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"I of course have zero evidence for this, but since when has that stopped any of us?" <David Wren-Hardin> "Get your FAQs first, then you can distort 'em as you please." -Mark Twain "Now, what I want is FAQs. Teach these boys and girls nothing but FAQs...Plant nothing else, and root out everything else...Stick to FAQs, sir!" --Charles Dickens, _Hard Times_ THE WOT FAQ WAS LAST UPDATED JANUARY, 1995. CONTRIBUTORS. Active Contributors & Articles Plundered From: Dylan Flynn Alexander * Chris Anderson Michael Arnett * Keith Aschinger * Will Baird * Glen Justin Balmer * Chris Barrera * Kevin Bartlett * Brian Bax * Aaron Bergman * Alice Bergmann * Timothy Bruening * Charles Buckley * Arthur Bernard Byrne * Paul W. Cashman * Keith Casner * Christopher Lee Cavender * Randy Cerveny * Dennis Hohn-Chong Cho * Damien Cole * Amish Dave * Ruchira Datta * Dave "Walls of Books" DeLaney * Roderick Easton * Eric Ebinger * Jain Farstrider * J. D. Feehan * Chris Flora * Courtenay Footman * Michel Forget * Carolyn Fusinato * Christian M. Gadeken * Devin L. "Lews Therin" Ganger * Bill "Cherry Kool-Aid" Garrett * Helmut Geyer * Judy Ghirardelli * Bob Gibson * Jocelyn "who is not Kathleen" Goldfein * Robyn "Hawk" Goldstein * Stephen Graham * Gary Greenbaum * Michael Guenther * John C. Hansen * Chris Hammock * Michael Hanneman * Stephen J. Hardy * Don Harlow * John Hawkinson * Mark Hazen * Nathan Hendrix * Clint Hepner * Captain Commander Sean Hillyard * Bob Hofmann * Melissa Horn * Justin Howell * Eugene Hung * Matthew Hunter * John Ireland * Robert Jordan (duh.) * Robert Kelley * Daniel John Kelly-Harrity * Mark Hazen * David "Wee Dave" Kennedy * Jacob Kesinger * Tanya Koenig * Pam Korda * Hank Lee * Mike Lemons * Craig Martin Levin * Shen Kiat Lim * Edward Liu * Mark Looi * Mike "Sir MPS" Macchione * Tom McCormick * Cameron Majidi * Luke Mankin * Jim Mann * Stephanie Mason * Roxanne Meida * Kelley Miles * Don Morgan * Joe Morris * David Mortman * Roy Navarre * Patrick Nielsen Hayden * John S. Novak III * Emmet O'Brien * Michael J O'Malley * Chad "Oilcan"/"Ba'alzamon" Orzel * Daniel "Zippy" O'Toole * Anthony Padilla * Rimesh Patel * Emma Pease * Thomas Petersen * George D. Phillies * Jim Phillips * Piglet * Eric C. Piquette * Heikki Poso * Jeffrey Scott Raglin * Chris Russo * Erica Sadun * Kevin Samborn * Jared Samet * Jeff Schneiter * Morgan Donald Scott * Viren Shah * Joe Shaw * Vivienne Shen * Zach Simpson * Jeff Smith * Michael "Darkelf" Steeves * Brian Sullivan * Charles L. Stuart * Martin Terman * Aline Thompson * Elayne Thompson * Carl Traber * Sven Venema * Jonathan Vessey * Ken Warkentyne * Olaf Weber * Dash Wendrzyk * Greg Wheatley * Windsor Williams * Aaron Wong * Edmund Wong * David Wren-Hardin * Tony Yoder * Tony Zbaraschuk * (Did I forget anyone? Is anyone on here twice? Anybody with a name starting with Q , U, or X want to contribute?) KEEPER OF THE CHRONICLES: Pam Korda <kor2@kimbark.uchicago.edu> (Ca veut dire, the FAQ-keeper) REFERENCE CHECKERISSIMO DUDE: Joe Shaw (Official Net Jordan Librarian), <joeshaw@csgrad.cs.vt.edu> KEEPER OF THE FLAME OF TAR FTP: Viren R. Shah <viren@cc.gatech.edu FAQ available by anonymous ftp. to faser.cs.olemiss.edu /pub/jordan/Jordan.FAQ.<month>. There's all sorts of fun stuff there besides the FAQ, so check it out. or by gopher--lahs.losalamos.k12.nm.us, dir is "Bored out of your Gourd? Take a Romp In Daveland" MOTHER OF THE FAQ: Erica Sadun <erica@cc.gatech.edu>. She is retired, but she started the thing, so you probably shouldn't call her a non-entity. WWW HOME PAGE: http://faser.cs.olemiss.edu/jordan/jordan.html html conversion by Helmut Geyer <Helmut.Geyer@IWR.Uni-Heidelberg.De> REC.ARTS.SF.WRITTEN.ROBERT-JORDAN FAQ: Posted regularly to r.a.sf.w.r-j, news.answer and rec.answers, and archived at rtfm.mit.edu in directory /pub/usenet/news.answers/sf/robert-jordan-faq it contains general newsgroup information, general author info, release dates, etc. Please read this document first if you are new to rec.arts.sf.written.robert-jordan. Keeper is Joe Shaw <joeshaw@csgrad.vt.edu> [NB: 'Survey Says' sections are from the 2nd Annual Novak-Ghirardelli Survey] [NB: Standard Reference Format: <Book Abr.: Chapter #, paperback pg#, Chapter name, hard cover pg#>] ACRONYMS TWoT/WOT = The Wheel of Time TEotW/EOW = The Eye of the World TGH = The Great Hunt TDR = The Dragon Reborn TSR = The Shadow Rising TFoH/FOH = The Fires of Heaven LoC = Lord of Chaos FAQ = WMAK, Wonderful Masterpiece of Assembled Knowledge, but FAQ is easier to say (and makes for better puns) r.a.sf.w = rec.arts.sf.written (also just "rasfw") r.a.sf.w.r-j = rec.arts.sf.written.robert-jordan (also just "rasfwrj") AOL = Age of Legends AS = Aes Sedai (or Amyrlin Seat) Asm = Asmodean BA = Black Ajah DO = Dark One DF = Darkfriend DFS/DS = Darkfriend Social DotNM = Daughter of the Nine Moons Eg/Egw = Egwene El = Elayne Ish/Ishy = Ishamael LTT = Lews Therin Telamon Mog/Moggy = Moghedien Mo/Moi/Moir = Moiraine MPS = Mad Passionate Sex, Mad Purple Stegosaurus MT = Mazrim Taim Ny/Nyn = Nynaeve OP = One Power RJ = Robert Jordan SG = Shayol Ghul SS = Siuan Sanche T'A'R/TAR = Tel'aran'rhiod TS = True Source TV = Tar Valon WCs = Whitecloaks WOs = Wise Ones WT = White Tower YKYBRTMRJW = You Know You've Been Reading Too Much Robert Jordan When... CONTENTS: (* = new this 04, + updated this FAQ, - same as last FAQ) ADMINISTRIVIA - 0.0 Contents/Acronyms Section + 0.1 FAQ introduction. - 0.2 What are these Jordan Wheel of Time Books? - 0.3 Mis-steps. (Errors along the way) - 0.4 What should I do if I've become obsessed? - 0.5 What's the deal with these shoddy Tor covers that keep falling off? - 0.6 The RJ Hoax/The Great Hoax + 0.7 Who Is Robert Jordan, Really? What else has he written? * 0.8 Other "Resources" * 0.9 What is TAN? 1.0 ALL ANSWERS GREAT AND SMALL * 1.1 The Old Tongue + 1.2 Who was Beidomon? - 1.3 Is Thom Elayne and Gawyn's real father? - 1.4 Why do we think that Thom will marry Moiraine? - 1.5 Why is Moiraine not dead? - 1.6 What was up with Gawyn during the coup? - 1.7 What was the Tamyrlin? - 1.8 Who will marry Mat? - 1.9 Who will take Callandor from the Stone? (Logain stuff) + 1.10 How does Mat's medallion work? - 1.11 Why isn't Elaida Black? - 1.12 What is up with Lan, Myrelle, Nynaeve, etc? + 1.13 The death of Asmodean. * 1.14 Kari Al'Thor--What do we know about her? - 1.15 Is Aram a Darkfriend? + 1.16 What's up with Mat and the dice Ter'angreal? - 1.17 Is Aviendha pregnant? - 1.18 Where is Gaidal Cain now? - 1.19 What are the Seanchan up to? - 1.20 The Seven Seals - 1.21 Is Ishamael still alive? - 1.22 Who's Who in the Families? - 1.23 Tigraine == Shaiel (Rand's mum): an analysis - 1.24 Slayer (Isam & Luc) - 1.25 The Severed Hand - 1.26 How old is everyone? - 1.27 What does each Ajah do (and want)? - 1.28 The Green Man and the Song (Who is the Green Man, What is the Song, Who will find the Song, Who were the Aiel?) - 1.29 Geography of Randland + 1.30 Verin: Black, Brown, or Purple? - 1.31 Is there Religion in Randland? + 1.32 Who are the Forsaken? Where are they now? - 1.33 All the Aes Sedai + 1.34 Why Lanfear may be Good (not just in bed, Roy) - 1.35 Who are the Aelfinn & Eelfinn? - 1.36 What's up in Saldaea? - 1.37 Who was Mat (in his past lives)? - 1.38 Where have we seen ironic foreshadowing? - 1.39 Why are we sure that Ba'alzamon is really Ishamael? - 1.40 When was Rand's Power Acquisition Fever Syndrome? - 1.41 Sad Bracelets, Mazrim Taim/Logain - 1.42 What are the Songs (not >the< Song) - 1.43 Is Mat still linked to the Horn? - 1.44 What are them icons? - 1.45 Thought and Memory: Take Two - 1.46 What did Ogier do of old? - 1.47 More of the Fain - 1.48 Jain "McGuffin" Farstrider - 1.49 Who was "Silvie?" + 1.50 Were there Ajahs in the Age of Legends? - 1.51 Who ordered Melindhra? - 1.52 Why Moiraine is not Black Ajah - 1.53 Will Logain get the One Power back? - 1.54 Can Thom Channel? - 1.55 What is the difference between Skimming & Traveling? - 1.56 What's up w/the male-female a'dam link where they both die screaming? - 1.57 Is Sheriam Black Ajah? - 1.58 Who is not a Darkfriend? - 1.59 What are those black threads on the forsaken? - 1.60 Who are Aran'gar and Osan'gar? + 1.61 Is Mazrim Taim really Mazrim Taim? - 1.62 Who is Mesaana? - 1.63 "LTT"--Is he for real, or is Rand loony? - 1.64 Binding--what's up with that? - 1.65 Why did Sammael claim he had a truce w/ Rand? * 1.66 Did LTT balefire himself? * 1.67 How Tall is Everybody? * 1.68 Where did Artur Hawkwing come from? 2.0 TRIVIAL PURSUITS: References, Sources, Allusions, Parallels, etc. - 2.1 Arthur and the Holy Grail - 2.2 Trolloc Tribes - 2.3 Is the world of Rand a future Earth? + 2.4 Christian Parallels - 2.5 Various Names - 2.6 Dragon Legends - 2.7 Norse Mythology - 2.8 Stedding & China * 2.9 Native American stuff + 2.10 Miscellaneous References 4.0 IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME, BABY Timeline (not actually in here) 5.0 HANGIN' LOOSE Loose Threads: Unresolved Stuff 6.0 SOME "SWEET" COVER ART: What is it with those stupid Darrell Sweet Covers? 7.0 PROPHECIES: Everything you wanted to know about the future, but were afraid to ask. + 7.1 Egwene's Dreams + 7.2 Min's Viewings + 7.3 Various Prophecies - 7.4 Dark Prophecy * 7.5 The prophecies of the Dragon. - 7.6 Perrin's Dreams 99.0 PUBLISHING STUFF - 99.1 How many books will there be? + 99.2 When Is The Next Book Out? ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 0.0==============================ADMINISTRIVIA============================== 0.1..............................................Introduction to this FAQ This is the Wheel of Time Wondrous Masterpiece of Assembled Knowledge (aka Frequently-Asked Questions list). 'Tis edited, maintained, and copyrighted by myself, Pamela Korda, based upon discussion of The Wheel of Time series, on the Usenet group rec.arts.sf.written.robert-jordan. You may feel free to distribute this document, provided all citations and attributions are kept. This version of the FAQ contains lots of SPOILERS for _Lord of Chaos_, so if you haven't read, don't read. There are versions of the FAQ from before LOC (i.e. no spoilers, but some out-dated theories) in the ftp archive and the WWW page. rasfwr-j is a very high-volume group, with about 100-200 messages posted each day. In order to keep things reasonable, this huge compendium has been created. It chronicles all the "old, discussed to death" topics, so that people do not have to keep bringing up the same old points again and again. In light of this, please read this document before you go posting all your new theories. If you don't have time to read the whole thing through, that is okay. It is in electronic form, which means you can use your favorite word processor, text editor, grep, &c, to scan it for keywords. There is also a handy-dandy Table of Contents, a few screens up from here. If you have an idea on Tigraine, for example, search for "Tigraine," and read what has already been written. This way, if you agree with what has been said before, you don't need to waste time saying it again. If you disagree, you know the points that need to be taken into consideration when you present your theory to the net. It is to your own benefit to keep this thing handy for such a purpose. Here's what other people have to say about the WOTFAQ: "When I came on and asked a dumb question not too long ago, I had people tell me to read the FAQ. I protested the tone with which they told me, but I went and did it anyway. And you know what? After a couple months of participation, I *AGREE* with those people."<D.L. "Lews Therin" Ganger> This version of the FAQ has been updated to include more "Robert Jordan said" information from book signings and on-line conferences. Remember that all that is hearsay; I take no responsibility for it being wrong. New questions involve the Old Tongue, what we know about Kari Al'Thor, Did LTT balefire himself, How Tall is everybody, and where did Hawking come from. The "jordan-talk" section has been dismantled and dispersed to relevant sections. The Verin section has been re-worked, and so has the section on Asmodean's demise. Some typographical errors have been corrected, but I'm sure there are plenty more left. +.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+ Other Submission Requests: [What topics have been discussed to death and should I include as 'calls-for-submission' for next month?] [Please help fill out the countries of Randland--Sea Folk, Aiel, Seanchan, Shara] [anybody wanna do a bit on the old time zones, etc. discussion?] +.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+ 0.2...............................WHAT ARE THESE JORDAN WHEEL OF TIME BOOKS? The Wheel of Time, by Robert Jordan: Hardcover editions: THE EYE OF THE WORLD ISBN 0-312-85009-3, $24.95 THE GREAT HUNT ISBN 0-312-85140-5, $22.95 THE DRAGON REBORN ISBN 0-312-85248-7, $22.95 THE SHADOW RISING ISBN 0-312-85431-5, $24.95 THE FIRES OF HEAVEN ISBN 0-312-85427-7, $25.95 LORD OF CHAOS ISBN 0-312-85428-5, $25.95 Paperback editions: THE EYE OF THE WORLD ISBN 0-812-51181-6, $5.99 ($6.99 CAN) THE GREAT HUNT ISBN 0-812-51772-5, $5.99 ($6.99 CAN) THE DRAGON REBORN ISBN 0-812-51371-1, $5.99 ($6.99 CAN) THE SHADOW RISING ISBN 0-812-51373-8, $6.99 ($7.99 CAN) THE FIRES OF HEAVEN ISBN 0-812-50974-9 Published by Tor Books Ask for them at your favorite bookstore, or order the paperback editions directly from: Publishers Book and Audio Mailing Service PO Box 120159 Staten Island NY 10312-0004 To cover postage and handling, add $1.25 for the first book and $.25 for each additional book. Check or money order only; no CODs. If you are in Europe, it may be more expedient to pick up the British Editions published by Orbit (prices are listed in pounds sterling). THE EYE OF THE WORLD ISBN 1-85723-076-0 (L5.99) THE GREAT HUNT ISBN 1-85723-027-2 (L5.99) THE DRAGON REBORN ISBN 1-85723-065-5 (L5.99) THE SHADOW RISING ISBN 1-85723-121-X (L5.99) THE FIRES OF HEAVEN ISBN 1-85723-209-7 (L5.99) 0.3.........................................MIS-STEPS (ERRORS ALONG THE WAY) >>THE EYE OF THE WORLD<< *It seems to me that early in the first volume Jordan took some time to decide whether the marsh-forest in the east of the Two Rivers was the Riverwood or the Waterwood. <Don Harlow> *In TEotW, Thom teaches Mat and Rand to juggle. By the time they reach Caemlyn Mat can perform "six ball circles", which I interpreted as a six-ball shower. No way. You could probably count the number of people in the world today who can shower six balls to a performance standard on the fingers of one hand. Assuming there are any. I've only twice seen a five ball shower done well. <David Mortman, others> RE::Jain Farstrider: From <TEotW: Glossary, 790, entry "Farstrider, Jain", 663> Farstrider "vanished in 994 NE, after returning from a trip into the Great Blight which some say had taken him all the way to Shayol Ghul." While <TDR: Glossary, 696, entry "Travels of Jaim Farstrider, the", 593> says that he disappeared shortly after the Aiel War, which is about 20 years ago. Note that even in TEotW, all other indications are that Farstrider disappeared 20 years ago, just after the Aiel war: Ba'alzamon tells Rand <TEotW: 51, 760, Against the Shadow, 638> "Jain Farstrider, a hero, whom I painted like a fool and sent to the Ogier thinking he was free of me." The man that Loial said came to Stedding Shangtai telling them the story about blinding the Eye of the World came just after the Aiel War. 'Twould seem to be Farstrider since Ba'alzamon's comments followed a reference to the Aiel that told the story to the Tuatha'an. So, it seems that the 994 number is wrong. <Joe Shaw> * Q: What about those Warders in Caemlyn around Logain in tEotW? Didn't Moiraine say that they were all Red sisters? Reds don't have Warders! <TEotW: 42, 637-8, Remembrance of Dreams, 535> RJ answer, as reported by Tony Z: Moiraine never mentioned the sisters escorting Logain (not all of whom were Red). The ones with Logain weren't in Caemlyn at the time [evidently they stayed with the army, which stayed outside the city--TZ]. Moiraine was referring to those that _were_ in Caemlyn. >>THE GREAT HUNT<< *Ba'alzamon's goals: <TGH: 47, 665, The Grave Is No Bar To My Call, 563> "But this time I will destroy you to your very soul, destroy you utterly and forever." Maybe he forgot <TGH: 41, 588, Disagreements, 497> "Fool! You will destroy yourself!" where he stopped Rand from burning himself out. Ba'alzamon is either forgetful, confused, or trying to appear so. <Morgan Donald Scott> *Why does Moiraine wear her great serpent ring on her left hand in <TEotW: 2, 27, Strangers, 22-3> and <TDR: 3, 58, News from the Plain, 26> and on her right hand in <TGH: 4, 46, Summoned, 39>? I can think of four possible reasons: a) a cunning plan by Jordan to make us believe sweet, innocent Moiraine was at the Darkfriend social. b) Moiraine has an evil, identical twin sister who wears her ring on the other hand. c) It's Moiraine's ring and she can wear it on whatever hand she damn well pleases. d) none of the above. <Damien Cole> *When Rand returns Thom's harp and flute to the gleeman in Cairhien, Thom grumbles: "You could at least have kept it (the harp) in tune" <TGH: 26, 384, Discord, 323> For travel, harps (and many other stringed instruments) are ALWAYS detuned -- the tension on the strings is reduced to prevent string wear and possible snapping.<Erica Sadun> >>THE DRAGON REBORN<< *In <TDR: 6, 99, The Hunt Begins, 63>, the beginning at-camp scene, Perrin tells Min that he loves her like a sister--and that he has no sisters of his own. In <TSR: 29, 466, Homecoming, 333>, his two sisters and his brother are killed.<Erica Sadun> <TDR: 33, 375, Within the Weave, 295> "This road of hard-packed dirt, already called the Lugard Road now that they were approaching the River Manetherendrelle and the border of Lugard, had been paved once . . . " Lugard is a city, not a country, and is the capital of Murandy (to the extent that disorganized country has one). Since the city does not lie near that River, I doubt a province or such is meant.<Gary Greenbaum> <TDR: 41, 477, A Hunter's Oath, 388> Perrin is remembering a confrontation between Moiraine and Zarine. "Once she learned the girl thought they would lead her to the Horn of Valere, ...then her cold blue stare had taken on a quality that made him feel he had been packed ..." Which left me wondering whose cold blue stare? Both Moir. and Zarine have dark eyes.<Aline Thompson> The quote continues "The Aes Sedai said nothing, but she stared too often and too hard for any comfort.", implying that it refers to Moiraine.<JoeS> <TEotW: 2, 26, Strangers, 22> <TGH: 4, 45, Summoned, 38>, <TDR: 6, 90, The Hunt Begins, 55>, <TSR: 3, 99, Reflection, 71> and <TFoH: 2,95, Rhuidean, 68> all describe Moiraine as having "dark eyes", and <TDR: 33, 386, Within the Weave, 319>, <TDR: 35, 402, The Falcon, 333>, and <TSR: 2, 54, Whirlpools in the Pattern, 40> describe Faile as having "dark, tilted eyes". *Metallurgy Mistake, from John Palmer & Don Harlow Maybe others have noted this metallurgy mistake, as a engineer this bugged me. In the Dragon Reborn, when Perrin takes a day at the Smithy, he notes the three quenching media: "As soon as he had made the hot-cut, he tossed the glowing metal into the salted quenching barrel. Unsalted gave a harder quench, for the hardest metal, while the oil gave the softest, for good knives." <TDR: 50, 595, The Hammer, 506> Wrong. In order of resultant hardness, it goes Oil, Water, Salt Water. with Salt water yielding the hardest blade because of best heat transfer and higher boiling point than plain water. Oil is softer because of slower heat transfer but is commonly used for cutlery because it causes less thermal stresses and a tougher blade. (won't break from shock) Salt water quench is definitely a harder quench than fresh water. Its due to the higher boiling point of salt water precluding the formation of an insulating vapor layer over the steel which slows heat transfer from the steel to the water. *Hey, what's the scoop with Shadowman steel? First, Thom Merrilin runs into a Fade and it left him "a little present of a stiff leg." Then after the fight where the Aiel come to the rescue of the girls: <TDR: 39, 455, Threads in the Pattern, 382> "Shadowman steel kills," Aviendha said, "it does not wound." Finally, Rand's thought while fighting a Fade: <TSR: 10, 188, The Stone Stands, 132> "That black metal could make wounds that festered, almost as hard to heal as the one that ached in his side now." Is there something that I'm missing, like it just kills Aiel, or does this qualify as a Jordan mis-step?<Dash Wendrzyk> {NB: the obvious explanation is that the Fade did not stick Thom with its sword; the Fade just hit him, or something --Pam} Jain Farstrider's first name is spelled as Jaim throughout the book, when its spelled as Jain in TEotW, TGH, and TSR. <Joe "Uno" Shaw> >>THE SHADOW RISING<< *Typographical Errors: <TSR: 8, Hard Heads, 111> Elayne states that "she had let go of saidin as soon as Egwene stood to leave." It should be saidar. [Fixed in the PB version.] <TSR: 16, 262-4, Leavetakings, 183-5> Loial mentions an Ogier named Laefar from Stedding Shangtai who is in Tear, but later calls him Faelar a page later. <TSR: 33, 539, A New Weave in the Pattern, 377> Perrin calls Tam Al'Thor "Master Al'Vere"; Master Al'Vere being miles away at that time. <Courtenay Footman> <TSR: 35, 576, Sharp Lessons, 401> "Egwene realized Nynaeve's blankets were empty." Unfortunately, at this particular time, Nynaeve was in Tanchico with Elayne. It should be Moiraine's blankets that are empty. <Jeff Smith> <TSR: 54, 913, Into the Palace, 633> "If only Egwene had not run into any trouble, they might make it out of here [the Panarch's Palace] safely after all." It should be Elayne instead of Egwene. *<TSR: 47, The Trust of a Viewing, 531> During the Tower Coup, Siuan's Warder gets killed. She doesn't notice until she sees his dead body. <Michael Hanneman> [Perhaps she was shielded before he died?] >>THE FIRES OF HEAVEN<< *In TFoH, on the Cover, we are told that "FLAIDA" (sic) is now Amyrlin. *Something very strange happened between 10 and 20 years ago. In <TGH: 4, 58, Summoned, 49> the Amyrlin says to Moiraine "I am the fifth in a row raised to the Amyrlin Seat from the Blue." Two pages earlier, we learn that Siuan Sanche has been Amyrlin for ten years. In <TFoH: 15, 301, What Can Be Learned in Dreams, 214>, Moiraine says to Egwene: "In a few months it will be twenty-one years since we began the search for the Dragon Reborn. Sieren Vayu was raised to Amyrlin shortly after, a Gray with more than a touch of Red in her." Were there really SEVEN different Amyrlins in the space of a dozen years? (The Blue who held the seat when Rand was born, Vayu, and then the five Blues who ended with Siuan Sanche.) Or is this just a Jordan mistake?<Courtenay Footman> *In <TFoH: 36, 578, A New Name, 409>, Birgitte tells Elayne "You saved my life, Daughter-Heir of Andor. I will keep your secret and serve you as Warder." But later in <TFoH: 47, 775-6, The Price of a Ship, 550> Birgitte verbally scolds Elayne for telling Cerandin she was heir to a throne, and doesn't believe it until Nynaeve makes an offhand comment in <TFoH: 49, 803, To Boannda, 570>. *Rand balefires Rahvin, erasing his actions, etc. However, none of Rand's injuries, all sustained at the hands of Rahvin, disappear--they were in- stead Healed by Nynaeve afterwards. <TFoH: 55, 949, The Threads Burn, 672-3> <Sean Hillyard> [Arguably an effect of either Tel'aran'rhiod or balefire.] LORD OF CHAOS Arguably the most humorous error yet: Perrin picks up a second horse which he calls "Stayer" <LoC: 54, The Sending, 677>. On the way to the Battle at Dumai's Wells, Perrin has both his horses, referred to, at one point, as "Stepper" and "Slayer" <LoC: 55, Dumai's Wells, 685>. In previous glossaries, it says that the AS cannot sense in what direction her Warder is. In LOC, Alanna does just that. What gives? Edward Liu says that, at a signing, RJ said that the ability is not exact, but something like they can only sense distance (and I guess) direction in that the feeling of the other person becomes stronger or weaker. Tony Z. said RJ said the Glossaries are in error, and that there are references in other books to AS sensing the direction of their Warders. (Anybody find such a thing? I can't think of one). Joe thinks RJ changed his mind, to put it charitably. 0.4........................................WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I'M OBSESSED? Judy G. gives us intelligent advice on treatment of Jordan fanaticism: 1. Stop calling the nice lady at you local bookstore, and harassing her about when the next book will be out. 2. Lay down. 3. Stay laying down. 4. Try to not think about things like wheels, knives, spears, swords, doorways, Piglets, fire, severed hands, plucked out eyes, tattoos, leashes, calendars, irons, pincers, still images, gentle breezes, FAQs, Towers, wolves, falcons, hawks, hammers, axes, Roy, and lastly, DON'T THINK ABOUT RIVERS! 5. Now, pick up a copy of _The Tao of Pooh_ and become an uncarved block. (p.s. that will be 50 bucks...) (p.p.s. The idea of not thinking about Roy while laying down is just a generally good practice , and might be applied to all the rest of you who won't admit you have a problem ...) 0.5.........WHAT IS THE DEAL WITH THOSE CHEAP TOR COVERS THAT WON'T STAY ON? No, you are not alone in having the cover fall off of your PB copy of TDR. What can you do about it? Patrick Nielsen Hayden says that you can send the book to Tor, and they will send you a new copy. You can also write a (snail- mail) letter of complaint to Tor. The address is on the inside of the books. DO NOT SEND MEAN E-MAIL TO THE NICE TOR BOOKS MAN!!!! IT IS NOT HIS FAULT!!! If you want to repair them yourself, Eric Ebinger provides instructions: Materials needed: dry sandpaper 220 grit Walthers Goo (available at finer model train stores everywhere) one or more Wheel of Time books, Tor edition with loose or detached covers 1. If cover(s) are not yet completely detached GENTLY and carefully detach them. A small, sharp knife may be helpful. 2. Take sandpaper and briskly sand the back of spine of the book (on the glue that failed to hold. Continue until the surface is slightly rough (don't over-sand). This should only take 10-20 seconds of sanding. 3. Lay the cover down on a flat surface with the outside DOWN. Gently sand the inside of the binding (where the spine of the book would be, if the book was still in its cover) until the wax coating is removed. Do not over-sand! The objective is to remove the wax coating so that the glue can get a grip. 4. Following directions on the package of Goo, spread glue on the binding area of the cover. Orient the book so that it's orientation matches that of the cover. Press the book binding down on the cover, lift,wait two minutes,press the book binding back down on the cover, and hold for two minutes. 5. Let dry overnight. The book should be better than new. 0.6................................THE GREAT JORDAN HOAX--READ THIS SECTION! In March, 1994, a bunch of net.jordanites met in a small restaurant in Arlington, VA. Collectively, they hatched a scheme to spread chaos and confusion throughout the internet, and other nets. They were six of the most powerful posters ever known, who went over to the Dark One. Their names--Bill "the Fain" Garrett, Chad "Ishamael" Orzel, Joe "Sammael" Shaw, Mike "Rahvin" Macchione, Judy "Mesaana" Ghirardelli, and Joe "Demandred" Morris--should be used to frighten children. As a result of their crimes, much false evidence was generated. Following is a summary of their false claims as to what Jordan said. Remember--ROBERT JORDAN NEVER SAID ANY SUCH THING: 1) Somebody close to Rand will turn to the Dark Side. 2) There are clues in: _The Westing Game_, "What Lies Hidden," "The Gift of a Blade," "The Tinker's Sword." 3) RJ thinks we should get our own newsgroup. 4) RJ will put a character like Roy in the next book. 5) Anything about Cain, Jain, Tam, or Graendal's old man. 6) Aram is a Darkfriend (and was at the DFS in TGH). 7) There are hidden references to Conan in The Wheel of Time. 8) RJ said "Verin is more than just a simple, absent-minded librarian." 9) Thom is Elan ' father. 10) RJ will wrap up the series in the book after _Lord of Chaos_. 11) Mazrim Taim is somebody we have already seen, sort of (and related theories that Taim == Demandred, Taim killed Asmodean.) 12) Thom, Aviendha, Bela, & Marin Al'Vere are not what they seem. 13) Aviendha == Ilyena reborn. 14) Mat's memories are not real, but the ravings of a madman. 15) Mat and Tam can channel. 16) He would add a reference to our USENET discussions into a later book. 17) Jordan wants to put himself in there somewhere (ala Hitchcock). 18) Thought the lightbulb and telephone jokes were a hoot. 19) likes the cover art 0.7.....................Who is Robert Jordan, and what else has he written? "Robert Jordan" is actually a pseudonym for James Oliver Rigney, Jr., under which he has written the "Wheel of Time" fantasy series as well as several books of the "Conan" series. (Conan the Invincible, C.t. Unconquered, C.t.Magnificent, C.t.Victorious, C.t.Triumphant, C.t.Destroyer, C.t.Defender) Other pseudonyms are Reagan O'Neal (_The Fallon Blood_, _The Fallon Pride_, _The Fallon Legacy_), Jackson O'Reilly (_Cheyenne Raiders_), and Chang Lung (contributions to various periodicals including Library Journal, Fantasy Review, Science Fiction Review). [Source: Contemporary Authors vol. 140] RJ has told several people, at signings and in letters, that if^H^H when he complete TWOT, he plans to write another fantasy tale set in a Seanchan-like culture. The main character will be a more mature figure than Rand, and the tale involves him being shipwrecked in pseudo-Seanchan, where whatever is cast up on the shores of one's estate becomes one's property, even people. Doubtlessly, there'll be many changes from RJ's description to the actual story, but it gives us something to look forward to. 0.8.........................................................OTHER RESOURCES Non-net stuff: o Issue 4 of the Waldenbooks 'zine _Hailing Frequencies_ had a little interview with RJ. (I believe this was pre-FOH) o Nov 1994 Issue of the B. Dalton 'zine had an interview with RJ. o Fan Club: If netting isn't fannish enough for you, there is a Wheel of Time Fan Club. They have a newsletter, which costs something like $1.50 per issue. If you are interested, contact Carolyn Fusinato <c.fusinato@mail.utexas.edu>. Net Stuff: Available by ftp from faser.cs.olemiss.edu o Old WOTFAQs, by month. The first LOC FAQ is November 1994. All the previous ones have no LOC Spoilers. o The Dark One's Dictionary--a spoof of the WOT Glossaries by Bill Garrett & Joe Shaw. Very funny. o jack-o-shadows.au--Erica Sadun's production of Mat's theme song. o some trivia quizzes o old.tongue.guide--glossary of Old Tongue phrases o second.survey.results--results of the Usenet Novak-Ghirardelli survey of plot predictions, pre-LOC. o Wheel of Time fanfic o /pub/jordan/ATWT--Ken Kofman's on-line WoT-based RPG. o /pub/jordan/jordanites--gifs [revised to .pngs -- ed.] & jpegs of rasfwrj personalities, among other things /pub/jordan/Wotclub--stuff about the Wheel of Time fanclub, and other stuff from there, such as: o charlist.txt--list of characters (I don't know how up-to-date it is) o fan art of WOT characters 0.9....................................................WHAT DOES "TAN" MEAN? 1) TANgent (SINe over COSine) 2) The Ajah who applies ruthless logic to quests after knowledge. 3) The color Bela is. 4) Oh, you mean wrt rec.arts.sf.written.r-j? Get thee to a rasfwr-j FAQ, then! 1.0===================USEFUL INFORMATION (SHORT ANSWERS)==================== 1.1..........................................................THE OLD TONGUE What is the basis for the Old Tongue? A mix of Gaelic, Russian, Spanish, Japanese. Lots of different sources not traditionally used to make up fake languages. RJ has only a few phrases and a few small guides on usage written down."<Dan Rouk at a book signing, 10/94> Why doesn't the Old Tongue bear any relation to the New Tongue spoken by Rand & Co? It probably does, but RJ has kindly "translated" the New Tongue into English so that we can read the books and he can make lots of money :). The Old Tongue is not "translated" in order to add "flavor" to the story. Think of Tolkien. (Who _did_ create entire languages.) Even he didn't write The Lord of the Rings in Middle-Earthish. 1.2........................................................WHO WAS BEIDOMON? 1) One of the male Forsaken (Demandred? We know he had (has) a deep hatred for LTT, as did Mierin, possibly, at the time the Bore was created. Perhaps it was all a revenge plot?) 2) Somebody who is dead. 3) LTT (Why? From <TEotW: Prologue, xv, Dragonmount, xv>: "he who brought the shadow...they named Dragon." Was lover of Mierin/Lanfear at some point, maybe when the Bore was created. And, <TEotW: 4, 51, The Gleeman, 44> "I will tell you of the end of the Age of Legends, of the Dragon, and of his attempt to free the Dark One into the world of men." But, then again, why would LTT have another name?) Why LTT is not Beidomon: It would have adversely affected him after the war broke out. Secondly, he had likely left Lanfear long before and married Ilyena by that time. At Cairhien <TFoH: 52, 889, Choices, 629> he does say that he was never Lanfear's. He also says that he had long before lost whatever interest in he had her. <TFoH: 6, 172, Gateways, 123> 4) Bayle Domon--No reason, except the names sound the same. 1.3...........................WHY MAY THOM HAVE FATHERED ELAYNE AND/OR GAWYN Elayne denies that Galad is her brother. Thom was around at the right time. Thom clearly had something to do with Taringail's disappearance. Thom was Morgase's lover. In <TFoH: 19, 356, Memories, 252>, Morgase thinks about Taringail, and how the only good to come of the marriage were "two beautiful children." This could be Elayne and Gawyn, or she could mean Galad (adopted) and Gawyn. Evidence from the Glossary: "A Royal Prince of Cairhien, he married Tigraine and _fathered_ Galadedrid. When Tigraine disappeared and was declared dead, he married Morgase and _fathered_ Elayne and Gawyn." <TEotW: Glossary, 787, entry "Damodred, Prince Taringail", 661> Although the glossary entries have been misleading before (e.g. Ba'alzamon), I do not think that RJ has ever lied outright in them. I personally cannot think of a way that the above could be a sneaky, Aes Sedai-like twisting of the truth. In <TSR: 17, 277, Deceptions, 194>, Moiraine says Thom was "Morgase's lover for a time, _after Taringail died_" (emphasis mine). Here, Moiraine is trying to impress Thom with how much she knows. She wouldn't include a detail she had any doubt about. To be wrong about something in such a situation would indicate faulty research, and Moiraine would not risk showing any gap in her knowledge. If she had any doubt at all, she wouldn't have mentioned the timing of events. Plus, Thom didn't say or think anything to contradict Moiraine's statement. If Morgase had been having an affair with Thom while still married to Taringail, it is very unlikely that she would have been able to keep it entirely under wraps; surely some rumor would have been around, especially in Cairhien. However, we see no evidence of such a rumor existing. Specifically, in <LoC: 50, Thorns, 628> when Rand mentions to some Cairhienin that he means to have Elayne rule Cairhien, the Cairhienin think she'd be a good choice, due to her descent from her father Taringail Damodred. Somebody says something like "Taringail's greatest dream was for his son to be king of Cairhien and his daughter to be queen of Andor." If Morgase was unfaithful, surely there would have been some doubt as to Elayne's right to the throne of Cairhien. In a report from a signing in Seattle, Tony Z. says, "Jordan also strongly implied that Thom was not Elayne's father." Survey says: Is Thom Elayne's da? Yes: 53 No: 28 1.4...........................WHY DO WE THINK THAT THOM WILL MARRY MOIRAINE? Moiraine says she knows the face of the man she will marry better than the girls know their future husbands. <TSR: 6, 126, Doorways, 90-1> This could mean that she will never marry. The reason that seems unlikely is because, according to Elayne, Moiraine had some passion in her voice when she mentioned husband, despite her attempts to then brush it off. After going through the Tear twisted doorway, which only answers personal questions, she immediately tells Thom that he will live through the next set of adventures. Thom keeps referring to Moiraine as a good looking woman with more and more sincerity as time progresses and discovers he no longer loves Morgase. Possible scenario: How would she know who it was? Being Aes Sedai she'd likely have a lot of chances, but here's a guess. When Min describes how her viewings work her standard example is this; I see two people who have never met and know they will marry--and of course we had both Thom and Moiraine in front of her in Baerlon. So, this would also be the reason why 1) Moiraine was so sure Thom hadn't been killed by a Fade, despite Rand's and Mat's protestations, and 2) why she tells Thom "I will see you again. You will survive Tarabon." <TSR: 17, 278, Deceptions, 195> (After her little trip through Rhuidean she may have decided that perhaps Min was wrong and that Lanfear would kill her.) Survey Says: Will Thom marry Moiraine, if she is alive? Yes: 53 No: 28 1.5................................................WHY IS MOIRAINE NOT DEAD? Well, we don't know what happened after Moiraine & Lanfear fell through the twisted doorway into the land of the Foxes. Lacking such information, the only evidence we have is: 1) the breaking of Lan's bond, suggesting that she is no longer among the living, and 2) Egwene's vision <TFoH: 15, 300-1, What Can Be Learned in Dreams, 214> of Thom pulling Moiraine's blue jewel out of a fire. Ruchira Datta:"One of you would have been bad enough, but two *ta'veren* at once - you might have torn the connection entirely and been trapped there." <TSR: 15, 255, Into the Doorway, 178-9> This quote is the basis for one of the currently held versions of the possible fate of Moiraine and Lanfear; just substitute "channeling combatants" for "ta'veren". More interpretation on Eg's "blue stone" vision: Michael Steeves suggests that it could possibly mean that Thom will do something to preserve her dream of Rand facing the DO alive and well at Tarmon Gai'don. In <LoC: Glossary, entry "Moiraine", 710>, it says "She vanished into a ter'angreal in Cairhien while battling Lanfear, apparently killing both herself and the Forsaken." That "apparently" definitely leaves the question open. Survey Says: What happened to Moiraine? Dead: 11 Alive: 69 (stilled: 40, unstilled: 29) Survey Says: Will Thom rescue Moiraine, if she _is_ alive? Yes: 74 No: 8 1.6..................................WHAT WAS UP WITH GAWYN DURING THE COUP? Perhaps he was involuntarily bonded to a Black or to a Forsaken. His eyes were glazed and he was not necessarily in control of himself <TSR: 47, 779-782, The Truth of a Viewing, 539-41>. Alviarin says with some confidence that "Gawyn will be brought under control". <TFOH: Prologue, 19, The First Sparks Fall, 17> Then again, it is personally reasonable to assume that he was in full control of his faculties during the coup. By that time, he had developed a good & solid hatred for SS, due to Elayne and Egwene's mysterious disappearance. From his behavior in LoC, it seems pretty apparent that he acted under his own will during the Coup, motivated by grief and anxiety over Elayne and Egwene. He develops a similar fierce hatred for Rand due to the rumors that Rand killed Morgase. Survey Says: What was up with Gawyn during the Tower Coup? Desire for revenge against Siuan Sanche: 55 Involuntary Bondage: 12 Under Compulsion: 13 1.7....................................................WHAT IS THE TAMYRLIN? Probably some sort of leader of the Ancient Aes Sedai. The Tamyrlin had a ring just as the Amyrlin has a seat. From <TEotW: Prologue, xi, Dragonmount, xi> Elan Morin grimaced. "Look at you," he said scornfully. "Once you stood first among the Servants. Once you wore the Ring of Tamyrlin, and sat in the High Seat. Once you summoned the Nine Rods of Dominion. Now look at you!" Possibilities--1) Tamyrlin==Male Amyrlin, 2) Amyrlin==corrupted form of Tamyrlin 1.8......................................................WHO WILL MAT MARRY? Daughter of the Nine Moons indicates the heir to the throne of the Seanchan. This is most likely Tuon, the second daughter of the Seanchan Empress who is mentioned by High Lord Turak in Falme. <TGH: 34, 497, The Wheel Weaves, 420>. An outside runner is Berelain, who is descended from Hawkwing and thus "of the Blood," literally. Part of that theory is that "half the light of the world" refers to Mayene being a great supplier of lamp oil. In Ebou Dar in <LoC: 52, Weaves of the Power, 641>, Mat runs into a Seanchan guy who recognizes the name "Daughter of the Nine Moons." This makes it pretty clear that the Daughter of the Nine Moons refers to somebody Seanchan. The epilogue makes further clarification <LoC: Epilogue, The Answer, 697>: "Perhaps the Return would come soon, and the Daughter of the Nine Moons with it." The Daughter is maybe a leader of the Return. Somebody has suggested that the Seanchan themselves don't know who the DotNM is, and that the Return will reveal her identity to them. (I gather this theory is that the DotNM is some sort of messianic figure for the Seanchan, or something like that.) Survey Says: Who will Mat wed? Daughter of Empress: 54 The Empress herself: 3 Berelain: 7 1.9............................WHO WILL TAKE CALLANDOR FROM THE STONE? The "Into the heart" prophecy (see section 7.3), suggests that maybe somebody besides Rand is going to remove the Callandor from the Stone: "Who draws it out shall follow after". Maybe Logain (His future glory)? Now that he is un-gentled and at large, he might end up with the Sword That Ain't. Even though somebody (Moiraine?) said that Logain would be burnt to a crisp trying to control the sa'angreal, we know by now that AS don't know everything. Another idea is that somebody using Mat's medallion could get the sword, because the Power traps would not affect them. Along these lines, somebody may be able to reproduce the effects of the medallion somehow and thereby get the Sword. Yet another idea is that somebody could physically dig Callandor out, although I dunno how easy it would be to dig a hole into the Stone of Tear. Maybe use fireworks a la Mat in TDR? Finally, Callandor might just sit there until the Fourth Age incarnation of the Dragon comes along. In <LoC: 32, Summoned in Haste, 453> Rand thinks about how he modified his traps after learning to invert weaves, and makes reference to somebody besides himself drawing the sword and "following after." Survey Says: Will Logain pull the sword? Yes: 38 No: 42 1.10.......................................HOW DOES MAT'S MEDALLION WORK? When Elayne tries to use the Power on Mat in <LoC: 38, A Sudden Chill, 504>, she describes the effect as "The flows just...vanished." It seems that the medallion works by dissolving or destroying Power Flows. The fact that it acts on the actual flows indicates that it probably works on saidar and saidin. The medallion only works on direct weaving of Power flows against the wearer; indirect effects of the power, such as picking up a rock with Air and throwing it, are not blocked. This probably applies to lightning bolts, as well, if they are produced by building up atmospheric charge with the Power, not by directly weaving the Power. Thus the failure of the medallion to protect against the lightning strike at the end of TFOH can be explained. There is ample evidence that this is the way it works against saidar. Elayne & Co.'s extensive testing of the medallion in <LoC: 47, The Wandering Woman, 589-593> certainly support the hypothesis. There are less data points for saidin. Rahvin's lightning strike certainly worked, but that can be explained by the "indirect effects" loophole. (Note, however, that Rand believes that the medallion "had not saved [Mat] from a man's channeling." Rand doesn't know everything, though.) The only other possible data comes from Halima/Aran'gar, who we think channels saidin, not saidar. She tries to channel at Mat in <LoC: 44, The Color of Trust, 554>, and fails.(Evidence that Aran'gar does Saidin--<LoC: Epilogue, The Answer, 697> [Moghedian's thoughts as she was being freed by Aran'gar] "A woman. But that ball of Light had to be saidin!" Moggy is somebody who knows the difference. Plus, there is <LoC: Epilogue, The Answer, 698> "[Egwene] had felt [Moghedian's] necklace come off, and felt the flash of pain that meant a man who could channel had brushed the link.) Note further that Mat asked for a way to be free of Aes Sedai _and_ the _One Power_, not AS and Saidar, or AS or the OP. If the A/Eelfinn are bound to grant wishes as stated, then the medallion _must_ protect against Saidin as well as saidar. 1.11.................................................WHY ISN'T ELAIDA BLACK? Read the following references: <TEotW: 40, 606, The Web Tightens, 508> : Elaida doesn't like Rats. <TSR: 1, 38, Seeds of Shadow, 29-30>: Elaida thinks about how Rand Al'Thor must be stopped from causing trouble in Andor, since Andor and its royalty are they key to defeating the DO. <TFoH: Prologue, 13-25, The First Sparks Fall, 13-21> and <TFoH: 19, 367, Memories, 260>: Elaida is pretty clearly a dupe. 1.12............................................WHAT IS UP WITH LAN'S BOND? From <LoC: 52, Weaves of the Power, 651-2>, we see that Lan is now bonded to Myrelle, as promised by Moiraine. Question now is, what is she going to do with it. Moiraine said in <TGH: 22, 322-4, Watchers, 271-3> that Myrelle had promised to pass the bond to somebody who would need him when the time was right. Moiraine later thinks several things that indicate that she has arranged for Nynaeve to get him eventually. <TSR: 21, 337, Into the Heart, 236>, <TFoH: 7, 190, A Departure, 135> "He denied...that he could ever have her...That, at least, Moiraine had taken care of, though he would not know how until it was done." It seems as if Moiraine told Myrelle that Ny was to have him. In LoC, we see Myrelle pushing Ny to overcome her block--possibly so she can become AS by the time Lan gets there, and so can get a Warder? And finally, at the end of LoC when Lan shows up, Myrelle wonders if she can "keep him alive long enough." Long enough for what? 1.13.............................................THE DEATH OF ASMODEAN WHY DIDN'T RAND NOTICE ASMODEAN WAS DEAD? He noticed Asm was gone. He thinks Asm ran away. Note that this implies there was no body left. "If they discovered that he had held one of the Forsaken prisoner and allowed him to escape...He would deal with Asmodean himself if the man ever turned up again."<LOC, ?, A Woman's Eyes, 92> WHO KILLED JoaR? Whoever killed Asmodean must have: a) been recognized by Asmodean b) been someone Asmodean did not expect to see, and was terrified of c) been able to be in Caemlyn at the time d) been able to kill Asmodean near-instantaneously ("The word still hung in the air when death took him.") e) had a motive for killing Asmodean f) been able to dispose of the body Any of the Forsaken would fulfill b-f, and maybe a. Padan Fain fulfills c, e, and f, maybe d, but a & b are a bit of a stretch. 1) Lanfear (but she's missing, presumed dead) If Lanfear was alive, where would she go? She would continue her revenge on Rand, I think. BUT, having possibly lost her angreal, and probably facing a more prepared Rand, and having had some time to think about things (like Rahvin ceasing to exist), I don't think she'd immediately assault Rand again. Instead, she'd again methodically plan to weaken him. I think that it is very reasonable (but all hypothetical) for her to kill Asmodean immediately.<Amish Dave> 2) Ishamael. Maybe he's been resurrected Aran/Osan'gar style? Problem is how would Asmodean recognize him in a new body? 3) Mesaana. Any Forsaken would have a reason to kill Asmodean. 4) Semirhage : Ditto. 5) Sammael: might as well get all the unaccounted-for Forsaken in here. 6) The Dark One (Shai'....), via the agency of Shadar Haran (Shadow's Hand). Same problem as for Ish: why would Asmodean recognize him? 7) Fain: Could have been in Caemlyn at the time (via the Ways, if nothing else). Would want to kill any Forsaken because they would interfere with his plans to be Rand's personal hell. Can use the dagger to kill easily. Problems--How would Asm recognize him, and if he did, why would he be terrified of him? (Possible explanation is that Asm recognized the Mashadar taint on Fain's dagger, as Aginor & Balthamel did at the Eye of the world, and _that_ is what he recognized. Problem is, that Asm was no longer tied to the DO, and could hardly channel, and so how could he recognize Mashadar?) Asm died pretty fast ("The word still hung in the air when death took him."); the dagger doesn't kill that quickly. There is enough time for the stabbed one to gasp, fall to the ground, writhe around a bit, and finally die once the Mashadar-taint spreads through his body enough. (see the scene in TFOH where he kills the accepted <TFoH: 19, 366, Memories, 259>, and the part in TGH where Mat kills the Seanchan guy <TGH: REF?>) Of course, Fain could have just stabbed him through the heart, or cut his throat. 8) Other, unlikely, suggestions include, Slayer, Mat, and Egwene. WHO DIDN'T KILL HIM? From the LoC prologue, we see that Demandred doesn't know what happened to Asmodean: "Lanfear has vanished without a trace, just as Asmodean did." Hence, Demandred didn't kill him. But the Dark One's response seems to imply the DO _might_ be behind what happened to Asmodean: "WHO BETRAYS ME SHALL DIE THE FINAL DEATH. ASMODEAN, TWISTED BY HIS WEAKNESS." <LoC: Prologue, The First Message, 15> At a post-LoC signing in Chicago, RJ said that we have all the clues to figure out who killed Asmodean. I look upon this statement with skepticism. Survey Says: Who killed JoaR? Lanfear: 36 Demandred: 3 Ishamael: 05 Mesaana: 2 Sammael: 04 The DO: 2 Semirhage: 05 Piglet: 1 WHY DID HE GET KILLED, ANYWAY? If we can figure out _why_ he was killed, we might be able to throw some light on _who_ killed him. One possibility is that he was the target of a pre-meditated assassination. The Shadow (ie the DO and all the Forsaken) would want to do this, because he was a traitor. Fain would want to do this, because either Fain knew Asm was helping Rand or he thought Asm was trying to kill/turn/etc Rand, and didn't want a Forsaken to defeat Al'Thor--that is Fain's mission in life. (Then again, Fain might not know anything about Asm's existence at all.) If it was premeditated, then how did the killer know Asm was heading for the wine closet? Maybe Asm was a frequent customer? Maybe the killer was hiding there, and took his chance when Asm walked in? Maybe he was close enough nearby to observe Asm's movements? A second possibility is that Asm was _not_ the specific target of the killer; he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Perhaps the killer was/is spying/plotting/etc from within the ranks of the Dragon Reborn. Asmodean bumped into him on his way to the wine closet, recognized him, and got killed to protect his secret. Quoting from the relevant passage: "He pulled open a small door, intending to find his way to the pantry. There should be some decent wine." Then we have, "You? No!" He was going to *look* for wine. He probably opened a door to an empty storeroom or hallway. It was *not* a wine pantry. He hadn't found it yet. If you reread the passage yourself, it seems that it may have even been an accident he ran into his killer (i.e. the killer wasn't planning on it, but since Asmodean saw him...). This motive fits well with the body being removed/destroyed. If the killing was for punishment, it would have made more sense for the body to be left, and the death widely publicized, to set an example. So how could the body being discovered disclose something about the killer (to the other characters)? I can think of 3 possibilities. 1) the killer is part of Rand's entourage, and a dead Asm could make people suspicious that there was a traitor in the ranks. 2) there is a hole in Rand's security, and a dead Asm would inspire people to find it in patch it up. 3) the killer is hiding (not necessarily only from Rand--could also be from the Forsaken) and a dead body could start folks thinking the killer was active. Think how Asm's death started us thinking that maybe Lanfear had returned, or that Ish was still around/around again. 1.14................................KARI AL'THOR--WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT HER? <J. D. Feehan, Anthony Padilla> Tam met Kari sometime before the Aiel War. (ref. Tam's ranting in the woods) Kari is from Caemlyn. (ref. Moir. in Fal Dara tGH) Kari did not give birth to Rand. (ref. Too numerous to quote) Kari had red hair. (ref. Nyn at Baerlon) Kari, supposedly, had grey eyes which Rand was supposed to have inherited. (Uncertain on this one. Any references?) "Kari" has dark eyes in Ishy's vision at the end of tEotW. This might indicate that the "Kari" in the vision wasn't real. (tEotW near the end) Kari died when Rand was young, perhaps from a disease that made her "waste away" or something. (Uncertain, any Refs?) Kari didn't like Tam's sword. (Uncertain, any ref?) All Rand can remember of her was her smile. Nynaeve said it was obvious that she loved Rand, and that she was very nice. Even still, she was only in the Two Rivers for a few years, if all Rand can remember is her smile. She probably had known Tam for quite a while, while he was in Andor. At any rate, their relationship went on long enough for him to say in his fever dream that she "Always said you wanted to have children." That "always" would imply that her and Tam didn't get hitched after like a month-long romance, and that maybe they'd been married a while before they found Rand, and maybe tried to have kids of their own to no avail, which would have taken a while to find out. At a book signing, RJ is reported to have said that we'll find out a little more about Kari later. Loony Kari theories: People have thought that Kari was Tigraine (somehow still alive after dying on the slopes of Dragonmount) or an Aiel Wise Woman looking after Shaiel's kid (which cannot be b/c Moir. said that Kari's from Caemlyn) or an Aes Sedai who'd been stilled (someone said she was wasting away and that's why she died and Tam was her Warder, etc. Wouldn't the White Tower have gotten to Emond's Field faster if Kari had been one?) or a Tinker or she was related to some Caemlyn noble we know. Don't know why exactly, but she does have red hair, and the Caemlyn nobles, who say they're descended from Aiel blood, also have red hair. 1.15...................................................IS ARAM A DARKFRIEND? There is definitely something up with Aram: Egwene's Dream <TFoH: 15, 300-1, What Can Be Learned in Dreams, 214> indicates that Aram is going to get Perrin into trouble: "...the tinker. Every time he moved closer to Perrin it was if a chill of doom shot through everything." This may just mean that there is something doom-filled about Aram being a tinker with a sword. In LoC, Aram doesn't do much besides follow Perrin around. No evidence there. Survey Says: Is Aram a Darkfriend? Yes: 37 No: 42 1.16........IS THERE A CONNECTION BETWEEN MAT & THE STOLEN DICE TER'ANGREAL? The Ter'angreal is described in <TDR: 25, 294, Questions, 237-8> Not bloody likely. 1. The dice ter'angreal was stolen by the black sisters. 2. It is made up of >SIX< not five dice stuck together 3. You must be able to >CHANNEL< to use it 4. Mat says he has >ALWAYS< been lucky. This is referred to even before he got the dagger. The dagger may have influenced this or forced him into his ta'veren-hood 5. Mat can win at dice with you using >YOUR< dice. Note, though, that the dice ter'angreal could possibly be used to counteract the probability-twisting effect of ta'veren, eg Mat's luck. Could the dice ter'angreal have something to do with the way that Mat felt the luck in his head go bye-bye in that inn in Ebou Dar. I believe one of Liandrin's BA is in Ebou Dar. Could this have some relation? 1.17...................................................IS AVIENDHA PREGNANT? Possibly. The WOs have a plot to make Rand "know (the Aiel's) blood for (his) own." Aviendha has "been more successful than [the WOs] know," according to Amys. <TFoH: 54, 908, To Caemlyn, 643> Then again, they could just be meaning for him to fall in love with and marry Aviendha, and are congratulating her on 'getting into Rand's pants,' as Sean Hillyard so eloquently puts it. Evidence for the latter: Rand has asked Aviendha many times now to marry him, and that at one point a Wise One comments <TSR: 50, 882, Traps, 570> "I will make you know our blood for yours is I have to lay the..." Aiel ask to marry by laying a wreath of flowers at a man's feet, ie their goal is marriage and Aviendha has been quite successful--all she has to do now is accept. If Avi was pregnant, she would surely be showing some symptoms by now. For sure she would know it, having missed a few periods. I'm sure that this would give her more toh towards Elayne, and yet she doesn't say she's pregnant with Rand's child when she confesses to El. She only says she is in love with him, and has lain with him. <LoC: 40, Unexpected Laughter, 523> Survey Says: Is Aviendha pregnant? Yes: 68 No: 14 1.18...............................................WHERE IS GAIDAL CAIN NOW? 1. a baby. 2. pulled out of Tel'aran'rhiod bodily and an adult. 3. time runs differently: Uno 4. Aviendha's or Faile's unborn kid. 5. Mat's lil' buddy Olver. (Hates Birgitte 'cos she is friends w/ Avi. Is an ugly little bugger. Problem: He's about 9 years old, which would mean Gaidal's soul was in 2 places at the same time when the Heroes of the Horn appeared at Falme--in Olver, and in the battle. non-linearity of time in TAR or no, this is hard to believe.) Survey Says: Gaidal Cain is... Uno: 12 Aviendha's or Faile's kid: 36 Gone for good: 23 1.19.....................................WHAT ARE THE SEANCHAN UP TO? It seems as if the Seanchan have certainly taken Tanchico. The Seanchan spy's thoughts in <LoC: Epilogue, The Answer, 697> indicates that the next target is Ebou Dar. Even if they do invade Salidar, the AS are gone from there, marching towards the Tower. Survey Says: Did the Seanchan take Tanchico? Yes: 51 No: 31 Survey Says: Will the Seanchan capture Salidar? Yes: 27 No: 52 1.20.........................................................THE SEVEN SEALS 1) in the eye of the world with the Horn, broken; 2) Bayle 02 had one, intact, taken by Turak; Moiraine found it after the fight, and it was broken by then. 3) Turak had one. Moiraine found it along with (2). Also broken. 4) Moiraine found one in the Stone of Tear, intact; 5) She found another one in Rhuidean, and made a scratch. 6) Nynaeve found one in the Panarch's Palace, broken on the way to Salidar. 7) Mazrim Taim gave the last one to Rand, saying it was found in a farmhouse in Saldaea. Survey Says: Are all the seals broken? Yes: 08 No: 74 1.21.....................................................IS ISH STILL ALIVE? Read the end of TDR. Notice that he has split in two? (Similar to Asmodean splitting in TSR, but Asmodean was re-joined.) Does this mean anything? This seems >very< troubling. <TDR: 55, 666, What is Written in Prophesy, 570> NB: Everybody (all the Forsaken) seems to think he is dead. And they found a body. Aran/Osan'gar throw a new light on the subject. Even if one of them is not Ishy, there is no reason not to expect that the DO won't resurrect the servant who has done the most for him over the last 3000 years. 1.22...............................................WHO'S WHO IN THE FAMILIES <Family trees by Erica FAQ-Dowager Sadun> TRAKANDS & MANTEARS / ANDOR D A M O D R E D S/ (rumored to have Aiel blood) C A I R H E I N -=---------------------- +-----------=LAMAN--=BARTHANES | | | | | (cousin) | LUC* (JANDUIN) -+- TIGRAINE(M)m TARINGAIL MOIRAINE | (M) clan chief | (Daughter Heir (heir?) (half sister | of Taardad | of Andor ---+---------+ of Taringail) | | AKA SHAIEL) | | | | | | | | GALADEDRID | | RAND | | | MORGASE(T)---------------------+--------------+ | GAWYN(T)** & ELAYNE(T)** (Daughter Heir of Andor) M A L K I E R I --------------------------------------------- | | LAIN m. BREYAN allied with COWIN AL'AKIR m. EL'LEANNA | | ISAM LAN * Merges with ISAM, son of BREYAN to form SLAYER ** Possibly bastard of THOM MERRILIN, the gray fox = Exact links unknown 1.23...................................................TIGRAINE, AN ANALYSIS <Ruchira Datta> It is a certainty that Tigraine was Rand's mother, Shaiel. Tigraine was the Daughter-Heir of Andor, and was married to Taringail Damodred. They had a son, Galad. Tigraine and her brother Luc were sent to Tar Valon, in the usual tradition of the royalty of Andor. Tigraine vanished mysteriously from Tar Valon, never to be heard from again. <TEotW: 34, 525-6, The Last Village, 441-2> In <TSR: 34, 562, He Who Comes With the Dawn, 392-3>, we learn about Rand's mother, Shaiel. Her tale corresponds marvelously with Tigraine's. Add to this the fact that many people comment on how Rand looks like the Royal Family of Andor (Lord Barthanes <TGH: 32, 464, Dangerous Words, 392>, and many Andoran nobles <LoC: 26, Connecting Lines, 380>), the description of Luc <TSR: 33, 526, A New Weave in the Pattern, 368>), and there you have it. In LoC at one point in Caemlyn, Rand finally learns about Tigraine's story and is very upset until he figures out that he is not actually directly related to Elayne. Thus, he has placed himself in the family tree even if no one else has. 1.24..................................................................SLAYER <John Novak> "Who are Slayer, Lord Luc, and Isam? How do they relate to each other and the books as a whole?" The shortest answers possible are that: o Isam is Lan's blood cousin. o Lord Luc is the brother of Tigraine, former Queen of Andor, and thus Rand's blood uncle. o Slayer seems to be some amalgamation of the two. Our best sources of information for Luc, Isam and Slayer are in tEotW, tGH, tSR, and LoC. Isam is first mentioned late in tEotW. In <tEotW, 47, More Tales of the Wheel, 595>, Agelmar begins his tale of the history of the fall of Malkier. Briefly, it is revealed that al'Lan Mandragoran is the son of al'Akir and el'Leanna. Al'Akir had a brother, Lain Mandragoran, who was wed to Breyan. Lain and Breyan were parents to a child named Isam. Agelmar goes on to explain Breyan's jealousy and grief over her husband's death in the Blasted Lands, and her plot with Cowin Fairheart, hero and Darkfriend, to seize the throne for her son Isam. This plot failed, and Breyan fled south with her infant son Isam, and were overtaken by Trollocs. Their bodies were never recovered. It was at this time that el'Leanna and al'Akir sent their own infant son, al'Lan, south to Fal Moran to safety. The Glossary of LoC places al'Lan's birthdate in 953 NE, and thus we can surmise that these events took place no later than 956 NE. Lord Luc is the brother of Tigraine, former Queen of Andor. In <tEotW, 34, The Last Village, 441> we learn that Luc died in the Blight while ostensibly in training to become the First Prince of the Sword. Tigraine later vanished, before properly assuming her throne. Later, in <tSR, 34, He Who Comes With The Dawn, 392> we learn that Tigraine ran off to become a Maiden of the Spear with the Aiel at the directions of Gitara Moroso Sedai, some four years before Laman's Sin. The Glossary of tSR places the Aiel War, which begun as a direct result of Laman's Sin, from 976 to 978 NE. Thus, Tigraine disappeared circa 972 NE. Finally, in <16, LoC, Tellings of the Wheel, 277> we learn that Luc himself may have been sent into the Blight by Gitara Moroso Sedai. After his disappearance, a year before Tigraine's flight, or about 971 NE, rumors whispered that Gitara sent him to find fame, or fate, or the Dragon Reborn or the Last Battle. Given her connection with Tigraine's flight, it seems very likely that the rumors are true. The first reference tying Luc and Isam together in any way comes from the Dark Prophecy, scrawled on the walls in Fal Dara after the Trolloc raid. A relevant stanza says: Luc came to the Mountains of Dhoom. Isam waited in the high passes. The hunt is now begun. The Shadow's hounds now course, and kill. One did live, and one did die, but both are. The Time of Change has come. <tGH, 7, Blood Calls Blood, 89> The exact interpretation of this stanza is uncertain, as we do not know who wrote it, nor whom it was meant for. But clearly, Isam survived Breyan's flight south as long as circa 971 NE, when Luc went north into the Blight. Curiously, Luc and Isam would have been roughly the same age, as well. Something happened-- one died and one lived-- but somehow, both still exist. Now, the only time we know of that Luc or Isam enter the picture in person, rather than as background, is in those segments of tSR set around Perrin's trip back home to the Two Rivers. Lord Luc appears as a middle aged man who claims to be a Hunter of the Horn who has stayed in the Two Rivers area to help the people there rid themselves of Whitecloaks and Trollocs. Is this the same Luc who disappeared into the Blight? Almost certainly. His age and coloring are correct, and Perrin muses that if he resembles anyone, it is Rand. A cousinly resemblance, no doubt. Luc is Rand's blood uncle. Isam appears only in the Unseen World, and only by implication. In <tSR, 28, To the Tower of Ghenjei> Perrin has several encounters in the Unseen world. One is with a man who tries to kill him, a man with a cold, inhuman scent to Perrin's nose. Hopper later identifies this dangerous creature as 'Slayer,' after Slayer leads Perrin on a chase to the Tower of Ghenjei. Birgitte appears, then, identifies the Tower, connects it with the Aelfinn and the Eelfinn, and warns Perrin away from it, and Slayer. Later, Perrin sees Slayer in the Unseen World looking much like Lan, dressed and styled in the Malkieri fashion <tSR, 42, A Missing Leaf, 476>. He muses that the man looked enough like Lan to be a brother. In <tSR, 53, The Price of a Departure, 614-615> Perrin faces Slayer in the Unseen World, and shoots him with an arrow. Slayer disappears from the Unseen World, and when Perrin wakes up, learns that Lord Luc had suddenly run off as if wounded. Here, Perrin connects the two. He notes the simultanaity of the wounds, and notes the same icy, inhuman smell from both of them. And he also notes that if Luc resembles anyone, it is Rand, further reinforcing the fact that this Luc is in fact Rand's uncle. Finally, in <tSR, 56, Goldeneyes, 645-646> the Trollocs in the Two Rivers form a battle cry out of the name Isam. Clearly, even though his activities seem limited to the Unseen World, his influence extends to the physical flesh. So much for evidence. What the Hell does any of this mean? The best anyone has been able to do is note that Luc and Isam now seem to be separate parts of a single being, aptly named Slayer by the wolves he kills in the Unseen World. We know from Egwene's training what some of the properties of the Unseen World are. Relevant properties here include the loss of one's humanity (as in, a cold, icy, inhuman scent coming from both Luc and Isam) after going to the Unseen World in the flesh, and the Unseen World's tendency to reflect the traveler's mental state. Given that Slayer always appears as Lord Luc in the world of the flesh and as Isam in the Unseen World, it is a fairly safe to assume that Isam is somehow piloting Luc's body. >From the stanza, it seems likely that Luc is the one who lived, because his body is still wandering around, twitching and talking, and that Isam is the one who died. In any other discussion, we'd just call this a possession, and be done with it. There are no firm answers on how or why Isam was given control over Luc's body, nor how much of the future Gitara Moroso saw when she sent Luc to his doom. However, it should be noted that odd phenomena concerning life and death, the mind and memory are hardly unknown in the Wheel of Time. Specifically, channelers of skill and strength are perfectly capable of forcing spirits bound to wait their next incarnation in the Unseen World back into the physical world. See Moghedien and Birgitte. Channelers are perfectly able to directly and powerfully impose their wills on others through Compulsion. The Dark One is capable of taking deceased souls and reincarnating them directly into new bodies, as with Aran'gar and Osan'gar. (In fact, David Wren-Hardin goes so far as to suggest that Aran'gar and Osan'gar have undergone the same process as Slayer.) It does not seem unlikely that Ishamael, perhaps with the counsel or active help of the Dark One could have managed this feat for some obscure purpose. Survey Says: Will Perrin free Luc from T'A'R and kill Isam? Yes: 42 No: 36 1.25........................................................THE SEVERED HAND The "Severed Hand" controversy centers around several of Min's visions. For Elayne, she has seen: 1)A severed hand, not hers <TGH: 24, 362, New Friends and Old Enemies, 305>, 2)A red-hot iron and an axe <TGH: 43, 605, A Plan, 511>. For Rand, we have: A bloody hand and a white hot iron <TEotW: 15, 216, Strangers and Friends, 181>. Here are the theories: 1)In <TFoH: 16, 316, An Unexpected Offer, 224> we learned that the punishment for stealing in Amadicia is: First Offense--branding (with a red-hot iron?) Second Offense--Right hand chopped off. Scenario: somebody Elayne knows gets accused of stealing in Amadicia (Morgase?Galad? Lini?) and is branded. gets into more trouble, and has their hand chopped off. Rand has nothing to do with it. His bloody hand is something else. <Pam Korda> 2)Elayne gets captured and leashed by the Seanchan. Rand, or somebody else, is somehow forced to wear the bracelet (recall that little Seanchan game? <TGH: 40, 573, Damane, 484>). Somebody then chops of Rand's hand (with an axe) to save the two of them. The wound is then cauterized with a hot iron that happens to be lying around. <Judy G, Arthur Bernard Byrne, John Novak> 3)Joe Shaw has suggests: During Rand's battle with Ba'alzamon at the end of TGH, we have "Rand screamed as he felt [Ba'alzamon's staff] pierce his side, burning like a white-hot poker." At the same time, he gets a second heron branded onto his hand. <TGH: 47, 666, The Grave Is No Bar To My Call, 564> I still think this was the fulfillment of Min's viewing about Rand, and that Elayne's similar viewing is completely unrelated. 4) Galad's hand gets chopped for having stolen the boat in Samara from the loony Prophet (according to the Prophet's new law, thieves get their hands chopped). Problem: I see this having more to do with Ny than with El, since she was the one who told both Galad and the Prophet to get a boat for them. <Judy G., again> RJ said, at a signing, that he deliberately made Rand like Tew/Chew, the Norse god of strife, who lost a hand. Survey Says: Will Rand lose a hand? Yes: 52 No: 32 1.26....................................................HOW OLD IS EVERYONE? <Courtenay Footman, Sean Hillyard, Pam Korda> RAND: In TFoH, Moiraine notes that it has been almost 21 years since the search began for the Dragon Reborn. <TFoH: 15, 301, What Can Be Learned In Dreams, 214> That puts Rand's age at about 21, and so he started at about 19. EGWENE is two years younger than Rand, so about 19, started at 17. ELAYNE is about the same age as Egwene (19). MIN is older than Rand, younger than Nynaeve, say 23, starting at 21. GAWYN, MAT, and PERRIN are the same age as Rand (21). GALAD: Tigraine disappeared in 972 when he was an infant. Puts him at 27. NYNAEVE was just old enough to recall Tam bringing baby Rand back to Emond's field--say about 5. That puts her at 26 now, 24 at the beginning. MOIRAINE was Accepted (and about to be raised Aes Sedai) at the end of the Aiel War. Age approx. 25 (older Accepted Age) + 21 = mid-forties LAN was an infant when Malkier fell, which occurred less than 50 years from the start of the series. So Lan is something under 50, say mid-40s? LIANDRIN is referred to as young, not just young seeming as are all Aes Sedai, about 27. ELAIDA has about 5 years (was one of the Accepted who watched over her when she was a Novice) on Moiraine, late forties-early fifties. SIUAN SANCHE is about the same age as Moiraine--mid-forties, although she looks very young due to stilling. ISAM was a child when Malkier fell, so he is a few years older than Lan, say about 50. 1.27.................................................WHAT DOES EACH AJAH DO? [Aes Sedai may be translated as 'Servant to All' although they were called at times 'Servants of the Light'] Color Purpose ------------------------------------------------------- Blue Meddle in causes Red Prevent another Breaking (i.e., hunt down men who can channel) White Philosophers -"Consider the questions of truth with implacable logic" Green The Battle Ajah - "love men" Brown Seekers of old knowledge, librarians Yellow Healers Gray Arbitrators/Mediators. Black Do ya' really need to ask? 1.28..............................................THE GREEN MAN AND THE SONG (tinkers, soldiers, warriors, dragon) Q: WHO IS THE GREEN MAN? A: He is the last of the Nym, a type of creature which was made of vegetable matter. He is described first in <TEotW: 49, 739-40, The Dark One Stirs, 621>. However we find out exactly who he is in the fourth book. <TSR: 26, 432, The Dedicated, 303> "A stir at the end of the field told him one of the Nym was approaching. The great form, head and shoulders and chest taller than any Ogier, stepped out onto the seeded ground, and Coumin did not have to see to know he left footprints filled with sprouting things. It was Someshta, surrounded by clouds of butterflies, white and yellow and blue...Each field would have its Nym, now...the Nym were older than anyone. Some said the Nym never died, not so long as plants grew..." Many years later, after the breaking, we see him again, this time with the characteristic fissure in his face. He is being set to the task of guarding the Eye of the World, the Horn, the dragon banner and one of the seals. <TSR: 26, 428, The Dedicated, 300-1> Q: WHAT IS THE SONG? The Tinkers, an early offshoot of the Aiel, decided to give up their duty of hiding *'angreal and instead dedicate their lives to re-finding the safety and peace of their past. <TSR: 26, 423, The Dedicated, 296> They believe this will come about through finding the "growing song," described in <TSR: 26, 432, The Dedicated, 303> "The Ogier began it, as was fitting, standing to sing, great bass rumbles like the earth singing. The Aiel rose, men's voices lifting in their own song, even the deepest at a higher pitch than the Ogier's. Yet the songs braided together, and Someshta took those threads and wove them into his dance...The song caught him up, and he almost felt that it was himself, not the sounds he made that Someshta wove into the soil and around the seeds." The Song is not to be confused with the Ogier Tree-Songs. The Ogier songs may be the Ogier part of the growing ceremony described above, or they may be something similar, but different in purpose. The Tinkers' Song is the human part of the ceremony. Q:WILL THE SONG BE FOUND, AND IF SO, BY WHOM? The primary contenders are Aram, Perrin and Rand. Aram's stated life goal had been to find the song until he took up the sword in defense of Emond's Field and became 'Lost' to his people. To find the song would reinstate him and justify his choice of giving up the peaceful 'way of the leaf'. Perrin on the other hand keeps getting faced with the choice of ax or hammer: that is, the choice of creation or destruction, war or peace, way-of-the-warrior or way-of-the-leaf. Furthermore, Perrin is a contender to find the song because of Min's viewing of Perrin standing among the flowering trees. Rand, and probably some of the Aiel clan chiefs, have actually _heard_ the Song in the glass columns of Rhuidean. Further Evidence that Rand will find the song: <TEotW: prologue, xv, Dragonmount, xv> "ages past and will be in ages to come. _Let the Prince of the Morning sing to the land that green things will grow_ and the valleys give forth lambs." Another opinion is that the Song will not be found. It is a thing of a past Age, not of the coming one. Survey Says: Who will discover the Song? Perrin: 13 Aram: 6 Rand: 13 Some combination of the above: 9 Loial: 13 No one, it is lost for ever: 11 Survey Says: Will Perrin pick the axe or the hammer (whatever that means)? Axe: 19 Hammer: 41 Both: 03 Undecided: 17 Q: WHO WERE THE AIEL? The Aiel (formerly the Da'shain Aiel) were the 'Dedicated' who worked for the Ancient Aes Sedai. The group was hereditary and had feature of light skin, gray or blue eyes and mostly reddish or blond hair. All Aiel could be identified by their particular hair style which was cut short with a tail hanging in the back. They were dedicated to a life of non-violence, following the 'way of the leaf'. The male Aiel worked with the Ogier and the Nym in planting as they had the gift of the 'Voice', the seed singing. Although the Ogier continue to have 'tree singers', the voice of the Aiel seems to be a talent that has disappeared. When the Aiel did their work in the fields, they wore light gray and brown 'working clothes' (cadin'sor). The clothes, the hair style and the avoidance of the use of weaponry which cannot be used for other purposes remains today, but the talent of the Voice is currently unknown. 1.29..................................................GEOGRAPHY OF RANDLAND <Contributors: Sean Hillyard, Pam Korda, Courtenay Footman, Nathan "geographer of Randland" Hendrix. Eric C. Piquette, Justin Howell. Song by Ruchira and Rupa Datta> This land is Rand-Land, this land's Egwene-Land, from Arad Doman to the Aiel Waste-Land. From Kinslayer's Dagger, to the Dragon's Fingers, this land was made by LTT. >General Notes on Randland/Randworld Geography< o Illian is approximately at the same latitude as the Florida Keys <book signing info, 10/94>. o The timing of Rand & Avi MPS in the Snow <LOC: 31, ?, The Far Snows, 362> is not an error. It is properly indicative of where (part of) the Seanchan Empire is located. Seanchan has parts in the north & south hemispheres, Rand & Avi were in the south. <book signing info, 10/94> >Altara< General: Capital: Ebou Dar. Very wild country, with the women running things. Lots of dueling. Neat daggers, which contain a bit of family information on them. Interesting dress styles. Gov't: Feudal-style Monarchy. [Can't remember the Queen's name either.] The monarchy exercises very limited control over the country. Current events: Fractious as always. Border disputes with Amadicia and Illian. Salidar AS army marching north, with the Band of the Red Hand paralleling them. El., Ny., Mat, and a few others are looking for a bowl ter'angreal which can bring rain in Ebou Dar. The Seanchan are preparing to invade Ebou Dar. Tourist Attractions: [What's the name of the Queen's palace?] Home of: Can't think of anyone important. >Amadicia< General: Capital: Amador. Apparently a younger country, as Amador was not built by the Ogier. Fractious relations with Altara, Murandy, and Ghealdan. Participated in the Whitecloak War against the coalition of Altara, Illian, and Murandy. Gov't: Technically a Monarchy, in actuality controlled by Pedron Niall and the Whitecloaks. [What's the king's name? I can't remember!] Current Events: The northern third or so of Amadicia is occupied by the Prophet(Masema) and his fanatical followers, who have routed the Amadician national army and appear to have done well against the Whitecloaks (just like the Hussites-sorry, couldn't resist the opportunity :). The border with Tarabon has been sealed (and moved a few miles west). The Whitecloaks are gathering in Amador. Internal tensions between Pedron Niall and the Questioners are growing, including a possible coup d'etat in the planning stage. Pedron Niall has been busy opposing Rand in subtle ways (Tear, Cairhien, Altara, Murandy, Illian, Ghealdan). Morgase is here, and has been pressured into signing a treaty with the Whitecloaks (their support in returning Morgase to her throne in return for virtual free reign in Andor). Home of: Pedron Niall, Jachim (sp?) Carradin, Jared Byar, Geofram Bornhold, Dain Bornhold. Tourist Attractions: Dome of the Light >Andor< General: Capital city, Caemlyn. Oldest city-state in Randland, established not long after the breaking, with Queen of Andor the oldest title in Randland. Unique traditions of sending the heir and expected first prince to train in the White Tower, and having an open Aes Sedai advisor. Rulers: Matriarchy, with a male advisor and head of the army called the First Prince of the Sword. Ruled for the last twenty years by Queen Morgase of House Trakand. Heir to the throne (Daughter-heir), Elayne. Current events: Queen Morgase missing, presumed dead. Lord Gaebril, aka Rahvin dead. The Dragon Reborn is holding the throne for the Daughter-Heir, Elayne, although there are rumors that she is dead. The Two Rivers district has seemingly declared independence. Growing discontent among the nobility. Symbol: White lion on a red field Home of: Morgase, Elayne, Gawyn, Galad, Gareth Bryne, "Lord Gaebril," Tigraine/Shaiel, Lord Luc Tourist Attractions: Palace gardens, reached by climbing Palace wall. Map: <TEotW: (before) 13, 172, Choices, 144> (partial map of Andor) <TFoH: (before) 54, 906, To Caemlyn, 642> (map of Caemlyn) >Arafel< General: Capital: [I really should have one of the books with me...] One of the Borderlands. Gov't: Monarchy. Current Events: Clashes between Pro- and anti- Dragon factions. The Blight border is quiet. I believe there was a False Dragon here a few years back. Possible border clashes with Kandor or Shienar. Tourist Attractions: Lotsa military stuff. >Cairhien< General: Capital--Cairhien. National Pastime--Game of Houses, played by everyone from the king to Commoners. The previous king, Laman, caused the Aiel War by chopping down the Tree of Life sapling to make a throne. Highly dependent upon grain imports from Tear & Andor. Symbol--rising sun (golden) on field of blue Gov't: Monarchy. Last king: Galldrian of House Riatin. The Cairhienin political process consists of the nobles scheming for position, playing the Game of Houses. Current Events: The recent assassinations of Galldrian and the strongest contender for the throne (Lord Barthanes) have left the other Houses fighting one another in a random war of succession, leaving the country in a state of anarchy. Andor was beginning to look at the Cairhienin civil war as an opportunity to expand its borders. To make matters worse, the country was recently invaded by a bunch of renegade Aiel. The Dragon Reborn has taken power, defeating the Aiel, but has yet to name somebody to sit upon the Sun Throne for him. Tourist Attractions: Largest (& most powerful) male-oriented sa'angreal, Royal Library--largest collection of knowledge outside Tar Valon. Home of: Moiraine, Taringail >Ghealdan< General: [What's the capital called?]. Pleasant little country passed through by Rand, Perrin, Moiraine, Loial, and Co. in TDR. Gov't: Monarchy; Queen Alliandre. Current Events: The False Dragon Logain ripped through here at the beginning of the series, defeated some AS sent to stop him, and departed, possibly at the instigation of the Red Ajah. Suffered serious riots due to the presence of the Prophet in which thousands died. Alliandre is the fourth monarch on the Ghealdan throne in the last year (two of the previous three are dead, and one is currently married to some businessman), the others having been toppled by the Prophet's followers (in one way or another). The situation is probably still unstable. Alliandre has secretly communicated her support for Rand. Tourist Attractions: There probably aren't any left standing. Home of: Alliandre, Logain. >Illian< General: Capital--Illian. Starting point for the Great Hunt for the Horn. Traditional enemy of Tear. Climate--Hot and Humid Gov't: Mixed government, with a King, a House of Lords (the council of Nine), and a House of Commons (the Assemblage) Current events: Outset of the Great Hunt. Escalating hostilities between Illian and Tear (closing of borders, trade forbidden). Council of Nine dominated by Lord Brend, aka Sammael. Really, really big army forming outside its borders to invade them. Construction and occupation of hill fortifications facing the Plains of Maredo. It appears Illian is undergoing full mobilization (it would make sense for Sammael to draft everyone that can hold a weapon). Something going on between Elaida's AS and Illian. Illian agreed to an anti-Dragon alliance with the Whitecloaks. [There might have been problems with Altara recently, but it could have been a rumor.] Tourist Attractions: King's Palace, and its copy, the Hall of the Council Home of: Bayle Domon >Kandor< General: Capital: [I really need my books...] One of the Borderlands. Gov't: Monarchy. Current Events: Clashes between Pro- and anti- Dragon supporters. The Blight border is quiet. Possible border clashes with Arafel. Tourist Attractions: Lotsa military stuff. >Malkier< General: _Was_ one of the borderlands, located N of Shienar. Destroyed due to treachery of the last king's sister-in-law (Breyan) and Cowin Fairheart (Great Lord & Darkfriend). Symbol: golden crane. Gov't: Monarchy. Last king--al'Akir Mandragoran. Uncrowned heir-- al'Lan Mandragoran. Current Events--Doesn't exist anymore, has been swallowed up by the Blight Tourist Attractions: Ruins of the Seven Towers, the 1000 Lakes Home of: Lan, Isam, Jain(m) Farstrider Map: <TEotW: (before) 46, 688, Fal Dara, 578> (with Shienar) >Murandy< General: Capital: Lugard. Very fractious country. Allied with Altara and Illian against Amadicia in the Whitecloak War. Hostile to Andor. Gov't: Loose confederation of lands controlled by various lords. Possibly there is a nominal king? Current Events: Unstable as always. Logain was defeated by the AS in Murandy in the beginning of the series. Hasn't declared for or against the Dragon yet, like Altara. Tourist Attractions: The Nine Horse Hitch Inn :) Home of: Padan Fain >Shienar< General: Capital city--Fal Moran. Due to its location (borderlands),its society has a strong militaristic streak. Quaint local fashion--fighting men shave their heads, except for a topknot. Symbol--black hawk Gov't: Monarchy, current king--Easar of house Togita Current events: Held off Trolloc hoard at Tarwin's Gap (with a little help from their friends). Small-scale battles between pro- and anti- Dragon factions. Tourist Attractions: Lotsa military stuff, nice signal towers Home of: Ingtar, Lord Agelmar, Lady Amalisa, Uno, Masema, Hurin Map: <TEotW: (before) 46, 688, Fal Dara, 578> >Tarabon< General: Capital--Tanchico. Local fashion: women wear their hair in numerous little braids, men and women wear veils. Symbol--tree. Gov't: Monarchy-ish. There are two independent monarchs, the King and the Panarch, each has his/her own duties. Tourist Attractions: Panarch's museum--artifacts from past ages. Map: <TSR: 38, 618, Hidden Faces, 429> (map of Tanchico) Current events: Tanchico (and probably some surrounding territory) has been occupied by the Seanchan. Probable scattered resistance to the Seanchan invasion. Probable desultory civil war with continued Dragonsworn troubles. The Whitecloaks have closed the border (which has moved a few miles westward) between Amadicia and Tarabon. >Tear< General: Capital: Tear. Traditional enemy of Illian. Gov't: Council of High Lords. Current Events: Fall of the Stone of Tear to Rand and the Aiel, and the death of Be'lal and Ishamael. Rebellion in Haddon Mirk [Can't remember by whom, but this is also in one of my earlier posts.]. Tairen army invaded Cairhien, and part of it is massing for an invasion of Illian. Symbol: Crescent Moon. Tourist Attractions: Stone of Tear Home of: Juilan Sandar, Siuan Sanche >Two Rivers< General: Collection of farming communities bounded by the Mountains of Mist, the R. Taren, and the White River. Products--tabac & wool. The people have a reputation of stubbornness. Quaint local fashion--girls wear their hair loose, women wear it braided. Gov't: Although it is officially part of Andor, it "has not seen a tax collector in six generations, nor the Queen's Guards in seven." Each autonomous village is run by two elected bodies--the Women's Circle (women), headed by the Wisdom, and the Village Council (men), headed by the Mayor. If there is a need for inter-village action, it is negotiated by the mayors or Councils of the villages Current events: Hunting ground of Slayer (aka Lord Luc). Overrun by Trollocs & Whitecloaks as part of Ordeith's plot against Rand. Trollocs & Whitecloaks alike dealt with under the leadership of "Lord" Perrin. Large influx of refugees from the west. Tourist Attractions: Eldrene's Veil, Master Al'Vere's clock Home of: do ya have to ask? Map: <TEotW: (before) 1, xviii, An Empty Road, xviii> Historical Note: In ancient times was Manetheren, destroyed in the Trolloc Wars. Sign of Manetheren: Red Eagle >Saldaea< Gov't: Monarchy. Current Queen--Tenobia. Capital: Maradon. Sign : silver fish on dark blue Home of Faile, Davram Bashere, Mazrim Taim. Current Events: Has been having troubles all throughout the series. The False Dragon Mazrim Taim ripped through here, gave Davram Bashere a hard time, was captured, escaped, and is possibly supporting Rand in Andor and at Dumai's Wells. Tenobia is still in charge, and appears to have consolidated her position. That doesn't mean there still aren't problems, just that she is in a more secure position. Clashes between Pro- and anti-Dragon factions. Davram Bashere is in Andor with a chunk of the army. The Blight border is quiet here as well. 1.31.........................................VERIN: BLACK, BROWN, OR PURPLE? VERIN: BLACK OR NOT? <Sean Hillyard, Mike Lemons, Judy Ghirardelli, Emma Pease, Erica Sadun, Pam Korda, Keith Casner, etc> 1) In TGH, Verin tells the boys that Moiraine sent her to look after them: <TGH: 14, 231, Wolfbrother, 195> "Moiraine Sedai sent me, Lord Ingtar," Verin announced with a satisfied smile. "She though you might need me." Moiraine later says that she did NOT send Verin: <TGH: 49, 675, What was Meant To Be, 572> "I did not send Verin." Moiraine frowned. "She did that on her own. It is pretty obvious that Moiraine is not BA, so that implies that Verin lied, and hence must be BA. DEFENSE:Verin could have been tricked by somebody masquerading as Moiraine, maybe Lanfear. Or, perhaps she managed to find an interpretation of her words that could be taken as the truth. (Moiraine wanted somebody to watch over you guys, but she couldn't be here...) At a signing in Atlanta, RJ said that this discrepancy is not a mis-step. Survey Says: What is going on with that? A misunderstanding between characters: 33 Verin was lying: 25 Somebody was impersonating Moiraine: 5 Mis-step (won't we feel stupid if this is the case?): 7 Other: 12 2) Verin does not give Corianin's notes to Egwene along with the dream ring. Relevant passages: <TDR: 21, 241-2, A World of Dreams, 187>. Maybe she wanted Egwene to get killed, or caught by some Forsaken? DEFENSE: Four reasons that Verin wouldn't want to show the manuscript to Egwene: 1) Verin is afraid that Egwene would not continue if she knew how dangerous it is. 2) Verin is afraid that Egwene would not continue if she knew who or what must be sacrificed. 3) The very nature of prophecy requires that it be vague or kept secret. 4) Maybe Verin was afraid that _Egwene_ was a Darkfriend. Also, note that she _considered_ giving the notes to Egwene, but decided not to. If she was withholding the notes for a nefarious purpose, she wouldn't have even considered it. 3) Her suspicious behavior in the 2 Rivers: a)Misleads Perrin as to why she and Alanna are there <TSR: 31, 493-4, Assurances, 345-6>. b)Tells Perrin not to trust Alanna, perhaps laying a false trail? <TSR: 33, 533, A New Weave in the Pattern, 373>. c)She also knows Luc is the missing Lord Luc, Tigraine's brother who disappeared in the Blight. She knows he is mentioned in the Dark Prophecy, yet she does not warn anyone about him? Or tell them who he is? DEFENSE: a) & b) are typical Aes Sedai behavior. As for c)... 4) Only three characters have referred to Perrin's choice of hammer or axe: Ishamael, Lanfear and Verin. This puts Verin in very suspicious company. DEFENSE: Verin is Brown Ajah, and thus is likely to know all sorts of obscure things. (Also note that the above statement is somewhat false: Egwene also knows about the hammer/axe choice. She dreamed it.) 5) Was observed in deep conversation with Barthanes, a known Darkfriend, at the party in <TGH: 33, 470, A Message From the Dark, 397> When Hurin approached them, Verin waved him away. Perhaps they were discussing "business matters?" DEFENSE: No, they were just talking about the weather/politics/etc and Verin didn't want some Shienaran servant butting into her conversation; it wouldn't look right and might make Barth. suspicious. 6) In <TFoH: 53, 900, Fading Words, 638> Moiraine mentions to Rand in her last letter not to trust Alviarin, who is definitely a Darkfriend, and Verin. Additionally, Siuan mentions that Verin never told her about giving Egwene a ter'angreal. DEFENSE: The former is just an exercise in contrasts. Moiraine is saying: "Don't trust ANYBODY. You are rightly suspicious of Alviarin, but you should be equally suspicious of those you think you can trust, like Verin." As for the latter, why should she tell SS? 7) Draghkar Attack on Moiraine. <TGH: 22, 331-3, Watchers, 278-9> Executed at least with Aes Sedai help (the warding on them so they couldn't be sensed). Moiraine seemed to think that pretty much everyone in the Tower had forgotten about these old hermit Aes Sedai. However, we do know one individual old enough to remember them who could have ordered the attack --Verin. DEFENSE: This is totally wimpy speculation, and wouldn't even be here, except that somebody might bring it up again. Liandrin (known BA) could have easily followed Moiraine there. Survey Says: Is Verin BA? Yes: 12 No: 21 Other/Undecided: 48 Survey Says: Is Verin Corianin Nedeal? Yes: 11 No: 69 ALTERNATIVE VERIN SPECULATIONS: 1) Something in those Notes Theory: We know Verin had access to Corianin Nedeal's notes. There is something in those notes that Verin doesn't want anybody to know about, something so potentially dangerous that she'd consider destroying the notes and all the knowledge contained therein. What if, in those notes, Corianin Nedeal describes how she discovered how to break the Three Oaths in T'A'R? That would certainly explain why she wouldn't want Eg to have the notes, especially after her speech at the start of TDR about how important the Oaths are. This would also explain how she managed to lie about Moiraine sending her. Plus, who knows what eldrich knowledge is contained in the notes? Who knows what Verin saw when she tried out the ter'angreal to go to T'A'R? This could explain all sorts of Verinisms. <Keith Casner, Pam Korda> 2) Verin == Corianin Theory: Verin is Corianin Nedeal herself, and is thus very, very, old. That is how she got her hands on the ring ter'angreal. Problem: In <TDR: ???> Verin is thinking on Neadeal's notes, and thinks of Nedeal in the third person. One doesn't usually refer to oneself in the third person. Another problem (which is also present in related Very Old Verin (VOV) theories is that if there was a 400+ year-old Aes Sedai lurking around the Tower, surely somebody would have noticed by now. <Dave Delany, etc> 3) Second Foundation Ajah Theory: Verin is a member of a secret society whose members preserve ancient knowledge for humanity's need at the Last Battle. The existence of the BA shows that it is possible for a secret group to exist in the Tower--if there is a group dedicated to evil, why not a group dedicated to good? Problem: there have always been rumors of the BA. Nothing can be kept secret for centuries in a place with so many people in it, and so much scheming as the White Tower. And yet, we've never heard any hint of this secret group. <Mark Hazen, etc> 4) Very Old Verin: Verin is very, very old, and pre-dates the lying Oath, and is thus not bound to it. This theory has been proposed as part of various Second Foundation Ajah theories, Corianin Nedeal theories, as well as independently. problem: Verin would have to be 1000+ years old. We have seen no evidence, even in the AoL that _anybody_ lives that long, without help from the DO. Plus, wouldn't anybody notice that Verin had outlived dozens of Amyrlin Seats? HOW OLD IS VERIN? Many pet theories hinge upon this question. From <LoC: 11, Lessons and Teachers, 207>, we know that Verin has been working on some plan for about 70 years. This sets a lower bound on Verin's age. The only other possible clue is <LOC: 43, The Crown of Roses, 549>. Merana Sedai is considering the pecking order among the AS in Caemlyn: "Merana had been Aes Sedai ten years the day the midwife laid Alanna at her mother's breast...Verin was the problem...Five years as novice for each, six as Accepted; that was one thing every Aes Sedai knew about every other if she knew nothing else. The difference was that Verin was older, maybe almost as much older than she as she was older than Alanna." We know that the Tower doesn't take women much older than Ny for Novices, and an average novice starts at about the age Elayne & Egwene did (17-18), for the Very Old Verin folks, lets say both Merana & Verin started late--24 (Ny was an exception, I think they only took her because she was so strong). So if Alanna is about 35 (a reasonable guess), Merana is 24 + 11 years training + 10 years as full AS = 45 years older than Alanna, that is, 80 years old. If Verin is as much older than Merana as Merana is older than Alanna, then Verin is 80 + 45 = 125 years old. So if Merana is right about how much older Verin is than she, Verin cannot be much older than 125 years. 1.31..........................................IS THERE RELIGION IN RANDLAND? "By the Light and my hope of salvation and rebirth, I swear to serve you in whatever way you require for as long as you require, or may the Creator's face turn from me forever and darkness consume my soul." <TFoH: 1, 51, Fanning The Sparks, 39> A: YES, but not much. It is pretty secular. It may be closer to many pagan religions or in some cases to Judaism rather than Christianity. However, like x'ty, there is a dualism between the light and the creator who are often spoken of separately and together. Like Judaism, burials are as simple as possible to encourage return to the earth. <TGH: 10, 178, The Hunt Begins, 151> Like the religions of old merry England, the maypole is a fertility ritual. <TEotW: 1, 10, An Empty Road, 8-9> Like Catholicism, children are taught catechism <TEotW: 1, 14, An Empty Road, 12>. Wisdoms act as priestesses. Like Judaism, marriage is a public announcement to the community. <TSR: 53, 890-1, The Price of Departure, 618> This does not even begin to touch on the religious aspects of the Aes Sedai. They have novices (like nuns), they are considered to be 'servants of all', the rituals of acceptance and joining the sisterhood are rigid with many religious overtones. They are expected to serve the Light and the will of the creator when they join the Aes Sedai. They are almost Buddhist in certain ways: in particular the view of the time serpent, the wheel of time and the age lace. The Children of Light are another religious organization, in this case a religious organization in turmoil with inappropriate goals and methods. Finally, we have the Tinkers, a religious cult more or less who follow the early Xtian/Calvinist 'Way of the Leaf', a cross between pacifism and acceptance of fate <TEotW: 27, 412, Shelter from the Storm, 346>. -- Erica OTOH, in Randland, the Creator _is_. The DO _is_. No one disbelieves in their existence; they are _there_. They are far more concrete and present in everyday life than our God(s) is/are in our lives. If you cross the Blight to Shayol Ghul, you will find a mountain with a hole in its side and evil leaking out. Thus, many of the rituals and other trappings of _organized_ religion are unnecessary in Randland. Just because we don't see worship going on very often doesn't mean it's not being done. Scratch a Randlander, and you'll find a quite religious person 9 times out of 10, would be my guess. There just isn't quite the need to formalize it the way we do, except on occasions which, by their nature, are already formal... i.e. funerals, weddings, harvest, etc. Just my humble opinion. -Jocelyn Randlanders pray to the Creator for favors, such as relief from the drought. <LoC: Prologue, The First Message, 36> 1.32..............................WHO ARE THE FORSAKEN? WHERE ARE THEY NOW? <Mark Looi, ETC.> Q: Who are the Forsaken and where are they at the moment ? The Forsaken were 13 of the most powerful Aes Sedai of the Age of Legends. They went over to the Dark One's side during the War of the Shadow. Legend has it that they were sealed with the Dark One when the Dark One's prison was re-sealed. The 13 Forsaken (in alphabetical order) are *AGINOR (M): Killed at the Eye of the World (by drawing too much of the One Power) <TEotW: 51, 756-9, Against the Shadow, 634-5>. Probably resurrected as Osan'gar. He was involved in creating the various Shadowspawn. *ASMODEAN (M): Real name Joar Addam Nesossin <TFoH: 45, 727, After the Storm, 516> aka Jasin Natael. Captured by Rand and shielded by Lanfear at Rhuidean <TSR: 58, 973-8, The Traps of Rhuidean, 674-7>. Toast at the end of TFoH...Twice! No body was found, so most people in Randland do not know he is dead, just that he has vanished. *BALTHAMEL (M): Killed by the Green Man at the Eye of the World <TEotW: 50, 751-2, Meetings at the Eye, 630-1>. Probably resurrected as Aran'gar. *BE'LAL (M): aka High Lord Samon of Tear, balefired by Moiraine in the Stone of Tear <TDR: 55, 651-2, What is Written in Prophecy, 557>. *DEMANDRED (M): Real name Barid Bel Medar. Believed to dislike Rand/LTT intensely. <TSR: 58, 975, The The Traps of Rhuidean, 677>. Turned to the Shadow because he got tired of being second-best to LTT <TFoH: 3, 105, Pale Shadows, 76-7>, <LoC: Prologue, The First Message, 56-7>. Possibly involved with the Seanchan <LoC: 6, Threads Woven of Shadow, 135>, also possibly masquerading as Mazrim Taim. *GRAENDAL (F): Known to currently have a long string of young men and women. In the habit of taking aristocrats and making them serve in some demeaning aspect, using enough compulsion to fry their brains to make them useless, though a conservative player for all that. Currently in Arad Doman, having taken over somebody's palace. She has one of the World's Greatest Generals working for her, and it seems as though all the reported chaos in Arad Doman might not be quite as chaotic as it first appears. She appears to visitors as an enfeebled old lady. Before turning to the Shadow, she was a psychiatrist in the AOL <LoC: 6, Threads Woven of Shadow, 130-9>. *ISHAMAEL (M): Real name Elan Morin Tedronai, aka Ba'alzamon. Probably killed by Rand in Tear <TDR: 55, 666, What is Written in Prophecy, 570>. The most philosophically-minded of the Forsaken, he came up with many theories on the nature of the battle between the Creator and the DO <LoC: 6, Threads Woven of Shadow, 133>. *LANFEAR (F): Real name: Mierin <TSR: 58, 973, The Traps of Rhuidean, 676>, aka: Selene, aka Keille, aka Silvie. Former lover of LTT (Rand). May be toast or in Aelfland. *MESAANA (F): The long-anticipated Forsaken in the Tower. <LoC: 6, Threads Woven of Shadow, 138>. Was rejected by the Collam Dam, so instead of being a researcher, she ended up a teacher. Feels uneasy around Semirhage (Don't we all? :) *MOGHEDIEN (F): aka Gyldin, aka Marigan. Captured by Nynaeve in Tanchico, but escaped <TSR: 54, 909-13, Into the Palace, 631-3> believed to be the strongest Forsaken in Tel'aran'rhiod <TSR: 52, 864, Need, 599>. Captured by Nynaeve in Salidar and forced to teach her and Elayne. Released by Aran'gar and summoned to SG <LoC: Epilogue, The Answer, 697-8>. *RAHVIN (M): aka Lord Gaebril. Was active in Caemlyn <TDR: 46, 534-40, A Message Out of the Shadow, 452-7>. Balefired by Rand in tFOH. <TFoH: 55, 948, The Threads burn, 672> *SAMMAEL (M): Real name Tel Janin Aellinsar <TFoH: 45, 727, After the Storm, 516>, aka Lord Brend of Illian <TDR: 44, 508-9, Hunted, 429-30>. Was given scar by LTT, hates Rand. <TFoH: Prologue, 35, The First Sparks Fall, 28>. Always wanted to be taller. *SEMIRHAGE (F): Has a penchant for gruesome torture. Whereabouts unknown. Hates Lanfear. Is very tall, with dark skin & eyes, and likes wearing black. Was a brilliant healer who took payment in extracting extra pain from her patients. 1.33......................................ALL THE AES SEDAI (WAS BLACK AJAH) <Emma Pease> *Black Ajah 2 of each Ajah except red (1) for a total of 13. Still unknown are the 1 gray, 2 blues, 1 yellow. ?? means either former Ajah or country unknown NAME AJAH ORIGIN COMMENT -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Liandrin red Tarabon leader Joiya Byir white ?? eldest and dead at Tear Rianna Andormeran white Kandor white streak in hair Marillin Gemalphin brown ?? likes cats Eldrith Jhondar brown ?? arranges for cats to go away Jeaine Caide green Arad Doman Asne Zeramene green Saldaea Chesmal Emry yellow Ghealdan (one of the best healers known) Temaile Kinderode gray Cairhien blue eyes,dark hair,vulpine,cruel Amico Nagoyin ?? ?? youngest and dead at Tear Berylla Naron ?? ?? lean, manipulative Falion Bhoda ?? ?? long-faced Ispan Shefar ?? Tarabon dark-haired *Elaida's council consists (to start with) of 4 reds, no blues, 1 each of yellow, green, and brown, 2 or 3 each of gray and white. [not sure whether she is including herself and Alviarin in the count] Elaida, Amyrlin Seat (red) Alviarin, Keeper (white, Black) Teslyn, red, Illianer Javindhra, red Danelle, brown Joline, green Shemerin, yellow (to be "arrested and reduced to Accepted", according to paper's in Elaida's study <TFoH: 49, 819, To Boannda, 581>) Andaya, gray Evanellein, gray *The council at Salidar seems to be Sheriam, leader, blue Carlinya, white Myrelle, green Anaiya, blue Movrin, brown Beonin, gray *Other Aes Sedai, current & former (stilled/dead/disappeared/etc) *BLUE AJAH Siuan Sanche, formerly blue, Tear, Amyrlin Seat, Warder Alric (dead, TSR), stilled (TSR), at Salidar (TFoH), unstilled(LoC) Leane Sharif, blue, Arad Doman, Keeper of the Chronicles, Warder unknown, stilled (TSR), at Salidar (TFoH), unstilled (LoC) Moiraine Damodred, blue, Cairhien, vanished(TFoH), Warder (was) Lan Maigan, blue, was at Fal Dara in TGH. Aeldene, blue, heads the Blue Ajah's eyes and ears network, missing in TFoH. *RED AJAH Memara, red, sent to Saldaea by Elaida's council *BROWN AJAH Verin Mathwin, brown, very old, Warder Tomas, in Two Rivers (TFoH) Serafelle, brown Andeleas, brown, very old lives in Arafel with her sister, Vandene, Warder Jaem? Takima, brown, teaches history Phaedrine, brown, at Salidar *WHITE AJAH Brendas, white, part of the group that healed Mat *GREEN AJAH Alanna Mosvani, green, Arafel, same age as Sheriam, Warder Ihvon Vandene, green, very old lives in Arafel with her sister, Andeleas, Warder Jaem? Myrelle, green, on the council ruling at Salidar (TFoH), Warders are Nuhel Dromand (Illian), Croi Makin (Andor), Avar Hachimi. Rumored to have Married all three of her Warders against custom. New Warder--Lan Kiruna Nachiman, green, Arafel, rumored to be the sister of the king of Arafel. At Salidar, Sent to the waste to find Rand Bera Harkin, green, at Salidar, Sent to the waste to find Rand *YELLOW AJAH Ryma, yellow, caught by the Seanchan Another slender yellow was part of the group that went to Fal Dara. Ananda, yellow, Min sees her dying Edesina, yellow, slender, Min sees a silver collar around her that shatters Therva Maresis, yellow, slender, at Salidar Nisao Dachen, yellow, short Dagdara Finchey, yellow, tall, wide, grey haired, very skilled healer Narenwin Barda, yellow, heads yellow ears and eyes network *GREY AJAH Sierin Vayu, gray, Amyrlin before Siuan, dead *AJAH UNKNOWN Marras, unknown, probably in charge of the gardens since Faolain was sent to her to do some gardening. Silviana, mistress of novices under Elaida (TFoH) Saroiya, mentioned as an Aes Sedai that someone played a trick on some 20 plus years ago. Gitara Moroso--She had the Foretelling. She told Tigraine to join the Maidens of the Spear, and she died informing the Amyrlin before Sierin Vayu, Siuan Sanche, and Moiraine Damodred that the Dragon was Reborn. *ACCEPTED: Pedra, Irella, Faolain Orande (at Salidar), Theodrin (at Salidar), Nynaeve, Egwene, Elayne, Emara (either novice or accepted, at Salidar), Verine (dead TFoH [killed by Fain]) *NOVICES: Sahra (dead TSR), Else (no longer), Tabiya (at Salidar) *IMAGINARY: Sharina (mentioned to Nynaeve in the ter'angreal) Beldeine, green, Keeper to Egwene inside the ter'angreal Gyldan, black, seen by Egwene in the ter'angreal Survey Says: Are the following Black Ajah?? Yes No Moiraine 0 30 Verin 9 21 Alanna 10 16 Anaiya 5 16 Elaida 7 24 Alviarin 11 9 Danelle 10 12 Sheriam 8 20 1.34.................................................WHY LANFEAR MAY BE GOOD <Ruchira Datta, korda, and Roy Navarre as the Lanfear Pin-up of the Month Club, Carolyn Fusinato> Lanfear presents a bit of an enigma. Many of her actions have led some people to believe that she is not 100% Evil. The argument is that she & Beidomon drilled the Bore into the DO's prison by accident, and only became Forsaken after that either due to the DO's direct action, or out of pride. Moreover, everyone would link her with all the DO's ravages that followed, thinking she released him on purpose, no matter what she did. Being an extremely proud person, it would be hard for her to admit that she had just made a colossal mistake. EVIDENCE: In the "Eyes of Charn" sequence <TSR: 26, 432-437, The Dedicated, 303-6>, Charn perceives Mierin as a good person, and maintains this belief even after she became Lanfear. Up to TFoH (see refutation), it can be claimed that she hadn't done any inarguably evil acts. She has been deceptive - but what would one expect from an Aes Sedai? She is jealous and possessive of Rand-- but note that she had not done anything to harm her competition, which would probably be very easy for her to do. (She met Egwene in Tel'aran'rhiod, if I recall correctly, but anyway Egwene had been eliminated from the category of "competition" by this time.) She told Ishamael in TDR that she was loyal to the Dark One and no other. But in TSR, she suggested to Rand that they supplant the DO together. As for the scene at the end of TFoH, she was insane and not responsible for her actions. (She dislikes being called Mierin in the extreme. This could be taken several ways. One way to take it is that she wants her former self to be disassociated from her current evil ways-- she does not want to be reminded of what she once was, it is too painful.) REFUTATION: I have always believed that Lanfear was evil, starting way back when we first meet her as Selene in TGH. She made my skin crawl. LTT, an "honest man," even the Forsaken admit, said that Lanfear, _even when she was Mierin_, loved power more than anything else. What is the DO but the ultimate temptation of power? All of her actions in "helping" Rand have not been to further his cause against the DO, but to gain his trust and lust, so that she could control him. She does not love Rand/LTT;she wants him to be her obedient lap-dog, and to serve him up on a platter to the DO, so that she can be the most powerful of his servants. She would supplant the DO AND the Creator in a second if she could, and then be disappointed that she wasn't powerful enough. Having deceived Rand for so long,it would have been simple for her to deceive Charn, a follower of the Way of the Leaf.(It is obvious from looking at the Tinkers and the Ancient Aiel that Leafers cannot believe that the world is a Bad Place with Bad People in it.) But anyway, evidence in TFoH closes the case for good. I do not refer to the skinning of Kadere, torturing of Egwene & Aviendha, killing of many, and attempted killing of Rand, although that provides plenty of evidence in itself, insanity or no. I refer to Moiraine's vision in the Rings of Rhuidean.<TFoH: 53, 900, Fading Words, 637> If Moiraine had not jumped Lanfear, and let her have her way, Rand would be a)dead, or b)Lanfear's love-slave, with the crippled mind of LTT. These were Lanfear's plans. They are not the plans of a good person. Oh, and if you need further proof, recall the ecstasy with which she describes bathing in the DO's presence at Shayol Ghul. Note that Lanfear did NOT send the Trollocs who fought Sammael's trollocs in TSR. They were sent by Semirhage, on order of the DO. The DO, it seems, has been giving Rand aid for some time now, probably in the hopes of eventually turning him to the Dark Side. Any "help" Lanfear has done for Rand was probably in view of this end. Taking credit for rescuing him is certainly not past her. Carolyn F. adds, that in a letter she got from RJ, he said that Lanfear fixated on possessing a man who never loved her. (I guess LTT was just using her for sex, eh?) Her desire for Rand is as much desire for power as for him personally. She could get her hands on the remote-control ter'angreal for the kick-ass sa'angreal, get credit for turning the Dragon Reborn over to the DO. She power for power's sake, not for Rand's sake. 1.35..........................................WHO ARE THE AELFINN AND EELFINN? <Erica Sadun, Sean Hillyard> Strange tricksy critters who live in other dimensions. They are also known as the Snakes and Foxes for their appearances and have long-standing tricksy relationships with humans: giving gifts and answers... at a price. <TSR: 28, 462, To the Tower of Ghenjei, 323> Birgitte arrives to chat up Perrin and talks about the Tower of Ghenjei and the game of Snakes and Foxes. "...there's no way to win." "Except to break the rules," she said. "'Courage to strengthen, fire to blind, music to daze, iron to bind.'" Poor Mat should have known about these rules, but he's tricky and he cheats. Notice that every time Mat is using his "luck", he seems to be humming. This may be related. We know that The tower of Ghenjei is a route to the realms of the Aelfinn & Eelfinn. We also know that the Seanchan, the offspring of the "hammer" (Paendrag) hold their symbols to be the tower and the raven. And WOULDN'T YOU JUST KNOW, Mat who is due to marry the Daughter of the Nine Moons, the heir to the court of Seanchan and who is already mixed up with the snakes and foxes just happens to have a magic spear with ravens on it. In fact, if you re-regard the inscription on the spear, it just may have to do with the Seanchan's bargain and not that of Mat. "Thus is our treaty written; thus is agreement made. Thought is the arrow of time; memory never fades. What was asked is given. The price is paid." <TSR: 26, 439, The Dedicated, 307> Remember also, that those marked with the raven are property of the court of the Seanchan empress. The other object given to Mat was the foxhead. And ITS eye is the symbol of the Aes Sedai. <TSR: 37, 606, Imre Stand, 426> Boy, this gets complicated, doesn't it? When Mat arrives in the Rhuidean door (foxes), he is greeted and asked about the "old treaty". The snake people back at Tear were very insistent that he show up at Rhuidean -- insistent enough to answer a whole lot of extra questions. Once he gets there, he's given an object which directly mentions something about the treaty. What we know from the Tear doorway. There seems to be some kind of agreement concerning the use of the door. Anyone may enter who does not bring a way to make light, iron or instruments of music. The snakes will then answer three questions. What do they get out of it? According to Moiraine: "Sensations, emotions, experiences. They rummage through them; you can feel them doing it, making your skin crawl. Perhaps they feed on them in some manner. The Aes Sedai who studied this ter'angreal ... spoke of a strong desire to bathe afterward." <TSR: 15, 257, Into the Doorway, 179>. In addition, the presence of two ta'veren seemed about to shake down the whole place. What we know from the Rhuidean doorway. The foxes also speak of a treaty in using the doorway. Again, no iron or musical instruments, or ways to make light. Again, there is the prickling of the skin as memories are rummaged through. However, for the foxes this does not seem to be payment enough for their services. Apparently a 'price' has to be negotiated before 'agreements' are made. Mat lucks out (of course) and asks for a way out as one of his agreements (It seems extremely likely that he would still be there without that), but they still exact a price out of him, and from what we can infer of it, it was not pleasant. Aludra: I have finally figured out Aludra's entire raison d'etre: the matches. Now how can Mat/Thom get over to Nynaeve to get some matches before he heads off to A/Eelfland? 1.37.....................................................WHAT'S WITH SALDAEA There could be some major plot development coming up, with regards to Saldaea. We have been getting hints for five books now. In TEotW, in Baerlon, there are rumors about trouble up in Saldaea. But they say, oh--that's the borderlands-- there is always trouble in the borderlands. When we first meet Bayle Domon, he is running from Trollocs and Saldaea <TEotW: 20, 312, Dust on the Wind, 262-3>. Then again in TGH and TDR Saldaea is mentioned that something is going on there. Plus that is where Mazrim Taim was operating...Then in TSR,someone in a tavern in Tear says something like Taim was so powerful when he fought the Lord of Bashere's army.Then SS thinks that with all the trouble there, Tenobia might be pushed off the throne--Tenobia is Faile's cousin. And finally, at the end of TFoH, Bashere shows up in Caemlyn and makes an agreement for Saldaea's support of the Dragon Reborn. In LOC, we learn that Queen Tenobia has gone into seclusion at some country palace, and the leader of the Army and a good portion of said army are thousands of miles away, under the command of the Dragon Reborn. There has been speculation that Semirhage's "wilful charge" is none other than Queen Tenobia. Survey Says: Will Faile be the Queen of Saldaea? Yes:58 No: 24 1.37............................................................WHO WAS MAT? <Don Harlow, Joe Shaw, somebody else> It may be that Mat was Aemon of Manetheren, although there is little direct proof. It is certain that, in all his lives, he was a military genius. There has been a lot of speculation that Mat is the reincarnation of an ancient king of Manetheren. It seems to me fairly evident that Mat is the reincarnation of a fairly large number of personalities (I would say "different" personalities, except I suspect that they were all fairly similar). This is evidenced by Mat's pseudo-memories that emerge when Jasin Natael is singing a song about a battle at a river and how the enemy of Manetheren had mercy on the defeated Manetherenites, because they were so brave, etc. Mat remembers himself, the king's advisor, being killed by that foe's treachery; and then he remembers himself, somebody else, seeing that foe, older and grayer, being killed in another battle somewhere else. <TSR: 37, 610-1, Imre Stand, 424-5> Additionally, he forms the Band of the Red Hand near the end of TFoH, which was supposedly a band of heroes who went down defending Aemon himself. This looks like another marker, though there's nothing directly of Aemon's memories that Mat has. TFoH also gives details on the span of his memories, from about four or five hundred years before the Trolloc wars and nothing after Artur Hawkwing. What this signifies is another question entirely. It's clear that Mat was not King of Manetheren in his first memory, at least. I agree that Mat is remembering several lives. IMHO, Mat is one of the Heroes that the Pattern spins out every so often, and he is remembering his previous incarnations. Mat was just a brilliant military advisor for the Manetheren kings, not the King. Note: it is possible that Mat's memories are not actually those of his own past lives, but that when he asked the Foxes to fill the holes in his mind, they just put in random memories of various battle commanders through the ages. 1.38................................WHERE HAVE WE SEEN IRONIC FORESHADOWING? <TEotW: 12, 171, Across the Taren, 143> Moiraine tells Egwene: "Now you are behaving like a foolish village girl. Most who come to Tar Valon must study for months before they can do what you just did. You may go far. Perhaps even the Amyrlin Seat, one day, if you study hard and work hard." <TEotW: 19, 278, Shadow's Waiting, 234> "Aemon's warcry, she said - right? Maybe you're Aemon come back again." <TGH: 10, 169, The Hunt Begins, 144> Mat says: "You put this Aiel nonsense in his head, on top of what's already there, and the light knows what we'll have. An Aiel lord maybe." Nynaeve, just before entering the first arch a Novice must pass through to become an Accepted <TGH: 23, 336, The Testing, 283>: "Vaguely, Nynaeve thought about her nervousness concerning spiders" Moghedien is also known as 'the Spider'. Perrin, looking at Ingtar <TGH: 28, 407, A New Thread in the Pattern, 343>: "Sometimes, to Perrin's eyes, the crescent crest on the Shienaran's helmet looked like a Trolloc's horns." Ingtar is revealed at the end of TGH to be a Darkfriend seeking to walk in the Light (he sought the Horn for his personal salvation). <TGH: 32, 464, Dangerous Words, 392> "I am not Aiel, Lord Barthanes, and I am not of the [Andor] royal line, either." (Rand to Lord Barthanes, at Barthanes' manor) <TSR: 52, 864, Need, 598> I was re-reading the part in TSR where Ny talks to Birgitte and Cain is around. He reminds Birgitte how mad Spider was when she found out Birgitte would fight on the side of LTT. She told Birgitte then something like "I will make you weep alone for as long as the wheel turns". Birgitte says that Spider said it as just a fact that had not happened yet. We know in TFoH that Spider makes good on this threat, but un-binding her to the Wheel. <TFoH: 10, 229, Figs and Mice, 162> At one point, early in the book, Ny wishes she could have SS alone for just 5 minutes when SS could not channel - she gets her wish with her little scuffle in Tel'aran'rhiod. <TFoH: 25, 432, Dreams of Galad, 307> Elayne told Egwene in T'A'R' : "Egwene, you will be Amyrlin when I am Queen of Andor!" 1.39......................WHY ARE WE SURE THAT BA'ALZAMON IS REALLY ISHAMAEL All the Forsaken seem to think that Ba'alzamon was Ishamael. e.g. see Mog's thoughts in <TSR: 46, 759-60, Veils, 526>. <TDR: 21, 237, A World of Dreams, 187> Verin reads a scrap of paper to Egwene when giving her the twisted stone ter'angreal. "Heart of the Dark. Ba'alzamon. Name hidden within name shrouded by name. Secret buried within secret cloaked by secret. Betrayer of Hope. Ishamael betrays all hope. Truth burns and sears. Hope fails before truth. A lie is our shield. Who can stand against the Heart of the Dark? Who can face the Betrayer of Hope? Soul of shadow, Soul of the Shadow, he is -" <TDR: 56, 672-3, People of the Dragon, 575-6>, Eg, Ny, Mat, El and Moiraine are discussing that Rand could not have killed the Dark One himself because a _man's_ body was left. They speculate that Ba'alzamon was Ishamael. <TEotW: 14, 204-5, The Stag and Lion, 171>: Ba'alzamon tells Rand: "I stood at Lews Therin Kinslayer's shoulder when he did the deed that named him. It was I who told him to kill his wife, and his children, and all his blood, and every living person who loved him or whom he loved. It was I who gave him the moment of sanity to know what he had done." Lanfear makes some comment that "Ishamael thinks he controls events, but I do, really" or something like that. The only other forsaken taking an active hand in events is Ba'alzamon. the rest are either still bound, or are skulking around in various kingdoms. <TSR: Glossary, 987, entry "Ba'alzamon", 686> "In the Trolloc tongue, 'Heart of the Dark.' Believed by most, erroneously, to be the Trolloc Name for the Dark One." ^^^^^^^^^^^ <TSR: 46, 760, Veils, 526> Moghedien says: "The other [Forsaken in Tear beside Be'lal] sounds like Ishamael to me. All his pride at being only half-caught, whatever the price-- there was less human left in him than any of us when I saw him again; I think he half-believed he was the Great Lord of the Dark--all his three thousand years of machinations, and it comes to an untaught boy hunting him down." She states right out that Ish was only half bound, and as well confirms Egwene's guess that Ish=Ba'alzamon. 1.40........................WHEN WAS RAND'S POWER ACQUISITION FEVER SYNDROME 1. OP use: cleansing Bela <TEotW: 11, 149, The Road to Taren Ferry, 125> Reaction: Baerlon encounter w/Children of the Light, <TEotW: 15, 221-6, Strangers and Friends, 186-90> Time: about a week. 2. OP use: Hitting Trolloc with the boom of Domon's boat. <TEotW: 24, 306-7, Dust on the Wind, 258-9> Reaction: Mast/trapeze stunt on Bayle Domon's ship <TEotW: 24, 357-9, Flight Down the Arinelle, 301-3> Time: about four days. 3. OP use: calling lightning to escape the inn in Four Kings <TEotW: 32, 484, Four Kings in Shadow, 407> Reaction: fever/chills at the inn in Market Sharan. <TEotW: 33, 504-8, The Dark Waits, 423-6> Time: about two days. 4. OP use: at the Eye of the World. Reaction: Forgetfulness, others? Time: nearly instantaneous. 1.41...........WHY WILL THE BRACELETS WILL BE USED ON LOGAIN OR MAZRIM TAIM? We assume that they will be used on a faux dragon because the real one isn't available. Luke Mankin tells us more about the bracelets: I think that the collar and bracelets are not all one piece, and that they will enable a women to control a male channeler for a distance! Here are all the places where it is physically described that I could find. Notice that they never mention a -leash-! <TSR: 55, 920, Into the Deep, 638> "Egeanin touched the collar, pushed the bracelets away from the collar. If she felt the emotions trapped in them ... ability to channel. `It is not a'dam,` the Seanchan woman said. `That is made of a silvery metal, and all of one piece." <TSR: 52, 866, Need, 600> "...-a necklace and two bracelets of jointed black metal-..." <TSR: 54, 905, Into the Palace, 628> " ...dull black collar and bracelets... ...wide jointed collar..." Since we assume that the Seanchan will get the collars, what will they do with their male channeler? OR, will the BA get the collar and bracelets through the Darkfriend connection? Wouldn't the best means of destroying them be separating them and throwing them in say the sea, a volcano, and such? Now, of course, the sad bracelets can be used on any of the poor sods who signed up to become asha'man. 1.42.....................................WHAT ARE THE SONGS (NOT >THE SONG<) Jeffrey Scott Raglin reports: The Songs of the Wheel of Time: Key: ==:These songs have the same tune, but different lyrics and or names in different areas. ?: No title is actually given; the title is inferred from the lyrics Berin's Retreat==The Wind from the North==Hard Rain Falling Blue Sky Dawning Cock o' the North Colors of the Sun==Jolly Jaim==Rhea's Fling Coming Home from Tarwin's Gap Dance With Jak 'o the Shadows Darling Sara==Ferry O'er the River Drawing Water From the Well Ferry O'er the River==Darling Sara Goodman Priket's Pipe==River Iralell? Hard Rain Falling==The Wind from the North==Berin's Retreat Heron on the Wing I Have Loved a Thousand Sailor Men I'm Down at the Bottom of the Well Jolly Jaim==Rhea's Fling==Colors of the Sun Midean's Ford Mistress Aynora's Rooster My Love is a Wild Rose Old Jak's Up a Tree Only One Boot Only One Bucket of Water A Pocket Full of Gold Pretty Maids Dancing==Three Girls in the Meadow Rhea's Fling==Jolly Jaim==Colors of the Sun River Iralell?==Goodman Priket's Pipe Rose of the Morning She Wore a Mask That Hid Her Face The Lugard Girl?==The Dancing Lass The Dancing Lass==The Lugard Girl? The Fool Who Thought He Was a King The Song of the Three Fishes The Old Gray Goose The March of Death==The Grand Passions Cycle, Movement 4 The Grand Passions Cycle, Movement 4==The March of Death The First Rose of Summer The Wind That Shakes the Willow The Old Black Bear The Road to Dun Aran The Old Two Rivers Leaf The Tinker Has My Pots==Toss the Feathers The Wind from the North==Hard Rain Falling==Berin's Retreat The Drunken Peddler==Tinker in the Kitchen The Color of Trust Three Girls in the Meadow==Pretty Maids Dancing Tinker in the Kitchen==The Drunken Peddler Toss the Feathers==The Tinker Has My Pots Two Horses Running=Two Kings Came Hunting Two Kings Came Hunting==Two Horses Running Wash the Spears? We're Over the Border Again What He Said to Me==Will You Dance With Me Wild Geese on the Wing Will You Dance With Me==What He Said to Me 1.43........................................IS MAT STILL LINKED TO THE HORN? There are two points in the story where Mat could be considered to have died: when he was hung from the tree in Rhuidean, and when he got hit by lightning in the raid on Caemlyn in TFOH. So, is he still linked to the horn? Firstly, in Tear, <TSR: 15, 253, Into the Doorway, 177> [Snakey Answers to "What fate?] "'To die, and live again, and live once more a part of what was!' Secondly, in Rhuidean, <TSR: 26, 437-8, The Dedicated, 306-7> "Letting sword and Power go, he ripped the rope away from Mat's neck and pressed an ear to his friend's chest. Nothing. Desperately, he tore open Mat's coat and shirt, breaking the leather cord that help a silver medallion on Mat's chest. He tossed the medallion aside, listened again. Nothing. No heartbeat. Dead. No! He'd be all right if I hadn't let him follow me here. I can't let him be dead! "As hard as he could he pounded his fist against Mat's chest, listened. Nothing. Again he hammered, listened. Yes. There. A faint heartbeat. It was. So faint, so slow. And slowing. But Mat was still alive despite the heavy purple welt around his neck. He might yet be kept alive. "Filling his lungs, Rand scrambled around to breathe into Mat's mouth as strongly as he could. Again. Again..." He had no heartbeat! He wasn't breathing! He was clinically dead. On that evidence, I really don't see how anyone can doubt, at the very least, that Mat actually died. I do grant that we can disagree and quibble over the binding of the Horn, but that's a different matter. And on that note, Judy is correct-- the phrasing that the Amyrlin used at any rate was "So long as you live." <TDR: 20, 233, Visitations, 182> I just wonder if anyone ever actually linked themselves to the Horn before, then died and then came back to life. In other words, is their knowledge absolute in this matter, or is this just a turn of phrase? Survey Says: Is Mat still linked to the Horn? Yes: 55 No: 26 1.44...........................................WHAT ARE THOSE CHAPTER ICONS? Serpent and Wheel: Aes Sedai, Wheel of Time, Ta'veren Ravens: Darkfriends, other minions of the DO Dragon's Fang: Darkfriends, other minions of the DO, or Rand Harp: Thom Merrilin Leafless tree at night: Traveling through woods? Heron-mark sword hilt: Rand Two leaves from the Tree of Life and Moiraine's staff: Moiraine (TEotW only) Flame of Tar Valon: Aes Sedai, Saidar Sunburst: Whitecloaks Leaves/A Leaf: Ogier, Loial, Waygates, Nynaeve, Wise Women, Tinkers Horned skull, trident and a paw: Trollocs Wolf: Wolfbrother, Perrin Lion Rampant: Andor, Elayne. Gnarled, Withered Tree: The Blight Ruby-Hilted Dagger: Shadar Logoth Dagger, Mat, Padan Fain. Horn: The Horn of Valere Portal Stone: Portal Stone Rising Sun: Cairhien Insect-Like, Horned Helmet: Seanchan Tree with lots of leaves: stedding, Ogier A'dam: damane, a'dams Female silhouettes (One Black, One White): Black Ajah, the hunt for them Dice (FIVE): Mat "(Note the five sixes..Yahtzee!!)" -- Joe Shaw Crescent moon and stars: Lanfear, Daughter of the Night. This one is really note worthy. This icon appears when we meet the peddlers (aka Lanfear and Asmodean) in the waste. Had I realized it was Lanfear's icon, I would have realized then that one of them was Lanfear disguised. Also the same when she appears to the girls as Else. -- Judy G. Dream Ring: Tel'aran'rhiod Waves: A journey over water Dragon: Rand 8-pointed star and birds: Sea folk Two spears & a shield: Aiel Bull: Gareth Byrne Elephant: Valen Luca's traveling menagerie Full Aes Sedai symbol of old: Rand, the Dragon Reborn--"under this sign will he conquer" Snakey square: Forsaken Joe Shaw claims that you can get high by licking the ink from the icons. The rest of us look upon this claim with skepticism, but Tastes Vary! 1.45.............................................THOUGHT AND MEMORY TAKE TWO Just another thought while re-reading. Our favorite heros all seem to have unusual memories available to them. Meaning: 1) Rand has memories of the past through the experience at Rhuidean, plus LTT lurking (screaming, more like it) inside his head. 2) Mat has memories of the past through the past lives he has had, which he can now remember. 3) Perrin has the memories of the wolves. In TEotW, Elyas tells him that wolves remember from the first wolf on, so I think that means that wolves have the memories of all wolves ever. So conceivably, Perrin would have access to these memories. 1.46...............................................WHAT DID OGIER DO OF OLD? Windsor Williams reports: Basically, I'm wondering about the role of the Ogier in pre-Breaking society. From what we know in general, the stedding did exist during the period, but the Ogier were not bound to them by the Longing as they are at the time of the series. So it seems reasonable to assume that they were fairly common everywhere, although most common in and around the stedding. We know they were involved with the seed singing (as per the "through the eyes of Coumin" scene <TSR: 26, 432-3, The Dedicated, 302-5>), but what other roles did they have? Some clues exist: Ogier soldiers - also from the Coumin sequence, right at the beginning <TSR: 26, 431, The Dedicated, 302> "He could see the next field, lined the same way, beyond the soldiers with their shocklances sitting atop armored jo-cars. A hoverfly buzzed overhead in its patrol, a deadly black metal wasp containing two men. He was sixteen, and the women had decided his voice was finally deep enough to join in the seed singing." "The soldiers fascinated him, men and Ogier, the way a colorful poisonous snake might. They _killed_." ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ The "men and Ogier" phrase seems to imply that there were Ogier soldiers as well as humans. (At least, it does to me.) Ogier as police or enforcers - again, from the Coumin sequence <TSR: 26, 434, The Dedicated, 304> "Abruptly something struck Coumin in the mouth and his legs buckled; he was pushing himself to his knees before he realized he was down. A hand put to his mouth came away bloody. He looked up to find an angry-faced townsman standing over him, nursing a fist. 'Why did you do that?' he asked. "The townsman spat at him. "The Forsaken are dead. Dead, do you hear? Lanfear will not protect you anymore. We will root out all of you who served the Forsaken while pretending to be on our side, and treat the lot of you as we treated that crazy old man. "A woman was tugging at the man's arm. 'Come away, Toma. Come away, and hold your foolish tongue! Do you want the Ogier to come for you?' Suddenly wary, the man let her pull him away into the crowd." "Do you want the Ogier to come for you?" and the man's response argue that the Ogier were enforcers of peace/police of some sort, and effective ones as well. I'm guessing that they would come for him for the killing of Charn ("that crazy old man"), but maybe it's his statements, instead? I hadn't thought of Ogier in terms of soldiers or police before, but these passages caught my eye while re-reading the series. We've been told at one point or another that old tales refer to Ogier as bad opponents, who rarely get angry but are very dangerous when they do. (I can't recall the exact place...something about Perrin and some line about Ogier and mountains. Anyone else recall where this is?) We've seen Loial play an important role a couple of times already (knowing the Ways, closing the Waygate in the Two Rivers), but I'm starting to think we may see quite a bit more of the Ogier before the series ends. 1.47........................................................MORE OF THE FAIN Padan Fain was a Lugard peddler, who moonlighted as a Friend of the Dark. When it came time for the Dragon to be reborn, Fain was taken to Shayol Ghul and made into the Dark One's Hound, to search out the Dragon Reborn. Followed the boys to Shadar Logoth and had a run-in with Mordeth. Mordeth tried to devour Fain's soul, but couldn't, because of the hold the DO had on him. So Fain became part Mordeth, part minion of the DO. This is basically what the books tell us. Roy Navarre and Tony Z came up with a theory that Fain is actually the avatar of the DO. Roy says: First, if you check the glossary, you will see that the DO is described as the source of _all_ evil. Hence Mashadar must flow from the DO or the glossary is wrong. (We had pages and pages of discussion on this in the past). Next, Myself and Tony Z presented detailed evidence suggesting that Fain is the avatar of the DO. With each broken seal, Fain gets stronger. Thus, the DO has been in our midst all this time but we just didn't know it. At first only a trace of him in Fain, but growing stronger and stronger until now his presence in Fain seems unmistakable. Eric Ebinger counters: Fain no longer exists. Padan Fain was summoned to Shayol Ghul, was broken and reformed into a bloodhound for the DO, as part of which he was imprinted by the DO. This happened twice at Shayol Ghul and once in a dream. Padan Fain/DO bloodhound went to Shadar Logoth and fell prey to Mordeth. Normally, Mordeth would just destroy the existing "soul/personality", but Padan Fain's having been "remade" by the DO seems to have changed things sufficiently so that there was a slow gradual merging of *all* of the different personalities (Fain/Mordeth/DO's imprint). The most accurate term for the combination is the name that he took: Ordeith. Over time, the Mordeth portion has gained more and more control over the gestalt. The DO's imprint has given Ordeith the unreasoning hatred of Rand, Perrin, and Mat. There doesn't seem to be much of anything of Padan Fain left. As the Mordeth fragment has gained more complete control of the gestalt, Ordeith has increased in power. The seeming relationship between the breaking of the Seals and Ordeith's power is due only to the fact that as time passes Ordeith gets stronger and as time passes the Seals break. The same relationship is evident with Rand, Perrin, Mat, Elayne, Egwene, Aviendha and Nynaeve. Survey Says: Is Fain the DO? Yes: 01 No: 81 (You are all alone, Roy!) [Tony Z. was off the net during the Survey.] What is he up to now? Not much, for somebody who is supposedly as dangerous as the Shadow. He went to the Fortress of the Light and the White Tower to sow seeds of dissention, and make sure Pedron Niall and Elaida would never join Rand. He seems to be currently involved in causing Rand trouble, in little instances which could, admittedly, build up. He instigated a failed assassination of Rand by his ex-WCs in Caemlyn. He might also have been responsible for the attack on the Brown AS in Caemlyn which ended up driving a rift between Rand and the Salidar AS, and sending him into the hands of Elaida's AS in Cairhien, but this could just as easily (and more probably) have been part of some Forsaken's plot, or a plot by the Tower AS & the Shaido to alienate the Salidar AS from Rand. He still has his pet myrdraal. 1.48.......................................JAIN FARSTRIDER: WHERE IS HE NOW? Jain seems to have a cult following among the Jordanites. "Jain lives!" they proclaim. So, as promised, here is a list of all the suspects in "who is Jain in disguise" contest. 1) Elyas Machera--Both Borderlanders, Elyas is pretty old. 2) Tam Al'Thor (It is very unlikely that Tam==Jain. Malkier fell a little less than 50 years before TEOTW (say 45-50 years), according to Lord Agelmar. <TEotW: 47, 708, More Tales of the Wheel, 595> At the time, Jain was a young man, say between 17 & 20. Thus,at the start of TEOTW, Jain would be 62-70 years old. I would put Tam at 50, tops, probably younger. definitely not older than 60.) Plus, RJ has said that Tam spent his time away from the 2 Rivers in Illian, which precludes his running around the Borderlands and the Blight. At a signing in Atlanta, RJ said that Tam & Rand were originally the same character--a soldier come home to a small town. This pretty much precludes his being Farstrider, no? 3) Graendal's old man in wrinkled coat. (This is more likely the Domani king she displaced, or that famous general she has working for her.) 4) Bayle Domon, because he seems to be very well traveled and likes to collect old things, and his talk to Mat about it being "the strangeness you see that pulls you to the next horizon." <TEotW: 24, 356-7, Flight Down the Arinelle, 300>. I cannot think of any more, offhand, although I know there are many more. Survey Says: Will we ever see Jain? Yes: 33 No: 48 Survey Says: Jain is... Dead: 30 No one we know: 6 No one important: 12 Elyas Machera: 8 with Graendal: 11 Jain Farstrider: 8 1.49.........................................................WHO WAS SILVIE? <TDR: 27, 316-9, Tel'aran'rhiod, 257-9> Most likely, Lanfear, it was part of her plot to get Rand and/or Mat to go to Tear. Egwene and Nynaeve were to be bait to draw him there, only Rand was already going there to stop their attacks through his dreams. The girls were probably just a backup in case he resisted the dreams or learned to shield them on his own. Egwene and Nynaeve were to be Be'lal and Ish.s bait to draw Rand, while Liandrin and Co. were the bait to draw draw Egwene and Nynaeve. See Perrin's dream about the trap in <TDR: 43, 504, Shadowbrothers, 426> (see section 7.6) which matches Egwene's dreams about "puppets" in <TDR: 37, 423, Fires in Cairhien, 352-3> (see section 7.1). Lanfear was playing along with Ish, but working to her own designs. There's no doubt (in my mind) that Silvie was Lanfear. And the reason for ripping off the ring ter'angreal to throw her out of T'A'R was just her cruel streak; Lanfear knew she was a Dreamer since she had been haunting the White Tower as Else, and just wanted Egwene to go to the Heart of the Stone in T'A'R to make sure the girls decided to go there. Once she had accomplished that, why not send her out the hard way? After all, Lanfear claimed T'A'R as her domain (even though Mog. was stronger there), so there was no need for Egwene to learn too much about "her domain." Plus, her precious LTT reborn had once loved this girl; I'm sure she couldn't resist inflicting a little pain on her, especially since the fact that Eg was bait to draw Rand to Tear meant that he still cared about her. That must have drove Lanfear bonkers. 1.50.................................WERE THERE AJAHS IN THE AGE OF LEGENDS? <Bill Garrett, Pam Korda> RJ said, at a signing, that there were not Ajahs in the AoL. The Ajahs were formed within a few hundred years after the Breaking. The colors of the Ajahs were probably representative of something in the AoL or a previous Age, because the Ajah colors are the colors surrounding the Portal Stones. A possible, even probable, scenario of the forming of the Ajahs is: Perhaps the AS argued about what was most important... a few said, "we must find and stop all the male channelers who have gone mad!" while others said, "we must fight the Shadowspawn and stay ready to fight them should they return." Others might have placed importance on healing the wounded and stopping the ravage of disease. Then some said, "We must manipulate the governments of the people to make sure they are always ready." A few bookish sorts might have thought it was more important to preserve old knowledge to keep it from getting lost, and to gather more knowledge. "What will happen in troubles to come if our descendants forget even the meager things we've learned so far?" 1.51.........................................WHO ORDERED MELINDHRA, AND WHY? <TFoH: 34, 550, A Silver Arrow, 390> Nynaeve and Birgitte were eavesdropping on the Forsaken Conference in Tel'aran'rhiod. Rahvin says, "He [Rand] will concentrate on you [Sammael], ... If need be, one close to him will die, plainly at your order. He will come for you. And while he is fixed on you alone, the three of us, linked, will take him. What has changed to alter any of that?" So, it seems Melindhra was ordered to kill Mat with a golden bee dagger if the need arose. Mat let slipped to her that Rand's going to Caemlyn, instead of "concentrating of Sammael", and she attacked Mat right away <TFoH: 51, 871, News Comes To Caemlyn, 617>. 1.52..........................................WHY MOIRAINE IS NOT BLACK AJAH I thought this was a dead issue, but apparently it is not. sigh. Okay, why would anybody think Moiraine was BA? well, during TGH, RJ seems to be putting down clues in that direction. namely, she was missing during the time of the DFS. Also, she was wearing her ring on a different finger than she had before (oh no! not that!!!!). Well, this was all a red herring, because since then, we have been privy to Moiraine's thoughts, which show that she walks in the light. Okay, maybe she has multiple personalities, but I doubt it. 1.56.......................................................CAN THOM CHANNEL? Here are the reasons why some people think Thom can channel: 1) The mysterious blue flash in Whitebridge/random burns after the Fade fight. 2) The White Ajah hypothesis that channeling has a genetic link, and that Thom has at least one relative who can channel (Owyn) 3) His comment that he "could have done *something*" for Owyn. 4) <TFoH: 9, 203, A Signal, 145> Nynaeve says "she could not channel any more than Thom". This is taken to be "ironic foreshadowing." Objections: 1) The blue flash is an artifact of TEOTW, we also see it when Lan battles a Fade. It is probably just something that Jordan dropped after the first book. As for the fires, it seems likely that there was some sort of riot after the fight, which is why people didn't want to talk about it. 2) The genetic basis for channeling is not a simple matter at all, in the whole series, we've only heard of one channeler who is closely related to another--Elayne (if she's Taringail's kid, she's related to Moiraine, if she's Thom's, she is related to Owyn). 3) The "something" comment is probably just wishful thinking. 4) If Thom was a channeler, he would have to have the "spark inborn," since nobody goes around teaching men to channel. Thus, he'd have started channeling at about 20, a la Rand. Even if he had a block, like Ny, he would have channeled quite a bit in the 30 or so years since then, more than enough for him to be showing sign of madness and the rotting disease. 5) Noting that we have seen of Thom's thoughts gives any indication of him being able to channel. 6) Rand should probably be able to sense some channeling ability in Thom, a la the AS. Then again, maybe he doesn't know what to look for. >From a signing in Seattle, Edward "potato" Liu tells us: Now, regarding Thom, RJ said a man will not go mad or sick away if he never channeled. Thus, he agreed that a male channeler who could be taught to channel (as opposed to having the inborn ability) and has never channeled would not die from the taint. BUT, when I asked him if he ever intended to make people think that Thom could channel, he said no. I brought up the hereditary point (i.e. Owen) but he said just because your parents have a particular gene doesn't mean you'll receive that particular gene. Also he made a point that Owen was his nephew so therefore not necessarily very similar gene-wise. When I pressed him again on it, he said (I'm quoting) "There is no way in hell Thom can channel." All he offered for explanations is that Thom is a "mysterious man." Enough said. 1.55....................WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SKIMMING & TRAVELING? Skimming requires knowledge of destination and Traveling requires origin <TFoH: 6, 169, Gateways, 121>. For example, Aviendha Travels to Seanchan which she obviously doesn't know a thing about, but she knew the bathroom real well. Skimming is like getting somewhere by placing yourself on a highway system. You can take as many people as you can fit in your vehicle, and as long as you know where you are going you can get there. Thus you need to know where your destination well in order to get there. Traveling is like placing a phone call to somewhere and shifting yourself through the phone lines. Thus if you know how to use a telephone (ie you have knowledge of the place that you are at) you can place a random phone call and hook up with some place that you have never been (what Aviendha did) but if you know the number, you can call wherever you want, and go someplace specific. 1.56...WHAT'S UP W/THE MALE-FEMALE A'DAM LINK WHERE THEY BOTH DIE SCREAMING? In <TGH: 40, 573, Damane, 484>, Egwene's sul'dam describes how the Empress will sometimes make a man wear the bracelet of the a'dam. Sometimes nothing happens, and sometimes "both die, screaming." We see something similar happen in <TFoH: 32, 522, A Short Spear, 370> when Rand tries to free the damane in Seanchan. What's happening here? Well, it seems as if the men who are affected by the a'dam are those who can channel, or who have the ability to learn. According to Elayne's study of the a'dam, it works by creating an uneven link between channelers, in which the bracelet holder has complete control. So possible explanations for the "die screaming" effect are: 1) a male & a female are linked, with the man in control. A female must control such a link due to the nature of the OP. So the a'dam link is backwards, which could have a bad effect. 2) Possibly, they find themselves each touching the wrong half of the Source, and cannot stand to do this, and consequently experience immense pain and have their pitiful lives snuffed out by the overbearing power of the wrong half of the OP pouring through their frail bodies. 3) Putting a male in the _a'dam_ link somehow creates a "short circuit" in the One Power, frying both participants in the link unless they break it pronto. 1.57..................................................IS SHERIAM BLACK AJAH? 1) PRO: The scene with the Gray Man in the Tower. Nynaeve points out that Sheriam never once wonders about who killed the Soulless. She acts rather suspicious in general during that whole scene. <TDR: 15, 187-191, The Gray Man, 142-6>. CON: She was just being brusque with the kids because she wanted them to keep quiet. And why _should_ she wonder who killed him in front of the Accepted? 2) PRO: Mistress of Novices would be a plum position for a Black Ajah, in terms of recruiting (voluntarily, or through the assistance of a few Fades). CON: Just because it would be a good position, doesn't mean the Black Ajah got one of their own into the job. 3) PRO: Sheriam's also the perfect operative of the Shadow for the tower-in-exile in Salidar. There were many suspicious things about her treatment of Elayne and Nynaeve when they arrived in Salidar. Sheriam seemed to be the most ardent about confiscating the ter'angreal. It won't be too surprising if it's Sheriam who gives Nynaeve the hardest time when Nynaeve claims that she's captured Moggy in Salidar. Sheriam, by her refusal to believe Nynaeve, will be the reason Moggy escapes. CON: Again, she's just being Aes Sedai. Why should she let the kids keep the ter'angreal, or approve of them galavanting about the glove, instead of studying like they should be? 4) PRO: Egwene's Accepted test: she says something like "He said they could turn him to the Shadow, against his will. Can they?" <TDR: 22, 255, The Price of the Ring, 202-3> Sheriam then tells her about the 13 Dreadlords + 13 Fades trick, but she doesn't wonder who "he" was. Could she already know, from the Darkfriend Social? CON: Why would a Darkfriend tell Egwene about that trick, so that she'd know to watch out for it? If Sheriam was a DF, isn't it probable that Halima/Aran'gar would've attached herself to her, the Keeper of the Chronicles, instead of a DF Sitter of the Hall? or possibly to both? 1.58................................................WHO IS NOT A DARKFRIEND? There are several characters who we know cannot be Darkfriends. We know because Jordan has shown us their thoughts when they are thinking about their motivations, their opinions towards the Shadow and the DO, or something similarly indicative. These people are: Rand, Mat, Perrin, Moiraine, Egwene, Nynaeve, Min, Elayne, Elaida (see Section 1.11), Morgase, Thom, Egeanin, Bayle Domon, Pedron Niall, Dain and Geofram Bornhold, Siuan Sanche. 1.59...........................WHAT ARE THOSE BLACK THREADS ON THE FORSAKEN? When Rand battles the male Forsaken, he sees black threads, wires, or cords running off from them. This is seen when Rand battles Ishy in <TEotW: 51, 759-62, Against the Shadow, 637-40>, and Asmodean in <TSR: 58, 965-972, The Traps of Rhuidean, 671-675>. So what's the deal with these strings? The thick black threads are the Forsaken's connection to the DO. The connection with the DO is what keeps the male Forsaken from falling prey to the madness taint of saidin (see Asmodean's statements to Rand in TSR after his black "thread" was severed). Rand's thread in TEotW was silver and thinner because it was from that pure pool of saidin that was the Eye of the World. We've never seen the threads on a female Forsaken, so it is possible that the threads are themselves the protection from the taint. Perhaps they act as a kind of filter on saidin, or a conduit through which the DO siphons off the taint when the Forsaken draws upon the Source. 1.60.........................................WHO ARE ARAN'GAR AND OSAN'GAR? We've been told since TEOTW that the DO is Lord of the Grave. It is about time he started acting it. In <LoC: Prologue, The First Message, 59-61>, we see "Aran'gar" and "Osan'gar," two minions of the Shadow brought back from the dead and put into new bodies. It is a good first approximation to assume that they are reincarnated Forsaken, and not some random Dreadlords. After all, if the DO is going to bring people back to life, why not Choose the strongest of his servants? So, what Forsaken are available for reincarnation (i.e. are dead)? Aginor and Balthamel, the Terrible Two from the TEOTW finale, Ishamael, Rahvin and Be'lal, and possibly Asmodean and Lanfear. Well, Rahvin and Be'lal died of balefire, and their souls are beyond even the reach of the DO. Asmodean was a traitor, and the DO apparently lumps him in with Rahvin as having "Died the final death" <LoC: Prologue, The First Message, 15>, so it probably wasn't him. Aran'gar is not Lanfear, because of Osan'gar's statement "Lanfear seemed cautious in contrast [to Aran'gar]." Furthermore, Osan'gar cannot be Lanfear because his Forsaken-name had been "given in scorn and adopted in pride." Lanfear was the only Forsaken to have chosen her own nom de guerre. This leaves us with Aginor, Balthamel, and Ishamael. Now, Ishamael was not bound like the other Forsaken during the Third Age. He was "partly bound," or maybe not even bound at all. There are references to this throughout the series, starting with the prologue to TEOTW, where Ishamael appears to LTT during the Time of Madness (chronologically _after_ the sealing of the Bore). However, Osan'gar makes reference to "waking from the long sleep" with an aged body. The long sleep is obviously the time spent sealed between the universe and the DO's dungeon dimension. Thus, Osan'gar must be either Aginor or Balthamel. As to which one, all we really have to go on is his comment on having helped make the Trollocs and not liking the Halfmen who were an unexpected effect of that experiment. We know that Aginor was very involved in creating the various Shadowspawn, and that he was unnerved by Fades, spending lots of time trying to discover how they "fade." So if we have to choose one or the other for Osan'gar, I'll say he was Aginor. Now for Aran'gar. She is extremely upset at being put into a woman's body, and Osan'gar thinks it is a "fine joke." From TEOTW, we know that Balthamel enjoyed "the pleasures of the flesh." That is to say, he liked to have his way with the female sex. Thus, it would be a great joke to put him in a female body. Furthermore, it is stated that Aran'gar was always rather rash. I really wouldn't classify Ishamael as "rash," not with his centuries of careful planning. So, it is a good bet that Aran'gar was Balthamel. Still, it is not 100% certain; we don't have enough evidence to narrow it down to which of the two is Aginor and which is Balthamel for certain. And even though Ishamael probably isn't either of the two, I would bet that he has been reincarnated in a similar fashion, we just haven't seen him yet. (Or, maybe we have, but don't know it :). 1.61........................................MAZRIM TAIM--IS HE REALLY HIM? <reasons nicely compiled by Jared Samet. Contributors Jared Samet, Bill Garrett, William Smit, John Schwegler, John Novak, Pam Korda, OilCan, and lots of other folks.> So, is the Mazrim Taim in LoC the real Mazrim Taim, the Saldean False Dragon, or is he the Forsaken Demandred in disguise? Here, MT=the character in LoC, general of the Asha'man. Taim=the False Dragon we heard about, captured after Falme. Demandred=Forsaken. A Scenario for MT to be Demandred: The BA, or a Forsaken, or some Trollocs broke Taim free from where he was being held in Saldaea. They took him to Semirhage, or someone else who could extract every bit of information from his skull (a la the AS Cabriana who Semirhage tortures) and drained him dry. Then they killed him. Now, Demandred either 1) Looks kind of like Taim in the first place, or 2) Looks very different from Taim and is using a partial illusion to look like the real Taim. This is why Bashere isn't sure that MT is Taim, and why MT says that he shaved his beard. This also explains why it is MT who brings up the things only he and Bashere know--to convince everybody that he _is_ Taim. Then again, MT may really be the original Mazrim Taim. The reason we think of Demandred when we see him is not because he _is_ Demandred, but because he is similar to Demandred in personality--he wanted to be the Dragon, he doesn't like being second-best, etc. Taim could have the ultimate plan of supporting Rand as much as he can, helping him to win the Last Battle. Since Rand is expected to die in the Last Battle, Taim plans to bide his time and take control in the aftermath. After that, well, as MT says, the winners write the histories. Here are the indications that MT == Demandred, and arguments against: 1)MT knows too much. The test, how quickly he picks up gateways, how well he teaches the Asha'man, etc. ANSWER: He's supposedly been channeling for 15 years. He had to have learned _something_ in that time. Plus, MT mentions to Bashere that he used compulsion on two people <LoC: 2, A New Arrival, 76>. Since the real Taim did that, the real Taim DID know stuff. As for Gateways, maybe Taim is just a fast learner, like Rand, or Nynaeve. In fact, one's ease of learning seems to be a direct function of how strong one is in the Power. (examples: Rand, Ny, El, Eg are all fast learners, and even SS and Moiraine, who are stronger than your average bear, er, AS, spent a relatively short time as Novices (3 years?).) This probably has to do with the fact that, the stronger you are, the easier it is for you to see the flows required for a particular action, and thus can more readily duplicate it. 2)The Seal. The story about finding it in a Saldaean farmer's house is pretty fishy. Could be that Demandred (posing as Taim) gave it to Rand in order to try to gain his trust? ANSWER: If MT is Demandred, why would he, and the DO, give a seal to Rand? If the minions of the Shadow had a seal, wouldn't they break it? Maybe the DO could predict that Rand/LTT would try to break the seal, but Demandred couldn't have. MT was certainly shocked when it looked like Rand was going to smash it <LoC: 2, A New Arrival, 80-1>. As mentioned, it could be that Demandred would want to give it to Rand to get him to trust him, but that failed utterly. Or there could be some mysterious reason why the DO _wants_ to stay sealed up, at least for the time being. (The origin of MT's seal story is somewhat backed by Bashere's story to Perrin about a farmer in Saldaea who claimed to be the ancestor of the kings of a ancient Kingdom. If MT Farmer == Bashere Farmer it would be plausible that the seal was the last item of inheritance. And who better for the farmer to give it to than the Dragon Reborn (MT claim before Rand declared himself) 3) MT claims to not be affected by the Taint, after 15 years of channeling <LoC: 2, A New Arrival, 76>. This seems pretty unlikely (cf. Owyn, who was going mad after only 3 years of seldom channeling at all). The only Taint protection we know of is linking to the DO. ANSWER: Unless Taim was a raving lunatic when he was leading his armies as a False Dragon, he must have still been somewhat sane, even after 15 years. Plus, Logain, who is not a Forsaken, has been channeling for six years, and isn't going mad. It seems likely that the ease with which one succumbs to the Taint varies widely with the person. Owyn went under in 3 years, MT mentions some other guys who lasted for 2 years <LoC: 2, A New Arrival, 79>, and Logain has lasted for 6 <LOC: 51, The Taking, 647>. 4) MT's reaction to Rand's badges and awards--not pleased to be seen as subservient to Rand <LoC: 42, The Black Tower, 543>, just like Demandred <LoC: Prologue, The First Message, 56-7>. ANSWER: It is entirely possible that Taim is just plain arrogant. Nothing says the Forsaken have a monopoly on over-weening pride. 5) LTT thinks of Demandred, and killing him, every time MT is around. Is there a method in his madness? ANSWER: Possibly, but again, it could just be that Taim is similar to Demandred in many ways, and LTT thinks he will betray him like Demandred did in the AoL. Anyway, LTT is loony. Plus, LTT seems to get this way about all male channelers who are not him/Rand. <LoC: 2, A New Arrival, 83> <LoC: 42, The Black Tower, 545> 6) The epilogue--"Have I not done well, Great Lord?" The DO's orders were to "Let the Lord of Chaos Rule," which seems to refer to Rand/LTT. MT, in building the Asha'man, has certainly helped Rand in gaining control of the world. ANSWER: From Sammael's speech with Graendal <LoC: 6, Threads Woven of Shadow, 135>, we know that Demandred may be involved in the Seanchan invasion in Tarabon. Maybe this has something to do with it. (If Demandred is MT and is also involved with the Seanchan, wouldn't it be necessary for him to "disappear" from the farm in order to manage his other project? I don't think anybody mentioned anything about MT vanishing. Maybe some of his recruitment trips were to the west coast?) Or, John Schwegler points out, Remember the intricate setup that occurred on the way to the White Tower ... including the Shaido Aiel. Perhaps Demandred had a major hand in manipulating the Shaido, and orchestrating a scenario that puts Rand at odds with the rest of the Aes Sedai(White Tower & Salidar). Neither Egwene nor Elaida will be pleased to hear that Rand made their Aes Sedai swear allegiance. Or, this could also have been a set up wrt "Let the LOC Rule"--it got the AS to swear allegiance to him, plus it probably helped MT gain some favor in Rand's eyes. 7) MT kills the Gray Man. If he hadn't, Rand might have gotten information out of it. Alternatively, it could've been a set-up, since MT gates in oh-so-conveniently just in time to waste the Gray man. ANSWER: Doubtful Rand could get much information from a Gray Man. The Gray Men have no souls--they're basicly walking killing machines. They probably have some sort of self- destruct mechanism, too. Jared Samet remarks: "If I were designing a perfect assassin, I'd set him up so that he could never point the finger at me. Remember, the Gray Man who comes after Nynaeve in the Tower has a knife in him the moment they find him. Besides, the gray Man could only tell Rand anything damaging to MT if Demandred had sent him (possible I suppose, but why can't Demandred do it himself if thats what the DO wants?) A Gray Man with a story implicating Sammael or some other Forsaken (easy enough for a channeler to set up) could help MT more than a dead one." As for how conveniently MT showed up, recall that strange and oddly convenient things happen around Rand all the time. 8) MT's remark on "These so-called Aiel". If he hadn't been around in the AoL, why are they "so-called"? <LoC: 11, Lessons and Teachers, 215> ANSWER: Well, if Taim knew the old tongue, he might be simply saying that he doubts the Aiel are truly "dedicated" to Rand. (weak, I know, but I couldn't think of anything better.) William Smit says, "Lanfear, who was in the AoL, never doubts that the Aiel are the same Aiel, she only says "So different than they once were", so I doubt that Demandred would claim the Aiel were only "so-called"" Then again, it could just be a turn of phrase. Another possible explanation is that, if Taim is about 35, which seems reasonable, then he was alive for the Aiel War, although probably too young to go east to fight. He probably heard tales about Aiel--10 feet tall, breathing fire, &c. Here he sees some in Caemlyn peacefully patrolling the streets. Not what an average wetlander would expect of Savages From the Waste. 9) MT is very strong in the Power. Forsaken-class, even (almost as strong as Rand himself) <LoC: 3, A Woman's Eyes, 92> ANSWER: The real Taim was thought to be very strong. <TSR: 5, Questioners, 85> Just because he's strong doesn't mean he's evil. Nynaeve is Forsaken-class, but she's on the Good Guys' side. 10) In the prologue, it is said that Demandred never smiles <LoC: Prologue, The First Message, 15>, <LoC: Prologue, The First Message, 58>. MT doesn't either - at the end of LoC, before "Kneel, or you will be knelt", Rand says something like "His expression was as close to a smile as he had ever seen it."<LoC: 55, Dumai's Wells, 695> ANSWER: Once again, it could just be that Taim and Demandred have similar personalities. 11) Min's viewing of an invisible man holding a knife to Rand's throat. This could indicate that Demandred is the "serpent in the bosom," masquerading as Taim. ANSWER: This could be the Gray Man, as Rand thinks. Or, it could still be MT, who is not to be trusted, even if he isn't Demandred. 12) LTT says to Rand, (approx. wording), "Yes, we should kill Sammael. But Demandred first, then Sammael." <LoC: 51, The Taking, 635> LTT and Rand know where Sammael is. But how does LTT propose to go about killing Demandred if he doesn't know where he is? Therefore, they _do_ know where Demandred is; i.e., he's MT. (Dash W.) ANSWER: I wouldn't take anything LTT says too seriously. He wants to die forever and end his suffering<LoC: 18, A Taste of Solitude, 299>, but he doesn't want to die <LoC: 46, Beyond the Gate, 560>. He says "trust no one" and "the man who doesn't trust is dead" or words to that effect. LTT could be confusing Taim and Demandred. 13) Bill Garrett says: Something that should maybe be added as a separate point is MT's whole challenge/submit behavior. He'll argue with Rand about something, telling him it has to be done another way, then suddenly he'll agree and say "As my Lord Dragon commands." I think it's Demandred trying to do things _his_ way, but suddenly remembering the Dark One's orders to do what Rand says. And MT sometimes disobeys Rand and frequently does things Rand doesn't expect, as with the Asha'man. ANSWER: How is this different from the way the Tairen lords behaved? Or the Andoran nobility? Or Davram Bashere? Hell, even the Aiel tend to do this. Everybody tries to convince Rand to do things their way, but when you get right down to it, he's going to do as he damn well pleases, and all you can say is "As my Lord Dragon commands." Another possibility, which hasn't been debated as fully, is that Demandred was always Taim. I don't know if the time scale is right, and there are other problems wrt his capture by the AS, etc. Yet another question which has been discussed is that Osan'gar is Taim. 1.62.......................................................WHO IS MESAANA? <Tony Zbaraschuck, Marc Zappala, Pam Korda) In LOC, we find out that Mesaana is hiding out in the White Tower <LoC: 6, Threads Woven of Shadow, 138>. Naturally, this begs the question of _who_ she is. Some folks think that she has taken the Rahvin/Sammael/Be'lal/Graendal route, and is posing as a high-ranking AS in the Tower. The two most-often-mentioned candidates are Galina (the head of the Red Ajah, and the one involved w/capturing Rand) and Alviarin (Elaida's Keeper of the Chronicles). The reason for these guesses seem to be, in Alviarin's case, that she is in an important position, and thus ideal for controlling the Tower. This reasoning applies in Galina's place, also, and there is the additional point that she somehow managed to escape capture at Dumai's Wells <LoC: 55, Dumai's Wells, 690-695>. However, there is much evidence against Mesaana being either of these two. 1. None of the Forsaken (except possibly Demandred) have copied an already- prominent identity. Rather, they take a little-known or unknown-identity and then promote themselves rapidly. This is probably because supplanting someone is _not_ easy, requiring as it does almost a total control of oneself, and the ability to copy the tiniest habits. Especially in the Tower, where Aes Sedai can doubtless read meaning in the tilt of an eyebrow or the tapping of a finger. And the head of the Red Ajah would be someone well-known to a lot of Reds, and Alviarin was also an influential White (she convinced her Ajah to side with Elaida). No real easy way to replace either one. (Admittedly, Mesaana could just be a very good actress, but there wasn't really any need for it because of point #4.) 2. The real clincher: we have a Galina POV episode late in the book, where (among other things) she thinks that Min might be a useful tool to "net Elaida like a swallow"; "caging [Elaida] would surely weaken Alviarin." <LoC: 53, The Feast of Lights, 660>. Mesaana doesn't need any tool to pull down Alviarin; Mesaana can just say, "Call me Great Mistress," and Alviarin would be on her knees rather rapidly (or be taught why doing so was a good idea -- compare with Moghedien revealing herself to the Black Ajah in TFoH.) 3. As for Alviarin, when Fain tried to steal the dagger she caught him and asked him "Did one of the For- Chosen send you?" <TFoH: 19, 368, Memories, 260> No Forsaken would use the term Forsaken instead of Chosen. And if she WERE Mesaana, she wouldn't just let him go methinks. The DO wants Fain's hide. (Recall Slayer's original mission in the Two Rivers--to slay Fain.) 4. From <TSR: 5, 115, Questioners, 82>, we know the way the BA is run: "Before we left the Tower, I knew only Liandrin, Chesmal and Rianna. No one knew more than two or three others, I think." [Amico being questioned by Nynaeve and Egwene.] From this huge amount of secrecy, we can see that it is possible for somebody to run the BA from any position within the Tower. Mesaana (who does seem to be pulling strings there, since it is implied the capturing-Rand-and-bringing-him-to-the-Tower plot was her plan to get her hands on the Dragon Reborn <LoC: Prologue, The First Message, 58>.) could be anybody, an AS, or an Accepted, or a novice, or a maid. Since it would be much easier to pose as a new student or a servant, instead of impersonating somebody else, and possibly being caught out. As an additional idea, it has been suggested that Tarna, the Red emissary to Salidar is Mesaana in disguise. Not a lot of evidence for this, except that in the chapter where Tarna talks to Ny & El <LoC: 13, Under the Dust, 232> the chapter icon is the Forsaken icon, and there is no other obvious candidate in there to be Forsaken. Of course, the chapter icons don't always apply 100%, but every other chapter in LOC with that icon has a Forsaken in [Not exactly: <LoC: 24, Am Embassy, 350> has only Sammael's emissary to Rand.]. Tarna is good friends with Galina <LoC: 13, Under the Dust, 237>, a known BA and head of the Red Ajah, so this could be an extensive way to control the Tower with a Red Amyrlin. There is evidence against this, too--why would Mesaana run her own errands? The problem of a previous history raises its head, here, too. 1.63...............................IS LTT FOR REAL, OR IS RAND INSANE? <Carolyn Fusinato, korda> So, Rand is hearing voices. Is Lews Therin a real entity, or is he a product of Rand's taint-maddened imagination? OPTION ONE: Two minds inhabit Rand's body; Rand and LTT. Implies that Rand is relatively sane still and his problems can be attributed to stress, paranoia, fear and another mind trying to take him over and that Lews is completely insane. However, it doesn't make much sense for LTT to be talking to Rand. If we look at the other people who have lived past lives, we don't see this happenning. Mat's memories of his past life/lives are integrated into his own personality. Same with Birgitte--she doesn't talk to "Marion," she says she was once called Marion. If LTT _is_ a seperate entity, it could imply that Rand is just some poor sod who happened to be born into the same body that LTT was reborn into, and that not Rand, but LTT is the actual Dragon Reborn. OTOH, it was _Rand_ who pulled the Sword that Ain't, not LTT; he hadn't even shown up then. There is only one case in which we definitely know that two entities coexist in one body: Ordeith. However, this wasn't a rebirth. This theory also neglects to explain the fact that there is no manifestation of LTT prior to Rand channeling. OPTION TWO-- b) The LTT personality is the manifestation of Rand's encroaching insanity. "...everybody has been telling him he is Lews Therin reborn, so he starts perceiving Lews Therin is in his head. Not only that, but he finds the voice responds to him. Now he's trying to carry on conversations with this voice. It all seems logical to us, but then it seems logical (sort of) to Rand, as well. I found myself thinking he should tell somebody he was hearing a voice in his head. When I thought how absurd this sounded, it struck me that I had been fooled into thinking Rand was still completely sane." (James Beavens, beavenj@holmes.ece.orst.edu) Then, there is also, "He raised the point that Rand's creeping insanity may manifest in much more subtle ways than the people of Randland expect..." (from Emmet O'Brien's account of Jordan's talk at Trinity College in Dublin) This doesn't take into account that "LTT" knows things that Rand could never have known on his own--stuff about the AoL, &c. Possibly, Rand's taint-maddened subconscious could be constructing the LTT voice out of past life memories like Mat's. That is to say, the memories and knowledge expressed by LTT are real effects of being somebody Reborn, but the LTT voice is not, Rand has multiple personality disorder. 1.64................................."BINDING"? WHAT'S THAT ALL ABOUT? <Summarized by Daniel L. Rouk, edited by Pam Korda> To fully illustrate the argument that binding refers to the Oath Rod, check Graendal and Sammael's conversation. Graendal is showing off her Shara rulers. While discussing the Shara channelers, Sammael asks her if they 'bind themselves like criminals'. <LoC: 6, Threads Woven of Shadow, 136> Sammael thinks he's revealing something Graendal didn't know, but she thinks about how she found out from Mesaana <LoC: 6, Threads Woven of Shadow, 138>. We find out Mesaana is in the White Tower. The only 'binding' that we know about that occurs in the White Tower is the bonds willingly taken by Aes Sedai via the Oath Rod. [Not so: it could also refer to the AS/Warder bonding.] Next scene: <LoC: 6, Threads Woven of Shadow, 139-143> Semirhage is torturing the Aes Sedai, and thinking on how she was 'wronged' because the Age of Legends Servants didn't understand why she gave a little pain with her healing. After all, nobody complained when they owed their life to her. She recollects that she was given two choices, to be severed, or to accept binding. The actual quote is "to be bound never to know her pleasures again, and with that binding be able to see the end of life approach," This illustrates that 'binding' is in fact as Sammael said, something done to criminals. From these two scenes we can pretty well conclude that the Oath Rod was, in fact a tool to restrict criminals. Other aspects of the Oath Rod, such as if it is one of the mythical Nine Rods of Dominion, are not answered. If the Oath Rod is simply a punishment device then my opinion is that it is not a Dominion Rod, and that these are something else. The second half of Semirhage's comment, "and with that binding be able to see the end of life approach," has been interpreted by some to mean that swearing an oath on the Oath Rod somehow causes one's lifespan to be shortened, and this is why AoL AS lived longer than modern AS. Another thing quoted in support of this theory is the Aiel WO who is said to have died at age 300 of a snake bite, but looked quite young still. <LoC: 15, A Pile of Sand, 262> These two things are not really enough to justify this theory. _Everybody_ in the AoL lived longer--possibly something to do with the Tree of Life, or it could simply be that there was better medical care, etc in the AoL. There has never been any evidence that WOs or Seafolk Windfinders (who haven't sworn the Oaths) live an inordinately long time, or that the BA live longer than non-Black AS, or even that ordinary AS live so much shorter than one would expect. In fact, AS live longer than your average Joe. 1.65......................WHY DID SAMMAEL CLAIM HE HAD A TRUCE W/ RAND? <Carolyn Fusinato> 1) Andris died in a pool of blood, delivering the message to Sammael that there would be no truce and Sammael lied to Graendal. Why would Sammael lie? All the Forsaken want to be Nae'blis. All the Forsaken think that Rand stands a chance at becoming Nae'blis if he caves to the Dark One. Therefore, all the Forsaken want Rand dead. The Dark One, on the other hand, most explicitly does _not_ want Rand dead. He will punish any Forsaken who kills Rand. Therefore, all the Forsaken want to make the other Forsaken paranoid enough to bump Rand off on their own. This eliminates _two_ contenders to the title of Nae'blis--Rand, and whichever idiot kills him. (John Novak, jsn@cegt201.bradley.edu) 2) Andris died in a pool of blood, delivering the message to Sammael that there would be a truce because someone else intervened to put Sammael off his guard while Rand readies his counter-stroke from Tear and the Plains of Maredo. Someone who knew that Sammael's emissary was meeting with Rand at that moment. Who was present? Bashere, a Saldaean named Hamad, some Aiel, and -- hiding behind a column -- Aviendha. (Don Harlow, donh@netcom.com) CON-Rand should have been able to feel another man channeling or have experienced goosebumps if Aviendha channeled, and Sammael's thoughts about manipulating Graendal <LOC: 23, To Understand A Message, 349> don't make sense if he isn't lying. 1.66............................................Did LTT Balefire himself? <Emmet O'Brien, Korda> No. He died by ODing on the One Power. RJ said so at the talk he gave in Dublin in November 1993. Plus, if he'd BF'd himself, his soul wouldn't be available for reincarnation, a la Rahvin, I guess. 1.67..............................................HOW TALL IS EVERYONE? <Erica "nonentity" Sadun, book signing, 10/94> Rand--6'5"-6'6". Perrin--6'2". Mat 5'11". Aviendha 5'8"-5'9". Elayne 5'6". Nynaeve 5'4". Egwene 5'2". Moiraine 5'0-5'2". 1.68.................................WHERE DID ARTUR HAWKWING COME FROM? <Emma Pease, John Novak> Artur Hawkwing might have originated in Tear. (Or at least in the area presently known as Tear.) Why? 1. The symbol of Tear is three crescent moons. A symbol of the Seanchan (descendents of Hawkwing's armies) is nine moons. 2. Artur hated Aes Sedai. The rulers of Tear hate Aes Sedai. Not much as a fair number of people do but Tear has a law against channelling which is more than any country except Amadicea. 3. Tear had a king before Artur but doesn't after. Perhaps they chose no king because no king could live up to what Artur did. 4. The Mayene firsts claim to be descendants of Artur. Perhaps a bit of a stretch but Mayene may have been part of Artur's original lands and after his death his surviving heirs retreated to it (as a place where they had many supporters) and split off from Tear. Hence one of the reasons the Tairan high lords are so intent on regaining Mayene is that they consider it part of Tear. We know that Mayene did not exist as a separate country before the 100 years war. 4. Tear has never fallen yet Artur ruled all the land between the sea and the spine. One way would be if he ruled Tear not by conquest but by right of birth or election if the Tairan high lords elected a king from among their numbers just as lords of the land were raised to be high lords when a high lord died. Note also that Seanchan were also promoted to being lords without necessarily a blood right. 5. Tear and Seanchan are the only countries who use the title "High Lord." 2.0============================TRIVIAL PURSUITS============================= Diverse references, sources, allusions, parallels, etc... Robert Jordan says: "There are elements from Norse, Chinese, Japanese, and American Indian mythologies, to name just a few. I think it adds resonance to the story, although I've taken great care not to follow the older material in any slavish way. Occasionally, I will add in details here or there, and then discover that I have done something that is absolutely authentic to the myth I was working from." <From Waldenbooks 'zine _Hailing Frequencies_, issue #4, reported by Edmund Wong> 2.1..................................................ARTHUR & THE HOLY GRAIL * Moiraine = Morgaine/Morgan De Fay * Morgase = Morgause * Tigraine = Ygrainne * Egwene = Guinevere * Artur = Arthur * Callandor = Sword in stone * Galad = Galahad _or_ Mordred * Gawyn = Gawain * Green Man = Green Knight or Green Man (worshiped by Celts) * Sa'angreal = San Greal (Holy Grail) or Sang Real (Holy Blood). * Wound in side = Fisher King (via Bible) * Nynaeve = Nyneve/Vivian (Nemesis of Merlin) * Perrin = Parcival * Merrilin = Merlin * Lan = Lancelot * Damodred = Mordred * Elayne = ?Elaine? (Lancelot's Wife) * Luthair Paendrag = Uther Pendragon (Now Artur's son vs. his Father) * Tar Valon = Avalon * Elyas, Aram, and Demandred's names are all similar to names of Arthurian knights, but I do not remember the actual names. Min's vision of Rand's funeral bier: In the Arthur legend (or at least the version I've read) Arthur is severely wounded and on his deathbed and Bedivere witnesses his being taken away on a funeral boat and ferried to Avalon to await the time when he is needed again. The only others on the ship are three women: 1)Arthur's half-sister Morgan Le Fay (the sorceress) 2)The Queen of North Galys 3) The Queen of the Waste Land. It is doubtful that RJ means for Rand's women to mirror Arthur exactly. It is probable that the women will be Elayne, Min, and Aviendha. Add to this the visions in LOC involving 3 women & (probably) Rand on a boat. And, of course, the fabulous Sword in the Stone 2.2...........................................................TROLLOC TRIBES <TEotW: Glossary, 798, entry "Trollocs", 668> Ahf'frait=Afrits, Bhan'sheen=Banshees, Dha'vol=Devils, Dhai'mon=Demons, Dhjin'nen=Djinns, Ghar'ghael=Gargoyles, Ghob'hlin=Goblins, Gho'hlem=Golems, Ghraem'lan=Gremlins, Ko'bal=Kobolds, Kno-gmon=Gnomes Al'ghol=Ghouls. 2.3.............................................................FUTURE EARTH Survey Says: Is Jordan's world under the Wheel our future earth? Yes: 52 No: 28 "Time is a wheel. If you look in one direction, you are looking at the past. If you just turn around and look in the other direction, you are looking at the future. The books are set in our future _and_ in our past, depending on which way you look..."<RJ, second America On-line conference, 10/20/94> <TEotW: 4, 51, The Gleeman, 43> John Glenn: "Tell us about Lenn," Egwene called. "How he flew to the moon in the belly of an eagle made of fire. Tell about his daughter Salya walking among the stars." (Eagle has landed.../Lenn may be a merger of LEM (lunar module) and Glenn) Salya: Salyut (Russian for star) OR Sally Ride Moscow, ICBMS: Mosk the Giant, with his Lance of Fire that could reach around the world. America: Merk the other giant. Queen Elizabeth: Alsbet, queen of all. (Remains of British Empire/Commonwealth?) Mother Theresa: Materese the Healer, Mother of the Wondrous Ind Anne Landers: Anla, the wise counselor? <TSR: 24, 396, Rhuidean, 277> Gautama Buddha: Ghoetam under the tree of life <TSR: 11, 209, What Lies Hidden, 146-7> In Tanchico Museum at the Panarch's Palace: 1. Stylized Three-Pointed Triangle (reeking of greed & pride) --Mercedes Benz logo 2. Skeletons of Giraffe and Elephant <TGH: 49, 678, What Was Meant To Be, 574> Loial is reading 'To Sail Beyond the Sunset' <TGH: 47, 660, The Grave Is No Bar to My Call, 559> "Michael instead of Mikel. Patrick instead of Paedrig. Oscar instead of Otarin." St. Michael and St. Patrick? I don't know of a St. Oscar. <TEotW: 24, 357, Flight Down the Arinelle, 300> Bayle Domon mentions a "mountain hollowed into a bowl, and in its center, a silver spike a hundred spans high, and any who comes within a mile of it, dies." This could possibly be a big radio telescope, or maybe the Age of Legends equivalent. 2.4......................................................CHRISTIAN PARALLELS (Compare) the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve clans of the Aiel. In fact, Jordan mentions that there is (maybe) a thirteenth clan. This clan is credited with building Rhuidean -- the holy place (temple if you will) of the Aiel. The Israelites also had a people charged with taking care of the Ark of the Covenant as well as the religious ceremonies within the temple (especially within the Holy of Holies) and those people were the Levites. A tribe not counted among the twelve, so in effect a thirteenth tribe also. Craig Levin points out that the Levites are counted in the 12 Tribes. It's just that Joseph's descendants split into 2 tribes later on, and the Levites don't get land, it is our job (theoretically) to care for the Lord's Temple and other altars across Israel. Which is even better, since there was the Jenn/other Aiel split, and the Jenns' job was to take care of Rhuidean/the temple. Rebirth/Reborn notion of the Savior. (Although this savior is going to do major damage before defeating the evil one). The blood of the lamb versus Rand's blood on the rocks of Shayol Ghul.Wound in the side a la the Cross. Sea Folk saying Aes Sedai would wash Dragon's feet with their hair Masema = Saul/Paul: Anti-Rand to rabidly pro-Rand. Also, Masema = John the Baptist--the "voice crying out in the wilderness" proclaiming the coming of the savior and all that. Seven Seals = Seven Seals of Solomon? (revelation) "Peace be on you always," Elyas replied, "and on all the People." He hesitated, then added, "I will find the song, or another will find the song, but the song will be sung, this year or in a year to come. As it once was so shall it be again, world without end."..."Peace be on you," Elyas said. "And on you," Raen said sadly. <TEotW: 27, 412, Shelter from the Storm, 346> The former reminds me of the Catholic (maybe Christian in general - I'm not sure) prayer called the Glory Be. It goes: "Glory be to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen." The latter quotes are reminiscent of the closing of a Catholic Mass, where the priest pronounces "Peace be with you" and the people respond "And also with you."<J.Vessey> At Easter mass this past spring, I saw an adult baptized for the first time in the Catholic faith. They get the person to kneel, pour water over their head, and say something like "Now you are sealed". I don't recall the exact words, but "sealed" was in it for sure and I recall thinking Jordan must be Catholic. Sounds a lot like becoming Accepted to me.<Judy G.> In <TGH: 26, 387, Discord, 326> we have the prophecy: "twice dawns the day when his blood is shed. once for mourning, once for rebirth." This is very similar to the darkening of the sun when Christ is crucified: from <Luke 23, verse 44-5>: "And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst."<Pam Korda> <Zach Simpson> Matthew 10:34-36 (TEV) "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the world. No I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. I came to set sons against their fathers, daughters against their mothers......a man's worst enemies will be the members of his own family." cf: TFOH tailer prophecy: "And what was once did come again--in fire and in storm splitting all in twain. For his peace...was the peace...of the sword. In LOC, some of the rumors about Rand say that he was born of a woman touched by no man <LoC: 2, A New Arrival, 78>. 2.5.............................................................RANDOM NAMES Ba'alzamon = Ba'al or Baelzebub Sammael = Either a member of Lucifer's host, or another name for Lucifer himself (depending on one's source) Graendal = Grendal from Beowulf Rahvin = Raven harbinger of evil (Native American Loki figure?) Lanfear = French l'enfer--name for hell. Shai... . = (well you KNOW who this is) : Satan [Will Baird notes:Shai...is the Muslim name for Satan literally.] Be'lal = Belial, Biblical demon, Old Testament Asmodean = Asmodeus, Biblical demon, Old Testament Tarmon Gai'don = Armageddon, Book of Apocalypse Paaren Disen = Paradise, Biblical Genesis Wild Hunt = Wild Hunt, of Christian or Celtic legend Bel Tine = Beltane, a Druidic holiday Shayol Ghul = Sheol, Hebrew for hell; Ghul->Gol or Gul, Arabic for Demon. Semirhage = Legendary Assyrian queen Semiramis, noted for her depravity (see Herodotus) [thanks Tony Z!] LTT/Lord of The Morning = Lucifer--the morning star? Myrdraal = ?Murder All? Lothair Mantelar = (Founder of Children of Light)= ?MARTIN LUTHER? Aginor = "Recently, a friend of mine had to read the _Iliad_. (Homer's story of the Trojan War) In Book 21, a character named Agenor attacks Hektor, and is defeated. Not much is said about him (Agenor) other than that he is "blameless and powerful", and knew that Hektor was stronger than he was. He attacked anyway, figuring that while Hektor was much more combat-capable, Agenor had the gods on his side, not to mention the fact that even the powerful make mistakes. In a few minutes, Hektor defeats Agenor, and Apollo surrounds the loser "in a thick mist", and transports him back to Troy. Some interesting parallels between this an TEotW's final battle: Both Aginors knew that his opponent was more powerful Both were full of pride Both attacked anyway." <Mike O'Malley> Birgitte = Brigit/Brigid, Celtic goddess of fire, poetry, smithing, and/or healing. Ishamael = Ishmael: In Genesis, Abraham's eldest son (to an Egyptian serving girl Hagar) was called Ishmael. Apparently Abraham's wife took a disliking to young Ishmael and pressured Big Abe into exiling Ish and Hagar into the desert. There is a quote about "every hand raised against him" some-where but I can't remember it. Mesaana = Possibly from Messalina, the notorious third wife of Tiberius Cladius Drusus Nero Germanicus, Emperor of Rome. Selene = Selena, a Roman or Greek goddess of the moon. (Hence the icon) 2.6...........................................................DRAGON LEGENDS <Randy Cerveny> Taken from Man, Myth and Magic (volume 5, pages 693-4): "The most striking of these is that the dragon in China is not, as in the West, a representative or symbol of the powers of evil. On the contrary, according to the old Chinese Book of Rites, the dragon as the chief of all scaly animals is one of the four benevolent spiritual animals. This reflects the general principle stated by Jung that 'every psychological extreme secretly contains its own opposite,' which is expressed in Chinese thought through the classical doctrine of Yang and Tin. That this principle underlies the dragon's transformation into a beneficent being is confirmed by Wang Fu's statement that the dragon's scales number 117, of which 81 are imbued with Yang and 36 with Yin, because the dragon is partly a preserver and partly a destroyer. Yang is also the male element and, as its representative, the dragon also became at an early period a symbol of the Emperor, and appeared on the Chinese flag. During the Manchu dynasty, the dragon was held in especial esteem, and everything used by the Emperor was described in terms of it: there was the dragon throne, dragon bed and so on. "Although Chinese dragons appeared at favorable moments to presage periods of prosperity, and had been known to emit foam which had supernatural powers of fertilization, they could also, when offended or disturbed, cause a drought by gathering up all the water of a district in baskets, or they could eclipse the sun. To propitiate them, the Chinese flew dragon kites, especially at the mumming parade in the New Year." 2.7..........................................................NORSE MYTHOLOGY <Greg Wheatley, Chad Orzel, Jonathan Vessey, Erica Sadun, Pam Korda> 1) MAT & ODIN: Has anybody failed to notice that Mat is being set up as Odin, complete with wide brimmed hat, a spear with ravens drawn on it which are named "Thought" and "Memory", coincidentally enough the names of Odin's ravens and will in the future almost certainly lose an eye? Also, it seems to me there was a Norse myth involving Odin agreeing to be hung from Yggdrasil (or some other unpronounceable Norse thing like that) in order to gain wisdom or power or both (he really went in for this self-sacrifice thing...)- a definite parallel to Mat being hung from the Tree o' Life in Rhuidean. 2) MIDGARD SERPENT: wound around the roots of above tree, often envisioned as a symbol of eternity--a large serpent swallowing its own tail. Sound like any famous Aes Sedai jewelry we know? 3) HEIMDALL'S HORN: Heimdall's job was to guard the Rainbow bridge into Asgard against the Giants. During the Last Battle (Ragnarok), he was to blow the horn to signal the arrayed gods and _dead heroes_ that it was time to fight. cf. Horn of Valere. Granted, there are differences - the Heroes are bound to the Horn and not to a specific cause,and they live in T'A'R rather than the afterlife as such (where they'd fight all day, cutting each other to pieces, then get healed at day's end. Always got a kick out of that - sounds like a real heavenly afterlife to me), but the concept of dead heroes waiting around for the final battle stays the same 4) BAD GUY UNDER THE MOUNTAIN: Here is the origin of the archetypical Evil Dude Imprisoned in a Mountain. Loki, the Norse "Evil God," (more properly the god of chaos, but he was the antagonist of the other gods) was chained up in a cave after he killed the god Baldur.The legend was that he would escape or be freed just before Ragnarok. 5) PERRIN = THOR?? Is it just coincidence that Perrin is impressively muscled and has a big hammer, just like a certain Norse god of thunder? 6) RAND = TEW/Tyr: Tew was a Norse god of war and of justice. This is a parallel with Rand bringing strife to Randland, and with his concurrent attempts to rule justly and by the rule of law. Tew's arm was snarfled off by the monstrous wolf Fenri (Perrin?) when the gods chained him. (The gods thus defeated one of their greatest enemies, at the loss of one of their greatest assets, Tew's right (fighting) hand.) More evidence for Rand losing a hand. RJ said at a signing in Atlanta that he deliberately made Mat like Odin and Rand like Tew/Chew. 2.8........................................................STEDDING & CHINA The Ogier seem to have named their stedding after places in China: Shangtai = Shanghai, or Taishan (one of the sacred mountains) backwards. Cantoine = Canton (But "Canton" is not really "Canton" -- it's "Guangzhou".) Taijing = Beijing, or some combination of any number of places whose names start with Tai (Taishan -- see above -- Taiyuan, etc.) and any number of capitols/ former capitols (Beijing, Nanjing ...) (Above two stedding mentioned in <TGH: 36, 520, Among the Elders, 439> Tsofu = An unfortunate tasteless high protein food? 2.9.....................................................NATIVE AMERICAN STUFF <Emmet O'brien> Wolfbrother--partly derived from the Coyote trickster/hero figure, of whom both Mat & Perrin reflect aspects. The history of the da'shain Aiel is based on the history of the Cheyenne Indians during their several-generation migration from east of the Great Lakes to the Rocky Mountains -- a period in which every man's hand was raised against them. Similarity between words 'shain' and 'Cheyenne' noted by me after hearing this.<Don Harlow at a signing> 2.10.................................................MISCELLANEOUS REFERENCES 1) Birgitte in Conversation: Maerion: Maid Marion Mathena: Athena/Artemis Zheres: Teiresias? Orion? Actually, it was the goddess Artemis who turned the hunter into a stag so he would be killed by his dogs, after he saw her bathing. Athena was also surprised by Teiresias while bathing, but she blinded him and gave him the gift of second sight in return. 2) Birgitte's silver bow seems straight out of Greek Mythology. Artemis had a silver bow, to match her brother Apollo's golden one. 3) Sammael == Napoleon? Sammael is described as a great militarist. He is short. His symbol is the golden bee, same as Napoleon. 4) Fisher King--a king in the legend of Parsival who had an unhealable wound corresponding to the woes of his land. cf Rand's side wound which is not Healable. 5) Yin-Yang symbol/Ancient Aes Sedai symbol--He also spoke for quite some time on the splitting of the One Power into male and female halves, and on the disharmony produced when they don't work together.. this came across as one of the core elements in the origin of WoT. [ re: Yin/Yang - leaving out the little dots in the symbol is an intentional representation of the lack of harmony between male/female Power in RandLand] <Emmet O'Brien, Dublin talk, 11/93> 6) The sword forms: It's research (books, not doing), and the forms come from Japanese swordfighting and some European fencing, before the advent of well-designed and well-made guns made swords obsolete. He mentioned one book in particular, but I can't remember the title. <matthew hunter at a signing, also mentioned by others> 7) Tolkien--The only deliberate connection between WoT and any other modern fantasy was giving the first 100-odd pages of TEotW a Lord of the Rings-esque flavor, to start people off in familiar territory." <from Dublin talk, Emmet O'Brein> 8) Wolf-brother--a moosh of various myths from Europe, Native Americans, and Australian Aborigines. <America OnLine conference, 10/94> 9) Stones/Go--The game of Stones is based on the Asian game Go. 10) Tower of Genjhei--There is a Japanese novel called _The_Tale_of_Genji_. It is generally considered the first piece of work which qualifies as a novel, as the genre is defined today. Note the name's similarity to the Tower of Genjhei in tWoT. It was written by Lady Murasaki Shikibu in the 11th century Japan. 4.0================================TIME-LINE================================ >>(Still) Under Construction<< >>Thank you for your patience<< >>maybe I'll get to it over Christmas Break<< 5.0==========================UNRESOLVED PLOT STUFF========================== <Jocelyn> Perhaps a list of all the plot threads currently being juggled would be a handy item to have in the FAQ, eh Pam? Help us keep up with things! :) okay, fine. here is a list of main plots under development, prophecies which have a direct bearing on them (for more prophecy, see the prophecy section.), certain unresolved questions, and other stuff that may occur, or may not. <from Tony Z.> I felt that the following might be interesting. It's an extraction of material from GEnie (posted with poster's permission), listing all the loose ends and so forth that still need to be tied up, ---begin extract---{edited at my discretion--Pam} {"Marcus says:"} * Mat & the Daughter of the 9 Moons. * The Seanchan return has been in the background for 3 books now. It's gotta come out in front sometime. * Perrin & Faile' marriage problems. * The Tower AS vs. the Salidar AS, and Rand getting them to swear to his side. * Masema the Prophet needs to attended to. * Morgase's adventures in the Fortress of the Light, and Pedron Niall's various plots and plans. * There are still Shaido wandering around loose that might end up on the Dark One's side. * Anti-Rand rebels in Tear/Cairhien. * The tinkers and the way of the leaf (poss including the rebirth of the Nym) {possible finding of the Song, Perrin choosing Hammer/Axe--Pam} * Berelain's mysterious man in white * Rand and Elayne, Min, & Aviendha * Lan and Nynaeve & Valan Luca * Egwene's relationship w/ Gawyn. * (possibly) Cleansing the taint * Birgitte and Gaidal Cain * The rest of the heroes of the horn, the horn itself * The Sea Folk and their Coramoor * A woman using the awful big sa'angreal * Callandor, and this unknown more powerful sa'angreal (for men) {possibly may not exist--Pam} ---- <don't have the name, here.> * Don't forget to add Bayle Domon and Egeanin speeding off to drop the sad bracelets in the ocean. --------- <Pam Korda> * is Verin Black? * what happened to Moiraine & Lanfear in A/Eelfland? * Who killed JoaR? (sorry, couldn't resist :) * Thom & the Red Ajah, and whatever else was in Moiraine's letter * Padan Fain/Mordeth/Ordeith * Moghedien * possible re-appearance of Liandrin * Perrin & Slayer * Perrin's wolf vs. human internal conflict (possibly related to hammer/axe), and possible re-appearance of Elyas Machera * Aram, The Tinker with the Sword * The destruction of the Aiel * The rest of the Forsaken: Mesaana, Semirhage, Demandred, Graendal, Sammael * Mazrim Taim, and his likely betraying of Rand. 6.0===========WHAT IS IT WITH THOSE STUPID DARRELL SWEET COVERS?============ <Roy Navarre, Thomas Petersen, John Hansen, Joe Shaw, Erica Sadun, Pam Korda, Don Harlow, etc.> Patrick Nielsen Hayden (pnh@panix.com) wrote: : Darrell Sweet is a careful reader and an intelligent man who skillfully : paints what his clients ask him to paint; please don't blame him for the : decisions of others. Well, who can we blame for the cover fiasco, then? :) -- Geoffrey Wiseman TEotW: THE GANG HEADS OFF TO TAREN FERRY 1. Moiraine the Midget and Moiraine's Horse the Dwarf Pony (The text refers to the lad being amazed at the sight of the huge horses (plural) ridden by Lan and Moiraine--the biggest he had ever seen. 2. Moiraine's dress is supposed to be a darker blue than her cloak. 3. Lan with a Mustache and Goatee? 4. Lan in Seanchan armor? Lan isn't wearing his color-fading cloak and instead is wearing plate mail. Lan should not be wearing plate mail. 5. Lan with TWO swords? 6. Moiraine is really UGLY and is wearing White eye shadow to boot - ugh! 7. Moiraine's hair is light brown--not dark. 8. All the horses are wearing ornamental bridles/saddles-what nonsense! 9. No saddle bags on any of the horses. 10.Everyone is wearing particularly STUPID clothing -- Rand with that weird Robin Hood collar, Moiraine in that awful blue cloak, Perrin's feather!?, etc. 11.Rand's face changes from the cover to the inside picture. 12.Egwene on the outside cover is blond. (Everyone except Rand from 2 rivers has dark hair, dark eyes). 13.The Draghkar is just a bat. 14.The moon is portrayed with far too many degrees of arc for the sky. 15.Thom (little itty bitty Thom) is wearing multicolored clothing but NOT a cloak! 16.Perrin's ax (see inside picture) is the wrong shape. (See the description in the first chapter: two/halfmoon-blade counterweighted). 17.Egwene's hair is wrong (should be braided), and so is Moiraine's (should be loose, not in that elaborate 'do). 18.There's an extra guy in the party! Who is that fellow way at the end? Jain Farstrider? {M. Hunter, at a signing reports: "The covers aren't as bad as we thought they were. The 'extra' character in TEotW really was in the book, but was cut out later, because he had too little to do. His parts were distributed out to the other characters, but they never got around to cutting him from the cover."> Timothy Bruening: On the front cover of tEotW, Moiraine is sitting crosslegged on a horse. How does she stay on? Patrick Nielsen Hayden: Remember all that glue we saved by not attaching the covers firmly enough? Well, it had to get used somewhere. TGH: RECAPTURING THE HORN 1. Rand (changing his face again) is way way too short and stocky. He is also wearing a really gaudy sword belt. His hair, for some reason has gotten a lot of body (perhaps all that Clairol) and seems almost curly,and it is not red. His clothes are totally wrong, too. The sword is supposed to be curved, as is the Shadar Logoth dagger. 2. Loial's ears are not hairy, way too large and Loial himself is only about four feet tall!. His boots are just awful: what if it rains? He'd walk around with about a gallon or four of extra water in the decorative birdbaths of those boots. 3. Selene (Lanfear) is wearing one of those dopey dresses -- this one with a ton of elastic banding. Do they have elastic in the third age or is this another lost art of the Age of Legends. She is not very good looking. 4. Assuming that this is the scene where Rand steals back the horn from Fain, (a) where is the sniffer? (b) why isn't the horn in a box? (c) where is the (big enormous) box? (d) why has Loial brought some pleasure reading for fighting off Trollocs (maybe its Dickens) (e) Why are the Trollocs humans with horns on their helmets? C'mon! (f) Why are Trollocs so short, well armed and well armored? (g) Isn't it the wrong time of night to have just gotten the horn back anyway? [John Hansen adds: This can only be the scene where Rand steals back the horn. When he and Loial arrive back at their camp, Rand sends Hurin off the "outcrop" to look at the activity down below. The horn is in a large ornate gold chest that is strapped to the saddle of Loial's huge fetlocked horse. Selene reaches up and opens the chest pushing the lid up and letting it fall open. On her tip-toes she reaches into the chest and Rand quickly reaches over her shoulder and lifts the horn out of the chest. It is full night and the moonlight glimmers on the horn (which looks like it was drawn correctly). No Trollocs are anywhere near at this point. After a moment Rand returns the horn to the chest and after further discussion about the curved dagger, he puts it in as well and closes the chest. So, the scene (if accurate) should have a large horse and a gold chest in it.] TDR : RAND PULLS THE SWORD FROM THE AIR 1. Rand (hair and face changed once AGAIN) is standing in the middle of a large hallway where Callandor hangs mid-air. Isn't this just a little inconvenient? What about dusting the sword or people wandering by every now and then? Don't you think it deserves a room or a niche of its own rather than hanging in the middle of the hallway?{Actually, this is right. It is described as hanging right in the middle of the Heart.--Pam} 2. Perrin (straight hair now, hair too light, held back in Rambo style but muscles correct) is holding yet ANOTHER ax -- this a little more correct. Mat in really sissy clothing and wrong hair is looking on as well. Pardon me, but weren't these guys doing something else when Rand was picking up the sword? Weren't Be'lal, Moiraine and Ba'alzamon on hand for the Young-Arthur imitation? 3. The Aiel here look pretty classy, but the buckler in the book is strictly leather and not this copper stuff. Also, this Aiel has black hair! C'mon: Perrin with light hair, Aiel with black hair and dark complexion? 4. On the very side of the book is a picture of I suppose Ba'alzamon. Boy is he ugly or what? And wearing that Blue and Purple hat? I wonder what he had to do to pick out something that matched his glowing teeth so well. Why would anyone's teeth glow? Too much fluoride? TSR : BREAKFAST AT RHUIDEAN 1. Rand's now wearing Perrin's headband and has tied his jacket to his shoulder. Boy that must be uncomfortable! And must keep those orthopedic and reconstructive surgeons real busy. He is again really way too short. 2. Mat has picked up archery again along with a different face. Archery? 3. The peddlers seem to have stolen a tinker wagon. 4. Who's the ugly babe making dinner? Aviendha? Wrong hair. Who else would wear a dress? A blue dress? NO! SAY IT ISN'T MOIRAINE!?!!!! Cooking dinner for the Boys?! Sheesh. (It could be Isendre but she is way way way too ugly for that). Anyway, she looks like a monkey. 5. Who's that leather guy on the left of the wagon? Where did all that leather come from out there in the desert? And check out the toy Trolloc that someone has stuck in the rocks above Rand's right hand shoulder. TFOH: FUN IN THE SUN AT CAEMLYN Erica S: Well look at TSR. Mat & Rand seem to have switched roles again. At least Aviendha does look pretty pretty but her hair is way way too long. What's the DEAL with the foxhead. Only one eye please and about the size of the palm of the hand. Worn against the skin too so we're not seeing it. Rand is way too short and he's been at the Prell or VO5 again... Mat does NOT have red or reddish hair. EVERYONE (except Rand) from 2-rivers has dark eyes, dark hair. Why are tricksters always supposed to have red hair? Does Mr.Sweet ever read a book? Pam K: Of course the cover art is truly awful; although Mr. Sweet finally got the coats right-ish. Rhuidean doesn't look TOO bad; and the Trollocs actually look beast-ish, as opposed to men-with-horns-on-their-helmets (TGH). but, all the people look goofy, esp. Mat w/ his Clint Eastwood hat. Ah well, I suppose I can take the paper bit off. Back to reading! Jenny Foss: What is that hat Mat is wearing? He looks like Crocodile Dundee. "That's not a spear! THIS is a spear!" LORD OF CHAOS--PASSION OF THE AES SEDAI I looked at the cover of LoC in Locus. I think it sucks. It looks like a romance novel. Passion of the _Aes Sedai_, or _Untamed Aiel_ or something.<David Wren-Hardin> (1) The flying being in the upper right remains (a) a draghkar; (b) a pterodactyl; (c) Dracula (d) Seanchan flying-thing. I would vote for (a), but, given the influence of _Jurassic Park_ this past year, I would not reject (b) out of hand. {Note that whatever it was, it was _not_ in the depicted scene--pam} 2) From this picture, we can conclude that Rand (a) plays fullback for the New York Jets (the team that Flash Gordon quarterbacked); (b) suffers from a mild case of acromegaly, brought on (like hair on the palms and premature blindness) by adolescent channeling ("Look, ma, no hands!") inspired by too many reruns of _Weird Science_; (c) is the offspring of a marriage not of Tigraine and Janduin but of Richard Kiel and David Warner. (d) Has yet another face, this time it is the face of Andre the Giant. (3) The emblem on the back of the black cloak is obviously (a) a dragon having sex with the Daily Planet's world-globe; (b) a chapter icon, illegally copied by the Aiel and used on a commercial product (a cheap black cloak); (c) a mandala from _The Dao of Jordan_. (d) some sort of Deadhead sigil. (e) A Safeway symbol 4) The woman, one supposes, is one of the AS swearing an oath of fealty to Rand. However, she looks more like she is sniffing and calling him a wool-headed, hairy lummox of a man, thinking with the hair on his chest, than like she is swearing eternal obedience. 5) Looking at the cover, I felt the title should have been "The Green Ajah's Burning Desires" or something. The way those two are looking at each other I keep expecting to read about 'smoldering eyes' and 'throbbing loins' and whatnot.<Julie Kangas> It's not that. It's that Rand is posed like Elvis. Imagine a microphone is his right (clenched) hand, and you can just see him waggling his pelvis. His facial expression even looks like he just said "uh-huh". And Kiruna the Groupie is swooning over the King.<Keith Casner> 6) The back of the cover, however, is way cool, with all the dead guys and burned wagons. Kudos to Sweet for that one. Tor Should've put that one on front. ----- Tony Z: This whole cover art thing has been bothering me since I first lay eyes on the cover of TEotW. Darrell K. Sweet had always been my favorite cover artist! He's done covers for the Lord of the Rings (2 different editions, both which I liked), 2 editions of Thomas Covenant series (all 6), the second of which I thought were incredible; he's done all of Terry Brooks' stuff (I think--most of it anyway). My point is, what's with him? I can hardly tell it's by the same guy! Does anyone know anything about him, and why his work is degenerating so? For more groovy D.K.Sweet cover art, check out some Piers Anthony books, L. E. Modesitt 's "Recluse" books, some Barbara Hambly books, some Pratchett books (US editions), The Riddlemaster of Hed books, the man is everywhere! 7.0========================READERS GUIDE TO PROPHECY======================== 7.1..........................................................EGWENE'S DREAMS <TGH: 12, 213, Woven in the Pattern, 180> She saw Rand sleeping on the ground, wrapped in a cloak. A woman had been standing over him, looking down. Her face was in shadow, but her eyes seemed to shine like the moon, and Egwene had known she was evil. Then there was a flash of light, and they were gone. Both of them. And behind it all, almost like another thing altogether, was the feel of danger, as if a trap was just beginning to snap shut on an unsuspecting lamb, a trap with many jaws." <YES, this is where Lanfear takes Rand & Co into the Portal stone world in an attempt to bring Rand under her control> <TDR: 25, 290, Questions, 233-4> She had dreamed of Seanchan, too, of women in dresses with lightning bolts woven on their breasts, collaring a long line of women who wore Great Serpent rings, forcing them to call lightning against the White Tower.(NO) That had started her awake in a cold sweat, but that had to be just a nightmare, too. And the dream about Whitecloaks binding her father's hands. (YES--Master Al'Vere was powerless to act against the WCs until Perrin came along) <TDR: 25, 290, Questions, 234> There had been a dream of Rand, reaching for a sword that seemed to be made of crystal, never seeing the fine net dropping over him.(YES) And one of him kneeling in a chamber where a parched wind blew dust across the floor, and creatures like the one on the Dragon banner, but much smaller, floated on the wind, and settled into his skin.(YES) There had been a dream of him walking down into a great hole in a black mountain, a hole filled with a reddish glare as from vast fires below,(NO) and even a dream of him confronting Seanchan.(NO, at least not for the last time) <TDR: 25, 290-1, Questions, 234> Perrin with a falcon on his shoulder, and Perrin with a hawk. Only the hawk held a leash in her talons--Egwene was somehow convinced both the hawk and falcon were female--and the hawk was trying to fasten it around Perrin's neck.(YES, but maybe more to come) That made her shiver even now; she did not like dreams about leashes. And that dream of Perrin--with a beard! (YES)--leading a huge pack of wolves that stretched as far as the eye could see.(YES--@Dumai's wells, but probably not for the last time.) Those about Mat had been even nastier. Mat, placing his own left eye on a balance scale.(NO) Mat, hanging by his neck from a tree limb.(YES) There had been a dream of Mat and Seanchan too but she was willing to dismiss that as a nightmare.(NO) It had to have been just a nightmare. Just like the one about Mat speaking the Old Tongue.(YES) That had to come from what she had heard during his Healing. <TDR: 37, 423, Fires in Cairhien, 352-3> She had dreamed of Perrin with a wolf, and with a falcon, and a hawk -- and the hawk and falcon fighting(YES) -- of Perrin running from someone deadly,(SLAYER?) and Perrin stepping willingly over the edge of a towering cliff while saying, 'It must be done. I must learn to fly before I reach the bottom.'(Probably not, but may refer to him mastering his wolf-brotherhood, or being a battle commander) There had been one dream of an Aiel and she thought that had to do with Perrin too, but she was not sure.(YES) And a dream of Min, springing a steel trap but somehow walking through it without so much as seeing it.(YES--the Tower Coup) ... Mat with dice spinning 'round him ...(YES) Mat being followed by a man who was not there ... or maybe more than one, but in some way there was no one there(YES)... Mat riding desperately toward something unseen in the distance that he had to reach(YES-Going to save El/Eg/Ny in Tear), and Mat with a woman who seemed to be tossing fireworks about(YES-Aludra). An Illuminator, she assumed, but that made no more sense than anything else. Men and women breaking out of a cage, then putting on crowns.(YES-Forsaken) A woman playing with puppets, and another dream where the strings on puppets led to the hands of larger puppets, and their strings led to still greater puppets, on and on until the last strings vanished into unimaginable heights(probably just symbolic of the various degrees of manipulation going on). Kings dying, queens weeping, battles raging. Whitecloaks ravaging the Two Rivers(YES). She had even dreamed of the Seanchan again. <TDR: 48, 553, Following the Craft, 468-9> Perrin with a falcon on his shoulder(YES), choosing between ax and hammer(NO); A Whitecloak putting Master Luhhan in the middle of a huge, toothed trap for bait(YES); Mat dicing with the Dark One(YES), shouting "I am coming!" at her(YES); Rand sneaking through utter darkness toward Callandor, while all around him six men and five women walked, some hunting him and some ignoring him, some trying to guide him toward the shining crystal sword and some trying to stop him from reaching it, appearing not to know where he was, or only to see him in flashes(YES). One of the men had eyes of flame, and he wanted Rand dead with a desperation she could nearly taste; Rand in that dry, dusty chamber again, with those small creatures settling into his skin.(YES) <TDR: 48, 553, Following the Craft, 468-9> Rand confronting a horde of Seanchan.(NO) Rand confronting her, and the women with her, and one of *them* was a Seanchan.(NO, probably to come when Rand wants the Salidar AS to kneel to him.) <TSR: 11, 207, What Lies Hidden, 145> Rand as tall as a mountain, walking through cities, crushing buildings beneath his feet, with screaming people like ants fleeing from him.(Not literally, if symbolic, then in progress) Rand in chains, and it was he who was screaming.(Poss his capture & torture by the Tower AS) Rand building a wall with him on one side and her on the other, her and Elayne and others she could not make out. "It has to be done," he was saying as he piled up stones. "I'll not let you stop me now."(YES, Ongoing) ... Aiel fighting each other, killing each other, even throwing away their weapons and running as if they had gone mad(YES). Mat wrestling with a Seanchan woman who tied an invisible leash to him(NO). A wolf - [Perrin] - fighting a man whose face kept changing(YES). Galad wrapping himself in white as though putting on his own shroud(YES, but more to come?), and Gawyn with eyes full of pain and hatred.(Possibly refers to the Tower Coup, or thinking Rand killed Morgase) Her mother weeping. <TFoH: 15, 300-1, What Can Be Learned in Dreams, 214> Rand sitting down in a chair, and somehow she knew that the chair's owner would be murderously angry at having her chair taken (YES) ... Perrin, lounging with Faile on his lap, kissing her while she played with the short-cut beard that he wore in the dream. Behind them tow banners waved, a red wolf's head and a crimson eagle. A man in a bright yellow coat stood near to Perrin's shoulder, a sword strapped to his back; in some way she knew that he was a tinker, though no tinker would ever touch a sword. And every bit of it except the beard seemed important. The banners, Faile kissing Perrin, even the tinker. Every time he moved closer to Perrin it was if a chill of doom shot through everything. (NO) ... Mat throwing dice with blood streaming down his face, the wide brim of his hat pulled down low so she could not see his would(NO), while Thom Merrilin put his hand into a fire to draw out the small blue stone that now dangled on Moiraine's forehead. (NO) Or a dream of a storm, great dark clouds rolling without wind or rain while forked lightning bolts, every one identical, rent the earth. (probably The Battle of Cairhien) <LoC: 15, A Pile of Sand, 258> Twice, right on top of each other, she dreamed of taking [Gawyn] by the shoulders and trying to turn him to face the other way against his will. Once he brushed her hands away roughly; the other time she was somehow stronger than he. The two blended together hazily. {NO. Will Eg convince Gawyn to join her on Rand's side, or will he continue to hate Rand over the chaos he's brought to his life? Related to Min's viewing of Gawyn kneeling to Eg or breaking her neck.} In another, [Gawyn] began swinging a door closed on her, and she knew if that narrowing gap of light vanished, she was dead. {NO, again related to the above & Min's viewing--Gawyn has the power to destroy Eg, if he chooses not to join her.} <LoC: 15, A Pile of Sand, 258> Perrin came and stood before her, a wolf lying at his feet, a hawk and a falcon perched on his shoulders glaring at each other over his head. {YES, ongoing.} Seemingly unaware of them, he kept trying to throw away that axe of his until finally he ran, the axe floating through the air chasing him. {??? Perrin wants to give up the axe, but he cannot. We have yet to decide what the axe symbolizes in general. I think maybe the Lordly life Faile has planned for him, and the fighting inherent therein?} Again Perrin; he turned away from a Tinker and ran, faster and faster though she called for him to come back. {NO. Perrin and Aram's relationship doesn't seem to have degenerated so far.} <LoC: 15, A Pile of Sand, 258> Mat spoke words she almost understood - the Old Tongue, she thought{YES} - and two ravens alighted on his shoulders, claws sinking through his coat into the flesh beneath {NO?. probably has to do w/the Daughter of the 9 Moons and the Seanchan. For some reason, this vision calls to mind that Raven tattoos on the shoulders mean "Property of the Seanchan Empress."} He seemed no more aware of them that Perrin had been on the hawk and the falcon, yet the defiance passed across his face, and the grim acceptance. {??? Maybe the ravens refer to his spear, which he got on his trip to A/Eelfland, where he also became a battle-master, which he first fought, and has now accepted?} In another a woman, face shrouded in shadow, beckoned him toward great danger; Egwene did not know what, only that it was monstrous."{NO, I think. Is this woman the Daughter of the Nine Moons?} <LoC: 15, A Pile of Sand, 258> Several concerned Rand, not all bad, but all odd. Elayne, forcing him to his knees with one hand."{NO. Possibly concerning the throne of Andor, or being Bonded to her as a Warder?} Elayne and Min and Aviendha, sitting in a silent circle around him, each in turn reaching out to lay a hand on him." {??? They've all had their turns to "lay their hands on him." Elayne in Tear, Aviendha in Seanchan Igloo, Min in Caemlyn/Cairhien} Him walking toward a burning mountain, something crunching beneath his boots. She stirred and whimpered; the crunching things were the seals on the Dark One's prison, shattering with his every step." {NO. The Mountain is Shayol Ghul. The breaking of the Seals--has something to do with LTT wanting to break them, and Fel's note?} 7.2...........................................................MIN'S VIEWINGS <TEotW: 15, 215-6, Strangers and Friends, 181> *LAN: Seven ruined Towers/A babe in a cradle holding a sword(YES) *THOM: A man--not him--juggling fire/The White Tower(Uncertain. either of these could refer to his nephew Owyn, and the Tower could also represent future involvement with the AS) *MAT: A red eagle(YES)/A eye on a balance scale(NO)/ A dagger with a ruby(YES)/A horn(YES)/A laughing face(NO) *RAND A sword that isn't a sword (YES), A golden crown of laurel leaves (NO, But this is obviously the Laurel Crown of Illian), A beggars staff (NO), Him pouring water on sand(YES) Three woman standing over a funeral bier with him on it:(NO) A bloody hand and a white hot iron(NO) Black rock wet with blood:(NO) <TDR: 6, 99, The Hunt Begins, 62-3> and above. *PERRIN: A wolf(YES)/A broken crown(NO, but it has to do w/ his marriage to Faile. Maybe Faile is heir to the Saldaean throne?)/Trees flowering around him(Uncertain, poss. refers to Loial singing to the trees over Perrin's family's grave, or maybe he will find the Song)/ An Aielman in a cage(YES)/A Tuatha'an with a sword(YES)/ A falcon and a hawk, perching on his shoulders, both female.(YES) A darkness swirling around him.(Uncertain--poss. just meaning the shadow was chasing him, or maybe more specific--there are Darkfriends near to him? or maybe something else entirely) <TGH: 24, 362, New Friends and Old Enemies, 305> <TGH: 43, 605, A Plan, 511> *ELAYNE The Rose Crown of Andor(YES), A severed hand, not hers(NO), A red-hot iron and an ax.(NO) <TGH: 43, 605, A Plan, 511> *NYNAEVE: Man's ring of heavy gold.(YES, she has it, but no, she hasn't actually done anything with it besides carry it around.) <TGH: 24, 362, New Friends and Old Enemies, 305> *EGWENE A white flame(YES) Survey Says: Will Egwene be next Amyrlin? Yes: 30 No: 4 <TSR: 17, 284, Deceptions, 198> *LOGAIN A halo of gold and blue, signifying glory to come.(May have to do with being un-stilled, but I think there is more to this.) <TSR:1, 25, Seeds of Shadow, 21> <TSR: 47, 786-7, The Truth of a Viewing, 544> *GAWYN A heron marked sword, his or threatening(uncertain. Threatening could refer to fighting Hammar & Coulin in the Tower Coup)/ His banner with a field of green rather than white(YES-Younglings' banner)/ Either breaking Egwene's neck or kneeling to her(NO) <TSR: 1, 18-21, Seeds of Shadow, 16-23> *RANDOM AES SEDAI IN WHITE TOWER: A silver collar, similar to, or actually, a damane's.(NO) [also lots of death and suffering/bones etc.] <TFoH: 26, 446, Sallie Daera, 317> *SHERIAM: "Rays of silver and blue flashed about her fiery hair, and a soft golden light; Min could not say what it meant."(maybe has to do w/ her being Keeper?) <TFoH: 26, 447, Sallie Daera, 317> *CARLINYA: "a raven floating beside her dark hair; more of a drawing of the bird than the bird itself. She thought it was a tattoo..."(NO,) <TFoH: 26, 452, Sallie Daera, 320> *EDESINA: "[...] a silvery collar suddenly appeared, snug around the woman's neck, and as suddenly seemed to shatter. Min shivered. She did not like viewings connected to the Seanchan. At least Edesina would escape somehow."(NO, but Edesina is one of the AS sent to Tarabon, where the Seanchan are.) <TFoH: 28, 484, Trapped, 343> *SS/GARETH BRYNE: 'When Bryne came in, I had a viewing. An aura, and a bull ripping roses from around its neck(YES), and ... None of it matters except the aura. I didn't even really understand that, but more than anything else.' 'How much did you understand?' 'If you want to stay alive, you had better stay close to him.' Despite the heat, Min shivered. She had only ever had one other viewing with an 'if' in it, and both had been potentially deadly. It was bad enough sometimes knowing what would happen; if she started knowing what might ... 'All I know is this. If he stays close to you, you live. If he gets too far away, for too long, you are going to die. Both of you. I don't know why I should have seen anything about you in his aura, but you seemed like part of it.'(NO) <TFoH: 50, 835, To Teach and Learn, 592> *FAOLAIN: 'A nasty woman,' Min murmured, squinting after Faolain ... 'You'd think, if there was any justice, she would have an unpleasant future ahead of her.'(NO) <TFoH: 50, 844, To Teach, and Learn, 598-9> *MARIGAN, NICOLA, and AREINA: (Three women refugees with Ny et al.) 'Those three you brought with are trouble, and that is a viewing.' 'I only caught glimpses of aura, and just out of the corner of my eye. Never when I was looking right at them, where I might have made something out.'(YES, Marigan was Moggy.) <TFoH: 50, 844-5, To Teach, and Learn, 598-9> *RAND,ELAYNE, MIN, AVIENDHA: Elayne leaped off the cliff. "Min, you had a viewing about Rand and me, didn't you?" [...] "Yes." It was a wary word. "You saw that we were going to fall in love." "Not exactly. I saw you'd fall in love with him. I don't know what he feels for you, only that he's tied to you some way." [...] "And you saw there would be someone else. Someone I'd have to ... share ... him with." "Two, " Min said hoarsely. "And .... And I'm one." [...] "Who is the third?" "I don't know," Min mumbled. "Only that she has a temper. Not Nynaeve."(YES) <LoC: 41, A Threat, 527> *RAND: Countless thousands of sparkling lights, like stars or fireflies, rushed into a great blackness, trying to fill it up, rushed in and were swallowed. There seemed to be more lights than she had ever seen before, but the darkness swallowed them at a greater rate, too. And there was something else, something new, an aura of yellow and brown and purple that made her stomach clench. <LoC: 41, A Threat, 532> *RAND: "I saw an aura around you [Rand] in the throne room. Aes Sedai are going to hurt you[YES]. Women who can channel, anyway. It was all confused; I'm not sure about the Aes Sedai part. But it might happen more than once." [Only happened once. Will some non-AS channelers hurt him, now? The Shaido Wise Ones? The Seanchan? The Sea Folk? The Sharans???] <LoC: 41, A Threat, 534> *MELAINE: 'You will have two daughters,' Min murmured. 'Twins like mirrors.'{NO, but she's pregnant.} <LoC: 46, Beyond the Gate, 578-9> *RAND and PERRIN: "When you two were together, I saw those fireflies and the darkness stronger than ever.... But with two of you in the same room, the fireflies were holding their own instead of being eaten faster than they can swarm, the way they do when you're alone." {Just a general idea, not a definite event. cf the "sparks" Min sees in the inn in Baerlon.} "Twice he's going to have to be there, or you [Rand]...." "If he's not, something bad will happen to you." "Very bad." Rand: "Then I'll just have to keep him around." Min: "I don't know that that will be enough, it _will_ happen if he is not there, but nothing I saw said it won't because he is. It will be very bad, Rand. Just thinking of that viewing makes me...."{??? Once was probably the capture by the AS, the second hasn't yet happened, for sure.} <LoC: 50, Thorns, 626> *MISC. NOBLES: "Maringil...was going to die by poison.(YES) Colavaere... would die by hanging.(NOT YET) Meilan...would die by the knife.(YES) ...Aracome and Maraconn and Gueyam were all going to die too, bloody deaths, in battle.(NO) <LoC: 50, Thorns, 628> *BERELAIN: "a man in white who will make her fall head over heels." {NO. Who is it? A Whitecloak? Galad? A Gai'shan? (Rhuarc gets gai'shan-ed and Berelain falls in love with him?)} 7.3.......................................................VARIOUS PROPHECIES <TEotW: prologue, xv, Dragonmount, xv> O Light of the Heavens, Light of the World, let the Promised One be born of the mountain(YES), according to the prophecies, as he was in ages past and will be in ages to come. Let the Prince of the Morning sing to the land that green things will grow and the valleys give forth lambs. Let the arm of the Lord of the Dawn shelter us from the Dark, and the great sword of justice defend us. Let the Dragon ride again on the winds of time.(NO) <TEOTW: prologue, xv, Dragonmount, xv> And it came to pass in those days, as it had come before and would come again, that the Dark lay heavy on the land an weighed down the hearts of men, and the green things failed, and hope died. And men cried out to the Creator, saying, O Light of the Heavens, Light of the World, let the Promised One be born of the mountain, according to the prophecies, as he was in ages past and will be in ages to come. Let the Prince of the Morning sing to the land that green things will grow and the valleys give forth lambs. Let the arm of the Lord of the Dawn shelter us from the Dark, and the great sword of justice defend us. Let the Dragon ride again on the winds of time. (from _Charal Drianaan te Calamon, The Cycle of the Dragon._ Author unknown, the Fourth Age) The prophecy for the Horn of Valere: <TEotW: 26, 389, Whitebridge, 327> In the last, lorn fight 'gainst the fall of long night, the mountains stand guard, and the dead shall be ward, for the grave is no bar to my call.(NO) Elaida's Foretelling: <TEOTW: 40, 614, The Web Tightens, 514> 'This I Foretell...and swear under the Light that I can say no clearer. From this day Andor marches toward pain and division. The Shadow has yet to darken to its blackest, and I cannot see if the Light will come after. Where the world has wept one tear, it will weep thousands....This, too, I Foretell. Pain and division come to the whole world, and this man [Rand] stands at the heart of it.'(YES) <TDR: Trailer Prophesy, 675, 578> And it was written that no hand but his should wield the Sword held in the Stone, but he did draw it out, like fire in his hand, and his glory did burn the world. Thus did it begin. Thus do we sing his Rebirth. Thus do we sing the beginning.(YES) <TSR: 15, 253, Into the Doorway, 177> ANSWERS TO MAT'S QUESTIONS: [What fate?] To marry the Daughter of the Nine moons.(NO) To die and live again, and live once more a part of what was.(YES) To give up half the light of the world to save the world.(NO) Survey Says: What does it mean for Mat to give up 1/2 the light...? Lose an eye: 74 Something to do with Mayene and lamp oil: 4 Other: 8 _Coramoor_ (Jendai Prophecy): <TSR: 19, 315-6, The Wavedancer, 220-1> He can wield the One Power ... and he holds the Sword That Cannot Be Touched. The Aiel have come over the Dragonwall to his call. ... The Stone of Tear has fallen, and war breaks over the nations of the land. Those who once ruled have returned, and been driven back for the first time. ... The White Tower shall be broken by his name(YES), and Aes Sedai shall kneel to wash his feet and dry them with their hair.(NO, not all of them, yet.) Wise One Dreaming: <TSR: 23, 385, Beyond the Stone, 270> (Moiraine, Melaine, and Seana in conversation on Chaendaer) "We did not see Egwene or Mat Cauthon at all. It was no more than an even chance that the young man who calls himself Rand Al'Thor would come. If he did not, it was certain that he would die, and the Aiel too.(ONGOING) Yet he has come, and if he survives Rhuidean, some of the Aiel at least will survive. This we know. If you(Moiraine) had not come, he would have died(YES). If Aan'allein had not come, you would have died(???). If you did not go through the rings..." From Rhuidean: <TSR: 25, 408, The Road to the Spear, 285-6> The stone that never falls will fall to announce his coming.(YES) Of the blood, but not raised by the blood, he will come from Rhuidean at dawn(YES), and tie you together with bonds you cannot break(I GUESS SO...). He will take you back(YES), and he will destroy you(YES, BUT MORE TO COME). <TSR: 24, 402, Rhuidean, 281-2> MAT'S WISHES: Holes in memory restored/a way to be free of Aes Sedai and the Power/Away and back to Rhuidean(YES to all) <LoC: Header Prophecy> The lions sing and the hills take flight. The moon by day, and the sun by night. Blind woman, deaf man, jackdaw fool. Let the Lord of Chaos rule. {your guess is as good as mine as to whether this is actually prophecy or no} <LoC: 14, Dreams and Nightmares, 255> *NICOLA'S FORETELLING: "The lion sword, the dedicated spear, she who sees beyond.(YES? El, Avi, and Min--do they have something special to do?) Three on the boat, and he who is dead yet lives."{??? I have yet to hear a satisfactory explanation of this one, although it resonates with the WOs boat dream} The great battle done, but the world not done with battle.{??? perhaps the Last Battle, yet the struggle between the Shadow and the Light continues?} The land divided by the return {NO, obviously refers to the Seanchan} and the guardians balance out the servants.{YES, the Asha'man and the Aes Sedai.} The future teeters on the edge of a blade{metaphorical melodramatics--this war is crucial}." <LoC: 19, Matters of Toh, 312-3> Wise Ones Dreams: "Melaine and Bair dreamed of you on a boat with three women whose faces they could not see{??? something to do with Min, El, and Avi}, and a scale tilting first one way and then the other."{YES--everything seems up in the air now. Rand might win, the Shadow might, who knows?} Melaine and Amys dreamed of a man standing by your side with a dagger to your throat, but you did not see him. {??? Poss a Grey Man, Poss. refers to Taim?} Bair and Amys dreamed of you cutting the wetlands in two with a sword. {YES--Randland is polarizing into pro- and anti- Dragon factions. there will soon be no sitting on the fence.} All three had this dream, which makes it especially significant. Rain, coming from a bowl. There are snares and pitfalls around the bowl. {NO, but this is obviously the bowl ter'angreal} If the right hands pick it up, they will find a treasure perhaps as great as the bowl. {NO. Maybe there is something else in the bowl room? Angreals, etc?} If the wrong hands, the world is doomed. {Well, duh.} "The key to finding the bowl is to find the one who is no longer."{NO--???} <LoC: 26, Connecting Lines, 373> Behind the Red Doorway in Tear: "He [Rand] knew he had a chance to live, if a seemingly impossible one. _If_you_would_live_, _you_must_die_." {NO. Maybe means "if you would live future lives, you must die (physically) in this one. cf LTT's wanting to die for good, never be spun out again.<LoC: 18, A Taste of Solitude, 299>} 7.4........................................................THE DARK PROPHECY <TGH: 7, 105-6, Blood Calls Blood, 89> Daughter of the Night, she walks again.(YES) The ancient war, she yet fights.(YES) Her new lover she seeks, who shall serve her(DOUBTFUL) and die(NOT YET), yet serve still. Who shall stand against her coming? The Shining Walls shall kneel.(NO, not yet) Blood feeds blood. Blood calls blood. Blood is, and blood was, and blood shall ever be. The man who channels stands alone. He gives his friends for sacrifice. Two roads before him, one to death beyond dying, one to life eternal. Which will he choose? Which will he choose? What hand shelters? What hand slays? Luc came to the Mountains of Dhoom. Isam waited in the high passes. The hunt is now begun. The Shadow's hounds now course, and kill. One did live, and one did die, but both are. The Time of Change has come.(YES TO ALL) The Watchers wait on Toman Head. The seed of the Hammer burns the ancient tree.(YES) Death shall sow, and summer burn(YES), before the Great Lord comes. Death shall reap, and bodies fail, before the Great Lord comes. Again the seed slays ancient wrong, before the Great Lord comes. Now the Great Lord comes.(YES) 7.5....................................................THE KARAETHON CYCLE <TGH Header Prophecy> And it shall come to pass that what men made shall be shattered, and the Shadow shall lie across the Pattern of the Age, and the DO shall once more lay his hand upon the world of man. Women shall weep and men quail as the nations of the earth are rent like rotting cloth. Neither shall anything stand nor abide... Yet one shall be born to face the Shadow...and there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth at his rebirth. In sackcloth and ashes shall he clothe the people, and he shall break the world again by his coming, tearing apart all ties that bind. Like the unfettered dawn shall he blind us, and burn us, yet shall the Dragon Reborn confront the Shadow at the Last Battle, and his blood shall give us the Light. Let tears flow, O ye people of the world. Weep for your salvation. <TGH: 22, 328, Watchers, 275> Vandene talking to Moiraine: 'Five ride forth, and four return.(YES) Above the watchers shall he proclaim himself, bannered cross the sky in fire...'(YES) <TGH: 26, 387, Discord, 325-6> <TSR: 9, 180, Decisions, 126> Thom to Rand: Twice and twice shall he be marked,YES) twice to live, and twice to die,(maybe Rand & LTT?) Once the heron to set his path. (YES) Twice the heron, to name him true.(YES) Once the Dragon for remembrance lost.(YES) Twice the Dragon for the price he must pay .(he has been paying, but will there be a Real Big Price, i.e. his life & his blood?) <TGH: 26, 387, Discord, 326> Thom to Rand: Twice dawns the day when his blood is shed. Once for mourning, once for birth. Red on black, the Dragon's blood stains the rock of Shayol Ghul. In the Pit of Doom shall his blood free men from the Shadow.(NO,) Survey says: Will there be an eclipse when Rand spills his blood? Yes: 56 No: 26 <TDR: 6, 93, The Hunt Begins, 57> Moiraine in conversation: He has yet to break the nations(YES), or shatter the world. Even scholars who have studied the Prophecies for their entire lives do not know how to interpret them all. What does it mean that he shall 'slay his people people with the sword of peace, and destroy them with the leaf'(YES)? What does it mean that he shall bind the nine moons to serve him?(NO) Yet these are given equal weight with Callandor in the Cycle. There are others. What 'wound of madness and cutting of hope' has he healed?(NO-- possible reference to healing the Taint?) What chains has he broken(possibly chains binding people to the Shadow--Ingtar, Asmodean, Tear, Andor), and who put into chains? (Asmodean, maybe? or all the nations he is binding to follow him?) Survey Says: Will Rand break the world: Physically: 28 Figuratively: 67 Survey Says: Will the Taint be cleansed from Saidin? Yes: 59 No: 22 <TDR: Header Prophesy, ix, ix> And his paths shall be many, and who shall know his name, for he shall be born among us many times, in many guises, as he has been and ever will be, time without end. His coming shall be like the sharp edge of the plow, turning our lives in furrows from out of the places where we lie in our silence. The breaker of bonds; the forger of chains. The maker of futures; the unshaper of destiny.(General Prophesy, no real judgment needed) <TSR: 3, 99, Reflection, 71> His blood on the rocks of Shayol Ghul, washing away the Shadow, sacrifice for man's salvation.(NO) Survey Says: Will Rand Die? No: 17 Yes: 67 (stay dead: 32, resurrected: 35) <TSR: 6, 131, Doorways, 93> Power of the Shadow made human flesh,(poss. Forsaken, Fain, Slayer, or the Bubble of evil at the start of TSR?) wakened to turmoil, strife and ruin. The Reborn One, marked and bleeding, dances the sword in dreams and mist, chains the Shadowsworn to his will,(YES) from the city, lost and forsaken, leads the spears to war once more,(YES) breaks the spears and makes them see, truth long hidden in the ancient dream.(YES) <TSR: 21, 349, Into the Heart, 244> Into the heart he thrusts his sword, into the heart, to hold their hearts.(YES) Who draws it out shall follow after, What hand can grasp that fearful blade?(NO) <TFOH: Header Prophecy> With his coming are the dread fires born again. The hills burn, and the land turns sere. The tides of men run out, and the hours dwindle. The wall is pierced, and the veil of parting raised. Storms rumble beyond the horizon, and the fires of heaven purge the earth. There is no salvation without destruction, no hope this side of death. <LoC: Trailer Prophecy> The unstained tower breaks and bends knee to the forgotten sign. The seas rage, and stormclouds gather unseen. Beyond the horizon, hidden fires swell, and serpents nestle in the bosom. What was exalted is cast down; what was cast down is raised up. Order burns to clear his path. 7.6..........................................................PERRIN'S DREAMS <TDR: 43, 504, Shadowbrothers, 426> Egwene and Nynaeve and Elayne stood looking at a huge metal cage, with a raised door held on a heavy spring. They stepped in and reached up together to loose the catch. The barred door snapped down behind them. A woman with her hair all in braids laughed at them, and another woman all in white laughed at her.(YES) <TDR: 43, 504, Shadowbrothers, 425> Mat, rattling a dice cup. His opponent stared at Mat with eyes of fire. Mat did not seem to see the man, but Perrin knew him. "Mat!" he shouted. "It's Ba'alzamon. Light, Mat, you're dicing with Ba'alzamon!"(YES) <TSR: 28, 458, To the Tower of Ghenjei, 320-1> Rand stood amid swirling stormwinds, laughing wildly, even madly, arms upraised, and on the winds rode [dragons](NO); hidden eyes watched Rand, and there was no way of telling whether he knew it (possibly general--all the people watching Rand, e.g. Forsaken, Wise Ones, AS, etc. or maybe something more specific that we do not know about); Nynaeve and Elayne stalking cautiously through a demented landscape of twisted, shadowed buildings, hunting some dangerous beast(YES). Mat, standing where a road forked ahead of him. He flipped a coin(YES--flipped a coin at the Portal Stone, to get to Rhuidean), started down one branch, and suddenly was wearing a wide-brimmed hat and walking with a staff bearing a short sword blade(YES). Egwene and a woman with long white hair (Amys?) were staring at him in surprise while behind them the White Tower crumbled stone by stone.(YES) <TSR: 53, 882, The Price of a Departure, 612> Egwene stood among a crowd of women, fear in her eyes; slowly the women knelt around her, Nynaeve was one of them, and he believed he saw Elayne's red-gold hair.(YES) That window faded and was replaced. Mat stood naked and bound, snarling; an odd spear with a black shaft had been thrust across his back behind his elbows, and a silver medallion, a foxhead, hung on his chest.(YES) Mat vanished, and it was Rand. Perrin thought it was Rand. He wore rags and a rough cloak, and a bandage covered his eyes.(NO) 99.0===========================PUBLISHING STUFF============================= 99.1...........................................HOW MANY BOOKS WILL THERE BE? However many RJ writes. 3 or 4 more after LOC is what he said at a signing in Atlanta. 99.2..............................................WHEN IS THE NEXT BOOK OUT? [Hardcover book 7] Brian Bax talked to Mrs. RJ at a signing, and gives us the following information: LOC took a long time to compile, in fact TOO much time. It was "supposed" to be done by April 1994 at the latest. However,it wasn't even close to being done. Somewhere past the deadline, they lost a chapter. They flew RJ up to New York and he wrote the final parts in a hotel for about two weeks. He finished on August 28, 1994. Tor had to do MAJOR overtime to check and edit it for it's Oct. 12 release date. Mrs Jordan also added that LoC was their most difficult one composed ever. It was a real marker as to how fast they could produce a novel at this point in the series. After his book signing tour he's going straight to his word processor and type through Thanksgiving and probably Xmas, cause he hasn't even started yet. RJ made an arrangement with a manager ((I think) from Tor for a March deadline. If book seven wasn't completed by that time, then the fall release would be cancelled, meaning that book seven will not be released to as late as Fall 1996 possibly. This manager seems to have forgotten this arrangement and wanted to have it released by fall 1995, under pressure from Tor publishing and the parent St. Martin's it appears. {my own personal comment, but one voiced by many, is that it would be preferable to wait longer for the next book and have it be good, instead of RJ rushing to finish, and having it turn out poorly.} [LOC Paperback] From past experience I'd guess that LOC should be out in PB sometime in the autumn of 1995. [Other stuff] Also, Jody Lynn Nye, Todd Cameron Hamilton, et. al., are hard at work on a compendium, "Guide to the Wheel of Time." They have already produced similar books for Anne McCaffrey's Pern & Piers Anthony's Xanth. _The Guide to the Wheel of Time_ is scheduled to be released with the paperback of _Lord of Chaos_ sometime next fall. <Roxanne Meida> ### #### ##### ###### ####### ######### ########### ################ ###################### ######################## ######################## ####################### ###################### ################# ########