Breakdown analysis of WoT - EotW

[Morvelaira]

Hello fellow WoT fans.  I started reading the Wheel of Time series when I was in high school.  I had a hard time getting interested in books when I was younger, but it turns out I just needed to find the right kind of material to keep me interested.  Once I managed to muscle my way through the Lord of the Rings, my mother was so pleased she went out and bought several books - all the start of fantasy series - for me to try out and see what I liked.  I wound up reading The Eye of the World first, and I'm still not sure to this day if I ever read the other books my mother bought.

 

The Wheel, of course, has continued to turn, and as I grew up I found myself having less time to read.  Eventually it even got to the point where I hadn't read anything WoT related in over four years, I think.  But just last week I was at the book store, picking up a textbook for my new husband, and I happened to see The Gathering Storm on sale behind the counter.  On impulse, I bought it and I'm sucked right back in!  Even better, I've found Dragonmount this time around, so there's people I can gush to about all this stuff who actually understand what I'm talking about!

 

Now, while reading tGS, it's made me realize that many of my memories of the WoT series are pretty fuzzy, and there's a lot I don't understand.  Instead of picking it apart one small topic at a time on the forums, I've decided to re-read the whole series - this time for in-depth understanding.  I've just started and already there are so many things standing out to me.  Ahh, the things that make more sense when you know more!

 

However, I don't want this journey of mine to be a solo one.  This may show my Ajah color a little, but I feel knowledge and understanding is something so precious it needs to be shared.  Besides, you never know what might fall out when you compare research notes.  I'll be posting my impressions, questions and theories in this thread, specifically relating to The Eye of the World as I go through it chapter by chapter.  You're welcome to comment, answer, argue and join in.  I hope we can come up with some good information, and maybe keep Mr. Sanderson on his toes for the next book!

 

Morvelaira

[Morvelaira]

The Eye of the World - Prologue

 

Summary: The last moments in the life of Lews Therin Telamon.

 

Breakdown:

 

The first paragraph sets the scene, mostly of death.  Two things I noted was the richness of the setting aside from the destruction, and the evidence of death by earth, fire, and lightning.

 

The third paragraph gives a physical description of Lews Therin...

"... a circle half white half black, the colors separated by a sinuous line."

  This is, of course, the symbol for the Aes Sedai in the Age of Legends (not to mention ying/yang).  While lots of explanation is given later into what the symbol and its parts mean in Rand-time, what was the symbolism behind it in the Age of Legends?

 

In paragraph four, this is quoted...

"Behind him the air rippled, shimmered, solidified into a man..."

  A man just appeared out of thin air.  This is certainly different than Travelling or Skimming, which requires a gateway.  Food for thought.

 

Lots of stuff in paragraph five.  Lews Therin is called the "Lord of the Morning", which is of course one of his titles.  Is it known how he acquired such title, and what it means?  Also, there is this quote...

"Have you the Voice, stranger?  It will soon be time for the Singing, and here all are welcome to take part."

  As we find out later in the series, this is a reference to the Aiel song which grew the crops in the Age of Legends and the one the Traveling People are searching for.  That last part though has a lot of implications.  Saying that HERE all are welcome to take part implies that participation in the Singing is restricted in places.  The very fact that it is restricted in turn implies that there is some honor or prestige to it.

 

In paragraph nine we learn that Elan Morin Tedronai (the creepy man who can appear out of thin air) is also known as the Betrayer of Hope.  Impled (and later much confirmed) bad guy.

 

Quote from paragraph eleven...

"...just as they named you Dragon."

  Another title for Lews Therin (duh!)  Why was he given this title though, and who are 'they'?

 

OMG, all sorts of questions and speculations from paragraph thirteen.  First, the quote! 

"One you stood first among the Servants.  Once you wore the Ring of Tamyrlin, and sat in the High Seat.  Once you summoned the Nine Rods of Dominion... You humbled me in the Hall of Servants.  You defeated me at the Gates of Paaran Disen..."

  Question time now!

  1) Who are the Servants?

  2) What is the Ring of Tamyrlin, and what is its significance?

  3) What is the High Seat, and what is its significance?

  4) What is the connection between the Ring of Tamyrlin and the High Seat?  (On a personal note, I think this has a lot to do with the current set up for Aes Sedai in Rand-time.)

  5) What are the Nine Rods of Dominion and what is the significance of summoning them?

  6) What is the Hall of Servants?  Probably connected to question #1.

  7) Where is Paaran Disen and what happened there?

  8) Why do I get the feeling that the Gate is not exactly just an entrance to a city?

 

A small nugget in paragraph twenty... the war against the Shadow lasted ten years.  By all accounts of the muddled timeline, Rand's war is progressing MUCH quicker.

 

In paragraph thirty-one, we have the actual moment of death for Lews Therin apparently by balefire.  This raises several important questions though.  Firstly, was it actually balefire, or has everyone been just assuming that?  I -think- I've seen in-book references to it being balefire, but I cannot remember for certain.  If it was actually balefire... he used enough to create a mountain.  Wouldn't he have been burned out of the Pattern deeply enough for his loved ones to have come back to life?  Wouldn't him being burned out of the Pattern entirely have prevented his being reborn in Rand in the first place?

 

The last paragraph of the prologue is actually a passage from the Cycle of the Dragon (you know, the prophecies!)  These are some of my favorite places to make speculation, because I can just imagine the in-book characters doing the same thing over the same information!  Here's what stuck out to me here. 

"Let the Prince of the Morning sing to the land that green things will grow and the valleys will give forth lambs.  Let the arm of the Lord of the Dawn shelter us from the Dark, and the great sword of justice defend us."

  1) Are the Prince of the Morning and the Lord of the Dawn the same person/title? 

  2) Most protective gestures in religious sense are usually depicted as sheltering within the hand of some greater being.  Is the deliberate reference to arm instead of hand a subtle foreshadowing (at the VERY BEGINNING of the series) of Rand eventually losing his hand?

  3) Which sword is the 'great sword of justice'?  Is it a physical object?

 

 

I'm very interested in hearing your thoughts on this.  I'll be moving on to the first chapter, proper, once I get done crawling though it!

 

-Morvelaira

[funsize]

I don't think it's known how he acquired those titles, but I assume that it's because he's he light's champion. 'They' probably refers to the good guys. No idea why they called him Dragon, but my guess is because the AOL had some fragments from previous ages (much like the current age) that mentioned some kind of champion of the light, and they recognised LTT was that guy. But maybe not, who knows?

 

1. The servants are Aes Sedai (Servants of All)

2. We don't know, but I assume it's just a symbol of office

3. We don't know, but I assume it's also just a symbol of office

4. The Tamyrlin is the AOL Amyrlin - the connection is that they are both symbols (or maybe privileges) of office

5. No idea

6. White Tower equivalent, most likely

7. Paaran Disen is a city from the AOL, and I think (not entirely sure though) is that it was a base of operations of some sort (although the Hall of Servants might have filled that role). I'm guessing the Shadow tried to take it or strike at it or something similar.

8. No idea. It probably does refer to an actual gate, though.

 

LTT did not die from balefire. He overdrew the power.

 

As to your other questions...

 

1. Yes

2. I doubt it

3. Some people think it refers to Hawkwing's sword Justice. Other's think it's just metaphorical. I suppose you can choose which to believe (it may even refer to Callandor, though I find that unlikely)

[jemron]

Cool.  I just started my re-read again too.  It will probably take me a year to read it all (just in time for the next installment)!

[Leezus]

This chapter actually turned me away from The EotW at first. There's just so much foreign information to take in so suddenly. And I never really understood it until going back and rereading it after finishing TGS.

 

Anyways, I think the titles alluding to the coming of light, like Lord of the Morning and Prince of the Dawn are simply titles of the Dragon--separated perhaps to emphasize that 'Dragon' is not merely a title, but a specific person in Time.

 

Question five I can answer for you as I was just recently told about it in an earlier thread. I had thought the 'Nine Rods of Dominion' were the Oath Rods--which were supposedly used for punishment in the AoL, and the summoning of them was simply the execution of a punishment--but as it terns out, they are actually titles. The Rods were Governors in different parts of the world(the whole thing, I think), and summoning them would mean some session where they deferred to LTT, as evidenced by the emphasis on the fact that LTT summons them, implying that come at his beckoning. So, I think the Ring of Tamyrlin/the High Seat in the Hall of Servants shows that he leads the Aes Sedai--Or perhaps Tamyrlin is only men, while the Amyrlin is women even in this time, so his authority isn't quite unlimited. However, the Rods deferring to him could indicate that he was not only first among channelers, but possibly a sort of world leader.

 

Then of course the Dragon "title" is dropped on him to signify that he leads all of those that fight for the light, channelers or otherwise. Why Dragon though, I guess we don't know.

 

I'll try to find the RJ quote for you that backs some of this up.

[moroten]

The air rippling and turning into Ishy might mean that he had been standing there for some time invisible, and the rippling might be the unraveling of the thread. But also at this point I dont think RJ had everything worked out concerning the OP and how it worked so this might aswell be another exception.

[Mr Ares]

A man just appeared out of thin air. This is certainly different than Travelling or Skimming, which requires a gateway. Food for thought.

Particularly in EotW, but to an extent in the next two books, RJ doesn't appear to have all the rules of the OP worked out. Hence we have examples like this, that don't really fit with how the OP is used later.

 

Is it known how he acquired such title, and what it means?

No.

 

Another title for Lews Therin (duh!) Why was he given this title though, and who are 'they'?

Unknown why he was given it (presumably because they thought it was cool. Why else would you end up with a nickname like Dragon or Ares?), and they appears to be just people in general.

 

1) Who are the Servants?

Aes Sedai.

2) What is the Ring of Tamyrlin, and what is its significance?

"According the expanded glossary in "To the Blight", the Ring of Tamyrlin was an object of the One Power created by the first person who learned to channel." Courtesy of Encyclopaedia-WoT

3) What is the High Seat, and what is its significance?

Presumably where the head of the AS sat.

4) What is the connection between the Ring of Tamyrlin and the High Seat?

One worn by the head of the AS, the other was sat on by same. 

5) What are the Nine Rods of Dominion and what is the significance of summoning them?

Regional Governors.

6) What is the Hall of Servants?

Where the AS were based.

7) Where is Paaran Disen and what happened there?

Paaren Disen was a major city in the AoL. Ishy got beaten.

8) Why do I get the feeling that the Gate is not exactly just an entrance to a city?

I don't know.

 

A small nugget in paragraph twenty... the war against the Shadow lasted ten years. By all accounts of the muddled timeline, Rand's war is progressing MUCH quicker.

What muddled timeline? The WoT timeline is very consistent (albeit not without a few mistakes and oddities). EotW begins in 998 NE, and the series is up to 1000 NE. So yes, it is a much smaller period of time.

 

In paragraph thirty-one, we have the actual moment of death for Lews Therin apparently by balefire. This raises several important questions though.  Firstly, was it actually balefire, or has everyone been just assuming that?

It was absolutely not balefire. RJ shot that one down, and it doesn't really fit that it would be - balefire comes from the wielder, it doesn't descend from the heavens.

Wouldn't him being burned out of the Pattern entirely have prevented his being reborn in Rand in the first place?

Balefire doesn't burn people out of the Pattern entirely. According to RJ it is not the eternal death of the soul. It prevents Shai'tan recycling souls, because those souls pass on to the afterlife before He knows to intervene. Such souls are reborn, though.

 

1) Are the Prince of the Morning and the Lord of the Dawn the same person/title?

Probably.

2) Most protective gestures in religious sense are usually depicted as sheltering within the hand of some greater being.  Is the deliberate reference to arm instead of hand a subtle foreshadowing (at the VERY BEGINNING of the series) of Rand eventually losing his hand?

Perhaps.

3) Which sword is the 'great sword of justice'?  Is it a physical object?

Well, Hawkwing did have a sword called Justice...

 

4. The Tamyrlin is the AOL Amyrlin - the connection is that they are both symbols (or maybe privileges) of office

No. There is no role called the Tamyrlin. One wears the ring of Tamyrlin.

 

7. Paaran Disen is a city from the AOL, and I think (not entirely sure though) is that it was a base of operations of some sort (although the Hall of Servants might have filled that role).

The Hall of Servants (well, the main one) was in Paaren Disen.

[Luckers]

If it helps, there is a structured Eye of the World board.

[Mr. Dragon]

The High Seat might be the seat refered to nowadays as The Crystal Throne in Seachean.

[moroten]

The High Seat might be the seat refered to nowadays as The Crystal Throne in Seachean.

 

Did Seanchan even excist at this point?

[Mr. Dragon]

The High Seat might be the seat refered to nowadays as The Crystal Throne in Seachean.

 

Did Seanchan even excist at this point?

 

What I meant was that the Crystal Throne is a ter'angeal from the AOL and might have been the High Seat in the AOL.

[Blackhoof]

Talk about irony; the seanchan empress sits on a chair that the Aes Sedai ruler sat on.

[mellojoe]

PS:  I started my re-read a little bit ago as well.  I'm up to The Shadow Rising (book 4) and there is so many details I must have missed the first time around.

 

I'll be right here with you on this.  I like your idea.