Rand's Wound in ToM - Foreshadowing

[Lacanos]

There's a theory that I believe has a certain degree of consensus that Rand's wound parallels to some degree how he will seal the Dark One's prison. With this in mind, there's a quite interesting passage I've just run across re-reading ToM, describing his wound in a way I don't think has ever been stated before:

 

page 223, UK Hardback

He raised an eyebrow, but did nothing as she Delved him. She was so tired, but if she was going to leave him now, she needed to take this opportunity to Heal his madness. It seemed, suddenly, the most important thing she could do for him. And for the world.

She Delved, staying away from the wounds at his side, which were pits of darkness that seemed to try to suck in her energy. Se kept her attention on his mind.

The emphasis is my own, obviously.

 

Now, I'm not entirely sure how to interpret this, I certainly haven't devised much of a theory with respect to the application of this if it is a foreshadowing. The only current theory I see it applying to is the vague idea that the ta'veren ability will play a greater role in defeating the DO than the power.

 

Any thoughts/theories would be welcome, as I think it's a quite important point.

[Lacanos]

Are you honestly telling me no-one sees any significance in this? Or has it already been discussed?

[jemron]

I think it's a great find, but I too don't know exactly what to make of it...

[mb]

I guess that this is a Nynaeve POV and that the chapter is 15.

 

This is how the Encyclopaedia site summarizes the POV::

Nynaeve POV � Nynaeve and Naeff hurry through Tear. Another bubble of evil struck. She still feels the unnatural storm to the north. He tells her another Fade is following them, a delusion due to his partial madness. They head to the All Summers district, a prosperous area inside the western wall. They reach the area of the bubble of evil. An entire block has been turned into insubstantial dust including all the people inside. Anyone who was touching the area at all is dead. Nynaeve nearly crashes into a cellar when a floor falls apart. Nynaeve Delves a corpse with Spirit, Air and Water and finds no sign that it was ever alive. Naeff and Nynaeve give the area a gust of wind and all the buildings shatter and collapse. Naeff gathers the dust in a compact cyclone. Nynaeve touches it with Fire and it disappears in a roar of flame. Nynaeve Delves Naeff and finds a network of black veins with thorn-like projections in his mind. She pulls the thorns free and Heals the wounds. When the last one comes free the network shakes then vanishes. Naeff is now sane and no longer sees Fades following him. He rushes off to tell Nelavaire Demasiellin the good news. Rand returns and finds her. Somma and Kanara are his guards. He thanks her for caring for his people. Rand says the Dark One will do to the whole world what he did to this area. She asks him about breaking the seals. He explains that they must face the Dark One directly as soon as possible and she believes him. She tells him she must return to the White Tower. Rand tells her that she must keep her passion like Moiraine did. He asks her to be by his side at Shayol Ghul and she agrees. He wants her in the circle with Callandor, perhaps with Elayne or Aviendha. She Delves him and is shocked to find the same black network as in Naeff, but it is enormous with thousands of thorns. However, there is a white lacing coating the network.1 It is far more than she can Heal. She tells him that she can now Heal madness and he is delighted. She promises to Heal Narishma and Flinn, at least, before she leaves. She offers to try to go to the Black Tower but he warns her to stay away.

1. Open speculation on what this means.

[Pinzarn]

I too am thinking that his wound is a key to sealing the DO's prison. The wound combined with various prophecies and items in the book. Here are my thoughts...

 

1. Fain can't be more than just some other antagonist in the series. He has to play a much larger role. I think he is required to seal the prison.

 

2. Much like the wound in Rand's side, the combination of Rand, Fain, and Ishy/Moridin are keeping each other at bay. I think that is key to the seal.

 

3. In the prophecies regarding the Stone and Callandor, about "thrusting it into the heart" is that Rand will commit suicide to seal the prison.

 

4. For all of the talk about sheathing sword to feel the final embrace points to this as well.

 

5. When talking about the three become one, I am starting to feel that it will be Fain, Rand, and the DO (or maybe Moridin) that will combine to form the seal.

 

When I start looking at all of these together, I am thinking that the wound in Rand's side has been a huge foreshadowing all along on how to seal the prison.

 

Edit: 6. Don't forget about all of the viewings and dreams about Rand dying.

[Guest kasseev]

Wow now that you say it like that, I remember the duality between Rand's body and the land itself being made several times in the series, with his health and strength mirroring what happens in the world around him. In the Great Hunt when he fights Ishy and thus influences the fight on the ground as well as when his insanity caused the weather to change in tGS. It actually makes a lot of sense that his physical wound would be a microcosm of the Bore itself as Shaitan's foremost lieutenant (Ishy) gave him the first larger wound while Padan Fain, the resurrected Mordeth/Mashadar, gave him the second wound.

[mb]

If the Dark One combines with others to become the seal, what/who then will be sealed?

[Morsker]

My feeling on this is that Rand's wound is tied to the Bore through the Fisher King connection, and one can't be healed without healing the other. It would be awesome if Nynaeve is the one to seal the Bore by healing Rand under some special circumstances, but as we get closer to the end, with all the Callandor stuff, that seems less likely to me than it did after TGS.

[capeta]

Fain is not needed to seal the bore.

 

I recall reading that Fain is something new this turning and he hasn't happened before.

 

but the bore has been drilled and resealed as new many many times in the past.

 

though fain may have the power to break the current cycle.

 

-cap

[Pinzarn]

If the Dark One combines with others to become the seal, what/who then will be sealed?

 

Yeah, that is why I added Moridin in the later item. After I posted it, I thought more about it should be Ishy/Moridin. Rand being the agent of the light, Ishy/Moridin being the agent of the dark, and Fain being the filter or buffed against the backlash. I need to get my hands on the books to pull some more quotes, but they are 300 miles away at the moment.

 

This dawned on me after reading a couple other posts the other day and all of a sudden things fell in line.