I don't remember ever reading that a gleeman was expected to be acrobatic. I remember plenty of references to music, to juggling, but not a word about acrobatic. Can the originator of that additional fact cite some passage in the novels that would support that fact? Pedantic 22:35, August 9, 2010 (UTC)Pedantic
A gleeman is for entertainment. Also acrobatic. I'm pretty sure it's in the books, and if it isn't, just look to Thom. Asha'man Leyrann Gaidin 19:34, May 27, 2011 (UTC)
Thank you, Leyrann, for your thoughts. Actually, I did consider Thom. I cannot think of any scene in the books where Thom was acrobatic. Strong, yes. Athletic, yes. Good with a blade, yes. Nimble, yes. Sneaky, yes. But I cannot recall ever seeing him do cartwheels, or tumbles, or high jumps, or any other of the things an acrobat would consider his or her stock in trade. And, more importantly, I cannot remember him training Mat or Rand, when he pretended they were his students on Bayle Domon's boat, to do anything but juggling, singing and playing musical instruments. Now there was that incident on the boat where Rand did some interesting stuff from the mast, but it was Rand, and he did it on his own, as I remember, and I think Thom was as surprised/annoyed as the rest of the crew. I'll have to pull out the book and double-check, though, just to make sure.
Pedantic 19:46, April 21, 2012 (UTC)
Sigh. Okay, I checked the text. In EOTW (Chapter 24, "Flight down the Arinelle"), when the boys (Rand and Mat) and Thom are on Bayle Domon's ship heading down the Arinelle, as part of their gleeman apprentice training, Thom teaches them "a bit of tumbling." So I was wrong. Acrobatics is part of a Gleeman's repertoire.
Pedantic 20:08, April 21, 2012 (UTC)