A Collection of Ranger's Apprentice Theories

Where Did Crowley Come From?

As hinted at in the previous theory, Crowley is definitely not a long-lost prince, and seems more in touch with the general people of Araluen—though Halt thinks the performance was laid on thick for Morgarath's messenger in 'The Tournament at Gorlan,' real farmers in the series have had equally poor grammar or simply a different speech pattern seen as lesser by those with a formal education (ex. the man who alerts Halt and Will of the boars 'The Ruins of Gorlan'). Crowley himself isn't the perfect speaker. He accidentally uses "aspirate" instead of "assonate."

Further, in 'The Sorcerer of the North,' Crowley admits he could do a fine jig to "Old Joe Smoke" in his younger days. This indicates practice and listening to a song, which by the title alone sounds like a village ditty, repetitively for entertainment. He also has the skill to whistle without using his hand. The "well-bred" men tend to rely on simple whistling with their fingers in their mouths, while the Rangers need to expand their skill to horse commands and stop there. Crowley stands out by being able to do songs for the entertainment of Hogarth Fief. Whistling is free; playing an instrument is not.

Crowley loves dogs. In fact, he detests animal cruelty. If he had grown up on a farm, it makes sense that he would have grown to care for animals. Sure, Rangers have their horses and everyone that Will meets with his dog tend to pet it, but Crowley is the only one who knows to stick his hand out, fingers down, a classic move when asking the permission of a dog to pet it (and he's the only one to immediately recognize the dog's a she instead of a he). Plus, dogs come to him, singling him out as the most friendly.

One of the defining features of village folk versus nobles in the series is how they see Rangers. Villagers are mentioned over and over again, sometimes multiple times in a book, to believe Rangers practice in the Black Art and are people to be feared. Nobles for the most part understand that's not the case and sometimes try to control Rangers for their own good.

Crowley is willing to believe in magic and other forces at play. None of the characters raised in luxury have much religion, if at all, but churches do exist, because Orman is said to wear a robe like a monk, though not a man of the church ('The Sorcerer of the North'). Halt and Gilan are uncomfortable speaking of whether the Kalkara do have magical powers, settling on perhaps hypnotism ('The Ruins of Gorlan'). While Crowley doesn't particularly believe in a god, his stance is open to acknowledging magic if it exists, noting that all the criminals must be caused by an evil force, and people might be able to tap into it ('The Sorcerer of the North').

These facts 1) show Crowley is willing to learn about the people he is protecting as a Ranger and 2) may have come from a background like farming, working his way up to a life of privilege. He is open-minded and humble, and Flanagan should definitely give Crowley more backstory in a prequel to the prequel.