How often do you think the Dark One has to replace the Chosen? (SPOILERS)

[Dagon Thyne]

In the prologue, the fact that Ishamael states that he and LTT had fought over countless ages points to the fact that the surviving Chosen are reborn into the same role.  Do they live normal lives after death until then?  Or are they held somewhere by the Dark One between turnings.

 

And we know that they are not all originals.  Some of them were destroyed by balefire, so they can't be reborn, and Taim became one as M'Hael.  So how old do you think the Chosen actually were?  I am not talking how old they are in their current lifetimes, but how many lifetimes each of them had spent as Chosen.

 

Ishmael is likely the oldest overall, since he seems to be the central antithesis for the COL, according him, having faced him many times over many ages.  

 

So, I think it's safe to say that at least some of the others were also Chosen before as well, or perhaps Ishmael is the only one who is, and the others were chosen during the War of Power itself.  But what does M'Hael's rising to the ranks of the Chosen mean then?  Will he still be Chosen during his next rebirth? 

 

Do they all remember their past lives the way Ishmael did in the prologue?  Or perhaps Ishamael is special, and remembers his the way Rand remembers being LTT, and they are the only ones.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

If if Ishael is the only one who is really reborn everytime, and the others are chosen during the second age, then what does M'Hael's rising to Chosen mean?  Perhaps the DO is getting tired of Ishamael always failing him, and has chosen M'Hael to take his place ? 

 

 

Edited April 2, 2018 by Dagon Thyne

[Forshookt]

I don't think anyone is meant to serve the Dark One forever, just like how the Dragon can be made a force of evil. Isnt that the point of the whole rebirth cycle? To escape the shackles of your previous life and atone for it? While Ishamael may well be an anti-Dragon, his dark counterpart so to speak, reborn to serve the Shadow as the Dragon serves the light, I don't think its set in stone. If the Dragon can be turned to the Dark, why not Ishamael be turned to the Light? As for the other Forsaken, their souls aren't like the Dragon, set to be reborn with a similar purpose. So i guess they can dies and be reborn like other normal peeps. 

 

However...they DID swear their souls to him...so maybe when they die and he is displeased, he keeps their souls and tortures them for ever and ever. He can't be resurrecting them again and again, remember all the Forsaken had already been born centuries before the Bore was opened, before he could directly influence the pattern. So I don't think the DO has a special collection of souls he incarnates to be his chosen. As AMoL points out, its humanity who give him power and followers. So as long as there are selfish and greedy and evil people, the Dark One will have his Chosen

[Dagon Thyne]

Like I said, if the others are actually originally chosen during the age of legends, and Ishy is the only one who has served more than once, M'Hael could be Ishy's replacement.  Perhaps the DO is tired of failure, and plans on having M'Hael be the Chosen of Shadow now.  Perhaps that's why he was given the position among the Chosen.  

Edited April 2, 2018 by Dagon Thyne

[Sabio]

There are very few reborn over and over destined for greatness or to do thing s and even fewer are linked together like LTT, Ishy and Brigette and what's his name are.  Chances are next age all the forsaken and the main people for the forces of good will be different souls.  The current main people just so happen to be the people selected for this age.  But Ishy and LTT will be the main guys next time.  The one thing is Ishy isn't always meant to be the bad guy, I believe RJ said LTT has been the dark ones guy before.  The DO may not have a lot of say in the matter, since the wheel is going to spin out LTT and Ishy to face each other.

Edited April 2, 2018 by Sabio

[TheSociopath]

Taim was simply a powerful, influential, and selfish enough person to for the DO to trust that him to the same extent as Graendal and Demandred.