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Can Thom Chanel?
Contributed by: Arthur Bernard Byrne, P. Korda
Here are the reasons why some people think Thom can channel:
- The mysterious blue flash in Whitebridge / random burns after the Fade fight.
- The White Ajah hypothesis that channeling has a genetic
link, and that Thom has at least one relative who can channel (Owyn).
- His comment that he "could have done something" for Owyn.
- TFoH: 9, 203, A Signal, 145: Nynaeve says "she could not channel any
more than Thom". This is taken to be "ironic foreshadowing."
Objections:
- The blue flash is something that occurs when Fadeblade
meets OP-forged blade. Why Thom has OP-made daggers, we dunno. 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.
- 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).
- The "something" comment is probably just wishful thinking.
- If Thom were 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, à 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.
- Nothing that we have seen of Thom's thoughts gives any indication of
him being able to channel.
- Rand should probably be able to sense
some channeling ability in Thom, à 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. However, 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.