Is Taim a sparker...or was he taught.

[sumquy]

So, I am doing a reread and I just got to the part where Taim is introduced, and something struck me as really odd. Rand describes Taim as about 35 or maybe a few years older, and concludes from that that he has held off the taint for fifteen years. Now Taim is almost certainly a DF and probably has protection from that, but wouldn't he have slowed? So how old is he really? And if he has been channeling for 15 (30,40,50?) years, why is it just in the last year or so that he came out of the closet?

 

So my theory of Taim is that he was always a darkfriend, but one of the FS (probably Ishy due to the timeline) scooped him up, taught him to channel, and unleashed him as the DR.

 

Please comment, but PLEASE do not turn this into a Taim=Demandred, Taim=Moridin, or Taim=anybody but Taim thread. There are 1,571±10 threads of that up already.

[chuckievi]

Here is the relevant RJ interview quote:

 

WinespringBrother reporting:

 

WinespringBrother: How old is Taim and has he slowed?

RJ: Taim has slowed, but one thing I am not going to reveal it in the books, so I'll tell you, men slow later than women do. And yes, he has slowed, and he is in his late twenties, yes his late twenties

 

It is something that I didn't grasp my first couple of times through the series until I saw that interview text.

[sumquy]

Now that wasn't very nice. I don't go around stomping on your theories do I? :D

 

That seems backwards to me though. If he has slowed he would look younger than his "late twenties", not 35 or older like Rand thinks. Oh well, maybe he's had a really hard life, or Ishy never taught him the sunscreen weave.

[Durinax]

Now that wasn't very nice. I don't go around stomping on your theories do I? :D

 

That seems backwards to me though. If he has slowed he would look younger than his "late twenties", not 35 or older like Rand thinks. Oh well, maybe he's had a really hard life, or Ishy never taught him the sunscreen weave.

I believe someone said that he looked older because he had some rough days of travelling before rand saw him, I cant recall the first time rand went to the black tower after putting taim in there, but that was someone elses post on here before

[Luckers]

Indeed. RJ said Rand mistook his age because of the hard travel to reach Caemlyn.

[chuckievi]

Sorry I skipped that quote in error, here is the matching one:

 

RJ's blog 4 October 2005 "ONE MORE TIME"

 

Rand misjudges Taim’s age because when they meet, you might say Taim has been rode hard and put away wet.  He has just finished a long and difficult flight to reach Caemlyn, the one place where he might find refuge instead of being hunted — along with other reasons — and that has a wearing effect on anyone.  Now that he has recovered, he doesn’t look so old.

[Durinax]

Sorry I skipped that quote in error, here is the matching one:

 

RJ's blog 4 October 2005 "ONE MORE TIME"

 

Rand misjudges Taims age because when they meet, you might say Taim has been rode hard and put away wet.  He has just finished a long and difficult flight to reach Caemlyn, the one place where he might find refuge instead of being hunted along with other reasons and that has a wearing effect on anyone.  Now that he has recovered, he doesnt look so old.

whats the along with other reasons refering too? anyone know

[Duskfire]

He could have been a late bloomer as well. New Spring states that some males didn't begin channeling until 26 at the latest. So in theory he may have only been channeling a couple of years. Certainly no more then what Logain has.

 

But yeah, Taim definetly isn't normal.

[Vermillion]

Sorry I skipped that quote in error, here is the matching one:

 

RJ's blog 4 October 2005 "ONE MORE TIME"

 

Rand misjudges Taim’s age because when they meet, you might say Taim has been rode hard and put away wet.  He has just finished a long and difficult flight to reach Caemlyn, the one place where he might find refuge instead of being hunted — along with other reasons — and that has a wearing effect on anyone.  Now that he has recovered, he doesn’t look so old.

whats the along with other reasons refering too? anyone know

 

Likely that he was turned with the 13/13 bit.  I assume that will be revealed when things return to the Black Tower and it might be what is going on at the Black Tower itself or those who stayed.

[OptimusPrime]

Ive always believed that Taim was a sparker and not a learner, because in the RJ quote above he says Taim is in his late twenties and has slowed. Rand is a sparker and hasnt slowed yet, and both are of similar strengths. What RJ didnt say is that a learner who doesnt actually learn doesnt slow at all, and someone who learns after their late twenties may or may not still slow...

 

Taims age, in comparison to Rands, and the fact that Taim has slowed at the usual time for men, are what make me think he is a sparker.

[Majsju]

DCon 05

WSB: Was Taim a sparker or a learner?

RJ: I am sorry? (didnt quite get what WSB meant)

WSB: Did Taim had the spark or could he learn how to channel?

RJ: He was born with the Spark.

[Shadow Rider]

Who taught him how to Channel & why is he not insane .....

He's been Channeling for 8-10 yrs, give or take.

[Duskfire]

Who taught him how to Channel & why is he not insane .....

He's been Channeling for 8-10 yrs, give or take.

 

See my post. NS has stated that its not impossible for someone to start channeling late at 26 or so. Rare, but not impossible. Even if you take off a couple of years of that and say 24.. it would still only be three or four years at the most (if he is truly in his late 20's.)

 

Logain was 21 when he started channeling, and he had been channeling for about six years by the time Saidin was Cleansed. Even if you take out the time that he was gentled thats still... 4 and a half give or take. And as far as we can tell Logain is fine.

[OptimusPrime]

DCon 05

WSB: Was Taim a sparker or a learner?

RJ: I am sorry? (didnt quite get what WSB meant)

WSB: Did Taim had the spark or could he learn how to channel?

RJ: He was born with the Spark.

 

Awesome. Nice one.

 

Who taught him how to Channel & why is he not insane .....

He's been Channeling for 8-10 yrs, give or take.

 

Those theories that the OP wanted to avoid cover all that jazz. So to avoid going there we can just say he was taught by the Forsaken and been given protection from the Taint by the Dark One.

[Cirin]

Robert Jordan doesn't like old people.  The only main character (not counting secondary characters like Flinn or Cadsuane) that looks old that we meet are Lan and Thom, and of those only Thom actually looks old, Lan is just graying.  :D

[OptimusPrime]

He also doesnt like male channelers, because Rand is the only main character who can. The Forsaken and Ashaman dont count.

 

Rand looks old in his eyes. That says a lot more than someone having a bit of grey hair; Im 25 and Ive got flecks of grey in my temples.

[Cirin]

He also doesnt like male channelers, because Rand is the only main character who can. The Forsaken and Ashaman dont count.

 

Rand looks old in his eyes. That says a lot more than someone having a bit of grey hair; Im 25 and Ive got flecks of grey in my temples.

 

Sure, gray hair isn't all that indicative of anything.  My brother's hair has been gray since he was about fifteen (or looks gray, anyway).  I just say Lan because we know he's older, and he's not an Aes Sedai so his aging hasn't stopped or slowed.

 

I was just surprised that Taim is only supposed to be in his late twenties.  Rand, Mat, Perrin, Egwene, Elayne, Nynaeve, Logain, Aviendha, Min, Gawyn, Galad, Faile, Tuon, and now Taim are all about 20-29 years old... likely Birgitte, Talmanes, etc. are all about that age too.  Then we have a number of older folks as well.  The world is not meant to be saved (or destroyed) by the middle aged, I guess.  ;)

[Kaznen]

Sorry I skipped that quote in error, here is the matching one:

 

RJ's blog 4 October 2005 "ONE MORE TIME"

 

Rand misjudges Taim’s age because when they meet, you might say Taim has been rode hard and put away wet.  He has just finished a long and difficult flight to reach Caemlyn, the one place where he might find refuge instead of being hunted — along with other reasons — and that has a wearing effect on anyone.  Now that he has recovered, he doesn’t look so old.

Also I doupt the AS let him bath and shave every day before he escaped, look how they treated Rand when he was captured.

 

It is easier to make someone look like a villain when their hair/beard has grown to long and their cloths are filthy rags.  Assists in the physiological breakdown needed to make them docile also.

[Charlz Guybon]

He also doesnt like male channelers, because Rand is the only main character who can. The Forsaken and Ashaman dont count.

 

Rand looks old in his eyes. That says a lot more than someone having a bit of grey hair; Im 25 and Ive got flecks of grey in my temples.

 

Sure, gray hair isn't all that indicative of anything.  My brother's hair has been gray since he was about fifteen (or looks gray, anyway).  I just say Lan because we know he's older, and he's not an Aes Sedai so his aging hasn't stopped or slowed.

 

I was just surprised that Taim is only supposed to be in his late twenties.  Rand, Mat, Perrin, Egwene, Elayne, Nynaeve, Logain, Aviendha, Min, Gawyn, Galad, Faile, Tuon, and now Taim are all about 20-29 years old... likely Birgitte, Talmanes, etc. are all about that age too.  Then we have a number of older folks as well.  The world is not meant to be saved (or destroyed) by the middle aged, I guess.  ;)

Everyone older than that is stuck too stuck in their ways to be useful.

 

Warders don't slow, but they seem to stay strong much longer than normal men. Lets call it the Eastwood effect.

 

Also, Gareth is 50ish isn't he?

[OptimusPrime]

He also doesnt like male channelers, because Rand is the only main character who can. The Forsaken and Ashaman dont count.

 

Rand looks old in his eyes. That says a lot more than someone having a bit of grey hair; Im 25 and Ive got flecks of grey in my temples.

 

Sure, gray hair isn't all that indicative of anything.  My brother's hair has been gray since he was about fifteen (or looks gray, anyway).  I just say Lan because we know he's older, and he's not an Aes Sedai so his aging hasn't stopped or slowed.

 

I was just surprised that Taim is only supposed to be in his late twenties.  Rand, Mat, Perrin, Egwene, Elayne, Nynaeve, Logain, Aviendha, Min, Gawyn, Galad, Faile, Tuon, and now Taim are all about 20-29 years old... likely Birgitte, Talmanes, etc. are all about that age too.  Then we have a number of older folks as well.  The world is not meant to be saved (or destroyed) by the middle aged, I guess.  ;)

 

Well that would depend. If all the sliverbacks werent there in the first place those 20-29 years would most likely be dead by now. And that isnt just counting Thom Lan and Cadsuane.