Signing questions and answers

[Sentinel78]

In one confusing part of one of the books Mat says something to the effect that he had some of his old memories before he went through the doorway

 

Mat would spout out the Old Tongue sometimes, and he was more or less possessed by Mordeth somewhat for a while (e.g., during his Healing in Book 3), but I don't think he ever had those old military memories before the doorway.

[Vorkia]

Mat's past memories are not from past lives.

 

I'm pretty sure those old memories stem from past lives.  Why would he remember dying otherwise, as well as the memories that are of things not relating to battles?

[Bob T Dwarf]

TOR Questions of the Week, December 2003 to April 2004

 

Week 12 Question: You stated in another interview [Crossroads of Twilight eBook "Glimmers" Interview] that Mat's memories came from adventurers who traveled through the ter'angreal. However several of Mat's memories end with the adventurer dying. Since adventurers probably didn't go through the ter'angreal after they died, how could the 'Finns have obtained these memories?

 

Robert Jordan Answers: A good question. I was wondering when someone would ask that. I expected it as soon as Mat started revealing those old memories. At least a partial answer will be coming up in the next main sequence book, so I guess you could say this is a RAFO. But I will say that if I said those adventurers all entered through the two ter'angreal, I misspoke. A good many entered through the Tower of Ghenjei, which was more widely known in earlier years, if never exactly a household name.

 

If you'll remember, Mat decides in KoD that the 'Finns have some way to see and record his experiences since he visited them.  He decides they actually "see" through one of his eyes, and that they had done the same with others who visited them, that being how they had the knowledge and experiences that they somehow inserted into his memory.

 

In short, they went to their DVD collection and gave him copies of a set of recordings that best fit his character and the role he is fated to play.  The memories they gave him are not of any of his past lives.

[Vorkia]

That's right, I forgot. At least about the book reference, this is the first time I saw that quote from RJ.  I stand corrected.

 

Thank you for the insight.

[Mr Ares]

Wow. This seems fairly straight forward. Birgitte's memories were introduced into the story as a mechanism to normalize Rand's memories. She knows that she is supposed to remember all of her past lives and cherishes those memories. As a sane person who doesn't remember being a hero in T'A'R, Rand has no experience with this. Once he starts to have these memories, whatever their source, he assigns a "personality" to them. This a common coping mechanism, when the mind can't handle something far beyond it's experience or something extremely traumatic. As these memories are from his last life and he knows the name of that person he naturally assigns it the name LTT. The fact that the madness he accumulates from the shear amount of Sai'din that he has used facilitated this. All of this together gives him the excuse to rationalize "hearing a voice in his head".

Birgitte doesn't remember all her past lives (she says that even in her earliest memories she knows she has lived hundreds of times before), and you don't explain why Rand has these memories. That is clearly a sign that something isn't right, because Hero of the Horn or not, he is not supposed to go around with another man's memories, even if that other man is the last incarnation of his soul. Hence Birgitte losing memories. Hence Rand not having those memories growing up. He starts to develop them as the series goes by, as he is put under more stress and has more contact with the taint, both factors which contributed to Rand's insanity. He didn't have these memories at the start of the series.

 

He decides they actually "see" through one of his eyes.

You're correct aside from this - he doesn't specify only one eye. The Finn could easily be watching through both.

 

In one confusing part of one of the books Mat says something to the effect that he had some of his old memories before he went through the doorway.

We have one instance in TDR of Mat having a memory that isn't his. This presumably comes from the same source as his spouting the Old Tongue - the Old Blood. There is no indication it's a past life of his.

[Bob T Dwarf]

In one confusing part of one of the books Mat says something to the effect that he had some of his old memories before he went through the doorway.

We have one instance in TDR of Mat having a memory that isn't his. This presumably comes from the same source as his spouting the Old Tongue - the Old Blood. There is no indication it's a past life of his.

 

If not his past life, whose?

 

He hasn't been to Rhuidean yet.

[Mr Ares]

In one confusing part of one of the books Mat says something to the effect that he had some of his old memories before he went through the doorway.

We have one instance in TDR of Mat having a memory that isn't his. This presumably comes from the same source as his spouting the Old Tongue - the Old Blood. There is no indication it's a past life of his.

If not his past life, whose?

As I said, Old Blood. Which means he inherited it. So, it's his ancestor, not him in a previous life.

[BenPatient]

If you'll remember, Mat decides in KoD that the 'Finns have some way to see and record his experiences since he visited them.  He decides they actually "see" through one of his eyes, and that they had done the same with others who visited them, that being how they had the knowledge and experiences that they somehow inserted into his memory.

 

that could have come interesting connotations with the whole "lose half of the light of the world to save the world" thing...

 

also ties in with Rand's figurative and quasi-literal blindness at the end of tGS.

 

maybe Mat will lose his extra memories upon visiting the Tower?

[jemron]

Somebody just posted this link over at theoryland:

 

http://www.theoryland.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=76619#post76619

 

 

This one really stood out to me:

 

Q. Is Rand's access to the True Power via his link with Moridin, created at Shadar Logoth?

 

A. No one may channel the True Power without the Dark One's permission, and Rand doesn't have that.

 

So, does this mean that Rand didn't channel the TP (something else?) or does it mean that he just did it without the DO's permission because of his link to Moridin?

[Writo]

Oy,

 

I was at that signing, I was literally right next to Brandon as he answered this question, and that is far from his exact wording.

 

The response was more accurately something like: So far as we know, no one may chnanel the true power without the Dark One's permission.  Semirhage certainly seemed to think she was betrayed.

 

There was never a comment about Rand not having permission.

 

I'd take all of the Q & A by that guy with a bit of a grain of salt...  He seemed very much to be looking to hear things that agree with his own opinions, not so much just trying to take in some truth from Brandon.

[smileyman]

In one confusing part of one of the books Mat says something to the effect that he had some of his old memories before he went through the doorway.

We have one instance in TDR of Mat having a memory that isn't his. This presumably comes from the same source as his spouting the Old Tongue - the Old Blood. There is no indication it's a past life of his.

If not his past life, whose?

As I said, Old Blood. Which means he inherited it. So, it's his ancestor, not him in a previous life.

 

The Old Tongue bit happened almost in the first book. The memories didn't start happening until he was infected with Fain's dagger. I'm inclined to believe that they are his memories, and that the ter'angreal just made them a more fully integrated whole, rather than the bits and pieces that they were previously.

[Dida]

Somebody just posted this link over at theoryland:

 

http://www.theoryland.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=76619#post76619

 

 

This one really stood out to me:

 

Q. Is Rand's access to the True Power via his link with Moridin, created at Shadar Logoth?

 

A. No one may channel the True Power without the Dark One's permission, and Rand doesn't have that.

 

So, does this mean that Rand didn't channel the TP (something else?) or does it mean that he just did it without the DO's permission because of his link to Moridin?

 

 

This reply I question the accuracy a bit, because of the uncertainty between the ties of Moridin and Rand going back to at least the Great Hunt Book, scene in the Portal Stone world (Loial, Hurin, Selene, and Ishamael were in that chapter):

 

He laughed again; calm of the void or no, it was all Rand could do not cover his ears. “Sometimes old enemies fight so long that they become allies and never realize it. They think they strike at you, but they have become so closely linked it is as if you guided the blow yourself.”

 

Then one has to consider Graendal's pov of Moridin in tGS book's Prologue, and his left hand:

 

Moridin looked down, flexing his left hand, as if it were stiff. Graendal caught a hint of pain in his expression.

 

Are Rand and Moridin, somehow similarly connected as Isam & Luc are?  Meaning if they are connected, wouldn't giving one access to the True Power, give the other half of the connection access as well?

 

It's an open question, which hasn't been answered fully.

[TheAngryDruid]

Sorry to wade into deep waters, but regarding Rand/LTT and Matt, I think eitiher/or propositions may be invalid.

 

On Rand, the voice is real (it is LTT's, with his memories) but it is a construct of Rand's psyche that it is distinct from him, when it really isn't. He is Rand, and he is LTT reborn. Rand is LTT, and more. He just has access to some (now maybe all?) of those memories.

 

If it were entirely a construct, the LTT memories wouldn't be so accurate in the knowledge of the Forsaken, of Ilyena, and weaves. Hence, those memories are real, they are LTT's, but LTT's memories (and his insanity and grief) are a part of Rand.

 

I'm not a sure on Mat, but again, BOTH things could be true. The Finns could have implanted memories AND he could be experiencing some seepage of memories from past lives via a confluence of bloodlines (the old blood sings, his sprouting Old Tongue) and/or old barriers weakening (as we've seen throughout the books) and/or new things arising (Min's viewings).

 

In any argument/debate it's easy to fall into straw men traps about either/or scenarios. While it can be true that sometimes one is in an either/or scenario, usually it is NOT the case.

 

[Terez]

I don't think anyone has ever claimed that the memories weren't real - just that the 'voice' was a construct.  It's constructed partly based on Lews Therin's real personality, but it's not so simple as that, because Rand can't really separate himself from Lews Therin.  All of his suppressed thoughts and emotions are expressed through the voice, and the illusion that Lews Therin can 'take over' stems from Rand's need to disassociate himself from those memories, and it's based on Rand's early misinterpretations, such as the scene in Tel'aran'rhiod as he's fighting Rahvin.

 

With Mat, it's definitely both.  We know he had Old Blood memories before he got the 'Finn memories.  I'm not sure if Mat can even tell the difference between them.

[Luckers]

So a new update is up. And its a doozy. Firstly there is a clarification on the Mesaana 'on stage' misquote--Brandon states that this was in fact a misquote, and that he is aware that her alter ego has been seen on stage. Secondly he also clarified his comment about Cyndane being much weaker--consulting Maria he realised he was wrong.

 

I must say though, I'm a little disturbed by his feelings towards Cadsuane. I've written before on my feelings that he missed her essential nature when writing her, the subtleties that inform her douchebaggery, if you will--but apparently he actively wants her to suffer. It worries me.

[elec1cele]

The Old Tongue bit happened almost in the first book. The memories didn't start happening until he was infected with Fain's dagger. I'm inclined to believe that they are his memories, and that the ter'angreal just made them a more fully integrated whole, rather than the bits and pieces that they were previously.

 

Mat may have some inherited memories/memories of past lives.  But RJ said the memories he got from the Finns came from adventures who had been to see them.

 

Crossroads of Twilight eBook "Glimmers" Interview

Q: Are all of Mat's memories from his past lives?

RJ: No, Mat's "old" memories are not from his past lives at all. The "sickness" he got from the Shadar Logoth dagger resulted in holes in his memory. He found whole stretches of his life that seemed to be missing. When he passed through the "doorframe" ter'angreal in Rhuidean, one of the things he said - not knowing that the rules here were different than in the other ter'angreal he had used - was that he wanted the holes in his memory filled up, meaning that he wanted to recover his own memories. In this place, however, it was not a matter of asking questions and receiving answers, but of striking bargains for what you want. What he received for that particular demand was memories gathered by the people on that side of the ter'angreal, memories from many men, all long dead, from many cultures. And since not everyone passing by has the nerve to journey through a ter'angreal to some other world, the memories he received were those of adventurers and soldiers and men of daring.  [see TOR Questions above - RJ clarified that most of Mat's memory donors entered 'Finnland through the Tower of Ghenjei. - Terez]

[benr]

 

 

I must say though, I'm a little disturbed by his feelings towards Cadsuane. I've written before on my feelings that he missed her essential nature when writing her, the subtleties that inform her douchebaggery, if you will--but apparently he actively wants her to suffer. It worries me.

 

I think maybe he is frustrated by Caddy perhaps playing an important role in the next two books (she really hasn't shown Rand and/or the Ashaman what she needs to), and as he really doesn't like her, he doesn't enjoy writing it.  Hope that's all it is, anyways. 

[Mr Ares]

In one confusing part of one of the books Mat says something to the effect that he had some of his old memories before he went through the doorway.

We have one instance in TDR of Mat having a memory that isn't his. This presumably comes from the same source as his spouting the Old Tongue - the Old Blood. There is no indication it's a past life of his.

If not his past life, whose?

As I said, Old Blood. Which means he inherited it. So, it's his ancestor, not him in a previous life.

The Old Tongue bit happened almost in the first book. The memories didn't start happening until he was infected with Fain's dagger. I'm inclined to believe that they are his memories, and that the ter'angreal just made them a more fully integrated whole, rather than the bits and pieces that they were previously.

RJ said that Mat's memories came from people who went to visit the Finns. other than that, we have one instance before then, but no reason to believe it is a past life of his. Occam's Razor. It was probably Old Blood.

 

I must say though, I'm a little disturbed by his feelings towards Cadsuane. I've written before on my feelings that he missed her essential nature when writing her, the subtleties that inform her douchebaggery, if you will--but apparently he actively wants her to suffer. It worries me.

I think maybe he is frustrated by Caddy perhaps playing an important role in the next two books (she really hasn't shown Rand and/or the Ashaman what she needs to), and as he really doesn't like her, he doesn't enjoy writing it. Hope that's all it is, anyways.

Even so, it's not exactly news to put joy into the hearts of Cadsuane fans.

"4. Question - If you could kill one character gruesomely (with out regard to plot) who would it be?

 

4. Answer – Cadsuane"

"28. Question Did you enjoy Tam calling Cadsuane a bully?

 

28. Answer: (Broad smile) Immensely! She needed to hear it."

Hopefully he can get past his dislike of her and really nail her character in the next book.

[Luckers]

 

I must say though, I'm a little disturbed by his feelings towards Cadsuane. I've written before on my feelings that he missed her essential nature when writing her, the subtleties that inform her douchebaggery, if you will--but apparently he actively wants her to suffer. It worries me.

I think maybe he is frustrated by Caddy perhaps playing an important role in the next two books (she really hasn't shown Rand and/or the Ashaman what she needs to), and as he really doesn't like her, he doesn't enjoy writing it. Hope that's all it is, anyways.

Even so, it's not exactly news to put joy into the hearts of Cadsuane fans.

"4. Question - If you could kill one character gruesomely (with out regard to plot) who would it be?

 

4. Answer – Cadsuane"

"28. Question Did you enjoy Tam calling Cadsuane a bully?

 

28. Answer: (Broad smile) Immensely! She needed to hear it."

Hopefully he can get past his dislike of her and really nail her character in the next book.

 

Indeed, thats essentially what I'm talking about. Brandon speaks liberally of being the biggest fan who is a writer, yet on this front he also clearly expresses his disdain for Cadsuane, a fact which can be seen in his portrayel of Cadsuane (noted before he stated his opinion).

 

His attitude is deeply disconcerting. It the one aspect I have a deep problem with--even the Mat issue makes sense. This feels like the personal bias of a fan effecting his writing.

[Bob T Dwarf]

I can only express my own viewpoint.

 

I wanted to like Cadsuane.  As Jordan described her role, she seemed to be destined to be a positive force who would be good for Rand's development, good for a successful conclusion to the story.

 

As the books unfolded, I came to loathe her.  She was anything but a positive influence.  Everything she did, everything she said, drove Rand increasingly inward in a self-destructive spiral.

 

I've never seen her as Black, just horribly misguided.  Bigoted, intolerant, self-righteous.  Blind to the corrosive effect she has and too arrogant to ever question her own prejudices.

 

I go with Sanderson.  She deserves to die gruesomely.

 

It remains to be seen whether Jordan's notes allow her to die at all.

[richnewton82]

.

[Terez]

She helped to fix Rand. If she hadn't done what she'd done things would have just gone off the deep end anyway.

Agreed.  That being said, I have predicted her going out in a blaze of glory for some time now, thereby teaching Rand and the Asha'man something in a way they won't like at all.  Dunno about gruesome, but I expect her to die.

[JenniferL]

Cadsuane is always a really interesting character for me. Like many of the secondary "obstacle" characters, she has good intentions, she's just fundamentally wrong on how to attain her goals. Rand is not someone who should be manipulated. Not just because of his mental state, but because of his stubborn nature. He has never liked the idea of not being in control of his destiny. That's why he denies that he is the Dragon for three books. He's smart enough to see through most attempts at manipulation, and crazy pants enough to blow up over any, real or perceived. But despite being told this, and seeing first hand evidence of it, Cadsuane still does it. It's her nature to do so. I doubt she can change. And I think she's too arrogant to see a need to. So I can sort of see why Brandon would enjoy delivering a comeuppance to her.

[Sid]

I was kind of hoping Cads would eventually "remember how to embrace saidar" like Moiraine did with Rand, perhaps at the very end before she died.  I never liked her character that much but it would be a shame if the lesson she taught Rand and the Asha'man turned out to be different than whatever RJ intended, no matter how subtle the difference might be due to subconscious dislike of her from BS.

[deathgate]

There has to be a scene between Cadsuane and Moiraine based on New Spring and there both being Rand's adviser. That might the comeuppance everyone wants.