Ben and his necklace, How did it happen?

Okay, so I just re-read Barrier. I really wonder how Ben was able to get a protector necklace. I mean, in Oracle, the Prince made it sound like giving the protector necklace was sort of unprecedented. Thereby, making it really, really special (as it should be, thank you Katie).

If Ben gets a necklace when he's born, that means there was one that came before Katie. However, at the time, the Prince and his father were not in contact with the Seer (our Seer's mom), who is the one who sent Ben along to the World. How did she get a necklace to give to him? Did he do something worthy of being made a protector? What's going on here?

I don't think it's the physical necklace that is the important part, perhaps what it represents, or what it DOES is the more relevant thing here. I could be wrong, but that's what it seemed like to me, the "coincidence" of Ben having a necklace would be a little too great.

I wonder if the "protection" goes both ways? If the protectors of Land are protected by the Land, then it would make sense that he has a necklace as a baby.
Does that make sense?

I still wonder who it was that gave him the necklace...is this maybe more mysterious grid manager intervention?

I can't think of anything in the books that supports the fact that they are protected by the Land, but I think the Land would definitely want to protect the people from the World that come over to help.

That still kind of excludes baby Ben, though, because he hasn't protected anything.

I was under the impression that Ben's mother received a necklace when she snuck over to the land, and then the necklace went to Ben when she died. Since he had fought evil, that would make him a canidate for a Protector, wouldn't it? Maybe you don't have to be an actual "Protector," persay, but an "Evil Fighter" or something.

I didn't think Ben's mom ever went to the World. Didn't she die in the Land? Ben was sent to the World by himself.
...or do you mean Ben's World mama...Mrs Harm?

My understanding of it is that when Ben's mom passed through the Land, the Seer's mother gave Ben's mother the necklace to try and protect her against Evil. She had the misguided impression that the Protector necklaces warded off Evil.

It was the Oracle line that really understood that the necklaces were to reward people for the work they've done and to recognize their contributions. I'm not even sure how the Seer managed to get the necklace, frankly. Only Daniel knows and he's not talkin!

I would say... yeah Ben's mom got the necklace technically before she got to the Land... but with this qualifier: The necklaces ultimately do not originate in the Land.

Ponder that, folks.

Freaking people out again, Lisa? Shame on you.

I do love my necklace. It's been in the Protector Family for a long long time. And really, I'm the only Protector of the Land who hasn't gotten their necklace from the Prince. I just realized that, and thought I'd mention it.

Um, I am a real PotL, aren't I?

Of course you are Ben!
I wonder how your mom got it. You would think she had helped the Land in some way shape or form before. hmmm, intriguing

And the necklaces aren't originally from them land? Well now, that's too much to think about! From the Grid Manager somehow maybe?