Mistress Wu decries the state of regular thinking and questions why cannot it be the other way around and some woman (we assume Mistress Wu) cannot be a great leader and sorceror?

It makes sense that Kellanved too had a partner (female one, given of course that he does have an attraction to the fairer half of humanity), and this person would be quite the handful with her own inclinations and ambitions.
Think Iskaral Pust and his wife Mogora. Something like that.

As for your theory of Rheena (that's her name) from DL, nope, she has a thing for Dancer. The number of times she's openly flirted with him...
And for Laseen and the Claw thing, this blurb reeks more of sorcery and sorcerors and the discussion is about them. Laseen was no sorceror.
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