A Memory of Light?

[kght22]

i doubt it, but what if the "memory of light" is the meeting at tfom. i just had this odd thought about the story moiraine told in the two rivers near the start of the series right before they leave. rand has a true memory of light, or at least days before the shadow. i doubt it would sway them to think that he should destroy the seals, that i think will be something different, but maybe giving them a memory of that, life without war, can rally them against the shadow.

 

in the eye of the world right before they leave emonds field moiraine moves the whole town emotionally with a story about manetheren and their ancestors, and of course put on a bit of a show with the one power.

 

what if a ta'veren on the scale of Rand al'Thor put on the same type show and spoke about the times before the shadow in front of the leaders and armies of most if not all of the major nations of the westlands.

 

as i said, i do not think that this could change minds about breaking the seals, but i think it could rally the people into a common cause.

 

but not just that, i think it could be EPIC.

[muddasssir]

Well I have to agree with Testy here. After all we are going to get a speech from Rand and if he can do something like that, it will be epic. Problem is that I do not feel that BS is quite up to it. I hope we see something epic like that and I sincerely hope so and best part will be if Rj had written it.

[Pinzarn]

I like your theory. I can't shake one that has been bouncy around in my head ever since I learned the title of the final book.

 

I keep thinking that it is a hint that one of the Forsaken will have a "memory of light" and help the light-side win. I am not saying he/she will come back to the light, but for a brief moment will do something (or not do something) that will tilt the balance of power. Sort of like Darth Vader at the end of Return of the Jedi, but perhaps not that much of a direct action.

[Carnacarn]

Rand tried the overpowering speech against Tuon and it failed when he was Dark Rand. I think Egwene would be able to resist Light Rands speech. She was the only Aes Sedai in the Hall when Rand came that didnt get completely wrapped in the ta'varen effect. She would be the counter point to Rand still regardless of a memory of light speech at FoM.

[Valley of Death]

If Rand has a speech with the magnitude that you describe, I would RJ would have had it already written, or at least some of it

[Olver_is_a_Forsaken]

"A Memory of Light" always sounded positive and hopeful to me until I actually thought about it. Usually we "remember" what has come to pass and no longer is: in the title that would suggest it be "The Light". If "The Light" is now nothing but a memory, that sounds ominous indeed.

[Wool-headed lummox]

WoT book titles are often purely thematic, abstract, and fairly interchangeable with one another. Try swapping the titles of many previous books at random, and see if anyone notices. There may not be anything that can be called "a memory of light" in the entire book, other than a prophecy in the meta-info.

[Asmodeanisdemandread]

WoT book titles are often purely thematic, abstract, and fairly interchangeable with one another. Try swapping the titles of many previous books at random, and see if anyone notices. There may not be anything that can be called "a memory of light" in the entire book, other than a prophecy in the meta-info.

Put Winters Heart on any book or Towers of Midnight. Doesn't work. EotW and tGH make no sense on any other book. tFoH could be MAYBE changed to book 7 or 8. The book titles mean more than just the prologue/epilogue prophecies. Granted its sub textual but it's there.

IMO aMoL is Meirin/Cyndane/lanfear saving LTT from Moridin after Rand gets her mind trap. I'm sure it won't happen. But it would still be neat.

[ArveduiEreinion]

I like the thought but I don't think "A Memory of Light" actually relates to anything in the last book thematically. Remember: Robert Jordan came up with the title for what was supposed to be one last book. My guess is that "a memory of light" refers to the Veins of Gold chapter and events thereafter (e.g. the Rand Sedai we saw in ToM).

[pskarnaq]

I think it's an ideal, something Rand uses to whip up enthusiasm of the troops. He'll tell them the Light was lost 3000 yrs ago, that he remembers what it was like before the Light was lost. He'll launch into a story of what it was like, painting pictures in their minds of the wonders and the peace of AoL. Then he'll challenge them to reach for this 'Memory of Light'; tell them that now is the time, THEY have the means, will and opportunity to bring it back.

Or not...

[Wool-headed lummox]

WoT book titles are often purely thematic, abstract, and fairly interchangeable with one another. Try swapping the titles of many previous books at random, and see if anyone notices. There may not be anything that can be called "a memory of light" in the entire book, other than a prophecy in the meta-info.

Put Winters Heart on any book or Towers of Midnight. Doesn't work. EotW and tGH make no sense on any other book. tFoH could be MAYBE changed to book 7 or 8. The book titles mean more than just the prologue/epilogue prophecies. Granted its sub textual but it's there.

IMO aMoL is Meirin/Cyndane/lanfear saving LTT from Moridin after Rand gets her mind trap. I'm sure it won't happen. But it would still be neat.

The Shadow Rising, The Fires of Heaven, Lord of Chaos, The Path of Daggers, Crossroads of Twilight, Knife of Dreams, The Gathering Storm, Towers of Midnight are all interchangeable with one another. Lord of Chaos is connected to that one line where the DO says "let the Lord of Chaos rule", but even that has little to no visible presence in the plot (it's not like they weren't doing the same thing in all the previous books). The Fires of Heaven is a particular offender.

 

So yeah, I'm 99% certain there won't be any memories of light in the book. Or just a generic line of prophecy.

[Asmodeanisdemandread]

Ok one at a time TSR was the forsaken being mentioned in force, TFoH: balefire galore balefire="the fires of heaven", LoC Dems first appearance, taims first appearance, when we KNOW the BA is behind the abduction. It fits. PoD Bashere saying something about "a path of daggers" iirc. CoT doesn't fit any other book except MAYBE tGS but, tGS the prologue talks about people moving north because "a storm is coming. None like the world has ever seen." KoD ok I'll give you that one I don't get it but I haven't read it in about a year and a half. When my reread is done I'm pretty sure I will. ToM doesn't refer to the seanchan (sp?) but to the BT, black as in midnight, the ToG, as a tower of despair, and maybe even the WT, due the abundance of BA pre-Eggy.

[muddasssir]

I think it's an ideal, something Rand uses to whip up enthusiasm of the troops. He'll tell them the Light was lost 3000 yrs ago, that he remembers what it was like before the Light was lost. He'll launch into a story of what it was like, painting pictures in their minds of the wonders and the peace of AoL. Then he'll challenge them to reach for this 'Memory of Light'; tell them that now is the time, THEY have the means, will and opportunity to bring it back.

Or not...

this was exactly the main idea behind the post that with every Rj book we got at least one moment or pov which made you put the book down and just let the moment take you and feel the emotions of the scene and characters. That is why it is quite likely that he may have written a scene with this great speech where he tells people of the time when there was light and people did not know the meaning of darkness. As for his speech to Tuon, you yourself said it was dark Rand and he did not now the power of compassion and love.Egwene's one was complete success as he wanted exactly the results he got from that little confrontation. She gathered all the major armies at one place for him to address and Eggy has the browns scouring the hidden archives for a hint of what to do. He commanded most of the armies, but still the independent rulers like Elayne, Reodran and others might have not come if Rand had summoned them. They could not say no to WT and Amyrilin. So I do not see that speech as the failure. He achieved everything that he wanted. To me him motivating his forces with a story like Mantheren would be an absolute epic and may be an excellent opening gambit to the final book. I forgot the name of city that Ishy betrayed, but that could be an excellent story.

[Sid]

I like the thought but I don't think "A Memory of Light" actually relates to anything in the last book thematically. Remember: Robert Jordan came up with the title for what was supposed to be one last book. My guess is that "a memory of light" refers to the Veins of Gold chapter and events thereafter (e.g. the Rand Sedai we saw in ToM).

This is my guess as well. I believe what Nyneave sees in Rand's mind is just that, and he got it from his illuminating meditation on Dragonmount. The timing of where we read it was actually much earlier that it might fit chronologically with a large portion of ToM. That's not to say there's no way there could be something from AMoL that might fit the title, though.

[BFG]

"A Memory of Light" always sounded positive and hopeful to me until I actually thought about it. Usually we "remember" what has come to pass and no longer is: in the title that would suggest it be "The Light". If "The Light" is now nothing but a memory, that sounds ominous indeed.

 

Flip it - a Forsaken has a memory of light and comes over to the Light side - I doubt that's what the title refers to tho, I think it's most likely VoG on DM

[shortkut]

I like the thought but I don't think "A Memory of Light" actually relates to anything in the last book thematically. Remember: Robert Jordan came up with the title for what was supposed to be one last book. My guess is that "a memory of light" refers to the Veins of Gold chapter and events thereafter (e.g. the Rand Sedai we saw in ToM).

This is my guess as well. I believe what Nyneave sees in Rand's mind is just that, and he got it from his illuminating meditation on Dragonmount. The timing of where we read it was actually much earlier that it might fit chronologically with a large portion of ToM. That's not to say there's no way there could be something from AMoL that might fit the title, though.

i thought this and had assumed it was the accepted theory because of Occam's razor, but obviously it isn't

[Sid]

i thought this and had assumed it was the accepted theory because of Occam's razor, but obviously it isn't

It's really hard to assume that one would give a book a title based on something that happened two books before, even after the split turned out the way it did. I have to think there has to be something in the last book that sort of matches up with the title, like the others sort of did, but viewed as a single volume the VoG chapter is a very plausible reason for it from the information available currently.

[TootThatHorn]

i thought this and had assumed it was the accepted theory because of Occam's razor, but obviously it isn't

It's really hard to assume that one would give a book a title based on something that happened two books before, even after the split turned out the way it did. I have to think there has to be something in the last book that sort of matches up with the title, like the others sort of did, but viewed as a single volume the VoG chapter is a very plausible reason for it from the information available currently.

 

There could be something in the last book, but bear in mind it was RJ's title for the last book. It would be an insult not to use it, especially for the very last one.

[shortkut]

i thought this and had assumed it was the accepted theory because of Occam's razor, but obviously it isn't

It's really hard to assume that one would give a book a title based on something that happened two books before, even after the split turned out the way it did. I have to think there has to be something in the last book that sort of matches up with the title, like the others sort of did, but viewed as a single volume the VoG chapter is a very plausible reason for it from the information available currently.

 

There could be something in the last book, but bear in mind it was RJ's title for the last book. It would be an insult not to use it, especially for the very last one.

stole my answer