The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1
The Name of the Wind
by Patrick Rothfuss
Contents
CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREE Pegs
Overview
Kvothe and Denna nearly confront a pig, share a candid moment about knives, and befriend swineherd Schiem over a cooked piglet. Schiem reveals Mauthen unearthed a sealed stone chamber on Barrow Hill and boasts of a secret wedding “heirloom,” while blue flames flared in the northern bluffs two nights earlier.
Kvothe infers the site is an old hill fort, not barrows, and decides to scout a nearby peak to watch the bluffs and draw out Denna’s patron, Master Ash.
Summary
After resting by the river, Kvothe hears movement in the pines and shields Denna, fearing a boar. The intruder proves to be a domestic sow, and the tension turns to playful embarrassment. Denna corrects Kvothe’s knife grip and discreetly reveals her own concealed blade, discussing the value of appearing harmless.
A swineherd, Schiem, arrives with his sounder. Kvothe mirrors Schiem’s thick valley dialect to win trust while Denna plays a shy cousin. They bargain for and share a piglet roast with brand, loosening Schiem’s tongue for conversation.
Between bites, Schiem explains he avoids Borrorill—really “Barrow Hill”—and criticizes the Mauthens. He reports that while digging the house foundation, Mauthen uncovered bones and a sealed stone chamber, kept secret to unveil a flashy “heirloom” at the wedding. Schiem also saw sudden washes of blue fire in the northern bluffs two nights ago and is steering clear.
When Schiem departs, Denna suggests gentler coaxing could have worked, while Kvothe notes superstition needed prodding. They abandon searching for Ash’s trail because the pigs have churned the ground. Kvothe treats Denna’s headache with birch bark, and she asks how to find her patron.
Returning to the ruins, Kvothe studies the stone and landscape, arguing the “barrows” are misnamed: the grey, quarried stones and commanding view indicate a buried hill fort. He proposes they camp atop a nearby high, narrow hill to watch the northern bluffs for more blue fire and to let their campfire draw Master Ash if he is hiding nearby.
Who Appears
- KvotheNarrator; protects Denna from a supposed boar, mimics Schiem’s dialect, coaxes information, deduces a buried hill fort, and plans a vantage stakeout.
- DennaInjured and wary; reveals concealed knife and corrects Kvothe’s grip, mimics dialect, seeks her patron Ash, and agrees to the observation plan.
- SchiemSwineherd; shares roast pig and gossip, reveals Mauthen opened a sealed chamber and that blue flames flared in the northern bluffs.