Welcome back to "WoT If?"! A Memory of Light is only four weeks away, so I'm going to try to make these last few pre-release blogs meaningful. This week, I'm going to look into Moridin's character and motivation and try to come up with a few ideas about why he does what he does. As always:

Spoiler warning! This will include content from many books in the series, including Towers of Midnight, and speculation about A Memory of Light. Please read at your own risk.

Also, this WILL NOT contain spoilers from A Memory of Light's Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 11, or Tor's daily previews. Please refrain from posting any spoilers from A Memory of Light in the comments section. The A Memory of Light spoiler discussion board can be found here.

There's a lot of background information about Ishamael/Moridin that's important to his reasoning. I'll try my hardest to be brief, but I don't know how much I'll succeed.

Ishamael was only half-sealed into the Bore and was able to touch the world occasionally. This small freedom left him "half-mad" and "less than half-human," according to Sammael (The Fires of Heaven, Prologue). I think there's also insinuation that he was mad before being sealed. However, since his full release (and his rebirth as Moridin), he seems more cunning and clever than insane. Or perhaps that's part of the insanity?

Does this madness aid his plans or hinder them? Are some of the contradictory actions we see him take a result of this lack of sanity? Or are his plans so well developed that he can pull them off despite having a scarred mind? He had 3000 years to influence the world and events, so I'm sure his ideas are perfectly planned, but there are inconsistencies.

One inconsistency of Ishamael's plans (or the Dark One's?) is his desire to kill, then not kill, Rand. I haven't gone through and counted how many times the orders have been flip-flopped, but we all know it's happened several times. Here are a few examples. The first is a Dream Egwene had:

The Dragon Reborn

Chapter 48, "Following the Craft"

 

He [Rand] had been sneaking through utter darkness toward Callandor, while all around him six men and five women walked, some hunting him and some ignoring him, some trying to guide him toward the shining crystal sword and some trying to stop him from reaching it, appearing not to know where he was, or only to see him in flashes. One of the men had eyes of flame, and he wanted Rand dead with a desperation she could nearly taste. She thought she knew him. Ba'alzamon. But who were the others?

So, here, in book three, Ishamael wants Rand dead. Is that his own desire, or the Dark One's? Later, Sammael says to Graendal:

A Crown of Swords

Chapter 20, "Patterns Within Patterns"

 

"Perhaps you ought to reconsider what you think the Great Lord means about leaving al'Thor unharmed."

Now, Rand shouldn't be harmed. But it's changed once again by orders from Taim, Demandred, and Moridin to the Asha'man Kisman:

Winter's Heart

Chapter 22, "Out of Thin Air"

 

"Kill him," the M'Hael had ordered before sending them to Cairhien, but he had been as displeased that they were found out as that they had failed. Far Madding was to be their last chance; he had made that as plain as polished brass. Dashiva had simply vanished. Kisman did not know whether he had run or the M'Hael had killed him, and he did not care.

 

"Kill him," Demandred had commanded later, but he had added that it would be better they died than let themselves be discovered again. By anyone, even the M'Hael, as if he did not know of Taim's order.

 

And later still, Moridin had said, "Kill him if you must, but above all, bring everything in his possession to me. That will redeem your previous transgressions."

Now, it's okay to kill Rand. And once more there's a flip-flop when Moridin commands the other Forsaken:

Knife of Dreams

Chapter 3, "At the Gardens"

 

"The time and manner of al'Thor's death will be at my choosing. No one else."

 

…

 

"Al'Thor is mine. You will not harm him in any way!"

The last change must be because of Rand and Moridin's link. Moridin says later that he "could throttle Semirhage for what she did" (The Gathering Storm, Chapter 15, "A Place to Begin"), because Rand's lost hand has affected him as well. This is a major piece of evidence for the body-swap theory because it shows how much their link has turned physical.

What's the reasoning behind this inconsistency? As I said previously, it might be Ishamael's insanity. Whether or not he was technically the Nae'blis before, he surely had more authority than the others, and most likely had a hand in most of their plans (he did have 3000 years to organize and manipulate that the others did not). Or does this reflect a change of heart in the Dark One? That seems unlikely to me. Though Verin does say:

The Gathering Storm

Chapter 39, "A Visit From Verin Sedai"

 

"The Chosen are predictable, but the Great Lord is anything but. Even after decades of study, I can't be certain exactly what he wants or why he wants it. I only know that this battle isn't being fought the way that al'Thor assumes it will be."

Perhaps the Dark One is capable of changing his mind in quick succession. Maybe a lot has to do with the plans Rand was doing at the time. Naturally, the Dark One would want Rand dead rather than have him successfully remove the taint.

There are many, many times when Ishamael says Rand will serve him, even in death. But is that true? That may be a boast on the Dark One's part—trying to scare Rand into serving him willingly. In earlier blogs, we've talked a bit about Rand's soul—and other Heroes'—and whether they go to Tel'aran'rhiod right after death. If that is the case, Rand's soul wouldn't be available to the Dark One. If the Dark One isn't able to get his hands on the Dragon's soul if Rand dies, then he would definitely want Rand to serve him alive, if possible. But if there is no Dragon, the Dark One wins, so he could still want Rand dead, whether or not he can access the Dragon's soul. Logically, there's motivation for wanting to keep Rand alive and wanting him dead.

What of Moridin being the Dark One's champion? He seems to think he is, saying he and Rand/Lews Therin have fought thousands of times with the turning of the Wheel. But how much can we trust his reasoning? He is mad, and possibly deranged. Metal Head said,

"I do think that the Dark One has always had a champion, but it was a different soul every time. It would HAVE to be, because if one "soul" failed the Dark One, lost his "Last Battle" and consequently allowed the Dark One's prison to be re-sealed, that would mean that particular Nae'blis was a failure. Why would the Dark One keep tapping the same soul to be his Nae'blis when that soul has only ever failed to free him?"

This is a great idea! Why would the Dark One recycle a soul that failed him so miserably? Even with the Forsakens' constant scheming, they prove themselves weak and childish, after their own desires, not the Dark One's. Why would he want them to serve him again in the next Age? Although, maybe the Dark One doesn't have any of the power he claims. If Ishamael's soul is eternally bound to the Dark One the way the Dragon is bound to the Light, then the Dark One's control over events is a lot less than he boasts.

Brandon Sanderson said in an interview that, "Rand and Moridin are also frequently woven together in the Pattern." If that's the case, Moridin is eternally tainted by the Shadow. That means he was predestined to go to the Shadow during the War of Power. That means he was a bad guy before he even realized he was a bad guy. Keeping with the theme of the series, this doesn't sound right. Very few things in The Wheel of Time are black and white—no one is pure evil, no one is pure good. Each character has flaws and talents. Even the Forsaken aren't absolute Shadow; they do what they do out of selfishness, but not out of a desire to be evil. Because of this, I don't think Ishamael is eternally tainted. He has to be able to get salvation.

I don't know how popular the theory of Moridin returning to the Light is, but I think it's a real possibility because of that argument. It was logic that sent him to the Shadow to begin with (The Gathering Storm, Chapter 15, "A Place to Begin"). That same logic can bring him back.

And here's where it gets a little crazy. What if Moridin is the double agent? With his logic, he knows there needs to be someone on the inside, getting close to the Dark One, understanding the Shadow's ultimate goals. Now, with that information, he has been fighting Rand, but what if the fights have been for Rand's own benefit? Each battle, each struggle, has led to Rand being more in control, more sure of himself and victory. Even Rand sinking to his lowest and his use of the True Power led to his epiphany on Dragonmount in "Veins of Gold."

When Egwene stands up to Elaida they have a bit of an argument:

The Gathering Storm

Chapter 16, "In the White Tower"

 

"'As the plow breaks the earth shall he break the lives of men, and all that was shall be consumed in the fire of his eyes,' " Egwene said. " 'The trumpets of war shall sound at his footsteps, the ravens feed at his voice, and he shall wear a crown of swords.'"

 

Elaida frowned, taken aback.

 

"The Karaethon Cycle, Elaida," Egwene said. "When you had Rand locked away to be kept 'secure,' had he yet taken Illian? Had he yet worn what he was to name the Crown of Swords?"

 

"Well, no."

 

"And how did you expect him to fulfill the prophecies if he was hidden away in the White Tower?" Egwene said. "How was he to cause war, as the prophecies say he must? How was he to break the nations and bind them to him? How could he 'slay his people with the sword of peace' or 'bind the nine moons to serve him' if he was locked away? Do the prophecies say that he will be 'unfettered'? Do they not speak of the 'chaos of his passing?' How can anything pass at all if he is kept in chains?"

This exchange might seem off topic, but it shows that everything Rand has done has been the Pattern's purpose, including fights with the Shadow, namely Ishamael. Ishamael had to know each battle was doomed, since Rand was fated to at least survive until Tarmon Gai'don. So, why did he continue with these plans to kill Rand? Because each one ultimately helped Rand. I think Ishamael is going to be important to the Light's victory, and I think he's already aware of what he must do.

As I said, we only have a few more weeks before we know for sure. That's all for this week; I'm looking forward to the comments on this one. Thanks for reading!

Welcome back to "WoT If?", Dragonmount's weekly theory blog. For this week's post, I want to look at Nicola's Foretelling.

Spoiler warning! This will include content from many books in the series, including Towers of Midnight, and speculation about A Memory of Light. Please read at your own risk.

Also, this WILL NOT contain spoilers from A Memory of Light's Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 11, or Tor's daily previews. Please refrain from posting any spoilers from A Memory of Light in the comments section. The A Memory of Light spoiler discussion board can be found here.

We all know Nicola's major Foretelling that happens in Lord of Chaos, Chapter 14, "Dreams and Nightmares." It has been analyzed to death, and most everyone is sick of it. So, we won't even touch it at all. Rather, I want to look at her Foretellings that have happened "off-screen," so to speak. This happens in Crossroads of Twilight, where Janya Frende is complaining to Egwene about Nicola.

Crossroads of Twilight

Chapter 17, "Secrets"

 

"Ever since we found out she has the Foretelling, she's been Foretelling two or three times a day, to hear her tell it. Or rather, to hear Areina tell it. Nicola is smart enough to know everyone is aware she can't remember what she says when she Foretells, but Areina always seems to be there to hear and remember, and help her interpret. Some are the sort of thing anyone in the camp with half a brain and a credulous nature might think of—battles with the Seanchan or the Asha'man, an Amyrlin imprisoned, the Dragon Reborn doing nine impossible things, visions that might be Tarmon Gai'don or a bilious stomach—and the rest all just happen to indicate that Nicola ought to be allowed to go faster with her lessons. She's always too greedy for that. I think even most of the other novices have stopped believing her."

Janya doubts the credibility of Nicola's Foretellings, and even says the novices don't believe her. Because of that, we—the reader—should dismiss it as well. But you'll notice that one aspect of that list happens at the end of this book: an Amyrlin imprisoned. I think what's meant to be a throw away line, in an effort to discredit Nicola, becomes important when we realize at least one is correct. Because of that one line, I think the rest is important as well. Nicola struggles very hard to be noticed, but that doesn't mean she can't also be right.

The first part talks of battles with the Seanchan or the Asha'man. Since Nicola is the one saying it, I'm assuming that the battles will be between the White Tower, which she is a part of, and the Seanchan/Asha'man. We get one battle with the Seanchan in The Gathering Storm, or does that not count? It's technically a raid. And the phrase used is "battles," so that could mean more than one attack on the White Tower. With the Seanchan discovery of Traveling, they are planning a second raid—but I thought it would be post-Tarmon Gai'don. Perhaps it won't be. Besides knowing that the Last Battle constitutes a 50,000 word long block in A Memory of Light, we don't have clues about what happens before or afterwards (without going into spoilers). So, I think because of Nicola's Foretelling, it's possible another Seanchan raid could happen before the Last Battle begins.

The next part is a battle with the Asha'man. Again, people have suggested that there won't be time for this before Tarmon Gai'don. But we know that at the end of Towers of Midnight, Pevara and Androl are trying to find a way to escape the Black Tower. There is definitely a battle looming here. In a previous blog, I talked about Logain and the possibility that he is recruiting other channelers—maybe male and female—to help him take back the Black Tower. That would count as the White Tower—as Aes Sedai are initiates—battling Asha'man. And since we all know this is coming, it also gives credibility to Nicola's words.

That leads to the most important part of Nicola's Foretelling, in my opinion: the Dragon Reborn doing nine impossible things.

We see Janya repeating this in Crossroads of Twilight, but that doesn't mean Nicola said them all in that time. They could have been spread out from when her Talent appeared (in Lord of Chaos) to this point, at least half a year later. So, I would list the cleansing of the taint as one of the nine impossible things. But what else has Rand done that's considered impossible?

What about the balefire streams crossing (A Crown of Swords, Chapter 41, "A Crown of Swords")? I think most people would believe weaves that cross and cause a semi-merging of two people is impossible. Plus, this is going to play a huge part in the Last Battle. Whether or not you believe the body-swap theory, Min says to Rand, "I saw you and another man. I couldn't make out either face, but I knew one was you. You touched, and seemed to merge into one another, and...one of you dies, and one doesn't" (A Crown of Swords, Chapter 33, "A Bath"). Since Min doesn't believe this refers to Lews Therin, I don't either. And Rand and Moridin's connection has greatly increased over the past few books. So, if the streams crossing isn't the impossible aspect, perhaps Rand merging with Moridin—literally or figuratively—would be.

Rand was able to destroy cuendillar. That's impossible. In The Gathering Storm, Chapter 22, "The Last That Could Be Done," Rand uses the True Power to destroy the Domination Band. When it's first introduced, Moghedien says, "You cannot destroy it. That is not metal, but a form of cuendillar. Even balefire cannot destroy cuendillar" (The Shadow Rising, Chapter 54, "Into the Palace"). I think that counts.

Another feat: Rand becoming "Light and Power" (Towers of Midnight, Chapter 32, "A Storm of Light"). He defeated hundreds of thousands of Shadowspawn. By himself. Without an angreal. Impossible.

That's four we've seen, leaving five to be fulfilled. I've got a couple ideas on those.

1. Have a hand made of the One Power.

There's been some foreshadowing that Rand might be able to get a new hand—Min saw a viewing above Rand's head that was "a glowing sword, Callandor, being gripped in a black hand" (Towers of Midnight, Chapter 51, "A Testing"). This image has led many to speculate that Rand could make a new hand from the One Power. We know that using the Power on yourself doesn't work, so that would be impossible.

2. Break the seals.

Though they are cuendillar, they can be broken with a bare hand, so the physical destruction of them isn't impossible. It's the concept of destroying the seals that is ludicrous! Therefore, I think many would believe it impossible, just because it's a bad idea—and that's why Egwene plans on stopping him. However, Min says, "You have to destroy the seals to the Dark One's prison," and Rand replies with, "Yes, that sounds right. I doubt that many will wish to hear it. If those seals are broken, there is no way to tell what will happen. If I fail to contain him..." (The Gathering Storm, Chapter 15, "A Place to Begin").

3. Making the Aiel give up their spears.

We've seen through Aviendha's second trip through the glass column ter'angreal that Rand intends to leave the Aiel out of the Dragon's Peace agreement (Towers of Midnight, Chapter 49, "Court of the Sun"). Perhaps to avoid this dismal future, Aviendha will make Rand include the Aiel, having them give up their spears. That would be considered impossible by everyone, even the Aiel. If so, the Shaido heading back to the Three-Fold Land could be the "remnant of a remnant" (The Shadow Rising, Chapter 34, "He Who Comes With the Dawn")—meaning they will still act as warrior Aiel.

4. Surviving after the Last Battle.

Everyone believes Rand will die in the Last Battle—"twice to live, twice to die" (The Great Hunt, Chapter 26, "Discord")—so him surviving is pretty much impossible. Yet, many of us still think he will live, though the method in which he comes back is heavily debated.

5. Actually destroying the Dark One.

Rand seems to have the intent to kill the Dark One, not just reseal him in the Bore. When he speaks to Moridin in Tel'aran'rhiod Rand says, "I mean to kill him. Slay the Dark One. Let the Wheel turn without his constant taint." (The Gathering Storm, Chapter 15, "A Place to Begin"). Moridin replies with, "I doubt you can understand the magnitude of the stupidity in your statement," implying that it may be impossible for Rand to kill the Dark One.

I think most of the ideas on this list are likely, no matter that they are deemed impossible. And I think Nicola should be given a bit of credit for her Foretelling abilities. Even if only the imprisoned Amyrlin is correct, that's still a better record than Elaida, who always seems to misinterpret her Foretellings.

That's all for this edition. Please join us next week for a discussion—suggested by Metal Head—on what Moridin's true intentions are, and why there's a constant flip-flop in the orders to kill Rand. Thanks for reading!

Now, we have another edition of "WoT If?", with a focus on who will live or die at the Last Battle. I'd like to look at the Royal Family of Andor a bit today, and see if their family ties might be the key to their salvation...or their doom. As always:

Spoiler warning! This will include content from many books in the series, including Towers of Midnight, and speculation about A Memory of Light. Please read at your own risk.

Also, this WILL NOT contain spoilers from A Memory of Light's Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, or Chapter 11. Please refrain from posting any spoilers from A Memory of Light in the comments section. The A Memory of Light spoiler discussion board can be found here.

First and foremost, we need to start with Elayne. Like last week's featured couple, many fans are upset with Elayne and begging for her death. She, however, feels immune to the threat of mortality. For the past five books, since she found out she was pregnant, she has known she will live long enough to have healthy children. There was a scene in Towers of Midnight where she sort of came to terms with her supposed immortality (Chapter 23, "Foxheads"), but will that change how recklessly she acts? I doubt it.

What kind of textual evidence do we have? The main argument comes from the same logic Elayne used, that she will be safe until her children are born. Min said:

Winter's Heart

Chapter 12, "A Lily in Winter"

 

"She'll get with child from this. Two of them; a boy and a girl; both healthy and strong."

It's difficult to keep track of the timeline, but I believe only three or four months have passed since Elayne got pregnant. That means she has five or six more before her babies are born. If the Last Battle is starting now, I'd say Elayne is safe. Since her babies will be born "healthy and strong," I'm assuming she won't have them prematurely.

There's also Nicola's Foretelling:

Lord of Chaos

Chapter 14, "Dreams and Nightmares"

 

"The lion sword, the dedicated spear, she who sees beyond. Three on the boat, and he who is dead yet lives. The great battle done, but the world not done with battle. The land divided by the return, and the guardians balance the servants. The future teeters on the edge of a blade."

Since Rand is "he who is dead yet lives," the Last Battle must be finished. So despite everyone's hopes, I'm saying Elayne will survive Tarmon Gai'don.

The next few have a little less certainty, in my opinion. Let's move on to Gawyn, another person a lot of fans have come to hate. Min and Egwene have both had visions about Gawyn that seem to have a "maybe" quality to them. Min sees:

The Shadow Rising

Chapter 47, "The Truth of a Viewing"

 

Gawyn kneeling at Egwene's feet with his head bowed, and Gawyn breaking Egwene's neck, first one then the other, as if either could be the future.

And Egwene Dreams:

Lord of Chaos

Chapter 15, "A Pile of Sand"

 

Twice, right atop one another, she dreamed of taking him by the shoulders and trying to turn him to face the other way against his will. Once he brushed her hands away roughly; the other time, she was somehow stronger than he. The two blended together hazily.

And later:

A Crown of Swords

Chapter 10, "Unseen Eyes"

 

Down one fork was his violent death, down the other, a long life and a death in bed. On one path, he would marry her, on the other, not.

Gawyn made his choice in Towers of Midnight. He chose to bow before Egwene, not break her neck. And with knowing that in regards to Min's viewing, we can apply it to Egwene's Dreams. Because she made him come around to her way of thinking, we can see she was "stronger" than he, turning him from what he wanted.

But which path is which? The second Dream has a violent death versus death in bed, which is paralleled in the next sentence by marrying her versus not marrying her. Does this mean they are linked in that way? That the violent death is if he marries her, and death in bed if he doesn't? That's what I would think. And we know they intend to marry (Towers of Midnight, Chapter 42, "Stronger Than Blood"), so I'd say that's evidence pointing towards Gawyn dying. However, the wording could be an Aes Sedai trick by Robert Jordan to make us believe that the phrases are paired with one another when they really aren't.

Okay, let's look at more proof. Gawyn took the ter'angreal rings from the Bloodknife Seanchan assassins. Those ter'angreal kill the wearer, even if the ring is removed.

The Gathering Storm

Chapter 35, "The Death of Tuon"

 

The incredible abilities came at a cost, however, for the rings leeched life from their hosts, killing them in a matter of days. Removing the ring would slow that process slightly, but once activated—done by touching a drop of one's own blood to the stone ring while wearing it—the process was irreversible.

The last we've seen, Gawyn has them on a chain around his neck (Towers of Midnight, Chapter 56, "Something Wrong"). Can they hurt him if they've been activated by someone else? Does having them around the neck count as "wearing" them? How easily could Gawyn's blood drip onto the rings if they are that close?

There are a lot of questions and a lot we don't know about these ter'angreal, but I think this could be more foreshadowing about Gawyn's death.

What about Galad? We only have a few viewings from Min that hint about his future. We find out he "will always do what is right. No matter who it hurts" (The Great Hunt, Chapter 24, "New Friends and Old Enemies"), and he would hurt someone for the greater good, not even noticing who got hurt (The Great Hunt, Chapter 38, "Practice").

I think this emphasis on Galad's goodness-to-a-fault suggests a self-sacrifice. He was willing to die by the hands of Valda for the wrongs done to Morgase, and he could easily give up his own life to save another, for the greater good.

I've seen theories that suggest Galad might be the key to victory at the Last Battle for two reasons. One is Elaida's Foretelling about the "Royal line of Andor being the key to defeating the Dark One" (A Crown of Swords, Prologue), and two is the prophecy that says, "Red on black, the Dragon's blood stains the rock of Shayol Ghul. In the Pit of Doom shall his blood free men from the Shadow" (The Great Hunt, Chapter 26, "Discord"). Galad is a member of the royal line and Rand's half-brother by blood. Galad could be said to be the Dragon's blood. Since prophecy very rarely means what it says, I think it's possible that this isn't referring to Rand's actual blood. It could easily apply to Luc Mantear as well.

Min did see a viewing around Berelain sur Paendrag that she will meet "a man in white who will make her fall head over heels" (Lord of Chaos, Chapter 50, "Thorns"). We get hints in Towers of Midnight that it is Galad. Even if Berelain falls in love with him doesn't mean he will survive Tarmon Gai'don.

So, I think Galad's chances of surviving are slim as well.

Finally, let's look at Luc Mantear, who is currently half of the assassin Slayer. The circumstances around Luc's trip to the Blight are mysterious. Rumors say it was Gitara Moroso who told him to go (Lord of Chaos, Chapter 16, "Tellings of the Wheel"). If a Foretelling was involved, it seems like the Luc/Isam merging was a step the Pattern needed. And if the Pattern needed Slayer, then he most definitely has a major role to play. And that means he could be the key to victory, when he is able to help Rand—who he knows is his nephew (Winter's Heart, Chapter 22, "Out of Thin Air")—and perhaps defeat the Shadow inside himself, most likely to die in the process.

Either way, if Slayer doesn't return to the Light, Perrin will certainly kill him. I think it's almost a guarantee that Slayer will die during the Last Battle.

So, things look pretty grim for the Royal Line of Andor. I guess we'll find out for certain in six weeks! That's all for this edition. Next week, we'll look at Nicola's Foretellings (not the "Three on a boat" one!). Thanks for reading!

Welcome back to "WoT If?". This will be a continuation of theories regarding who will survive, or not survive, the Last Battle. We will be looking at Perrin and Faile. As always:

Spoiler warning! This will include content from many books in the series, including Towers of Midnight, and speculation about A Memory of Light. Please read at your own risk.

Also, this WILL NOT contain spoilers from A Memory of Light's Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, or Chapter 11. Please refrain from posting any spoilers from A Memory of Light in the comments section. The A Memory of Light spoiler discussion board can be found here.

There are a lot of fans who got…impatient…with Perrin and Faile's plotlines from Winter's Heart and all the way to Knife of Dreams. Because of this, there is some resentment towards the two, and many hope one or the other will die in the Last Battle. So, we'll look at evidence on both sides and see where their fate may lie.

First, let's look at Perrin. He's important, one of the three ta'veren necessary to ensure victory at Tarmon Gai'don. It's stated several places that he and Mat are both needed to give aid to Rand. Last week's post talked about this a bit, so I won't go into detail about the possible roles Perrin will have. Suffice to say, he has to be there. And if he's taking part in the battle, there is a chance he won't survive.

However, it's pretty simple to determine that Perrin will survive. In The Eye of the World, Min had a viewing about him:

The Eye of the World

Chapter 15, "Strangers and Friends"

 

"The strongest things I see about the big, curlyhaired fellow are a wolf, and a broken crown, and trees flowering all around him."

Tenobia, Shield of the North and Sword of the Blightborder, is the current bearer of the Broken Crown, but there's foreshadowing that she might die during the Last Battle (Towers of Midnight, Chapter 51, "A Testing"), or at least before producing an heir (Path of Daggers, Prologue). Because of this, Davram Bashere will succeed her to the throne of Saldaea. And, as there's foreshadowing that Bashere will die during the Last Battle (Crossroads of Twilight, Chapter 24, "A Strengthening Storm"), his heir, Faile, will inherit. Saldaea might be a nation in which an outlander married to the ruler becomes equal—that is, Faile would be Queen, but Perrin could be King—so Perrin would be the wearer of the Broken Crown.

If Tenobia and Bashere die during the Last Battle, Perrin must survive it in order to receive the Broken Crown. I doubt he would be considered the King of Saldaea the exact moment the current ruler dies, so there must be a coronation, and that would certainly take place after the Last Battle.

There are a few other things to mention about Perrin. He's got a Power-wrought hammer that's going to come in handy during the Last Battle. I don't think it will make him invincible, but it did do more damage to Trollocs than a normal hammer would (Towers of Midnight, Chapter 41, "An Unexpected Ally"). He's also a very skilled Dreamwalker, so if the Battle does go into Tel'aran'rhiod, as many people believe, he will be almost invincible there, too.

My last piece of evidence might be a bit of a stretch, but I'll bring it up, just in case. When Perrin and Elayne speak of Perrin's "rebellion," they reach an agreement, naming him Steward of the Two Rivers, and saying they will encourage their children to wed (Towers of Midnight, Chapter 47, "A Teaching Chamber"). In Aviendha's second trip through the glass-column ter'angreal, she sees her grandchild, Oncala, and Elayne's grandchild, Talana. If Perrin's and Elayne's children marry, Talana could be Perrin's grandchild as well. I think that would explain the "not very pretty, but very regal" (Towers of Midnight, Chapter 49, "Court of the Sun") comment by Oncala. The mix of Two Rivers blood and Saldaean blood in one of Talana's parents, and Aiel and Andoran in the other, will probably equal something that's not very pretty.

So, Perrin must survive to get the Broken Crown and to father the child who becomes the parent of Talana.

Now, let's discuss Faile. I think most of the same arguments hold for her as for Perrin, especially the part about him fathering a child. But she will also need to be alive for him to take the Broken Crown. I think they'll have to be crowned together. However, this might be a point against her surviving. Perhaps that is why Perrin has the Broken Crown, not because they are equal rulers, but because Faile has died, leaving him to rule Saldaea alone. There is the chance that simply being her husband gives him the right even if she dies, too.

Another point for her survival: I don't think Faile will be doing much fighting during the Last Battle. Perrin has finally learned Saldaean ways, and he's become more comfortable with proving he's "stronger" than her. He'll tell her she can't fight, and she won't.

On top of that, we had three books worth of plotlines in which Faile's life was in danger. One thing I've learned from literature is authors don't repeat plotlines with the same characters. Even looking at the three times Rand fought Ba'alzamon, each scene was different: the first time, Rand simply cut the black cord; the second, Rand and Ba'alzamon dueled with swords in Falme; and the third, they fought with the One Power. So, even though the theme is the same, the execution is different. Faile spent so much time with a vague sense of danger that I don't believe she will face too much in the Last Battle.

I think that is sufficient proof for Perrin's survival, and just enough that I will say Faile will live too. With the quickly approaching arrival of A Memory of Light, I'll try to squeeze in a few more of these predictions. Next week, we'll examine the Royal Line of Andor—everyone from Elayne to Galad—and see if they're likely to live or die. Thanks for reading.

Welcome back to "WoT If?", Dragonmount's theory blog, and sorry for the delay. Since you've all been waiting, no doubt, with bated breath, let's jump right into today's topic: the three ta'veren, their connection to one another, and their purpose in the Last Battle.

Spoiler warning! This will include content from many books in the series, including Towers of Midnight, and speculation about A Memory of Light. Please read at your own risk.

Also, this WILL NOT contain spoilers from A Memory of Light's Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, or Chapter 11. Please refrain from posting any spoilers from A Memory of Light in the comments section. The A Memory of Light spoiler discussion board can be found here.

We know the fact that there are three ta'veren is significant. I think it shows that the Shadow is really strong and poised for victory during this Age. That is why the Wheel spun out the three together, to balance the evils within the world. And there are many threads connecting Rand, Mat, and Perrin together. They feel each others' need, they are able to see the others through an outside source with the swirling colors, and they have a similar sense of duty, knowing they must all be together during Tarmon Gai'don.

For the longest time, I've held the belief that Mat and Perrin would accompany Rand to Shayol Ghul, down into the mountain itself. There are a few pieces of evidence that support this theory, so I'll point them out quickly. First, three ta'veren together have more power than they do separately. Moiraine mentions this a couple of times in The Eye of the World. In this scene, she's speaking with Lord Agelmar, emphasizing why Rand, Mat, and Perrin must go to the Eye.

The Eye of the World

Chapter 47, "More Tales of the Wheel"

 

"Three ta'veren in one place are enough to change the life around them as surely as a whirlpool changes the path of a straw. When the place is the Eye of the World, the Pattern might weave even the Father of Lies into itself, and make him harmless again."

If three ta'veren can affect the Pattern around the Eye, and maybe weave the Dark One out, surely there's a greater chance of that if all three go to the Pit of Doom.

Another reason I think this is possible is because Mat and Perrin already have their functions for the Last Battle, and it will mirror their functions during the battle against the Seanchan in Falme. Mat and Perrin both fought, but not to the extent of being battle leaders. Mat sounded the Horn, Perrin held the Dragon Banner. During the Last Battle, they should have the same roles.

Naturally, there is some counter evidence to this too. The most obvious is the cover for A Memory of Light, which features Rand with Moiraine and Nynaeve going down into the Dark One's Bore. Of course, Mat and Perrin could be coming in right behind them.

Mat's battle reputation has increased significantly since Falme, so it may seem like a loss to the Light side if Mat doesn't help lead the battle. But there are still four of the Great Captains alive, plus Lan and the great Aiel leaders, and possibly even the Seanchan leaders—since all of them are considered to be like the Great Captains (Crossroads of Twilight, Chapter 23, "Ornaments"). I don't think Mat's presence would be missed too much.

If it's not possible for Mat and Perrin to be there physically, let's look at this from a different angle. Maybe their pull on each other is what the colored swirls are all about. I looked through the interview pages, and all major questions in regards to the colors was met with a RAFO. Brandon Sanderson answered one: that the colors can't be seen in Tel'aran'rhiod, or in the land of the Finns.

We know very little about this part of their connection, only that it increases as the books progress and now they can actually see what the others are doing. Maybe this will be how they stay together, through their ta'veren link. If Mat and Perrin do stay outside, they could go into a trance, being connected with Rand, though not actually inside the Bore with him.

And what of them seeing each other? This is such a strange aspect of their abilities. As I mentioned earlier, when the colors swirl, they see the others through an outside source—not from the others' eyes, or even from another person in the room. It's like an out-of-body experience; they float in the space in front of the others. Whose eyes are they seeing through? Is it the Pattern that picks a spot from which to see? Is the Pattern that all-encompassing? The Pattern, the fabric of reality, should have access to every aspect within the world, right?

Let's look at the first time Mat actually sees an image with the colors:

Crossroads of Twilight

Chapter 3, "A Fan of Colors"

 

Whenever he thought of Rand or Perrin, colors swirled in his head. A part of being ta’veren, he supposed. This time, he had not thought of either of his friends, but the colors had suddenly been there, a fan of a thousand rainbows. This time, they had almost formed an image, a vague impression that might have been a man and a woman seated on the ground facing one another.

And here's a more recent one, from when Tam tells Perrin he needs to go with the Aes Sedai:

Towers of Midnight

Chapter 29, "A Terrible Feeling"

 

The colors swirled. Rand walked the hallways of the Stone of Tear. His expression was dark. Dangerous.

This implies that Perrin's vision is moving with Rand, like a tracking shot. Most of the time, they dismiss the images, making them go away. If they didn't, would they stay connected for longer lengths of time?

It's been answered by Robert Jordan that souls cannot be split, so the out-of-body experiences they are having doesn't suggest that they are part of the same soul, able to view another third of their body.

But I'm sure the swirls of colors is the key in some way to the Light's triumph over the Shadow. Perhaps that's the true meaning of the prophecy, "the three shall be as one" (The Gathering Storm, Chapter 48, "Reading the Commentary").

That's all for this edition. Join me next week for an examination of whether Perrin and Faile will survive the Last Battle. Thanks for reading!

Welcome back to "WoT If?", Dragonmount's weekly theory blog. With the release of A Memory of Light quickly approaching, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at whether some characters will survive or perish during the Last Battle. We'll take just a few people at a time and look at foreshadowing, among other things, that point to life or death after the series.

Spoiler warning! This will include content from many books in the series, including Towers of Midnight, and speculation about A Memory of Light. Please read at your own risk.

Also, this WILL NOT contain spoilers from A Memory of Light's Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, or Chapter 11. Please refrain from posting any spoilers from A Memory of Light in the comments section. The A Memory of Light spoiler discussion board can be found here.

A few weeks ago, we touched upon the subject of Birgitte, but only in regards to her connection to the Horn. I'd like to expand on that a bit, seeing if she's a prime candidate for death before, or during, the Last Battle.

I'll start with the evidence saying she won't die. There's less of this, I believe.

As discussed two weeks ago, Min sees Birgitte bound to a man who is "older" and "much younger," but is the same man (Winter's Heart, Chapter 12, "A Lily in Winter"). If Birgitte dies and is reborn right away, she will be younger than Gaidal Cain, like normal. Alternately, she could die and not be reborn, but I think the results would be the same. The next time around, he would be born first and she would be born later. For Gaidal to be the younger of the pair, I'd say that she has to live through this life.

That's the only logic I can find that points to her surviving. Now for reasons she will die.

Birgitte is a tragic character, one of the most tragic in the series. Her greatest fear comes from losing her memories, which would make her forget Gaidal Cain. She begins to drink heavily to drown her sorrows. She also hates people knowing her past and that she is a Hero. She feels like that title is undeserved in this life because she hasn't done anything to deserve it. In the past, she only did what she had to, and the pressure of living up to her fame is too much for her to handle. She doesn't like the titles Elayne has forced on her, and though Birgitte cares for Elayne greatly, their relationship doesn't bring the comfort it should. In short, Birgitte doesn't have much to live for.

One thing Robert Jordan said points to Birgitte's death:

Question: What happens to Birgitte if the Horn of Valere is sounded again?

 

Robert Jordan: Read and find out, my children, read and find out. :)

In all honesty, I think this means that Birgitte might die before the Horn is sounded again. When asked something along the same lines, Brandon Sanderson gives a straightforward answer.

Question: Will Gaidal Cain be spun out as a hero of the horn of Valere should the horn be sounded again? Can a hero show up there if alive? Will a hero become a "copy" that rests within the horn until called to arms?

 

Brandon Sanderson: As I understand, if you are 'spun out' you do not respond to the call of the Horn. So no Cain showing up if it is sounded again, as he's been spun out.

The same would be true about Birgitte. Even if she hasn't been "spun out" in the traditional sense, her soul isn't in Tel'aran'rhiod to come to the call of the Horn. And if she died, I think her soul would go to the "waiting place" before going to Tel'aran'rhiod (which is also the reason I don't think Rand will be ripped out of Tel'aran'rhiod after his death). Of course, there are some things Robert Jordan RAFO'ed that Brandon Sanderson has answered, so perhaps that's not the best proof.

So here's something better. First, Elayne thinks about how Birgitte is unable to use a sword.

Winter's Heart

Chapter 7, "The Streets of Caemlyn"

 

Unlike them, she [birgitte] wore neither sword nor armor. The memories of her past lives were fading—she said she could remember nothing at all clearly before the founding of the White Tower, now, though fragments still floated up—but one thing she claimed to recall absolutely. Every time she had tried to use a sword, she had nearly gotten herself killed, and had even done so more than once.

Next, Elayne comments on how Birgitte refuses to use a sword.

Winter's Heart

Chapter 27, "To Surprise Queens and Kings"

 

The suggestion that she [birgitte] wear a sword had been quashed with as much indignation as if Elayne had asked Aviendha to wear one. Birgitte knew the bow, but she claimed she might stab herself trying to draw a sword.

And finally, Birgitte is wearing a sword.

Towers of Midnight

Chapter 22, "The End of a Legend"

 

Though she had Guardswomen and men with extra bows at the hallways, Birgitte herself carried a sword, for an assassination attempt would most likely turn to close-quarters fighting.

This, my friends, is foreshadowing. And notice how it's dropped in so casually; there's no extra attention given to it. That's good foreshadowing. In fact, when Towers of Midnight first came out, many people questioned this part in the book. It seemed so out of place with Birgitte's earlier insistence that she won't touch a sword. I think a lot of people thought it was a mistake of sorts, but I'm sure it's just a hint of things to come, trying to sneak below our radar. As a student of literature, I feel these little signs are meant to be important clues to later plotlines.

One last thing Min saw around Elayne might point to a tragic event with Birgitte:

The Great Hunt

Chapter 24, "New Friends and Old Enemies"

 

"She says that a great deal," Elayne said dryly. "One of the things she said she saw looking at me was a severed hand. Not mine, she says. She claims she does not know what it means, either."

Perhaps it's Birgitte stabbing herself, cutting off her own hand by accident? Or maybe something not so accidental? Maybe it will be some sort of sacrifice, Birgitte giving up her life to save Elayne's?

I think Birgitte is going to be the most important character to die during the final book. I honestly believe all of our "main" characters will live. We'll go into some of the possibilities of that sometime later. That's all for this week. For next time, I want to speculate a bit on the connection between the three ta'veren. Thanks for reading!

In August, I wrote a three part series on the conclusion of The Eye of the World. For this week, I want to do something similar with The Great Hunt. There aren't nearly as many questions for The Great Hunt, but there are some. And one thing I really enjoy about The Wheel of Time series is looking deep into these specific scenes and finding unanswered questions. But, before we start:

Spoiler warning! This will include content from many books in the series, including Towers of Midnight, and speculation about A Memory of Light. Please read at your own risk.

Also, this WILL NOT contain spoilers from A Memory of Light's Prologue, Chapter 1, or Chapter 11. Please refrain from posting any spoilers from A Memory of Light in the comments section. The A Memory of Light spoiler discussion board can be found here.

The ending of The Great Hunt begins, in my opinion, at chapter 47, "The Grave is no Bar to My Call." To refresh your memory, Rand, Mat, Perrin, and Hurin just left Falme; Ingtar stayed behind to try to cleanse himself of the evil he had done. As they leave the town, the Seanchan army advances from behind them, and a Whitecloak army advances from ahead. They are stuck in the middle with nowhere to go.

The interesting thing during this scene is that Rand knows he has to "go back" to Falme. This is one of the first examples of the Pattern forcing the characters to do its will. And later, Hawkwing confirms that this moment was destined by the Pattern.

"The Pattern weaves itself around our necks like halters," Artur Hawkwing said. "You are here. The banner is here. The weave of this moment is set. We have come to the Horn, but we must follow the banner. And the Dragon."

We discussed this a bit when we talked about Perrin possibly going against the Pattern, but I'm going to point it out again. Hawkwing, who has been summoned by the Horn of Valere, who has more knowledge than any living man, says the Heroes will only follow the Dragon. This is the complete opposite of Moiraine's insistence that the Horn could be sounded by Darkfriends and used for the Shadow's side. Robert Jordan had this to say on the matter:

Question: Hawkwing says they follow the banner and the Dragon. Moiraine says the Heroes will follow whoever winds the Horn. Was Moiraine wrong?

 

Robert Jordan: *Arch look* Moiraine doesn't know everything. She was speaking the truth as she knows it...However, she is correct in that whoever sounds the Horn "controls the Heroes."

 

Question: Then what happens if the Dragon and the banner are on opposite sides of the conflict from whoever sounds the Horn?

 

Robert Jordan: Then we get a [rift] in the Pattern.

First off, this confirms, I think, that Moiraine was incorrect about the Horn being used by the Shadow, at least in this instance. Since Ingtar wanted to change sides, if he had blown it, the results would have been the same (likewise for Verin). However, if another Darkfriend had sounded it, a rift in the Pattern would have formed. No Darkfriend, with the intent to use it for the Shadow, could have sounded it at this precise moment. The Pattern wouldn't have accepted it.

Also, in regards to Hawkwing, one thing I've always wondered is why the Seanchan don't notice Hawkwing is fighting against them? Surely they have historical books, or even paintings, to know what he looked like. Albeit, not many were able to get a good look at their attackers, but Min was able to see Birgitte, so some Seanchan should have. And, as fond as the Seanchan are of omens, their ancestor kicking their butts should have made them sail back home as quickly as possible.

Another thing of interest is Birgitte's reaction to Rand when he says he needs to save Egwene.

"And—and there is a girl. Egwene al'Vere. A novice from the White Tower. The Seanchan have her prisoner. You must help me free her."

 

To his surprise, several of the small host behind Artur Hawkwing chuckled, and Birgitte, testing her bowstring, laughed. "You always choose women who cause you trouble, Lews Therin." It had a fond sound, as between old friends.

Obviously, as Heroes bound to the Horn, they have all of eternity in Tel'aran'rhiod. This is such an interesting concept. Think of how well they all know each other. It gives a new meaning to the term "life-long friends."

But, when Birgitte is ripped from Tel'aran'rhiod, she has a completely different view of Rand.

Winter's Heart

Chapter 12, "A Lily in Winter"

 

"Him?" Birgitte said softly. "Mother's milk in a cup! She could have fallen in love with a cutpurse or a horse thief, but she had to choose him, more fool her. By what I saw of him at that place you mentioned, the man's too pretty to be good for any woman."

Why would her fondness and feelings of friendship disappear? She still has most of her memories, so she should still remember him as Lews Therin, like in The Great Hunt. This is something that's never made sense to me. Perhaps when she speaks to him again, since his epiphany on Dragonmount, she'll like him once more.

A popular theory right now is that the Horn actually pulls the area around it into Tel'aran'rhiod. Many people speculate that this is how Rand will die and live again (a la Neo in The Matrix). There are a few things in The Great Hunt that point to this conclusion.

One is that time actually stops once the Horn is used. Rand thinks that "no time at all had passed since the Horn was first blown, as though time had paused while the heroes answered the call and now resumed counting." We know time in Tel'aran'rhiod is different from normal life, so this could be an indication that they are in the World of Dreams. Another is that Min sees Birgitte shoot arrows at the Seanchan, and the arrows catch things on fire. This special ability could also be seen as proof that they are in Tel'aran'rhiod. Birgitte says later that "My bow is the ordinary sort, today" (The Path of Daggers, Chapter 6, "Threads"), so it is special while in Falme. Also, Rand and Ishamael fight in the clouds. I don't think there's any way this could happen in the real world.

Going into that a bit more, why does their fight go into the air? And why is it broadcast all over the world? Moiraine says Rand's battle was seen by everyone in the area (The Great Hunt, Chapter 49, "What Was Meant to Be"), and Taim confirms that he saw Rand in the sky as well (Lord of Chaos, Chapter 2, "A New Arrival").

Robert Jordan says that this mirage of their battle was done by the Wheel, not the Creator or the Pattern:

Question: At the end of The Great Hunt when Rand and Ishamael were fighting in the air above Falme, they appeared in the sky over many places and my question is whether this is something done by the One Power or something done by the Creator? How did they appear in the sky?

 

Robert Jordan: An effect of the Wheel, really. It wasn't the Creator. The Wheel is more than a simple mechanism. Remember the Wheel can spit out ta'veren, can spit out Heroes as a self-correcting device because the Pattern is drifting from what it is supposed to be. We are not talking about something as simple as a spinning wheel at all, we are talking something more along the lines of the most complex computer you could possibly imagine. There were at that time, two, there were false Dragons that had a chance to create a lot of disruption. By the appearance in the sky at that battle, not just in Falme but in other places, those false Dragons were taken off the board because there was only room now for one, for one Dragon.

That only slightly answers the question. Why would the Wheel want the battle to be seen by everyone? Maybe the only point was to thwart the False Dragons? Maybe it was so the world could prepare for Rand's coming? Maybe it was when Rand actually became the Dragon? I think it more likely that happened when he took the Eye of the World, though.

This is also an isolated incident. There are more important events that happen through the series, but they don't receive this kind of attention from the Wheel. And it was after this that Rand lets himself be named the Dragon Reborn, not during. In fact, it was five days after the battle that Rand finally "made his decision." So the argument that happened because he was announcing himself doesn't hold up.

So, what's the point? Brandon Sanderson said in an interview that this was a "Pattern Level Event," so there must be some reason why the Pattern, or the Wheel, wanted it shown.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say the Wheel did it to show off. It's as simple as that. The Wheel is saying, "Look at this miraculous thing I created. Here is my hard work, come to fruition." All the events after the Breaking, the Aiel fleeing, being chased and hurt, finally settling in the Waste; all the events after that, making peace with the Cairhien, the Jenn dwindling, the start of Rhuidean; all the events after the clans were formed, agreeing to see their secret past, the war against the Oathbreakers, Maidens heading for Tar Valon. ALL of this had to happen for Rand to be where he was. Look at all the work, all the planning, the Wheel had to do to get things in motion, to get the outcome it wanted.

Why did it pick this scene to show? I've got the answer to that too. What better way is there to bolster the good guys and send fear into the hearts of the bad guys than broadcasting the Shadow's defeat around the world?

That's all for this week. Next time, we'll take a closer look to see whether Birgitte will survive the Last Battle.

Welcome back to another edition of "WoT If?". This week, I want to examine Min's viewings, what they actually consist of, and different ways they can be interpreted. I feel that some of what she sees hints at answers with regards to Lan and Birgitte, in particular. But before we begin:

Spoiler warning! This will include content from many books in the series, including Towers of Midnight, and speculation about A Memory of Light. Please read at your own risk.

Also, this WILL NOT contain spoilers from A Memory of Light's Prologue, Chapter 1, or Chapter 11. Please refrain from posting any spoilers from A Memory of Light in the comments section. The A Memory of Light spoiler discussion board can be found here.

I think we need to come to the harsh reality that some of our beloved characters will die in the last book. As much as I don't want that to happen, it needs to. And even though Rand will die, I'm convinced he will be Healed, or his soul will be reclaimed. He doesn't count as one of the characters who will die, in my opinion.

But there is one who most believe will die during the Last Battle: Lan. As my favorite male character, I'm hoping he won't. So, naturally, I'm going to point out all the clues—mostly from Min's viewings—that suggest he might survive Tarmon Gai'don.

First, let's look at this interview with Robert Jordan to see what he has to say about Min's viewings.

Slayer: Do Min's viewings always predict the future, or do some tell about the past, mainly the seven towers around Lan in The Eye of the World?

 

Robert Jordan: Um, her viewings are always concerning the future.

I think this is so interesting, because I assumed this viewing was of the past, too. Let's see exactly what Min said before we go into it more.

The Eye of the World

Chapter 15, "Strangers and Friends"

 

“The War...ah...Master Andra has seven ruined towers around his head, and a babe in a cradle holding a sword, and...” She shook her head. “Men like him — you understand? — always have so many images they crowd one another."

We learn later (Chapter 47, "More Tales of the Wheel"), that Lan is the last Lord of the Seven Towers. And his parents placed a sword in his infant hands, and consecrated him the next Malkieri king. I think our first instinct at this point is to think back to Min's viewing and say, "Oh, there are the Seven Towers, and the babe with a sword." Pretty simple.

But, taking that quote from Robert Jordan into consideration, especially because the asker points out the viewings in The Eye of the World, we know these are future events. And if these events are in the future, I think it's safe to assume that Lan will bear a child with Nynaeve.

Looking at the timeline for The Gathering Storm and Towers of Midnight, we see that it took Lan 100 days to ride from World's End, in Saldaea, to Tarwin's Gap, in Shienar. That's 100 days he's been apart from Nynaeve. That's more than three months, which would be plenty of time for Nynaeve to start showing if she was pregnant. We've seen her take the test for Aes Sedai, and know she swore on the Oath Rod; both things she wouldn't do if she was pregnant. So, I'm going to conclude that, at this point, Nynaeve is not pregnant.

There is a viewing Min has about Nynaeve that might put a damper on this theory, in some people's opinions.

The Gathering Storm

Chapter 48, "Reading the Commentary"

 

And...what was that vision that was suddenly hovering above Nynaeve's head? She was kneeling over someone's corpse in a posture of grief. The viewing was gone a moment later.

 

Min shook her head. That hadn't been a viewing she could interpret, so she let it pass. She couldn't waste her time trying to unravel all of those.

Nynaeve is a very kind soul—despite her bullying. We saw in her test for Aes Sedai that they constantly made her walk away from sick children because it hurt her the most. She is a natural healer, wanting to cure anyone and everyone. So, her bent over in a posture of grief doesn't necessarily mean it's Lan she's mourning.

Also, notice how Min can't interpret it. Nynaeve mourning the loss of her husband is pretty straightforward. Not much to interpret there. I think it more likely that it's Rand's body she's bent over. And it's this scene where she will Heal him, or grab onto his soul.

My conclusion: Lan has to survive the Last Battle.

Let's move on to Birgitte. Many wonder if she is still bound to the Horn after being ripped out of Tel'aran'rhiod. There are a few reasons I believe this is so.

Now, this might not count as proof, but I want to point it out. After Mat recognizes Birgitte in A Crown of Swords, they speak in the Old Tongue and she calls Mat "Horn Sounder" (Chapter 21, "Swovan Night"). I think this definitely shows that Mat is still bound to the Horn, because Birgitte was in Tel'aran'rhiod after he was killed and brought back to life (The Fires of Heaven, Chapter 54, "To Caemlyn"). I feel Birgitte, being a Hero, would feel if the connection to Mat had been broken by his death and rebirth. Again, that's not really about Birgitte, but I think the parallels are similar. Birgitte is still bound after her strange rebirth too.

And the main reason Birgitte is still bound to the Horn is Min's first viewings of her.

Winter's Heart

Chapter 12, "A Lily in Winter"

 

Auras danced around her and images flickered, more than Min had ever seen around anyone, thousands it seemed, cascading over one another.

…

 

Besides, those multitudes of images and auras flashed by too quickly for her to make out any clearly, but she was certain they indicated more adventures than a woman could have in one lifetime. Strangely, some were connected to an ugly man who was older than she, and others to an ugly man who was much younger, yet somehow Min knew they were the same man.

Remember that all these viewings are in the future. She has so many of them, more so than Rand, even—and he's also bound to the Horn. This is probably due to Birgitte being ripped out. But she still has a thousand more lives to live, and all of them connected to Gaidal Cain. I think her rebirth threw off their cycle—hence his being younger or older—but there's no doubt she's still bound to him.

And if Birgitte is bound to Gaidal, I don't think her connection to the Horn has been broken either.

I have one last thing to point out about Min's viewings.

Question: How valid are the viewings and prophecies, given that the Pattern has been loosened? There was also a comment by the person about how the viewings and prophecies are readings of the Pattern.

 

Robert Jordan (paraphrased): The viewings and prophecies that occurred before the loosening of the Pattern are very valid. But those that occurred at, or after, the loosening have a higher chance of not coming true.

This shows that everything—viewings, dreamwalker's prophecies, foretellings—are less true today than yesterday. And probably will continue to be less likely. We know Rand's use of balefire on Natrin's Barrow caused a great loosening of the Pattern (The Gathering Storm, Chapter 37, "A Force of Light"). Plus, we know Demandred was commanded to unleash balefire on the world by the Dark One (Lord of Chaos, Prologue). With the Pattern taking so much damage, I'm not sure how far we can trust any recent viewings.

And that's all we have time for today. Next week, I want to look at the end of The Great Hunt and try to answer lingering questions about events at Falme. Thanks for reading!

Hello, all! Welcome back to "WoT If?", Dragonmount's weekly theory blog. Today's topic is a little speculative, but I'm convinced I'm on the right track to how Rand's "to live you must die" riddle will be solved. As always:

Spoiler warning! This will include content from many books in the series, including Towers of Midnight, and speculation about A Memory of Light. Please read at your own risk.

Also, this WILL NOT contain spoilers from A Memory of Light's Prologue, Chapter 1, or Chapter 11. Please refrain from posting any spoilers from A Memory of Light in the comments section. The A Memory of Light spoiler discussion board can be found here.

Let's start with a little background information about the Nym. This might seem off topic, but I'll tie everything together. According to The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time, Nym are artificial constructs, like Trollocs (Chapter 21, "The Ogier"). The Nym were created to aid the Da'shain Aiel in seed singing.

Chapter 3, "The Age of Legends"

 

Farmland produced optimum yield through use of the One Power. In a method called "seed singing," Ogier (a separate race of beings gifted with the ability to aid and enhance growing things), Nym, and Da'shain Aiel worked as a team, focusing the One Power to insure perfect growth for every field they "sang."

In the actual series, we see the Green Man, the last Nym, in The Eye of the World (Chapters 49 and 50). He teases us with knowledge (using phrases like "Child of the Dragon" in reference to Rand, and "wolfbrother" to Perrin), but his memory's not what it used to be due to the wound he suffered in the Age of Legends. This scene really piques our curiosity with all the tantalizing information we're almost given. And it makes us want to know more about what the Nym did before the Breaking.

We see the same Nym, Someshta, in the glass-column ter'angreal in Rhuidean (The Shadow Rising, Chapter 26, "The Dedicated"). In this scene, we see him given the task of protecting the Eye of the World. Going back further, we see an actual seed singing, with Someshta, Ogier, and male Aiel. This is the important part:

Coumin wondered if he could ask Someshta about Charn's stories. He had spoken to him once, and Someshta was old enough to know if Charn was telling the truth; the Nym were older than anyone. Some said the Nym never died, not so long as plants grew. But this was no time to be thinking of questioning a Nym.

 

The Ogier began it, as was fitting, standing to sing, great bass rumbles like the earth singing. The Aiel rose, men's voices lifting in their own song, even the deepest at a higher pitch than the Ogier's. Yet the songs braided together, and Someshta took those threads and wove them into his dance, gliding across the field in swooping strides, arms wide, butterflies swirling about him, landing on his spread fingertips.

Seed singing uses the One Power to strengthen the crops. Ogier can't channel. The Aiel can't channel (those who can are taken to be Aes Sedai). Is Someshta the one who is channeling? It does say Someshta takes the threads and weaves them.

If the Nym are artificial constructs, how are they able to access the One Power?

Well, last week I talked about how Myrddraal might be able to access the True Power, and they are artificial. It's not too far of a stretch to apply the same logic to the Nym. Let's look at a quote from Robert Jordan in regards to constructs and souls:

Question: How does the idea of souls apply to constructs such as Nym and Trollocs? Could either of them be reborn?

 

Robert Jordan: To whoever put this one forward, this is one of the best questions I've ever gotten! Nym and Trollocs both have souls, and either could be reborn, but since Nym were a pure construct (i.e. each of them was individually made, like hand-crafting) a Nym would not be reborn as a Nym. You might say that a Nym's soul was borrowed temporarily from the supply of souls awaiting rebirth. A Trolloc, however, bears a twisted, or corrupted soul, and would be reborn as a Trolloc. Though frankly, a Trolloc's soul is such a pitiful thing, it hardly seems worth calling a soul.

So many things leapt out at me from this statement.

1. "One of the best questions I've ever gotten!"

I think Robert Jordan's enthusiasm for the question suggests the importance of it. Why would he get so excited about the concept of Nym souls unless it has some bearing on the future plotlines? Of course, his typical RAFO answer is used for really important things, but perhaps he thought he could disguise something important in this statement?

2. Pure construct vs. animal/human hybrid construct

Trollocs, made from animal and human mixtures, are not pure constructs. They are organic, made from living things, but morphed into something else. Nym are pure constructs, completely artificial—they are made from plants, but not sentient beings. If that's correct, why are they attuned to plants and growth? I'd say it's because of the soul inside them; the soul is able to amplify their nature. Since they are constructed from plants, when the soul is added, those plants are given sentient life.

3. A Nym's soul is a human soul

Wolves are always reborn as wolves, Trollocs are always Trollocs, but Nym aren't always Nym. That is such a strange concept, which leads me to the conclusion that Nym would be reborn as humans. And the only reason I can think of to explain it is, that since Nym are filled with a soul artificially, the souls come from the Pattern's pile of waiting, human threads.

4. "Borrowed…from the supply of souls"

This makes my eyes pop! Only the Dark One seems to have the ability to snatch a soul after it's dead and place it inside a body (a dead body, which is like a construct!). But this quote seems to imply that the Aes Sedai had access to souls that they could store inside the Nym bodies.

Anyone could sit around and make constructs all day. Make a body out of clay, make a body out of snow, make a body out of grass and leaves and vines. But something has to be done to the body to make it alive. Someone needs to give it a soul. The Creator wouldn't say, "Oh, here's a construct that looks okay, I'm going to send the next waiting soul into it." That's taking too much action, and the Creator doesn't get involved. Also, why would the Creator fill the Nym, and not a snowman?

That means it is the Aes Sedai. There's no other way it could work. And if Aes Sedai in the Age of Legends found a way to access the "souls awaiting rebirth," there's no reason one of the channelers of this time (Nynaeve) couldn't figure out how to do it too!

If Rand dies, as we all know he must, it seems plausible that someone will simply grab his soul and place it back inside his body. I speculated in my first post that Nynaeve might learn how to Heal death, but I think it's just as likely she will learn how to grab a soul that's outside the Pattern.

That's my prediction for this week. It's not too different from other theories already circulating, but I like to back it up with plausible proof. Post your thoughts, whether you agree or disagree. We won't have too long to wait until we find out.

That's all for this edition. Next time, we'll take a close look at some of Min's later viewings. Thanks for reading.

Welcome back to "WoT If?". The look at Padan Fain two weeks back got me thinking about the baddies in the Wheel of Time world, and what roles, if any, some will have in the final book.

Spoiler warning! This will include content from many books in the series, including Towers of Midnight, and speculation about A Memory of Light. Please read at your own risk.

Also, this WILL NOT contain spoilers from A Memory of Light's Prologue, Chapter 1, or Chapter 11. Please refrain from posting any spoilers from A Memory of Light in the comments section. The A Memory of Light spoiler discussion board is found here.

Let's start with a quick look at Mashadar, since he's the odd man out—not being Shadowspawn. We talked a bit about Mordeth in the Fain discussion, but I didn't really focus on Mashadar's powers and aspects.

Mashadar is a stealer of souls and memories, according to Brandon Sanderson. It is able—like Machin Shin—to steal the very core of the things it eats. It's suggested that this is one of the reasons Rand chose to cleanse saidin at Shadar Logoth; the taint siphoned off the Source was consumed by Mashadar. Or, rather, they consumed each other. But was Mashadar really eradicated? Let's look at this interview:

Azral Hanan: Can Mashadar destroy True Power and True Power weaves like it destroyed the taint?

 

Brandon Sanderson: RAFO.

 

Benjamin Moldovan: Mashadar is gone, isn't it? Would it really hurt to say whether the True Power would be affected?

 

Brandon Sanderson: Have we ever confirmed that Mashadar is dead? :)

I think this refers to the Mashadar powers that still reside within Fain. We see him using a fog to create zombie Trollocs (Towers of Midnight, Prologue). That's definitely Mashadar, but evolved. I'm not going to go into it all again; look at the Fain post for more details on Fain and Mashadar's possible role in the Last Battle. Or perhaps it's a suggestion that Mashadar will return, even with Shadar Logoth completely gone.

One last thing to note on Mashadar is that, when it touched Sammael, it somehow tainted his thread, which is the reason the Dark One didn't transmigrate his soul. That's pretty tainted if even the Dark One won't touch it. (This, again, reinforces the dueling nature of Shadow evil vs. Shadar Logoth evil.)

Next is Gray Men; though once human, they are listed as being Shadowspawn. They are the Shadow's assassins, people who have willingly given up their souls to the Dark One. First off, I wonder who would be stupid enough to make that bargain. I can't see any benefit for the person in that arrangement. But, apparently, some go through the process.

The interesting thing I found while researching this topic is the connection between Gray Men and someone who is mindtrapped. Robert Jordan said:

Greebs: [Thinking he better get to the questions fast.] Umm, we were wondering if you had to take someone down into the Pit of Doom to make them into a Gray Man, you know, 'cause it seems so similar to mindtrapping someone.

 

Robert Jordan: Yes...at least that's the way I've always thought of it. It's not easy to remove someone's soul.

The only difference I can see between a Gray Man and the cour'souvra is the surrender seems to be voluntary with the Gray Man. Also, I wonder what the ability to channel has to do with it. The cour'souvra only works on channelers (A Crown of Swords, Chapter 25, "Mindtrap"). Is the same true for Gray Men?

When Moghedien is first entered into the mindtrap she thinks:

A Crown of Swords

Chapter 25, "Mindtrap"

 

Breaking a mindtrap did not require much more pressure than he was using. She could be on the other side of the world or farther, and it would not matter a hair. The part of her that was her would be separated; she would still see with her eyes and hear with her ears, taste what crossed her tongue and feel what touched her, but helpless within an automaton that was utterly obedient to whoever held the cour’souvra. Whether or not there was any way to get free of it, a mindtrap was just what its name implied.

That sounds very similar to what a Gray Man does: utterly obedient, but with no will of his own. Is it possible that Gray Men are people who have been put into a mindtrap, then had it broken? If it's so difficult to take someone's soul, wouldn't it make sense if there is only one way to do it?

When Aginor made Trollocs and accidentally created Myrddraal, both the One Power and the True Power were used. Robert Jordan said so in an interview:

Wotmania: Ishamael's corpse in The Dragon Reborn had only pits where his eyes and mouth once were. Was this a result of the True Power? If this is true, is the True Power the reason that Fades have no eyes, but some supernatural abilities?

 

Robert Jordan: The True Power is the reason that Ishamael's corpse had no eyes, just as it was the reason that his eyes had been caverns of flame, but is not precisely the reason that Fades have no eyes. The True Power as well as the One Power was used in creation of Trollocs, which proved to be uncontrollable and useless as soldiers until the first Myrddraal were born, throwbacks to the human stock used in creating Trollocs, but twisted by the inclusion of the True Power in making Trollocs.

First, this is interesting because of the way the True Power seared out Ishamael's eyes. That's a bit off topic, but I wanted to point it out. Also, notice Robert Jordan's Aes Sedai answer by adding in the "not precisely." While the True Power might not be the entire reason Myrddraal have no eyes, it's probably part of the reason. That raises the question of whether Myrddraal can manipulate the True Power themselves.

We learned in Towers of Midnight that the True Power is used to turn rats and ravens into the Dark One's eyes. Graendal thinks:

Towers of Midnight

Prologue

 

A dove would be unobtrusive, but using one was more difficult than a raven or a rat, the Great Lord’s own favored eyes. The weave worked better on those than it did other animals. Though, most vermin that watched for the Great Lord had to report back before he knew what they’d seen. Why that was, she was not certain—the intricacies of the True Power’s special weaves never had made much sense to her.

Since the True Power seems necessary to control these vermin, wouldn't that mean someone needs to constantly be using the True Power on them? Wouldn't that mean the first raven seen (The Eye of the World, Chapter 2, "Strangers") could have been controlled by a Myrddraal? It most certainly was spying for the Dark One, and we know there are Myrddraal about. I think it seems logical to assume Myrddraal can manipulate—though probably not channel—the True Power.

Isn't it also interesting that it takes thirteen channelers working through thirteen Myrddraal to change a person to the Shadow against their will? Thirteen weaves of the One Power and thirteen weaves of the True Power?

An answer by Brandon Sanderson in reference to Shaidar Haran has me wondering about the phrasing of his answer.

Question: Was the Compulsion which Elza told Semirhage about Verin's work from after Dumai's Wells, and was it Shaidar Haran who told her about it and to ask Semirhage to remove it?

 

Brandon Sanderson: Yes.

 

Question: How did Elza defeat the wards on Cadsuane's plain wooden box?

 

Brandon Sanderson: Elza had been given knowledge of several rarely known weaves, and in other ways made into a tool of Shaidar Haran. Not all of it was pleasant for her.

Again, Aes Sedai answers. Just because Elza had been given knowledge of weaves doesn't mean she used them in this circumstance. I'm thinking it was Shaidar Haran, and his use of the True Power, that broke through Cadsuane's wards. He's able to shield Moghedien from the One Power (A Crown of Swords, Chapter 25, "Mindtrap"); perhaps through his ability to touch the True Power, he can overcome the One Power.

On top of that, we know that Shaidar Haran is a sort of "shadowy" version of the Dark One in the world (says Robert Jordan). That means he has some of the Dark One's powers, though not all, according to that interview. It seems likely that Shaidar Haran can at least tap into the Dark One's power, or else what would be the point of having him around? And since he is a Myrddraal, I think it likely others share some of those abilities.

I'll save Machin Shin for another time; I think there's a lot to say about it. But next week, we'll look at a quote about Trollocs and see what implications it can have for Rand's "to live, you must die" riddle. Thanks for reading!

Hello, all. Welcome to "WoT If?", Dragonmount's weekly theory blog. For this edition, I want to look closer at the Dark Prophecies we've been given throughout the series. Despothera did a blog on this last year, but I'd like to look at them again; after all, we have different perspectives on many things.

Spoiler warning! This will include content from many books in the series, including Towers of Midnight, and speculation about A Memory of Light. Please read at your own risk.

Also, this WILL NOT contain spoilers from A Memory of Light's Prologue, Chapter 1, or Chapter 11. Please refrain from posting any spoilers from A Memory of Light in the comments section. The spoiler discussion board for A Memory of Light is found here.

The first Dark Prophecy we get is in The Great Hunt. According to an interview with Robert Jordan, it's written there by a Myrddraal. The first question I have is why would the Shadow even bother? Why would they want to give any information to the Light? The second question is who made the Myrddraal write it?

So, number one, why write it in the first place? We've seen that Trollocs like to write blasphemies to taunt their enemies, but Robert Jordan's quote says the Myrddraal was threatened into writing out the prophecy. He didn't do it to strike fear into the hearts of our main characters. What information in the prophecy does the Dark One, or at least one of the Forsaken, want the Light characters to know?

There's plenty of spoilers of the Dark One's plans here; a lot is actually given away. For example, it explains that Lanfear is seeking Rand; we could have figured this out, but now we have confirmation. It also tells us the true nature of Luc and Isam. Why would the Shadow reveal insight to their greatest assassin? That whole last stanza lets the Light characters know about the Seanchan army's invasion. How could that possibly help the Shadow? Let's hold onto that thought and see who ordered the Myrddraal to write this prophecy.

There's plenty of intrigue going on in Fal Dara. To the best of my understanding, it happened like this. Ingtar, at the Darkfriend social (The Great Hunt, Prologue), seems to have his strings pulled by Ba'alzamon (Ishamael, at the moment). So, logically, Ishamael is the one who wanted the Dark Prophecy written on the wall in the dungeon. It was Ishamael who wanted to reveal all this information to the Light characters—probably Rand, more specifically.

This might be reading too much into it, but there are several theories that say Moridin (Ishamael's latest identity) will turn back to the Light, or that he's been a double agent from the start. With his talk of theology and the nature of good and evil, his desire to see the Wheel broken, plus his reputation for being insane, it's understandable to think he might have ulterior motives when serving the Dark One. Could letting sensitive prophecies, such as this, slip into the hands of the Light characters imply that Ishamael is on their team, giving them aid?

Later, though, Moridin seems to have a change of heart. When speaking with Graendal about the Dark Prophecy, he says this:

Towers of Midnight

Chapter 5, "Writings"

 

"The Light must never know of these words. We know of their prophecies, but they will never know all of ours."

When characters are inconsistent, it points to deeper secrets.

The part about Lanfear is interesting:

The Great Hunt

Chapter 7, "Blood Calls Blood"

 

Daughter of the Night, she walks again.

The ancient war, she yet fights.

Her new lover she seeks, who shall serve her and die, yet serve still.

Who shall stand against her coming?

The Shining Walls shall kneel.

Blood feeds blood.

Blood calls blood.

Blood is, and blood was, and blood shall ever be.

Notice the line about her lover, "who shall serve her and die, yet serve still." Despite the scene in Towers of Midnight when Cyndane begs for Rand's help, I think this prophecy is showing her true intent. Some people believe Cyndane will be the Forsaken who returns to the Light, but I don't think so. In my personal opinion, there are further hints to this in the A Memory of Light Prologue, but I won't go into it here.

Now for the part about Isam and Luc:

Luc came to the Mountains of Dhoom.

Isam waited in the high passes.

The hunt is now begun. The Shadow's hounds now course, and kill.

One did live, and one did die, but both are.

The Time of Change has come.

Blood feeds blood.

Blood calls blood.

Blood is, and blood was, and blood shall ever be.

There's a few things to point out. Luc and Isam are merged; we know that. But why does the line, "The hunt is now begun…" come before, "One did live…"? It breaks up the topics. Most believe the first line refers to the Darkhounds hunting, but I'll offer a different opinion. Slayer thinks of himself as a hunter; he also serves the Dark One. Is it possible he's the Shadow's hound? Also, since it's plural, the other hound could be Fain. Then, if that line is also referring to Slayer, it stays on topic, not jumping around. That makes more sense, to me.

Another thing to note is the line, "The Time of Change has come." Since this is so ambiguous, I don't think there's much we can say for certain about it. However, I do want to point out that—to the best of my knowledge—the only other time we hear this phrase is from Bair:

The Shadow Rising

Chapter 23, "Beyond the Stone"

 

"If he is the one," Bair said, "the Time of Change is upon us. Aes Sedai stand on Chaendaer, and Aan'allein with his shifting cloak. Can we hold to the old ways still? Knowing how much is to change?"

There has been some debate over whether one of the prominent Wise Ones is a Darkfriend. The two most often suspected are Bair or Sorilea. It seems a bit odd that Bair would use a random phrase we've only ever seen in Dark Prophecy.

Since we talked about the Dark Prophecy in Towers of Midnight last week, it got me thinking about the different ways it could be interpreted as well. First off, we can't be 100% certain that the prophecy printed in the Epilogue is the same one Moridin and Graendal talk about. So, maybe they have a different passage that says more firmly that Perrin will be killed by the Shadow, because I don't think the "Broken Wolf" refers to Perrin.

First, let's look at the second stanza of the prophecy:

Towers of Midnight

Epilogue

 

In that day, when the One-Eyed Fool travels the halls of mourning, and the First Among Vermin lifts his hand to bring freedom to Him who will Destroy, the last days of the Fallen Blacksmith’s pride shall come. Yea, and the Broken Wolf, the one whom Death has known, shall fall and be consumed by the Midnight Towers. And his destruction shall bring fear and sorrow to the hearts of men, and shall shake their very will itself.

Let's take that first line, but remove the dependent clauses: "In that day, the last days of the Fallen Blacksmith's pride shall come." It's easier to see the main point of the sentence this way. My first instinct was, like Despothera said, to think that the pride represents Perrin's wolf pack. They aren't called a pride, of course, I think it's still possible. Other words for pride are:

Arrogance (not something Perrin has)

Satisfaction or delight (perhaps in terms of Faile)

Self-respect (his confidence in himself has grown over the last book).

I can see Perrin having pride and satisfaction in Faile, or perhaps in their child. However, Faile getting captured again seems pretty unlikely. Likewise, I don't see him losing all his self-respect or confidence after having just gained it in the last book.

His army might count as a pride, but I still think it will wind up referring to his wolf pack.

Next, "when the One-Eyed Fool…." Mat has a reputation as the Fool throughout the series. Karede is flabbergasted to find out that "Tylin's Toy" is the one leading the army against him (Knife of Dreams, Chapter 36, "Under an Oak"). He's called "trickster" by the Aelfinn (The Shadow Rising, Chapter 15, "Into the Doorway"). Also, he lost his eye at the Tower of Ghenjei (Towers of Midnight, Chapter 54, "Light of the World"). It seems conclusive this is talking about Mat. But doesn't that seem too easy?

Despothera linked the "halls of mourning" to the Tower of Ghenjei, but I'd counter that with this: Mat lost his eye at the Tower, so he wouldn't be called a One-Eyed Fool yet. Ah, paradoxes. I think it much more likely that the halls of mourning will be either a) the burned city of Caemlyn after the Trolloc attack, or b) the city of Ebou Dar where they still might be mourning the death of the Empress.

Next, let's look at "First Among Vermin" and "Him who will Destroy." The first might be Rand. There is a parallel between Lews Therin being called "first among the Servants" by Elan Morin (The Eye of the World, Prologue), but Rand really doesn't consider himself the First of anything. Plus, I think it's more likely that "Him who will Destroy" is Rand. It's possible that Rand might be bound at some point during the Last Battle. Then, the First Among Vermin will free him, allowing Rand to "Destroy" the Dark One. Looking at it that way, the First Among Vermin could be Fain, as discussed last week, but it could be Galad. Their blood connection should play an important part in the Last Battle, since he is as much a part of the "Royal line of Andor" as Rand is (The Shadow Rising, Chapter 1, "Seeds of Shadow"). Even the Shadow would consider the Children of the Light to be vermin.

On to "the Broken Wolf…whom Death has known…." The Forsaken—if this is the passage they are looking at—take this to mean Perrin. Since Min did see the Broken Crown above him in one of her viewings, a Broken Wolf fits. However, there are many people with connections to wolves, and there are the real wolves too. My first pick would be Ituralde. He is called the Wolf (or Little Wolf) in the prologue of Crossroads of Twilight. He has been broken by his battle in Maradon, and also by the invasion of the Seanchan into his nation. I think Maradon would count as knowing Death, as well. He was left for dead by Rand, completely abandoned.

Another interesting theory is that the Broken Wolf is Hopper. We are led to believe that he died during the Tel'aran'rhiod battle in Tar Valon (Towers of Midnight, Chapter 38, "Wounds"). But it could be his soul was being reborn into the waking world.

The next bit says the Broken Wolf will fall to the Midnight Towers. Even Midnight Towers is an ambiguous term. The Towers of Midnight is the name for the Seanchan prison (The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time, Chapter 17, "Seanchan"). It's also referenced in Egwene's Dream, symbolizing the thirteen Forsaken (Towers of Midnight, Chapter 3, "The Amyrlin's Anger").

Ituralde could be killed by one of the Forsaken. The same is true for Hopper. However, if the Broken Wolf is Perrin, the Seanchan explanation seems more likely than the Shadow. Perrin did make a pact with the Seanchan; he could be consumed into their Empire.

"His destruction" refers to the Broken Wolf. I think Despothera had the right idea suggesting it's about the destruction he (whichever it is) causes, not necessarily his death. Again, I think this would point to Ituralde, since more people would be shaken by his destruction; most don't even know Perrin is alive.

Well, hopefully that didn't lead to only more questions. There were a few left to ponder, so let me know what you think. I wanted to get into Mashadar and other things a bit more, but I'm out of time for today. We'll save it for next week. Thanks for reading.

Welcome back to "WoT If?". As promised last week, this is my take on the possible outcomes of Padan Fain's presence in the last book.

Spoiler warning! This will include content from many books in the series, including Towers of Midnight, and speculation about A Memory of Light. Please read at your own risk.

First, let's start with a quote from Robert Jordan:

Question: What is Padan Fain's overall role in the Wheel Of Time (besides hating Rand with a passion)?

 

Robert Jordan: Read and find out ...except you should be able to figure out most of it by now. Think a little bit—it's all there, really.

So, according to this, it'll be easy to sort it all out.

Now, what the HECK is Fain? He was a Darkfriend for forty years before the story started. When the Seals began to weaken, he was picked to become a Hound for the Dark One, sniffing out the Dragon Reborn. He had his memories "distilled" (The Eye of the World, Chapter 47, "More Tellings of the Wheel") and fed back to him. Then, ordered by Ba'alzamon (Ishamael), he began his hunt for the three ta'veren. Along this chase, he encountered Mordeth in Shadar Logoth and merged with him, becoming a combination of their two personalities (The Great Hunt, Chapter 49, "What Was Meant to Be").

To understand more of Fain's current state, we need to find out more about Mordeth. Mordeth, according to the glossary in The Great Hunt, was a councilor for the king of Aridhol. Obsessed with his hatred for the Shadow, Mordeth sought ways in which to conquer the Dark One once and for all. He wanted to accomplish this by any means necessary. This is important because to Mordeth, the end justifies the means; that is, he's not concerned about who is harmed as long as he achieves his goals. This principle led to the city of Aridhol using methods as evil as the Shadow's.

An interview with Brandon Sanderson shows Mordeth's obsession with finding something that could beat the Shadow:

Matt Hatch: Ok. You mentioned that Mordeth was a man that had "power". You are reported as saying that his power was that "which he got by seeking out all of the evil things that weren’t related to the Shadow"...

 

Brandon Sanderson: He was seeking things that were related to the Shadow. I think that that might be a misquote. He was looking into the power of the Shadow in order to defeat it, was his goal. He was looking into everything. He was looking into things that were not necessarily related to the Dark One as well. He was looking for everything that he could get...

 

Matt Hatch: ..previous to him arriving to Aridhol?

 

Brandon Sanderson: ...Yeah...

 

Matt Hatch: ...before he went to the King and became the counselor, Mordeth was this guy that went around searching for Power?

 

Brandon Sanderson: Yeah, he wanted to defeat the Dark One and he felt that he could find other ways to do it [...] He originally was good. He did not...he wasn’t this terrible person to begin with but he was looking to defeat the Dark One, to find a way to defeat the Shadow. And he looked into a lot of things he shouldn’t have looked into. There are evils that are not necessarily directly related to the Dark One, though everything evil kind of has...just as there are goods that are not related necessarily to the One Power...we are talking much as Perrin runs with wolves. This is a thing older than...there are other evils things that are old in a similar way...

 

Matt Hatch: ...is the assumption then that he found one of these?

 

Brandon Sanderson: He did.

 

Matt Hatch: He found one or multiple?

 

Brandon Sanderson: He found many things of darkness. There is one in specific that is driving him but he knew too much. He found things he should not have gotten into and that is what turned him into...when he got there he was already corrupt. He still thought he was doing a good work. He still thought we are going to raise this Kingdom up and it is going to become this bastion against the Shadow, but he was already by then corrupted.

 

Matt Hatch: Is this same corrupting influence that corrupts everyone through the dagger itself?

 

Brandon Sanderson: Yeah. Through him, yes. And even through his presence.

Another interview speculates about what choices Mordeth made in his battle against the Shadow:

Ted Herman: Did Mordeth go to the Finns?

 

Brandon Sanderson: YES.

Which of the Finns did Mordeth see? My guess would be both. So, he had three answers and three gifts. What would they have been? There's a lot of room for interesting speculation here. I won't go too much into it, but it seems like the Aelfinn gave him good answers—since he did go through with his plans—and he did receive something, from the Eelfinn or elsewhere, that made him gain these unnatural, evil powers.

Hypothetically, one of those questions might have been how to defeat the Dark One. As we know, the Aelfinn give riddles for answers, so Mordeth probably acted on their advice the wrong way, leading to his, and Aridhol's, downfall. Personally, I'd guess that his actions will still aid Rand in re-sealing the Dark One, which would fulfill the riddle given by the Aelfinn, but probably not in the way Mordeth expected. Just a guess.

The combination of Fain and Mordeth—we'll still call him Fain—gains some incredible powers, which increase as the story continues. Those powers include, but are not limited to, creating illusions. In fact, I was surprised to stumble upon an interview that said Fain was responsible for the visions Rand saw of Trollocs attacking a family (The Great Hunt, Chapter 10, "The Hunt Begins"). I always credited this to the "woman in white" (Lanfear). However, we see in the prologue of Towers of Midnight that Fain's illusion abilities have morphed into a sort of zombie-creating mist. I think this is an evolved version of Mashadar. Besides the illusion and Mashadar, I don't think we have a clear understanding of what kind of powers Fain has.

That leads us to the heart of the discussion: what will Fain's role be in the Last Battle? There are many theories out there already; I've found five that seem plausible. And on a side note, I'm going to point out that Padan Fain is not going to have the same fate as Gollum. There's been a lot of comparison between the two, so here's Brandon Sanderson saying so:

Question: Is Padan Fain going to turn out like Gollum?

 

Brandon Sanderson: No, he is not going to be like that. I am aware of the comparisons, and I am trying to distance him from that. The scene in Towers of Midnight with Padan Fain was originally written differently, and when I submitted it to Harriet she said, "Oh no, he's much crazier than that!" So I changed it accordingly.

1. Fain will kill one (or some) of the Forsaken.

This one stems from Fain's line in Winter's Heart where he said, "He [Rand] belongs to me" (Chapter 22, "Out of Thin Air"). This theory suggests that Rand will be fighting the Forsaken, most likely Moridin, and Fain, in a jealous rage, will kill the Forsaken. This is very believable, and could easily happen. In all likelihood, the Forsaken will have all their attention focused on Rand. Fain could slip in unnoticed and easily do away with the Forsaken.

We know that Fain is heading to Shayol Ghul, in order to meet Rand there (Towers of Midnight, Prologue). However, how safe will Fain be near the presence of the Dark One? He's got powers to protect him—and his zombified Trollocs—but there are some pretty scary creatures on the slopes of Shayol Ghul. Also, with the price on his head, and assassins (Slayer) after him, Fain would be an easy target out in the Blight. How will he go about hiding until the Last Battle starts?

2. Fain will kill Rand.

This is the same as the one above, but substitute Rand for the Forsaken. Distracted by fighting, Rand could easily be killed by Fain in the same fashion.

There are a couple of arguments against this one. First is Alivia. She is supposed to help Rand die (Winter's Heart, Chapter 25, "Bonds"). So, if Fain kills Rand, Alivia doesn't. Unless, of course, she is a Darkfriend, or some other sort of evil creature, who has sided with Fain and helps lead him to Rand. Second, there's been a big Rand/Ishamael rivalry going on since book one. Having Fain turn up and kill Rand would be unexpected, but not in line with the rest of the flow in the series. Most of us believe it will come to a Moridin and Rand showdown.

3. Fain draws the Dark One.

I found this one on the Dragonmount forums, posted by bmunge.

Another theory would be around the effects of channeling the True Power at Fain. As we saw with the cleansing, the Taint was attracted to Shadar Logoth and once the reaction began it was sustaining. With the TP being the essence of the DO, what would happen if Rand through his link with Moridin channeled the TP at Fain? Would it create a similar reaction with the essence of the DO being drawn to Fain? It's going to be pretty interesting to see what happens to him.

I'll expand on this a bit and say that since we do see the Taint and Shadar Logoth's evil battling one another, there could be a connection, or attraction, between the two. If, after Rand breaks the Seals, the Dark One gets free, he could be drawn to the anti-Shadow evil of Shadar Logoth. All his negative effects and powers could shoot straight into Fain, rather than at Rand and the rest of the world.

That would be very interesting, and not at all expected, I think.

4. Fain breaks the Seals.

This came as a surprise to me. I naturally assumed Rand would break the rest of the Seals, because he told Egwene he would. But some argue that the Dark Prophecy at the end of Towers of Midnight might refer to Fain, not Rand. Here's the quote:

Towers of Midnight

Epilogue

 

In that day, when the One-Eyed Fool travels the halls of mourning, and the First Among Vermin lifts his hand to bring freedom to Him who will Destroy, the last days of the Fallen Blacksmith’s pride shall come.

From this format, we may think the One-Eyed Fool is Mat, the First Among Vermin is Rand, and the Fallen Blacksmith is Perrin. Since three people are listed, our first thought is of our three ta'veren. However, these phrases are a bit vague. There are plenty of men with one eye (Uno?), many who can fit the description of First (Galad and the Whitecloaks?), and tons of blacksmiths (Aiel?).

However, the logic of it being Fain who breaks the Seals stems from his overwhelming hatred for the Dark One: he'd unleash his anger and break the Seals. That seems almost counterproductive. If he hates the Dark One, wouldn’t he want to keep him sealed up?

5. Fain is the buffer against the Dark One.

This one sort of evolved from the theory that Fain will be a buffer against the Dark One's backlash. However, I think saidar and saidin working together will be enough to keep the backlash from taking effect, if there will even be a backlash. If I understand correctly, the Dark One struck out blindingly when he was sealed by Lews Therin. It happened to hit saidin and taint it. I don't think it was actually planned.

Fain being a buffer against the Dark One seems plausible. As I said before, the Shadow and the anti-Shadow evil of Shadar Logoth are enemies. The two wounds in Rand's side show that they battle against each other, almost negating the other's evil effects. If Fain could get close enough, he could negate the Dark One's power, allowing Rand to seal up the Bore.

To do this, Fain's hatred for the Dark One would need to be more than his hatred of Rand. This could only happen if Rand is already dead, or if Rand is able to convince Fain to fight the Dark One instead. Is Fain past reason? Can Rand talk him into a different course of action?

Brandon Sanderson did say this about Fain being sealed in with the Dark One:

Question: What do you think would happen if Rand managed to hurl Padan Fain through the Bore into the Dark One's prison?

 

Brandon Sanderson: The Dark One would spit him back out because he tastes bad.

However, that could just be Brandon trying to get us off the scent.

The best argument for this theory is Robert Jordan's insistence that Fain is unique to this age:

Question: Has the Padan Fain/Mordeth character been present in the previous Ages, or is he unique to this particular Age?

 

Robert Jordan: He is unique to this particular Age. A very unique fellow, indeed. In some ways, you might say he has unwittingly side-stepped the Pattern.

If Fain is unique, that means something like him—and his counter-evil—hasn't been seen before. I think this piece of information could lead to the eradication of the Dark One completely. It could be the end to the battle, making this the Last Battle in truth. Ishamael has insisted that this battle happens every time the Wheel turns, but we do know that it's been called the Last Battle for a reason.

Are we actually going to have the ending, not an ending?

Out of all the five, I think the first and last (even without the ending of the Wheel) are most likely, though all could be possible. We'll conclude this week's edition there. Come back next time and we'll take a look at Dark Prophecy, among other things.

Hello, everyone. Welcome back to "WoT If?". Sorry to keep you in suspense for a week over what topic we would be discussing. This time, I want to look at one specific scene in The Shadow Rising and examine why Perrin finds it so difficult to leave the Stone of Tear. As always:

Spoiler warning! This will include content from many books in the series, including Towers of Midnight, and speculation about A Memory of Light. Please read at your own risk.

We all know that the Pattern swirls around our three ta'veren, but it's also true that the Pattern forces them to do its bidding. Loial is the one who brings this up the most:

The Great Hunt

Chapter 3, "Friends and Enemies"

 

"For a time, the Wheel will bend the Pattern around you three, whatever you do. And whatever you do is more likely to be chosen by the Wheel than by you. Ta'veren pull history along behind them and shape the Pattern just by being, but the Wheel weaves ta'veren on a tighter line than other men. Wherever you go and whatever you do, until the Wheel chooses otherwise you will — "

The Dragon Reborn

Chapter 2, "Saidin"

 

"It's said that if you were in the same room with Artur Hawkwing, you could feel the Pattern rearranging itself. I don't know how true that is, but I've read that it was. But it doesn't only work one way. Ta'veren themselves are woven to a tighter line than the rest of us, with fewer choices."

And even Hawkwing himself speaks of the Pattern's demands:

The Great Hunt

Chapter 47, "The Grave Is No Bar To My Call"

 

"The Wheel spins us out for its purposes, not ours, to serve the Pattern."

 

…

 

"The Pattern weaves itself around our necks like halters," Artur Hawkwing said. "You are here. The banner is here. The weave of this moment is set. We have come to the Horn, but we must follow the banner. And the Dragon."

So, if the Pattern—or more specifically, the Wheel—is deciding who goes where and who does what, why does Perrin have trouble leaving the Stone of Tear? We know he had to go back home, to become Lord of the Two Rivers, to marry Faile, etc. Why is there this conflict of interest? Let's look at the scene in The Shadow Rising.

The Shadow Rising

Chapter 18, "Into the Ways"

 

Rand. Perrin knew it was him. The pull of ta'veren dragged at him, two whirlpools in a stream drawing one another. Coughing in the falling dust, he shook his head as hard as he could, straining not to dismount and run back up into the Stone. "We ride!" he shouted while tremors still shook the fortress. "We ride now, Loial! Now!"

 

…

 

Perrin was right behind with his own packhorse, wishing the Ogier's animal could run faster, wishing he could leave Loial's lumbering mount behind and outrun the suction trying to draw him back, that pull of ta'veren to ta'veren. They galloped together through the streets of Tear, toward the rising sun, barely slowing to avoid carts and carriages. Men in tight coats and women with layered aprons, still shaken by the upheaval, stared at them, dazed, sometimes barely leaping out of the way.

 

At the walls of the inner city paving stones gave way to dirt, shoes and coats to bare feet and bare chests above baggy breeches held up by broad sashes. The folk here dodged no less assiduously, though, for Perrin would not let Stepper slow until they had galloped past the city's outer wall, past the simple stone houses and shops that clustered outside the city proper, into a countryside of scattered farms and thickets and beyond the pull of ta'veren. Only then, breathing almost as hard as his lathered horse, he reined Stepper to a walk.

Perrin assumes he is unable to leave because of the pull of Rand, ta'veren to ta'veren. But how does he come to this conclusion? When it is time for Mat to leave—after the victory in Cairhien—he does so with no problem. Also, after Perrin is reunited with Rand and leaves again, there is no resistance.

This seems to be an isolated incident. There's no doubt the ta'veren are drawn to one another, especially when one of them is in need. For example:

Lord of Chaos

Prologue

 

"I know," he said softly. "I can feel him tugging at me."

 

His voice was so strange that she reached up to grip his short beard and make him look down at her. His golden eyes, still as strange and mysterious to her as ever, looked sad. "What do you mean? You might think fondly of Gwil, but he — "

 

"It's Rand, Faile. He needs me."

After things settle in the Two Rivers, Perrin feels the tugging. He knows Rand needs him, and he does. Right after they reunite, Rand is kidnapped by the Tower Aes Sedai and Perrin is the one who leads the rescue mission.

However, this tugging is not the same one Perrin felt at the Stone. At the Stone, the pull seemed almost violent. Perrin physically struggled to get away from its grasp. In the Two Rivers, it's calmer, a sensation of nagging, a slight tickle. Notice Perrin doesn't jump on his horse in quick motions and run as fast as he can, as he did in Tear. His voice is "sad" rather than frantic.

To me, this shows that the tugging in Tear was something of an anomaly, and that makes me wonder why. I can only see two different reasons why there is such a pull.

First, Perrin believes in it. He assumes it is the pull of ta'veren, but that doesn't mean it's true. The whole thing could be in his head, due to his strong sense of duty. He, unlike Mat, recognizes his role in Rand's life, but still wants to go home to save his family, if he can. When he and Mat discuss going home, Perrin acknowledges that he is straying from his duty to Rand:

The Shadow Rising

Chapter 13, "Rumors"

 

"You don't have to," Perrin said quietly. "Nothing I heard mentioned you. Only Rand, and me."

 

"Burn me, I will g—" He could not say it. Thinking of going was easy enough, but saying he would? His throat tightened up to strangle the words. "Is it easy for you, Perrin? Going, I mean? Don't you...feel anything? Trying to hold you back? Telling you reasons you shouldn't go?"

 

"A hundred of them, Mat, but I know it comes down to Rand, and ta'veren. You won't admit that, will you? A hundred reasons to stay, but the one reason to go outweighs them. The Whitecloaks are in the Two Rivers, and they'll hurt people trying to find me. I can stop it, if I go."

 

…

 

"Burn me, Perrin. Burn me! I want to g-g— See? I can't even say it, now. Like my head knows I'll do it if I say it. I can't even get it out in my mind!"

Notice how Mat isn't able to say he'd go. If Perrin can plan, and Mat cannot, it seems the Pattern is okay with Perrin making the trip, or else he'd be in the same boat as Mat. So, the Pattern is fine with it, Rand's thread is fine with it, and it's only Perrin's disappointment in running that holds him back.

The second reason, which is a stretch, I'll admit, is interference by the Dark One or the Forsaken. We know Lanfear was wandering around the Stone the previous night. We know she visited Perrin in his dreams (The Dragon Reborn, Chapter 4, "Shadows Sleeping"). It's possible that she used Compulsion on him, to make him stay. Mat does hear from the Aelfinn that he will be killed by "those who do not want that fate fulfilled" (The Shadow Rising, Chapter 15, "Into the Doorway") if he doesn't go to Rhuidean. Perhaps Perrin would suffer the same fate if he didn't go back to Emond's Field? And at this point, the Dark One does want all of them dead.

On a side note, after Perrin being tugged to Rand during Lord of Chaos, I can only recall two times when the ta'veren pull comes into play. And both of them are in regards to Mat pulling someone he needs. First is Talmanes:

The Path of Daggers

Chapter 18, " A Peculiar Calling"

 

"I thought it might be so," he sighed. "I have...felt...something, for weeks now. Others in the Band have, too. Not urgent, but always there. As if he needed me. As if I should look south, anyway. It can be peculiar, following a ta'veren."

And later, in The Gathering Storm, the Pattern forces Verin into Mat's path:

The Gathering Storm

Chapter 36, "The Death of Tuon"

 

"Do you realize how strongly ta'veren you are, young man?" Verin asked.

 

Mat shrugged. "Rand's the one you want for that sort of thing. Honestly, I'm barely anything compared to him." Blasted colors!

 

"Oh, I wouldn't consider downplaying the Dragon's importance," Verin said, chuckling. "But you can't hide your light in his shadow, Matrim Cauthon. Not in the presence of any but the blind, at least. In any other time, you'd undoubtedly be the most powerfully ta'veren individual alive. Probably the most powerful to have lived in centuries."

 

Mat shifted on the bench. Bloody ashes, he hated the way that made him look as if he was squirming. Maybe he should just stand up. "What are you talking about, Verin?" he said instead. He folded his arms and tried to at least pretend that he was comfortable.

 

"I'm talking about how you yanked me halfway across the continent." Her smile widened as a soldier entered with a steaming cup of mint tea. She took it gratefully, and the soldier retreated.

 

"Yanked you?" Mat said. "You were looking for me."

 

"Only after I determined that the Pattern was tugging me somewhere." Verin blew on her tea. "That meant you or Perrin. It couldn't have been Rand's fault, since I'd been able to leave that one easily."

All this ta'veren tugging seems random and inconsistent, to me. Why is the pull so strong in Tear? Why does the sensation get milder as the series continues? Perhaps their urgency to be together decreases with the ability to see what the others are doing? There is a spike in the swirling colors in the last few books, so maybe.

That's all for this week. I'd really love comments about things I've missed or overlooked in relation to the ta'veren tug. Next week, as Metal Head requested, we'll take a closer look at Padan Fain and his role in the rest of the series.

Hello, everyone. Thanks for joining me for another week of "WoT If?". For this edition, I want to look at some of the facts surrounding the glass column ter'angreal and the visions/past lives it shows to those who enter. There will be a focus on Aviendha's trip through them, trying to determine if it's actually the future of her line, or if it's a warning of things she can change.

Spoiler warning! This will include content from many books in the series, including Towers of Midnight, and speculation about A Memory of Light. Please read at your own risk.

Many fans agree that Rand's trip through the glass column ter'angreal is one of the finest scenes in the series. It's a wonderful display of Robert Jordan's storytelling abilities. It's intriguing, captivating, and gives us a lot of information about life before the series began. Even Brandon Sanderson said, "However, as I consider it, probably my favorite sequence of scenes in the entire series is the one with Rand going through the ter'angreal at Rhuidean."

From Rand's trip inside the ter'angreal, we get a detailed view of what life was like for the Aiel. We see their decline from serving Aes Sedai and practicing the Way of the Leaf to being desert nomads who are constantly at war with the world and each other. This is a tragic fall for their people, losing their purpose as well as their home and native lifestyle.

Rand understands right away that he saw the "lost history of the Aiel's origins" (The Shadow Rising, Chapter 34, "He Who Comes With the Dawn") when he went through the ter'angreal. His assumption is correct; Rhuarc confirms it:

The Shadow Rising

Chapter 34, "He Who Comes With the Dawn"

 

"No two clan chiefs I have spoken with have seen through exactly the same eyes, Rand, or exactly the same things, until the sharing of water, and the meeting where the Agreement of Rhuidean was made. Whether it is the same for Wise Ones, I do not know, but I suspect it is. I think it is a matter of bloodlines. I believe I saw through the eyes of my ancestors, and you yours."

This is important because it shows us that the ter'angreal shows factual events. It shows actual pieces of the Pattern through the person's ancestor's thread. Rand's experiences were seen through the eyes of that ancestor, even knowing their thoughts. It's as if he was transported into their body and mind completely for the duration of the vision. That means the ter'angreal has access to weaves already woven into the Pattern. It can step outside of time and pull out the threads it needs to, in order to show the person their past.

It's not too surprising that a ter'angreal can do this. The one used to test novices shows "what was" (The Great Hunt, Chapter 23, "The Testing"). And it could be argued that Nynaeve's first encounter in this test was in a past life. She did have an experience fighting Aginor in The Eye of the World, but during the test, she knows things she shouldn't. She is able to sense Aginor's channeling and alters his flows of saidin; this doesn’t become possible in the main storyline until Knife of Dreams, Chapter 23, "Call to a Sitting." Nynaeve's knowledge hints that this comes from a past life, not something based off their fight during The Eye of the World.

So, if the glass column ter'angreal can show the factual past, can it show the factual future? I think this is the biggest concern facing our characters. Because, even if the Light wins the Last Battle, the Seanchan empire still rules over everything, eventually. Jason Denzel, in his review of Towers of Midnight, implies that if Aviendha's visions are correct, it leads to a not-so-happy-ending:

"The other scene that rocked me to read is one that completely embraces the spirit of the whole series. It's the epitome of what makes The Wheel of Time stand apart from all other fantasy series. To say that I was moved by it is an understatement. After reading it, I honestly began to question whether this story will actually have a happy ending or not. I mean, let's face it. Most of us assume the series will conclude with a victory at the Last Battle, with maybe a few heroic deaths along the way, right? Well this sequence I'm talking about proves that even victory can be disaster. It shows that even the most noble of intentions can have a butterfly-effect ripple across the Pattern. The sequence was beautiful to behold, and that alone makes ToM worthy of being on the shelf with your other WoT books."

With that in mind, I think we can see two different ways of looking at this sequence. The first way is that the ter'angreal is unbiased, showing the facts, not wanting to take any part. With this way of thinking, Aviendha's vision is true, unchangeable, the irrevocable future. The other way is that the ter'angreal is caring, showing a possible future, wanting to lead the viewer in a new direction. If this is what happens, Aviendha's vision is a warning and can be changed.

I think I've already established that the ter'angreal's past visions are accurate, but here's more proof. In an interview, Robert Jordan was asked about the glass columns:

Question: Rhuarc indicates that an Aiel in Rhuidean sees the past through the eyes of one of his ancestors. Is this true for the women as well? What would a non-Aiel see, if anything?

 

Robert Jordan: Yes, a woman would also see through the eyes of her ancestors, at least in the "forest of crystal spires" ter'angreal, and she, too, would live the history of the Aiel, in effect. Someone who wasn't Aiel could wander through those spires forever and never see a thing except the spires. He or she might think it was a monument, or maybe a work of art.

If Robert Jordan says they see "through the eyes" of their ancestors, then it's got to be true. The ter'angreal is accurate, showing the exact past. And because it doesn't lie about the past, why would it lie about the future? I think this is the main proof that what Aviendha sees will come to pass. She thinks so too:

Towers of Midnight

Chapter 49, "Court of the Sun"

 

This was not like the events she had seen when passing into the rings during her first visit to Rhuidean. Those had been possibilities. This day’s visions seemed more real. She felt almost certain that what she had experienced was not simply one of many possibilities. What she had seen would occur. Step by step, honor drained from her people. Step by step, the Aiel turned from proud to wretched.

Still, Aviendha decides to try to change the future, whether or not she can:

“Can I change it?” she asked.

 

If I can’t, she thought, will that stop me from trying?

 

The answer was simple. No. She could not live without doing something to avert that fate. She had come to Rhuidean seeking knowledge. Well, she had received it. In more abundance than she had wanted.

But, in her last vision, Padra remembers her mother (Aviendha) talking "often" about the challenges the Aiel would face after their part in the Last Battle was done:

Others nodded. But that raised a larger problem, one her mother had often spoken of. What was it to be Aiel, now that their duty to the past had been fulfilled, their toh as a people cleansed?

To me, this sounds like Aviendha trying to tell her children about the dangers she saw in their future. Trying to instill in them the consequences of going down a path toward war. However, it's Padra's desire to prove herself that makes her agree to the plan of war against the Seanchan. I don't think there's anything Aviendha can do to remove a child's desire to gain "great ji" like her parents.

That makes it seem pretty certain that events will unfold as they have been shown in the ter'angreal, but there is a counter argument. First, as Jason said, it leaves the reader with a sense of unhappiness. Obviously, Robert Jordan's story won't end with "they lived happily ever after," but I think the readers want a sense of peaceful closure. There will be war in the world's future—we know it eventually becomes our own time, which is constantly at war—but I don't think Robert Jordan would leave us with such a sour taste in our mouths.

So, could the ter'angreal be lying? Could it be a warning, not prophecy? It's possible. When Aviendha tries to read the ter'angreal, she senses that it is alive:

Towers of Midnight

Chapter 48, "Near Avendesora"

 

She sensed the powerful aura of the pillar. It was far more potent than any of the ter’angreal she had handled with Elayne. Indeed, the pillars seemed…alive, somehow. It was almost as if she could sense an awareness from them.

 

That gave her a chill. Was she touching the pillar, or was it touching her?

 

She tried to read ter’angreal as she had done before, but this one was vast. Incomprehensible, like the One Power itself. She inhaled sharply, disoriented by the weight of what she felt. It was as if she had suddenly fallen into a deep, dark pit.

 

She snapped her eyes open, pulling her hand away, palm quivering. This was beyond her. She was an insect, trying to grasp the size and mass of a mountain. She took a breath to steady herself, then shook her head. There was nothing more to be done here.

After she touches it and takes a step, she sees through the eyes of Malidra. This is important because she steps away from the columns, not into them. The ter'angreal, when it touched her, sensed her need for more answers. Or perhaps Aviendha accidentally flipped a switch, making it show the future rather than the past? If so, is the flip permanent? Will another Aiel see the past now, or the future? Either way, it acted on its own, not waiting for her to enter a second time.

This fact suggests that the ter'angreal is sentient and that the future might be changed. It has a desire to show Aviendha this for a reason. If there was nothing she could do, why would the ter'angreal bother showing her?

Well, one reason could be the fact that the future was difficult for her to see. The whole point of the test was to weed out people unworthy of becoming Wise Ones and Chiefs. Aviendha had no problem seeing the past; in fact, she thinks that "everything she’d seen had been expected. Almost disappointingly so" (Towers of Midnight, Chapter 48, "Near Avendesora"). There's no longer a challenge for them going into the ter'angreal. But seeing the future could kill. Aviendha really struggled with the visions. She is disgusted by what the Aiel have become, sickened that it starts with her line. If they want to continue to test their Chiefs and Wise Ones, this seems a better challenge.

Could the ter'angreal know its purpose? Could it know that it is supposed to test the Aiel? If so, it could understand that the past wasn't enough of a challenge now. It could have changed so its usefulness wouldn't end.

I don't think we will find out the answer to this question in A Memory of Light. I bet this is one of those things Robert Jordan wants left unsaid. I think more evidence points out that it's the actual future and Aviendha can't change it no matter what she does. However, my understanding of the Pattern is that it's not woven yet. So perhaps there is some wiggle room for certain threads.

There won't be a post next week due to Dragon*Con, so I'll keep you guessing about what the topic will be for the week after that. Thanks for reading.

Welcome back to "WoT If?". This week will conclude our in-depth look at The Eye of the World. There are only a few more pieces of information that need to be examined, so there might be some hopping around from subject to subject. As always:

Spoiler warning! This will include content from many books in the series, including Towers of Midnight, and speculation about A Memory of Light. Please read at your own risk.

First off, there's something curious about these last few chapters with regards to Moiraine having been to the Eye of the World before.

The Eye of the World

Chapter 46, "Fal Dara"

 

"You have seen the Green Man, Moiraine Sedai?" The Lord of Fal Dara sounded impressed, but in the next breath he frowned. "But if you have already met him once..."

 

"Need is the key," Moiraine said softly, "and there can be no greater need than mine. Than ours. And I have something those other seekers have not."

 

Her eyes barely stirred from Agelmar's face, but Rand was sure they had drifted toward Loial, just for an instant before the Aes Sedai pulled them back. Rand met the Ogier's eyes, and Loial shrugged.

 

"Ta'veren," the Ogier said softly.

I think there is a lot of information here. But let's take a step back and try to figure out when Moiraine went to the Eye the first time. We know that she goes up to the Borderlands right after being raised to Aes Sedai.

New Spring

Chapter 17, "An Arrival"

 

Chasing after prophecy, Moiraine had decided by the end of the first month, involved very little adventure and a great deal of boredom. Now, three months out of Tar Valon, her grand search consisted mainly of frustration.

So, after leaving the Tower, Moiraine has traveled for three months. During this scene, she's in Kandor—which lies between Arafel and Saldaea. The whole second half of the novel takes place in Kandor. It's not very close to the location in the Blight where she takes the Emond's Fielders. However, it's been three months, so that's plenty of time to get up there.

I'm also assuming Moiraine went without Lan. Notice how Agelmar addresses her only. Maybe Lan would keep quiet about it, letting Moiraine hold onto that Aes Sedai secrecy, but when the Green Man first appears, he says:

The Eye of the World

Chapter 49, "The Dark One Stirs"

 

"You, Moiraine Sedai, are more than a surprise. When this place was made, it was made so that none could find it twice. How have you come here?"

 

"Need," Moiraine replied. "My need, the world's need. Most of all is the world's need. We have come to see the Eye of the World."

The Green Man would have included Lan in this statement if he had been with her the first time. Also, note that the Green Man calls her "Sedai," so her visit to him would have been after being raised, but the lack of Lan's presence would suggest that it was before she bonded him. That only leaves the three month window for her to go up to the Blight—alone?—to seek the Eye of the World.

Why would she go there? She heard the Foretelling about Rand's birth, and is one of the few searchers who wasn't killed. Obviously, she's looking for signs that would indicate which child he is, but she's also looking for answers. There are several instances throughout the series when Moiraine disappears to find answers. Would the Green Man have any answers, though? His memory is fading and tattered because of his injury. He remembers enough to recognize Perrin as a Wolfbrother, and he remembers the hair and eye coloring of the Aiel. But, when pressed, he can't recall any specific details about anything.

Also, there's no reference to the Eye of the World in the prophecies of the Dragon. Moiraine doesn't even plan on going there until Perrin, Loial, and Rand all bring it up while staying at The Queen's Blessing (The Eye of the World, Chapter 42, "Remembrance of Dreams"). Was she just desperate, searching any possible place for leads? Her need was great enough to summon the Green Man the first time, so maybe he was able to give her something helpful.

What of Moiraine's statement, "I have something those other seekers have not"? Rand notes that she half-looks at Loial as she says this. Is there something significant about having an Ogier among the group? Loial notes that the Green Man doesn't avoid Ogier the way he avoids humans (The Eye of the World, Chapter 46, "Fal Dara"). So, maybe Loial's presence will help draw the Green Man, but would it be enough that it would counter Moiraine's meeting him already? I think it's more likely that Rand is mistaken and she was actually going to look at him. Since he is the Dragon Reborn—and Moiraine knows that by this point—he would be the best to summon the Green Man and the Eye.

Here's another unanswered question: is there a possibility the Eye could be refilled? I'll admit, with the taint cleansed from saidin, there might not be a need for a second Eye of the World. However, Moiraine puts a lot of emphasis on the fact that both men and women channelers are needed to make a pool of the Power.

The Eye of the World

Chapter 50, "Meetings at the Eye"

 

"The greatest wonders of the Age of Legends were done in that way, saidin and saidar together. All the women in Tar Valon, all the Aes Sedai in all the courts and cities, even with those in the lands beyond the Waste, even counting those who may still live beyond the Aryth Ocean, could not fill a spoon with the Power, lacking men to work with them."

This balance between men and women is a reoccurring theme throughout the series. With the addition of Light-aligned Asha'man and fealty-bound Aes Sedai, we are beginning to discover what happens with the combination of saidar and saidin. But why would Moiraine get so wordy about how females alone can't "fill a spoon with the Power"? I'd call this foreshadowing.

What would be the purpose of a second, or refilled, Eye of the World? As discussed two weeks ago, I think it's possible the Eye is a connection to a) the Creator, and b) Rand's past lives. If the Power inside is restored, Rand could hear the ALL CAPS voice again. Either that, or he could allow someone else to be connected to their past lives. Would it be necessary for the Last Battle? Probably not. But it could help the Light side by giving Rand access to the Creator or other channelers' past memories.

Another unanswered question at the end of The Eye of the World revolves around Rand's channeling abilities. He uses many weaves as he fights off the Shadowspawn in Tarwin's Gap, and some when he's fighting Ba'alzamon. There's even the Traveling/Skimming weaves Rand uses to get from one place to the next. How does he make these weaves?

I see two possibilities: either it's Lews Therin's memories Rand's acquired through the Power of the Eye, or it's the instinctual channeling that wilders typically learn. We see examples of Egwene and Nynaeve using weaves instinctually. There is a good example of Egwene doing this, and knowing she's doing this, in The Dragon Reborn.

The Dragon Reborn

Chapter 26, "Behind a Lock"

 

She moved her ball of light to the wall and fastened it there; she was not certain how she did it, but when she took her hand away, the light remained. I keep learning how to do things without knowing what they are, she thought nervously.

 

Elayne frowned at her as if considering, then hung her light on the wall, too. Watching, Egwene thought she saw what it was she had done. She learned it from me, but I just learned it from her. She shivered.

Because of this, it's easy to see that Rand could be doing all these weaves based on instincts. However, it could also be argued that Egwene and Nynaeve can do so many things without being taught because they are remembering fragments of their past lives too. The Old Blood is strong in both of them, and if they are able to draw on Manetheren's strength, they might be able to draw on Manetheren's memories as well.

I think this is plausible because of the fact that Egwene is aware of this happening. When Nynaeve was channeling by instinct as Wisdom, she didn't know she was using the Power. Moiraine points out how the channeling works as the result of the channeler's will, subconsciously.

The Eye of the World

Chapter 21, "Listen to the Wind"

 

"Perhaps as much as eight or ten years ago—the age varies, but always comes young—there was something you wanted more than anything else in the world, something you needed. And you got it. A branch suddenly falling where you could pull yourself out of a pond instead of drowning. A friend, or a pet, getting well when everyone thought they would die."

This shows that wilders, who don't know they can channel, use the Power instinctively. This is a big difference from Egwene—and Rand—using weaves they haven't learned. I think this is good evidence that Nynaeve and Egwene are important people reborn. Personally, I believe Nynaeve is Eldrene ay Ellan ay Carlan, Queen of Manetheren.

Let's move on to the final mystery: what are those cords that connect to Rand and the Forsaken? Rand first sees the cord attached to Aginor when the Forsaken is drawing on the Eye of the World.

The Eye of the World

Chapter 51, "Against the Shadow"

 

Suddenly he felt something, saw it, though he knew it was not there to see. A glowing rope ran off from Aginor, behind him, white like sunlight seen through the purest cloud, heavier than a blacksmith's arm, lighter than air, connecting the Forsaken to something distant beyond knowing, something within the touch of Rand's hand. The rope pulsed, and with every throb Aginor grew stronger, more fully fleshed, a man as tall and strong as himself, a man harder than the Warder, more deadly than the Blight. Yet beside that shining cord, the Forsaken seemed almost not to exist. The cord was all. It hummed. It sang. It called Rand's soul. One bright finger-strand lifted away, drifted, touched him, and he gasped. Light filled him, and heat that should have burned yet only warmed as if it took the chill of the grave from his bones. The strand thickened. I have to get away!

 

"No!" Aginor shouted. "You shall not have it! It is mine!"

 

Rand did not move, and neither did the Forsaken, yet they fought as surely as if they grappled in the dust. Sweat beaded on Aginor's face, no longer withered, no longer old, that of a strong man in his prime. Rand pulsed with the beating in the cord, like the heartbeat of the world. It filled his being. Light filled his mind, till only a corner was left for what was himself. He wrapped the void around that nook; sheltered in emptiness. Away!

 

"Mine!" Aginor cried. "Mine!"

 

Warmth built in Rand, the warmth of the sun, the radiance of the sun, bursting, the awful radiance of light, of the Light.

 

Away!

 

"Mine!" Flame shot from Aginor's mouth, broke through his eyes like spears of fire, and he screamed.

 

Away!

 

And Rand was no longer on the hilltop. He quivered with the Light that suffused him. His mind would not work; light and heat blinded it. The Light. In the midst of the void, the Light blinded his mind, stunned him with awe.

During this scene, the cord transfers from Aginor to Rand. And once Rand has it, he burns from the Power and Light it gives him. Because of this, the cord must be the Power of the Eye. The cord is the metaphysical connection from Rand to the Power. This raises the question of whether it's a specialty of the Eye to have this sort of connection, or if it's Rand's actual connection to saidin. We know there is no physical link between a channeler's body and the Source—Nynaeve muses on this when she Heals stilling. And Rand admits that "it was not there to see." So, what is he actually looking at?

Rand sees a cord connecting to Ba'alzamon too:

The Eye of the World

Chapter 51, "Against the Shadow"

 

Ba'alzamon had a cord, too, he saw. A black cord, thicker by far than his own, so wide it should have dwarfed the human body, yet dwarfed by Ba'alzamon, instead. Each pulse along that black vein ate light.

Ba'alzamon's seems to be the exact opposite of Rand's, except it doesn't dwindle as the Power is used. The more Rand channels, the smaller his cord gets. Ba'alzamon's doesn't shrink at all. So, if the cord is Rand's connection to the Eye, what is Ba'alzamon's attached to? Could it be that the cord is similar to the "wires" Rand removes from Asmodean in The Shadow Rising?

The Shadow Rising

Chapter 58, "The Traps of Rhuidean"

 

What seemed to be black threads, like fine steel wires, ran off from the man [Asmodean], disappearing into the surrounding dark. Those Rand had surely seen before.

 

…

 

"You Chosen"—he knew taunting her was dangerous, but he could not stop himself—"gave your souls to the Dark One. You let him attach himself to you." How many times had he replayed his battle with Ba'alzamon? How many times before he began to suspect what those black wires were? "I cut him off from the Dark One, Lanfear. I cut him off!"

Rand's assuming that he cut Ba'alzamon off from the Dark One when he severed the black cord at the end of The Eye of the World. Does that mean Ba'alzamon was reconnected later? Or, if not, is it the reason Ishamael uses so much True Power now? And if the black cord/wire is the link to the Dark One, the cord of Light must be the connection to the Creator. This could be more evidence that the ALL CAPS voice is the Creator.

Well, there weren't too many definite answers, and it only led to more questions. That will conclude my ramblings for this week. Next week, we'll take a look at the glass columns ter'angreal and Aviendha's journey through it.

Welcome back to another edition of "WoT If?". As promised last week, we're going to take a closer look at who the ALL CAPS voice is at the end of The Eye of the World and what exactly its message means.

Spoiler warning! This will include content from many books in the series, including Towers of Midnight, and speculation about A Memory of Light. Please read at your own risk.

Let's start with a look at the quote we'll be examining. Here's just a quick reminder of what's been going on up to this point. Rand and Aginor both tried to draw the Power of the Eye. Aginor, I'd assume, was consumed by the Eye, or perhaps drew too much of the One Power. Either way, Rand took the Power, and Traveled to Tarwin's Gap where Lord Agelmar's men were fighting the assembled Trollocs, Fades, and Draghkar. Rand lashed out at the Shadowspawn with the Power from the Eye. Then:

The Eye of the World

Chapter 51, "Against the Shadow"

 

The wind died. The screams died. The earth was still. Dust and smoke swirled back down the pass to surround him.

 

“The Light blind you, Ba'alzamon! This has to end!”

 

IT IS NOT HERE.

 

It was not Rand's thought, making his skull vibrate.

 

I WILL TAKE NO PART. ONLY THE CHOSEN ONE CAN DO WHAT MUST BE DONE, IF HE WILL.

 

“Where?” He did not want to say it, but he could not stop himself. “Where?”

 

The haze surrounding him parted, leaving a dome of clear, clean air ten spans high, walled by billowing smoke and dust. Steps rose before him, each standing alone and unsupported, stretching up into the murk that obscured the sun.

 

NOT HERE.

 

Through the mist, as from the far end of the earth, came a cry. “The Light wills it!” The ground rumbled with the thunder of hooves as the forces of humankind launched their last charge.

What the words mean depends on who is speaking. So, let's start with the obvious choice: the Creator.

Many assume it's the Creator because of the similarity to the ALL CAPS way the Dark One talks to the Forsaken. If one Deity speaks that way, it's safe to assume the other half does as well. After all, the Wheel of Time world is based on balance. So, what else makes us think it's the Creator?

First, Rand is filled with Light and Power, which we associate with the Creator, because he is Light. Also, we know that the Dragon Reborn is the Light's Champion (Lord of Chaos, Chapter 6, "Threads Woven of Shadow"), so we know the Creator is on his side.

But, we have a quote from Robert Jordan talking about the contact between Rand and the Creator:

Robert Jordan: Rand has no direct connection with the Creator. The Creator is completely removed from the world; aside from...creating...the Pattern, he does nothing else whatsoever to influence anything.

From the sounds of this, the ALL CAPS voice can't possibly be the Creator. But in another interview, the subject comes up again with a kind of different answer:

Paul Ward: Possible question: Is the Dark One pure True Power? Why does the Creator ignore Randland except to talk to Rand at the end of The Eye of the World?

 

Robert Jordan: No, the Dark One is not pure True Power. Who says the Creator takes little interest in the activities of mankind? And I will neither confirm nor deny that the Creator spoke to Rand.

Is this second statement contradictory? Well, even if the Creator can't influence Randland, it doesn't necessarily mean he's not interested.

Let's assume for a moment that it is the Creator. What the heck does it all mean? The first thing the voice says is, "It is not here." Before that line, Rand says, "This has to end!"; "this" meaning the war between himself and Ba'alzamon, between the Light and the Shadow. So the "it" refers to the same thing, by the laws of English grammar. The voice is telling him the fight won't take place here. That's logical because the next thing that happens is Rand climbing a set of stairs (similar to his Skimming experience chasing Asmodean in The Shadow Rising, Chapter 58, "The Traps of Rhuidean"), which take him to Ba'alzamon.

Next, "I will take no part." This coincides with what Robert Jordan said about the Creator taking no active role. "Only the chosen one can do what must be done, if he wills." The chosen one is Rand; what must be done is fighting the Shadow (maybe even Tarmon Gai'don). The "if he wills" is interesting because that seems to be a major theme within the series. There are times when Rand wants to leave or do something different, but feels like the pattern forces him. Tam points out to him that he still has a choice:

The Gathering Storm

Chapter 47, "The One He Lost"

 

"I'm going to die at the end of this," Rand said. "And I have no choice."

 

Tam stood up straight, frowning. In an instant, Rand felt that he was twelve years old again. "I won't have talk like that," Tam said. "Even if you're the Dragon Reborn, I won't listen to it. You always have a choice. Maybe you can't pick where you are forced to go, but you still have a choice."

The voice of the Creator, too, seems to imply Rand has a choice.

Who else could the voice be? Well, since the only other place we see ALL CAPS is from the Dark One, is it possible that it's the Dark One?

I know, I know. Why would the Dark One talk to Rand at all? Also, it might not even be possible because Rand's not close enough to the Bore. However, Robert Jordan said Rand and the Creator had no connection, so it might be possible.

If it was the Dark One, what does it mean? Rand's declaration of "This has to end!" can be answered by the Dark One in much the same way. "It is not here," means the battle between the Dark One's Champion and Rand cannot happen here and now. "I will take no part" might be true for the Dark One as well. The Bore into his prison is quite small, to my understanding. Even if the seals all break, he can't just leap out—or else he would have done so during the War of the Shadow. He could only influence small events, and that's mostly because of his ability to communicate with the Forsaken one-on-one. When the seals fail, he still might not be able to take part, leaving his Nae'blis, Moridin, to battle as his Champion. Again, in a world based on balance, it seems likely that it will come down to a fight between the two Champions.

And what of "Only the chosen one…"? It never says which chosen one. It could just as easily be talking about Ishamael—who claimed to be the Champion in past Ages.

There are a few points against this theory. First, Rand's not filled with ecstasy as the voice talks to him. In every scene we see of the Forsaken talking to the Dark One, they are overcome with the pleasure of his voice. That's completely missing from this description. Also, motivation. Why would the Dark One want to talk to Rand at all?

Besides the obvious two, who else could the voice possibly be? Well, what about Lews Therin, or some other past life of Rand's? The Soul of the Dragon, if you will. This one might seem a bit of a stretch, but it could work.

Let's focus on the phrase, "Only the chosen one…". If this was a stream of consciousness—from the Power of the Eye—between Rand and his past/future lives, the chosen one could refer to Rand himself. Why was it Rand, not Lews Therin, or any previous incarnation, who was spun out to fight the Last Battle? Why was it so important for it to be Rand in this situation? We get pretty strong implications that every detail of Rand's life helped shape him into who and what he needs to be to win. It had to be Rand, not Lews Therin. Here's why:

Towers of Midnight

Chapter 51, "A Testing"

 

"But you're him [Lews Therin], too. You talk like you were the one who tried to seal the Bore. Like you knew the Forsaken personally."

 

Rand rode in silence for a time. "I suppose I am him. But Min, what you're missing is this: I may be him now, but he was always me as well. I was always him. I'm not going to change just because I remember—I was the same. I'm me. And I always have been me."

 

"Lews Therin was mad."

 

"At the end," Rand said. "And yes, he made mistakes. I made mistakes. I grew arrogant, desperate. But there's a difference this time. A great one."

 

"What difference?"

 

He smiled. "This time, I was raised better."

 

Min found herself smiling as well.

 

"You know me, Min. Well, I promise you, I feel more like myself now than I have in months. I feel more like myself than I ever did as Lews Therin, if that makes any kind of sense. It's because of Tam, because of the people around me. You, Perrin, Nynaeve, Mat, Aviendha, Elayne, Moiraine. He tried very hard to break me. I think if I'd been the same as I was so long ago, he would have succeeded."

So, out of all the previous/future lives of the Dragon, Rand is the Chosen One. He had to be this version of the Dragon in order to win the Last Battle. It's a combination of Rand and the people around him that will be able to defeat the Dark One during Tarmon Gai'don.

The phrase "I will take no part" makes sense too. Because it can't be Lews Therin, or the next Dragon, it can only be Rand himself. However, if it was the Dragon's Soul talking, why is it in ALL CAPS? When Lews Therin begins to appear in Rand's mind, he doesn't talk in ALL CAPS. Perhaps it's just the Power of the Eye broadcasting the Dragon's Soul's message loud and clear?

Okay, there's one other option I thought of in terms of the voice. I'm sure there's more, and I hope they'll get posted in the comments section. My last idea is that the voice could be a recorded message from the Aes Sedai who made the Eye.

We see only a little bit of detail about the making of the Eye in The Shadow Rising, when Rand goes through the Glass Columns in Rhuidean.

The Shadow Rising

Chapter 26, "The Dedicated"

 

Half a dozen Aes Sedai stood around the long table, arguing, apparently not noticing when the building trembled. They were all women.

 

He shivered, wondering if men would ever stand in a meeting such as this again. When he saw what was on the table, the shiver became a shudder. A crystal sword—perhaps an object of the Power, perhaps only an ornament; he had no way of telling—held down the Dragon banner of Lews Therin Kinslayer, spread out like a tablecloth and spilling onto the floor. His heart clenched. What was that doing here? Why had it not been destroyed, and memory of the cursed man as well?

 

“What good is your Foretelling,” Oselle was almost shouting, “if you cannot tell us when?” Her long black hair swayed as she shook with anger. “The world rests on this! The future! The Wheel itself!”

 

Dark eyed Deindre faced her with a more usual calm. “I am not the Creator. I can only tell you what I Foretell.”

 

“Peace, sisters.” Solinda was the calmest of them all, her old-fashioned streith gown only a pale blue mist. The sun-red hair falling to her waist was nearly the color of his own. His greatfather had served her as a young man, but she looked younger than he; she was Aes Sedai. “The time for contention among ourselves is past. Jaric and Haindar will both be here by tomorrow.”

 

“Which means we cannot afford mistakes, Solinda.”

 

“We must know...”

 

“Is there any chance of... ?”

 

…

 

“Can we trust Kodam and his fellows, Solinda?”

 

“We must, Oselle. They are young and inexperienced, but barely touched by the taint, and... And we have no choice.”

From this, we see that the Aes Sedai—all women—have Callandor and the Dragon's Banner. Because they have those items, I'm assuming they have the Horn of Valere, as well. Which means they are the ones planning on making the Eye. The later quote shows that they are including men in the circle to clean the bit of saidin inside the Eye.

With these Aes Sedai gathering, giving up their life force to cleanse the Eye, is it possible they left behind a message? I think so. The "I will take no part" phrase is very accurate; the voice is there to give a message, a hint, not do anything active with the Power. They would also know "it is not here" because the Eye was given to the Green Man, which is close to the Bore, but not right next to it. "Only the chosen one…" makes sense too. They knew, by Foretelling, that Rand would be born and would need those items.

The only counter I can argue is that the voice refers to itself as "I" not "we." Perhaps the group of Aes Sedai picked one member to leave the message, though.

Hopefully, the question of who the ALL CAPS voice is will be answered in A Memory of Light. I think there's still a few random tidbits to theorize about in regards to the conclusion of The Eye of the World. So, next week, we'll have a third—and final—installment focusing on the Eye.

Hello, everyone. Welcome back to "WoT If?". This will be the start of a two part look at the events that happened in the conclusion of The Eye of the World. There are a few things that are a little fuzzy and unexplained at the end, plus a lot of things that might come full circle in A Memory of Light.

Spoiler warning! This will include content from many books in the series, including Towers of Midnight, and speculation about A Memory of Light. Please read at your own risk.

First off, what is the Eye of the World? We get a description of what it actually is near the end of the first book. Moiraine says:

The Eye of the World

Chapter 50, "Meetings at the Eye"

 

"It might be called the essence of saidin." The Aes Sedai's words echoed round the dome. "The essence of the male half of the True Source, the pure essence of the Power wielded by men before the Time of Madness. The Power to mend the seal on the Dark One's prison, or to break it open completely."

From this description, it seems as if the Aes Sedai during the Age of Legends cleansed just this little bit of the Source, the same way Rand cleansed all of it in Winter's Heart. They worked together, and through the taint, to make this pool of pure saidin. But, pay attention to that last sentence. Moiraine believes that the Eye can seal the Bore, or it can break it open. In fact, she says multiple times that the Eye might be able to seal in/break free the Dark One.

The Eye of the World

Chapter 43, "Decisions and Apparitions"

 

"There is enough power in the Eye of the World to undo his prison. If the Dark One has found some way to bend the Eye of the World to his use..."

Here, Moiraine suggests that the Eye can undo the Dark One's prison. We know that the One Power can't break cuendillar, but Moiraine is saying it can. Rand also has plans to break the remaining seals. But how is this possible? The seals have weakened, yes, but can the Power in the Eye really break cuendillar, no matter how old? Maybe so. Moiraine makes a comment that "four men with hammers" can break the remaining seals and free the Dark One (The Fires of Heaven, Chapter 2, "Rhuidean"). However, they don't know this information during The Eye of the World, so she shouldn't be assuming the Eye, and saidin, can break the Dark One free.

Also, Moiraine and Lord Agelmar have a discussion that hints at the Eye's power.

The Eye of the World

Chapter 46, "Fal Dara"

 

"You cannot be saying he [the Dark One] is loose!" Rocklike Agelmar sounded shaken, and Moiraine quickly shook her head.

 

"Not yet. If we win at the Eye of the World, perhaps not ever again."

According to this, Moiraine thinks that Rand using the Eye will seal the Dark One again, solving all their problems. Okay, okay. She does use the word "perhaps," which is Aes Sedai doublespeak. However, she seems to have a lot of confidence that the Eye's power will be glorious. When Rand does use the Eye, he doesn't do anything even close to sealing in the Dark One—he does believe he killed Shai'tan, but Moiraine and others don't believe it. If there was so much potential in the Eye, did Rand waste it? Was it used for a purpose other than for what it was initially intended? We'll speculate on that a bit later.

So, we know the Eye is a pool of saidin, made clean by the sacrifice of male and female Aes Sedai. We know a bit of its presumed power. But that doesn't tell us a thing.

There are several theories about what the Eye actually is, or rather, what it does to Rand. Here's three that might work.

First: the Eye of the World, with its pure Power, is the Creator. That is, the Creator is the One Power.

This seems plausible on the surface. We typically think of channeling and channelers as doing the Creator's work. The True Source is, after all, the power that drives the Wheel of Time and weaves the Pattern. The Creator made the Pattern, so it seems logical that the Creator is the One Power. However, in an interview, a fan asks Robert Jordan something that might say the opposite:

Paul Ward: Possible question: Is the Dark One pure True Power? Why does the Creator ignore Randland except to talk to Rand at the end of The Eye of the World?

 

Robert Jordan: No, the Dark One is not pure True Power. Who says the Creator takes little interest in the activities of mankind? And I will neither confirm nor deny that the Creator spoke to Rand.

There are two pieces of information here, but let's focus on the Dark One not being purely True Power. If the Dark One isn't the True Power, then I don't think the Creator can be the One Power. It's likely that the One Power comes from the Creator—like True Power comes from the Dark One—but they are two separate forces/energies/beings.

The second part of that answer talks about the ALL CAPS voice Rand hears in his head after he accidently Travels to Tarwin's Gap. We'll get to that in next week's post, so just put it on hold for now.

Second: the Eye of the World is just a pool of saidin intended to hide the Dragon Banner and the Horn of Valere.

Those artifacts are indeed important to the next book. Without both of them, Rand could not have beaten Ishamael in the sky above Falme. Also, the Heroes of the Horn wouldn't have helped Rand unless he had the Dragon Banner too. Artur Hawkwing says:

The Great Hunt

Chapter 47, "The Grave is No Bar to My Call"

 

"Something is wrong here. Something holds me." Suddenly he turned his sharp-eyed gaze on Rand. "You are here. Have you the banner?" A murmur ran through those behind him.

 

"Yes." Rand tore open the straps of his saddlebags and pulled out the Dragon's banner. It filled his hands and hung almost to his stallion's knees. The murmur among the heroes rose.

 

"The Pattern weaves itself around our necks like halters," Artur Hawkwing said. "You are here. The banner is here. The weave of this moment is set. We have come to the Horn, but we must follow the banner. And the Dragon."

Hawkwing implies that this was the way the Pattern wanted it. Since the Heroes seem to have quite a bit of knowledge about certain things while they wait in Tel'aran'rhiod, we can be pretty sure he knows what he's talking about. It's also interesting to note that Hawkwing says they will only follow the banner and the Dragon. We had other sources earlier in The Great Hunt say that the Heroes will fight for whichever side blows the Horn. Is this another thing Aes Sedai don't really know the truth about, or is this particular moment in the Pattern something that needs to be specifically set?

So, the Banner and the Horn are terribly important for the forward movement of the characters and the world. But would so many Aes Sedai in the Age of Legends sacrifice themselves for this? Possibly. Rand needed those items, and the world would have died if he didn't have them. Could the Eye be just an elaborate hidey-hole?

If that were true, and the Eye is just an insignificant pool of saidin, why is Aginor so keen on using it? Robert Jordan was asked that very question in an interview:

LordJuss: Why was Aginor so interested in the Eye of the World? He could channel clean saidin anyway so it shouldn't have been an issue?

 

Robert Jordan: He was able to channel clean saidin, true, but only through the "filter" which had been provided by the Dark One just a short time previously, which meant the Dark One would be aware of him channeling wherever he was. Remember, Aginor was the creator of the Trollocs; he is quite able to reason things out clearly, at least in a scientific sense. Also, he wasn't certain whether or not the Dark One also would know what he was doing when he channeled, too. For someone as secretive, competitive, and generally untrustworthy as one of the Forsaken, the Eye of the World amounted to a valuable asset if it could be secured. To put it simply, Aginor saw a means of channeling without the Dark One looking over his shoulder, and maybe a way to increase his own power at the expense of those who didn't have that advantage. Balthamel might well have been for the long drop, administered by Aginor, if things hadn't worked out differently.

This quote seems to imply that Aginor only wanted the Eye for the extra bit of Power, and a way to channel unobserved. Makes it sound kind of pointless, huh?

Third: the Eye of the World is a link to Rand's past lives and memories.

Drekka Mort posted on the Dragonmount forums:

"I think it might be the Eye that gave him [Rand] access to past life memories. He didn't remember any past lives in book 1, but in book 2 when Mat blew the Horn, Rand said not only could he recognize the Heroes by their names and variations, but he had to fend off remembering countless of his own past lives. Those memories were there very early."

This is an interesting theory. One of the main reasons I would believe this is because it takes absolutely no outside source for Rand to remember all his past lives in "Veins of Gold" (The Gathering Storm, Chapter 50). The memories were inside him the whole time; it only took Rand's acceptance to open them all up.

From this, I would say that the Eye stayed with Rand even after all its Power was used up. It's something that went into his skin, into his bones, into his soul. Some evidence that this might be correct comes from an interview with Brandon Sanderson:

Jeff Edde: Interesting. In The Eye of the World, Rand uses Light and Power. Is it significant that he uses Light and Power again in Towers of Midnight?

 

Brandon Sanderson: Yes.

 

Jeff Edde: Can Rand channel Light and Power as a result of touching the Eye of the World, or does he have access to it because he is who he is?

 

Brandon Sanderson: It was the power in the Eye, so far as I know.

From this, we can gather that Rand still has access to the Power of the Eye, since he can still channel Light and Power. In Towers of Midnight, Naeff is the one who notes Rand's incredible abilities:

Towers of Midnight

Chapter 32, "A Storm of Light"

 

The Asha'man Naeff—standing beside Bashere—gasped. "I've never seen so many weaves at once," he whispered. "I can't track them all. He's a storm. A storm of Light and streams of Power!"

After accepting his memories in "Veins of Gold," Rand's madness seems to leave him completely. When Nynaeve Delves into Rand's mind she sees something odd:

Towers of Midnight

Chapter 15, "Use a Pebble"

 

The darkness was enormous, covering the entirety of his mind. Thousands upon thousands of the tiny black thorns pricked into his brain, but beneath them was a brilliant white lacing of something. A white radiance, like liquid Power. Light given form and life. She gasped. It coated each of the dark tines, driving into his mind alongside them. What did it mean?

A liquid Power. Like the Eye? Most likely, I'd say. How did it get there? Probably from when Rand first used the Eye. It could have stayed with him, flowing in him, without him knowing. It laid dormant until he was able to reconcile his present life with his past lives. So, if there's a link still there between himself and the Eye, can the Eye's Power be refilled?

Well, that's a good place to stop for today. Next week we'll delve (no pun intended) a little deeper into who that ALL CAPS voice might be.

Hello again. Welcome to another edition of "WoT If?". This week's topic might be a bit out there, but bear with me. I'll explain the method to my madness.

Spoiler warning! This will include content from many books in the series, including Towers of Midnight, and speculation about A Memory of Light. Please read at your own risk.

So, the timeline of The Gathering Storm and Towers of Midnight is a little difficult to get a handle on. Luckily, there are excellent online resources that figure out the timeline of the whole series. On Theoryland.com, I found a tentative timeline for Towers of Midnight by the user morat'corlm. This helps explain where everyone is during each scene along the main timeline.

According to morat'corlm's research, there is a nine day gap between Androl pleading with Pevara for help (Towers of Midnight, Chapter 56, "Something Wrong") and Mat preparing to leave for the Tower of Ghenjei (Towers of Midnight, Chapter 52, "Boots").

This gap seems plausible for the battle for the Black Tower. After Androl asks Pevara for assistance, I don't think they'll just wait around day after day. Pevara is the type to act. When she listens to Androl, I think she and the unturned Aes Sedai and Asha'man will begin their escape or attack (since the dreamspike only negates Traveling/Skimming weaves) the next day. Also, Myrelle's group of Salidar Aes Sedai is still camped outside the Black Tower, as far as we know. Once attack channeling begins inside the grounds, I'm sure they will come and help fight.

Here's a note on the dreamspike. Mesaana thinks to herself:

Towers of Midnight

Chapter 37, "Darkness in the Tower"

 

…it stopped all forms of Traveling in or out of the area except for those allowed.

 

What exactly does "except for those allowed" mean? Is the one who activates the dreamspike able to pick and choose who can enter the area? When Graendal activates hers against Perrin, is she still able to Travel into the area? I would assume so, based on Mesaana's statement. But what if the dreamspike's maker, or original user, is currently reborn and in the Black Tower? Would they still have access to Traveling within the area? I think it's possible. My first thought would also be that Androl has some connection to the dreamspike, since he's so skilled with Gateways. But we've already been shown that even his Gateways don't work. However, there could be another person there who is "allowed", even if by accident, to use Traveling within the dreamspike's perimeter.

What does all of this have to do with saving Caemlyn? Well, after the nine day gap, there's still another eight days or so before Caemlyn begins to burn. That's plenty of time for the surviving Asha'man to come to the aid of the city.

There's been a lead up to a fight between the Light and Shadow factions within the Black Tower for at least the past three books. Logain, most assume, will lead the Light side, with Taim leading the Shadow. However, there aren't too many Light characters still at the Black Tower since Logain says:

Knife of Dreams

Chapter 18, "News for the Dragon"

 

"More than half the Black Tower is in Arad Doman and Illian. I sent all the men with bonded Aes Sedai except those here, as you ordered."

And a little later in the same chapter, Logain talks of Taim's "cronies":

"There are forty-one of those now, by the way. He's given over a dozen men the Dragon pin in the past few days, and he has above fifty more in his 'special' classes, most of them just recruited lately. He's planning something, and I doubt you'll like it."

 

…

 

"But he's made a Tower of his own hidden inside the Black Tower, and the men in it are loyal to him, not you."

This information isn't surprising. We've known for a long time that Taim is up to no good. So, with most of the men at the Black Tower loyal to Taim, not Rand—or even Logain—those Asha'man and Aes Sedai trapped inside are in pretty rough shape.

During that same scene, Rand admits he doesn't have time to deal with Taim at the moment, and Verin says:

"Taim very likely will have to wait on the Last Battle, whatever he's about."

Knowing what we know about Verin and her inability to divulge plots within the Shadow, I think we can assume the opposite is true. That is, Taim will have to act before the Last Battle, so the Asha'man can't help the Light. The Asha'man and Aes Seadi are prisoners in the Black Tower, trapped there by the dreamspike, being picked off one by one and turned to the Shadow by the 13x13 method.

During Towers of Midnight, Rand realizes he can't Travel to the Black Tower, so the dreamspike is still active. This is the day before he wants to go to Merrilor, the same day Olver opens Verin's letter.

Here's the quote:

Towers of Midnight

Chapter 51, "A Testing"

 

"I have been unable to Travel there [black Tower]," Rand said. "That implies great trouble, worse than I had feared. Use this weave. It can disguise you. Travel to a place a day's ride outside, and ride in, hiding yourself. See what you can discover. Help if you can, and when you find Logain and those loyal to him, deliver him a message for me."

However, we don't know why the dreamspike is still active. Perhaps it's being used by the survivors to make a place of safety for their wives and families. I don't think it necessarily implies that there's still trouble going on there. This quote also implies that Logain is already at the Black Tower. The last we actually saw of him was during the prologue of The Gathering Storm.

Mezar Kurin seems to be another 13x13 turned Asha'man. When Logain's Asha'man talk about Mezar, they say his memories are still present, but something is wrong with his manner, with his eyes, with his smile. This is the same way Bashere responds to Taim in Lord of Chaos, Chapter 2, "The New Arrival". Mezar sends along a message from Logain, but is it true or not?

Towers of Midnight

Chapter 56, "Something Wrong"

 

When Mezar had returned a few days back—explaining that Logain was well and that all would soon be resolved with Taim—Androl had begun to hope that there was a way out of this mess. But something had seemed off about the man. … And now Mezar—once fiercely loyal to Logain—was spending his time with Coteren and Taim's other lackeys.

Was Mezar turned before his return to the Black Tower or after his arrival? If before, perhaps more of Logain's or Rand's loyal Asha'man were turned, even those sent to Illian or Arad Doman. Either way, I'm sure they have all of Mezar's information about Rand and Logain's current whereabouts and some of their plans.

Since Logain disappeared from Rand's group, where is he, if not at the Black Tower? Perhaps he's doing a little recruiting of his own, to bolster his group before rushing in to take on Taim.

Perrin lends Grady's Gateway abilities to Mat so he can get to the Tower of Ghenjei and back (Towers of Midnight, Chapter 53, "Gateways"). Mat will have at least one Asha'man to help battle the Shadowspawn and Darkfriends destroying Caemlyn. Since I predict the drama at the Black Tower will be finished, Grady can summon the survivors to come help. They have been inspected by Elayne and her guards, and have been made to know that they are on Andoran soil. I think they will feel a debt to help protect the capital.

I'll stop there; we'll save the details of the battles for another time. Please join us next week for the first half of a two week special on the Eye of the World.

Hi, everyone. Welcome back to "WoT If?". For this week's discussion, I'd like to look a little closer at the sul'dam and their damane. There are a few points about them that get overlooked and plenty of questions to ask about their future.

Spoiler warning! This will include content from many books in the series, including Towers of Midnight, and speculation about A Memory of Light. Please read at your own risk.

For most of our female characters in the series, being a damane is a fate worse than death. Egwene has such a fear of being leashed that it makes her particularly vengeful when the Seanchan attack the White Tower in Towers of Midnight. Though the a'dam was mysterious at first, we learn later that it acts as an instrument that forces a link between the damane and the sul'dam, leaving the sul'dam in complete control.

The first thing that I've always wondered is why the damane don't feel the ability to channel in sul'dam. When Rand and Aviendha Travel to Seanchan in The Fires of Heaven, they encounter two sul'dam, two damane, Lady Morsa, and Jalindin, a Seeker for Truth. When Rand asks Aviendha to shield the ones who are leashed, she says:

The Fires of Heaven

Chapter 32, "A Short Spear"

 

"The women with the bracelets can channel also," she replied just as softly. "It feels very strange, though. Weak. As if they had never practiced it. I cannot see how that can be."

Sul'dam claim they develop an "affinity" (The Great Hunt, Chapter 42, "Falme") for knowing if a damane has channeled. Some experienced sul'dam can even see weaves without the bracelet on. I can't believe that the Empress, or anyone within the Seanchan hierarchy, couldn't put together these pieces and realize that sul'dam can channel too.

Tuon's total lack of surprise at this reveal might show some do know. In Knife of Dreams, she tells Mat:

Knife of Dreams

Chapter 9, "A Short Path"

 

"Perhaps I could learn, but I chose not to, just as I choose not to steal or commit murder."

She doesn't respond with, "Don't say such vile lies," or something along those lines. She seems to accept it without comment.

It might be argued that Seanchan-raised damane don't know how to sense the source in another woman; it could be one of the skills or Talents that have been lost in Seanchan. I doubt it, but it's possible. However, with the sudden intake of so many Aes Sedai, the secret can't remain hidden for long. If Aviendha can sense the sul'dam's ability, a trained Aes Sedai most certainly will.

Once exposed, all the Seanchan would have to do is order the sul'dam to drink forkroot tea. I'm assuming it would work on sul'dam the same as any other woman who can channel. After all, it worked on Morgase and she is probably more weak and unpracticed than the sul'dam.

The Aiel Wise Ones being taken damane might have a large impact on the Seanchan's future. When Aviendha goes through the glass columns in Rhuidean a second time, she sees the future of her line. The scene, through the eyes of her daughter, Padra, shows the Aiel still fighting with the Seanchan over the collared Wise Ones. However, you'll notice that it doesn't imply that more Wise Ones have been taken, only the initial Shaido who were captured by General Tylee.

The other future scenes show the Aiel constantly at war with the Seanchan. The Raven Empire has taken control of most of the world. They have technology—or is it One Power technology? Malidra thinks:

Towers of Midnight

Chapter 48, "Near Avendesora"

 

The Lightmakers had magics, the same magics that created their food and their lights. Magics that kept them warm in the bitter cold at night...

 

...She rounded their massive wagon. There were no horses. Only the wagon, large enough to house a dozen people. It moved magically during the daylight, rolling on wheels nearly as wide as Malidra was tall.

So, the Raven Empire seems to make use of the One Power, and even have a weapon that sounds to me like a shocklance. But it never mentions sul'dam, damane, or getting the "magics" from leashed women. I think this shows that the Seanchan eventually will give up their ways of collaring women.

Another question to ask about the a'dam is whether it's similar at all to the Domination Band (the male version of the a'dam). Moghedien tells Nynaeve in the Panarch's Palace:

The Shadow Rising

Chapter 54, "Into the Palace"

 

"Put the collar on a man who channels, and a woman wearing the bracelets can make him do whatever she wishes, true, but it will not stop him going mad, and there is a flow the other way, too. Eventually he will begin to be able to control you, too, so you end with a struggle at every hour."

 

Is it only the male a'dam that has the backwards flow? Obviously, women channelers don't have the madness, but could the damane eventually be able to turn the flow back on the sul'dam? Damane from Seanchan are raised to know they are beneath humans; they are animals, dogs. Their training is so harsh that even Egwene, a very strong-willed woman, was beginning to be brainwashed into believing it was good for her to serve her sul'dam wholeheartedly.

However, a sudden hoard of Shaido Wise Ones was collared at the end of The Gathering Storm. How will the sul'dam control a group of women who do not fear pain? I can't see how the sul'dam could even begin to turn the Wise Ones into obedient damane. And if the Wise Ones cannot be cowed by the a'dam's effects, perhaps the Wise Ones can turn the flows against the sul'dam.

There's more to speculate on the a'dam, but I think I'll leave it there. Join us next week for a look at the Black Tower's possible role in saving Caemlyn.

Hello, everyone, and welcome to "WoT If," Dragonmount's weekly theory blog. My name is Mashiara, and I'm going to be filling this post. First off, my credentials: I've been reading the Wheel of Time since 2000, and joined Dragonmount that same year. I've read through the series eight times, with occasional rereads of my favorite parts. I'm also on my fourth listen through the audio books. During Brandon Sanderson's The Gathering Storm tour, I was a Storm Leader at the Scottsdale, Arizona location.

That being said, I'm going to present theories and ideas as I've perceived them, which may be different from your perceptions. If you have a different point of view, feel free to post it in the comments. I'd love to explore conflicting ideas; that's what is so fun about the Wheel of Time! Please be respectful, even if you're disagreeing with me or someone else.

Okay, moving on. This blog will cover theories mostly dealing with the last few books and the ending of A Memory of Light. It will contain spoilers! Please read at your own risk.

For my first post, I'd like to talk about something I've thought since near the beginning of the series: the importance of Nynaeve al'Meara. We are introduced to the Wisdom of Emond's Field very early on in The Eye of the World. When Rand, Mat, Perrin, and Egwene leave the village, Nynaeve chases after them. She arrives at The Stag and Lion inn, where Min works, in Baerlon. What Min sees is the first indicator that Nynaeve is important.

The Eye of the World

Chapter 16, "The Wisdom"

 

"The sparks, Rand. She met Mistress Alys coming in, and there were sparks, with just the two of them. Yesterday I couldn't see sparks without at least three or four of you together, but today it's all sharper, and more furious...You're all in more danger today than yesterday. Since she came."

There are three ta'veren present plus Moiraine, a woman who is important herself.

A Crown of Swords

Chapter 35, "Into the Woods"

 

What good to tell him he would almost certainly fail without a woman who was dead and gone?

Towers of Midnight

Chapter 54, "The Light of the World"

 

"I'd have to give up half the light of the world to save the world. Bloody snakes."

 

"To save the world?" Thom asked, looking down at Moiraine's peaceful face, her body wrapped in the patchwork cloak. He had left his pack on the floor.

 

"She has something yet to do," Mat said. The pain was receding somewhat. "We need her, Thom. Burn me, but it's probably something to do with Rand. Anyway, this had to happen."

Since Rand, Mat, Perrin, and Moiraine are all needed to get sparks—which represents the fight of the Light against the Shadow—why would Nynaeve's arrival make them visible with just two people present? I think it's implying that she's quite important later on down the road. For example:

First: she Heals stilling. (Lord of Chaos, Chapter 29, "Fire and Spirit")

Second: she helps Rand clean the taint on saidin. (Winter's Heart, Chapter 35, "With the Choedan Kal")

Third: she Heals the saidin-caused insanity in the Asha'man. (Towers of Midnight, Chapter 15, "Use a Pebble")

Fourth (though in the future): she promises to link with Rand and Callandor during Tarmon Gai'don.

Looking at each of these shows a time when Nynaeve does something that shouldn't be possible. For Healing stilling, she uses weaves not typically associated with Healing.

Lord of Chaos

Chapter 30, "To Heal Again"

 

"What made you think of using Fire?" Dagdara asked in a strangled voice that sounded entirely too high for such a big woman. "And Earth? You used Earth. Healing is Spirit, Water, and Air."

The same thing happens when she Heals Naeff's madness.

Towers of Midnight

Chapter 15, "Use a Pebble"

 

What she'd done hadn't been any standard Healing, and hadn't even used Healing weaves.

While Nynaeve is Delving into Naeff's mind, she wonders about her increased skills.

Towers of Midnight

Chapter 15, "Use a Pebble"

 

Her skill with Delving was improving, her weaves more refined, and she could find things once hidden to her.

Why do Nynaeve's abilities suddenly increase? How is she able to see weaves and ailments more clearly? If her skills have strengthened in just the two years she's knowingly worked with the One Power, it seems likely they will continue to improve.

This leads me to my conclusion: Nynaeve will be able to Heal death.

I know there's already a lot of debate about this, but it seems to me that most people are in the body-swap camp. But I believe there is some foreshadowing to Healing death in the books.

Lord of Chaos

Chapter 7, "A Matter of Thought"

 

Nynaeve would not be satisfied until she Healed someone three days dead.

There's also a lot of speculation on Rand faking his own death. However, the Aelfinn said:

Knife of Dreams

Chapter 18, "News for the Dragon"

 

"To live, you must die."

Rand and Min discuss a viewing of Alivia:

Winter's Heart

Chapter 25, "Bonds"

 

"Rand, I like Alivia...But she is going to kill you." She bit off every word.

 

"You said she was going to help me die," he said quietly. "Those were your words."

I think this means a real death, not a metaphorical death. If Rand must really die, then there needs to be a way to bring him back so he can live once more. Nicola's foretelling says:

Lord of Chaos

Chapter 14, "Dreams and Nightmares"

 

"Three on the boat, and he who is dead yet lives. The great battle done, but the world not done with battle."

The great battle is Tarmon Gai'don. There's no way Rand can stay dead at the end of the series and have all these prophecies fulfilled.

While there are several plausible endings to the series, Nynaeve manifesting the ability to Heal death gives it more heart. It keeps in line with Nynaeve being able to do things that are considered impossible. It would also explain why her appearance at The Stag and Lion makes the sparks appear more easily. She's much more important to the future of the world than we give her credit for.

That's all for this week. Join us next time for a discussion about sul'dam and damane.

Good tidings, my talented guests of Dragonmount! Welcome back to "It Works in Theory", Dragonmount's intermittent Wheel of Time-themed theory blog. I'm sure I could come up with some playful banter to waste some time before the disclaimer, but since I'm guessing many of you might have been anxious for another dosage of "It Works in Theory", I'll go ahead and skip the theatrics in favor of getting to the proceedings (somewhat) quickly.

This blog is based on theories that will include facts and material from the latest books in the series, so if you have not read through Towers of Midnight, continue reading at your own risk! "It Works in Theory" is best enjoyed from multiple psychological perspectives within each individual. Dilution of the signal by perceiving it through only one personality or that of a relatively sane individual will only serve to diminish the strength and clarity of the signal, resulting in confusion and lack of comprehension. "It Works in Theory" assumes no responsibility for those rare cases in which the consumer actually claims that of competent and clear mental faculties.

We shall belatedly continue the "Darkfriend Appreciation (Month)" this week by examining a very peculiar character indeed, Mazrim Taim. He has long been a figure of much speculation and pondering, and he also seems to have a fairly strong role yet to play in the last book. Ever since he was first introduced into the storyline, multiple questions have constantly revolved around him. His blend of offhand casual insanity and calm calculation makes him an interesting character to theorize about because the reader always gets a sense he is plotting something rather elaborate. He also carries a good bit of power with his office, controlling a growing force of Shadow-controlled Dreadlords who will surely be very deadly in the Last Battle. Before we continue on the many ideas and questions regarding Taim, there is first one issue that we might as well go ahead and cover right out of the gate.

Taim is not Demandred. Many seem to have independently arrived at this conclusion after reading the series, and even after rereading and researching key parts. Indeed, this issue seems to have gotten almost as much attention over the years as the famous "Asmodean's Murder Mystery" spectacle got. There are many clues which seem to suggest this idea may be true, which I will get to a bit later. Nevertheless, we have had several times in which Robert Jordan himself discounted the theory:

INTERVIEW: Apr 20th, 2004

TOR Questions of the Week Part I (Verbatim)

 

WEEK 4 QUESTION

At a recent book signing following the release of Crossroads of Twilight, it was reported that you confirmed that the Forsaken Demandred has never posed as the man known as Mazrim Taim, who was introduced to Rand at the beginning of Lord of Chaos. Have you confirmed that Demandred has never posed as the man known as Mazrim Taim, leader of the Black Tower?

 

ROBERT JORDAN

Yes. Demandred has never posed as Mazrim Taim. All right, those of you who fell over from the shock of a simple, straightforward answer can get up off the floor now. Sometimes, simple and straightforward can be the most devious of all, as any student of Aes Sedai will tell you.

INTERVIEW: Jan 7th, 2003

COT Signing Report - Ted Herman (Verbatim)

 

QUESTION

Is Taim Demandred?

 

ROBERT JORDAN

No, that is totally bogus.

INTERVIEW: Jan 16th, 2003

COT Signing Report - Matthew Julius (Paraphrased)

 

MATTHEW JULIUS

It's been said that you mentioned that Mazrim Taim is not Demandred. There seems to be some confusion on whether or not you said that.

 

ROBERT JORDAN

Mazrim Taim is not Demandred.

INTERVIEW: Sep 3rd, 2005

DragonCon Report - Emma (Verbatim)

 

EMMA

Was Taimandred a deliberate ruse to lead your readers astray, or were you surprised (by all of the theories connecting Taim to Demandred)?

 

ROBERT JORDAN

I was surprised but I wasn't going to disabuse you of it for a while, I like to watch you squirm.

I hope there aren't too many people out there who are disheartened by this information; I know it seemed like a perfect fit. After all, Taim is said to be extremely powerful in the One Power. He has been able to channel for far longer than most men and doesn't seem (completely) insane yet. Even his use of phrases and mannerisms seem to suggest that Taim could actually be a Forsaken, and Demandred to boot. Alas, it was not meant to be. We'll cover who Demandred's alter ego might be (or if he has one) in a future blog, but for today we can still discuss the questions concerning Taim's origins.

The easiest part to explain is Taim's ability to channel and not be completely maddened by the Taint. He is obviously a Darkfriend, and more than likely due to the strength of his power has the Dark One's protection from the Taint on saidin. Even with his protection, there are more than enough examples of Taim having little slips of insanity. His power level is somewhat irrelevant, as we've seen several Third Agers who have seemed to sprout out of nowhere with unusually powerful abilities with channeling. Interestingly enough, though, his decorum and phrasing are the most interesting aspects about the "Taimandred" theory.

Mazrim Taim seems to make some odd slips of the tongue throughout the series, and these vocal phrases and utterings have drawn a fair amount of attention from theoryheads on this and other websites. The most famous is probably the "So-called Aiel" line he drops in Lord of Chaos:

Lord of Chaos

Chapter 11, "Lessons and Teachers"

 

"Once they've agreed to follow a man who can channel, they can hardly balk at letting me test them. Those who fail, I'll send on to Caemlyn. It's time you started rasing an army of your own instead of depending on others. Bashere could change his mind; he will, if Queen Tenobia tells him to. And who can know what these so-called Aiel will do." This time he paused, but Rand held his tongue. He had thought along the same lines himself, if certainly not about the Aiel, but Taim had no need to know that.

Only one other person in the series uses this same way of referring to the Aiel: Moridin.

A Crown of Swords

Chapter 20, "Patterns Within Patterns"

 

The watcher ghosted through the trees, making no sound. It was wonderful what you could learn with a callbox, especially in a world where there seemed to be only two others. That red dress was easy to follow, and they never looked back even to see whether some of those so-called Aiel were trailing them. Graendal maintained the Mask of Mirrors that hid her true form, but Sammael had dropped his, golden-bearded again and just head and shoulders taller than she.

There are other explanations for this phraseology, of course. Assuming Mazrim Taim was knowledgeable about history and translation of words from the Old Tongue, he would understand the irony in the People of the Dragon referring to themselves as Aiel. Aiel, as you may remember, means dedicated in the Old Tongue; however, the Aiel of today are no longer dedicated to the same set of morals and values that they once were. There are a couple of other important slips, though, that start to make this harder to explain away so easily.

When Taim is first learning more of how much Rand knows about channeling, he sees Rand demonstrate opening a gateway, and Rand describes what he's doing:

Lord of Chaos

Chapter 3, "A Woman's Eyes"

 

"This is a gateway," he told Taim. "I'll show you how to make one if you didn't catch it." The man was staring at him. If he had been watching carefully, he should have seen Rand's weaving of saidin; any man able to channel could do that.

Yet later, Taim expresses astonishment at Rand's lack of knowledge of other channeling fundamentals:

Lord of Chaos

Chapter 3, "A Woman's Eyes"

 

"This lot was dredged from the bottom of-" Taim began contemptuously, then stopped in the middle of the farmyard, staring at Rand. Chickens scratched in the dust around his feet. "You haven't tested any of them? Why, in the name of...? You cannot, can you? You can Travel, but you do not know how to test for the talent."

Rand never mentioned Traveling, yet Taim obviously sees that the gateway Rand opened was used for none other than Traveling. Once again, this might be able to be explained away on its own, but together with the "So-called Aiel" comment and this last example, it really starts to become a stretch.

The last example comes from the book title of the last few quotes, an utterance that becomes both something of a motto and an order to anyone trying to further the Shadow's goals: "Let the Lord of Chaos rule." The directive is handed down to the Forsaken, and they mention it in passing several times in the span of a couple of books. Yet when the group of Red Ajah Aes Sedai from Elaida approach Taim about bonding some of his Asha'man for Warders, Taim catches both the Aes Sedai representative, Pevara, and the reader alike off-guard when he uses the phrase as well:

Knife of Dreams

Epilogue, "Remember the Old Saying"

 

"Very well."

 

Pevara blinked in spite of herself. Very well? She must have misunderstood him. He could not have been convinced so easily.

 

Taim's eyes seemed to bore into her head. He spread his hands, and it was a mocking gesture. "What would you have me say? Fair is fair? Equal shares? Accept very well and ask who will let you bond them. Besides, you must remember the old saying. Let the lord of chaos rule." The chamber erupted with laughter.

The other parts about this theory that interest me are Taim's choice of decor. He definitely seems to favor red and black, which Moridin also seems to favor, and the dais he uses to address the Asha'man, made of a strange black rock, seems like it might perhaps be able to trace its origin to Shayol Ghul. Even more interesting, when Pevara is first being brought into the Black Tower and is describing some of the details she notices, we catch something interesting:

Knife of Dreams

Epilogue, "Remember the Old Saying"

 

The palace the Murandian had spoken of was just that, two stories of white marble topped with pointed domes and spires in the style of Saldaea, separated from a large space of bare, hard-packed ground by the white platform. It was not a large palace, but most nobles lived in buildings far smaller and less grand. Broad stone stairs rose to a wide landing in front of tall twinned doors. Each bore a gauntleted fist gripping three lightning bolts, carved large and gilded. Those doors swung open before the Tairen reached them, but there were no servants in evidence. The man must have channeled. Pevara felt that chill again. Javindhra muttered under her breath. With a sound of prayer, this time.

There have been two other circumstances in which we have seen similar markings, and both were in adornment of something a Forsaken owned. The first was Belal's coach in The Dragon Reborn:

The Dragon Reborn

Chapter 51, "Bait for the Net"

 

A coachman dressed like the soldiers, but without armor or sword, sat on the seat, and another opened the door as they appeared from the house. Before he did, Nynaeve saw the sigil painted there. A silver-gauntleted fist clutching jagged lightning bolts.

Then we see it again in the meeting that Nynaeve and Birgitte spy on in Tel'aran'rhiod:

The Fires of Heaven

Chapter 34, "A Silver Arrow"

 

A compact man of middling height, with a livid scar across his face and a square golden beard, leaned forward angrily. His chair was heavy wood, carved with columns of armored men and horses, a steel-gauntleted fist clasping lightning at the back's peak.

There's really no easy explanation for this; the symbol is too similar to the ones used by the Forsaken to be mere coincidence. So, if Taim isn't Demandred, could he be another Forsaken? All the other clues would point to it being Moridin if he WAS one of them, but I find this highly unlikely because Taim would have to be present and active in the Black Tower affairs to keep a good eye on things, and Moridin is way too busy with other Nae'blis stuff. In all actuality, Taim is probably just Taim, not some other Forsaken's alter ego or avatar.

That still leaves some unanswered questions, however. Taim definitely seems to exhibit the habits of a channeler from the Age of Legends. I personally would be very excited if this was the case, for I have long thought that this could be the case. Perhaps he was a channeler from that Age but just wasn't infamous enough to earn the reputation that the Forsaken earned. If this was the case, though, there would need to be an explanation for where he had been the past 3,000 years. It's possible that he was Sealed in the Bore with the other Forsaken, perhaps near the surface, and stole out in time to become a false Dragon. This seems kind of unlikely, but other explanations start getting even more flimsy (he was stuck in a stasis box, or he was on another Portal World whose time moved much faster than ours). So, the Age of Legends channeler idea might be nixed.

A much simpler explanation for Taim's odd behavior and sayings would be that he is being controlled and directed by the Forsaken, and that their habits are wearing off on him. This explanation definitely seems to fit best with the whole "Let the Lord of Chaos rule" comment. Some even think Taim might be in the process of being groomed for a "new" Forsaken position, perhaps along with Alviarin (the head of the Black Ajah). This is speculated because of one scene in which a Forsaken meeting seems to have two extra chairs set out. I can see both sides to this debate: with some of the Forsaken balefired out of existence, I could see the Dark One wanting to "fill in the ranks" so as to better prepare the Shadow for the Last Battle, but I could also see the other Forsaken having a serious problem with this. They more than likely think that the less of them there are, the more power they will each get to split with one another, and I don't think they would show any mercy to a "new" Forsaken because of this.

Alright, we're several paragraphs in, have a bunch of quotes from both the series and the author himself, and we've established that Taim is not Demandred, but that he's still kind of odd. Well done so far, if I do say so myself. So the next question is, what shall be his fate in the last book? At this point, I think it's safe to say that his fate is intertwined with that of Logain's; those two have been gearing up for a showdown for quite some time. What will happen, though? At first glance, Taim seems to have a decidedly significant advantage. He has more channelers on his side, the Forsaken and other nasty foes in his corner, and also has had much more time with which to plan whatever it is he's been planning. But we know that Logain is destined for glory, so really the main query would seem to be how Logain ends up taking him down.

I actually LOVE an idea that one of my readers posted in the comments section for my blog on Logain, and in fact, I was fairly envious that I had not thought of it first:

@Despothera - The only thing you left out of your article was Logain's ability to see Ta'veren (Sited [sic] in Chapter 30 of Lord of Chaos. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ta'veren#cite_note-1) and how this could play into his role and return to Glory.

 

In particular, I believe this Talent will allow Logain to see through a deception by Taim. I believe Taim will use the Mask of Mirrors to present himself as Rand to the Asham'man [sic] at the Black Tower. However, being that Logain can see Ta'veren, he will know it is not Rand, and will rally his forces to attack, and eventually kill Taim. This makes sense as to why he would be laughing as he stepped over "Rand's" dead body. It also explains why Rand's face breaks apart (Mask of Mirrors). Thereafter he ascends the black stone, and becomes the new M'hael (if he still uses that title, though I think he will title himself Tamyrlin).

Grifter7 was gracious enough to point out how I had forgotten to include Logain's ability to see ta'veren, and he points out a VERY good example of how this ability could become very significant. Really, I don't have much to add to his thoughts, since it really does seem like a very good possibility at this point. Great job, Grifter. It's good to see my theorizing and general prognostication are rubbing off on some of my readers (just kidding).

Don't worry, I'm not going to just leave it at that. Taim deserves a bit more, and seeing as how he is fairly loony himself, I don't mind borrowing a couple of theories from the "loony bin." Two things have always piqued my interest when discussing Taim. The first has to do with a very nefarious process we learned about early in the series when Egwene was completing her test for Accepted: the 13 x 13 trick. Just as a refresher, if 13 channelers use 13 Myrddraal to focus their channeling, they can initiate a ritual in which any channeler can be turned to the Shadow forcibly, no matter how strong the will of the channeler being converted. That's pretty nasty business. It looks like we already have evidence of it happening at the Black Tower:

Towers of Midnight

Chapter 56, "Something Wrong"

 

Packs of black-coated men stood, with arms folded, watching him. Androl tried not to feel a chill. As he walked, he noted Mezar--hair graying at the sides, skin a Domani copper--standing with a group of lackeys. The man smiled at him. Mezar hadn't ever been one who smiled easily. Androl nodded to him, meeting his eyes.

 

And he saw what Norley had seen. Something was deeply wrong, something not-quite-alive inside those eyes. This didn't seem to be a man, but a parody of one. A shadow stuffed inside human skin.

 

Light help us all, Androl thought, hurrying by.

Towers of Midnight

Chapter 53, "Gateways"

 

"Actually," Tarna said, continuing to write, "I've been thinking on what we discussed last night. Perhaps I was hasty. There is much to learn here, and there is the matter of the rebels outside. If we leave, they will bond Asha'man, which should not be allowed."

 

The woman looked up, and Pevara froze. There was something different in Tarna's eyes, something cold. She'd always been a distant one, but this was worse.

 

Tarna smiled, a grimace that looked completely unnatural on her face. Like a smile on the lips of a corpse. She turned back to her writing.

 

Something is very, very wrong here, Pevara thought.

One of the funny things is that although I have probably discussed 17 different ways that we could end up seeing Dark Rand 2.0 in the last book, I've never really focused on the 13x13 trick being the way that he is converted, even though it's probably one of the most feasible ways it could happen. More importantly, though, the method can be used on ANY channeler, so we could very well see someone else kidnapped and brought to the tower and be in danger of being turned to the Shadow. We all know the stage is set for a big battle scene in Caemlyn somewhere around the start of A Memory of Light. It's very easy to believe that when Elayne finds out about her city being attacked, she will want to personally Travel back there and try to restore order. Maybe we'll see her, or another major character that can channel, being carted off to the Black Tower in order to be converted to the Shadow. Even if the ritual is stopped before fruition, it would definitely help add a good bit of tension to whatever rescue operation ends up going down.

The second "out there" idea that I've always kind of focused on in my research has to do with something that Taim brought to Rand in their original meeting. He brought Rand one of the Seals to the Dark One's prison, claiming to have been given it by a random farmer on a trek back from Saldaea. Aside from how sketchy Taim's story is for where he got it, we first would have to wonder why a Darkfriend, one as high up as Taim, would be fine handing over a Seal to Rand. We know that several attempts have been made by those controlled by the Shadow to recover the other Seals Rand has in his possession, so it's obvious the Shadow has some small desire to get those back. One obvious motive for Taim could have been to try and earn Rand's trust by giving him such a token, and this actually kind of works to some extent. But this seems like a small reward for giving away one of the keys to Rand defeating the Dark One at Tarmon Gai'don.

Then I read something from one of our discussion threads in the Wheel of Time discussion forums. In this post, one of our intuitive readers suggests that the Seal Taim gave Rand is actually a fake, and that this is part of a semi-elaborate ruse on Taim's part to try and help undermine Rand's attempt to fight the Dark One. Basically, the theory goes that Rand has to "clear away the rubble"--that is, he has to destroy all the Seals on the Dark One's prison so that he can perhaps construct a new prison for the Dark One. However, Rand already knows that with every Seal that he destroys, the Dark One gains that much influence on Randland. And he also believes that to do it right he has to destroy the Seals at Shayol Ghul, which just so happens to be the strongest area of the Dark One's power.

What if Rand gets there, prepared to destroy the Seals and remake the Dark One's prison, only to realize at the last second he has only destroyed six of the seven Seals? Unable to continue his plan, he would suddenly be at the complete mercy of Shai'tan, and would have only a single moment to curse Mazrim Taim's name before being consumed by Darkness. A scramble would ensue, not only to try and keep Dark Rand 2.0 from terrorizing the countryside, but also to find the last Seal pronto so that Rand's plan can be finished. I, for one, find it to be a completely evil idea and a very interesting possibility indeed.

Well, that's all for this week. I hope you enjoyed reading today's blog, and I'll try my best to keep getting these out to you with somewhat more regularity. As always, let me know what you think in the comments section, and be on the lookout for the last "Darkfriend Appreciation Blog", which will focus on a very interesting Darkfriend indeed! Adios!

Regards, my intelligent browsers of Dragonmount! Welcome to another week of "It Works in Theory," Dragonmount's often duplicated but never imitated theory blog. I know what you're thinking: two weeks in a row with a new theory blog entry, now we KNOW the end of the world is near. Speaking of the end of the world, the release date for the final book of The Wheel of Time was announced recently, and of course there were some fans who were slightly disappointed to see a date a little bit later than they had anticipated. Obviously I, along with many others, am boiling over in anticipation for A Memory of Light, and I would love for the book to be out tomorrow so I can start flipping through the pages and seeing how everything ends up. But something we should remember is that we fans are extremely lucky even to be getting an ending to the series, period. So, let's have patience, and all hope the Mayans were just big pranksters so we'll all get a chance to finish our favorite series. Before all that, though, let's go ahead and get to the disclaimer:

This blog is based on theories that will include facts and material from the latest books in the series, so if you have not read through Towers of Midnight, continue reading at your own risk! Before beginning your enjoyment of "It Works in Theory," the reader should remember to follow all safety protocol and take all caution necessary to prevent accidents or mishaps. This includes donning all protective gear and heeding all precautions, such as standing or sitting no closer than ten feet away from whatever device you happen to be reading the blog on to minimize exposure from the blog's glorious yet deadly radiation. At the very least, if a blindfold is unavailable, thick goggles should be worn to prevent overbulging of the eyes. Ear plugs are also a necessity to keep any brain matter from trying to escape the cranial cavity while the blog's contents are being transmitted directly to your mind.

We're continuing the "Darkfriend Appreciation Month" theme this week, and as promised, we shall be discussing the individual(s) known as Slayer. Last week, we covered Padan Fain, who happens to be one of Slayer's many nemeses. Slayer is definitely a very interesting character for many reasons, and several of them are the same ones that make Fain so interesting. He also is somewhat of a conglomeration of two separate personalities that merged into one violent persona, being the combination of Luc Mantear and Isam Mandragoran. He has several powerful unique abilities, mostly tied to his strengths in the world of Tel'aran'rhiod. But to me, one of the most interesting things about Slayer is the multitude of connections that link him with many other main characters of the series. Put simply, a lot of people have potential beef with this guy, and he could end up meeting his possible end at the hands of any one of them.

The first individual Slayer is linked to that I wanted to discuss was Fain himself. At one point in time, both Slayer and Fain were "on the same side." Fain had been created as a hound of the Dark One to help track down Rand, and Slayer had been a valuable tool of the Dark One for some time. But when Fain realigned his priorities and commitments after merging with Mordeth, they soon found each other trying to do the other one in. I already mentioned the oddity in that both are the product of two separate personas being merged, and the fact that both have unique and unusual abilities. Slayer has tried attacking Fain in proxy, sending Gray Men and Trollocs after him, but Fain is able to defeat or convert any Slayer sends his way. You get the sense from Fain that there is definitely no love lost in regards to Slayer; however, he also seems to have bigger fish to fry.

As far as who would win in a showdown, it obviously has a lot to do with the placement of the battlefield. If the fight were to occur in Tel'aran'rhiod somehow, or if Slayer were able to drag Fain into the dream world, he would most easily hold the advantage. In any other circumstances, however, Fain would most likely dominate without breaking a sweat. Slayer isn't overly reckless, so I don't think a one on one showdown between the two is honestly that likely.

In general, when we think of Slayer's true foe, only one person comes to mind: Perrin Goldeneyes. There is some serious bad blood in that relationship, as Slayer has killed countless wolfbrothers of Perrin's. Slayer seems to be perceptive of the relationship Perrin has with the wolves, and kills them to tease Perrin as much as to satisfy his own inhuman desire to destroy. They have met multiple times now, both in combat and in passing when Lord Luc was posing as a savior to the Two Rivers during the scouring of the Shire cleansing of Trollocs from Rand's homeland. They've traded off somewhat; the first encounter ending in sort of a draw (when Slayer seemed to disappear into the Tower of Ghenjei), the second again resulting in a draw (this time with Perrin fleeing), the third ending with Perrin injuring Slayer greatly with an arrow to the chest, the fourth ending with Perrin barely escaping with his life, and the last ending with Perrin outsmarting Slayer and using a nightmare to destroy the dreamspike.

There is a subtle undercurrent to Slayer and Perrin's relationship. Slayer seems to have a connection to the Darkhounds, and might even have something to do with their creation or conversion. Perrin, as a wolfbrother, shares his wolf pals' aversion to creatures of the Shadow. Interestingly enough, the wolves seem to have a larger dislike for creatures that are less human or are abominations of nature. Their hatred for the "Neverborn," their term for Myrddraal, is a prime example. Well, Slayer has been in Tel'aran'rhiod in the flesh long enough to have lost nearly all his humanity, so it stands to reason that this would set him apart already. Combining this with his connection to Darkhounds, it's easy to think that Perrin would love nothing more than to hamstring him and rip out his throat with a powerful set of wolf jaws or possibly a swipe of Mah'alleinir. Even worse, Slayer could possibly be the Shadow's version of a wolfbrother, some kind of Shadowbrother that gets glee from murdering and turning wolves. Hopper even hints at somehing far older than Slayer when referring to him while admonishing Perrin for wanting to chase him:

The Shadow Rising

Chapter 28, "To the Tower of Ghenjei"

 

You chase Slayer, Young Bull. He is here in the flesh, and he can kill.

 

“In the flesh? You mean not just dreaming? How can he be here in the flesh?”

 

I do not know. It is a thing dimly remembered from long ago, come again as so much else. Things of the Shadow walk the dream, now. Creatures of Heartfang. There is no safety.

I'll be getting back to the "dimly remembered" thing a bit later, but if Slayer is a Shadowbrother then it is most fitting for Perrin, the Wolf King himself, to be the one who takes him down. However, if they were to meet again, this time in a final confrontation, who would ultimately hold the advantage? To be honest, Perrin is actually easily outmatched by Slayer in terms of abilities within the wolf/dream world; the main reason Perrin has been able to keep it relatively even up to this point has been his ability to surprise Slayer, who was also most likely underestimating Perrin's abilities. Not only that, but you also must consider the nature of both men. Slayer has an extreme amount of pride and holds a deep personal vendetta against Perrin. And his rage, although cold and inhuman, would make him seek Perrin's death even if it didn't necessarily help the chances of the Shadow succeeding.

Perrin, on the other hand, is not nearly as passionate in that sense. Yes, of course he has his own righteous fury and is a force to be reckoned with when enflamed, but most of the time he tries to think logically and choose the best course of action carefully. In Towers of Midnight when Perrin had stolen the dreamspike from Slayer and was fleeing from him, it wasn't nearly as important to him that he see Slayer dead as it was that he find a way to destroy or disable the dreamspike. He cared more about his duty and protecting those who had sworn fealty to him than he did about personal vengeance, and this was right after witnessing Slayer kill multiple friends of his in the wolf dream. So, at the end of the day, Perrin simply isn't as driven to kill Slayer as Slayer is to kill him. When taking into account the fact that Slayer is also more skilled in Tel'aran'rhiod, it's somewhat of a natural conclusion to say that Slayer would most likely defeat Perrin.

Another individual that Slayer has a link to is one of the Forsaken, one who recently was visited by Shaidar Haran to finally be held accountable for all of her failings. Graendal tried shirking responsibility onto Slayer after he was loaned for her use by Moridin, but Shaidar Haran wasn't having any of it. She does seem to still be alive though, and it is possible that she would carry a grudge against Slayer if she truly believed he was to blame for her last epic fail of a plot. That being said, I doubt she would risk going after another of the Dark One's tools, considering she has been responsible for the deaths of almost as many Forsaken as Rand. She would know that she would be on her last lifeline, and wouldn't want to risk losing out on the chance at eternal life for some simple grudge.

The relationship that Slayer has to the next couple of characters is somewhat more intimate; in fact, he happens to share a blood bond with both of them. One of Slayer's personalities is Isam Mandragoran, who happens to be the son of Breyan Mandragoran, who was Lan's aunt. This would make him Lan's cousin, which is why his dream form of Isam has caused some confusion for those who didn't realize who he was at first (Nynaeve and Egwene have both seen him in visits to Tel'aran'rhiod). Breyan Mandragoran is largely to blame for the fall of Malkier. Because of this, were Lan to ever learn of this side of Slayer's persona, he would relish greatly in the chance to be the one who made Slayer depart this world. Part of the reason Lan has "courted death" so much in his life-long vendetta against the Shadow is that he's always lacked an easy scapegoat for the fall of his kingdom. If he were given the son of the woman responsible for its fall, I imagine his mercy would not extend far at all. The difficulty here, however, would probably be having an excuse for these two to meet, and for Lan to have it verified who he was.

The other half of Slayer consists of Lord Luc Mantear, and following his family tree results in another nice surprise: Rand. Rand's mother Tigraine, otherwise known as Shaiel, was Luc's sister, which would make Slayer Rand's uncle. First of all, who would've thought that someone with both Lan and Rand's blood could be such a psychopath? I mean, Rand and Lan are both such agreeable, mentally stable people...kinda sorta...right? One interesting possibility that arises with this information is Slayer's possible involvement in the "Blood on the Rocks" topic, if you presume that the "blood of the Dragon" might mean his blood relatives. I kind of doubt Slayer will somehow be sacrificed for the good of the Light, however.

Another huge connection Luc has with Rand has to do with Rand's other biological parent: Janduin. After Shaiel's death, Janduin ventures forth to the Blight in a fit of grief, hoping to find solace in the deaths of as many Shadowspawn as he can cause, when he sees someone who seems to have a striking resemblance to Shaiel. It is implied that his hesitation at seeing someone who carries the likeness of his dead wife is what costs him his life, because the individual then kills him. Slayer is Rand's uncle, and also happened to kill his true father. Yes, the soap opera that is The Wheel of Time has many twists and turns. Suffice it to say that were Rand to find a chance to dispatch his father's killer, he would come upon Slayer like a terrible malevelont force of destruction that Slayer would have little chance against.

In fact, there is an interesting caveat to this relationship: Slayer's death at the hands of Rand may well have been prophesied:

The Great Hunt

Chapter 7, "Blood Calls Blood"

 

Luc came to the Mountains of Dhoom.

Isam waited in the high passes.

The hunt is now begun. The Shadow’s hounds now course,

and kill.

One did live, and one did die, but both are.

The Time of Change has come.

Blood feeds blood.

Blood calls blood.

Blood is, and blood was, and blood shall ever be.

 

The Watchers wait on Toman’s Head.

The seed of the Hammer burns the ancient tree.

Death shall sow, and summer burn, before the Great Lord comes.

Death shall reap, and bodies fail, before the Great Lord comes.

Again the seed slays ancient wrong, before the Great Lord comes.

Now the Great Lord comes.

Now the Great Lord comes.

Blood feeds blood.

Blood calls blood.

Blood is, and blood was, and blood shall ever be.

Now, in one of my first blogs, I discussed the Dark Prophecy and its possible interpretations. In that blog, I said that the second paragraph I quoted here most likely had to do with the Seanchan invasion of Tarabon, but there is another possible interpretation. There was a great theory/write-up by one of Dragonmount's regular posters in the General Wheel of Time Discussion forum, in which FarShainMael lined out why the "seed of the Hammer" could possibly be Rand. Long story short, Rand could possibly be related to Artur Hawkwing through the lineage on his mother's side of the family. He burned "the ancient tree" when he lit Avendesora on fire during his fight with Asmodean at the end of The Shadow Rising. And what could the line "Again the seed slays ancient wrong" be referring to?

The Shadow Rising

Chapter 28, "To the Tower of Ghenjei"

 

"It does not matter so long as you stay away from the Aelfinn and the Eelfinn. They are not evil the way the Shadow is evil, yet they are so different from humankind they might as well be. They are not to be trusted, archer. Stay clear of the Tower of Ghenjei. Avoid the World of Dreams, if you can. Dark things walk.”

 

“Like the man I was chasing? Slayer.”

 

“A good name for him. This Slayer is not old, archer, but his evil is ancient.”

In the same chapter after Hopper tells Perrin that Slayer uses abilities "dimly remembered from long ago," Perrin meets Birgitte for the first time, and she ends up describing Slayer's essence in a similar fashion. We all know what a fan Robert Jordan was of putting small hints in certain wordings or phrases, so it could be that he was breadcrumbing that Slayer is the ancient evil, or ancient wrong, that the seed shall...slay. I wouldn't be surprised at all if Rand ends up being the one who punches Slayer's ticket in, especially if Slayer adds Perrin's death to the list of grievances Rand would have against him.

One more thing I wanted to discuss before we wrapped things up this week has to do with something that many of you might not normally consider. Well, what else am I good for if not for helping you exercise those theory muscles that don't often get worked out? What I'm interested in is the morality of Slayer; more specifically how much culpability can be placed at his feet, or just "how evil" he truly is. One thing to remember is that one half of Slayer, Isam, was taken into the Blight by his mother when he was still an infant. More than likely he was taken at an extremely young age, and probably went through who knows what kind of trauma and anguish before he was even merged with Luc. Luc, meanwhile, was sent to the Blight by Gitara Moroso, who supposedly had tried convincing him fame and fortune lie in the Blight. It's possible, though, that instead she convinced him to go because she told him it was necessary for him to go because the outcome of Tarmon Gai'don depended on him venturing into the Blight.

What I'm getting at is, what if Luc went there with altruistic intentions, only to be taken by the forces of the Shadow and subjugated to whatever treatment would help develop him into Slayer? We know being in Tel'aran'rhiod in the flesh has very harmful effects on your humanity, and that someone can be forcibly taken into the world of dreams. In that world, so much more is possible if your morals aren't so rigidly defined, and the use of its abilities might even have something to do with how Slayer was created, how both of his personalities were merged. So is it possible that Slayer is in fact a mere victim of circumstance and didn't choose to become evil of his own will but was forced to become a pawn of the Dark One? If this is the case, should we be rooting for his death more because it would be an act of mercy instead of wishing his death to satisfy our own morbid appetites? Or maybe I'm just cutting Slayer too much slack because he shares a name with an iconic speed/thrash metal band that I happen to dig (my band is even considering doing a cover of a famous song of theirs; I left a clue hinting which one at the very beginning of this week's blog).

Well, that should just about do it for this week. I hope everyone has enjoyed it, and I would like to hear your thoughts on the topic. Comment, private message, or email me if you had any different takes or ideas on either this, or any topic you might want to talk about. Also, I apologize for bringing this up again, but one more positive that comes out of having a release date slightly later than expected: more theory blogs from yours truly! Ah, well, I tried. Alright, till next week theoryheads, when we will be focusing on the one and only...Mazrim Taim!

Howdy, my sagacious sojourners of Dragonmount! Welcome back to "It Works in Theory," Dragonmount's theory blog headed by some bloke I happen to share an identity with. Sorry for the delay in new blog entries lately. Life in general has been very busy, and recently I've also been splitting my writing time between here and the write-ups for the Wheel of Time Cage Match fights Dragonmount has set up. In case you haven't kept up with all the fights, here's a link to the forum that contains all the contests. And now, for our disclaimer:

This blog is based on theories that will include facts and material from the latest books in the series, so if you have not read through Towers of Midnight, continue reading at your own risk! This serves as notice to inform any random passersby or guests who might accidentally be reading this that the blog will soon begin spraying conjecture and hyperphilosophy. Please do not disturb or alarm normal residents of the blog; they have long since developed resistance to the toxic ideas and theories. We hope all enlightened individuals and other patrons who have not been touched by the harmful vapors of this blog yet will soon vacate to avoid being harmed, and dedicate all merits from the Compassionate Mantra to these persons and all other creatures, so that they may be reborn in a land far from this blog's deadly reach.

I decided to be a little ambitious this month and make February "Darkfriend Appreciation Month" (in addition to it being National Black History Month, Plant the Seeds of Greatness Month, Exotic Vegetable and Starfruit Month, as well as Pull Your Sofa off the Wall Month). Every week we shall cover a different notable Darkfriend from the series, discussing their impact on the storyline, their relationship to various theories, and other things relative to each one. This week, I am excited to say that we shall open up the month by examining none other than Padan Fain himself, everyone's favorite deranged dagger-wielding fiend.

Unfortunately, Padan Fain recently met his end in our Cage Match contest against a worthy opponent in al'Lan Mandragoran himself (I even got the privilege to write the scene for that fight!). I noticed some took this fairly hard, so it was obvious that not only is Fain somewhat of a fan favorite when it comes to characters devoted to the Shadow, but his powers and abilities have helped him gain a large amount of respect and appreciation from the fandom of The Wheel of Time. Luckily, he has not met his end yet in the books, and will most assuredly play a large role in the last book of the series.

It would be somewhat foolish to discuss Fain without first covering what made him into the creature he is now, because his history intertwines him with other major characters in the book. Padan Fain was first introduced to us as a peddler who visited the Two Rivers somewhat regularly, but it didn't take long before it was revealed that he had been a Darkfriend for over 40 years. After Rand, Mat, and Perrin leave and start their adventure, Ba'alzamon captures Fain and "distills" him, somehow granting Fain the ability to track down the three ta'veren. His bond to them forced him to follow them into Shadar Logoth, where he encountered the ages-old entity known as Mordeth, and instead of possessing Fain's body completely like Mordeth had long dreamed of doing to escape and infect the world with its evil, it merged with Fain, creating a new, more powerful adversary for our heroes.

The merging helped instantly grant Fain some remarkable attributes, like the ability to not only resist a Myrddraal's fear-inducing gaze but to also be able to make them cower before him like a child would to a bully. Incidentally, Fain won his matchup in our Cage Match fights when he went up against Shaidar Haran, who is a kind of super-Myrddraal himself, and I honestly wouldn't be surprised at all if the two were to actually meet and have a similar outcome in the last book. Other powers and abilities have also emerged throughout the series, helping Fain to evolve into one of the most dangerous foes for Rand to have to deal with.

I first wanted to share a concept that was brought before me by someone who reads my blog (which I'm sure he does as some sort of self-mortification for past deeds) and has occasionally shared his perspective on key issues and theories regarding this series. His idea is that Rand and company will not just defeat, but also destroy the Dark One. Fain will somehow be bottled up inside the sealed Bore, and will turn into a "young" Dark One, presumably to resurface again in future turnings of the Wheel. While I found this idea very intriguing, I initially was somewhat resistant to it because I had always believed that the Dark One was somewhat of an equal to the Creator and could never be destroyed, only simply contained. After all, if the Creator himself (or herself) wasn't able to destroy him, how would anyone be able to?

After looking through some passages, however (with the help of my remarkably resourceful research assistant), I found that there could be some subtle foreshadowing of this type of event. When Fain is imprisoned in Fal Dara and Rand and Egwene visit him in his cell, he taunts Rand with a rhyme:

The Great Hunt

Chapter 3, "Friends and Enemies"

 

Soon comes the day all shall be free. Even you, and even me.

Soon comes the day all shall die. Surely you, but never I.

I even got the title of my blog from this fun little rhyming quote. It seems to hint that Fain also wants to and will break the Wheel of Time and the Pattern (all shall be free), yet also believes he will never die. This might simply seem to be the musings of a madman, but then we have another quote:

The Great Hunt

Chapter 19, "Beneath the Dagger"

 

Al’Thor was up there, somewhere, in the mountains. With the Horn. His teeth grated audibly at the thought. He did not know where, exactly, but something pulled him toward the mountains. Toward al’Thor. That much of the Dark One’s...gift...remained to him. He had hardly thought of it, had tried not to think of it, until suddenly, after the Horn was gone —Gone!— al’Thor was there, drawing him as meat draws a starving dog.

 

“I am a dog no longer. A dog no longer!” He heard the others shifting uneasily around the fire, but he ignored them. “You will pay for what was done to me, al’Thor! The world will pay!” He cackled at the night with mad laughter. “The world will pay!”

Will Fain's hatred for Rand grow so much that he ends up taking Shai'tan's place and battles his own millenia-long struggle to make the world pay? An interesting possibility, to say the least.

I actually think Fain will end up playing a different role in the Last Battle, however, and one that surprisingly might benefit the forces of Light. I won't be the first one to notice that there are some odd similiarities between Fain and another gaunt, villainous character from another famous epic fantasy series you may have heard of, The Lord of the Rings. Who am I speaking of? Why, Gollum, of course. Both characters went through some unspeakable torture and transformation at the hands of evil forces, and both have a knack for being able to follow the heroes around wherever they go (if only Rand could find some elven rope, maybe then he could try to tame ol' Fain like a good Smeagol). Fain even seems to have a similar appearance in a way.

The Eye of the World

Chapter 3, "The Peddler"

 

The man on the wagon was Padan Fain, a pale, skinny fellow with gangly arms and a massive beak of a nose.

So, what could fate have in store for Fain, if he is somewhat of a mirror of Gollum's role in The Lord of the Rings? Unfortunately, he won't be able to clutch the Dark One to him and fall cackling into a lava pit, so that option is gone. He could perform some other act, though, which he might intend to do as an evil act, but which might end up serving the Light in the end. He could be the one who spills Rand's blood on the rocks of Shayol Ghul, an event that is exalted in both the prophecies of the Light AND of the Shadow (an oddity I will eventually cover when I discuss the "Blood on the Rocks" topic more in depth). Fain also holds a serious grudge against the Shadow for turning him into what he was, in addition to the Shadow-fighting evil of Mashadar. He even seems to share Rand's ability of identifying Darkfriends:

Lord of Chaos

Chapter 28, "Letters"

 

There should be nothing to single out a Darkfriend from anyone else, but of late he found he could tell one at a glance, even someone who had only thought of swearing to the Shadow, as if they had a sooty mark on their foreheads.

Another character parallel for Padan Fain is Mordred from the story of King Arthur. Fans of this series have probably noted many similarities and parallels to the Arthurian Legend, most notably Rand's role in the books as the Fisher King (click here for a great article from Linda at the 13th Depository on the Rand/Fisher King relationship). Several things link Fain and Mordred; Fain's soul merged with Mordeth, which is obviously very similar to Mordred, both seem to have nearly unmatched ability even though they don't really achieve what they want, both have a connection to their nemesis (Mordred was Arthur's son, Fain went mad from the process that made him Rand's hunter). And out of all of the villains and even allies that might end up taking Rand out, Fain seems both best equipped and unequal in his desire to be the one to kill Rand (Lanfear/Cyndane is definitely up there in her hatred of Rand, but there's just enough reasonable doubt to give Fain the edge here).

There are many ways in which Fain killing Rand could possibly end up being a good thing, which would definitely entrench Fain's "Gollumness" in the series. Dark Rand 2.0 could be terrorizing the countryside and Fain could dispatch him, not knowing of the difference in his alignment. It would help satisfy prophecy, which could enable other things which have yet to happen to unfold. Then there's that whole Blood on the Rocks thing that we are still unsure of. Either way, I'm looking out for Fain to possibly have a redeeming moment before the last book ends. After all, Egwene herself wonders in the first book if the "No man can stand in the Shadow so long..." quote could apply to Fain, and even though Moiraine is somewhat hesitant, it is definitely a possibility.

The last facet of Fain's character that I wanted to explore has to do with a symbolism that is inherent in Robert Jordan's writing. Padan Fain, or even Mordeth or Mashadar, seems to be absent from all prophecies. Egwene or any of the other characters who can Dream never catch a glimpse of him. Even Min, whose ability lets her see auras around anyone who impacts the Pattern significantly, comes up short.

A Crown of Swords

Chapter 35, "Into the Woods"

 

For some reason, Min’s eyes were drawn to his companion, a skinny little fellow with a large nose and wide ears, in a red silk coat that did not fit him very well. He kept fingering a curved dagger at his belt, a fancy piece with a golden sheath and a large red stone capping the hilt that seemed to catch the light darkly. She saw no auras around him.

Robert Jordan commented on Fain's unusual nature a couple of times, giving us more hints as to his role in the series:

Wotmania/Dragonmount Q&A - 9 December 2002

 

Q: Has the Padan Fain/Mordeth character been present in previous Ages, or is he unique to this particular Age?

RJ: He is unique to this particular Age. A very unique fellow, indeed. In some ways, you might say he has unwittingly side-stepped the Pattern.

Jordan also remarked in another Q&A session that Fain was his wild card, a character that existed outside the structure of the Pattern and could act unpredictably. In playing cards, the "wild card" is usually the Joker, which draws its roots from a Tarot card called the Fool. The Fool is a part of the Major Arcana of the Tarot deck, but it is unique in that all of the other cards in the Major Arcana come with a number assigned to them, but the Fool was always either unnumbered or number zero. There is another article at the 13th Depository that goes much deeper into this subject, and I definitely recommend reading it. Basically, the Fool card can be said to represent the Unknown. That which cannot be easily categorized or even defined. The supernatural, or perhaps even past it. It could even be said that it represents infinity, or even a singularity.

The point is that Fain doesn't have to play by the rules set forth by the Pattern. His transformation could be said to be a cosmic accident, and yet most philosophers would point out that accidents are never as random as we think them to be. Another friend and reader (and mentor) of mine put forth another idea to me recently, that Rand ultimately will end the cyclical nature of his world and have reality continue in a linear time model using the Horn of Valere. Some time ago, I wrote one of my favorite blogs, which covered the topic of eternal return and the cyclical nature of the Wheel of Time (click here to read that entry), and pointed out that cyclical time didn't have to be viewed as such a horrid concept. However, if something were to happen that broke Rand's world out of its cyclical time model, I'm not sure if the Horn of Valere would be necessary--but I'm almost positive Fain would have to be involved.

Well, that's it for this week. I hope everyone enjoyed this week's read. Of course, as always, let me know what you think in the comments. Next week, we'll be covering another favorite character of mine: Slayer! Also, as you can see, I pay close attention to any thoughts, ideas, or theories sent to me from anyone else, so if you have some thoughts about anything in the series and you would like someone to discuss them with, please shoot me a pm or email me at hazelkrs110@hotmail.com. I don't check my email that often, to be honest (or my pm box for that matter), but I promise to read and respond to anything you send. Till next time!

Ba'ax ka wa'alik, my brilliant wanderers of Dragonmount! Welcome back to "It Works in Theory," Dragonmount's theory blog, which I am privileged enough to get to write. I apologize for the extended delay between entries; it's been a hectic holiday season for me, and the blog seemed like it could use a nice little winter hibernation to get a little bit leaner (luckily it had been storing up on enough fat to help it sustain itself long enough without me for a bit). Since you have had to wait so long for another entry, let's go right ahead and knock our disclaimer out of the way so we can get started:

This blog is based on theories that will include facts and material from the latest books in the series, so if you have not read through Towers of Midnight, continue reading at your own risk! The entire physical universe, including this blog, may one day collapse back into an infinitesimally small space that may or may not be bigger than a studio apartment available for rent in New York City. Should another universe subsequently and spontaneously re-emerge, the existence of this blog in that universe cannot be guaranteed. It is guaranteed, however, that if there are deadlines for said blog, they will more than likely not be met in a timely manner.

First of all, I hope everyone had a great holiday season, and that you are all having a happy new year so far! I'm not sure how many take any stock in this at all, but if those pesky Mayans (google this week's greeting for an easter egg) end up being right, 2012 could end up being our last year on this planet. I doubt it is, but just in case, I decided to make my resolution this year to ensure humanity's survival for another millennium. Everyone cross their fingers that I stick to my resolution for once! Even if the world doesn't end, this will be the year that A Memory of Light will come out, which will mean the end of the fantastic epic series we've all been following for various amounts of time. I'll pause to give everyone time to sniffle into some tissue paper.

...

Since we're discussing all kinds of different ends, I thought it might be fitting today to discuss something I'm sure many are wondering about with the release of the last book coming closer and closer upon us: which main characters will survive, and which ones get the axe? Since I wrote a similar type of blog not too long ago discussing which Forsaken might end up turning to the Light (to read that entry, click here), it seemed like a good idea to do this one in a similar format, and lo and behold, I think we might even have the same number of good guys to examine! We'll be basing the likelihood of death on a 1-10 scale, with 1 being they'll almost certainly stay alive, and 10 being they'll be as dead as a doornail. In not necessarily any specific order:

Mat (AKA Prince of Ravens, AKA Lord of Battles, AKA Toy)

Matrim Cauthon

Occupation: General, Ta'veren, Gambler, Loveable Degenerate

I wanted to go ahead and get our favorite rapscallion out of the way first because I think he's probably the main character who's flirted with death more so than any other. Hung and left for dead after his second trip to the land of the 'Finns, killed by a Forsaken and resurrected by Rand's balefiring of said Forsaken, pursued by an invincible killing machine of a gholam for several books, and oh, let's not forget the treatment he got from Queen Tylin when she was grooming him to be her pet; he's definitely had his fair share of close calls with death. Plus, there was a time when Robert Jordan had been tossing around the idea that there might be some "outrigger" novels after the series ended which would feature Mat and Tuon in lands not featured very much in the Wheel of Time. So, I think it's safe to say Mat should be safe in the last book.

Verdict: 1 out of 10

Egwene (AKA The Amyrlin Seat, AKA The Flame of Tar Valon)

Egwene al'Vere

Occupation: Amyrlin, Dreamer, Punching Bag for Aes Sedai-haters

Egwene has grown before our eyes into an incredibly powerful woman in the world of the Wheel of Time, training as a Wise One apprentice, learning what it is to be able to interpret one's Dreams as a Dreamer, and also tripping and falling into the Amyrlin's seat (well, it might have been a little more complicated than that, but not much). She's one of the most powerful female channelers of her generation, her iron will and fortitude have helped to bring the White Tower from general disrepair back into a more respectable position, and she strives to use her position of leadership to help the forces of Light win the Last Battle.

To be honest, we haven't gotten many glimpses of foreshadowing of her death, and you kind of figure that as a Dreamer, we might have gotten some of those if her death was imminent. She's had her close calls as well, having been kidnapped and held prisoner a couple of times, and has faced down some Forsaken to boot. Realistically, I don't see her dying since her position now puts her somewhat further from the battlefield than she would have been before, and it was more than likely the intent of the author to have Egwene lead the White Tower back to glory. She has been compared several times to some of the greatest and most powerful Amyrlins in history, and even though she's done quite a bit in her short tenure, I doubt she's done yet.

Verdict: 2 out of 10

Logain (AKA Guaire Amalasan?)

Logain Ablar

Occupation: False Dragon, Asha'man of the Black Tower

In my last blog (A Halo of Gold and Blue), I focused on Logain and what his glory might end up being. I also focused on what his possible "lineage" might be, and how that might be pertinent to what ends up happening with him. The thing is, his glory might involve him doing some great deeds which would require him to stick around for awhile, like possibly becoming Tamyrlin for the male section of the new "Gray Tower" I've talked about. However, it might also involve him sacrificing himself for some greater good, which means that he might not have that long of a shelf life at all. I'm leaning more towards the former, however. I think he'll be in relatively good condition at the end of the book.

Verdict: 4 out of 10

Aviendha (AKA The Wise One apprentice formerly known as a Maiden of the Spear)

Aviendha of the Nine Valleys sept of the Taardad Aiel

Occupation: Wise One apprentice, First-sister to Elayne, Heartthrob of the Dragon Reborn

Of all Rand's lovers, Aviendha is definitely my favorite. Way back in my very first blog on the website, I talked about Aviendha and the visions she saw in Rhuidean of the future of her people. I find the time we've spent with her character to have been invaluable; her heartfelt sentiments and musings have helped paint the picture of her being a very reluctant hero. She is extremely humble, but after seeing what she saw in the pillars in Rhuidean, she knows she will do anything she can to help prevent the awful fate that might be in store for her people. If that meant taking the mantle of leadership for her people to help direct them down a different path, I think she would do it, but I suspect that something else might be in store for her. I believed at the time of writing that blog and still do that she is a perfect martyr character, and it seems likely to me that she might think the best way to help preserve her people's honor is to help them rediscover their roots and use the lost Talent of Singing to help fight the Dark One in the last book. This passage comes to mind very easily:

The Shadow Rising

Chapter 2, "The Dedicated"

 

Ten Thousand Aiel linking arms and singing, trying to remind a madman of who they were and who he had been, trying to turn him with their bodies and a song. Jaric Mondoran killed them. He stood there, staring as though at a puzzle, killing them, and they kept closing their lines and singing. I am told he listened to the last Aiel for almost an hour before destroying him. And then Tzora burned, one huge flame consuming stone and metal and flesh. There is a sheet of glass where the second greatest city in the world once stood.

Verdict: 7 out of 10

Lan (AKA Aan'allein, AKA Lord of the Seven Towers, AKA The OG BA Gaidin)

Lan Mandragoran

Occupation: Warder, uncrowned King of Malkier, Nynaeve's Bonded

Let's face it, Lan would like nothing better than to expel his last breaths in the last book, as long as it meant his sword was glistening in the blood of his enemies and his ears were filled with the cries of their painful deaths all around him. This stony-faced Warder has been battling his own one-man war against the Shadow since he was sixteen, and he has more reason than most because he's the last remaining lord of Malkier, a nation that was completely annihilated by forces of the Shadow when he was still a babe in swaddling clothes. While he was Moiraine's Warder, Moiraine could barely keep him from going off and surrounding himself with insurmountable odds just to seek comfort in vengeance and death. Once his bond passed to Nynaeve, she showed him that flowers could be grown where he "cultivated dust and stone" and his demeanor lightened slightly, but his goal of retribution against the forces of the Dark One had not been hampered one bit.

He now has a force of Malkieri with him, riding to what he thinks is his death, galloping into the maw of his enemy like he's part of a great Shakespearean tragedy. So, all is said and done, and we shall soon see Lan's dying throes of bittersweet vengeance? Not so fast, my friend. The whole scene has been set up for too long and with too much build up for things to go down like we imagine. I doubt Nynaeve has used up all her tricks to try and keep him from dying without more aid, and Logain himself might be tied to Lan's rescue as well, so it seems very possible we might have a Gandalf-riding-down-the-hill-at-first-light-of-the-fifth-day type moment on the horizon.

Verdict: 5 out of 10

Nynaeve (AKA Wisdom of Edmond's Field, AKA leader of the "Wondergirls," AKA Braid-puller, AKA Ol' Battle Axe)

Nynaeve al'Meara

Occupation: Aes Sedai, Healer, Herbalist, Scolder

Of course, we have to cover Nynaeve now that we just covered Lan. Who would I be to try and come between the two? Nynaeve has also gone through a great journey throughout the series, at first seeming to be a nearly one-dimensional scolder who never let up on those she was admonishing. She overcame her block (with Moghedien's help), is now married, and shows many more emotions than she once did. Some think that she has lost her edge, but I just see that she has matured more as a person and no longer sees anger as the only way to deal with her peers. But how likely is she to croak?

One of the things that stands out to me is the vision of Nynaeve crying, and that her grief must be important. Some think this grief might be over Rand's death, which we might cover in a future blog, but I think it more likely has to do with Lan. Let's say she decides to shirk her duties at Rand's side and goes off to try and help Lan, which no one could really fault her for, but arrives to find that she has arrived too late. I don't see her being able to move on so easily and resume her responsibilities in Tarmon Gai'don. It seems more likely that she will instead pursue her own goal of vengeance, and this might lead to her not surviving Lan long. The only thing is, she still seems to have a special role in other events to come, but we don't know if she will be able to fulfill those roles yet still live on. I believe her fate is somewhat connected to Lan's.

Verdict: 4 out of 10

Perrin (AKA Young Bull, AKA Goldeneyes)

Perrin Aybara

Occupation: Blacksmith, Wolfbrother, Ta'veren, General

Perrin is a character many actually can see departing the physical realm in the last book because of one main reason: as a Wolfbrother, he'd be able to assist the forces of Light even if he died because of his abilities in the wolf dream/Tel'aran'rhiod. It's also not far-fetched at all to see him dying in battle since he leads his men from the trenches; he fights right there at the front line neck and neck with his foe and often puts his life in danger. That being said, I actually don't think it's a definite that Perrin will perish because he still has to fulfill the "Broken Crown" part of Min's vision of him (for a more in depth explanation, visit this past blog entry), and he still seems to need to play his part in the lost Talent of Singing resurfacing. Not only that, but Min's vision about the sparks flying around Rand, and the sparks growing larger with either of his ta'veren buddies around him seems to indicate that Rand, Mat, and Perrin will need to be near each other during a climactic moment for the Light to succeed, and this probably would not be possible even with Perrin in the same location in the wolf dream.

Verdict: 2 out of 10

Gawyn (AKA Egwene's Bonded, AKA Leader of the Younglings)

Gawyn Trakand

Occupation: First Sword of Andor, Warder, Holder of irrational grudge towards Rand

As Elayne's brother, Gawyn is acting First Sword of her Court, although the title is mainly just in name only. His true duties lie at Egwene's side, as both her Warder and as her love interest. Although very young, he is unbelievably skilled with a blade, and proved his worth when he dispatched not one, not two, but three Bloodknives sent to dispatch Egwene while she was sleeping. He very nearly died on that occasion, and would have died if Egwene had not awoken and Bonded him as her Warder. After recovering somewhat, he took the three ter'angreal rings from the would-be assassins and held onto them for later. It is mainly because of these rings that he holds, and the properties they share, that his death seems more imminent than most.

The rings grant unnatural speed and aid in keeping the bearer hidden, making it so it is in fact very difficult to look directly upon someone wearing the ring. However, this gift comes with a steep price, because once the ring is adorned, the owner will die within a manner of weeks. Gawyn has held an unnatural grudge towards Rand for much of the series, and though in the last book he appeared to be reconciling somewhat with the fact that Rand was now his brother-in-law, he still seems to have some deep-seated issues with the Dragon Reborn. There is even an idea out there that Gawyn might take on a "Mordredesque" type role and take Rand out, whether it's Light Rand or Dark Rand. It's somewhat hard to believe that Gawyn himself would survive such a feat, though. Either way, his chances of surviving the last book look grim.

Verdict: 8 out of 10

Elayne (AKA Caryla, AKA Morelin)

Elayne Trakand

Occupation: Queen of Andor, Aes Sedai, One of Rand's cadre of lovers

Speaking of Trakands, we might as well cover Gawyn's sister Elayne, the golden-haired beauty herself. As Queen, she should never be near any frontlines of battle, yet she seems to love throwing herself in danger's way as often as she can. She uses Min's vision as an excuse to do so; Min saw in one of her visions that she would give birth to two healthy twins, so as long as Elayne is still pregnant, she thinks it's completely okay to tempt fate as often as possible. Honestly, though, I don't think it's likely that she will actually die in the last book because she seems to have accomplished too much in uniting Andor and Cairhien to die now. Also, if I'm not mistaken, there's some references to her surviving the Last Battle during Aviendha's visions in the pillars at Rhuidean, making it somewhat more far-fetched to see her die. One thing that does make me think there might be a possibility is that if Aviendha dies, then should Elayne die too, Rand's love life would suddenly be simplified to a normal one on one relationship with Min, so I guess there could be some reasonable doubt...

Verdict: 2 out of 10

Moiraine (AKA Alys, AKA Mari, AKA The OG BA Aes Sedai)

Moiraine Damodred

Occupation: Aes Sedai, One-time holder of Lan's bond, Soon to be holder of Thom's bond

Moiraine was our introduction to Aes Sedai, and boy she set the bar high. She is an incredible schemer and weaver of intricate plots, and even though she was always protective of our heroes when they first set out on their journey, you always got the feeling she would sacrifice them in a heartbeat if it would help defeat the Dark One. For much of the series, we had actually thought her dead already, but it turned out that she was instead just held captive in the world of the 'Finns and required Mat, Thom, and Jain Farstrider himself to rescue her from there. Once rescued, it became evident that she and Thom had actually held interest for each other for quite some time, and they now plan on marrying. It doesn't seem likely that she was rescued just in time for the last book just to die off again, and she's far too intelligent to blunder her way into a mishap that would cause her death.

Verdict: 2 out of 10

Thom (AKA...too cool for aliases)

Thomdril Merrilin

Occupation: Gleeman, One-time Court Bard, Skilled player at Daes Dae'mar

Thom has long been one of the most beloved characters of the series, serving for breathtaking moments of awe when he utilized an unexpected way of saving someone else, or when he gave us a good chuckle with his sharp wit. He started out as an old man, but a spry old man at that, and with his upcoming bond to Moiraine, he shouldn't have to worry about dying of old age anytime soon. He isn't particularly fond of putting himself directly in the path of danger and would much rather play his cards from the sideline or manipulate the situation to his desire, but if the situation calls for it, he is more than able to handle his foes. He also has a knack for surviving situations it seems he shouldn't with ease, so this makes it seem like he wouldn't be an easy adversary to take down. Rand and Mat themselves thought him dead for awhile when Thom took on a Myrddraal single-handedly in order to help them escape. I wouldn't say he's very likely to pass in the last book, but as Moiraine's bonded he might see more grave situations than even he is used to, so I'd still keep wary if I were him.

Verdict: 3 out of 10

Min (AKA Serenla, AKA Jaisi Trakand)

Elmindreda Farshaw

Occupation: Seer of visions, Would-be scholar, One of Rand's milksops lovers

When Rand first met Min, she seemed to be characterized as a street-smart, quick-witted, and nimble-fingered gal of the alleys; in fact, for some time I wondered how much Brandon Sanderson might have based the famous heroine of his Mistborn novels, Vin, after her. She has changed somewhat into being a little more dependent on Rand than might first be believed, and has her nose buried in a book more often than she would have guessed long ago. Her visions help her see what lies in store for other's futures, so she is one of the main tools we use for determining how likely it is for other characters to kick the bucket soon, but we don't have much to guess about for whether or not she will actually make it. She already almost had a pretty awful death when Semirhage took control of Rand through the use of one of the male a'dam and had him start to choke his own lover, but luckily Dark Rand snapped quickly enough to stop this from happening and saved Min's tush. Anyway, I don't see much either way to convince me she might die, but it wouldn't surprise me to see her in danger again.

Verdict: 2 out of 10

Rand (AKA The Dragon Reborn, AKA the Coramoor, AKA He Who Comes With The Dawn, AKA Shadowkiller, AKA Nuli, AKA Lews Therin Telamon)

Rand al'Thor

Occupations: See aliases; he's the Dragon Reborn for cryin' out loud!

And then we arrive at the big Enchilada himself, the guy the whole series is pretty much wrapped around, the...wait, what am I doing, this guy has enough nicknames as it is. Rand al'Thor is the Champion of the Light, and the fate of the world of The Wheel of Time rests upon his shoulders, to a degree. Prophecies hint about his death countless times; his blood seems to be very significant indeed in deciding the Last Battle. To me, it seems like a given that he will die in A Memory of Light, but somehow be resurrected anew and with a healthy new body to fight the Dark One with. Some others disagree and think that instead he will merely fake his own death, citing the Dream Egwene had that I quoted in my last blog which shows Logain stepping over Rand's body and laughing.

I don't really see what purpose there would be in Rand faking his own death, though, and since it doesn't seem to satisfy any prophecies, it seems like a false interpretation of that Dream. More of the debate about Rand might be about whether or not Rand is resurrected, or the method in which he could be, but that topic is its own can of worms and I'd rather save that for later. For now, suffice it to say that I have a very strong feeling that at some point Rand will be no more in the last book.

Verdict: 9.999999 out of 10

Well, that's all for this week, everyone. I hope you continue to enjoy your new year. As always, let me know what you think in the comments section! Batik Che'e!

Aloha, my learned lodgers of Dragonmount! Welcome back to "It Works in Theory," the blog that won't stop swinging, even long after the bell has been rung and the punching bag has thrown in the towel. I hope everyone didn't miss me too much; the Bahamas ended up being a blast and I'm rested and refreshed, ready to deliver some more insights and ponderings your way. I think my fingers might need that extra bounce in their step today to go back to old form and produce a good ol' extra long yarn for your enjoyment. So kick back, spread on your sunscreen, and get yourself a tropical style beverage to enjoy for this week's entry! But first, let's go ahead and satisfy the legal department and get our disclaimer out of the way:

This blog is based on theories that will include facts and material from the latest books in the series, so if you have not read through Towers of Midnight, continue reading at your own risk! I'd like to direct your attention to the front of the blog as I demonstrate the various safety features of this particular vehicle. We suggest you keep your seatbelts fastened in the event of turbulence, or if the captain goes off on one of his particularly sketchy flights of fancy. Emergency exits are located at the front and back of the blog, but your captain requests that you remember to comment before trying to leap to safety. In the event of decompression, oxygen masks will appear before you; unfortunately, you may not see the bags inflate as the captain already had all the air go to his head before I began this speech. Electronic devices are not permitted during the blog's passage to wherever it is we're going; however, abacuses and slide rulers are allowed. Tray tables may be folded out at any time to allow you to headdesk when you feel appropriate. Thank you, and enjoy the flight!

Alright, let's go ahead and get crackin! This week, we will be discussing...(drumroll please)...Logain's glory! I have been wanting to cover this topic for quite some time, as the Black Tower is not just the Dragonmount Social Group I am a part of, it's also one of the organizations in the Wheel of Time series that I am most fascinated with, and Logain is a key individual in that organization. It seems many fans of the series have been drawn into the storyline and characters surrounding the Black Tower in particular, perhaps because of those fancy dragon pins (which you can purchase replicas of in our store); it might even have something to do with that whole channeling the One Power business.

Without a doubt, Logain has attracted his share of fans as the series has gone on, as he has played the primary protagonist in the Black Tower's storyline for several books. Rand, of course, is off being too busy being the Dragon Reborn and doing Dragon Rebornish type stuff, so is unable to pay the home for male channelers the attention it deserves. Sadly, he left the psychotic Mazrim Taim in charge in his stead, which has created several hardships for Logain and his followers. Yet we have known for several books that glory is in Logain's future, and that has kept us following his story arc very closely in the hopes of figuring out what that glory might end up being.

The Shadow Rising

Chapter 17, "Deceptions"

 

She had seen Logain before, a sad-faced, once-hearty man, always with an Accepted for a companion. The woman was meant to keep him from killing himself as much to prevent his escape; despite his size, he truly did not seem up to anything of the latter sort. But she had never before seen a flaring halo around his head, radiant in gold and blue. It was only there for a moment, but that was enough.

 

Logain had proclaimed himself the Dragon Reborn, had been captured and gentled. Whatever glory he might have had as a false Dragon was far behind him now. All that remained for him was the despair of the gentled, like a man who had been robbed of sight and hearing and taste, wanting to die, waiting for the death that inevitably came to such men in a few years. He glanced at her, perhaps not seeing her; his eye looked hopelessly inward. So why had he worn a halo that shouted of glory and power to come?

Min's vision of Logain definitely sets the stage for him to achieve some kind of epic redemption in the series' conclusion. The most obvious explanation for what this glory could turn out to be would be a confrontation with Mazrim Taim in the Black Tower. There has been a division between the two for quite some time now, with each gathering their own share of followers. Taim has had the upper hand for quite some time, though, and an impressive advantage at that. He is the M'Hael, so is considered to be on a higher level than Logain. He trains his group of cronies in his own secret classes, which seem to have drastic results on the abilities of those he trains (this possibly could be because of linking with Black Ajah members--it's stated that training can be enhanced or sped up by linking with a female channeler).

Even worse, Taim seems to have gained a nasty ability in being able to convert channelers to the Shadow using the circle of thirteen Dreadlords and thirteen Myrddraal trick that Egwene first learned of during her Acceptance test in The Dragon Reborn. Taim has more than likely already used this gruesome ritual in converting Mezar, once one of Logain's most loyal followers, to his side. Needless to say, the odds are stacked so high against Logain's favor that should he somehow come out on top during a confrontation with Taim, it would be glorious indeed.

I know y'all wouldn't be happy if I left it at that, however, so let's go ahead and explore other possibilities. One rather obscure idea that I've heard tossed around has to do with someone who apparently might have known Logain even before he was originally captured and gentled.

The Eye of the World

Chapter 14, "The Stag and Lion"

 

After a time, Moiraine asked, “What did you learn in the common room?” Knives and forks stilled, suspended in mid-air, and all eyes turned to the Warder.

 

“Little that’s good,” Lan replied. “Avin was right, at least as far as talk has it. There was a battle in Ghealdan, and Logain was the victor. A dozen different stories are floating about, but they all agree on that.”

 

Logain? That must be the false Dragon. It was the first time Rand had heard a name put to the man. Lan sounded almost as if he knew him.

That comes all the way from the first book, yet we never hear of how Lan might know Logain. Lan is definitely not one to openly divulge about anything he doesn't have to' however, so that doesn't mean this excerpt isn't worth noting. As of Towers of Midnight, Lan had prepared an army out of random surviving Malkieri and was preparing to charge to his doom in order to avenge the eradication of his kingdom. Perhaps Logain hears of this at some point in the last book, and remembers a deep connection or debt to the stony-faced Warder and Travels to his rescue with a mini-army of Asha'man with him to help destroy however many countless thousands of Shadowspawn await Lan.

The next thing that comes to mind which I have heard mentioned a few times is the possibility of Logain taking the mantle of leadership from Rand, possibly after Rand either dies or stages his own death. This definitely doesn't seem far-fetched, especially considering the dream that Egwene had concerning Logain:

A Crown of Swords

Chapter 10, "Unseen Eyes"

 

Logain, laughing, stepped across something on the ground and mounted a black stone; when she looked down, she thought it was Rand's body he had stepped over, laid out on a funeral bier with his hands crossed at his breast, but when she touched his face, it broke apart like a paper puppet.

Something that stands out to me personally about this quote is how it mentions Logain mounting a black stone; this sounds like the black stone that Taim and Rand stand on to address the Asha'man. This helps lend further support to the idea of Logain being the one who deposes Taim, and not Rand. Moreover, though, it might signify Logain taking the general mantle of leadership of Rand's armies from Rand if he does end up dying, at least until Rand is resurrected somehow. The laughing part does perplex me somewhat; it seems more like something a madman would do, there's nothing to indicate that Logain is crazy, and with saidin cleansed, the Taint will no longer corrupt him. Perhaps he's laughing because he's in on the charade of Rand's death?

Another idea that seems to have a lot of merit to me has to do with the subject I brought up in my last blog: The Amyrlin's Anger. The idea is that the White Tower and the Black Tower will be joined after/during the Last Battle, and that instead of Rand becoming the "Tamyrlin," it would be Logain taking the helm of both male and female channelers, or at least the male side of the "Gray" Tower. There's actually a line of the Karaethon Prophecy which might be referring to this event occuring:

Lord of Chaos

"Epilogue"

 

The unstained tower breaks and bends knee to the forgotten sign.

The seas rage, and stormclouds gather unseen.

Beyond the horizon, hidden fires swell, and serpents nestle in the bosom.

What was exalted is cast down; what was cast down is raised up.

Order burns to clear his path.

The forgotten sign would of course be the ancient sign of the Aes Sedai. Logain was exalted at one point as a false Dragon, but could be raised up as Tamyrlin (it's also possible the one cast down was Elaida, when she was captured as a damane). The last line, "Order burns to clear his path," might possibly have something to do with Elaida's Foretelling of the Black Tower being "rent in blood and fire." The last thing I'll mention about possible ways Logain's glory becomes revealed has to do with the possibility that after all is said and done, Logain ends up getting some of the credit for Rand's accomplishments himself, or maybe even ends up as being considered the Dragon Reborn years later after memory has become legend, and legend has faded into myth. I'll come back to that thought later.

To be honest, this week's topic ended up becoming slightly frustrating for me to write about. That's only because, after countless hours researching and musing on various possibilities, I really couldn't pick one that stood out to me any more than the others! They all seem somewhat likely to me, and honestly, it seems to me that his glory will most likely be attained through several avenues, not just one. However, I'm never settled with a blog of mine unless I feel it has at least one idea that makes it POP, something which hopefully introduces some excitement in some of my readers as they consider something which they might never have thought of before. Eventually, I found what I was looking for, and the funny thing is it doesn't necessarily have to do with what glory Logain ends up achieving, but why he might have been destined for glory in the first place.

Let me first say that this wasn't my original idea; in fact, I have stolen it from the same person I "borrowed" another idea or two from for my blogs in the past. Terez wrote an article entitled Rand's New Sword that discusses the background and origin of the new sword Rand has been seen carrying around the past couple of books. The sword has been all but confirmed as being Justice, Artur Hawkwing's sword from a millenia before. Artur Hawkwing inherited the sword, in fact, from the same man whose defeat helped propel Artur Paendrag to the lofty position he held for decades: Guaire Amalasan. Just to refresh your memory, Guaire Amalasan is the man who proclaimed himself the Dragon Reborn a thousand years before Rand, and started what came to be known as the War of the Second Dragon. At the bottom of the article Terez wrote, she includes something she describes as a theory "from the loony bin," which is, of course, my favorite variety. She presupposes that Logain might actually be Guaire Amalasan reborn.

There's actually a lot of evidence to support this "loony" theory. First of all, it should be pointed out that Logain, in spite of the fact that he is essentially Rand's lieutenant, is in fact very independent and almost defiant at times towards Rand al'Thor. He never comes out and says that Rand is the Dragon Reborn, although Taim points it out himself rather eloquently. He almost still seems to believe that he is the Dragon Reborn, and even when Rand tells him how he cleansed saidin, Logain does not believe him, thinking instead that the Taint was removed as a mercy of the Creator.

One facet of this theory I really love is the idea that Logain might in fact have his own fractured psyche; a voice which talks to him as if he were a separate person. Rand had the voice of Lews Therin Telamon in his head for the majority of the series, a voice which several times made him question his own sanity. During question and answer sessions, Robert Jordan suggested that the voice developed because of the amount of the One Power that Rand channels, that the fracturing of his psyche came about due to exposure from the Taint. Logain is able to hold nearly as much saidin as Rand can and has been channeling for a good bit longer, so it's possible that he might in fact have the same condition. We've never had a point of view from Logain to confirm this, but we do have this little tidbit from the aftermath of Semirhage's initial attack on Rand when he believes he is to be meeting with the Daughter of the Nine Moons in Knife of Dreams:

Knife of Dreams

Chapter 27, "A Plain Wooden Box"

 

Semirhage saved him the effort of thinking up a lie. "He's insane," she said coolly. Standing there stiff as a statue, Min's knife hilt still sticking out beside her collarbone and the front of her black dress glistening with blood, she might have been a queen on her throne.

 

"Graendal could explain it better than I. Madness was her specialty. I will try, however. You know of people who hear voices in their heads? Sometimes, very rarely, the voices they hear are the voices of past lives. Lanfear claimed he knew things from our own Age, things only Lews Therin Telamon could know. Clearly, he is hearing Lews Therin's voice. It makes no difference that his voice is real, however. In fact, that makes his situation worse. Even Graendal usually failed to achieve reintegration with someone who heard a real voice. I understand the descent into terminal madness can be...abrupt." Her lips curved in a smile that never touched her dark eyes.

 

Were they looking at him differently? Logain's face was a carved mask, unreadable. Bashere looked as though he still could not believe. Nynaeve's mouth hung open, and her eyes were wide.

It is a somewhat amusing coincidence about the Wheel of Time that anytime you see Robert Jordan describe someone's face as unreadable, it actually means there's a lot to be read from it. Logain's reaction, or rather his controlled absence of an outward reaction, could indicate that what he was hearing sounded very familiar, for he hears the voice of his own past self, Guaire Amalasan. There's also the strange thing mentioned in passing when Min, Siuan, Leane, and Logain are traveling on the lam after escaping the White Tower:

Fires of Heaven

Chapter 1, "Fanning the Sparks"

 

So far they had outrun awkward news--deadly was a better word than awkward--but some news had a way of leaping a hundred miles in a day. Siuan had been traveling as Mara, Leane as Amaena, and Logain had taken the name Dalyn, after Siuan convinced him Guaire was a fool’s choice.

Logain wants to use the name of a false Dragon for his surname while they are doing everything they can to avoid notice from the White Tower. That's somewhat risky of a move, to say the least.

Logain and Guaire are also described in a similar manner, both having a striking gaze and being able to lead by pure charisma, instead of being natural orators. They both favor learning skill with the sword, instead of just relying on their ability to channel the One Power. They're both great strategic generals; Logain had already had some major conquests on the battlefield before being captured by six Aes Sedai, which also happens to be the number of Aes Sedai that captured Guaire when Artur Hawkwing's army had engaged his. In fact, Logain was captured when he was on his way to Tear; Guaire had been sweeping through the westlands conquering nation after nation when his surge slowed down somewhat after sieging Tear. Thirty Aes Sedai helped to fend him and his army off, which is strange considering the attitude that Tear has had towards Aes Sedai for so long.

The last piece of evidence I would like to raise is beautiful in both its simplicity and in the way that Robert Jordan could have potentially been setting it up as foreshadowing. Let's examine the vision Min has of Logain once again:

The Shadow Rising

Chapter 17, "Deceptions"

 

...a flaring halo around his head, radiant in gold and blue

And again after he frees Siuan, Leane, and Min from their sentence from Davram Bashere:

The Fires of Heaven

Chapter 1, "Fanning the Sparks"

 

...a halo flared around his head, a radiant crown of gold and blue

When Rand encounters Logain again in Lord Algarin's manor house, Logain seems to have adopted a new sigil:

Knife of Dreams

Chapter 18, "News for the Dragon"

 

Logain did not wait on invitations, entering practically on the serving man's heels. A tall man with dark hair curling to his shoulders, and dark for a Ghealdanin, women likely thought him handsome, yet there was a streak of darkness inside him as well. He wore his black coat with the Sword and Dragon on the high collar, and a long-hilted sword on his hip, but he had made an addition, a round enameled pin on his shoulder showing three golden crowns in a field of blue.

Then we have Guaire Amalasan's banner, described to us not in the books but in a guide to the books, entitled The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time:

The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time

Chapter 11, "The Second Dragon and the Rise of Artur Hawkwing"

 

Early in FY 939, while the snows still fell, Amalasan named himself the Dragon Reborn in Darmovan. He raised a banner which showed the ancient symbol of the Aes Sedai on a field of blue and called those who followed him the Children of the Dragon.

Later in that same chapter we get a description of Artur Hawkwing's sigil and the banner of the nation he represented (bear with me, last quote):

The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time

Chapter 11, "The Second Dragon and the Rise of Artur Hawkwing"

 

His personal sigil was the Golden Hawk, and the banner of Shandalle featured three golden hawks in flight.

It looks to be that Logain remembers Hawkwing from his past life, and perhaps after an entire campaign of battling against the great captain developed a profound respect for the man, and now in his new life pays tribute to him with his new sigil. Either way, the connection between Logain and Guaire at this point seems a good bit less loony to me than it did before, and if Logain Ablar is in fact Guaire Amalasan reborn, there is actually good reason for him to possibly end up getting credit for some of Rand's accomplishments: He may not be THE Dragon Reborn, but he could be a false Dragon, reborn. And if he achieves glory and power, yet uses it to aid the Light in defeating the Shadow in Tarmon Gai'don, who's to say that he shouldn't get part of the credit in the end?

Until next week. Thank you for all your comments and compliments. I hope you keep enjoying my blog as I continue to enjoy writing it for you!