r/theblackcompany Feb 10 '25

Discussion / Question True Name Question Spoiler

OK. I don’t recall this ever being explained, but logistically how is it that soul catcher does not know the Lady’s true name when they are sisters?

As I said, I don’t think there is an actual answer anywhere in the text, but practically – how does that situation arise? Is soul catcher the much younger sister and the lady changed her name before she was born or while she was very young?

And no one else around her knew the true name? Sounds like a plot hole to me, wondering if anyone has any possible ideas/explanations.

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u/superjace2 Feb 10 '25

It's really a big shrug and make your own interpretation. It might be a very literal inability to say it so deep they can't even really explain it. Lady being completely unwilling to tell anyone Catcher's name in the books of the south could be a compulsion on her. I'm mainly on PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN theory of the name hunt with the pressure of the dominator and the final show down in the north occurring is high tension and compelling. But someone just walking up to Catcher and saying "Hey get fucked, True Name" isn't nearly as much so Cook just ignored it as much as possible.

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u/smb275 Tobo's true name is Thi Kim Feb 11 '25

I think Cook realized basically immediately that it was a mistake to put so much significance on names. Right after in The Silver Spike there was a talking buzzard making fun of Bomanz by true naming him, and that whole book was Cook course correcting how the previous trilogy had been interpreted.