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Since we are all (hopefully) agreed in condemning slavery and in regarding this kind of “ownership” of other human beings as abhorrent and repugnant, the Seanchan attitude on this issue should not surprise us, especially when viewed against our own far-from-flattering history. The Christian doctrine of salvation goes so far in its "holy book" as to enshrine slavery and its "rules," effectively normalizing it. Some examples appealing? Deuteronomy 20:10–14 In war, women and children may be taken as plunder. Deuteronomy 21:10–14 Female captives may be taken as wives after a waiting period. This effectively institutionalizes forced marriage / sexual slavery. Permanent, hereditary slavery of foreigners Leviticus 25:44–46 Israelites may acquire slaves from surrounding nations. These slaves are property for life and may be inherited by children. In contrast, Israelite slaves must not be treated as slaves permanently. They are to be freed after a servitude of 7 years, unless they are tricked (I can expand on this if you wish in another place...) Exodus 21:20–21 (NRSV) “When a slaveowner strikes a male or female slave with a rod and the slave dies immediately, the owner shall be punished. But if the slave survives a day or two, there is no punishment; for the slave is the owner’s property.” The New Testament does not call for the abolition of slavery. Instead, it generally accepts it as a social reality and instructs slaves to obey their masters. So here is my conclusion: just as our own history (up until modern times) regarded slavery as a normal institution—benefiting countless people massively by it (Liverpool’s wealth in the 18th and 19th centuries was largely built on the then-already illegal slave trade)—a social order like that of the Seanchan, living at a cultural level comparable to our European Middle Ages, should really come as no surprise. Your thoughts? Greetings and best 73 --.../...-- de Calean

Thank you very much for your comforting words. The one positive aspect of ageing as one’s memory fades is that, after a while, one no longer even notices it oneself. Isn’t that wonderful? Only those around us then still have to cope with our creeping foolishness — truly their problem!

Thoroughly enjoying seeing the series through your eyes, Starla. I hope your joy continues. Keep plugging and you'll love the ride.

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wow amazing

I believe that over the many years of this forum’s existence—with its changing readership and shifting contributors—the mysterious figure of Nakomi has often been examined and debated. Since those discussions are not truly accessible to me, and because this figure remains so enigmatic, I put the question to you: Who is Nakomi really? A spirit, a personification of the very fabric of time woven by the Wheel itself, a guardian figure, or perhaps an embodiment of the Creator? I look forward to your answers. First Encounter: Nakomi appears to Aviendha in the Aiel Waste. She seems like an elder Aiel woman, posing questions that compel Aviendha to reflect on the future of her people. Second Encounter: She reappears before Rand al’Thor, just as he is about to leave Shayol Ghul. There she speaks only a single line—“Yes, that is good, that you must do”—and then vanishes. Unclear Identity: Robert Jordan left only one brief note about Nakomi (I guess I must have read it somewhere, the exact content I can’t recall, sorry). It did not explain who she was or what role she was meant to play, which made it extremely difficult for Sanderson to weave her into the narrative.

Yeah, they touch on it being its own dimension in-between place in The Dragon Reborn.

I believe that in terms of raw strength, the True Power is stronger and also far more intoxicating than the One Power. Both male and female Forsaken can access it with the Dark One's permission, Rand is able to through his connection to Moridin. Following Tarmon Gai'don the True Power and the Dark One don't disappear, they are simply sealed away as they were before. It was the True Power that led to the Dark One being released, as the Aes Sedai of the Age of Legends sensed it and bored a hole through the pattern to tap it, thus releasing the Dark One. The draw of it was that they sensed an undivided power, and seeing as how the greatest feats of channeling were achieved through men and women working together, they thought this power that was usable by both would be able to achieve even more marvels. The cleansing was accomplished by making a conduit of pure saidar (provided by Nynaeve) and funnelling pure saidin through it. The two ends of the conduit touched saidin itself and Shardar Logoth and Rand was able to use the two different evils to basically cancel each other out. The taint was siphoned off against Shardar Logoth, which resulted in the city being destroyed.

Tel'aran'rhiod is both a dimension and a dream realm. It is a dream realm as it can be touched/entered from dreams, but only by certain people or by odd chance for a very limited time. But it is also a dimension as it can be assessed via a form of gateway. It is a different place of existence, but it is not like the mirror-dimensions accessed via portal stones.

I have been reflecting on the forces that prevail within the universe—at least the universe we humans inhabit, and not that of the strange beings known as the Aelfinn and Eelfinn, who dwell within some kind of multidimensional continuum. There exists the One Power, whose male half has been corrupted, and the True Power, which is attributed directly to the Dark One. I wonder whether there is a difference in strength between the two, and whether, following the Dark One’s defeat, the power ascribed to him would vanish from the sphere of human influence altogether. Furthermore, I cannot recall whether the epic ever mentioned that one of the female Forsaken had access to the True Power. If not, I find myself asking why that should be the case. Furthermore, I have forgotten—since my reading lies several years in the past—how Rand accomplished the cleansing of saidin by means of the very saidin that had been tainted. How can something corrupted possibly cleanse itself?

Mierin Sedai is drawn to power. I wouldn't call that love, but she might. I do think the Forsaken are technically capable of true love, but their blind ambition will usually overshadow that. It's why the Dark Once chose them. It makes them predictable.

By the way dear Otis, do you have an inkling on when to epect the third Rothfuss' volume? I read somewhere that he seems to have some serious mental issues, but of course it could be fake news, so I don't want to claim with certainty.

This is a fascinating comparison, and I think you’re touching on something many fantasy readers intuitively feel. Rothfuss’s “fae” and Jordan’s Aelfinn and Eelfinn clearly draw from the same deep mythological roots, where otherworldly beings operate under alien rules that feel logical only in hindsight. I’ve always leaned toward the idea that these realms function as parallel or adjacent dimensions rather than distant physical locations, which helps explain the distortion of time, space, and causality within them. The use of bargains, riddles, and strict but opaque laws reinforces the sense that entering such worlds is less about travel and more about crossing a metaphysical boundary. Whether through ter’angreal or hidden doors, the danger seems to come not from power alone, but from misunderstanding the rules that govern these strange realms.

Just finished TDR! I love, love, LOVE the Aiel. Curious as to why I never RP'd as one...maybe because there's a lot of shade and water tags I can't keep track of? I don't know, but it's definitely something to think about for the future. Was pleasantly surprised to see Perrin and Faile fall in love. I didn't remember their courtship at all. I knew who she was when she showed up, but I guess for some reason I thought she and Berelain showed up at the same time, and it was more of a choice on Perrin's part instead of him being already in love with Faile? I'm happy with these misremeberings, though, and at this point I just need to accept this is not a reread. My brain is stubborn, though, and continues to insist I have read ten of these books before in spite of the evidence showing otherwise.

With great delight I have read the two volumes of Patrick Rothfuss’s Kingkiller Chronicle—The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man’s Fear. For nearly ten years now, a worldwide readership has been waiting with eager anticipation for the third installment (The doors of Stone). The reason I mention this here lies in the fact that Rothfuss’s work draws upon fairy myths (the mysterious world of the "fee"). Their world shows intriguing parallels to that of the Aelfinn and Eelfinn in The Wheel of Time. These beings, as well as the "fee" in the Kingskiller Chronicle are both cunning and treacherous: they offer gifts of immense value, yet not everyone is willing to pay the price. Within their realm they manipulate the very fabric of space and time, unpredictable in their actions, bound (sometimes-but not always) by bargains and riddles. Their strange laws and alien rules render them at least as dangerous as the Aes Sedai—even though they cannot channel. Like many readers, I wonder whether their world is a parallel dimension to our own (existing in the same cosmic sector, but perhaps layered in multiple dimensions), or whether the special gateways—ter’angreal—function as wormholes to other star systems. Questions upon questions…

Tel’aran’rhiod is the World of Dreams in The Wheel of Time—a dangerous yet fascinating realm where actions carry real consequences. It is also known as the Unseen World or simply the World of Dreams, a parallel dimension that can be entered during sleep. What makes this dreamscape so compelling is its malleability: reality itself can be reshaped, as thoughts alter landscapes, objects, and even encounters. My question is this: Is Tel’aran’rhiod merely a dream‑realm, or does it stand as a dimension with its own laws? Does it reflect the inner psyche of the characters, or is it a neutral battlefield? Who can tell me more about it?

Halfway through The Dragon Reborn, and this one I remember more of. Although I have to admit I thought Tear and Callandor happened a book or two later, so not only have I forgotten a bunch of stuff, I also jumbled up the order of events. I am surprisingly missing Rand's POV. Mat is fun, and I am down for anything WT related, but Perrin...idk, the wolves have so much fun potential that I feel is being wasted, but already his POV is starting to seem like filler to me. I mean, I get why we are getting his perspective, and I'm not saying it doesn't have valuable plot stuff, but his POV feels more like observation as opposed to direct action. Maybe that's why I forgot the first few chapters of this, but I can remember Mat's POV and Egwene getting the ring ter'angreal and all of that pretty clearly. I didn't remember the Accepted going off to Tear, which it looks like they are about to do (I thought they met up with the Sea Folk and did the Aiel stuff first), so this is going to be a fun ride.

As we learn in the Wheel of Time series, Lanfear—once known as Mierin Eronaile—was the lover of Lews Therin Telamon. Is this the reason she feels drawn to Rand? Is it merely a claim of possession she seeks to enforce, or does she harbor genuine feelings for him? All of this, of course, rests on the question of whether the Forsaken are capable of true love at all. What do you think?

I have to agree I'm amazed at how much has survived rather than how little. The only issue I have with the Brown Ajah is that their raison d'etre doesn't relate to channelers at all. Also the Whites. While the Gray Ajah can draw on the authority of the White Tower, their personal power and the Three Oaths, the only thing that I can think of that helps is their longevity, giving time to really become experts. While of course this doesn't stop Aes Sedai being the librarians and researchers of the world, where are the muggles that are helping them? Why is there not a whole infrastructure of scribes and researchers and investigators, etc., to support the Brown Ajah in their mission? Sadly I can think of only two answers, one, they are only interested in knowledge that will be bound to the Tower, not knowledge for it's own sake. Two, the whole concept of balance. The more they have their... er, stuff together, the worse things like Hawkwing's siege and the Trolloc Wars have to be to balance it out. The greater the order they preserve, the greater the damage wrought by the Lord of Chaos must be.

Today, we turn our attention again to one of the Forsaken: a cunning, treacherous, and manipulative figure who prefers to wield power through subtlety rather than overt violence—the one they call Rahvin. To uncover the inspiration behind this character's name, I consulted Wikipedia and discovered Ravana, the demon king from Indian mythology. He once implored Brahma for immunity from harm or death at the hands of gods or demons alike, but in his arrogance, he overlooked extending that boon to mere mortals. In the Hindu epic Ramayana, Ravana emerges as a formidable, charismatic yet profoundly malevolent ruler—militarily adept and a master seducer. These traits echo strikingly in Rahvin's portrayal as an alluring, shadowy lord, politically and strategically proficient, who corrupts his surroundings with charm and dominion. Like so many potent figures in modern politics, business, or the arts, Rahvin meets his undoing through his weakness for beautiful women (does that ring a bell?), a flaw that at least hastens his violent end. Compassion toward him, I believe, is utterly unwarranted.

just an afterthought... By the way, hope notoriously dies last: Lanfear, beautiful Lanfear could still seduce me, ensnare me, becloud my senses (perhaps I even crave it so 😉), for she alone among the Forsaken survives, or so it pops up, at least Brandon Sanderson seems to insinuate such an denouement...