The Lore of the River King - The Gambler

TurtleXD·Nov 5, 2015·3 votes·1,448 views

I'm fairly new to League and was quickly drawn in by support roles, Tahm Kench in particular. Interested by his lore, I found myself digging through forums, various posts, and random websites for any bit of info I could find. I understand that Tahm is a demon, but as for the identity of the Gambler, not much is known. Even Riot themselves seem to be pushing us to figure out who this is. I have an interesting theory and am interested in how plausible it sounds to my fellow peers. Perhaps, since Tahm is a demon who feeds off of/is despair, what if the Gambler is Tahm? And Tahm is the Gambler? The Gambler simply gave in to his inner addiction demon and let it free. Does this seem like a possibility?

7 Comments

SharjoNov 5, 20155 votes

The gambler was named Tahm Kench and now that name is used to refer to the River Demon itself within Bilgewater. The demons' true name is unknown and Tahm Kench certainly isn't the only name he's been addressed by in the thousands of years he's been around.

When the Gambler "let him in", he wasn't specifically letting the demon possess him, but allowed that demon to influence him later down the road, which then led to him losing everything by giving in to his own vices. When the demon ate the house, the gifts, and gold, that's referring to the Gambler's addiction and the influence of the demon in tandem, culminating in the gambler pretty much killing his own wife, which makes him give in to despair and gave the demon what he really wanted. There's a bunch of ways to interpret this, but the Gambler's story gets more metaphysical the further down you go.

A thing to remember is that the demon we know as Tahm Kench embodies human vices, but he existed before he embodied them; he didn't always use human despair as his main form of sustenance. He's also not solely a physical being; his catfish form is one he created himself while his true self is more of a malignant presence that inhabits rivers.

TurtleXDNov 5, 20151 votes

{quoted}

The gambler was named Tahm Kench and now that name is used to refer to the River Demon itself within Bilgewater. The demons' true name is unknown and Tahm Kench certainly isn't the only name he's been addressed by in the thousands of years he's been around.

When the Gambler "let him in", he wasn't specifically letting the demon possess him, but allowed that demon to influence him later down the road, which then led to him losing everything by giving in to his own vices. When the demon ate the house, the gifts, and gold, that's referring to the Gambler's addiction and the influence of the demon in tandem, culminating in the gambler pretty much killing his own wife, which makes him give in to despair and gave the demon what he really wanted. There's a bunch of ways to interpret this, but the Gambler's story gets more metaphysical the further down you go.

A thing to remember is that the demon we know as Tahm Kench embodies human vices, but he existed before he embodied them; he didn't always use human despair as his main form of sustenance. He's also not solely a physical being; his catfish form is one he created himself while his true self is more of a malignant presence that inhabits rivers.

So if the Gambler was named Tahm Kench then why is the demon referred to as Tahm Kench now? I'm sure he's fed on more prey then just the Gambler. Also, does anyone know why he inhabits rivers? Or is that just how it is?

SharjoNov 5, 20151 votes

Because the Gambler's tale is, presumably, the first or most reputable tale about the River King. It's probably a few decades old now, and would probably be a story you'd often hear around the place. Details get obscured with time so the likelihood is that it's just a cultural thing.

RalanrNov 5, 20154 votes

TahmKench : Call me king, call me demon - water forgets the names of the drowned.

RalanrNov 5, 20151 votes

Tahm is the gambler. The river king has only a title. When he asked the gambler to let him in, he didn't specify possession.

I think that's the case. It might just be a theory.

TurtleXDNov 5, 20151 votes

So then we all have a bit of Tahm in us I suppose. And as for his... "diet"... I guess I'm a bit confused on what exactly Tahm enjoys. I know he has fine tastes but it's very confusing. Is it despair? Various addictions? Negative emotions and forces in general? Or is it something even more specific or vague?

RalanrNov 5, 20151 votes

I like to think that he truly feeds off despair and other similar negative emotions.

He's also a fat frogfish, who has an eating problem.