Who is Perrin Aybara from The Eye of the World and what is their importance?

Perrin is one of the boys who learn that the Dark One is after, along with Rand and Mat. Perrin is a gentle giant, aware of his considerable size and strength. He is affected more than the other two boys by the dream of Ba'alzamon in Baerlon. When the group is separated in Shadar Logoth, the point of view changes to Perrin. He proves to be thoughtful and very practical. Egwene finds him and they flee the city together, only to get separated again when he falls into the river. Perrin swims across, forced to rest for the night and wondering what happened to Egwene.