Is the Gholam a darkspawn?

[zerachiel76]

The reason I ask this is that it's been established that darkspawn can't go through gates and have to use the Ways. However the Gholam is able to enter the skimming gate before it falls to it's death? Is this an oversite or can the forsaken use skimming to transport trollocs and myddraal (albeit only a few of them at a time) as an advanced scouting force? Alternatively are the gholam a different type of darkspawn which can use gates?

[_CLOUD]

Well Gholams are immune to the One Power, so I guess they can Travel??

[Durinax]

gholam are much more advanced shadowspawn than trollocs, so their DNA - soul connection is strong enough to allow them to survive a gateway, unlike trollocs

[Suttree]

The reason I ask this is that it's been established that darkspawn can't go through gates and have to use the Ways. However the Gholam is able to enter the skimming gate before it falls to it's death? Is this an oversite or can the forsaken use skimming to transport trollocs and myddraal (albeit only a few of them at a time) as an advanced scouting force? Alternatively are the gholam a different type of darkspawn which can use gates?

 

Interview: Nov 16th, 2010

Paris Signing Report - Jonathan B (Paraphrased)

Jonathan B

 

We discussed the gholam; if someone had pushed it through a gateway, would it have just died?

Brandon Sanderson

 

Brandon said that gholam CAN go THROUGH gateways (from one place to another). Gholam are Shadowspawn of a more perfected kind. It would have been way too easy to kill if you just needed to shove it through a gateway (to another place). However, falling through the skimming gateway for a few minutes did kill the gholam and it is really dead and it's not going to show up again. This makes me wonder now if one of Rand/Logain's Deathgates would have killed it but I didn't think to ask at the time.

[zerachiel76]

Thanks everyone, that question had been bugging me.

[Orderofolde]

gholam are much more advanced shadowspawn than trollocs, so their DNA - soul connection is strong enough to allow them to survive a gateway, unlike trollocs

This. While still constructs, the souls are attached much better than Nym and Trollocs, and can "tolerate" a brief passage through a gateway or onto a skimming platform without being ripped free and leaving them dead like a Trolloc through a Deathgate.