Mat's Death(s)?

[Tiyger]

My brother and I were arguing about this the other day, so I thought I'd just ask the opinions here.

How many times has Mat died, and come back to life?

I can think of two, possibly three times right off the top of my head.

 

1. After his little trip through the red doorframe, and Rand finds and revives him.

 

2. Rand Balefires Rhavin, reversing time, and saving many of the main characters, including Mat.

 

3. Now,, this is the one that my brother argued with me about. I think Mat was killed by the saliva of the Darkhound. And when that darkhound was balefired, again, he returned to life via time backtracking. Moiraine makes a comment that had she been a moment later in healing him, or had the saliva touched his arm, or some such, that he'd be dead. My brother maintains that no more than a drop hit his arm.. while I say he died. If one drop hit his arm AFTER the balefire.. how much actually did, and was reversed by the time lapse? Hrm.. any thoughts?

[Majsju]

Mat did not die in Rhuidean. If he had died, a little homemade cpr from rand would never have brought him back. (And, RJ confirmed Mat did not die there)

 

Mats death in Caemlyn was according to RJ the death that fulfilled what the finns said about "to die and live again"

 

Aside from not fitting with the above sayings from RJ, there is nothing that even hints that Mat died from the darkhound saliva. Had rand not balefired the doggy, Mat would most likely eventually have died, but that is a very different matter.

[RAND AL THOR]

*Thumbs up to Maj*

[schizm]

Mat has only died once. Rand kept him from dying outside the doorframe. The darkhound didn't get enough saliva on him to kill him, as Rand's balefire knock it too far back out of the weaving.

 

No Mat died in Camlyn and Rand brought him back via balefire there. Rand actually has kept Mat from dying a few times, but only actually brought him back from death once.

[Cockta]

Wow, Rand is seriously a life saver!  :)

[Tiyger]

Mat has only died once. Rand kept him from dying outside the doorframe.

Ah, ok.

 

The darkhound didn't get enough saliva on him to kill him, as Rand's balefire knock it too far back out of the weaving.

This is exactly my point. Moiraine stated that if he had gotten more saliva on him, it WOULD have killed him. If rand balefired the darkhound back enough to that point, to JUST preventing death.. then Mat got a litteral armful of drool, and if he hadn't died (which I admit, it never states outright that he did), then he would have if Rand had not balefired, and unraveled the weaving back to a single drop.

[Hybrid]

This is exactly my point. Moiraine stated that if he had gotten more saliva on him, it WOULD have killed him. If rand balefired the darkhound back enough to that point, to JUST preventing death.. then Mat got a litteral armful of drool, and if he hadn't died (which I admit, it never states outright that he did), then he would have if Rand had not balefired, and unraveled the weaving back to a single drop.

 

Here's my take.  Moiraine says that from the amount of saliva Mat remembers, he wouldn't have survived for her to Heal him.  However, Moiraine was behind Rand, who balefired the Darkhound from a distance.  So, essentially, Mat would have died by the time Moiraine got there, but he was not dead yet.

[Tiyger]

This is exactly my point. Moiraine stated that if he had gotten more saliva on him, it WOULD have killed him. If rand balefired the darkhound back enough to that point, to JUST preventing death.. then Mat got a litteral armful of drool, and if he hadn't died (which I admit, it never states outright that he did), then he would have if Rand had not balefired, and unraveled the weaving back to a single drop.

 

Here's my take.  Moiraine says that from the amount of saliva Mat remembers, he wouldn't have survived for her to Heal him.  However, Moiraine was behind Rand, who balefired the Darkhound from a distance.  So, essentially, Mat would have died by the time Moiraine got there, but he was not dead yet.

Ah ok, that makes more sence. But if Rand HAD done anything other than Balefire, Mat would have died?

 

[Luckers]

Yes, he would have. Probably quite soon thereafter--the fact is though that Rand balefired the Darkhound BEFORE Mat died. It makes for the distinction.