Horn of Valere question from ACoS

[algspkr]

The following paragraph is at the end of chapter 34 in ACoS:

Rand nodded. The Sea Folk were his, or as good as. What matter whether the Horn of Valere was in the White Tower? He was ta'veren. He was the Dragon Reborn, and the Coramoor. The golden sun still burned well short of its noon peak. "The day is young yet, Min." He could do anything. "Would you like to see me settle the rebels? A thousand crowns to a kiss, they're mine before sunset."

Is the mention of the Horn here important, is this possible RJ telling us that the Horn is not where it should be?

[RobertAlexWillis]

No, its the end of Rand's earlier thought process. Several paragraphs earlier, the Sea Folk told him about the Seanchan returning. Rand thinks to himself about how he had thought it would take them a long time to recover from Falme, and then about the location of the Horn, which he needed to beat them last time.

 

By the end of the chapter, Rand is feeling invincible, so he basically thinks to himself "Who cares where the Horn is. I don't need no stinking Horn."

 

 

There are no real indications that anyone found the Horn and removed it from Siuan's secret spot.

[rd2000]

Yes, Rand was thinking that he didn't have need for the horn, at least to handle the Seanchan. But, it was a clue that Rand knew the horn was in the WT still. If I were him, and I had possession of the male CK access key, and Callandor, I wouldn't worry about getting the horn out of the WT whenever I wanted it.

[Kaznen]

As somebody who can muster and transport half a million soldiers, some of them Asha'man, in an instant; I don't think he needs to worry about the Horn.

[RobertAlexWillis]

As somebody who can muster and transport half a million soldiers, some of them Asha'man, in an instant; I don't think he needs to worry about the Horn.

 

Then why is the Horn necessary to win the Last Battle? I have a feeling we didn't get a full taste of the Horn's value at Falme.

[rd2000]

I don't think the horn is necessarry to WIN the last battle. But it is necessarry for it to BE the last battle.

[Luckers]

Yeah that particular comment is contextually relevent... no real foreshadow there. It should be notet, though, that the are a fair few references to the horn in book 11 that arn't. I believe this is pointing at the fact that Verin is off to get the Horn from the Tower.

 

As for the significance of the horn... its pretty powerful, but also relatively confined in its effects. RJ wouldn't want it making the struggle of humanity irrelevant.

[RobertAlexWillis]

As for the significance of the horn... its pretty powerful, but also relatively confined in its effects. RJ wouldn't want it making the struggle of humanity irrelevant.

 

To have salt, you need sodium and chlorine. Just because sodium is necessary doesn't make chlorine irrelevant. By the same token, it can be necessary to have the Horn to win Tarmon Gai'don, without making humanity's struggle irrelevant.

 

The Horn won't be some kind of Deus ex Machina, of course. The Heroes are to "stand ward" according to the prophetic poem. They'll probably be guarding Rand so he can do whatever it is that he has to do personally. Given that the Shadow is likely to throw its best directly at Rand at that point, the Heroes might be needed to stand against something that normal humans couldn't, like a bunch of Dreadlords channeling ... given the experience at Falme the Heroes are probably even better than Asha'man for that. The Power doesn't even touch them.

 

That wouldn't make the rest of the struggle irrelevant, it would just make having the Heroes one necessary element.

[Lady Saravhem]

It seems most stories fantasy or otherwise have some sort of God in the Machine aspect. LoTR had many examples such as the occurences at the battle of Helm's Deep with Gandolf showing up at the last minute with Aeomer, and what about the Hurons, the trees that eat the orcs and such. And the battle of Pelinor Fields all was lost until Aragorn showeded up with the dead warriors, by the way they were also summoned with a horn. Even in the end it was not totally the hero's commitment that won the day but Gollum biting off the hero's finger and then falling into the lava of Mount Doom.

 

RJ did the same thing in the Battle of Two Rivers. It was looking bad for the people of Emond's Field but then Perrin sees Faile leading a large troop of people from Devin's Ride or where ever to save them. There are other such examples of Dues ex Machina(I know it is probably spelled wrong but I do know what it means)found through out the series to numerous to name. It happens all the time, probably because when it comes down to it people need God in the machine to over come evil.

 

I'm outta here.