My point in bringing that up is to point out that while the Creator has stood aside thus far, it only stands to reason that at some point we will be introduced to him.

I think it'd be interesting if it turned out that the Creator had been helping all along, disguised as some other character. Maybe Bela isn't the Dark One after all, but actually the Creator. :)

Mashiara, I guess this week's theory blog is a hit. I used to tell Despothera that you know your theory has struck a chord by how many comments it got, and by the average length of each comment. Looks like you're a hit! Congratz!

I love Ariel Burgess' stuff (Tarmon Gai'don, above). Don't get me wrong, these are ALL super awesome, but Ariel's stuff is still my favorite.

Or here's another thought:

One thing that has troubled me since the Seanchan attack on the White Tower is that the Seanchan now have Travelling, right? But in Aviendha's vision, the Seanchan were using giant self-propelled wagons. Why? Wouldn't travelling be faster? At that point, they'd have bred a HUGE number of channelers, male and female, presumably. So, why would they resort to such a slow-moving mode of transport, when in theory they'd have an army of trained channelers able to open Gateways to anywhere?

It got me thinking that something is going to happen to the One Power during the Last Battle.

What if one of the things that comes out of the Last Battle is that no one has access to the One Power any longer? Men & women both. It would, presumably, still be there (it would have to be, if time is a wheel), but untouchable by any channeler. Not like being stilled, just more like the whole planet becoming a stedding. And come to think of it, isn't that sort of what the Travelling People are hoping for? But I digress...

Think about what "no more channeling" would do to the world: The White and Black Towers would be no more. The Seanchan would have no more channelers (hence the need to develop technology again) but they would still have the single largest organized army in Rand-land. The Dragon himself, if he survives, would have no power over anyone, and would essentially become only a figurehead.

Yeah, I know. Probably impossible. So file this one under "From the Looney Bin." My details are probably wrong, but SOMETHING is going to change about the OP at the end. Thoughts?

Never really considered that Rand's "dying and living again" would involve being ripped out of T'A'R. Interesting theory. I don't know if I'd call it "healing death," although I understand why people would think that. To me, calling what happened to Birgitte "healing death" seems a bit of a stretch. More like cheating death.

No one believes the body-swap theory anymore? Why not? Did someone find some evidence that rules it out?

And if Lan dies, it will not be in the battle we last saw him enter at the end of ToM. I think I read that Mr. Sanderson already gave a spoiler that Lan actually had the most POVs of any character in AMoL. Can't do that if he dies in the opening chapters. Need a reference for that, though. It doesn't mean he lives through the book, but my money is on Lan surviving the whole thing. If anyone deserves a happy ending in this series, it's Lan and Nynaeve.

On the other hand, the idea of Nynaeve learning to transmigrate a soul like the DO would is a newish theory that I like very much. Perhaps she tests it out on Lan? But the idea of a straight-up "healer of death" with no strings attached does strain credibility for me. The world would change in ways that would render the whole story insignificant. Nynaeve learns to heal death, then other channelers figure it out, the knowledge spreads, then no one ever has to die... see the slippery slope? I can't imagine RJ or BS going that route. If Nynaeve is actually able to resurrect someone, there will be a HUGE caveat to that ability; a downside that makes it only useful in that time and place where she is assisting Rand, which would allow the "death-healer" theory to stand, without cheapening the earlier story.

Anyway, back to work...

Nope. Slayer got away again. It's what he does best!

The last one in particular is amusing, and all of them are great, but I agree that I'd kind of like to see some less comical impressions of Halfmen.

Great interview! I can understand why people who are famous (or semi-famous) hold back personal details, but I get the impression that Harriet must have a fair amount of trust in our community to talk about her personal life the way she does. She was quite open in this interview. Thanks for posting it! And thanks to Harriet for being such a good sport!

@tnfsinger I'm in total agreement about Taim being from the AoL, either in some kind of stasis or trapped somewhere to preserve him for 3000 years, or else brought back by the DO (trans-something or other).

But why does he have to be tied to Demandred specifically? Why not another Forsaken? Taim does seem to favor Moridin's colors... And again, if Taim was taking his orders from Demandred, he would have been at the battle for saidin at Shadar Logath along with Demandred and the others. Moridin was the only Forsaken that we know had permission to skip that fight, and yet so did Taim and he was never punished for it (that we know of). Ergo, Taim must have Moridin's protection, making him Moridin's pet, not Demandred's...

Dammit I cannot wait to read this final book and figure out all this stuff.

I truly hope that, sometime after the last book's publication, that Team Jordan holds an internet Q&A for all of the last few nagging questions that we're probably all going to still have. They could probably re-release the entire WoT in annotated format, like they did for the Dragonlance Chronicles and Legends series'. I bet they'd sell like mad.

@Toot I think that if Taim, as a darkfriend, handed over a true seal on the DO's prison, then he must believe that it will not be any good to Rand, or that it will distract his attention.

And there's been a couple people mention the possibility that Taim is Bel'al, based on the the theory that he may have been balefired by a small enough amount of power that the DO could still bring him back. I'd like to question the assumption that it was a "small amount" of balefire. I know that Moiraine isn't nearly as strong as any of the Forsaken, or even the Emmond's Field channelers, but she was still no slouch, considered among the more powerful Aes Sedai of the time, and she had an angreal. Why is it we think that she used only a small amount of balefire to kill Bel'al? Is there some quote anyone can point to dealing with this issue?

Taim as Moridin's son.... hmmm... I like the idea, but I have my doubts. Ishamael might have been around about 40 years prior, and the timing could work out depending on Taim's age (which I don't recall). But still, no one has addressed the fact that Moridin and Taim were the only two known dreadlords that were excused from fighting the cleansing of saidin. Why? Even if Taim was Moridin/Ishamael's son, I don't think that would have been enough to buy him a reprieve from joining that battle.

To my mind, there is ZERO chance that Taim is just some wanna-be dreadlord that is simply trying to attract the attention of the Dark One. He is clearly involved with at least ONE other Forsaken (otherwise, how would he know the line "Let the lord of chaos rule?"), and it's looking more and more like Moridin.

So new theory, with little to no evidence: We been talking on these boards for quite some time about the idea of a "Dark Rand" or more specifically, the idea that somehow Rand and Moridin will exchange bodies (see Despothera's great blog about Callandor). Let's assume that's right. What if Moridin already IS exchanging bodies, at least on occasion, with Taim? That would explain a lot. How quickly and easily he infiltrated and converted the majority of the Black Tower, how he got access to Caemlyn before it was attacked, why he's so surprised that Rand cannot test for the ability to channel in men, and why Taim was not punished for contradicting Moridin's order not to kill Rand. Taim's face and Moridin's mind.

Here's the thought that counts: What if Taim is Moridin's version of Shaidar Haran?

Can we all at least agree that Taim is SOMEHOW connected directly to Moridin? Whether he IS Moridin, or his son, or his protege, or just his fanboy, he's got to be in cahoots with him in some way...

I had to make a separate post for this, because it's more connected to Despothera's blog than to my last reply. And it's sort of a "mini-theory" of my own. I haven't actually heard the "Taim is Moridin" theory before reading this blog, and now that I've heard it and spent a couple of days thinking about it, it's starting to sound very likely to me.

Think about the cleansing of saidin for a moment. When Rand's crew cleansed saidin, every surviving Forsaken was expected to be there to combat Rand's efforts. Even Moghedian was expected to fight openly, not her strong suit. Cyndane also, which was a risk for the DO, because no one knew Lanfear was back at that point. Not to mention the loss of Aginor/Osan'gar, another powerful "Tower of Midnight" chopped down, at least for now.

But if Taim is a dreadlord, or an aspiring Forsaken, why wasn't he present for that fight? With his abilities and knowledge about Rand limitations, he might have been able to turn the tide of that fight for the Shadow. But he didn't appear.

It is an impossibility that Taim didn't know what was happening. Every channeler on the continent felt the amount of power that was being used to cleanse saidin. Taim HAD to know what was happening, and still he was a no-show.

If Taim is NOT a darkfriend, he absolutely would have shown up to help Rand. But for the moment, let's assume the obvious and state that Taim IS a darkfriend of some kind.

As far as we know, Taim was not punished for failing to show up to the battle, so let's assume he was never punished for it. There are only two possibilities I can see for why that might be possible.

1. Taim was doing something that Moridin (or the DO, or whomever is holding Taim's leash) considered to be "more important" than preventing THE CLEANSING OF SAIDIN. Perhaps Moridin has Taim in his pocket and wants to keep it that way, or...

2. Taim is in fact some other character in disguise who was also not present at the cleansing. Let's run through the list of notables who could have been counted on to participate but skipped the fight:

A. Mesanna (severly punished for skipping out, so not Taim)

B. Shaidar Haran (handled Mesanna's punishment, all but established that SH is the physical embodiment of the DO in our world, safe to assume it is not Taim)

C. Slayer (not a channeler, would not have known what was happening unless told, and probably wouldn't have been much help with SO MANY channlers and angreal's throwing power around, and he is SO not Taim)

D. Moridin

And why would Moridin have skipped out on that fight? It's still a bit of a mystery unless I'm forgetting something obvious. Shouldn't he have been there? If you were the DO, wouldn't you have wanted your strongest, most loyal servant to be a part of that battle? SH was pretty pi**ed at Mesanna, but not at Moridin or Taim, as far as we know. They are the only two members of Team Shadow that SHOULD have been expected to be there, but for some reason were not punished for blowing it off.

Either they are working together toward the same end, and that end is more important to the Dark One than preventing the cleansing of saidin, (which means Moridin is controlling Taim), or else they are the same person.

Do I have this right?

@Toot Yeah, the WoT camaraderie is strong kung-fu. Similar to my fellow metalheads after a Metallica show in San Fran. People you don't even know will bond instantly if they learn you were there together. Strange but awesome...

Hmmm... a tracking whammy in seal that Taim gave to Rand. Not sure how cuendillar would react to having the One Power (or True Power) used on it in that manner. We know that any attempt to break or harm the seal, including using the OP on it, would only make cuendillar stronger. But installing a tracking whammy would not be intended to cause harm per se, so maybe your idea has merit. I only wonder why Taim hasn't taken advantage of it yet. Or maybe he has, but we don't know it. Was there something Taim did or said that you think would back up your theory?

And welcome to the community, Toot.

Wonderful blog as always Despothera. I like all of your ideas, as usual. Well-conceived, and well-articulated.

Taim from the AoL? Sure, I can buy that. It makes me wonder how far back in time the Dark One can reach for bringing people back to life. For example, could Taim be some here-to-for unmentioned dreadlord from the Age of Legends who was killed, remained dead for 3,000 years, and then was brought back JUST before the other Forsaken started to awake? Taim would have been terrorizing Saldea at about that time.

Or perhaps he had an identity in the AoL that we might have already heard mentioned, then he was brought back to life in the present, but neither author has given us the connection to his AoL identity yet. Can anyone think of any names of male channelers from the AoL that haven't been accounted for in the present timeline of the story?

And I think Taim's fate is linked to Logain's. If the Black and White Towers are united (which might not happen), Logain's only chance of becoming Tamyrlin would be if Suian and Leane vouch for him and even then his chances are slim. None of the existing tower Aes Sedai (including Egwene) would allow him to take control. And since I don't see Egwene dying, I therefore doubt the two towers will unite. I look forward to seeing Logain kick Taim's ass most thoroughly, and then take over the Black Tower, which will remain independent from the White Tower.

My wife is insisting that I say something nice about her on here. She has never read WoT, more's the pity.

So I'll say this about my wife. At work my wife is like Elayne. In a fight, my wife is like Aviendha. At home, my wife is like Min. And in all the ways that are important to a man, my wife is very much like Tylin. If my wife were living in Randland, she'd take over the Illuminator's Guild because she's a firecracker! She'll have to read WoT to find out what all that means! But my friends here know what a compliment that was.

"Lancer: Wow, I wasn't expecting to get asked out as a result of this interview! I know next to nothing about you right now, so if you're interested, you can PM me. I'd want to know more about you before deciding yes or no."

Wow, she actually said "maybe" to an internet date-request? Dwynwen, you're going to make all the nerdy boys fall for you! Don't worry about me, though. HAPPILY married over here!

Wow. Total cutie, too! It's funny she mentioned that Perrin seems more like husband material to her, because aside from the nose, Tynaal looks like how I envisioned Faile. Same height, build, smile. They should cast her in the movie.

Oh, and one more....

Moiraine is the AUNT of Galad, Elayne, and Gawyn. Moiraine's half-brother was their father, Taringail Damodred (See New Spring Ch 6). Still, this creates no connection between Rand and Moiraine, since Rand is not connected to Taringail at all. Taringail was Cairhienin, and Rand is Andoran/Aiel.

And of course, Taringail was King Laman's nephew.

I have long been interested in the connection between Rand and Galad... I had hoped that this familial connection would end up playing some part in the story, or would at least serve to bring Galad and Rand together in some small way. But so far that has not happened, and we're about out of time.

"His blood on the rocks of Shayol Ghul..." Perhaps Galad dies? Perhaps Sulin (I still think she's Rand's half-sister)? Or perhaps just Rand's body (see Despothera's earlier blog about a Rand/Moridin body swap).

I have been spinning this topic in my head since book 5 or 6.

Rand and Galad are HALF BROTHERS. They share the same biological mother, but different fathers.

Luc is Rand's UNCLE. As Slayer, he was (in theory) responsible for the death of Rand's biological father, Janduin. After the death of Rand's mother, Janduin went into the blight, and was accosted by a man that looked so much like his wife, he did not defend himself when that man killed him. Who would look like his wife that might be in the blight at that time and might have an interest in killing great Aiel clan chiefs? How about her biological brother, Luc, presumably already turned into Slayer by that point...?

Rand and Elayne/Gawyn have NO biological connection. Technically, they wouldn't even have a legal family connection by contemporary laws. Rand's mother was a Maiden of the Spear by the time Elayne was born, and never had any contact with Andor again until the Aiel War, when she presumably killed some Andoran in the fighting. It would be similar to my wife and I divorcing, marrying other people, and having more kids. But the kids we have after divorcing would not be related to one another, unless we later remarried, which in Rand's case did not happen. So no, there's nothing weird about Rand hooking up with Elayne.

Isam (the T'A'R half of Slayer) is Lan's COUSIN, Lan's father's brother's son. So in a very strange, convoluted evil kind of way, it creates a connection between Lan and Rand.

Hope this helps...

Theory: Perhaps the Aelfinn and Eelfinn made Slayer what he is. I mean, if the DO could make hunters like Slayer, don't you think he would have made more by now? But combining two different people into one, and then imprisoning one of them in T'A'R and the other in the real world, well... that sounds EXACTLY like something the 'Finns would do.

Of course, we'll probably never know at this point...

@Despothera Do you have a published blog somewhere else? A non-WoT blog? I'd kinda like to read more of your stuff but this is the only place I know of where you publish.

Hmm... the more I think about it, the more I think Despothera should devote a segment to Mordeth/Fain. Exactly what is Mordeth? And how is it that his evil has become powerful enough to challenge the DO? Enquiring minds want to theorize...

@mark, yeah, the Turned Aiel theory is the best one so far about the origin of those new psycho-Aiel. Or perhaps some of them might just be Aiel darkfriends called to fight now that the Last Battle is looming. I suspect we'll learn the truth in aMoL.

As for my theory about Rand being able to channel the True Power at will, that was based on that scene you described with the Borderlander leaders. I had posted it as a comment on the WoT discussion page on Facebook, and the page owner very quickly replied with heated "Rand suggested nothing of the kind. That is absolutely not true." His/her competing theory was that Rand was wearing a male-equivalent of a Well ter'angrael, and that was how he implied he could still channel. I suppose it's possible, but it seems more interesting to me to suggest that Rand was referring the True Power.

And as for the Sulin/Rand connection, I always point to a quote from Sulin in book 6. After she learns that Rand has been kidnapped by Elaida's Aes Sedai, Sulin shouts something like "They have taken my first-brother!" My detractors prefer to think she was referring to how all Maidens view the Car'a'carn as a "lost brother" that has now returned to them. I still prefer to think that Tigraine and Janduin could have had 2 children, not just Rand. I think Sulin is older, which makes sense since Tigraine died giving birth to Rand. But you could also be right, maybe they have different mothers. I don't remember seeing any evidence either way, and I feel like if Jordan and Sanderson were EVER going to reveal the truth about it, they would have revealed it by now.

Thanks for the lively discussion. The folks that usually comment on Despothera's theories are usually the type of WoT fans I enjoy talking with the most. To think that by this time next year, it will all be over...

...and btw Despothera, yes, your WoT theories are all universally the best theories I've read since I started following the Wheel of Time. You focus on what the reader is actually supposed to know (WoT FACTS), instead of focusing on what we HOPE will happen (WoT WISHES). You have the writing style of a solid critical thinker! So keep it going!

Thanks to all kind people who think my theory has some merit. That's a first! Most of the time, people react violently against my wacky theories. There was the one about Sulin being Rand's biological sister. THAT one was pretty well-hated. Suggesting that Rand could now channel the True Power at will was equally unpopular.

@Despothera When it comes to Slayer, I'm curious if we can discern anything about his activities between books 5 and 12. Are there any killings or disappearance we should attribute to him? And of course, your best theory about his role in the final book.