Eshen
| Eshen | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Died | Invasion of Arelon | ||||||
| Titles | Queen of Arelon (former) | ||||||
| Residence | Kae | ||||||
| Nationality | Arelene | ||||||
| Homeworld | Sel | ||||||
| Universe | Cosmere | ||||||
| First Appeared | Elantris | ||||||
Eshen is the former Queen of Arelon on Sel. She is King Iadon's second wife and Prince Raoden's stepmother.
Appearance and Personality[edit]
Eshen is "short and slight of frame" with brownish-blonde hair beginning to grey. She has a high-pitched voice.[1]
Eshen is highly domestic, flighty, and far from intelligent. She will always talk to fill a silence, and she is more prone to inane babble than serious discussion.[1][2] She is cheerful and bubbly in nearly every situation.[2] Roial calls her "empty-headed".[3]
History[edit]
Eshen married Iadon shortly after the Reod and Iadon's ascension to the throne, a few years after Raoden's mother died.[1] Her marriage to Iadon was likely prompted by her family's wealth, as their donations helped him set up his initial government.[2] Eshen was presumably younger than Iadon, as she was still of childbearing age when Raoden was taken by the Shaod.[4]
Eshen received Sarene when she arrived in Kae after Raoden's "death". Although she was known to be scatterbrained, Sarene theorized that her nervousness and tendency to jump randomly between subjects in conversation were a result of her attempts to avoid talking about the truth behind Raoden's death.[1] She showed Sarene to her quarters and provided her with some extra clothing. She also set up the funeral service for Raoden.[1]
She was part of the women's knitting circle that Sarene joined in Kae. Through the knitting circle, Eshen subsequently participated in Sarene's fencing lessons for a short time.[5] She also accompanied Iadon to a ball held by Roial.[6]
Eshen was not aware of her husband's involvement with the Jeskeri Mysteries. After his disgrace and death, Eshen was left a shell of her former self.[7]
During the Invasion of Arelon, when the citizens of Kae were rounded up for execution, Eshen and several of the other female fencers picked up weapons and attacked the Fjordell fighters.[8] Eshen was able to put up a decent fight, using the soldiers' shock at the women attacking to their advantage, before a soldier stabbed her through the chest. Her death demotivated the other women who quickly surrendered.[8]
Relationships[edit]
Iadon[edit]
Eshen's marriage to Iadon was thought to be one of convenience rather than love, and Sarene noted that their personalities were completely different.[2] Eshen's vapid nature and her propensity to focus on things like fashion and food served to reinforce Iadon's prejudices regarding women.[1] She tended to keep her distance from Iadon, as he was openly dismissive of her.[9] Possibly owing to their relatively distant relationship, Iadon was able to keep many secrets from her.[7]
Trivia[edit]
- Brandon has noted that readers do not seem to care much about Eshen's death; he thinks she gets on their nerves.[10]