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"Where there are crowds, people want to be entertained. And where people want to be entertained, my show is always welcome."
   —Valan Luca[1]

Valan Luca's Traveling Show, or Valan Luca's Grand Traveling Show and Magnificent Display of Marvelous Wonders, is a band of performers led by Valan Luca, showman extraordinaire. The show is sometimes referred to as a circus or menagerie.

Elayne Trakand's first impression upon meeting the show is that of a traveling menagerie[1] due to the obvious animals with the camped people. Unlike a menagerie, though, the show also features human performers.

Menagerie[]

Animals in Luca's show include:

  • Lions - A great black-maned lion and his two consorts.[1]
  • Bears - Two black bears with white faces,[1] trained to balance on balls and perform other tricks.[2]
  • A capar - A boar-like animal from the Aiel Waste.[1]
  • Dogs - A dozen who walk on their hind legs and do back-flips.[1]
  • Brightly colored birds[1]
  • S'redit - Three, Mer, a bull, Sanit, a cow or female, and Nerin a new-born calf.[2] They are called boar-horses by Lucas. In another age they would be called elephants.
  • Horses - A great many horses, some upon which acrobats perform.[3]
  • Leopards - Can stand on their hind legs.[4]
  • A snake - From the Illian marshes. As long as four men.[5]
  • A deer - Found in Arafel, Saldaea, and Arad Doman and has strange horns.[5]

Human performers[]

Talented people make the show much more than a mobile zoo.

  • Strongman - Petra twirls a heavy iron bar[2] and can straighten horseshoes with his bare hands.
  • Tight-rope walkers - Sedrin performed on the high wire until his drunk and deadly fall;[2] he is replaced by Elayne (masquerading as "Morelin") and Juilin[5]
  • Jugglers - brothers Bari and Kin.[2]
  • Acrobats -
    • four Chavana brothers, Taeric, Barit, Brugh, and an unnamed fourth brother.[2]
    • six Murasaka sisters including Andaya and Kuan.[6]
    • six others who perform on horseback.[3]
    • one acrobat who performs his feats on a swinging rope.[7]
  • Illuminator - Aludra launches nightflowers to attract visitors from towns or villages nearby.
  • Contortionists - Adria,[8] Muelin,[9] and two others.
  • Sword juggler - Rumann.[8]
  • Fire-eaters - Balat and Abar.[10]
  • Fools - four face-painted jokers who perform slapstick physical comedy.[11]
  • Other performers - Neilyn, Gillin, Jameine, Merici

Travels[]

Nynaeve al'Meara and Elayne Trakand, accompanied by Thomdril Merrilin and Juilin Sandar, take refuge in the show when they are found in Sienda by Elayne's half-brother, Galadedrid Damodred.[12] While traveling with the show, and because of events in Tel'aran'rhiod, Birgitte Silverbow is ripped out of the dream world and left physically in the real world. Due to the trauma of this event, and Nynaeve's inability to heal her, Elayne bonds Birgitte as her Warder.[13]

Galad finally catches up to the girls in Samara and find them a ship to take them to Salidar.[6] Soon afterward, Valan takes the show to Ebou Dar.

When in Ebou Dar, Valan Luca takes in Matrim Cauthon with his party, including the captive Tuon Athaem Kore Paendrag. The show then leaves for Lugard.[3]

Notes

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