Callandor's "Weakness" - A New Theory?

[Edynol]

That was a pretty random chapter, they definitely saw SOMETHING, but I think it was Rand blasting Trolloc and stuff, not sure if it was actual "Light", I haven't read EotW in ages.

 

I know they didn't see Rand himself, but didn't some of them mention seeing the Light?

[RealAshaman]

"We hear," Moiraine said as soon as the door shut behind Ingtar, "that you won a great

victory in Tarwin's Gap."

"Yes," Agelmar said slowly, his troubled frown returning. "Yes, Aes Sedai, and no. The

Halfmen and their Trollocs were destroyed to the last, but we barely fought. A miracle, my men

call it. The earth swallowed them; the mountains buried them. Only a few Draghkar were left,

too frightened to do else but fly north as fast as they could."

"A miracle indeed," Moiraine said. "And spring has come again."

"A miracle," Agelmar said, shaking his head, "but . . . Moiraine Sedai, men say many things

about what happened in the Gap. That the Light took on flesh and fought for us. That the Creator

walked in the Gap to strike at the Shadow. But I saw a man, Moiraine Sedai. I saw a man, and

what he did, cannot be, must not be."

"The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills, Lord of Fal Dara.

 

I think they were just able to see Rand's battle at the Eye of the World. Agelmar remarks how it was not the Creator, but a man who could channel.

[Durinax]

"Light is held before the maw of the infinite void, and all that he is can be seized."

 

Who is the 'he' this refers to?

Its rand.

 

In my opinion callandor being used near Shayol Ghul will allow the DO to seize control of rands body, in essence possessing him

 

Rand reached out, touching the weapon. She glanced at him, and a viewing sprang to life above him. A glowing sword, Callandor, being gripped in a black hand. She gasped.

"What did you see?" Rand asked softly.

"Callandor, held in a fist. The hand looks to be made of onyx."…

 

that is why the women are important in the circle, they must control the weave so that the DO does not gain unbridalled control over the champion of the light, the woman will be engaged in a spiritual fight to stop rand (DO) will from destroying them, I also think this is where we see the last fight between lan and rand.

 

then something will happen to rand (likely fain attack) and the recoil created by the attack will allow for the bore to be completely sealed. (I beleive part of the reason it failed in AoL's is that teh DO's 'force' was still there, thus filling/repairing that space was impossible)

[Edynol]

"We hear," Moiraine said as soon as the door shut behind Ingtar, "that you won a great

victory in Tarwin's Gap."

"Yes," Agelmar said slowly, his troubled frown returning. "Yes, Aes Sedai, and no. The

Halfmen and their Trollocs were destroyed to the last, but we barely fought. A miracle, my men

call it. The earth swallowed them; the mountains buried them. Only a few Draghkar were left,

too frightened to do else but fly north as fast as they could."

"A miracle indeed," Moiraine said. "And spring has come again."

"A miracle," Agelmar said, shaking his head, "but . . . Moiraine Sedai, men say many things

about what happened in the Gap. That the Light took on flesh and fought for us. That the Creator

walked in the Gap to strike at the Shadow. But I saw a man, Moiraine Sedai. I saw a man, and

what he did, cannot be, must not be."

"The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills, Lord of Fal Dara.

 

I think they were just able to see Rand's battle at the Eye of the World. Agelmar remarks how it was not the Creator, but a man who could channel.

 

Ahh yeah. I was just going of memory there. I remember something about them seeing the Light. But yeah, they saw Rand, but didn't know it was Rand. lol.

[SaBenBen]

Its rand.

 

In my opinion callandor being used near Shayol Ghul will allow the DO to seize control of rands body, in essence possessing him

 

 

That would work really well with the whole thing I mentioned about Rand 'sheathing the sword' to kill himself and the DO at the same time. If Callandor was able to preserve him in some way, it would fit with all the 'to live, you must die' type prophecies and his soul could live on, moved into another body (perhaps Logain?). If Logain, then the viewing of Logain stepping over Rand's body would be fulfilled.

 

And awesome theory by the way, RealAshaman! I love reading the opinions of people new to the forums, the ideas are always so new and fresh

[mlva103]

The flaw is that it gives the user a feeling of unlimited power. When else has he thought he could do the impossible. He always seems to think he is unstoppable. This would be a major problem fighting the dark one. In a circle the women help balance his feelings out. Think about how peoples feelings are shared when they link in a circle.

[RealAshaman]

mlva,

 

Im not sure if wanting to do the impossible is enough. There is only a finite amount of the One Power a person can take in safely, before burning out. Callandor's known flaw is that it has no buffer to prevent someone from channeling too much of the One Power. I could be wrong, but the CK allowed Rand a safer and more powerful access to the One Power. Even linked with two women, I dont think Callandor would give him the juice to fight the Dark One. According to Lanfear, the CK would def have had the juice.

 

I think it depends on what you think the final battle is about. If its just ANOTHER final battle, then I think sealing the prison with both Saidar and Saidin will be enough. I can see your idea of the unlimited power he would feel, balanced by the women in the link, enough to seal the prison.

 

I personally believe that something more than just sealing the Dark One will occur. I dont think the Dark One can or will ever be destroyed, but I do think there will be a more permanent solution to his imprisonment. In Ages past, Tamrylin and Lanfear were able to bore a hole through a thin patch in the prison. LTT was able to patch the hole, but only with Saidin. In ToM we know that Rand plans to break the seals on the Dark One's prison, and use Saidar and Saidin(as LTT originally wanted to) to put up a better seal. If this was it, then we will be doomed to repeat this vicious cycle over and over again. I believe this Age it will be different. In the past they were able to bore a hole through a thin patch in the seal. I think when this hole will be re-sealed by Rand, it will no longer be thin.

 

I think Callandor will somehow allow him access to the True Source(not the Dark One's True Power). The new Seal will be made from the True Source and will be as thick as the original prison(thus no sensing of some unknown power).

 

Thanks to Barid I have links to a lot of great interviews, and I hope to get a more descriptive version of my theory up soon(need to make sure ascpects of it havent already been debunked).

 

With all the Power at the Dark One's disposal, Callandor from what we know of it, cant be enough to defeat him. If this blade is that important, it has to have an unknown function that Rand or Min will somehow discover.

 

FountofPower,

 

Thanks for a warm welcome, and for posting this topic. I have been stumped on Callandor for a long time. My original theory of melding Saidar and Saidin was quickly debunked by Barid. After reading through a few of the RJ interviews, I feel the theory needs to be altered a bit, but could still pull through. Hopefully ill be able to put up a more complete version soon.

[RealAshaman]

Hello everyone, I have a revised version of my Callandor theory.

 

CK: During the War of Power, two huge Sa'angreal, one attuned to saidin and one to saidar, were constructed. The Choedan Kal were to be used to destroy the Shadow's forces and erect a barrier around Shayul Ghul until there was a safe method to permanently seal the Bore.

 

-As an example of how powerful the CK is, this is an exerpt from Winter Hearts, by Cadsuane(Of course the girl was tired. She was acting as a conduit for far more of Saidar, than the entire White Tower could have handled using every Angreal and Sa'angreal the Tower possessed). This is just the power wielded by the female access key. When combined with the power of the male access key, its no surprise why Lanfear thought with both, one could challenge the Dark One or the Creator(occurs when she sees Rand with the access keys, in the Shadow Rising).

 

-Thus considering the power just one of these access keys can grant, its surprising to read Osangar's thoughts regarding Callandor....also in Winter Hearts(A pity the CK had to be destroyed with Al'Thor. No one else among the chosen possesed so much as an Angreal. Even Moridin would quail before him, once he had the Crystal Sword). Not the CK but Callandor would make Moridin quail?! I read this as its a shame the CK has to be destroyed, but the real prize was Callandor. My friend reads this sentence as, Callandor being a fitting alternative to the loss of the CK. He believes it reads as if Osangar had a choice, it would be the CK and not Callandor. I think my way holds more merit, when you read a recent interview with Brandon Sanderson.

 

Interview;

Q: Okay. So there have been 2 instances where characters have ignored the CK in favor of Callandor.

1. Shaidar Haran in TGS(when Elza took the domination band)

2. Solinda(during Rand's flashbacks, she was the one who gave the Aiel the Terangeal, but made no efforts to secure the CK)

Why are they choosing Callandor over the CK?

 

BS: There is a reason. It has to do with Callandor being the key to the ending, and the CK is not.

 

-This is very interesting. Considering the amount of One Power the CK can grant(and its safely done...has a buffer to prevent burning out), the final battle cant be about Callandor just granting great access to the One Power(as an addendum, I would like to add, that Callandor is in fact the 3rd most powerful Sa'angreal ever created for men...the first is the CK, and the second has never been mentioned...at least not that I remember).

 

In an interview with RJ a few years ago, the origins of Callandor were briefly discussed.

 

Interview:

Q: Was Callandor constructed during the War of Power?

RJ: Yes

Q: Was it used during the WoP?

RJ: Yes. That is where the flaw was discovered

Q: Why didnt they ward/buffer Callandor?

RJ: The flaw was simple a manufacturing flaw. The were at the end of their tech age, and were mass producing Terangeal, Angreal, and Sa'angreal. Some were bound to have flaws.

 

The known flaw of Callandor was discovered during the Age of Legends(its lack of buffer allows a person to draw on incredible amounts of One Power, but said person would burn out). As LTT was present during this time, its safe to say he would have known about any KNOWN flaw. Since Rand has "accepted" all of LTT memories, and still doesnt know what the flaw in Callandor is, I think its unknown function was known only to a few. They hid clues in the prophecies of the Dragon, so that one day the dragon reborn would be able to use the flaw to his advantage.

 

TGS Chp48:

Rand wonders about Callandor.(It is an inferior and flawed Sa'angreal. So why is it mentioned in the prophecies of the dragon, and the CK are not).

The prophecy: He shall hold a blade of light in his hands, and the 3 shall be as one.(I have bolded hands, since this will be mentioned in my theory...Also, I think the 3 shall be as one, is not just the 3 people being linked as one, but of 3 powers being linked as one(Saidar, Saidin, and the True Power or Saidar, Saidin and the True Source).

 

-In case someone is confused by my use of True Power and True Source....

The True Power is derived from the Dark One.

The True Source is the driving force of the Universe. While independent of the True Source, Saidar and Saidin still draw upon its power.

 

My theory: I think this Last Battle is going to be a more permanent one. No I dont think the Dark One will be destroyed, but I do think his imprisonment will be permanent. Durin the AoL, Tamyrilin was able to sense an unknown power source, through a thin patch on the Dark One's seal. LTT tried to seal the bore, but was only able to use Saidin(since the female Aes Sedai refused to help in his mad plan), thus while present, the Seal was weak, and only a patch. In ToM, Rand believes he has to break the remaining seals, and place them again using both Saidar and Saidin. If this was just ANOTHER LB, i think this end would occur. The Seal on the DO prison would be more secure than LTT's, and we would wait again for the Age where someone would bore a hole through it again(after sensing the unknown power behind it). The cycle would continue, and Ishmael/Moridin would be right in their view point of this battle eventually being won by the DO.

 

For me, i believe RJ told us the story of this LB, because the pattern allowed for a different outcome then just another stalemate. As i believe the DO can not be destroyed, his death is not the victory.....instead its his imprisonment. When Rand re-seals the DO prison, if the seal was no longer thin, then perhaps the next turn of the Age, their will be no weakness for someone to sense the DO, and bore their hole.

 

At first I thought it would just be done by using Saidar and Saidin together. But if that were the case, the CK would be more than enough power to accomplish the feat, and Callandor would be useless. Since Callandor plays such a crucial role in the LB, I believe the final seals will be made from more than just the One Power. I think the TRUE flaw in Callandor will allow Rand access to another power source....the True Source or even the True Power( I realize that this power is granted by the dark one, but in past interviews it has been mentioned that there is an alternate method for tapping into the True Power).

 

How will Rand be able to tap into this power? At some point, someone from the AoL had figured out the flaw. Being so close to the end, perhaps that person didnt want to risk one of the Forsaken gaining access to Callandor and this alternate power source. Min will eventually ferret out this secret from her studies, and inform Rand. When you take the prophecies of the dragon into account, i think i have an idea of how Rand will access the flaw.

 

-Prophecies of the Dragon: He shall hold a blade of light in his hands, and the 3 shall be one.( We have known for some time now, that Rand only has one hand. How is it possible for him to hold something in both hands? After he lost his hand during the confontration with Semmi, Rand remarks on how he will have to re-learn to sword forms. Since that time, he has had little or no opportunity to practice the Sword. I think once everyone is done talking at the Field of M, someone will come up with a fake hand for Rand to use. We know this from Min's viewing in ToM.....She saw a glowing Sword, Callandor, being gripped in a black hand.....I think this hand will be made from Cuendillar(Since its black and not the white Cuendilllar that Ewgene makes, I think it will be made with both Saidar and Saidin), and it will act as an access key for Callandor's hidden flaw.

 

Got to get back to work now. Hopefully I havent missed anything. Look forward to your thoughts and rebuttals.....wink Barid. If I left anything out, ill try to come back to it later. Sorry for any spelling or grammer mistakes....had to put this up quickly.

 

Edit: I was just thinking that Moraine might have used one of her answers on Callandor.

[James al'Dylan]

I'm pretty positive that it's simply a flawed Sa'angreal, which is exactly what it's said to be. RJ would have had to devise the purpose for Callandor fairly early on.

[RealAshaman]

I agree that RJ would have had to devise the purpose for Callandor fairly early. From the interviews, it seemed as if he spent a few years working on Randland, before he began writing. I see no reason why this flaw could not have been part of Callandor from the begining. The importance of the Sword has been made apparent since the 3rd book in the series. BS even commented on how important Callandor was to the final battle. I could very well be wrong, but I cant believe Callandor is JUST a powerful/flawed Sa'angreal. Given how powerful the CK is in comparison of Callandor, i believe there has to be something else its needed for.

[RealAshaman]

I was reading through the Gathering storm today, and I came upon this interesting POV by Ltt....

 

She's right, Lews Therin said suddenly.

She? Rand asked.

The pretty one. With the short hair. She says we need to break the seals. She's right.

Rand froze, pulling Tai'daishar up short, ignoring the groom who had come to take the horse. To hear Lews Therin agreeing. . . .

What do we do after that? Rand asked.

We die. You promised we could die!

Only if we defeat the Dark One, Rand said. You know that if he wins, there will be nothing for us. Not even death.

Yes . . . nothing, Lews Therin said. That would be nice. No pain, no regret. Nothing.

Rand felt a chill. If Lews Therin began to think that way . . . No, Rand said, it wouldn't be nothing. He would have our soul. The pain would be worse, far worse.

Lews Therin began to weep.

THE LAST THAT COULD BE DONE 345

Lews Therin! Rand snapped in his mind. What do we do? How did you seal the Bore last time?

It didn't work, Lews Therin whispered. We used saidin, but we touched it to the Dark One. It was the only way! Something has to touch him, something to close the gap, but he was able to taint it. The seal was weak!

Yes, but what do we do differently? Rand thought.

 

Something has to touch him? Well if this time they used both halves of the OP, wouldnt the side that touched the DO be tainted again? Something has to touch the DO that he cant taint. I dont think he can taint the TP(its already his and comes from him). I also believe he cant taint the True Source. The True Source is the driving force of the universe and the pattern...Saidar and Saidin draw upon the TS for their power. Thus my theory that Callandor allows access to either the TP or TS along with Saidar and Saidin seems more likely.

 

The Gathering Storm had a fountain of information, hidden between 3 or 4 pages. This is a POV from Rand on the seals and survival...

 

He would see the world to the Last Battle.

And will you have no legacy other than that? a voice whispered in the back of his mind. Not Lews Therin, but his own thought, a small voice, the part of him that had prompted him to found schools in Cairhien and Andor. You wish to live after you die? Will you leave all of those who follow you to war, famine and chaos? Will the destruction be how you live on?

Rand shook his head. He couldn't fix everything! He was just one man. Looking beyond the Last Battle

was foolish. He couldn't worry about the world then, he couldn't. To do so would be to take his eye off the goal.

And what is the goal? that voice seemed to say. Is it to survive, or is it to thrive? Will you set the groundwork for another Breaking or for another Age of Legends? Eerily, Rand felt as if he could almost remember those events—not what had happened, but the anger, the desperation, the decision. Was the mistake, then, not using the female half of the power as well as the male? Was that what had allowed the Dark One to counterstrike and taint saidin, driving Lews Therin and the remaining men of the Hundred Companions insane?

Could it be that simple? How many Aes Sedai would he need? Would he need any} Plenty of Wise Ones could channel. Surely there was more to it than that.

There was a game children played, Snakes and Foxes. It was said that the only way to win was to break the rules. What of his other plan, then? Could he break the rules by slaying the Dark One? Was that something that even he, the Dragon Reborn, dared contemplate?

 

I have read the RJ interview from 2001, where he answers Soreila by saying this age is no different than any others. That the ages repeat. I think that was a true statement....for that time. It was only in ToM that Rand truely accepted who he was and needed to be for the LB. He tells Min, that its because this time he is different. He was raised better. I think the importance of this age, is that this really could be the LB. Rand will either lock up the DO permanently, or ......... slay SHAITAN! From what we know...the most likely candidate to help Rand accomplish his goal.........is Callandor.

 

In the theory I posted, I showed how powerful the CK was, and how Osangar still craved Callandor. How Moridin would quail once he had it in his grasp. This is when Rand first tapped into the True Power.....

 

At that moment he grew aware of a strange force. It was like a reservoir of water, boiling and churning just beyond his view. He reached toward it with his mind.

A clouded face flashed before Rand's own, one whose features he couldn't quite make out. It was gone in a moment.

And Rand found himself filled with an alien power. Not saidin, not saidar, but something else. Something he'd never felt before.

Oh, Light, Lews Therin suddenly screamed. That's impossible! We can't use it! Cast it away! That is death we hold, death and betrayal.

It is HIM.

Rand closed his eyes as he knelt above Min, then he channeled the strange, unknown force. Energy and life surged through him, a torrent of power like saidin, only ten times as sweet and a hundred times as violent. It made him alive, made him realize that he'd never been alive before. It gave him such strength as he'd never imagined. It rivaled, even, the power he'd held when drawing from the Choedan Kal.

He screamed, in both rapture and rage,

 

Rand knows first hand how much power the CK had......his first taste of the TP rivaled that of the CK!