Hear me out: Something is up with Sarcean's name.
I'll preface this by saying I haven't read many fan theories yet, so apologies if this has already been covered!
Part 1 - Sarcean's Origins
This came up because I watched a movie last weekend that had me chatting about real world Janissaries (soldiers serving the Ottoman sultans starting in the late 14th century) and Saracens (the term used in medieval Europe for Arabs/Muslims).
I'm sure you can already see where I'm going with this.
The Elder Steward mentions that the library includes Arabic texts, along with Old French and Ancient Greek, so part of me always assumed Sarcean's kingdom was possibly somewhere in modern day Lebanon, Iran, Egypt... a spot we now generalize as the Middle East for simplicity's sake.
And, similar to how math, science, medicine, etc. originating from the Middle East flowed to Europe and elsewhere, what if this kingdom was the first to fully understand, study, and teach magic? After all, Aladharet seems to point in an Arabic-inspired direction... though maybe a little too obviously for Pacat.
This got me wondering: What if this is how Sarcean ended up in the Sun Kingdom to begin with? Sent by his kingdom as a show of good will (heh, sorry) to share his expert knowledge?
But with knowledge and power comes fear.
Part 2 - Names and Identity
Back to the term "Saracen" from the Middle Ages.
Names and identity are so central to the story. The mystery of Anharion's real name. Lions and Stewards using those terms as insults. A savior choosing to be called the Devil. Indeviel modernizing his name as part of his survival. And so on.
So... what if "Sarcean" (as either a misnomer or simply part of the Old World language) was just another label, in the way he was called the "Dark General" or "King's Shadow"? Another way to make him Other.
Now, because names are a core part of the series, it's interesting to me that Sarcean is only directly called that by people he knows a total of four times:
"No last words, Sarcean?" The Sun King's eyes looked amused.
It feels significant that this is the first time someone calls Sarcean that to his face. The Sun King is delighting in his cruelty here, so it would track for this "name" to actually be another taunt.
Also note that Anharion doesn't call him by any name during the arrest.
"Sarcean." Sandy was kneeling beside him, his face earnest with desperate worry. "I came as soon as I could."
This one has me second guessing myself, because Visander doesn't hate him yet. BUT throughout this scene, Sarcean calls Visander "Sandy", so I wonder if Pacat is playing with names here and if those names can be trusted.
Also in this scene, when Sarcean kills Idane as a reward for his loyalty:
With a parched throat, Idane attempted to say Sarcean's name.
But then Visander stops him to try and offer comfort, similarly to how we almost get Anharion's real name in a dream before it's cut short.
Now, Returned Visander still calls him Sarcean, but he also calls James Anharion. And lines like "This time I know you, Sarcean." could almost be derogatory with his anger since we know Visander (though I love him) is a bit of a bigot. This line and "knowing" Sarcean could also be a used for a few layers of irony.
Visander's challenges with language makes me wonder if any Old World words are mistranslated/misspoken and if that has any bearing on this name situation. We also know he's someone who is used as a pawn by others, so he might genuinely not even know all the details of the people/plans around him.
"My sword in you, Sarcean."
Don't like her, but that's still a badass line. Nothing new to add to this that wasn't covered above, so instead I'll hop over to this:
"And what is your name?" she said.
"Will," said a voice.
Another classic Pacat example of almost getting a name but then being abruptly stopped. It feels so intentional to me that this same kind of cutoff happens repeatedly.
To contradict myself though, this could also be a simple reminder that Will is his own person. Or both options could apply!
"Sarcean. I remember everything."
Pacat always has me looking at punctuation and I love them for that. Why is this not "Sarcean, I remember everything" like with the other examples?
Is this "Sarcean" actually James calling Will by his true name? Because only moments before it was:
"Darling"
"I'm yours. I know who you are. Willā"
"My King" (twice)
And when he speedruns through his emotions after the Collar is put on, we once again have the disjointed "Try to run" / "Sarcean" / "I will always find you" while James is panicking. Then, once he settles and realizes the Collar didn't work the way he feared, he shifts to:
"You," he thought. "You, you, you."
"But the Dark King is its master... And I serve Him, not you."
Now that he remembers the past, the way James uses "Sarcean" almost feels to me like an explanation... something like "I remember what they called you and how they treated you and what they made you do. I remember why I changed sides for you."
Why would any of this even matter?
It probably doesn't and I just had fun rambling, BUT Will is constantly worried about being accepted and loved for who he isāfor what he is. He's afraid of being seen as the monster he imagines Sarcean was.
But what if Sarcean wasn't even Sarcean? What if that's simply what they turned him into? What if being called Sarcean is another representation of how history and the people behind those stories got twisted by the Light?
Because Sarcean wasn't just a Big Bad All-Around Villainā¢. I think a lot of people feel this way, that he wasn't pure evil and he wasn't some perfect hero. So now...
Part 3 - A Quick Garden Detour
Notice how so many of Will's flashbacks take place in a garden? That always stuck out to me. This Dark General sure seems to love sunbathing and relaxing surrounded by nature, almost like he feels at home there despite all his supposed darkness.
While looking into his possible origins, I stumbled across this:
"Paradise" comes from an Old Iranian form, Proto-Iranian parÄdaiĵah or "walled enclosure" / "enclosed garden"
These gardens were associated with the Garden of Eden and traditionally had four quadrants with a pond/water source in the middle. Kind of like "Four thronesā¦ with only one power greater, rising above it all. Him." (Hey, another example of the name not being used!)
And of course, it's hard to ignore the nod to the crafty little serpent in Eden tempting through knowledge. Just a few more pieces of evidence for the Serpent Kingdom's possible location and role in spreading magic in the Old World, but also how Sarcean might have been viewed.
Part 4 - Conclusion... of sorts
Serpent undertones or not, time to consider how someone shown in these spots of paradise fits with one of my personal favorite moments from Visander:
"The Dark King sent his general to destroy the kingdom of Garayan. He ordered it razed to the ground, no inhabitant left alive, no trace of it remainingā¦ He flayed his general alive for not pulverizing that last stone to dust."
So juicy. I got chills during this part.
It immediately made me think of VE Schwab's A Darker Shade of Magic, where a single item from a dead world is all it takes for evil to spread. Visander sees this as proof that Sarcean is evil, but I will not be surprised if this extreme action was to protect the world from the spread of the white death or something else.
(Hold up... we all agree that the white death originated with The Lady, right? Rant for another time.)
Did everyone need to die at Garayan? Possibly not. And yes, Sarcean is ruthless as fuck, but the stakes are also pretty damn high by this point. He willingly allows himself to look cruel and sadistic so no one else will dare risk what that general risked.
Considering the S brand also protects from the white death, is it possible that this is another example of him using magic in a way he thought was best? Creepy and painful and crossing so many lines, but it might have felt like a necessary step during desperate times. Fire is needed for bodies taken by the white death, so why not use fire to protect those still alive?
"He's not a good man. But he helped me." - the Hand talking about the Devil
God I love the duality of all these characters. Sarcean sure as hell isn't perfect, but I think he allows himself to be villainized. It's so very Will of him to sacrifice himself in that way, and others like Anharion and the Lions see that truth behind his actions.
So, in the end, I wouldn't be surprised if Sarcean isn't his real name but one he nevertheless decided to continue wearing as part of his role in this war.
I trimmed this down so hopefully I didn't totally lose the through-line.
I love Pacat's writing because unlike most authors where you think "Oh Iām stretching this theory too far" with Pacat it's actually, "No, you didn't stretch far enough." I'll likely be proven wrong, but this was still fun!
