In past lives has the Dragon ever gone over to the Shadow? We have a few quotes supporting this but in a recent thread it was mentioned RJ went back on the earlier interviews and the Dragon never went over. If true would love to see that quote and some clarification. Thanks.

 

The way I interpret RJ's quotes is that in the past, non "Dragon soul" Champions of the Light have gone over, but the "Dragon soul" itself has never been turned to the Shadow. For example, an incarnation of the Hawkwing soul could have turned to the Shadow in the past while it was the Champion of the Light, but the LTT/Rand soul has never ever been turned.

 

Is there any indication that the CoL has been one of the other Heroes of the Horn like Hawkwing? Or has it  always been the LTT/Rand soul?

Crossroads of Twilight book tour 16 January 2003, Dayton, OH - Tim Kington reporting

RJ: Yes, the Champion of the Light has gone over in the past. This is a game you have to win every time. Or rather, that you can only lose once--you can stay in if you get a draw. Think of a tournament with single elimination. If you lose once, that's it. In the past, when the Champion of the Light has gone over to the Shadow, the result has been a draw.

If Champions of the Light have gone over in the past, but the LTT/Rand soul has never gone over, then there have been other Champions of the Light who aren't the LTT/Rand soul.

In past lives has the Dragon ever gone over to the Shadow? We have a few quotes supporting this but in a recent thread it was mentioned RJ went back on the earlier interviews and the Dragon never went over. If true would love to see that quote and some clarification. Thanks.

The way I interpret RJ's quotes is that in the past, non "Dragon soul" Champions of the Light have gone over, but the "Dragon soul" itself has never been turned to the Shadow. For example, an incarnation of the Hawkwing soul could have turned to the Shadow in the past while it was the Champion of the Light, but the LTT/Rand soul has never ever been turned.

Have we gotten an explanation as to why there were blue flashes when Thom fought the Myrddraal at Whitebridge while Rand and Mat escaped yet or is it still a RAFO?

This page talks some about it::

http://linuxmafia.com/jordan/2_nondark/2.3_one-power/2.3.04_op-blades.html

 

I swear if this is one of the mysteries that's never solved I'll be disappointed, I've wanted to know since reading EotW for the first time

Have we gotten an explanation as to why there were blue flashes when Thom fought the Myrddraal at Whitebridge while Rand and Mat escaped yet or is it still a RAFO?

Is the Dark One/Shaidar Haran aware of the link between Rand and Moridin?

Excuses excuses excuses. Oh poor rand. he's hated. he's in pain. he's misunderstood. he's the saviour of the world. he's this or that. blah blah blah.

 

Anyone who uses his own friends and treats them like shit is no saviour. Anyone who even remotely comprehends hurting his own friends, the same friends he grew up with is a saviour of nothing. He's just a rabid dog with the sole sick purpose of saving the world. It is the world's greatest joke. I hope demandred or padan fain put an end to this tool. wishful thinking i suppose although one can dream.

 

 

Oh by the way phariah raistlin majere was not meant to save the world. In fact he wanted to be a God at one point. 

I like how you ignore any post that absolutely tears apart your strawman argument and continue to post the same senseless drivel over and over again.

All of your arguments for Rand are well thought out and well written but I think you guys are wasting your....Finger energy, really.

It's alright, it's a good way to pass free time :D

Also, I'd like to further add that his mentor, Moiraine, "died" at what could only be the worst time possible. He recently became the ruler of the center of manipulative politics, and at the time Rand wasn't the best at the Game of Houses. Things were a lot more difficult than they had to be because of Moiraine's absence. He eventually became a rather brilliant, harsh (which was required) ruler through learning experience, but with Moiraine there his progress would have been much, much faster. On top of this, Rand feels responsible for her "death" because he couldn't attack Lanfear. This starts his list, which is one of the direct causes for his hardened soul.

And further more, do you think Rand likes the way he is? It's rather obvious from his POVs that he absolutely despises himself. Often times we find Rand reminiscing about Edmonds Field, and being a shepherd again. He wants to be able to hide from the world and live out his days in peace, but he knows that he has a duty to complete. The man's in pain 24/7. He's bonded to the three women he loves more than anything else in the world while knowing that when he dies it'll hurt them more than anything else ever could, but he can't say no to them when they ask him to be their Warder. The seals of the Dark One's prison are weakening, ready to shatter at any second. And despite all of this he has managed to press onward to save a world that despises him almost as much as the Dark One. This can't be stressed enough. The world hates Rand al'Thor, their only savior. Someone who is easily susceptible to something as petty as human emotions could not have gotten this far. In this case, the end absolutely justifies the means. Rand wants to die, he wants this to end, but instead of taking the easy way out he's sticking it through to the end. He knows that the world that curses his very name needs him, and he's going to stay around until they don't anymore. Can you truly hate someone that selfless even after you've read his POVs?

Your problem with Rand is that he isn't your usual type of savior. You don't like the fact that we can't connect to Rand on a personal level outside of the first couple books because he's shut off his human emotions. The problem with this, though, is that that's the way his character is supposed to be. You're not supposed to connect with Rand's character outside of a few specific POVs because he's supposed to be a hard, emotionless figure that everyone needs to obey.

Now normally, this would make for a very unlikeable character. However, we've watched Rand become the person he is from the innocent sheepherder he started off as. Let's see, what has Rand gone through since the beginning of the series?

-A mandatory cross continental trip to the Blight

-Confrontation with numerous Forsaken

-The death of many close friends

-Two branded palms

-A non healing stab wound from Ishy

-Rhuidean

-Fain's dagger non healing wound

-Kidnapped and stuffed into a box

-Sword hand blasted off

And that's just the tip of the iceberg. I haven't even mentioned the fact that he was thrust into the position of messiah without any say in the matter, had to deal with a maddening power, a voice in his head, and manipulative nobles who don't seem to realize that they need him if they want to have any chance of survival.

The fact of the matter is that to deal with all of this (and so, so much more) Rand needed to seal away his emotions. He needed to "become as cold as winter's heart itself" to have any chance of just making it to the Last Battle, not to mention winning it. Prophecy and 3000 years of a world scared senseless by men who can channel is not a good thing when you show up and are destined to break the world once again. Rand is trying to save a world that he probably won't even be around to enjoy. He's probably going to die and be hated for saving reality. Does this sound like someone who can afford to be kind and courteous to everyone? The answer is "no." Rand is completely justified in his actions, whether you like it or not.