Foreshadowing Examples

[Scott Bishop]

After Nyn's sisterhood test the AS running the test try to make her swear never to use balefire again she refuses. Foreshadowing?

[Edynol]

Nah that's not foreshadowing. I see foreshadowing as either something symbolic or said in jest that has no meaning at the time but then once something happens, it can be looked back on as a form of prediction of sorts. Like Rand saying he'd rather cut of his hand before channeling again or Elayne saying Egwene would be Amyrlin when she was Queen.

[Apples First]

Master Gill snorted a laugh. “The Queen, eh? You don’t say. We had Gareth Bryne out in the common room an hour or so ago, arm-wrestling the Lord Captain-Commander of the Children, but the Queen, now . . . that’s something.”

 

-TEotW

 

Except, the Lord Captain-Commander is Galad. I can see him dicing and such with Gareth.

 

 

But she had seen men, like Gareth Bryne, the Captain-Commander of her mother’s Guards, who could have dominated a room in rags, with no title and no one knowing their name. Rand might not know it, but he was such a man.

 

 

-TSR

 

As I understand it now, Rand doesn't really wear much fancy clothes anymore (although, not really rags) and everyone knows his name.

But if he came back as Moridin...

 

 

Perrin turned as the portal closed. As he stepped, he felt a faint throbbing from his leg, where Slayer’s arrow had hit him. He had been Healed of that wound, and from what he’d been able to tell, the Healing had been complete. There was no injury. But his leg…it felt like it could remember the wound anyway. It was like a shadow, very faint, almost unnoticeable.

 

-ToM

 

Rand and Mat have both lost a body part. Why not Perrin? His left leg?

 

 

 

I realise that Jordan's foreshadowing is more subtle than any I have mentioned and that I am probably overstretching, but, I feel like contributing to the dicussion, however badly. L

[peregrine]

They were talking about the couple of days Mat spent partly blind after staring at a lightning Rand summoned on the way to Caemlyn, in TEotW. He wore a scarf over his eyes, then, which is what Brandon was referring to.

 

Thanks for the clarification. Still not foreshadowing or coincidence.

 

I would say that this could be viewed as a form of foreshadowing - though a little obtuse. Foreshadowing often works on a symbolic level. Personally I think it merely coincidental in this instance!

 

I've often wondered about this ... I actually do think it foreshadowed Mat's half-blindness. Mat is described more than once as pulling a scarf down around his eyes in the earlier books, but none of his other traveling companions ever are. He also wakes up crying "The Dark One took my eyes!" in tEotW after a dream of Ba'alzamon (of course, the Dark One didn't, but I think the point still stands). Anyway, it makes me wonder if Mat will bandage his eye rather than go with an eye patch in the next book. Though with the scarf around his neck too, he'd look like a mummy.

 

On an related note (but still related to the topic), I've always felt Mat's 'journey' through the Portal Stones (from which he emerges swearing he'd never betray Rand) foreshadows some terrible betrayal on his part. I can't imagine Mat being a darkfriend, but I'm curious to see if that leads anywhere in AMoL.

 

Who wants to bet Mat's recent comment to the effect of "If Egwene is the Amyrlin, I'll have no trouble getting the Horn from the Tower" is going to turn out to be ironic? For me, that comment just foreshadowed trouble.

[Edynol]

Well, seeing as Eggy and most of the AS probably won't even be there if/when the Seanchan attack, he could just walk in there, and as the Prince of Ravens, or king or whatever he is now, he can just go "Hey! Search for my horn!" and they'll help him find it. lol.

 

I know that is not likely to happen, but it would be funny. I am still hoping that somehow he will meet up with Tuon and put an end to assault on the tower before any or too much damage is done. Again, unlikely, but one can alwaqys hope. lol.

[peregrine]

Well, seeing as Eggy and most of the AS probably won't even be there if/when the Seanchan attack, he could just walk in there, and as the Prince of Ravens, or king or whatever he is now, he can just go "Hey! Search for my horn!" and they'll help him find it. lol.

 

I know that is not likely to happen, but it would be funny. I am still hoping that somehow he will meet up with Tuon and put an end to assault on the tower before any or too much damage is done. Again, unlikely, but one can alwaqys hope. lol.

 

I suspect Mat is going to avoid telling anyone he is the Hornsounder for as long as absolutely possible. Plus, he's better at finding things than anyone in the books -- he wouldn't need help to search for the horn.

 

I think Mat is likely to defuse the situation in Tar Valon, though maybe not until after the fighting has started/stopped. I am more worried about Caemlyn. But there are whole other threads on that :P

[Edynol]

Yeah true, I didn't really believe having others help search myself, but he could have some of them keep out of his way or watch his back or something. And yeah, I agree with the second part as well, he won't like prevent the attack from happening, but defuse it before any major damage is done.

[Barid Bel Medar]

Strangers and a gleeman, fireworks and a peddler. It was going to be the best Bel Tine ever.

 

Jeez, I love that line.

 

Next he might actually meet the Green Man, or an Ogier giant, or a wild black-veiled Aielman.

 

"As the Wheel of Time turns," Moiraine said, half to herself and with a distant look in her eyes, "places wear many names. Men wear many names, many faces. Different faces, but always the same man..."

 

To mention only a few in the first few chapters of EotW.

[Edynol]

If Tenobia and Davram Bashere die, won't Perring and Faile become king and queen of Saldaea? I forgot how far in line of the throne Faile is.

[RandA lThor]

Faile is second.

[Edynol]

Cool thanks, thought so. So Davram is first, and I was right. lol.

[RandA lThor]

davram won't want to be king, he is helping rand.

[Edynol]

That's besides the point. Talking about the normal line of succession. If he doesn't want to be king, he will denouce and it will go to 2nd in line, Faile and Perrin.

[Terez]

Strangers and a gleeman, fireworks and a peddler. It was going to be the best Bel Tine ever.

 

Jeez, I love that line.

 

Next he might actually meet the Green Man, or an Ogier giant, or a wild black-veiled Aielman.

 

"As the Wheel of Time turns," Moiraine said, half to herself and with a distant look in her eyes, "places wear many names. Men wear many names, many faces. Different faces, but always the same man..."

 

To mention only a few in the first few chapters of EotW.

 

I set out to record all the foreshadowing in WoT and quickly realized it's an impossible project to record all of it. Even paring it down to include only things that foreshadow events more than a few chapters down the road, there's still a ton of it, and something major in nearly every chapter of TEOTW. When you get down to things that foreshadow later events in the same chapter, or just a few chapters...it's just pervasive. I love it.

[Barid Bel Medar]

 

I set out to record all the foreshadowing in WoT and quickly realized it's an impossible project to record all of it. Even paring it down to include only things that foreshadow events more than a few chapters down the road, there's still a ton of it, and something major in nearly every chapter of TEOTW. When you get down to things that foreshadow later events in the same chapter, or just a few chapters...it's just pervasive. I love it.

 

It is addicting. A road that can only lead to insanity! Perhaps this is the DO's taint

 

It is as you said.

[Edynol]

Yeah. The 1st crow we saw in the series forshadowed Perring, Eggy and Elyas getting surrounded by them later on in book one.

 

Abnd Narg forshadowed Shadar Haran. He was in fact, SH 0.5 Beta, the one we saw with the whitecloak guy was 1.0, and the current one is 2.0.

[Terez]

I set out to record all the foreshadowing in WoT and quickly realized it's an impossible project to record all of it. Even paring it down to include only things that foreshadow events more than a few chapters down the road, there's still a ton of it, and something major in nearly every chapter of TEOTW. When you get down to things that foreshadow later events in the same chapter, or just a few chapters...it's just pervasive. I love it.

 

It is addicting. A road that can only lead to insanity! Perhaps this is the DO's taint

 

It is as you said.

 

Tons of little ironies buried all over the place. Just passed one in my #wotrr:

 

"I have to get Master Luhhan and his wife free, if I can. And Mat's mother and sisters; I promised him I would look after them. And do what I can about the Trollocs." Maybe this Lord Luc had some ideas. At least the Waygate was blocked; no more would come through the Ways.

[Wheel of Thyme]

Recall in The Great Hunt when Lan is working the sword with Rand, and a little bubble of evil (a bubblet?) forms a wall of sorts? Lan essentially says watch it...else some day some farmboy holding a sword for the very first time will kill you.

 

I wonder if that will happen.

 

And I ponder Terez's signature" "Betray? Gawyn Trakand, that word fits you as darkness fits the sun". Well, twice dawns the day, so the prophecies go....

 

Something to think about, at any rate.

[Barid Bel Medar]

Tons of little ironies buried all over the place. Just passed one in my #wotrr:

 

"I have to get Master Luhhan and his wife free, if I can. And Mat's mother and sisters; I promised him I would look after them. And do what I can about the Trollocs." Maybe this Lord Luc had some ideas. At least the Waygate was blocked; no more would come through the Ways.

 

Ahhh, that is a good one.

 

Rand's dreams with Ishamael have so much in them, about TAR, more precisely, how to control nightmares as a part of Perrin's training. Rand is already pretty damn good at it...

I think he is more in tune with Lews Therin's memory in TAR, he has many moments in EotW that hint at it.

 

EotW24

 

Ba'alzamon stretched out his hand, and suddenly Rand knew a way to escape, a misty, half-formed memory that screamed danger, but nothing to the danger of being touched by the Dark One.

 

"A dream!" Rand shouted. "This is a dream!"

 

Ba'alzamon's eyes began to widen, in suprise or anger or both, then the air shimmered, and his features blurred, and faded.

 

Then a moment later, more Foreshadowing, of the link between him and Moridin.

 

...the flames of Ba'alzamon's face raged behind him, enveloping, consuming, merging....

There was only one face in those endless mirrors...

 

More hints of Lews Therin.

 

EotW9

 

That bleak stone spire (Shayol Ghul), a dagger stabbing at the heavens, was the source of his desolation. He had never seen it before, but he knew it. THe memory of it flashed away like quicksilver when he tried to touch it, but the memory was there. He knew it was there.

[Roxinos]

I'm pretty certain that about 75% of the foreshadowing in the series can be found in the first book. And 95% can be found in the first three.

 

The Eye of the World was just...written differently. So much of the book was steeped in mystery, magic, and dreams that symbolism is rampant. Brilliant start, really.

[Barid Bel Medar]

Indeed, and I think at that point RJ thought the series would be much shorter. So there is a lot that is crammed into EotW that is streched out later when he found it needed more books.

[Terez]

I'm pretty certain that about 75% of the foreshadowing in the series can be found in the first book. And 95% can be found in the first three.

 

I don't think that's even close to accurate. Though you could say that 75% of the story is foreshadowed in the first book, and 95% is foreshadowed in the first three, though some major foreshadowing doesn't start filling out until 4-6.

[Apples First]

Rand did not know what to say. It was as if Egwene had told him she had murdered children. Too horrible to be believed. Too horrible for anyone to admit to unless it was true. Too horrible.

 

Omgomgomgomgomgomgomg...

[Barid Bel Medar]

EotW 41

Rand felt a sickness in his stomach at the thought of Trollocs in the streets of Caemyln. All those people at one another's throats, never realising the real threat was waiting to come over the walls. What would they do when they suddenly found Trollocs and Fades in their midst, killing them? He could see the towers burning, flames breaking through the domes, Trollocs pillaging through the curving streets and vistas of the Inner City. The Palace itself in flames.

 

EotW 42

 

"The Elders think I am odd, wanting to travel. I always have, and they always have. None of them believe there is anything worth seeing outside the stedding. Perhaps when I return and tell them what I have seen, they will change their minds."

 

I really should stop now.

[Roxinos]

I'm pretty certain that about 75% of the foreshadowing in the series can be found in the first book. And 95% can be found in the first three.

 

I don't think that's even close to accurate. Though you could say that 75% of the story is foreshadowed in the first book, and 95% is foreshadowed in the first three, though some major foreshadowing doesn't start filling out until 4-6.

 

I have no idea how you're disagreeing with me. "Though you could say that 75% of the story is foreshadowed in the first book, and 95% is foreshadowed in the first three." That's exactly what I just said.