How was Rand marked?

[Casco]

This is maby a strange question, but in the stone at Tear lanfear says "You have been marked i see" what does she mean by that? Marked with love? Marked with something like Alvearin, but from the light?

If it is that Elayne loves him, its a strange thing to say. When you read it, it sounds like she sees a mark on him. And its not the burn in mark on his hand, she talks about Elayne.

 

This is a thing that bothers me when i read that part.

[Roxinos]

"I go where I wish to be." She frowned at his face. "You have been marked, but no matter. You were mine, and you are mine. Any other is no more than a caretaker whose time has passed. I will lay claim to what is mine openly, now."

 

He stared at her. Marked? Did she mean his hands? And what did she mean, he was hers? "Selene," he said gently, "we had pleasant days together--and hard days; I'll never forget your courage, or your help--but there was never more between us but companionship. We traveled together, but that was the end of it. You will stay here in the Stone, in the best apartments, and when peace returns to Cairhien, I will see that your estates there are returned to you, if I can."

 

"You have been marked." She smiled wryly.

 

Just to be clear on the passage. It isn't certain what she means. She could very well be referring to the herons on his palms. She could also be referring to a mark that we don't know about that Ba'alzamon made on him. She could also be referring to the pain in his side caused by Ba'alzamon in The Great Hunt. She may also be referring to the way he has changed from the last time she saw him in The Great Hunt and now.

 

It certainly seems most likely to be the last one because the way Rand handles her, saying that he will take care of her until he can reinstate the estates which belong to her in Cairhien, is significantly different from the way he handled her the last time she met him, fumbling over words and himself as he just ogles her. It seems likely that her staring at him in the face while frowning before saying, "You have been marked...," is just a bit misleading in that it places undue special significance on the face.

[Nightstrike]

Tor Questions from December 23rd, 2003 - April 20th, 2004:

 

Week 10 Question: What did Lanfear do to Rand at the end of The Great Hunt, when she drew the Dragon's Fang on his forehead?

 

Robert Jordan Answers: She drew the Dragon Fang on his forehead. For exactly the reason you would think.

 

[Roxinos]

That's not what he was referring to, Nightstrike. See the quote that I provided.

[Nightstrike]

"You have been marked, but no matter. You were mine, and you are mine."

Yeah, maybe she meant that he had been "marked" by another woman.

[Graendals favourite]

There was some kind of breaking feeling when Rand tossed those letters of Selene's in the fire in Cairhien, in tGH. I think it might have been just a Finder link breaking, having a finder in the letters would explain why Lanfear always found Rand, unless she put one in something in his bags when she was looking over them near Kinslayer's Dagger earlier, or at some other instance come to think since none of that is visible-- Elayne mentioned somewhere that a Finder in metal would last a very long time, but I understand other materials can also be used, possibly this is why Moiraine burnt the Rand, Mat and Perrin's old clothes in Fal Dara. Well, I'm heading off at a tangent, but Rand's decision to throw the letters could have been a compulsion breaking, that he broke away from mooning over her. Perhaps it was obvious to Lanfear by Rand looking at him that the "spell" had been broken, presumable by another woman, and she presumable intended have it unbroken.

[Roxinos]

And how does any of that translate to, "You have been marked...?"

[Graendals favourite]

Well just that Lanfear sees Rand is no longer marked by her but by another woman. (No doubt to her, any relationship involves compulsion, and if he does not moon over Lanfear, some other woman must have compelled him, but that is another story...) And then she announces that whomever that woman is, she will be dealt with soon enough. I presume Lanfear saying she can act openly is due to Ishamael's demise, there is no longer anyone who can hold authority over her. I do believe she means exactly what she says when she says she lays claim to what is hers, and she intends to have Rand tagged with the sign, "belongs to Lanfear," in a similar way as Mat thought he had become Melindhra's possession.

[MikeRiley]

What she said is close to what she told to Min at the end of The Great Hunt about keeping him for a while. She probably could tell he kissed Elayne. We see a lot of that in the books, the women treating men as objects. Berelain's taming of Perrin for example. Tylin's making a fool of Mat. Lanfear just saw Elayne's claim on him.

[mb]

Like another poster, I take marked to mean a physical kind of marking which would narrow it down to these::

-the herons on his hands

-the wound on his side

 

About Compulsion, no one used Compulsion on Rand.

Marked by another woman, the closest would be his bonding which comes after the discussion.

 

[Cillian]

This is maby a strange question, but in the stone at Tear lanfear says "You have been marked i see" what does she mean by that? Marked with love? Marked with something like Alvearin, but from the light?

If it is that Elayne loves him, its a strange thing to say. When you read it, it sounds like she sees a mark on him. And its not the burn in mark on his hand, she talks about Elayne.

 

This is a thing that bothers me when i read that part.

 

I take it to mean that she can see he's in love with someone else, since (IIRC) he's not gawking at her or fumbling his words like he did previously. The way he handled her just said, "I don't fancy you"

[mb]

Being in love to me does not fit the context.

Before Rand & Egwene thought they loved each other.  After it was Rand & Elayne and later Min.  Rand technically had not a mark from any of them before the discussion with Lanfear.

 

[Guest The Thin Inn Keeper]

Like another poster, I take marked to mean a physical kind of marking which would narrow it down to these::

-the herons on his hands

-the wound on his side

That's a very narrow view.

 

I think it's clear that she's talking about love or, more likely, infatuation, and that her wry smile at the end of the quote is indication of that.

 

She's annoyed that another woman has got her claws into Rand while she's been away.

[Roxinos]

I think it's clear that she's talking about love or, more likely, infatuation, and that her wry smile at the end of the quote is indication of that.

 

The "wry smile" is after Rand offered to put her up in rooms in the Stone of Tear and to help her get her estates back in Cairhien whenever the turmoil in the city died down. It's a "wry" smile because when she said, "You have been marked," she was referring to a general change in his demeanor. She did not mean the same thing as the first time she said, "You have been marked."

 

When I say the general change in his demeanor, I mean how he reacts to seeing her now as compared to how he used to react when she was around. No longer does he stutter and trip over himself when she looks at him.

 

Just trying to make sure that's clear.

[Guest The Thin Inn Keeper]

The "wry smile" is after Rand offered to put her up in rooms in the Stone of Tear and to help her get her estates back in Cairhien whenever the turmoil in the city died down. It's a "wry" smile because when she said, "You have been marked," she was referring to a general change in his demeanor. She did not mean the same thing as the first time she said, "You have been marked."

 

When I say the general change in his demeanor, I mean how he reacts to seeing her now as compared to how he used to react when she was around. No longer does he stutter and trip over himself when she looks at him.

 

Just trying to make sure that's clear.

Sure, that's one view, mine's another.

 

The wry smile is delivered right after Rand tells her, (abridged) "Thanks for the great time, you were awesome, you can live in the best spot I can find you."

 

If that isn't a brush-off (albeit a nice one), I don't know what is.

 

The wry smile is, in my opinion, delivered because it's clear to Lanfear that Rand has moved on to someone else..... again (re. Lews and Ilyena).

 

As for his demeanor, wasn't he already over stuttering by the time Lanfear left him?

[Roxinos]

As for his demeanor, wasn't he already over stuttering by the time Lanfear left him?

 

Not in the slightest. *laughs*

 

If that isn't a brush-off (albeit a nice one), I don't know what is.

 

I wouldn't say it's a brush-off, but I understand what you mean.

 

But the phrase "you have been marked" does not make sense as a wry remark if Lanfear meant what you say. At least, not in the simplicity with which it is delivered in contrast to the way it was delivered previously. The original "You have been marked" may indeed be referring to what you suggest, but I do not think the wry version of the same phrase means what you think it means.

 

And I just vaguely quoted The Princess Bride. Hell yes.

[Guest The Thin Inn Keeper]

But the phrase "you have been marked" does not make sense as a wry remark if Lanfear meant what you say. At least, not in the simplicity with which it is delivered in contrast to the way it was delivered previously.

Makes perfect sense to me. Especially given what she goes on to do.

 

Two different ways of reading the same text.

 

- Gives me hope that someone will figure out who killed Asmo.  ::)

[MikeRiley]

Like another poster, I take marked to mean a physical kind of marking which would narrow it down to these::

-the herons on his hands

-the wound on his side

 

About Compulsion, no one used Compulsion on Rand.

Marked by another woman, the closest would be his bonding which comes after the discussion.

 

 

Selene already knew about the herons. In fact, she was there the very night he got the first branding. She also stopped in to see him at the end of The Great Hunt and knew about the wound in his side. Neither would have caused comment during her meeting in Tear.

[Cillian]

Being in love to me does not fit the context.

 

It would to Lanfear, given her obsession.

[mb]

Being in love to me does not fit the context.

It would to Lanfear, given her obsession.

Being loved by another woman was discussed after the lines.

The mark that Lanfear refers to I take to be some physical feature that identifies him.

 

Like another poster, I take marked to mean a physical kind of marking which would narrow it down to these::

-the herons on his hands

-the wound on his side

 

About Compulsion, no one used Compulsion on Rand.

Marked by another woman, the closest would be his bonding which comes after the discussion.

Selene already knew about the herons. In fact, she was there the very night he got the first branding. She also stopped in to see him at the end of The Great Hunt and knew about the wound in his side. Neither would have caused comment during her meeting in Tear.

That last line I think would be doubtful.  Like I commented to Cillian earlier in this post, the mark I take to be some physical feature that identifies Rand which either could identify Rand; an identifying feature would be sufficient cause for comment.

 

[Dmitri]

That last line I think would be doubtful.  Like I commented to Cillian earlier in this post, the mark I take to be some physical feature that identifies Rand which either could identify Rand; an identifying feature would be sufficient cause for comment.

 

Errr...  ???

 

Please again, can't understand what you wrote...

[Guest The Thin Inn Keeper]

Please again, can't understand what you wrote...

You're not the only one.

[MikeRiley]

By "which either" he means the herons or the wound taken in Falme.

 

They would cause comment, sure. They wouldn't cause a comment that suggests she only just found out about it. "I see you have been marked." "The sky is blue."

[Cybertrolloc]

Read them before WoTmania folds: Light in the Night's Longest Theory Part 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. (Parts 2-5 being more relevant here, but might as well link the first too.)

 

At the least they're entertaining.

[Matrim DeLaneous]

That last line I think would be doubtful.  Like I commented to Cillian earlier in this post, the mark I take to be some physical feature that identifies Rand which either could identify Rand; an identifying feature would be sufficient cause for comment.

 

Like maybe Elayne left Rand with a hickie while canoodling in the dark corners of The Stone.  I agree with The Inn keeper & many of the others... simply that Lanfear is jealous of another woman.  Not sure about other's tendency to overcomplicate the story so much and so often.