Gholams

[Leyrann]

A gholam has been chasing Mat, and it seems this gholam is defeated. But there were made six gholams. Where are the other five? In stasis boxes? Did they die? Are they responsible for unsolved murders? Anyone has an idea?

[ravenfier]

because we have only been told of the one, it is assumed that this is the only one that did survive. and seeing how its so late in the books it wouldn't be very wise to introduce a new one to be taken care of, so the assumption that there are no more is a valid one.

[WhiskyJack]

Probably at the bottom of ocean or something...

[mb]

I seem to recall a version 7 thread asking something similar.

 

It seems that the other 5 did not survive.

Likely they starved; not enough blood.

[herid]

A gholam has been chasing Mat, and it seems this gholam is defeated. But there were made six gholams. Where are the other five? In stasis boxes? Did they die? Are they responsible for unsolved murders? Anyone has an idea?

This has been discussed before. As the others have said, the most likely conclusion is that the other gholam are either dead or buried in stasis boxes at the bottom of the ocean somewhere. In any case, it's highly unlikely that any more of them will show up. The gholam chasing Mat had been the same one throughout the story.

 

BTW, RJ said that gholam have natural lifespan only slightly longer than regular people (but not as long as Aes Sedai). So if the other gholam were not put in stasis boxes then they are all long dead from old age.

[Sharaman]

Seems like it was just one Gholam.

Gholam can apparently Travel.

So the short time between killing Herid in Carhein and attacking Mat, Elayne and co. in Ebou Dar is not a continuity problem.

It's mildly puzzling why it bumped off Barthanes, if it did, and what it did for months afterwards before surfacing again.

[Superhal]

I doubt the gholam can use the OP because it's very nature forbids it. I also suspect that part of the reason Elayne never made a good copy was because she can't channel while holding Mat's medallion.

 

More likely the forsaken it was working for at the time Traveled it nearby up to around book 6, but after that, it was clearly after Mat on foot.

[herid]

Seems like it was just one Gholam.

Gholam can apparently Travel.

So the short time between killing Herid in Carhein and attacking Mat, Elayne and co. in Ebou Dar is not a continuity problem.

It's mildly puzzling why it bumped off Barthanes, if it did, and what it did for months afterwards before surfacing again.

I doubt the killer of Barthanes will ever be revealed and I don't think it really matters but I don't believe it was the gholam. When Barthanes was killed no blood was apparently missing from his body, else that detail would surely have been mentioned when his death was described. Also, it's pretty clear that Sammael found the gholam in a stasis box. The gholam mentioned being inside one and Sammael found a stasis box with all kinds of stuff (LoC, Ch 23). He tells Graendal about it and even hints that he found something else in the box. Graendal thinks of gholam right after that.

 

I doubt that Sammael could manage to do that before Barthanes was killed. It's not even clear that he was freed from the bore yet at that time or even if he was that he already established himself in Illian. It's also unlikely IMO that RJ had even invented gholam when he wrote TGH. They are never mentioned before LoC. Much easier to believe that either a myrddraal or maybe a Trolloc killed Barthanes. Either one would be capable and there were plenty of them around at the time.

 

I doubt the gholam can use the OP because it's very nature forbids it. I also suspect that part of the reason Elayne never made a good copy was because she can't channel while holding Mat's medallion.

 

Elayne can channel just fine while holding Mat's medallion. She can not channel while holding the copies she made.

[Luckers]

I have a pet theory that it was Verin, not the Gholam, who killed Barthanes. She knew he was a darkfriend, so she had motive, and he'd been helping Fain, so killing him didn't risk her mission even if it were found out by the Shadow (she was just removing a fool who let himself be used AGAINST the shadows better wishes, *cue vague smile*), and with the Power she could tear him limb from limb, and she could easily have snuck back during the night before they left.

 

But in any case, on topic, yeah--at most we may see one more Gholam, but more than that would stretch the bounds of credulity.