Collection of Ranger's Apprentice Theories

What Makes a Ranger, a Ranger (What Skills are Rangers Taught)?

Rangers are known for being skilled in many areas, and also their mysterious vibe. The goal of this theory is to try to tally how many skills Rangers need to learn as an apprentice, and what aspects of their personality are needed to be a successful Ranger. Rangers don't require five years of training for nothing!

'The Red Fox Clan' starts with Maddie being assessed for seven skills: shooting (she was tested on her bow and sling), knife throwing, unarmed combat, mapmaking, navigational skills, tactical planning, and unseen-movement. If apprentices fail these tasks they get a hole dinged in their Bronze Oakleaf, and too many holes means apprentices cannot continue their studies, so these are very important. Among other common skills, there's also the double knife sword defense and tracking that make many appearances throughout the books. The double knife sword defense was crucial in the plot of 'The Burning Bridge' and Rangers have had to analyze many locations for tracking purposes, like Halt trying to find Will in 'The Battle for Skandia', and Maddie is promised to be testing on her tracking in 'A Beast From Another Time'.

In 'The Battle for Skandia', the skill of making snares and cutting a mark in the tree above it to show where the snare is was used, which is specifically part of Ranger training. Halt is known to have great woodcraft in 'The Tournament at Gorlan', as his ability to pick a good campsite is natural. Rangers also have to pass cooking tests as an apprentice. In the same book, Leander passed those tests, but didn't keep the skills, instead passing off the cooking to Halt and Crowley. He does other skills (well, chores): gathering and cutting firewood, preparing the fire, getting water and cleaning utensils/pots. Will has medical abilities in 'The Sorcerer of the North', and Maddie shows the same skills in 'A Beast From Another Time'. Additionally, from 'A Beast From Another Time', and 'The Hibernian', Rangers make their arrows with fletching jigs. Clearly Rangers must be competent in everything that ensures their survival so they don't have to depend on anyone else. They are probably experts at sewing too, for stitching injuries and fixing all the tears in their cloaks from the cloth snagging on branches.

Horses are a whole other subject to learn. If you have a horse, you have to learn how to care for it, ride it, and on top of that, know the different commands Ranger horses possess. There are whistling signals, and ways to get horses to learn new commands, as Halt shows off during his lengthy escape at the beginning of 'The Kings of Clonmel'. And, of course, the Ranger pace (canter for twenty minutes, lead for ten minutes, and a ten minute break every two hours, courtesy of 'The Tournament at Gorlan').

Thanks to a reader, here are some other skills that Rangers must learn: tying knots (seen in 'The Icebound Land'), forging (Halt's hobby might have been passed on), basics in acting and disguises to be able to go undercover (we see this put to use when Will's a jongleur, and when Will and Maddie travel around in 'A New Beginning'), and knowledge of laws, which can be put to use (like where to find archers if you need them).

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Moving on, there are traits a person must possess prior to training, and these cannot be taught.

For example, if Will had lied about stealing Master Chubb's cakes in 'The Ruins of Gorlan', he would never have been chosen to be an apprentice. When Will couldn't immediately recall the history of King Herbert, he was told to just say when he didn't know something because telling the truth was better to do that than bluffing. Gilan was encouraged to be truthful when he wasn't sure they were on the right track to get to the ford in 'The Battle of Hackham Heath'. Therefore the trait of having a basic truthfulness even when it sheds oneself in a bad light is a must-have.

Natural curiosity is also needed, as Will is tested for it when he is tricked into breaking into Baron Arald's office in 'The Ruins of Gorlan' for a piece of paper. If Rangers had no curiosity, they wouldn't pay attention to details and would then miss things like a giant bridge being built over a chasm while they head back home to Araluen like they were supposed to. Cough. Will again. Cough.