Okay, so one big loop, got it. If you happen to remember when/where this is established I would love the reference. (Again I wonder how much of what is said can be believed.) And thanks again for your reply, HeavyHalfMoonBlade! And I love the discussion about eastern philosophy and glad others have joined in on this discussion! I like how you explained the concept of Nirvana and how it may or may not feature in the WoT. Sabio's comments bring me back to my original question and confusion... So if it's one grand loop, then souls are spun back out each cycle...except LTT, who is reborn within the cycle. Is he the only one to get multiple iterations within the same cycle? If so, okay. The wheel/light is kind of cheating there, but sure. If not, then I'm back to some of my original confusion. The thing that keeps sticking with me is Birgitte talking about how she gets spun back in with Gaidal each time. And then Birgitte says she hasn't seen Gaidal and thinks he was spun out as a baby but she herself gets ripped out into the flesh and worries she won't be able to find Gaidal, etc. But this doesn't make sense to me unless she's used to multiple reincarnations within the same cycle. Because how would there be legends of Birgitte Silverbow if she hadn't yet been spun out this cycle already. So maybe it's just LTT...plus the heroes of the horn get multiple lives within each cycle? We certainly don't know of any "bad guys" that get spun out multiple times (naturally, not due to DO) within the same cycle do we?

Ah man...I was just getting emotionally invested into it too (seasons 1 and 2 were bleh for me but 3 really started hitting some good notes). Oh well. Sounds like the cast and crew sort of saw the writing on the wall on this one as it came out that Rosamund who had moved her family all out to Prague/Czech had moved back after wrapping season 3.. still... I was hopeful until now. Thanks for sharing the news!

Hmm, okay...maybe I am confused about this... I don't remember it stated quite like this before. I know this is maybe one of those things that just can't be overly questioned, but do we understand this to mean that time is literally repeating? I always thought it was just plain reincarnation and history repeating itself in a eerily similar fashion rather than literally repeating itself. If so though that would definitely help make some sense of the internal logic. But then I would have to ask...when does the loop start? At the end of the second? And did the 2nd age occur infinitely many times too? Or is just one grand loop of all ages that repeats infinitely? Thank you so much for your reply and thoughts!

Hi all! First time poster so please forgive the inevitable repeat/regurgitation of questions already dealt with on the forum... My question is pretty basic: for how many cycles has the last battle (i.e., specifically a battle involving the wheel's champion) taken place? It's been a major point of confusion for me and a big part of that confusion is sewn by what Ishamael says (and whether we can believe him at all or even partially) to Lews and later Rand. (And for reference yes I have read the full series though only once and didn't exactly take notes...:) On one hand, the only things as book readers that we actually observe is that (1) after the DO is given access to the pattern via the bore, Ishamael and Lews battle. And (2) then...3000 years later the soul of Lews (named Dragon in the Age of Legends) is reborn and fights Ishy a second time. It's heavily implied through the books and mostly by Ishy that the battle takes place again and again but...does it? And when? Before the Bore? How did it transpire in that case...could the DO have an actual champion before the Bore? It just doesn't make sense. The only other thing I can see is that the "battle" might be broadened to include other kinds of skirmishes that happen over and over again but those don't involve the "dragon" or do they? My best guess is that this was the idea RJ was wanting to convey but never fully fleshed out anything concrete beyond what occurs in the Age and Legends and in the current day. I look forward to be enlightened and thank you for reading!