Two short questions that came to my mind while listening to the audiobooks again.

1. While the Kin get much older than the Aes Sedai (because of no oaths) is there anything known about this with the Aiel? I think Bair told a story about a famous Wise One, Mora, who was able to channel and who got very old (it was rumored about 300 years), till she died through a snake bite. But Bair wasn't sure about the age, she even was calling it kind of a legend. So why do we not know about Wise Ones getting much older than Aes Sedai? It seems unlikely that they did not tell anyone about it because of Bairs doubts - and she seems to be the oldest of Amys (second), Melaine and hers. So maybe only Sorilea (who can channel different from Bair) seems to be older than Bair.

Is it due to the living conditions of the Aiel - as it was indicated, that this very old Wise One just died because of a snake bite?

2. This is a question, I came up several times while rereading:

The story, Padan Fain told High Lord Turak about himself gaining the Horn of Valere, seems very similar to the story Mazrim Taim told Rand about how he gained one of the Great Seals.

Fain told Turak that it was in possession of his family for ages and that they swore the oaths to Hawkwing. They had been Lords in the time of Hawkwing, but now they are just small people. IRRC he said that his family was from the Borderlands (? not sure) and that he brought it to Turak because they were the legitimate followers of Hawkwing.

Taim told Rand that he got the seal from a farmer in Saldea who claimed that the seal was in possession of his family for ages. When Taim came to his farm he gave the seal to Taim because he thought Taim was the Dragon Reborn.

To me this stories sound very similar. While in the first way Fain could easyly tell the Horn was in the possession of his own family, Taim needed a proxy for his story, because otherwise it had been even more unlikely than the original story.

And to me both seem to be lies - for Fain's story there's no doubt - and for Taim we know that he is really certain a darkfriend (or maybe more - no, not Demandred ;) ), and that he maybe had a good reason to give the seal to Rand (gaining his trust and also Moridin wanting Rand to break the seals).

So my question about this is: Was RJ or BS or Team Jordan ever questioned about this one? Or can I find some further and enlightening discussion about it somewhere?

(otherwise there was a theroy in my mind, that is resembling my name and very unlikly, too ;) )

"Oh, yes," Rafela said happily, and she regaled them with arcane customs while they walked along the Tower's first level, some as silly as wearing blue stockings when leaving Tar Valon, some as sensible as refraining from marriage. Aes Sedai did marry now and then, but Moiraine could not see how that could end other than poorly.

 

Okay, so I have two comments. The first, I'm not sure this custom is as binding as some. Moiraine's comment on what other AS do seems to suggest that, though she could've meant non-Blues. The second, we see just before this exchange that Rafela is crazy with bringing back customs that were kept hundreds of years ago. It may be that this was strongly enforced at one time, but recently sisters were allowed to ignore it.

I thought Ajah rules were binding, but what you said about Rafela and obsolete rules makes sense to me. Otherwise Siuan certainly would have told Gareth about that,too, I think.

I was under the impression that Rand did not know that it was in fact the TP because he was always refering to it as kind of a mysterious power.

Why then does he refrain from using it ever since, actively thinking of ways to resist the temptation?

I thought Rand refrained from using because of the danger of the amount of power, similar to the CK. He also thought, that he didn't know which of these powers was more dangerous. - We see what nearly happens when he uses the CK in VOG.

(I curse myself for not reading the orginal books, because now it's hard to quote and the translation partially was very poor. Well, but I was young and lazy when I startet reading WOT in the 90s^^.)

In the middle of chapter 29 ("In Bandar Eban")Rand thought about the TP as a "new power", then about AOLers drilling the bore and then again about the TP as "nameless power". To me it really sounds if he has no idea that it's the TP or that he doesn't want to admit it to himself, maybe.

Loony:

1. I couldn't find that part in NS. Will you add a quote?

I can't give you the exact quote, because I have the book unfortunately only as a german translation, but it's in chapter 11. at the very end, when Rafela tells Moiraine and Siuan about the practices of the Blue Ajah.

4. I was under the impression that he knew from the start. He just didn't care, when it was a matter of saving Min's life. Note that he did his best not to use it again afterwards (and to the best of my knowledge, he didn't, in fact, use it).

I was under the impression that Rand did not know that it was in fact the TP because he was always refering to it as kind of a mysterious power.

Has Thom been anywhere close to male channelers able to sense he could be taught to channel? I don't remember him being evaluated.

Cause whe he doesn't have the spark obviously, I think he can learn, which would greatly help with the age problem with Moiraine.

No, not as far as we know. Apart from Rand the only male channeler he was near to should have been the stilled Logain in Salidar. Thom went with Elayne and Nynaeve to Tanchico, later to Salidar, than to Ebou Dar and since Ebou Dar he has always been with Mat - so he shouldn't have met any Asha'man.

A few questions:

1. About the Moiraine and Thom possibly marriage:

While I agree with people who think, there could be a romantic relationship between this two, there was one thing that made sceptical about the two marrying:

When Moiraine and Siuan became AS in New Spring they were told, that members of the Blue Ajah never marry - so I thought Moiraine meant she would never marry when she claimed to know the face of the one she'll marry. I do not think Blue Ajah not marrying has changed since NS.

Also if Moiraine got severed or burned out while visiting those tricky Finns, she would not have thought about this in the past for a possible later marriage.

On the other hand Gareth Bryne asked Siuan to marry him and she said something like "we can discuss later" and not "It's not possible because I'm a blue" - so I'm a bit curious if this got clarified anywhere.

2. While his first portalstone journey Rand got visited by Ishamael who told him about the Amyrlin telling him that he's the dragon reborn. While we know that Ishamael was not always speaking the truth, this was a specific detail that really happend and there where few people knew about it: Rand, Perrin and Mat (Rand told them), Moiraine, Siuan and Verin (and maybe their warders). While we could rule Perrin, Mat, Moiraine and Siuan out (all this before TGS) - wasn't that with the "Moiraine sent me" lie a good indicator for Verin possibly being black.

Now it's not relevant anymore but i never saw this discussed and was just curious if ever was presumed that Verin told Ishy about the meeting (i know it sounds not so easy with timing - but Verin certainly had some possibilities to pass over the details - and I don't know how she should have known else.

3. Was it ever clarified how Moiraine discovered the identities of Sammael and Be'lal? I think this was discussed before, but I did not see a satisfying answer.

4. Is Rand now aware that he channeled the True Power? I was really annoyed when he mused about the power he had used and that it was in a way like the AOLers discovering the DO and trying to use his power - and then not making the obvious connection.

But the Lews Therin voice knew what he had used and after the reintegration Rand should finally know that he used the TP, right?