============================================================================= |\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\/| |//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\| |/\\ A EEEEE SSSS SSSS NNNNN IIII F FFFFF /\\| |\\/ A A E S S N I I F F F //\| |\// AAAAA EEE SSS === SSS NNN I I FFFFF F \//| |/\\ A A E S S N I I F F F \\/| |\\/ A A EEEEE SSSS SSSS NNNNN IIII F F FFFFF /\\| |/\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\| |\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//| ============================================================================= "Till shade is gone, till water is gone, into the Shadow with teeth bared, to spit in Sightblinder's eye on the last day!" "I of course have zero evidence for this, but since when has that stopped any of us?" "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 NOVEMBER, 1994. CONTRIBUTORS. Active Contributors & Articles Plundered From: * Michael Arnett * Keith Aschinger * Will Baird * Glen Justin Balmer * Chris Barrera * 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 * Chris Flora * Courtenay Footman * Michel Forget * Carolyn Fusinato * Christian M Gadeken * Bill "Fain" 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 * Nathan Hendrix * Lord Captain Commander Sean Hillyard * Bob Hofmann * Melissa Horn * Eugene Hung * Matthew Hunter * John Ireland * Robert Kelley * Daniel John Kelly-Harrity * David "Wee Dave" Kennedy * Jacob Kesinger * Tanya Koenig * Pam Korda * Hank Lee * Mike Lemons * Craig Levin * Shen Kiat Lim * Mark Looi * Mike "Sir MPS" Macchione * Tom McCormick * Cameron Majidi * Luke Mankin * Jim Mann * Stephanie Mason * 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" Orzel * Daniel "Zippy" O'Toole * Rimesh Patel * Emma Pease * Thomas Petersen * George D Phillies * Jim Phillips * Piglet * Heikki Poso * Jeffrey Scott Raglin * Chris Russo * Erica Sadun * Kevin Samborn * Jared Samet * Jeff Schneiter * Morgan Donald Scott * Viren Shah * Joe Shaw * Jeff Smith * 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 (Ca veut dire, the FAQ-keeper) REFERENCE CHECKERISSIMO DUDE: Joe Shaw (Official Net Jordan Librarian), KEEPER OF THE FLAME OF TAR FTP: Viren R. Shah . 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" WWW HOME PAGE: http://faser.cs.olemiss.edu/jordan/jordan.html html conversion by Helmut Geyer good job, Helmut! MOTHER OF THE FAQ: Erica Sadun . She is retired, but she started the thing, so you probably shouldn't call her a non-entity. 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 [NB: 'Survey Says' sections are from the 2nd Annual Novak-Ghirardelli Survey] [NB: Standard Reference Format: ] ACRONYMS TWoT = The Wheel of Time TEotW = The Eye of the World TGH = The Great Hunt TDR = The Dragon Reborn TSR = The Shadow Rising TFoH = 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) BA = Black Ajah DO = Dark One DF = Darkfriend DFS/DS = Darkfriend Social Eg/Egw = Egwene El = Elayne Ish/Ishy = Ishamael LTT = Lews Therin Telamon Mog/Moggy = Moghedien Mo/Moir = Moiraine MPS = Mad Passionate Sex, (c) Mike Macchione MT = Mazrim Taim Ny/Nyn = Nynaeve OP = One Power RJ = Robert Jordan SG = Shayol Ghul SS = Siuan Sanche T'A'R = Tel'aran'rhiod(also TAR) WCs = Whitecloaks WOs = Wise Ones YKYBRTMRJW = You Know You've Been Reading Too Much Robert Jordan When... CONTENTS: (* = new this faq, + 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 What are the Conan books? + 0.4 Mis-steps. (Errors along the way) - 0.5 What should I do if I've become obsessed? - 0.6 What's the deal with these shoddy Tor covers that keep falling off? - 0.7 The RJ Hoax. - 0.8 Who Is Robert Jordan, Really? 1.0 ALL ANSWERS GREAT AND SMALL - 1.1 Jordan-speak. Words from the man himself. + 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 Who will Lan be bonded to now? + 1.13 Who killed Asmodean? + 1.14 Who is Moghedien, really, in Salidar - 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 Is Nynaeve still blocked? + 1.19 Where is Gaidal Cain now? + 1.20 Will the Seanchan invade Salidar? + 1.21 The Seven Seals + 1.22 Is Ishamael still alive? - 1.23 Who's Who in the Families? - 1.24 Tigraine == Shaiel (Rand's mum): an analysis - 1.25 Slayer (Isam & Luc) - 1.26 The Severed Hand - 1.27 How old is everyone? - 1.28 What does each Ajah do (and want)? - 1.29 The Green Man and the Song (Who is the Green Man, What is the Song, Who will find the Song, Who were the Aiel?) - 1.30 Countries of Rand-Land + 1.31 Is Verin Black? + 1.32 Is there Religion in RandLand? + 1.33 Who are the Forsaken? Where are they now? - 1.34 All the Aes Sedai + 1.35 Why Lanfear may be Good (not just in bed, Roy) - 1.36 Who are the Aelfs & Eelfs? - 1.37 What's up in Saldaea? - 1.38 Who was Mat (in his past lives)? - 1.39 Where have we seen ironic foreshadowing? - 1.40 Why are we sure that Ba'alzamon is really Ishamael? - 1.41 When was Rand's Power Acquisition Fever Syndrome? - 1.42 Sad Bracelets, Mazrim Taim/Logain - 1.43 What are the Songs (not >the< Song) - 1.44 Is Mat still linked to the Horn? - 1.45 What are them icons? - 1.46 Thought and Memory: Take Two - 1.47 What did Ogier do of old? - 1.48 More of the Fain - 1.49 Jain "McGuffin" Farstrider - 1.50 Who was "Silvie?" + 1.51 Were there Ajahs in the Age of Legends? - 1.52 Who ordered Melindhra? - 1.53 Why Moiraine is not Black Ajah + 1.54 Will Logain get the One Power back? - 1.55 Will Egwene marry Galad? (Gawyn) - 1.56 Can Thom Channel? - 1.57 What is the difference between Skimming & Traveling? + 1.58 What's up w/the male-female a'dam link where they both die screaming? + 1.59 Is Sheriam Black Ajah? - 1.60 Who is not a Darkfriend? - 1.61 What are those black threads on the forsaken? - 1.62 What do I need to know to be a Blademaster? * 1.63 Who are Aran'gar and Osan'gar? * 1.64 Is Mazrim Taim really Mazrim Taim? * 1.65 Who is Mesaana? * 1.66 "LTT"--Is he for real, or is Rand loony? * 1.67 Binding--what's up with that? * 1.68 Why did Sammael claim he had a truce w/ Rand? 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 Steddings & China - 2.9 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 propecies 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 and maintained, and copyrighted by myself, Pam 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 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 site. 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 examle, 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. This FAQ is updated to contain info from LOC, and from questions answered by RJ at various signings on the post-LOC signing tour. +.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+ 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] [anybody wanna do a bit on the old time zones, etc. discussion?] [The Aes Sedai section needs to be updated for LoC.] +.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+ 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 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................................................WHAT ARE THE CONAN BOOKS? Jeffrey Scott Raglin reports: Well, a little bit of research at a local Used Book Store has uncovered for me the fact that Robert Jordan wrote, not one, not two, not even four, but rather Seven "Conan the Barbarian" books-one of which was the novelization of "Conan the Destroyer" (the second Arnie Conan Movie). Having skimmed parts of several, I can conclude that this is definitely the same Robert Jordan we know here. As evidence: the opening sentences of five of the books: Opening Sentence, Conan the Invincible "The icy wind whipping through the brown, sheer-walled chasms of the Kezankian Mountains seemed colder still around the bleak stone fortress that grew from the granite flank of a nameless mountain in the heart of the range." [NOTE: not only does Jordan begin this book with a wind blowing, but he manages to string an amazing total of four consecutive prepositional phrases at the end of the sentence.] Opening Sentence, Conan the Unconquered "Storm winds howling off the midnight-shrouded Vilayet Sea clawed at the granite-walled compound of the Cult of Doom" Opening Paragraph, Conan the Magnificent "Icy air hung deathly still among the crags of the Kezankian mountains, deep in the heart of that arm of those mountains which stretched south and west along the border between Zamora and Brythunia. No bird sang, and the cloudless azure sky was empty, for even the ever-present vultures could find no current on which to soar" Opening Two Sentences, Conan the Victorious "The Vendhyan night was preternaturally still, the air weighty and oppressive. No slightest breeze stirred, leaving the capital city of Ayodhya to swelter." Opening Sentence, Conan the Triumphant "The great granite mound called Tor Al'Kiir crouched like a malevolent toad in the night, wearing a crown of toppled walls and ruined columns, memories of failed attempts by a score of Ophirean dynasties to build there." [All right, nothing about the wind here. But I include it anyway, because A. It's just such a ridiculous image, and B. Tor Al'Kiir is very reminiscent of Kari al'Thor, which makes the image even more ridiculous. Besides, the next paragraph goes on to describe black clouds of a storm that included, among other things "lightning streaking the dark like dragons' tongues", so there's our weather reference. [The Opening Sentences of CtDef and CtDes are not nearly as distinctively Jordanesque, describing the sun rather than the wind.] 0.4.........................................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. *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. RE::Jain Farstrider: From 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 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 "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. * 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! 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. There is something explaining this in LoC. Remember that the interleaving of plot threads goes backward as well as forward. [Side note: I _think_ I know the reference Jordan was talking about, but I'm not sure I believe it. Remember when Logain was talking to those Altaran nobles, mentioning all the Reds that had secretly supported him, apparently under Elaida's direction. Mentioning this at Siuan's instigation, we all thought. What if Logain was actually _telling the truth_? Siuan Sanche will be the most surprised woman in the world. I sort of hope I'm wrong on this one. Can anyone else come up with another reference in LoC that might explain this? One mentioning Reds in Caemlyn around the time of Logain's capture?--TZ] >>THE GREAT HUNT<< *Ba'alzamon's goals: "But this time I will destroy you to your very soul, destroy you utterly and forever." Maybe he forgot "Fool! You will destroy yourself!" where he stopped Rand from burning himself out. Ba'alzamon is either forgetful, confused, or trying to appear so. *Why does Moiraine wear her great serpent ring on her left hand in and and on her right hand in ? 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. *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" 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. >>THE DRAGON REBORN<< *In , 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 , his two sisters and his brother are killed. "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. 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. 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. , , and all describe Moiraine as having "dark eyes", and , , and 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." 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: "Shadowman steel kills," Aviendha said, "it does not wound." Finally, Rand's thought while fighting a Fade: "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? {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. >>THE SHADOW RISING<< *Typographical Errors: 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.] Loial mentions an Ogier named Laefar from Stedding Shangtai who is in Tear, but later calls him Faelar a page later. Perrin calls Tam al'Thor "Master al'Vere"; Master al'Vere being miles away at that time. "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. "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. * During the Tower Coup, Siuan's Warder gets killed. She doesn't notice until she sees his dead body. [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 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 , 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? *In , Birgitte tells Elayne "You saved my life, Daughter-Heir of Andor. I will keep your secret and serve you as Warder." But later in 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 . *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. [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" . On the way to the Battle at Dumai's Wells, Perrin has both his horses, referred to, at one point, as "Stepper" and "Slayer" . 0.5........................................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 ...) 0.6.........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. 0.7................................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 DS 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 Elaynes' 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 0.8.....................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. Other pseudonyms are Reagan O'Neal ("Fallon" series), Jackson O'Reilly ("Cheyenne Raiders"), and Chang Lung (contributions to various periodicals including Library Journal). [Source: Contemporary Authors vol. 140] 1.0===================USEFUL INFORMATION (SHORT ANSWERS)==================== 1.1.............................................................JORDAN-SPEAK RJ gave a talk a while back at Trinity College in Dublin. Our man on the Scene, Emmet O'Brien reports: Robert Jordan arrived at 6:00 this evening in Trinity College for his talk.. this being Ireland, the talk didn't start for a further ten minutes, but in the meantime he signed books for those of us who actually turned up on time. The turn out was pretty disappointing considering TFoH is no. 2 on the best-seller lists here: only about thirty people were there including SF society mafia. He didn't have any prepared speech but took questions from the floor. He still isn't sure how long WoT will go on for, saying probably seven books but adding that when TEotW first came out he saw the series as four books.. he does however know what the ending will be and how all the major story lines will resolve. He expressed vague dissatisfaction with the covers but didn't seem too upset about them. He talked for a while about 'reverse engineering' various mythos, removing the culture-specific elements and combining the stories, giving the example of the Wolfbrother idea, which was derived partly from the Native American Coyote trickster/savior figure, of whom both Mat and Perrin reflect aspects. He does not intend to speed up as the end of the series approaches: the books are planned to come out at the same rate until the end.. He raised the point that Rand's creeping insanity may manifest in much more subtle ways than the people of Randland expect.. which leads one to wonder about Rand's increasing withdrawal and possible megalomania.. I think he is aware of the net discussion: he expressed surprise at the amount of analysis and comparison with Tolkien, Dune etc. [ I felt tempted to mention A. A. Milne ] and somebody in the audience compared WoT to _Atlas Shrugged_, which really seemed to surprise him. His attitude is that once he has written one book [ and publicized it ] it is time to move on to the next.. 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. Specific questions: Lews Therin Telamon's suicide was emphatically _not_ balefire, but an overload of the Power. And when Verin was mentioned, he just said he hoped he kept surprising people. His first Conan novel he wrote because there was money offered. Having discovered that it was fun to write Conan, he wrote five more including the novelization of the second movie, and then spent a year convincing people that he was not going to write any more Conan.. he was quite adamant on this point. His first _novel_ was accepted and then rejected, sold and then rights reverted to him.. he says he will never publish it as it is not very good, but keeps it as it seems to be lucky for him.. He regards being taught to read at an early age and reading anything and everything he could get his hands on as being very important to his decision to write, and to what he writes and how he writes it.. he writes Fantasy because it allows more straightforward discussion of good and evil than fiction set in the modern world. [ I got the impression that learning to read at age three is considered precocious in the USA.. just another example of how far you colonials have fallen.. :-) ] 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 ] That was about it.. a lot covered for half an hour. There was a strong impression that more of the books are made up as he goes along than a reading of all the foreshadowing etc. might lead you to expect.. A thought that occurred to me afterwards.. if at book one he expected to finish the series in three more books, and at book five he expects to take two more books, then logically the series should actually end up as thirteen books.. - Emmet Tom McCormick claims to have received a letter from RJ. I tend to believe that his claims are authentic, but it wouldn't be the first time I was wrong. Anyway, here are excerpts: I found the compendium fascinating. It is startling how much your group has puzzled out correctly, but I have to tell you that some of what you worked out is wrong, concerning both me and the books, but I have it in mind not to tell you which parts. That way you can have the pleasure of figuring out for yourselves where you went astray. (Easy to say that when I'm four or five thousand miles away.) ... [RE: the time zones thing in TFOH when Rand & Aviendha go to Seanchan for some MPS] Yes, the timing was calculated. I know how far to the west Seanchan lies. ... I have been a writer for seventeen years now, and have had a number of other books published (Westerns, international intrigue, historical fiction), as well as essays, dance review and theatre criticism, but no other fantasy save the Conan novels. I've written only one piece of short fiction in my life, aside from school assignments, and it was never published. I will probably write in those other genres again from time to time; I enjoy them. I am working on something unconnected with THE WHEEL OF TIME, though I have not yet begun writing it. (Books percolate about in my head for a long time before anything goes onto paper.) It will be the next thing after THE WHEEL is complete. It will be fantasy, in a different universe than THE WHEEL. My editor says it will be people's chance to see a society like the Seanchan Empire, but that is simply because most of the action will take place in a culture much like Seanchan. The main male character, who is shipwrecked there, comes from a place that might he considered a cross between Elizabethan England and the Italian city-states of the Renaissance with touches of the seventeenth century. I intend him to be a man in his thirties, a man of some experience and worldliness in his own culture (though this does him only occasional good where he finds himself), in contrast to Rand's innocence and naivete. The major female character is a noblewoman of the land where he is shipwrecked; by the law, whatever is cast up on the shores of her estates belongs to her: the ship, its cargo -- its crew. Of course, a good many details will surely change between now and the commencement of writing (they always do), but that is the general form. No working title yet beyond SHIPWRECK. I expect to do the story in two or possibly three books. As far as any message to the folks on the net.... It is really quite an honour to find out that so many of you want to discuss my books in such detail. Frankly, I'm both pleased and amazed that you have put so much time and effort into it. Well, I hoped I was writing something that would hold people's interest; it seems maybe I have. One thing -- don't think you've reached bottom in your digging. I tried to make the books fairly simple on the surface, and quite complex underneath. You've dug up a number of points that I thought I had buried well enough that they wouldn't come to light for some time yet (don't expect me to say which ones), and you've also dug up one or two that I never buried in the first place (no hints there, either). Jordan's Law, I think, can better be stated along these lines: "Ah, you think you know how the game goes now? Very good, gentlemen. What say we increase the bets just to make it interesting?". 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 : "he who brought the shadow...they named Dragon." Was lover of Mierin/Lanfear at some point, maybe when the Bore was created. And, "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 he does say that he was never Lanfear's. He also says that he had long before lost whatever interest in he had her. 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 , 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." 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 , 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 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." Surve 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. 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." (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 X-REF: Thom--1.3, 1.5; Moiraine--1.5, 1.27, 1.38, 1.57; Twisted Doorway: 1.8, 1.10, 1.40, 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 of Thom pulling Moiraines 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." 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: (need a name here) 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 , 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 X-REF: Twisted Door--1.8, 1.10, 1.40; Moiraine--1.4, 1.27, 1.38, 1.57; Egwene's Dream--7.1; 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 . Alviarin says with some confidence that "Gawyn will be brought under control". 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 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. . 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 , 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 : "Perhaps the Return would come soon, and the Daughter of the Nine Moons with it." The Daughter is apparently a leader of the Return. Survey Says: Who will Mat wed? Daughter of Empress: 54 The Empress herself: 3 Berelain: 7 X-REF: Mat--1.10, 1.18, 1.42, 1.48, Seanchan--1.23, 1.25; Twisted Doorway--1.10, 1.40; Moiraine--1.4, 1.27, 1.38, 1.57; Prophecies: 7.3 1.9............................WHY MAY SOMEBODY BESIDES RAND PULL THE SWORD? 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 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 X-REF: Logain--, Prophecy--; 1.10.......................................HOW DOES MAT'S MEDALLION WORK? When Elayne tries to use the Power on Mat in , 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. There is ample evidence that this is the way it works against saidar. Elayne & co.'s extensive testing of the medallion in 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. The only other possible data comes from Halima/Asan'gar, who we think channels saidin, not saidar. She tries to channel at Mat in , and fails.(Evidence that Asan'gar does Saidin-- [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 "[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.) X-REF: Mat--; Twisted Door--; 1.11.................................................WHY ISN'T ELAIDA BLACK? Read the following references: : Elaida doesn't like Rats. : 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. and : Elaida is pretty clearly a dupe. X-REF: Elaida-- 1.12............................................WHAT IS UP WITH LAN'S BOND? From , 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 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. , "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.............................................WHO KILLED JoaR (ASMODEAN)? Whoever did it, it was somebody he a) wasn't expecting to see, and b) was very afraid of. 1) Lanfear (but she's missing, presumed dead) Amish Dave makes the case for(against?) Lanfear: Whoever killed Asmodean must have: a) been recognized by Asmodean b) been someone Asmodean did not expect to see c) been able to be in Caemlyn at the time d) been able to kill Asmodean (I doubt it was Berelain, :->) e) had a motive for killing Asmodean 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. 2) Ishamael. Maybe he's been resurrected Asan/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 more or less but she probably would have "played" with him, first. 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) Other, unlikely, suggestions include Padan Fain, Slayer, Egwene, Kadere (but he's dead), and Lan. From the LoC prologue, we see that Demandred doesn't know what happenned 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_ know something of what happenned to Asmodean: "WHO BETRAYS ME SHALL DIE THE FINAL DEATH. ASMODEAN, TWISTED BY HIS WEAKNESS." 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 X-REF: Lanfear--, Ishamael--, Other Forsaken-- 1.15...................................................IS ARAM A DARKFRIEND? There is definitely something up with Aram: Egwene's Dream 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 X-REF: Tinkers--, 1.16........IS THERE A CONNECTION BETWEEN MAT & THE STOLEN DICE TER'ANGREAL? The Ter'angreal is described in 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'verenhood 5. Mat can win at dice with you using >YOUR< dice. X-REF: Mat--,Black Ajah--, 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. 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 "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. Survey Says: Is Aviendha pregnant? Yes: 68 No: 14 1.19...............................................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. Survey Says: Gaidal Cain is... Uno: 12 Aviendha's or Faile's kid: 36 Gone for good: 23 1.20...................................... WILL THE SEANCHAN INVADE SALIDAR? It seems as if the Seanchan have certainly taken Tanchico. The Seanchan spy's thoughts in 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 X-REF: Salidar--, Seanchan--; 1.21.........................................................THE SEVEN SEALS 1) in the eye of the world with the Horn, broken; 2) Bayle Doman 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 Saldea. Survey Says: Are all the seals broken? Yes: 08 No: 74 1.22.....................................................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. NB: Everybody (all the Forsaken) seems to think he is dead. And they found a body. Asan/Osan'gar throw a new light on the subject. Even if one of them is Ishy (which is not the most likely possibility), there is no reason not to expect that the DO won't resurrect the servant who has done the most for him over the years. X-REF: Ishamael, 1.23...............................................WHO'S WHO IN THE FAMILIES 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 1.24...................................................TIGRAINE, AN ANALYSIS 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. In , 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 , and many Andoran nobles ), the description of Luc ), and there you have it. X-REF: Genealogy--, Luc--, 1.25..................................................................SLAYER Slayer seems to be a some sort of mix of Luc (brother of Tigraine) and Isam (cousin of Lan): Luc was Tigraine's brother. When she disappeared, he went wandering and was lost in the Blight. Isam is Lan's cousin. His mother conspired with Cowin (a Darkfriend), and thereby brought about the fall of Malkier. Baby Isam and his mom were ridden down by Trollocs as she fled. The next we hear of Isam is in the Dark Prophecy. It is said that Isam ambushed Luc in the high passes near the Mountains of Dhoom, that one lived, one died, but both are. _Now_, go reread everything about Slayer and Luc in TSR. You'll see that Slayer, in the world of dreams, had a very _very_ close resemblance to Lan. Like, maybe, could be, cousins...? You'll also notice that when Perrin shot Slayer in the World of Dreams, Luc was the one physically hurt in the real world. Actually, in TFoH, there is a minor scene which may give a real clue as to the Luc/Isam thing. At one point when Rand is in the T'A'R, the memories of LTT are threatening to overwhelm his mind, and his body starts shifting to look like that of LTT. It may be that Isam took over Luc's body totally. Thus in the real world he looks like Luc. In T'A'R, where his mind is totally that of Isam, he looks like his original body. As for his mission, it seems that Slayer was originally sent to the Two Rivers to hunt down Padan Fain , and to stir up trouble in general. We don't know what happened to him after Perrin shot him in TSR. Perhaps Slayer was formed in the same way as Asan/Osan'gar--a dead soul put into somebody else's body. However, if Isam really is in TAR in the flesh, this implies not. Additional Slayer tidbits: He frequents the Tower of Ghenjei. According to Birgitte, Isam is in T'A'R in the flesh. Survey Says: Will Perrin free Luc from T'A'R and kill Isam? Yes: 42 No: 36 X-REF: Tigraine--, Genealogy-- 1.26........................................................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 , 2)A red-hot iron and an axe . For Rand, we have: A bloody hand and a white hot iron . Here are the theories: 1)In 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. 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? ). 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. 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. 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. 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 X-REF: 1.27....................................................HOW OLD IS EVERYONE? RAND: In TFoH, Moiraine notes that it has been almost 21 years since the search began for the Dragon Reborn. 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. 1.28.................................................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? X-REF: Aes Sedai-- 1.29..............................................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 . However we find out exactly who he is in the fourth book. "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. Q: WHAT IS THE SONG? The Tinkers, an early offshoot of the Aiel, decided to give up their duty of hiding xxx'angreal and instead dedicate their lives to refinding the safety and peace of their past. They believe this will come about through finding the "growing song," described in "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: "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. X-REF: Ogier--; 1.30..................................................COUNTRIES OF RAND-LAND 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. >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. The Two Rivers district has seemingly declared independence 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: (partial map of Andor) (map of Caemlyn) >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 >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. Tourist Attractions: King's Palace, and its copy, the Hall of the Council Home of: Bayle Domon >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: (with Shienar) >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). Unspecified troubles, probably over news of the Dragon Reborn carried North by Hurin, the sniffer. Tourist Attractions: Lotsa military stuff, nice signal towers Home of: Ingtar, Lord Agelmar, Lady Amalisa, Uno, Masema, Hurin Map: >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: