Why did Lews Therin sheath the sword?

[Callern]

Why sheath the sword instead of, in rage, trying to go for Ishy one last time(even tho it would be in vain)? Does it matter?

 

And how come Ishy was angry and thought of it as "escaping", and knowing it was not done yet?

Does he know, or think, that LT must do something more for the Dark to make the finishing move? At this point, It seems to me that it should, for Ishy, eem like a major victory?

[Aleator77]

I dunno. If I were LTT I would have travelled to the strongest female aes sedai I knew and had them balefire me as hard as they could. Maybe he couldn't for some reason. Or just didn't think of it. He wasn't exactly thinking clearly.

[Horus]

Complete and utter despair for what he had done. LT had just killed every single person carrying his blood, his whole family. Being crazy was his only protection against the horror. When Ishamael gave him a moment of sanity the guilt was to much and he destroyed himself to end the pain.

[OptimusPrime]

Lewis didnt sheathe the sword. Thats a sword move, not another word for suicide.

[DemandredFO]

It is suicide, you're just taking someone with you. Besides Ishamael had the true power so maybe he could've captured LTT and turned him. At that point that would've probably won the war of power for the Shadow.

[OptimusPrime]

It is suicide, you're just taking someone with you.

 

No it isnt. The two are worlds apart. You dont sheathe the sword to kill yourself, you do it to kill someone else. Rand didnt commit suicide when he did it. The fact that he accepted the chance of death does not make it suicide.

[MasterAblar]

Sheathing the sword is sacrifice, not suicide. There are great chances that you'll die if you do it, but dying itself is clearly not the point.

[Southpaw89]

Ishamael was pissed Lews Therin killed himself because he wanted him to stay alive and suffer and then maybe he could turn him over to the shadow

[LazyMonk]

"Sheathing the sword" is a tactical move, relevant to any sort of battle and not necessarily sword-fight. It is a desperate move, that involves leaving an opening in your defense -- inviting the enemy to attack you -- and accepting damage to yourself in order to inflict maximum damage on your enemy.

We see it used twice, once by Rand and the other by Gawyn. In both cases it was a last resort, when the fighter was at the end of his strength and had to end the fight immediately.

 

LLT, in horror and despair of his actions, wanting to end his pain, took his own life.