Min's Power

[Barid Bel Medar]

First of all, I don't think that they were churned out to fight the Forsaken. Very few actually meet the forsaken, let fight or defeat them. 

 

The channelers were already there; the Pattern just used the tools it had at the time. Not that it prepared the tools earlier. The Forsaken are revived --- send out the powerful ones. 

 

If anything, the channelers were born because of the Last Battle so the best tools were available, not a specific counter to an individual. 

 

But let's assume that the Pattern DID do it to counter the Forsaken: 

 

The Dark One's seals - with the Forsaken inside - have been weakening for 3000 years. 

 

If something had been systematically weakening for 3000 years, at one point there would come a time when it would break - and that would release the things that were sealed inside. It is purely mathematical. 

 

However, once freed, they have millions of choices that could be made. Add that with the fact that the DO's orders are impossible to predict until he has given them, it's almost impossible. 

 

Of course, that's the beauty of Ishamael's plans. He subverted the Pattern so subtly that the Pattern didn't detect anything wrong until it was too late - in the case of the Seanchan 1000 years too late.  (Remember the Pattern isn't good or evil. It only fixes things that are actively threatening it's existence. It can't predict that one day the Seanchan would be a threat. The Seals and the Forsaken are of course a different matter since it is directly related to the DO.) 

[EmperorAllspice]

What plan is this? the one he did with Rand? Or the ones he's been doing over the years that killed Hawkwing and started the Trolloc Wars and such?

 

Also, did the pattern actively cause the link between Moridin and Rand? Was that just a chance event that happened due to Ta'veren-ness? (like the roof tile that flew across a city to kill someone) or something the Dark One had a hand in.

[Barid Bel Medar]

Ishamael said he had sealed "two dooms" when he sent Luthair to Seanchan. He also corrupted their prophecies and who knows what else. By this, he means he knows that the Seanchan will return and be a pain in the ass to Rand and everyone else. 

 

As for the second question: I don't know.

[Rhienne]

Something I don't understand about Min's viewings is the in-world importance they are given.  First by Moiraine, then Siuan, then Rand.  As far as I am aware her viewings never actually help anyone.  In fact, Rand mistakenly trusts a Black Sister because of Min's viewing that she will serve him.  Siuan doesn't even seem to want to act on Min's viewings that the Tower will be torn apart, or to even really believe them, yet she insists on Min viewing the auras of every sister she sees.  

[clutzyninja]

Here's a way I can think to look at Min's predictions.  If you were to walk in on someone knitting, you might not have any idea of what they are weaving until they are done or close to being done.  Min can look at someone weaving and say, "Oh that looks like it's going to be a beautiful sweater."  Now, If the person stops their work, the sweater will never happen, or if someone yanks threads out of the knitter's hands, the sweater may come out porrly or not at all.  But as long as they keep knitting as they are, then they are going to make that sweater, because once you start weaving something, it's very hard to turn it into something else.  Min simply has the ability to see what the wheel INTENDS to weave.

 

Does that sound right to you, Barid?

[Agitel]

But sometimes she sees ones like Gawyn killing or kneeling to Egwene. So she has multiple choice visions at times.

 

This is due to the proximity of the Last Battle and the increasing touch of the Dark One on the world. The touch of the Dark One makes predictions more difficult. She's never had these wishy-washy ones before.

[szilard]

Why?

 

Why does it exist? Other than as a cheap forshadowing tool?

 

 

 

Mr Jordan had a great sense of humour, plus he really liked to tease his readers.

 

Min's visions: "red herrings", hints, "false" trails etc.

[Plato]

Can other people interpret her visions and be correct?  Like when a certain character in AMOL begins interpreting them for Min, esp if Min doesn't understand the vision herself.

[Barid Bel Medar]

They can guess, and they might be right sometimes, but it would only be a guess. 

 

Nobody but Min can be sure that it is correct. 

[BFG]

then what about the Snake and Fox people found through the doorways?

 

They tell MAt that he's destined to die and come back. That's refering to Rahvin killing him and coming back thanks to balefire. Fair enough. But I thought that the Pattern couldn't control or predict the Forsaken's actions (like you mentioned it couldn't negate the tower schism before it happened). So how did it know that MAt would be lightning'd to death by him?

 

tSR

 

 "Burn your soul for a craven heart," Mat growled, "I will that! Why will I die if I do not go to Rhuidean? I very likely will die if I try. It makes no—"

   The man cut him off and spoke hurriedly. "You will have sidestepped the thread of fate, left your fate to drift on the winds of time, and you will be killed by those who do not want that fate fulfilled. Now, go. You must go! Quickly!"

 

To me this implies that the Finns can see multiple futures based on the toss of a coin (we know these exist through the portal stones).  They see multiple futures for Mat, I'm not sure why they tell him about the one they do, but I guess it's because although they are seperate from the conflict with the DO, presumably the DO winning would be bad for them as well.

 

This is different to Mins visions.