Elves, gnomes, trolls, Rovers… they all have a place in the world of Shannara. But each group also has its own unique customs, practices, and ways of life.
We’re going to break down some of the Rover culture so far, and explore where some of those dynamics may be heading in the future.
Rover way of life
Actress Ivana Baquero introduces us to the Rovers by describing them as, “Refugees. Because they don’t belong anywhere, they’re just nomadic.” Which paints an interesting picture for us once you line this information up with the other clues we’ve been given within the world of Shannara.
The show has been incredibly upfront about the great animosity between the elven and Rover clans. It’s not quite known what sparked this deep seated hatred between the two groups, but it’s clear that the dislike is mutual on both sides. Amberle shares with Wil that her uncle warned her about Rovers, “No matter what they say they always have an agenda.” Cephelo has a different opinion when being confronted about his thievery, “The elves left us no choice. They’re the real thieves. Drove us from our homes.” Whatever this beef is it seems old, as if the betrayal and mistrust has been handed down from one generation to the next.
But regardless of the hatred that Rovers may have for elves, that hardly justifies or even explains why they would be so cruel to their own people.
People are property
Although it hasn’t been explicitly stated so far, we’re certain that the show has chosen to implement this element of the books because it’s been referenced in an assortment of ways. So to make it perfectly clear: Eretria is Cephelo’s slave.
Once a child is sold to a Rover, the new owner is often referred to as ‘father.’ So when Eretria calls Cephelo her dad, she simply means that he is the one holding her chains and keeping her hostage. Here’s a passage from The Elfstones of Shannara, “Rovers frequently trade or even sell wives and children to other camps. It is a kind of communal property situation.” Which means branding themselves as ‘family’ seems like a common Rover tactic, a clear manipulation used to create a false sense of unity and belonging. When in reality, one Rover is willing to sell another whenever the price is too high to resist.
Related: Eretria goes from prisoner to savior on tonight’s Shannara Chronicles
And if the show continues to follow along with the book from there, then we’ll see that the problems go even further. Another passage from the book, “Each Family has one Leader — a father figure who makes all the decisions. Women are considered subservient to men; that is what is called the Way. For the Rovers, that is the natural order of things. They believe quite firmly that women are to serve and obey the men who protect and provide for them. It is a tradition among them that those entering their camp should observe this custom in order to be made welcome.”
It’s very possible that these survival techniques were born out of decades of oppression from the elves, and anyone who would come in and try to challenge those values would be eliminated. But regardless, it’s hard to justify this behavior in any context and it’s easy to see why Eretria has become so ruthlessly fixated on escaping no matter what the costs.
Kill or be killed
One of the first tenants a Rover seems to embrace is the notion that it’s a kill or be killed world. That in order to survive, you must constantly be seeking out a way to gain the upper hand on those around you.
That means lying, cheating, stealing, killing, it’s all fair game. The only way to gain any sort of safety seems to be displaying your dominance. Being under the care of Cephelo doesn’t buy Eretria any favors. Like Baquero said above, she still has to, “earn the clans respect to survive.” There’s no special favors in this world. Everything is for barter or trade. And if it isn’t, it’s outright stolen.
The difficulty with a self based culture is that you never know when people are being sincere or when they’re working some sort of angle. “Eretria, I need you to put on a convincing show,” Cephelo warns. “Unless the half breed thinks you’re willing to gut her, he won’t tell me how to unlock those stones.” So even if Eretria is upfront about motivations or thoughts, the ‘traditional’ Rover behavior will be constantly hanging over her head. Someone is bound to give her a chance to prove herself though, right?
A different way
So the phrase, ‘Not All Rovers,’ is one we should probably avoid. But there is something to be said for the fact that we can’t judge a whole tribe based on one clan. Perhaps Cephelo is just a really nasty leader or the general consensus on Rovers is too warped to believe. So we should keep an open mind about how we talk about Rovers on a large scale, compared to how we talk about them individually.
But it does seem like growing up in this culture, like all cultures, comes with a certain amount of baggage. And that when conversations like this happen, “Like she said I’m a Rover,” “I think there’s more to you than that,” “You’re wrong,” that baggage comes up.
We’re more than our designated tribes, if we choose to be. Cephelo made his choice to embrace the negative elements of his tribe long ago. But for someone like Eretria, her choice could redefine what it means to be a Rover.
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