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0.1: The Wheel of Time FAQ: Introduction, Copyright Information, and Contents

"I of course have zero evidence for this, but since when has that stopped any of us?" -- David Wren-Hardin

"Just the FAQs, ma'am." -- Sgt. Joe Al'Friday

This version of the WOTFAQ was initially published in May, 1999.

Copyright Information

The Wheel of Time FAQ (WOTFAQ) contains writing by many authors. The individual authors hold copyright to their respective contributions, as cited in the text. The Wheel of Time books, and all quotations therefrom, are Copyright 1990-1998 by Robert Jordan. The Wheel of Time chapter icons are by Matthew C. Nielsen, and are Copyright 1990-1998 by Tor Books. Unattributed material in the WOTFAQ is Copyright 1999 by Pamela Korda and Erica Sadun. This version of the WOTFAQ is Copyright 1999 by Pamela Korda and Erica Sadun.

What does all that mean? You may not distribute the WOTFAQ in any form, in whole or in part, without written permission from Pamela Korda. You certainly may not claim any part of the WOTFAQ as your own work, unless, of course, you wrote that part. You may print out a copy of the WOTFAQ for your own personal use. You may keep a copy of the WOTFAQ on your own computer for your personal use, provided that you don't distribute it. For example, you may not make the WOTFAQ available on your web page without permission. You may quote short portions of it as reference material, provided that you provide proper citation and credit.

For more information about Copyright law, see:

• Copyright on the Internet
• The Copyright FAQ
• Ten Big Myths about Copyright Explained

Introduction to the WOTFAQ-- a Word from the FAQueen

This is the Wheel of Time Wondrous Masterpiece of Assembled Knowledge, Theories, and Discussion (a.k.a. Frequently-Asked Questions compendium). 'Tis edited and maintained by me, Pamela Korda, based upon discussion of The Wheel of Time series on the Usenet group rec.arts.sf.written.robert-jordan, as well as some personal correspondence, and a few other sources on the Web. This version of the WOTFAQ contains lots of SPOILERS for all books of The Wheel of Time, up to and including book 8, The Path of Daggers, The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time, and Robert Jordan's story, "New Spring," in the anthology Legends. If you haven't read, don't read. There are versions of the WOTFAQ from before TPOD (i.e. no spoilers, but some out-dated theories), which you can find links to in the Wheel of Time Index (See Section 0.08).

This version of the WOTFAQ (v5.0) has been updated to include information and theories from The Path of Daggers, the Guide, and "New Spring." I have also done some major re-organization, so hopefully it will be easier to find what you're looking for. To that end, we've created a new keyword index. (Thanks Matthew Hunter!) Survey results have been deleted, since the most recent GN (Ghirardelli-Novak) survey predates TPOD. If the GN survey team does a TPOD survey sufficiently far in advance of the next book, I will add in the results to the relevant sections of the WOTFAQ.

Standard Reference Format: [Book Abbreviation: Chapter Number, Chapter Name, Tor HC page number]

Credits

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Keeper of the Chronicles (FAQ Maintainer): Pam Korda (kor2 @ midway.uchicago.edu)

Master of the Blades (HTML Implementation Maestro): Matthew Hunter (mhunter @ andrew.cmu.edu)

Advertisement-free Web space courtesy of: Rick Moen (original site), Alistair Young (UK mirror)

Beta-testers/Proofreaders: Tons of thanks to Kate Nepveu and John Novak for doing a great job of checking this thing over. Thanks also to Trent Goulding and John Hamby for doing a bit of proofreading.

FAQing awesome people: Kevin Bartlett, Richard Boye', John S. Hamby, Karl-Johan Noren, John S. Novak III (These are people who either wrote new sections for me, or whose web pages I plundered mercilessly for good analyses of Asmodean's murder.). Also Erica Sadun for recommending the new organization of sections 1 and 2.

Mother of the FAQ (Originator of the WOTFAQ): Erica Sadun.

All Contributors Great and Small

Dylan Flynn "Easing the Badger" Alexander * Jeff Alexander * Chris Anderson * Michael Arnett * Hugh Arai * Sandy Armstrong * Keith Aschinger * R. Nathanial Azinger * Will Baird * Maia Bakroeva * Glen Justin Balmer * Charles J. Barbec * Chris Barrera * Kevin Bartlett * Tony Bartling * Brian Bax * Lara Beaton * Aaron Bergman * Alice Bergmann * John Walter Biles * Richard Boye' * Chris Bradley * Maggie Brazeau * Bill E. Brooks * Jean-Luc Brouillet * Timothy S. "Timmy" Bruening * J. P. Bryan * Charles Buckley * Jason Burrone * Stewart S. Bushman * Arthur Bernard Byrne * Paul W. Cashman * Keith Casner * Christopher Lee Cavender * Kenneth Cavness * Randy Cerveny * Dennis Hohn-Chong Cho * Alistair Chiu * Damien Cole * Mary Conner * Steven Cooper * Jennifer Cross * Mike Dady * Ruchira Datta * Amish Dave * Kyle Davis * Steve Deffeyes * Dave "Walls of Books" DeLaney * Tobias Denig * Chris Dewey * Trevor Dewey * Jean Dufresne * Roderick Easton * Eric Ebinger * Richard Edwards * Mark Erikson * Tony Evans * Jain Farstrider * J. R. Feehan * Colin Fishy * Chris Flora * Courtenay Footman * Jim "Robin Jim" Ford * Michel Forget * Susan Frager * M.C. Friddle * Jeff Fullmer * Carolyn Fusinato * A. M. Gabutero * Christian M. Gadeken * Konrad Gaertner * Devin L. Ganger * Bill Garrett * Helmut Geyer * Judy "Very Small Animal" Ghirardelli * Bob Gibson * Drew Gillmore * Joel Gilmore * Steve Ginter * Alfred Glass * Jocelyn "who is not Kathleen" Goldfein * "Hawk" Goldstein * Michael Gonzalez * Stephen Graham * Amy Gray * Gary Greenbaum * Michael Guenther * Johan Gustafsson * John "JSH" Hamby * Chris Hammock * Jeff Han * Michael Hanneman * John C. Hansen * Kay-Arne Hansen * Stephen J. Hardy * Don Harlow * John Hawkinson * Mark Hazen * Walter Hedges * Nathan Hendrix * Clint Hepner * Keith Higginson * Captain Commander Sean Hillyard * John Hills * Bob Hofmann * Dave Holman * Melissa Horn * Thomas Howard * Justin Howell * James Huckaby * Eugene Hung * Matthew Hunter * John Ireland * James Jen * John Johnson * Robert Jordan (duh.) * Christopher Kane * Robert Kelley * Mike Kelly * Daniel John Kelly-Harrity * David "Wee Dave" Kennedy * Jacob Kesinger * Paul Khangure * Tanya Koenig * Pamela Korda * Lars Kremers * Tyler Langenkamp * Evan "Skwid" Langlinais * Mike Lawson * Hank Lee * Andrea Leistra * Mike Lemons * Craig Martin Levin * Shen Kiat Lim * Bo Lindbergh * Edward Liu * Mark Looi * Mark "Robe Thrown Recklessly Open" Loy * Mike "Sir MPS" Macchione * Shayne Macfarlane * Benjamin Magno * Ted Maire * Cameron Majidi * Luke Mankin * Jim Mann * Michael Martin * Stephanie Mason * Bill McCarthy * Tom McCormick * Sam McGee * Edward Measure * Roxanne Meida * Kelley Miles * Shane Miller * Craig Moe * Kurt Montadon * Kevin P. Mooney * Don Morgan * Joe Morris * David Mortman * Michael Mueller * Roy Navarre * Kate Nepveu * Michael Nielsen * Patrick Nielsen Hayden * Karl-Johan Noren * John S. Novak III, The Humblest Man on the Net * Emmet O'Brien * Sean O'Hara * Michael J. O'Malley * Chad "Oil'Ba'alzamon'Can" Orzel * Daniel "Zippy" O'Toole * Alex Outhred * Anthony Padilla * Alex Paradi * Laura M. Parkinson * Rimesh Patel * Simon Patterson * Emma Pease * Mark Perry * Rhonda Peters * Thomas Petersen * Teri Pettit * George D. Phillies * Jim Phillips * Piglet * Eric C. Piquette * Richard Pistole * Greg Pobst * Heikki Poso * Jeffrey Scott Raglin * Bret C. Rediker * Brian Ritchie * Joseph Rosenfeld * Dave Rothgery * John Rowat * Chris Russo * Burr Rutledge * Erica Sadun * Kevin Samborn * Jared Samet * Marc Sanders * Eric Saunders * Ulrich Schade * Jeff Schneiter * Morgan Donald Scott * Rafael R. Sevilla * Viren Shah * Joe "Uno" Shaw * Vivienne Shen * Zach Simpson * Jimmy Sjöberg * Peter Smalley * Will Smit * Jeff Smith * Daniel "Ford" Sohl * Vic Stallion * S. Stark * Michael "Darkelf" Steeves * Brian Sullivan * Charles L. Stuart * Martin Terman * Aline Thompson * Elayne Thompson * Ilya Tillekens * Preston Toliver * Carl Traber * Fred Van Keuls * Jonathan Vaught * Sven Venema * Jonathan Vessey * Ville Virrankoski * Paul Ward * Ken Warkentyne * Bryon Wasserman * Warren Way * Olaf Weber * Michael Werle * Dash Wendrzyk * Katrina Werpetinski * Greg Wheatley * William Whitesman * G. Williams * Windsor Williams * Aaron Wong * Edmund Wong * Bill Woolsey * David Wren-Hardin * Jonathan "Nelno the Amoeba" Wright * Donal Wyckoff * Tony Yoder * Tim Yoon * Alistair Young * Sydo Zandstra * Tony Zbaraschuk *

Contents

Note on changes since the last version:

• Items marked "NEW" are sections which are, well, new.
• Items marked "UPDATED" are sections which include significant new information and/or discussion.
• Items marked "REVISED" are sections which have been re-worked to be easier to read and understand, and which may contain some minor new info or discussion.

• 0 Administrivia

• 0.01 Introduction, Credits, and Contents
• 0.02 RJ says the FAQ is only 1/3 right. Why should I bother reading it?
• 0.03 Acronyms and Abbreviations
• 0.04 What are these Jordan Wheel of Time books?
• 0.05 What should I do if I've become obsessed?
• 0.06 What's the deal with those shoddy Tor covers that keep falling off?
• 0.07 Who is Robert Jordan, really? What else has he written?
• 0.08 What other resources are out there, besides the FAQ?
• 0.09 How can I contact Robert Jordan?
• 0.10 Is there a downloadable version of the FAQ?

• 1 The Dark Side

• 1.1 The Forsaken: The Old Guard

• 1.1.1 Who are the Forsaken? Where are they now?
• 1.1.2 Who is Mesaana, in the Tower?
• 1.1.3 Who was Silvie?
• 1.1.4 Why did Sammael claim he had a truce with Rand?
• 1.1.5 What was Sammael doing in Shadar Logoth, or Did Sammael Plan that Whole Thing to Fake his Death?
• 1.1.6 Is Mazrim Taim really Mazrim Taim? Is he Demandred?
• 1.1.7 Death of Asmodean
• 1.1.8 Could Lanfear be Good? (not just in bed, Roy)
• 1.1.9 Was Ishamael really bound?

• 1.2 The Forsaken: New Kids on the Block

• 1.2.1 Who are Aran'gar and Osan'gar?
• 1.2.2 Is Dashiva Osan'gar?
• 1.2.3 What is the deal with Halima and Egwene's headaches?
• 1.2.4 Who is Moridin? Why do we think that he is the Watcher and the Wanderer?
• 1.2.5 Who is Cyndane, and where did she come from?
• 1.2.6 Moridin's Nine Sha'rah players

• 1.3 How's that work for the Dark?

• 1.3.1 What are those black threads on the male Forsaken?
• 1.3.2 Fifty Ways to Kill a Gholam
• 1.3.3 The True Power
• 1.3.4 Where do Trollocs and Myrddraal come from?
• 1.3.5 Are Black Ajah bound by the Oath Rod?
• 1.3.6 Are the Seals connected to the Taint?
• 1.3.7 What is the deal with BA and Warders?

• 1.4 What's up in the Dark? Who's who?

• 1.4.1 Who ordered Melindhra and why?
• 1.4.2 Slayer (Isam and Luc)
• 1.4.3 Can Slayer channel?
• 1.4.4 Shaidar Haran, Superfade
• 1.4.5 Who will be the new dreadlords?
• 1.4.6 The 'Aiel' Attack on Demira Sedai -- What's the deal with that?
• 1.4.7 Did Shaidar Haran violate Moghedian?
• 1.4.8 Who killed Adeleas and Ispan?

• 1.5 Black? Or Not?

• 1.5.1 Is Aram a Darkfriend?
• 1.5.2 Why Moiraine is not Black Ajah
• 1.5.3 Why Elaida isn't Black Ajah
• 1.5.4 Is Sheriam Black Ajah? Who's beating her up?
• 1.5.5 Is Chesa a darkfriend?
• 1.5.5 Who is not a darkfriend?

• 1.6 Shadar Logoth, Mashadar, and Fain

• 1.6.1 More of the Fain
• 1.6.2 Mordeth, Mashadar, and Machin Shin
• 1.6.3 What was up with Liah in Shadar Logoth?

• Things not (necessarily) of the Dark

• 2.1 The Ta'veren

• 2.1.1 What's up with Mat's new ring?
• 2.1.2 Is there a connection between Mat's luck and the dice ter'angreal?
• 2.1.3 Is Mat still linked to the Horn?
• 2.1.4 When was Rand's Power-Acquisition Fever Syndrome?
• 2.1.5 What's up with Mat and his memories?
• 2.1.6 LTT -- is he for real, or is Rand loony? What happened to him in ACOS?

• 2.2 The Rest

• 2.2.1 Can Thom channel?
• 2.2.2 What was up with Gawyn during the Tower Coup?
• 2.2.3 Who was the geezer on the barrel?
• 2.2.4 What's the deal with Setalle Anan? Is she the one who is no longer? Is she connected with Verin?
• 2.2.5 Where is Gaidal Cain now?
• 2.2.6 How do we know that Moiraine is not dead?
• 2.2.7 Verin: Black, Brown, or Purple? (What's up with Verin, how old is she, is she bound by the Oath Rod?)

• 2.3 The Power and Power-related objects

• 2.3.01 What's up with the male-female a'dam link where they both die screaming?
• 2.3.02 The Sad Bracelets / male a'dam
• 2.3.03 Effects of the Oath Rod: Binding, Agelessness, and Death
• 2.3.04 How do One-Power-forged blades work?
• 2.3.05 What is the range on sensing other channelers?
• 2.3.06 Can you make horizontal gateways?
• 2.3.07 How does balefire work?
• 2.3.08 What is the difference between Skimming and Travelling?
• 2.3.09 What do Dreamers and Dreamwalkers do?
• 2.3.10 How does Mat's medallion work?
• 2.3.11 What are 'involuntary rings'?
• 2.3.12 What caused the One Power wierdness in Ebou Dar?
• 2.3.13 Is Cadsuane's hair-thingy a ter'angreal?
• 2.3.14 The Seven Seals: Status Report

• 2.4 Days Of Yore

• 2.4.01 Who was Beidomon?
• 2.4.02 Did LTT balefile himself?
• 2.4.03 The Green Man and the Song (Who is the green man, what is the song, who will find the song, who were the Aiel?)
• 2.4.04 Jain Farstrider: Where is he now?
• 2.4.05 The Old Tongue and the New Tongue
• 2.4.06 Who or what was (the) Tamyrlin?
• 2.4.07 What did Ogier do of old?
• 2.4.08 Were there Ajahs in the Age of Legends?
• 2.4.09 Was the Sharom the Dark One's prison?
• 2.4.10 Tigraine = Shaiel: An analysis
• 2.4.11 What was the Vileness after the Aiel War?

• 2.5 True Love and Families

• 2.5.1 Who's Who in the Families?
• 2.5.2 Who is Juilin's honey?
• 2.5.3 Who is the Daughter of the Nine Moons? How will Mat meet her?
• 2.5.4 Why do we think that Thom will marry Moiraine?
• 2.5.5 Is Thom the father of Elayne or Gawyn?
• 2.5.6 Kari al'Thor: What do we know about her?
• 2.5.7 Is Aviendha Pregnant?

• 2.6 What's up? (Non-dark section)

• 2.6.1 What is the deal with Callandor? Who will use it?
• 2.6.2 The Severed Hand
• 2.6.3 Who are the Aelfinn and Eelfinn?
• 2.6.4 Where do the Aes Sedai get their money?
• 2.6.5 The Mystery of the Salidar Sitters
• 2.6.6 What was going on at the end of POD?

• 2.7 Absurd Trivia and Generalities

• 2.7.1 How does one sniff, anyway? What about snorting?
• 2.7.2 How tall is everybody?
• 2.7.3 How old is everyone?
• 2.7.4 Is there religion in Randland?
• 2.7.5 Iconography
• 2.7.6 MisSteps (Errors along the way)
• 2.7.7 When Rand and Mat are travelling to Caemlyn in TEOTW, why does the scene with the scarves happen twice?

• 3 Sources of Knowledge

• 3.01 King Arthur and the Holy Grail
• 3.02 Trolloc tribe names
• 3.03 Is the world of Randland a future Earth?
• 3.04 Christian and Biblical Parallels
• 3.05 Random Names
• 3.06 Dragon Legends
• 3.07 Norse Mythology
• 3.08 The Fisher King
• 3.09 The Aiel, Native Americans, and the Zulu
• 3.10 Greek and Roman Mythology
• 3.11 Miscellaneous References
• 3.12 Similarities between The Wheel of Time and other SF (including Dune)
• 3.13 Real Nation's influence on Randland

• 4 Prophecy

• 4.01 Egwene's Dreams
• 4.02 Min's Viewings
• 4.03 Various Prophecy
• 4.04 The Dark Prophecy
• 4.05 The Karaethon Cycle
• 4.06 Perrin's Dreams
• 4.07 Fourth Age Histories

• 99 Publishing Stuff

• 99.1 When is the next book going to be out?
• 99.2 What is the Guide? What is 'New Spring'?

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