I rather figured it for a "new" ability. One old (Perrin), and one new (Mat).

Mat's lucky. I have a longer post somewhere how it fits a thunder god image- dice tumbling "loudly" sounds like thunder. It also fits Odin, Mat's primary Norse analog, who was desperate for foreknowledge. Mat has the most useless form of foreknowledge ever, he's just learned how to make it work for him. "Something's about to happen. Real soon. And it'll be important. And it could be anything."

I'm partial to the idea that Mat has ta'veren luck, and also some kind of luck-talent, some ability to concentrate luck. Perhaps he bends chance in balance, and can "concentrate" his good luck. A wall did fall on him. That might have "paid" for the Band through all those dice/card games. Etc.

She assumes the right to judgement while not applying it to herself.

She takes Nynaeve and Elayne to task for loose cannon behavior- which she then indulges in herself (Tower chain, for instance). Yes, you can argue that she had extenuating circumstances- incidentally, so can they. Effectively, she assumes her own competence rates her to judge the competence of others when she disagrees with them. It's a realistic trait that makes many of us gnash our teeth.

Take her judgemental attitude towards Rand in Cairhien, her horror at his cold-blooded manipulative actions and harsh decisions. Contrast that with her own cold-blooded manipulative actions and harsh decisions in both Salidar and the Tower.

If she ever had a scene where she reflected on how "she'd judged Rand too harshly, she hadn't understood what leadership means", than many would probably forgive. Instead, her stance toward him in particular has not shifted one jot- she made her decision on him, even though she wasn't qualified to assess at the time, and just assumes she must have been because she's qualified now.

Make sense?

Sorry if I'm being dim, but I've seen it mentioned once or twice, but never any actual explaination - does it mean Faile's in line for the throne of Saldaea or something? (I'd assume she is as she's Tenobia's cousin...) Or is it something to do with Malkier?

The crown of Saldaea is the Broken Crown. I believe it's mentioned in the BWB, or one of the glossaries.

Tenobia has no heirs of her body.

Davram is her closest relative, and therefore her heir.

Faile is Davram's heir. If Saldaean law does not allow for male succession, Faile herself is Tenobia's heir.

Symbolically, Galad makes a bit more sense- the solar imagery.

Elayne has the wherewithal to *back* a claim, and is an acceptable candidate by right of blood and by not having a history with any of the pre-existing factions, while being strong enough to not need them (theoretically). This is why Rand picked her.

With Whitecloak support, Galad now has the wherewithal to support being crowned- even if against his wishes. He also does not have quasi-damning entanglement with Andor, the "ancient enemy"- and also a nation ripe with moon imagery.

Much like Tear and Illian, the Crescent Moon and the Golden (Sun-colored) bees on green (a summer, sunny color), the nations do not blend well, because either sun or moon is ascendent.

It's all more parallels.

In the King Arthur stories, much of the "central" conflict originally was between Arthur's family on his mother's side and the family of King Pellinore (this was later supplanted with the family of Lancelot). These two families were the core of the Round Table and Arthur's rule, but they were utterly opposed to each other.

The Aiel, of course, have Hebrew parallels, with Rand as a Moses figure. Not raised by them, etc., striking the mountain to create water, leading them from the wilderness, etc. To them, as in Jewish culture, you are more closely related to your mother's family. Hence the tradition that if your mother or mother's mother was Jewish, you are considered ethnic Jewish. Interestingly, Rand's own mother came from a similar background, and many Andoran nobles have "the Aiel coloring," pointing perhaps to Aiel blood from women and children "stolen" during the Breaking. A "lost tribes" element.

On a symbolic level, Cairhien has to be central to the story. Rand is a sun-god figure, and Cairhien is the kingdom of the sun. Rand's brother, Galad, has joined the order of the sun. Moiraine herself is a moon goddess figure at points in the story, and in many mythologies, the moon is twin to the sun. She also was a huntress, in her own way.

There's more, but that family is one of RJ's more impressive bits of symbolic entanglement in the series.

Selene is what Lanfear looked like when she was younger, probably around Rand's age in reality.

Selene to Lanfear is the Elayne/Morgase thing.

From that we can probably conclude RJ had the same weakness for brunettes I have for blondes.

I'm marrying a brunette, my whole family is brunette, but there's something about blondes to me- I guess it's redheads for some. For RJ, seems to be brunettes.

You mean Moghedian-Gyldin, yes?

And to the OP- Lanfear wasn't contradicting herself. She was sloppy, and didn't keep track of her lies- probably because she felt any questioning of her lies could be deflected with "Look! Boobies!"

And considering her appearance and Rand's age and prudish upbringing, that's probably not an unrealistic assesment.

Sylvase Silvie silver- all references to Lanfear's moon goddess imagery.

She didn't help them. She led them into Be'lal's trap. She was also probably the one who left all the "obvious" clues pointing to Tear in the Black Ajah "belongings"- since she was in the Tower at the time (Egwene meets her).

What was Be'lal's trap for? Luring Rand. What did Lanfear want? Rand to accept his destiny (partially) and acquire a taste for power.

Further proof of Lanfear's sloppiness. I believe she confused Elayne and Egwene- and Elayne would have been susceptible to the suggestion that there was a retainer she didn't recognize.

Doublecheck when he began keeping his list. Hint: After he learns of Tigraine.

Sure, it happens sometime after he learns his mother's identity, but so do a lot of things. If I remember correctly, he starts torturing himself with the list while he's trapped in the chest, with no one to keep him company but LTT. So really, this gives more credence to your Ilyena theory than to Tigraine. Ilyena is on the list (put there by LTT). Moiraine heads the list. Colavaere is eventually added, as are many Maidens, a random village woman killed during an assassination attempt on Rand, and the Darkfriend Rand killed in TDR (I think). I don't recall Tigraine being on the list at all.

 

You realize that since she was a Maiden, and the Maidens have adopted him as a son, that he's responding to that? They're all his mother figure?

That could have some effect, but you seem to be forgetting that 1) he was raised to believe he should lay down his life for any woman, and 2) he's going a bit crazy. If it were only Maidens that Rand was obsessed with protecting, then I'd say you probably have the right of it. But it isn't just Maidens, it's all women. And it started before he ever met an Aiel.

 

As to Kari- Ba'alzamon's threat that she was his (thereby implying she was a plant who died for her connection to him) is something Rand fears- he fears it because it seems to him it might be true. This only correlates if he's afraid, like small children whose parents divorce, that Kari's dying is somehow his fault for not being good enough- something Tam's not talking about her would emphasize.

I...don't follow your logic. Rand thought the DO had his mother's soul, but somehow that could only scare him if he thought he was responsible for his mother's death? When Ba'alzamon made his threat, Rand didn't yet know his own significance. And when Kari died, no one knew that Rand was significant at all. So how could Rand make the connection that Kari was killed and brought to the DO simply for knowing him? Wouldn't they have killed Tam too? And Rand himself, for that matter? Unless what you say is more strongly implied in the text and I just don't remember it (which is possible), then I think you're reaching a bit here.

 

It seems silly that we view this as a matter of social value or merit, when it is in fact simply a representation of only one difference between the sexes. For thousands of years, men have cared for and protected their mothers, sisters, wives and daughters. Every man worth the air he breaths would lay his life down without thought for a woman in need. And for that men are considered sexist?

It's sexist because it's a ridiculous generalization. Women who can channel are just as capable of defending themselves as men who can channel. The Maidens are just as capable of defending themselves as the other Aiel warriors are (societies make fun of each other, but none has ever suggested that the Maidens are less skillful warriors than any other). What about Darkfriends? Should Mat, or Bashere, or some Tairen fisherman lay down his life to save Graendal's, if she were in need? Just because she's a woman?

 

Should a scrawny, 100-pound man leap into a brawl to protect a muscular woman twice his size? Even though she is far more capable of defending herself? Why not just say that the strong should defend the weak, and leave gender out of it?

 

Call it what you will, but the death of a woman is a far sadder thing that that of a man.

Why? The saddest deaths are those of children, because they haven't lived yet, but girls aren't any sadder than boys. Is the death of a 90-year-old woman, who dies in her sleep after a long and happy life, really sadder than the death of an 18-year-old "man," whose life is just beginning? Just because she's a woman? What about the death of a childless, unmarried woman, vs. the death of a father of three young children?

 

Kaffa, while I admit that your attitude is far preferable to the one that women must be cared for because we are childlike and ignorant (sort of like Egwene thinks about men), I still don't understand it. At least Rand admits to himself that his attitude is silly when it comes to women who can defend themselves. You haven't ;)

Two things:

1) Read some psychology.

2) Rand's issue with the Maidens predates being trapped in the chest.

Doublecheck when he began keeping his list. Hint: After he learns of Tigraine.

You realize that since she was a Maiden, and the Maidens have adopted him as a son, that he's responding to that? They're all his mother figure?

As to Kari- Ba'alzamon's threat that she was his (thereby implying she was a plant who died for her connection to him) is something Rand fears- he fears it because it seems to him it might be true. This only correlates if he's afraid, like small children whose parents divorce, that Kari's dying is somehow his fault for not being good enough- something Tam's not talking about her would emphasize.

Someone missed the boat.

LTT murdered his wife. Rather brutally.

Rand's birth mother had to die for him to be born. His adoptive mother died when he had hardly any memories of her, and since he's so worried in EotW, like most children, he seems to have blamed himself somehow.

Guess what? They're all his mother. He keeps killing his mother. You wonder why he obsesses?