The binding of the 3 ta'veren

[baalsmistress]

This is an offshoot of another thread, but it's enough of a different point that I thought it deserved it's own thread.

 

In the present age of the WoT we have 3 ta'veren that are essentially a triumverate that need to operate together to bring victory for the forces of order (light). We know that the dragon is an eternal soul, returning every turning of the wheel, probably in at least 2 ages. Nothing implies that the dragon/dark one conflict has to end every age, there could be many ages where both are utterly unknown.

 

When reading the other thread, I got to thinking about the ta'veren nature of Mat and Perrin. The more I thought about it, the less convinced I was that they are eternal souls and a theorum occured.

 

I wonder if the 3 of them, together might be the dragon ta'veren, split between 3 different souls because in this age, the pattern required more actions from the dragon than one body could do. And thus the 3 separate aspects of the dragon, rather than being combined in a single soul, were split between 3.

 

Thoughts?

[Clouded]

It's an interesting theory, and I have often wondered why there is such a heavy connection between the three main characters, but I dont think it quite flies with what the author is thinking.

 

From the following quotes, I'm under the belief that the Dragon is always 1 soul, and that it is always male.

 

These are from Terez' interview database.

Q: In this same Age, in a different Turning of the Wheel of Time, could it be possible that it wouldn't be Rand's soul that was spun out as the Dragon, but for a different, female soul to take on this role?

Jordan said "Yes" then maybe a few more words and only then did I remember to actually put the recorder on again . . .

RJ: . . . it would have to be. Err, in the differences between the same Age in different turnings of the Wheel, are that.. as for an analogy: imagine two tapestries hanging on a wall, and you look at them from the back of the room to the front of the store. And to look at them, they look identical to you. But as you get closer, you begin to see differences. And if you get close enough, they don't look anything at all alike. That is the difference between the Ages. Between the Age in one Turning and the Age in another. So it's quite possible that someone other than Rand could be the reborn soul of the Dragon Reborn.

Q: It would be the same soul, or it would be a different soul?

RJ: It would be the same soul. That is, that is the belief of the world that I've set up, that it's the same soul. It's a soul of someone bound to the Wheel, which is spun out for the purposes, for the Wheel's purposes really, to attempt to re-balance the Weaving of the Pattern.

But the soul would always be male. Souls don't change gender, so . . .

. . . so the soul of the Dragon Reborn is always going to be male, just as Birgitte's soul is always born as a woman, just as Ameresu's soul . . . is always born as a woman. There are divisions here, and they are not interchangeable.

 

Question by Aan allein: A couple of related questions on souls: Can they be split? Is it true you can meet yourself in the worlds of If? Is that a copy of the soul, a reflection, or the same soul living in different worlds?

 

Jordan: I think I will have to give you a RAFO on this, except for the part, souls cannot be split, but the other, I think I will have to give you a RAFO because I may be doing something with that.

[baalsmistress]

mmm, souls cannot be split - that's a given. As is the fact that the Dragon is an eternal soul, bound to the wheel and spun out again and again.

 

The question isn't one of the Dragon's soul being split between multiple bodies, but the pattern correction that the ta'veren nature of the dragon is designed to enact being split between 3 different souls, with the pattern assigning different aspects of the problem to each soul. Thus in a different 3rd age, the dragon might be solo, or have 4 companions, or 112. Depending on the needs of the pattern that turning.

[Clouded]

mmm, souls cannot be split - that's a given. As is the fact that the Dragon is an eternal soul, bound to the wheel and spun out again and again.

 

The question isn't one of the Dragon's soul being split between multiple bodies, but the pattern correction that the ta'veren nature of the dragon is designed to enact being split between 3 different souls, with the pattern assigning different aspects of the problem to each soul. Thus in a different 3rd age, the dragon might be solo, or have 4 companions, or 112. Depending on the needs of the pattern that turning.

 

Ahh, I understand you better now. First, I'm confused by your first statement of the Dragon being an eternal soul. I'm fairly sure RJ said all souls are immortal, and they all wait to be reborn. Do you mean that the Dragon is a Hero of the Horn?

 

And I like your theory that the corrective mechanism of the pattern is split amongst the three ta'veren. I have heard it argued that the three main character have parallels in the Great Trinity of gods in Hinduism. Rand with Shiva the Destroyer, Perrin with Brahma the Creator, and Mat with Vishnu the Maintainer. Like your theory, the realm of responsibility is split amongst the trinity.

 

But I dont think one can attach the corrective mechanism of the pattern to the twists of the pattern caused by the Dragon Reborn. I think the correcting of the world by the three heroes is demanded by the pattern and not the Dragon.