2018-2019 Updates of Blog Articles

By Linda

Having finished my read-through posts, I am resuming the updating of blog articles with information from Robert Jordan’s notes as well as from all the Wheel of Time books and short stories to date. The following articles have been completed so far:

The Aelfinn's Answers

The Ages of the Characters

Aiel Prophecy

Angreal and Sa'angreal

Animal Symbolism

The Cache from Ebou Dar

Character Names Derived from Readers' Names

Character Names series

The Composition and Politics of the Halls

Demandred

Egwene's Dreams

Fate, Free Will and Divining the Pattern

Freemasonry

Herbs and Other Medicines

Horn of Valere

Inventions From Rand's Academies

Lews Therin

Matter of Britain 2: An Arthurian Who's Who

Mesaana

Min's Viewings

Names of the Shadow

Off-shore Prophecy

Ogier

Origin of Place Names

Price and Prize of Knowledge

Rand


Robert Jordan's Strength Ranking

Saidar Strength Ranking

Semirhage

Who Is Not A Darkfriend?

Memory of Light Read-through #56: Epilogue—To See the Answer

By Linda

It’s not a coincidence that the first three POVs are of the ta’veren, with the Dragon first, naturally.

Rand POV

Here’s a thing: if Rand hadn’t carried Moridin’s body out, there would have been no body swap. Nakomi approves of the swap, saying that he’s doing something he needs to do, which is good. Normally a bodyswap would be a wrongness, however both souls choose their fate: one very much wants to live, the other to die.

Is Nakomi the Creator? I don’t think so. The Creator speaks directly the couple of times it communicates—with the minimum of words, and more for reassurance. Nor is the Creator prone to micromanagement or coercion as the Dark One is.

Another possibility is that Nakomi is an Aiel Hero of the Horn. Her name, which Bair recognised as Aiel, seems to hint this. Her conversation with Aviendha in Towers of Midnight is reminiscent of Birgitte’s contact with Perrin, Elayne and Nynaeve in Tel’aran’rhiod in the early books. When Nakomi appears in the real world at Thakan’dar and spoke to Rand, Heroes of the Horn are still abroad in the waking world.

Aviendha queried Nakomi on where she is from, and got a cryptic answer:

"I am far from my roof," the woman said, wistful, "yet not far at all. Perhaps it is far from me. I cannot answer your question, apprentice, for it is not my place to give this truth."

Towers of Midnight, In The Three-fold Land

Nakomi's home and people are far from her and unreachable because she is dead, yet still feels tied to the Aiel. Looking further, Nakomi is far from the main world, yet not. Tel’aran’rhiod surrounds the waking world, yet as a shade, Nakomi cannot touch it unless called by the Horn. Nakomi’s favourable opinion of the Westlands, emphasising their beauty and lushness, is as though they are familiar to her, as they would be if she had roamed about Tel’aran’rhiod long term and had cut ties with the Three-fold Land. She would be unlikely to feel this way had she remained in the Waste or only left it recently; recent contact with the Westlands would inspire the kind of wariness or alienation expressed by Aviendha.

Most importantly she is honour bound not to explain further—some precept that she does not violate, such as those the Heroes have...

Nakomi’s name is reference to Nokomis, the grandmother of Nanabozho/ Manabozho, the trickster figure of the Ojibwe First Nation. She is in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem The Song of Hiawatha:

By the shores of Gitche Gumee,
By the shining Big-Sea-Water,
Stood the wigwam of Nokomis,
Daughter of the Moon, Nokomis.
Dark behind it rose the forest.

In fact, in the Ojibwe language, the language of the traditional tale on which Hiawatha is based, Nokomis means “my grandmother” (see Character Names N article for further discussion of Nokomis/Nakomi and Hiawatha/Rand).

Nakomi is not literally Rand’s grandmother although she is wise and knowledgeable. Bair said her name was ancient, and recognisably Aiel, so it is likely she is a Hero who was an Aiel from the distant past in one of her recent births, particularly considering her legendary name.

Rand’s realisation that he asked the Aelfinn a wrong question is a bit mysterious because the exact and full wording of his questions aren’t in the books. However I found them in Robert Jordan’s Rand notes, (see The Aelfinn’s Answers article). The last question is said to be "How can I destroy the Dark One?" and the answer:

"What was, is, and will be. To choose is the fate of your kind. Without choice, humankind is dust."

Rand did not understand this answer until the very end, which is why he said:

"I see the answer now," he whispered. "I asked the Aelfinn the wrong question. To choose is our fate. If you have no choice, then you aren't a man at all. You're a puppet . . ."

A Memory of Light, Epilogue

Humans must have choice or else they are not adults and not responsible for their actions.

Mat POV

The Sun is out because Rand is also out of the Darkness and out of Shayol Ghul. I judge that Mat that killed Shaisam as Rand sealed the Bore. Shockingly, Mat almost reaches for the dagger but restrains himself. It rots as he walks away. If he’d touched it, he may have kept it around longer and started its infection all over again. After this, the dice finally stop.

Perrin POV

There are no swirling colours, or vision of Rand in Perrin’s mind—no ta’veren pull—and after having them influence his actions for months, he misses them.

The Land has had its fertility restored with the Sealing of the Dark One and is already green and blooming. While Perrin acknowledges that “no masterwork comes without a price,” this one includes the death of Egwene.

Loial POV

Loial records that Rand Sealed the Bore at noon, the time of day when the sun (and therefore Rand) is at its strongest and the Dark One at his weakest. The Fourth Age starting in the middle of day distresses Loial’s tidy mind, but he accepts this fact.

Flinn notices that Rand’s three women are not concerned that Rand is dying. It’s a bit obvious, but this also means the women don’t exactly lie…

Mat POV

Mat is convinced that Tuon’s unborn baby is a boy. Each claims this child means they have no further duty there—a certain amount of chest-beating bluffing is going on. What a couple.

Moghedien POV

Moghedien starts getting optimistic that she will get away and set up shop again. Plus, with the Dark One Sealed away, she won’t be punished for her failures. Then she immediately has another failure: the Spider doesn’t reverse her weaves so they cannot be detected, but inverts them and gets complacent enough to weave a light. So she is collared by a satisfied sul’dam, one of Jordan’s mundane, but appropriate punishments.

The Forsaken currently has her coursouvra, but the Seanchan won’t allow her to keep it. It may be destroyed (in which case she becomes an automaton) or it may be given to or taken by someone else, since it looks valuable. Interesting times ahead for Moghedien.

Nynaeve POV

The kings are shocked that Elayne, Min and Aviendha are not crying over the death of Rand’s body and their comments arouse Nynaeve’s suspicions. Nynaeve tries to bully the explanation out of Aviendha, a sitting duck. The Aiel is briefly alarmed but composes herself. I was surprised that Aviendha reacted as much as she did: it’s a measure of her feeling that she is living a lie and has toh.

The Wise Ones’ belief that the glass column ter’angreal warns them of a future that should be changed saved the Aiel from a terrible fate.

Perrin POV

Perrin is in the wolf dream, when he really wanted to sleep. He is there in wolf form, but is thinking like a man. As he dwells on his guilt over leaving Faile in order to help Rand win, he goes to all the important places of his relationship with Faile and with Rand. At the finale, he chooses to visit Faile’s death place rather than Rand’s death bed. During the war, he did “what he was supposed to” and let Faile do her duty. However, what Perrin was supposed to do has a happy ending: he hears a falcon cry in the dream and realises it’s Faile. He tracks her down and uses adrenalin-enhanced strength to uncover her body single-handedly: Perrin epitomises Strength.

Elayne POV

Birgitte lingers after the other Heroes have gone back to Tel’aran’rhiod. Elayne doesn’t answer Birgitte’s question about Rand—again a lie by omission, in the Aiel way. Birgitte has anticipated Elayne’s intention to take possession of the Horn of Valere and sent Olver to hide it. To her surprise, Elayne doesn’t mind, and is glad not to have the temptation. THe Hero realises that Elayne has matured.

Birgitte’s soul is about to move to a baby that is shortly to be born. Knowing that Gaidal was not called by the Horn, and so is alive as a young child, she is looking forward to meeting him again in a new life. It will be one of her usual reincarnations where she is a few years younger than he.

Tam POV

It is so sad that Tam doesn’t know that Rand lives, and probably won’t for at least a few years, if ever. This is his and Rand’s great sacrifice for the world. He thinks the fertility of the Land is Rand’s final gift, but that gift might be prodigal Rand returning some years from now. The three women have an obvious lack of grief; if Tam knew the truth, he also would be unable to dissimulate and the funeral would be a farce. Cadsuane for one, already thinks it’s a farce.

Tam’s thoughts that “Rand could finally rest” are true, just not in the way he thinks. Basically, it represents freedom from burdens and freedom to be as he wishes.

Only Tam carries a light—for the pyre. Everyone else is indistinguishable during their “saluting the body of the Dragon Reborn.” That body deserves honouring, even if Moridin spent a few hours in it. It did do so well.

Min POV

The funeral is the fulfillment of not only Min’s viewing that the three would be there, but also of Egwene’s dream of a man lying dying:

A man lay dying in a narrow bed, and it was important he not die, yet outside a funeral pyre was being built, and voices raised songs of joy and sadness.

- A Crown Of Swords, Unseen Eyes

This dream was anonymous because (apart from wanting to keep the surprise) Moridn’s soul died in Rand’s body, while Rand is restored to life and health in Moridin’s body. A complicated situation. The knowledge of her beloved’s early death was quite a burden for Min to carry for two years.

There is conflicting information regarding whether Nicola’s foretelling of “three on the boat and he who is dead yet lives” refers to this scene. Team Jordan has said that it is an example of an unreliable narrator and referred to Rand’s funeral where the three women stood alone around Rand’s pyre, but on another occasion said that it is yet to happen.

The three women make no pretence of grief and do not comfort Tam, who lights the pyre, but Moiraine does. This is not their finest hour even if they weren’t hypocritical. It’s as though they are looking to the day Rand’s other loved ones find out, and making sure they can say with a clean conscience that they misled by omission only, and not by actual lying.

Rand POV

Rand is a bit stunned with the novelty of a hale body. His eyes have a saa to commemorate Moridin, and also his own channelling of the True Power. Most importantly, it’s not an active saa.

The fulfillment of Min’s viewing that Alivia will help Rand die is mundane. Such outcomes happened occasionally. Min’s anxieties over this viewing were completely unnecessary—worse than if she knew nothing. This has also happened before: in fact, Min’s panic has resulted in actions that fulfilled the viewing. The Empress is wise to insist on hearing a description of the viewing as well as MIn’s interpretation of it to provide the opportunity for another opinion, and cross-check it with her own symbol system. Otherwise there is the risk that Min’s viewings can be as wrong-headed as those of Elaida.

Cadsuane POV

Cadsuane immediately identifies Rand in his new body, which is unexpected. Can she see Rand’s eyes clearly enough to see the saa and also knows what it represents? Or just recognise Rand’s soul somehow? Odd.

The Green sister is bailed up by four Sitters. They don’t begin the traditional way with a formal summons to the Hall—which it is illegal for her to refuse—but try to get her to agree to be Amyrlin willingly instead. This was not Aes Sedai custom until Egwene was raised. It’s curious, given Cadsuane’s track record for avoiding being made Amyrlin by fleeing before any such summons could be issued. Or is that why they have done this? To convince her rather than force her? I do think they chose the right woman—respected, if not feared by all, flexible, tenacious and experienced. And she does actual research.

Rand POV
Speaking of Cadsuane, Rand is one who respects and fears her. He can tell she has recognised him even though she doesn’t say what she suspects. They have the measure of each other. Rand can’t channel either saidin or the True Power now, even though Moridin could channel both. Perhaps the overload of Powers burned Rand (and Moridin) out, but at the same time Rand has moved beyond channelling to be an ascended being, the alchemical buddha who can will things into occurring. The now-ex Dragon is presumed wise enough to be entrusted with this ability. The book has quite a Buddhist ending, which I notice some readers find objectionable or inadequate.

Very tellingly, Rand doesn’t think about Tam (who is grieving—because it would hurt?), just the three women. I do think Rand owes it to his father to grieve for his grief. Instead he thinks of his love for all three women and hopes one or all will come after him.

When Rand told Alivia to get gold and other supplies for him, he didn’t consider that she’d have to steal them. He takes responsibility for this, as he should.

Rand may become an eternal wanderer figure, as well as an itinerant worker and entertainer as he was at the beginning of the story. He will no longer be a recognised Magus—even though he has some mysterious ability. This fits in with the many paths, many lives prophecy:

"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.”

- The Dragon Reborn, Opening prophecy

Will Rand have the long life of a channeller? Will all that power he used in the Pit of Doom make that difference? I think so.

The last words of the book and series—Loial’s—show us Rand not as the Dragon, or as a magus, but as chi, or prana, the breath of life for the world.

I liked the ending. It’s Jordan’s ending, in his words, and where he was heading to over this epically long epic. I knew from the first that the solution to defeating the Shadow would be theological and be Eastern as much as Western, and by the last book I knew that there would be a lot of alchemical symbolism to it also. Truly this is an Opus Magnus.


Now that my read-through is over, I shall resume updating articles with information from Jordan’s notes (which I’ll announce here) and also writing some new articles. My next post here will probably be a recap of which articles I’ve updated already.

Memory of Light Read-through #55: Chapter 49—Light and Shadow

By Linda

Perrin POV

The Dark One’s influence has caused Tel’aran’rhiod to become a Blight—a black wasteland, almost a void. (Rocks still remain, but they are disintegrating.) The world is collapsing in on itself in Tel’aran’rhiod. Perhaps it is a warning of what may happen or a reflection of what is happening in Rand’s battle with the Dark One. Either way, the Land cannot maintain itself against the onslaught. Shayol Ghul is a beacon of light pulling Dragonmount to it. A conjunction of mountains is being added to the other conjunctions—of people, of sun and moon, of Powers. The dual world axis is converging to one, in one way symbolising the danger that the Light could become overwhelmed and corrupted by the Shadow, in another way, heralding the sacred conjunction and the successful completion of the Great Work in removing the Dark One’s access to the world. Rand’s birthplace and death place are merging.

Cyndane was not allowed to disguise herself either in Tel’aran’rhiod or with a mask of mirrors as part of her punishment. Moridin policed this in Knife of Dreams and The Gathering Storm, but in Towers of Midnight he become preoccupied and she began to get away with it and appear more openly as Lanfear.

As Perrin enters Shayol Ghul, he sees Moridin kneeling at the Pit of Doom, and the other three standing tall. Lanfear used Compulsion on Perrin instead of seduction and even then had to pretend to be allied to the Light to manipulate him. (Otherwise she would have had to use such heavy Compulsion that he would be mindless—which would be noticed.) She felt that she “cheated” as Graendal does by resorting to Compulsion to win Perrin’s heart. The Compulsion was only effective because she played on his guilt that he wasn’t there to save his family from Fain and his resentment that Moiraine convinced him to leave the Two Rivers.

It was not because Perrin was un-willing that enables Lanfear’s Compulsion to be undone, more a matter of him willing it away with his extreme strength of will. Despite the Compulsion, Perrin has considerable independence of thought and realises that Lanfear plans to kill Rand and save the Dark One. He knows this is the ultimate wrongness and that he must do his duty. In his previous scene Perrin made two choices, but this is his third and greatest choice—between Lanfear and his beloved Faile (and his dear friends). As a character, Perrin epitomises the choice between virtue and vice which is the Lovers Tarot card. Actually, this time he must follow his duty AND his love. The Wolf King overwhelms Lanfear’s Compulsion with his love for Faile and also for Rand, his love for duty and rightness. By coming out of Compulsion in this way, he has prevented his own living death.

With the ultimate wrongness being to kill Rand, (or Nynaeve or Moiraine) and so prevent the Light’s victory, Perrin commits the lesser wrongness of killing a woman not threatening him.


Rand POV

Shaitan seems little better than Shaisam at the end (as the similarity of their names hints)—saner, and not played for laughs, but just as childishly selfish. The Dragon feels contempt for the Dark One when he realises the extent of his deceit and cruelty. Moreover, Rand realises that he created his own hell, and killing the Dark One would make it happen. This is the ultimate example of the Aiel’s belief that killing an enemy is a lesser honour than taking him captive. So, Rand shielded the Bore and repaired the hole with undifferentiated saidin and saidar: pure duality, no subdivision into “elements”.


Moiraine POV

Once Rand weaves a new prison for the Dark One, Moiraine flees the Bore before it closes, pulling Nynaeve with her. Thom saves her from running off the edge of the path outside Shayol Ghul. So determined is she to Witness the Bore closing, despite the blinding intensity of the Light, that she doesn’t watching where she is going. Rand and Moridin are both standing at this point—as the hole shrinks to nothing. The Blackness has been vanquished and the final stage of alchemical transformation, the Redness, represented by the blood of the Dragon and the Land, also has occurred. The Great Work is complete.

In alchemy, the culmination of the Whiteness phase leaves the alchemist completely free in a state of pure spirit and intelligence, beyond space, time and form, and once back in the body, the soul can realise its state of spiritual completeness. Heaven and earth in the alchemist are then united (Nigel Hamilton, The Alchemical Process of Transformation). Rand felt this at the end of his battles with the Dark One.

Jung wrote:

You can exert no influence if you are not susceptible to influence.

Carl Jung, The Practice of Psychotherapy

Moridin discovered this the hard way after he was linked to Rand. It inspired the desire for death in him, which led to him sacrificing his own corrupt soul, just as Rand sacrificed his corrupt body. So the Dark One who wanted to break the Creator’s champion, broke his own. Not that he cared.

Memory of Light Read-through #54: Chapter 48—A Brilliant Lance

By Linda

The previous chapter was very complex and layered; this chapter is simpler, conveying joy at victory and relief that it is over.

Elayne, Thom and Min POVs

Elayne, Thom, Aviendha and Min were all witnesses of Rand’s victory through their bonds and also, in the case of Thom, proximity. A moment before, Elayne had been numbed by exhaustion and the apocalyptic war, as had Aviendha.

Aviendha

Graendal’s weave is turned back on her to cause compulsion at least as extreme as what she inflicted on others. She is another one receiving her just deserts.

Logain POV

Logain thinks he was a fool to forsake uncovering the powerful sa’angreal to rescue people. Yet he is a fool for thinking Sakharnen would be more important to him. The people’s thanks and appreciation of their rescue and his part in it were vital to him—to restore and redeem him and the Black Tower. This will be a huge difference to the Asha’man and Black Tower in the Fourth Age.

Gabrelle prompts Logain to break the seals (and cement his prophesied glory) but he was going to do it anyway. They are discarded like rubbish, although once valuable in material and function.

Memory of Light Read-through #53: Chapter 47—Watching the Flow Writhe

By Linda

Aviendha POV

Both very dextrous weavers, Aviendha and Graendal have almost killed each other. This is a huge credit to Aviendha, since Graendal is much stronger in the power than she and drew heavily on her ring to conserve her strength. At the end of her own strength, Aviendha starts unpicking her weave as a last resort. Completely unpicking a weave does nothing (and anyway, Aviendha could just let go of the weave and allow the gateway to close), but incomplete unravelling is what will cause an unpredictable, hopefully destructive, event. Aviendha prefers this outcome, rather than just delaying or preventing Graendal’s return to Thakan’dar, and it is what occurs.

The chapter title refers to the chain reaction the unpicking causes in the weave.

Shaisam POV

Mat does not succumb to Mashadar because he was cured of it in the White Tower and is now immune. The “fox that makes the ravens fly” tricks Shaisam by playing dead to lure him close enough to attack, like the fox does the raven in Western folk tales. As a former Darkfriend, zombie maker, and potential new Dark Lord, Shaisam could be likened to a raven. Trickster Mat gets his revenge while also saving Rand from the very real threat of Shaisam. In fact, Mat is the only one who could safely do so—Shaisam is such a potent evil. The personification of the evil arising from merciless good, Mordeth was corrupted by Fain, someone whom the Dark One had touched, into being a deity himself.

Perrin POV

While in European folktales the wolf was often in competition with the fox, in Ancient Egyptian mythology, the wolf-headed god Upuaut worked with the fox/jackal-headed god Anubis as chief officers of the god of the underworld, the Universal Lord Osiris. This is another trio of gods that Jordan drew on when he developed the three ta’veren characters. In this scene, Perrin wants to help his friend Mat kill Shaisam but is wise enough to refrain and go about his own urgent tasks. First up he rescues Gaul, who was worried about the wolves vanishing from Tel’aran’rhiod. Perrin assures him they were called by the Horn into the waking world.

The Wolf King is torn between aiding Gaul and Mat, and then Faile and Rand in this chapter, and he has a third choice (the number three again!) coming up in his next scene. One of the main themes in Perrin’s sub-thread is that of the Lovers or Choice tarot card—the choice between virtue and vice or duty and pleasure. The choice between making (hammer) and destroying (axe). Perrin also feared that he had to choose exclusively between his human and animal natures, but that was a mistake.

Rand POV

Moridin channels saidin through Callandor, then realises it is also a True Power sa’angreal. This is its danger and its trap as the “blade of ruin” described in the prophecies in Towers of Midnight, A Storm of Light. The “blade of ruin” and “fearful blade” are a link with the Dolorous Stroke of Arthurian legend that caused the wasteland. In this case, it prevented the tainting of saidin or saidar and the wasteland formed by the Breaking of the world; it was a dolorous stroke for the Shadow.

Moridin thought he would get his promised oblivion from the Dark One as a reward for killing Rand. Even though channelling the True Power at Shayol Ghul is death—as Rand and Demandred both believe—Moridin doesn’t die because he is captured by Nynaeve, Moiraine and Rand working together—the three as one, as per prophecy:

He shall hold a blade of light in his hands, and the three shall be one…

- The Gathering Storm, Reading the Commentary

Why does the Dragon need such a flawed and dangerous item reserved for him for three thousand years? Rand needs a True Power sa’angreal indirectly so three powers can be used together at extreme strength. By a quartet. This is the first time in the series that four—the number of the material world, solidity, power, omnipotence, will, and temporal law and justice—is more important than the number three.

Min worked out how and why Callandor was to be used. We saw her early thoughts on this in The Gathering Storm and Towers of Midnight. Kudos to her.

The Dark One’s own power is used against him to prevent him from tainting saidin and saidar. Nor can he simply cut off the True Power through the modest hole in his prison, due to the vast amount Moridin is drawing. Rand is a mirror of Shaisam as he feels what it is like to be a deity and contemplates killing one. His reaching for the devil through an indistinct “fluid” reminded me of Mat at the Eye of the World seeing the pool of saidin and wondering what’s in it. (Just the Horn, Mat, and the Dragon banner and a Seal. Things for this very moment.) Moiraine described the Eye as:

"The essence of the male half of the True Source, the pure essence of the Power wielded by men before the Time of Madness. The Power to mend the seal on the Dark One's prison, or to break it open completely. "

The Eye of the World, Meetings at the Eye

Rand will soon make weaves of the pure essences of saidin and saidar to mend the Dark One’s prison, linking us to the end of The Eye of the World when the world was greened again, while avoiding the trap of the taint that occurred just before the prologue of that same book.

As Rand grips the Dark One, Light has come—time to break seals. Now that Rand has the Dark One’s undivided attention, so to speak, there is no risk that he will spare attention for cutting off Moridin’s access to the True Power.

And so we come to the moment to complete the Magnum Opus (Great Work) of sealing away the Dark One. In alchemical symbolism, the culmination of the opus is the conjunction, the union of two (or more). Jordan has multiple conjunctions operating to emphasise that his Great Work is the salvation of the world. With the number three so important, the lynchpin conjunction was the triple conjunction of the powers. Opposites are reconciled in a conjunction, and love is both its cause and its effect (Edward Edlinger, Anatomy of the Psyche). Saidin and saidar are perfectly balanced and united at last, and harness the opposing True Power to cut an evil deity off from the world. And it was sealed in blood: Rand’s blood, the sacred link of Rand and the Land, drips to seal the Sealing, “washing away the Shadow, sacrifice for man's salvation” (The Shadow Rising, Reflection). Outside, the Land, one with the Dragon, is slathered in the blood of the fallen.

Most, perhaps the whole, of Rand’s duel with Moridin and then the Dark One at Shayol Ghul took place within the duration of the solar eclipse (which would be up to seven minutes), in astrology the strongest type of conjunction of sun and moon. During this time, Dragonmount and Shayol Ghul pulled toward one another in Tel’aran’rhiod (A Memory of Light, Light and Shadow); in one way symbolising the danger that the Light could become overwhelmed and corrupted by the Shadow, in another way, heralding the sacred conjunction of saidin and saidr and the successful completion of the Great Work.

There is another marker of the sacred conjunction:

The image of a miraculous growth of flowers or vegetation comes up in dreams as evidence of proximity to the coniunctio.

Edward Edlinger, Anatomy of the Psyche

Perrin saws them in the Wolf Dream, and Aviendha in the waking world.

There are three stages of alchemical transformation to achieve the Great Work: the blackness (nigredo), whiteness (albedo) and redness (rubedo). According to the alchemists, matter suffers until the blackness disappears, then a new day will break, the albedo. Rand enters the blackness of the Pit of Doom and the Dark One’s void, and battles the Dark One’s efforts to torment him into despairing and giving up. His spirit was refined at Dragonmount, and the black thorns on his brain overlain with white, but he still suffers physically and has plans of violence—killing the Dark One, the less honourable alternative, by Aiel values.

A shift in his understanding of evil results in his victory. Intense light explodes from Rand at the end of his battle with the Dark One, enough to be seen over the whole continent; it is the Dark One’s moment of judgment as much as Rand’s or the world’s. But in alchemical symbolism this state of “whiteness” is an abstract, ideal state and in order to make it come alive, it must have “blood”, it must have the “redness” of life and humanity (Carl Jung, Interview). Rand’s life blood slowly dripping away. Note also that Callandor turns crimson red as Moridin pulls the True Power through it, heralding the imminent success of Rand’s trap enabling the Sealing of the Bore. Moridin wants to go to the extreme of blackness—oblivion—but he is forced into the triple conjunction, and then Rand brings on the Whiteness and Redness in quick succession as he seals the Dark One away.

Memory of Light Read-through #52: Chapter 46—To Awaken

By Linda

So much tension: the chapter ends on multiple cliffhangers.

Rand POV

Mere minutes have passed since the three entered Shayol Ghul, so the total eclipse is barely over at the Pit of Doom, despite days of battle having passed at Thakan’dar and weeks elsewhere. Rand feels more powerful than Moridin and tells him he’s unimportant, but Moridin laughs and knifes Alanna, his wounded hostage.

Nynaeve POV

Nynaeve can’t stop the knife because Rand has control of her channelling. It is fortuitous that herbs (and the application of mundane knowledge) rather than Healing save the day—and the world. They bring Alanna to consciousness and she releases the Warder bond before dying. On the whole, Aes Sedai consider herbs beneath them, but these plants have changed the course of events repeatedly in the series including for the Aes Sedai themselves. Jordan’s herbs often have real world parallels (see Herbs article for these and part they’ve played in series).

While rightly vilified for being made without consent, Alanna’s Warder bond was not all bad for Rand: it gave him great strength and endurance from Lord of Chaos until Winter’s Heart, when Elayne and Aviendha bonded him. (Min was included). It also was a major motivator for Rand, because of the distrust and suspicion it invoked.

When his first attack doesn’t work, Moridin does the unexpected again in stabbing his hand so Rand feels it and drops Callandor. There’s power in cleverness and determination.

Perrin POV

As Rand let go of his crushing sense of responsibility and pain, so Perrin lets go of his anger and pain. Concentrating on his task—his duty—he is not worried about whether he is wolf or man. In fact, he is truly in between, a liminal being on the thresholds of animal/human and awake/dreaming. All three ta’veren are liminal beings: Mat is liminal between the physical world and the underworld, and Rand between heaven and hell.

As a result, Perrin, who represents the Strength tarot card, is at full strength.

The fall of his hammer was like claps of thunder, the flashing of his eyes like lightning bolts. Wolves howled alongside the wind.

A Memory of Light, To Awaken

These lines also refer to Perrin’s sky god parallels, notably the Norse god Thor and the Slavic god Perun. The instinctual craftsman dodges in and out of Tel’aran’rhiod and the waking world as he concentrates on his prey, and they flicker between multiple worlds when he deals the killing blow. This is reminiscent of the Portal Stone trap/malfunction in The Great Hunt. Perrin sees various mirror and If worlds, notably one with soldiers that are a combination of Aiel and Seanchan.

When Perrin follows him from Tel’aran’rhiod to waking world and back, Slayer finally feels the terror he gave to others. Most of Jordan’s Darkfriends get their just deserts (see Darkfriends article).

Perrin’s expert eye assesses that the Light has lost the battle at Thakan’dar even though they won elsewhere. Where the Shadow has concentrated its attack, all three ta’veren are needed there to win. One or two are not enough. Perrin hears the Horn of Valere sound—not Olver’s first call, though—to summon the Heroes to Thakan’dar, including Hero wolves. The Last Hunt counters the Darkhounds’ Wild Hunt.

Mat POV

Olver and the Heroes are at the base of Shayol Ghul. Unfortunately, Shaisam’s mist is nearly at the path leading up the volcano. Mashadar touches Mat at the end of the chapter. More anon.

Memory of Light Read-through #51: Chapter 45—Tendrils of Mist

By Linda

Mat POV

“Blood stained the rocks” after the battles on the Heights is a reference to the prophecy of Rand’s blood sacrifice for salvation and that Rand is one with the Land. Mat carries Rand’s banner with the Aes Sedai symbol to fight under at Thakan’dar to ensure that the prophecy of “under this sign he (Rand) will conquer” is fulfilled.

Gateways won’t open at Thakan’dar because reality is breaking up there. Mat praises Grady for his efforts at the rather alarming battle at the Ford involving people who are trapped in a different kind of broken reality.

Trickster Mat reiterates that he won’t be bound to the Horn, or anyone. Yet, ironically Mat is bound—to Rand, and objects to this strongly all through the series.

Shaisam POV

Shaisan consumes souls rather like the Machin Shin infestation of the Ways, that was “friendly”—professional courtesy, Jordan called it—to Padan Fain/Mordeth in The Great Hunt. Shaisam’s drones have dead eyes rather than the wrong ones of those Turned to the Shadow. He hides his body among these zombies. Shaisam is still bound to a body but can transcend this dependence; he is on the verge of being a deity, but needs a place to “infest” (again like the Black Wind and like vermin or disease). This sets up the next chapter.

So powerful is Shaisam now, that he is able to convert Myrddraal, whereas before he used to just kill them. His protective mist is the part of Mashadar that was carried out of Shadar Logoth in the dagger by Mat. Once Fain/Mordeth was reunited with dagger, he was able to unite Mashadar with him, control it, grow it and become Shaisam. It seems that with his usual luck Mat chose to steal Mordeth’s most potent item.

Still, Shaisam is played for laughs at times in the last book, which prevents us from taking him seriously and lessens the surprise and daring of Mat killing him. Shaisam has imbued himself in Mashadar and plans to find a suitable place in the world to imbue himself in, too—as the Black Wind did in the Ways. The sun can still burn Shaisam and Mashadar away, but the clouds are too thick for that right now.

Gaul POV

Gaul and the wolves in Tel’aran’rhiod are working together very well to counter Slayer. Slayer tricks the wolves, but not Gaul. However, the Stone Dog honourably reveals himself to protect the wolves and is injured as a result.

Perrin stands with his face toward the sun (a symbol of life, the Creator, and Rand), even though it can’t be seen. Slayer reminds us of the foretelling that Luc will be important in the Last Battle. Luc and Isam both wanted to be part of something important, so this foretelling was a major inspiration for them. Isam wanted the ability to channel but the Dark One gave him other gifts instead, including the ability to enter Tel’aran’rhiod without channelling, which requires a dual-souled nature.

Some have theorised that Moridin channels only the True Power because his body can’t channel saidin even though his mind can. But the Dark One can’t grant the ability to channel, according to Slayer in this chapter. Moridin certainly felt when Rand channelled saidin and he wouldn’t have been able to sense it if he couldn’t channel it. He used only the True Power because he was addicted to it and it showed his status as favoured one. Plus, this intimidated the other Forsaken, who would never dare to use the True Power so boldly because it is lethal. (Tough guy Demandred, for instance, flinches, at Moridin’s saa.) The clincher is that Moridin channels through Callandor with saidin first, then, when he found to his surprise that it could do so, the True Power.

Mat POV

Olver loves flying on to’raken, but poor Mat is terrified. From his aerial viewpoint, Mat is appalled to realise that Fain and Mashadar are in Thakan’dar—and even the Shadar Logoth dagger also. He rightly doesn’t think the Light will be so lucky that the Darkhounds and Mashadar destroy one another, which means he will have to do something about one of them, at least.

Mat sees the ancient symbol of Aes Sedai forming overhead from white and dark clouds. The clouds are a good substitute for Rand’s banner which is lost when the to’raken crashes. No need to consciously fulfil prophecy this time.

Memory of Light Read-through #50: Chapter 44—Two Craftsmen

By Linda

Perrin POV

The hospital in Mayene is well-informed about how the battles are going. By recognising Chiad, Perrin reminds of her potential dishonour as a gaishain in visiting the battlefield to retrieve the injured and tend them. Perrin tells her it’s an exceptional time and what use is honour if the Dark One wins? She says it is everything, and he privately agrees. Otherwise the society ends up like Shadar Logoth or dark Rand, both of which had to be undone to save the world. Perrin convinces Chiad to find him an Aes Sedai that will lessen his fatigue by saying that he has to save Rand and Gaul. (She actually crept in to him to ask about Gaul, which is against tradition, and shows the extent of her love.)

Perrin and Master Luhhan acknowledge each other’s master’s pieces. And Master Luhhan is brilliant: the Whitecloak Byar doubted that the axe he made was indeed made by a village blacksmith. Both craftsmen agree that killing is never beautiful, even if the tools made for it are beautiful.

Perrin saw a vision of Mat talking with Seanchan (to arrange his transportation to Thakan’dar). And like Mat, he feels Rand pulling him to come and help. Perrin thinks he used himself up too early, but Master Luhhan says no, he’s still alive and must keep fighting because it’s an exceptional day. (A variant of what Perrin just told Chiad). It’s so typical of their characters that Mat would object to Rand’s pull because it’s an imposition, whereas Perrin would doubt that he is capable of undertaking it.

Perrin tests Masuri for trustworthiness before he will let her restore him. After all, an Aes Sedai cannot lie and neither does Perrin’s sense of smell. She grudgingly admits she was wrong to try and use Masema and has learned better—especially how excellent Perrin is. The Brown sister says that all the Aes Sedai and Wise Ones with Perrin learned this. Once Masuri washes away his fatigue, she gasps as he vanishes physically into Tel’aran’rhiod. Yep, he’s even better than they know.

Thom POV

The gleeman is another underestimated character. At first Thom appears to be a spectator of the battles recording the events as an epic ballad. But that is only one thing he is doing here. He gives as an accurate view of what’s happening. The Windfinders and the Dark One fighting over control of the weather. The last steamwagon fallen. The mist on one side of Thakan’dar unaffected by either the Windfinders or the Dark One; this is probably Shaisam. Thom muses on how one must do the unexpected to perform well, and in fact, that is what he is doing: being the unexpected last defence of Shayol Ghul in the waking world.

How glad he is to be there to protect Moiraine as much as Rand. Despite his ruminations he is alert and kills Jeane Caide, who was disguised as Cadsuane, but did not walk like her—the fifth Aes Sedai he has despatched. We never do learn what Jeane was doing between Tanchico and now. Nor do we know the names of the other four sisters that Thom killed. Robert Jordan doesn’t want the reader to know everything. But how bold is Thom to calmly knife channellers.

Because he is a very experienced and skilled performer, Thom is an accurate judge of a disguise, and is not fooled by an outer semblance or a faked voice. Thom has some aspects of the Fool in him—as a wandering but wise fool gleeman with his tall tales containing elements of truth—and also some aspects of the Magician, the next tarot card. The magician card originally represented an itinerant performer at fairs and was later developed by the occultists into a magus, and Thom is certainly both of these, as was his most important pupil, Rand, who started out performing at inns and houses on the way to Caemlyn and Tear and probably will again as he wanders the world after the Last Battle. Full circle.

As so often is the case, the chapter title refers to more than one situation. The two craftsmen in the series ostensibly are Perrin and Haral Luhhan, but they also could be Perrin and Thom (the POVs of the chapter) or even Perrin and Masuri, who is so skilled in removing fatigue.

Memory of Light Read-through #49: Chapter 43—A Field of Glass

By Linda

Logain POV

Logain is half-Turned—traumatised by mental torture but with Turning attempts on top of stilling. There’s enough of his old self left to know that he has gone wrong. (This is part of the Wrongness theme prevalent in the last three books to show the Shadow’s corruption of the world.) The new head of the Black Tower wants to make sure he can never be abused again; he wants to be feared so much that no one will even think of being a threat to him. Hence, he is ignoring the battle and looking for the sa’angreal Sakharnen.

Gabrelle is trying to save him from himself. Much to his frustration, Logain can tell that she has genuine concern for him and so can’t pass her efforts off as Aes Sedai manipulation. This starts his redemption, just as Nynaeve’s genuine concern started Rand’s. Further, as the Tinkers and Ebou Dari/Seanchan pulled Rand up short, so do Logain’s faction and the refugees Logain.

Sakharnen was not crystallised by the Flame of Tar Valon weave as Taim and the Land were. The crystals resist Logain’s cutting weaves so he determines to use balefire to get the sa’angreal. At this point—which would have damaged the Land and been his ruination—he is distracted by a completely exhausted Androl begging him to save the refugees from Trollocs.

Mat POV

Mat is semi-adopted by the Heroes of the Horn because he was Hornsounder once. He’s delighted that he is not a Hero because Tricksters must be free to act as their whims take them. For the same reason, he’s also delighted that he’s no longer linked to the Horn as the Hornsounder. I guess from his Trickster theme alone we should have realised that he would not stay bound to it.

The Sharans have fled the battlefield by gateway—they have contributed enough to earn their freedom from the Pattern. That was the reward for their help; they don’t feel any allegiance to the Shadow, which ties in neatly with Rand’s scene in this chapter. Interestingly, the Sharans have lost most of their channellers in the Last Battle, which means they cannot be controlled by channellers as they were for over three thousand years. They truly lived in the type of society that the Seanchan dreaded and mistakenly claimed that the mainlanders had. The Light’s armies are set up for victory and this, in turn, helps Rand, who is one with the Land.

Seanchan “monsters” easily outfight the Trollocs. These beasts were brought from parallel worlds to do so The World of Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time and they are so effective that one can see why there are so few Shadowspawn in Seanchan. So much so that even someone as well educated as Tuon thought Trollocs a myth.

Mat feels pulled toward Rand and is peeved because he thinks he’s done enough for Rand already. He grudgingly admits that he’s been distant to his old friend because he channels, and, in fact, never gave Rand a formal and fond farewell like Perrin did.

Now that the battlefield fighting is largely done, Mat asks Hawkwing to have a few words with Tuon and also tell her that Mat sent him (to earn credit with her for arranging such an honour). Unfortunately, we are not privy to that conversation, but Sanderson says:

Brent Holmes: What happened in the conversation between Tuon and Arthur Hawkwing?!?!

Brandon Sanderson: It was interesting, I'll tell you that much.

Melissa Houghton: Did Hawkwing talk with Tuon?

Brandon Sanderson: Yes.

Nick: How do you think Fortuona reacted to speaking with Hawking?

Brandon Sanderson: With great consternation.

- Twitter exchange January 2013

Rand POV

The Shadow loses because its followers are not noble enough to sacrifice themselves as so many have done for the Light. They only have selfish interests and “selfishness must be preserved” as Verin said in The Gathering Storm. The Dark One can rant and threaten but inspires no one. Even Ishamael wants out.

Memory of Light Read-through #48: Chapter 42—Impossibilities

By Linda

Aviendha POV

The Windfinders have lost control of the storm at Thakan’dar, but it’s not all bad. Plants are growing in Thakan’dar as the mountain vibrates. Lightning freezes and clouds form the ancient symbol of Aes Sedai—a symbol that arose in an Age when saidin and saidar were frequently used together. Rand and the Pattern are at least holding back the Shadow’s damage. The rise in fertility hints that Rand is on the verge of winning. Aviendha believes that Rand grew these plants just when she needed the cover and that the thrumming is Rand actively resisting the Dark One.

Rhuarc’s sad end is such a shock to Aviendha, although she quickly realises that he is better off dead than being Graendal’s toy.

Mishraile POV

Alviarin is in command of the Dreadlord group of 3 women (all ex-Whites sticking together) and 4 men. Mishraile is rather like Moghedien in that he is a skulker in the shadows who dislikes fighting in the open.

Pevara’s plan to go to where the dragons are being fired to find the Dreadlords has paid off. The Dreadlords fall for Androl’s disguise as Rand because they think that only Rand could have defeated Demandred. Like Demandred, they have no idea of Rand’s battle at Shayol Ghul. Alviarin is determined to lead the circle of two women and one man that attacks Rand to get credit with the Dark One. The Dreadlords are successfully lured into a stedding by Androl’s Rand faking exhaustion (he didn’t have to try very hard).

Pevara POV

I wonder if the Ogier Elders are over-confident that they can hold the Dreadlords. The situation reminds me of when the Ents were guarding Saruman and Wormtongue at Orthanc in Lord of the Rings. The Ogier think the peace of the Stedding will do the Dreadlords good and won’t violate that peace with any executions.

When Androl’s group leaves the Stedding, they find the Trollocs that Moghedien sent attacking civilians.

Aviendha POV

Aviendha scares Graendal, which takes some doing. She deprives Graendal of her companions by making her Travel with the True Power before she could grab any to take with her. The price was having her feet badly burnt.

Memory of Light Read-through #47: Chapter 41—A Smile

By Linda

Pevara POV

Pevara and Androl want to protect Mat’s dragons, but Logain is determined to find the sa’angreal Sakharnen so that he becomes unassailable to anything except a very strong ring.

The group heard the Horn of Valere being sounded. Pevara thinks the sound was significant, so maybe she realises what it means, but she’s not informing the others, just insisting that they fight and not look for the sa’angreal. Androl’s group will not technically disobey Logain’s orders, although some in the group think they should obey Logain in spirit. They are going to follow a preceding order that they think should indeed have precedence—to neutralise Taim’s lackeys. All are too tired to open a gateway, but Pevara thinks that they can just march to the area where the dragons are firing, because surely Taim’s Asha’man are there attacking them.

Moghedien POV

Moghedien thinks Demandred a fool for focussing on his grudges. (Yet it is said of Moghedien that she could remember a slight until the Wheel stopped turning. Of course, at this stage of the books, the world is at risk of exactly that happening). As she quickly disguises herself as Demandred, Moghedien hints that she has impersonated other Forsaken before: for example, she may have ordered Isam to kill Rand in Winter’s Heart.

The Dark One is allowing Moghedien access to the True Power, encouraging her that she may not be punished for her failures among the Seanchan. There are four Forsaken alive, and only two of them are actually fighting in battle right now. Moghedien doesn’t care that she’s effectively the dregs of the Forsaken in the Dark One’s eyes. She’s always been wholly pragmatic.

The Forsaken doesn’t understand how Min saw through her servant disguise. (Min realised that she must be a channeller since she had a large number of images in her aura.) Ironically, while Moghedien muses on this, Mintel sees through her Demandred disguise and denounces her. Moghedien orders Trollocs be sent to attack a large group of civilians, which ultimately results in Logain fighting off the Trollocs rather hunting for Sakharnen, and thus his redemption.

Just as Moghedien hopes that Taim’s Asha’man have destroyed the dragons, they fire upon her. It’s not her lucky scene. She felt exposed moving openly and it did result in her capture. Punished not by the Dark One but by the Light.

Talmanes POV

For once the Whitecloaks love a technology.

No one knows that the dragons are hidden away in an underground cavern. It’s a clever move, because they can’t be tracked by their noise or smoke, and the dragoners don’t have to worry about moving them around. However, they do depend on Aludra spying out the position of opposing forces and calling coordinates.

The chapter title refers to Talmanes smiling for once, and to Pevara’s smile on hearing the dragons fire and on working out how to get around Logain’s orders and defend them.

Memory of Light Read-through #46: Chapter 40—Wolfbrother

By Linda

Aviendha POV
Aviendha gives us an update on how the Windfinders are faring with the Bowl of Winds on a ledge above the entrance to Shayol Ghul. They are utterly exhausted, with only one third of their numbers operational to combat the Dark One’s storm.

Wolves are fighting Darkhounds even though they can’t kill them. Everyone is buying time until Rand wins his battle. But Mat correctly thinks that his forces also need to win their own battles conclusively, as well as Rand his, because the Land is one with the Dragon.

Aviendha is using the turtle angreal to fight off Graendal’s ring of channellers. The Aiel has also masked her ability to channel—but the wolves sensed it anyway, so the weave works on channellers, but not wolves. Masking may not work on Shadowspawn that can distinguish channellers (eg Myrddraal and gholam) either.

Elayne POV

The Andoran queen puts herself at risk to inspire her troops to fight, since they were on the edge of breaking. I love how Birgitte is sarcastic about her recklessness. She had been wanting to fight among the other Heroes, but Elayne asked for her to stay, and she is needed to moderate Elayne’s enthusiasm, just as she does Gaidal Cain’s when they are reborn.

Mat POV

The Light’s forces are inadequate and exhausted, but that makes their efforts all the more impressive and heroic. At last, the cards are turning Mat’s way. The Shadow has a far greater army, but little to no leadership. Moreover, the Seanchan finally arrive.

Grady POV

Grandy follows his orders to open gateway to Hinderstap again, despite being furious at villagers being futilely sent to fight Shadowspawn. Humble folk in all the armies have suffered the same fate and they don’t have the advantage of the villagers. (They don’t have their disadvantage, either). It was a brilliant move making the most of Hinderstap’s characteristics and have them make a valuable contribution to the Last Battle. The hundred members of Mat’s Band that joined the village, knowing they could be trapped forever in a hideous recursion, were also noble. We never find out if the re-sealing of the Dark One lifts Hinderstap’s terrible fate.

Memory of Light Read-through #45: Chapter 39—Those Who Fight

By Linda

Rand POV

Rand makes the huge declaration that the fight is not all about him. In fact, Rand says it was never about him—possibly an exaggeration, but he has been copping the Dark One’s lies for some time, so why not? The Dark One responds like a schoolyard bully, saying “I can still hurt people”.

Rand acknowledges those who have suffered from the Shadow but continue to fight. The woman torn and beaten down, cast from her throne and made a puppet is Morgase (who is helping with the wounded) or Siuan. The storytelling man is Thom and the woman who hunted before others could is Moiraine. Perrin is the man who lost his family but protected others, and Nynaeve the woman who thinks she can Heal anything. The hero who insists he is not may well be Loial (since Rand does not describe this figure as a man), but could also be Mat, while the woman who would not bend is Egwene.

The Dragon is in the place of nothingness and the Dark One is lord of it. Lord of nothing. The Dark One calls Lan the King of Nothing, when he is every inch a king, which is why the entire Borderlands follows him. Rand sees that the Dark One is also wrong about Lan being dead, and his declaration of this is heard by everyone on the battlefield. With so many dying, I guess even the Dark One loses track of individual souls. Demandred had remarked before that the Dark One is not omniscient.

Rand sees everyone fighting the Shadow over the Ages. The Dark One can’t win so long as people fight him and don’t despair. It’s why the Shadow tried so hard to break Rand. Turning Rand to the Shadow would not have resulted in a win:

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

Robert Jordan interview, January 2003

We have arrived at the climax of the Last Battle—and it is a triple one of the sounding of the Horn of Valere, Rand announcing that Lan is not only alive but still fighting, and Rand realising that the Dark One has no hold on him or on anyone that doesn’t give up.

Had the Dragon despaired at Shayol Ghul during an eclipse, it would be a win for the Ages. The eclipse is still occurring at the Pit of Doom, even though it has long finished elsewhere. Rand is a solar character, being Lord of the Morning, He Who Comes With the Dawn and Sol Invictus, and is currently feeling eclipsed at Shayol Ghul by the darkness there. An eclipse being an conjunction of the sun and the moon, it can also symbolise male (sun) and female (moon) uniting for the Great Work, the Magnum Opus of defeating the Shadow—which is what actually happens, but not yet. With his realisation in a vulnerable time of darkness (the eclipse) that despairing is losing, the risk of defeat has decreased, but is not over.

Elayne POV

Now that Elayne is literally in the clutches of Darkfriends, including Hanlon, she realises her stupidity in risking herself and the babies. Birgitte was not only right all along, she also rescues foolish Elayne.

Mat POV

Mat realises that he can win. All his forces are united; he just needs a little more luck as he pushes everyone to take advantage. The Raven Prince wonders how the Horn could have been sounded and realises this means that he isn’t tied to it any longer. He wrongly assumes the link was broken when he was hanged in Rhuidean. Wondering who did blow it, he stresses out that the Shadow may have control of it.

Artur Hawkwing thought the Horn should have been blown sooner, and unjustly criticises Mat for the apparent delay. Everyone’s a critic. Siuan’s information in The Great Hunt, Leavetakings, that the Horn would work for either side is erroneous according to Hawkwing:

"Gambler," Hawkwing replied. "Do take better care of what has been allotted you. Almost, I worried we would not be summoned for this fight." Mat let out a relaxing breath.
"Bloody ashes, Hawkwing! You needn't have drawn it out like that, you bloody goat-kisser. So you fight for us?"
"Of course we fight for the Light," Hawkwing said. "We would never fight for the Shadow."
"But I was told—" Mat began.
"You were told wrong," Hawkwing said.

A Memory of Light, Those Who Fight

But see this early statement of Jordan’s:

Pam Basham Question: Hawkwing says they follow the banner and the Dragon. Moiraine says the Heroes will follow whoever winds the Horn. Was Moiraine wrong?
Robert Jordan: *Arch look* Moiraine doesn't know everything. She was speaking the truth as she knows it. However, she is correct in that whoever sounds the Horn "controls the Heroes."
Pam Basham Question: Then what happens if the Dragon and the banner are on opposite sides of the conflict from whoever sounds the Horn?
Robert Jordan: Then we get a [rift] in the Pattern.

Robert Jordan booksigning, October 1998

This means that if the Dragon were on the side of the Shadow, then the Heroes called by the Horn would be bound to fight for the Shadow via the Dragon. However, it was misinformation:

Terez: I'm guessing you're aware that RJ told a couple of fans that the Heroes had to follow the Horn no matter who blew it (and that, if the Shadow blew the Horn, there would be some kind of 'rift' in the Pattern). What's the story there?

Brandon Sanderson: This is an interesting one for a multitude of reasons. I actually worked under the assumption that whoever blew the Horn would control the Heroes, going so far as to write several sequences in the last book referencing that to heighten tension that if the Horn were indeed captured things would go VERY poorly for the Light.

I was quite surprised, then, when Harriet wrote back to me on the manuscript quite energetically crossing out these lines and explaining that the Heroes could not ever follow the Shadow. I called and asked for confirmation and clarification, pointing out that it seemed otherwise from the text and from fandom interpretation. She explained that this was one of Jim's ruses, that the characters in book were wrong and repeating bad information, and that Jim had been very clear with her that it was not the case. I can only guess that these reports in fandom were cases where people asked Jim a question he could Aes Sedai his way out of, and something got muddled in the communication or the reporting somehow.

Brandon Sanderson, 2013 Interview

Perhaps, as is so typical of Jordan, it’s a bit more complex than stated here. Or he changed his mind over the years.

The Heroes do require at least one form of proof—that being the presence of the Dragon banner. The Heroes also must follow the Dragon. If the Dragon had been turned to the Shadow, but the Heroes can never fight for the Shadow, then perhaps they can’t fight at all in that circumstance.

Yet the banner was not made at the same time as the Horn, so this restriction evolved over time:

Question: Were the Dragon Banner and the Horn of Valere made at the same time?
Robert Jordan: No.
Question: Then why did Hawkwing need Rand to produce the banner at Falme before he could attack?
Robert Jordan: Legends change

Knife of Dreams booksigning

Hawkwing corrects Mat’s opinion that he died in Rhuidean. It was actually by lightning in Caemlyn. Both times Rand saved him, and the Heroes point out to Mat that he should be more grateful to Rand (and by extension, to the channelling that Mat so loathes and fears). Mat never did give a formal farewell to Rand as Perrin did.

Mat is not overjoyed to learn that the Heroes of the Horn are not invincible and can’t win the war on their own. Despite champing at the bit for the Horn to be blown, they are just one part of the battle. Just as Rand is one part. Everybody does their bit.

Olver POV

Noal/Jain Charin is newly promoted to Hero and justifiably happy and proud to be so. Olver is just grateful that someone came back for him. He was the little boy lost for too long. (As well as the little boy blue who blows the horn.)

Memory of Light Read-through #44: Chapter 38—The Place That Was Not

By Linda

Rand POV

At the end of his strength fighting the Dark One, Rand thinks of his father telling him to let go of all the guilt and pain at others’ death that he is carrying. Even this isn’t enough, because Rand still mistakenly believes that being a sacrifice for humanity means he should be the only one to suffer, that he should do it by himself. Yet cooperation and sharing are the key to the Light’s victory. This is what Rand’s women friends have criticised him for: pushing them away and trying to do everything himself. And indeed, he hears from Egwene telling him to let her be a hero. Is he truly hearing her soul, or imagining what she would say? Bearing in mind, that he is outside the Pattern.

This is the time that Rand needs all his strength, but he is tying up a large part of it bearing the unbearable. Cadsuane spoke of how Rand confuses strength and hardness, but he also confuses taking responsibility for what he’s done and for what others on his behalf, and taking responsibility from them to make their own choices.

Rand didn’t want to let others sacrifice themselves because he wanted to protect them. However, depriving others of choice, especially moral choice, is quite bad. Choice is one of the fundamental tenets of The Wheel of Time’s theology (that, and the necessity of balance). Derailing choice is the last remaining part of Rand’s wrongness. He really resists giving up on this and feels a failure. Egwene hints to him that his mistake will result in failure:

You have embraced your death. Embrace mine.

Tears leaked from the corners of his eyes. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

Why?

"I've failed."

No. Not yet you haven't.

A Memory of Light, The Place That Was Not

In the end, Rand lets go because he is in too much pain from the deaths and the Dark One. In sheer exhaustion he allows all the dead to be heroes—including Ilyena. Lews Therin was reborn as Rand to do better and fix up Lews Therin’s mistakes.

Unburdening himself gives him the mental space to stand up to the Dark One. Rand was dragging himself down, just as Perrin hamstrung himself.

The Dragon is outside the Pattern to fight the Dark One, and able to see the entirety of the universe. The Dark One is a force—mainly, or perhaps solely, of the True Power, I guess—not a being. Rand now feels steady and entire, much to the Dark One’s surprise, and has the strength to refuse to give in. He acknowledges the fallen and their nobility, though he has not put words to that yet. Rand embraces the Oneness, the void that Tam knew is so important for mental and spiritual health. (In the previous chapters, we saw Demandred keeping himself fresh through his many battles using the Oneness). Even Lanfear told Rand that he would find uses for it that he couldn’t imagine:

"Wear this void of yours all the time, Rand al'Thor, and you'll learn uses for it you never suspected."

The Great Hunt, In the Mirror of Darkness

The Oneness, the positive void, is hugely important to Rand’s victory.

The Dark One insists that he controls everything and is breaking everything so Rand has lost. Rand finally sees his error. Giving up, despairing, means losing to the Dark One.

Mat POV

And this is paralleled among the armies on both sides, who have each just lost a major figurehead. Mat rallies the Light, but the Shadow remains stunned. So, at last things aren’t looking too good for the bad guys.

Memory of Light Read-through #43: Chapter 37—The Last Battle Part 4

By Linda

Mat POV

The scene of Mat sitting on a dead Trolloc to rest and have a drink of water is a reference to Jordan being called “iceman” in Vietnam:

I have, or used to have, a photo of a young man sitting on a log eating C-rations with a pair of chopsticks. There are three dead NVA laid out in a line just beside him. He didn't kill them. He didn't choose to sit there because of the bodies. It was just the most convenient place to sit. The bodies don't bother him. He doesn't care. They're just part of the landscape. The young man is glancing at the camera, and you know in one look that you aren't going to take this guy home to meet your parents. Back in the world, you wouldn't want him in your neighborhood, because he is cold, cold, cold. I strangled that SOB, drove a stake through his heart, and buried him face down under a crossroad outside Saigon before coming home, because I knew that guy wasn't made to survive in a civilian environment.

Robert Jordan on his blog, April 26th 2007

Demandred didn’t fall for trickster Mat’s bait and kept the Sharans in reserve. The Raven Prince feels that his luck ran well when it didn’t matter, but is in short supply when it is desperately needed—like now. When totally beset, he becomes all the more determined, ike any other stubborn Two Rivers person. The Light’s armies are finally fully unified, but all must hold and with a resolved Mat at their head they have their best chance.

Olver POV

This scene is about people not being what they seem. Olver thinks he can manipulate or trick people better than Mat does. Aravine and Faile put on convincing acts for the Darkfriends—and even the genuine Darkfriend adopted a fake style to fool Faile a little longer. It is Olver, ignored, who kills the Black Sister, thereby freeing the others from Aravine’s betrayal.

Leane POV

Leane has learned that strength in the Power isn’t everything. Skill means a great deal. Of course, when both are present, a channeller can be truly impressive, as Leane observes when Egwene weaves twelve separate weaves simultaneously.

The Aes Sedai are stunned by the number and fighting skill of the Sharan channellers. (Again, a reflection of their delusion that they were the only proficient channellers.) There must have been a lot of fighting among channellers in Shara to account for their prowess—a society like the Seanchan feared, and mistakenly imputed to Aes Sedai. Damane also fight well—but at a non-channeller’s direction; they are not independent. Only Egwene, who was damane for a short while, but long enough for a fair bit of training, can match them. Leane is shocked by something momentous like the Sharans, but also by something comparatively less earth-shattering: her discovery that a Red Sitter wants to learn the Domani seduction techniques.

Talmanes POV

As a non-channeller, Talmanes can’t understand how an Asha’man would know of a fully enclosed cavern. He sensed it with Earth.

Talamanes’ humour is very dark and most of the men don’t recognise it.

Faile POV

Faile realises that her mistaken distrust of Harnan and Vanin brought disaster upon her group. However, it may well have happened anyway.

After killing Aravine, Faile gets Olver to take the Horn to Mat while she bravely acts as a decoy.

Logain POV

Logain gives Androl his own dragon pin in acknowledgement of his accomplishment. He doesn’t trust Gabrelle, thinking her concern is fake, and an attempt to manipulate him. His hatred of Aes Sedai kept him going after being gentled and his psychological state was further eroded by the attempted Turnings.

The Aes Sedai is impressed at his courage in going to fight Demandred. However, he has an additional motive: he lusts for the sa’angreal that Demandred has.

Ila POV

Ila and Raen have suffered privations in the last year, but feel Aram’s loss far more. She is dismayed that Raen is looking at a quiver of arrows. Raen realises that the Way of the Leaf won’t save them from the Shadow and if the Dark One remakes the world it will be worse than any suffering they have known. Moreover, they can’t run away from the Shadow if the Dark One wins. The Tinker realises they can only follow the Way if others protect them, as the first Aiel protected the Jenn, whom the Tinkers were once part of—and so the Tinkers come full circle. At first Ila hopes this is a temporary depression, but Raen has some realisation that the Tinkers owe a debt to the fighters, and that the fighters’ actions are not evil.

This insight inspires Ila to reassess the rejection of Aram, who had realised that he could have saved his mother from the Trollocs if he fought them, when the Tinnkers tradition of non-violence ensured her death.

The Way of the Leaf does not have all the answers.

Olver POV

Alone with the Horn, Olver feels abandoned all over again. He had thought himself tough—and so he is, but in this horrific situation is rightly terrified. One does not exclude the other.

Noble Bela didn’t throw Olver in terror as most horses would have when near Trollocs. Olver thinks Bela is dead, but the Companion says she survived and lived in retirement in the Two Rivers. Previously, Harriet had insisted that Bela died, but implied at a booksigning that she became a Hero of the Horn. Bela is Harriet’s favourite character.

Logain POV

Logain thought that he could match Demandred because he assumed his opponent would be tired from all his channelling, but the Forsaken whipped him. One positive outcome of the clash is that he realises Gabrelle’s concern for him is real. (What she dislikes is their unequal, forced bonding and it may be that she Bonds him in turn ultimately.) For himself, Logain is humiliated almost to the point of despair.

Berelain POV

The First will ask gai’shain to help retrieve the wounded form the battlefield, contrary to ji’e’toh. Since they are pledged to non-violence, it would be a major sacrifice of their honour. Annoura sacrifices herself to rescue the wounded Galad, to atone her treatment of Berelain. Burning out can’t be Healed because the channeller’s connection to the Source is destroyed, not merely cut.

Rand POV

Watching over everyone, Rand feels responsible for all the deaths, that he should have been able to save them. The Dark One tries to make Rand despair as he is crushed by grief and responsibility. Rand’s awareness extends to all, even Nyaneve attending to Alanna.

Taim POV

Taim sneers at Demandred obsessively wasting energy calling for Rand, but the newest Forsaken was bested by Egwene. Demandred uses meditation to restore himself to freshness, which explains why Logain did not find him tired. Taim is impressed with Demandred’s presence in spite of himself. Demandred loans Taim Sakharnen, but convinces Taim that the sa’angreal is bonded to Demandred and can’t be used against him. Taim can’t believe Demandred would hand over such an object of the Power to anyone. The Shadow’s general reminds Taim of their orders to use balefire.

Elayne POV

Elayne oscillates between feeling she isn’t doing much for her troops, who don’t even know that she lives, and thinking she could be more useful fighting with the Aes Sedai.

Mellar (aka Hanlon) and his darkfriends have tricked their way close to Elayne. Their plans are to cut Elayne’s babies from her womb and take them to Shayol Ghul for the Dark One to torment Rand. This is not exactly the ultimate version of Birgitte’s warning that horrible things could happen to Elayne and her babies could still be born OK, since they wouldn’t be healthy, at best living for an hour, but it highlights Birgitte’s good sense.

Rand POV

The Dark One’s world-building scenario is the void, nothingness, this time. Rand could accept that for himself, but not for the whole world. Nothingness is what Moridin desires, but Rand thinks Moridin is wrong. Peace does not equal nothing. Nor is nothing “everything” like the Dark One says.

Min POV

Yulan criticises Mat’s generalship strongly, while being careful to not criticise Tuon’s choice of him as her consort. The Truthspeaker is horrified that she is thinking of what she sees and does in Seanchan terms. It’s a sign that she is fitting into their society as well as Mat has. Both will change it, both are being changed by it.

Beslan and Tylee press to go back to the Last Battle, while Galgan is uncertain. Tuon is troubled by Yulan’s scouts’ reports and fears that returning is what feels good rather than what is strategic.

Min makes some excellent deductions from her viewings and flushes out Moghedien. Just as importantly, she adds to the pressure on Tuon to return to the battle.

Egwene POV

Taim uses balefire to undo all the work Egwene’s forces have done in the last few hours. She thinks about what Perrin said and about the necessity for balance in the Pattern and weaves the Flame of Tar Valon, opposite of balefire. The weave is so positive that it eases her pain from Gawyn’s death. Equal to balefire at first, the flame weave is the stronger—plus Egwene was able to be reckless with the amount of power she drew, due to her sa’angreal having no buffer.

The Amyrlin almost senses that a black hole could open in the area soon:

Black lines radiated across the Heights, and her mind's eye saw them opening, the land shattering, and a void appearing here that sucked into it all life.

A Memory of Light, The Last Battle

This is the danger of balefire: it destroys the Pattern, leaving Nothing.

After separating herself for Leilwin, she finishes off all the Sharans with the flame of Tar Valon weave, expending her body energy in the process. Witnessing this, Rand is overcome with even more grief and guilt.

Mat POV

Even with the Sharan channellers gone, Mat’s troops are outnumbered by the Trollocs. Symbolically, he raises the Age of Legends Aes Sedai banner, the unbalanced yin-yang symbol. (“Under this sign shall he (Rand) conquer”…) When all seems grim, he gets news that the Seanchan will come back. They will return; just as it was important that Mat return to Sindhol to rescue Moiraine and subsequently return to Tuon (who herself prosecutes the Return). There is a strong theme of “I will return” in the Mat-Tuon story line, a reference to General Macarthur, a parallel of Mat, declaring “I will return” to re-take territory invaded by Japan in World War II. It’s also a reference to Persephone (or Kore, which is one of Tuon’s names) spending time between her mother Demeter above ground and her husband Hades (a parallel of Mat) in the underworld. In this case, it is Mat who splits his time between his wife and his homeland.

Mat would almost rather Tuon stayed safe. She is returning to help him despite misgivings that she would gain more politically by letting the Aes Sedai be damaged by the Shadow. But there is no safety anywhere. It’s obvious that they can’t win the Battle while Demandred is alive, even if he no longer has the sa’angreal.

Loial POV

Loial pretends he will get to write his book, but believes he won’t live to do it. Nevertheless, he intends to witness Lan’s fight. Sadly, this happened to Jordan, who did not live to complete his series.

Tam POV

Rand’s father helps Lan get through the Trolloc barrier by raining fire arrows on them, and has one of the best lines of the book in my opinion:

"Let's give Lord Mandragoran a little something to guide his way!"

A Memory of Light, The Last Battle

He is given…Light.

Lan POV

A small thing that had huge consequences was Lan’s offer to check whether there were Healed troops in Mayene, resulting in him intercepting Berelain’s note to Mat with the weave-stopping medallion. The best of the knights seizes the opportunity to duel the Forsaken. But first he must get through the Trollocs, impossible in itself except that Tam helped. Like Tam, Lan is completely within the void. He immediately wounds Demandred.

Rand POV

Rand is witness to everyone dying and desperate. He feels a failure until he is prompted to let go. His father’s words save his sanity, while the man himself enables Lan to save the Last Battle.

Lan POV

One with the Land in the void, Lan is a stand-in for his protégé Rand, while Rand fights a greater duel for the Land.

Demandred demands Lan’s name, but, unlike Gawyn and Galad, Lan refuses to reveal his identity, in violation of chivalric code and protocol, saying he is just a man and one who is there to kill Demandred. This is a way of showing contempt to this evil person. In New Spring, Lan is disgusted when an arrogant Tairen noble (as it turned out, a Darkfriend—probably Weiramon) passes him orders in the Aiel War without introducing himself first. The duel is very Arthurian. Demandred is a parallel of Meleagaunt, who was a treacherous enemy of King Arthur’s court that duelled Sir Lancelot (a parallel of Lan) three times, and was killed by him in their last duel. Rather than fight Lan three times, Demandred duelled three different knights with Arthurian names, falling to Lan last. Three is the most important number in the series.

Amazingly, Lan dodged Demandred’s diversions and did not let them disrupt his attacks at all. Demandred is shocked. Lan reads him like a book. In contrast, Demandred assumes Lan came to win, but he came to kill him, expecting to die also, and fulfilled his aim.

And so ends the longest chapter in this series, with a huge number of POVS. The quick changes of POV in the second half of the Last Battle chapter speed up the action and stop the reader feeling bogged down, but instead, hit with woe upon woe.

Memory of Light Read-through #42: Chapter 37—The Last Battle Part 3

By Linda

Juilin POV

The irony of a Tairen in charge of protecting Aes Sedai is not lost on Juilin. He’s also rather stunned that he, a mere commoner, is now leading his group. Such is this war of attrition that many who expected to follow are now leading.

Pevara POV

Androl’s social awkwardness shows in his tactless complement to Pevara. He also missed that Emarin is gay, whereas Pevara is aware.

The Red sister doesn’t understand the reality of fighting—the need to eat and sleep during longer battles. She has only read about battles, whereas Androl has fought and also learned tactics. Pevara is considerably older than Androl, but he has lived a far more varied life. He likes her courage and reliability, she likes his many and varied skills and experiences. Androl is feeling more responsible for the Turning of friends than she is: he wants to avenge Evin and the others, whereas Pevara doesn’t even think of Tarna much. When Pevara considers how Asha’man would be great Warders, Androl is jealous. Most Aes Sedai are not married to their Warders, whereas the Asha’man’s warder bond was originally conceived as a way of knowing the status of their spouse.

Pevara distances herself from smells as well as heat and cold. It is she who leads their group over to the Sharans. Sharans are disgusted by Trollocs but unanimously hold to playing their part in the Pattern. Were dissenters purged back in Shara, or did they refuse to come with Demandred?

The old man that Androl’s goup encounter is Demandred’s mentor, Mintel, who was very positive toward their role, not seeing it as evil, merely necessary, even crucial, to the Pattern. However, instead of revering the monk warrior, the Sharan nobles sneer at him—or at least at his weapons.

Galad POV

Gawyn confesses his mistakes to Galad, and then drops the bombshell that Rand is Galad’s half-brother. The Land soaks up the blood of the dying fighters, including that of Gawyn. The grieving Galad determines to fight Demandred.

The Children with Galad see extreme channelling in action and are no longer afraid. Although if these Whitecloaks were put off by it, they would be useless for this engagement. They have superstitions though—that they must separate the head from the body of Sharan channellers that they kill, or otherwise they can regenerate. This is legend creation in action. Whitecloaks realise the fighting they are (finally?) doing is what should have been doing since their beginning. Just like the Green Ajah, they should have been fighting Shadowspawn in the Blight, not trying to influence world politics. Leading by example.

EgwenePOV

The broken Warder bond is driving Egwene mad with pain. In the face of rude reality, she realises that she was naïve and over-confident about the bond; it is incapacitating when broken.

Tam POV

Out of arrows, Tam keeps the Two Rivers forces operational with hand weapons. He has a flashback to the Blood Snow in the Aiel War, when Rand was born. Full circle. He humbly feels the sword Rand gave him is too good for him, when the reverse is the case.

Fortuona POV

The Empress shares her consort’s reluctance for One Power Healing. As a small honour, she personally gives the Deathwatch Guard their death-marching orders for failing to keep her safe. To redress her obligation, she resolves to do a personal penance later for sending Karede to his death when she owes him so much.

As arranged, Tuon and Mat use the situation as a trigger for their staged spat and separation to dupe the Shadow’s spy into thinking that their immaturity has led them to disunity.

Rand POV

Rand: just one man and yet the world’s hope. A t this stage he still thinks it’s all about him. That his duel with the Dark One will decide the outcome. However, all the battles and sacrifices are necessary.

Peaches are believed to be toxic but are not (The Wheel of Time Companion). They were safely and happily eaten in the Age of Legends, but people in the Third Age erroneously believe they are poisonous, and who will dare to test this? More erroneous knowledge that is effectively a myth.

The right of might prevails in this world of the Dark One’s weaving. He says his world has no good or evil. More accurately, the people in the Dark One’s world have no knowledge of good and evil, just base and basic mental functions. Everyone is out for themselves. The psychopaths in it seem sociable but have no feelings or values. Interestingly, everyone needs to belong to a faction, just as with Rand’s visit to Caemlyn in The Eye of the World.

The Dark One’s action backfires to a degree: Rand is so outraged that he rushes without thought to make its opposite.

Mat POV

First, Mat convinces Min to watch over Tuon while he is not there, and then Karede to join him in fighting—for his and their protection. For once, he follows the Seanchan social rules for referring to that the Empress so the omen is good. Quite a concession for a guy who literally lives by rule-breaking.

Tam POV

Tam was always known for his steadiness, and here we see it to perfection—literally holding the wedge formation firm against the Trolloc onslaught. He impresses even Lan. The last time he fought like this may have been in the Aiel War. Utterly within void, he does not think of the past. Only the now. His bending like a reed reminds me of Cadsuane’s saying that the willow bends while the oak breaks (Knife of Dreams, News for the Dragon).

A gentle wind refreshes him after—the wind of life, chai, prana, that flows through the books. The sun shines on the dragon banner, but nowhere else.

Refugees—even children—volunteer to tend the wounded and retrieve arrows (that the Two Rivers folk need badly) rather than await the outcome of the battles.

Elayne POV

Bryne was the last of his long line. Both his and Siuan’s deaths mark the end of an era. As the sun sets on this day, the battle outlook is very bleak. Elayne fears only hours remain.

Birgitte gets Elayne away from Demandred’s attacks just in time. She thinks Demandred is not just trying to kill Elayne as Rand’s love, but also as an army commander. To make it harder for him to locate Elayne, Birgitte insists that she not channel. Elayne reluctantly accedes.

Galad POV

As Galad arrives at the Forsaken’s command post, he sees Demandred going for another member of his family while yelling for the blood of a third. For the first time, he feels guided by not just the Pattern, but also the Light. Although barely over the shock that Rand is his brother as much as Gawyn was, he announces it defiantly at Demandred and offers himself in Rand’s place. Galad is not sure how he feels about his half-brother—whether proud or ashamed. At least he met Rand at Merrilor, after thinking Rand disreputable-looking when saw him in Caemlyn at the beginning. It’s interesting that Galad senses a similarity between Rand and Demandred.

Demandred almost realises Rand is ignoring him—but can’t really comprehend the ultimate ignominy of Rand really being so far above him. Poor Mr Second-Best. Appropriately, he fights the second-best knight when he briefly wonders about this.

Nynaeve POV

Using supposedly mundane methods, Nynaeve sews Alanna’s wounds and gives her effective herbal medicine. Without her ministrations, Alanna would die and Rand go mad.

Mat POV

Bashere feels so corrupted by the Shadow that he is not able to be King. Galad has distracted Demandred, which has taken some pressure off Elayne’s troop, but Mat sends Bashere to tell Lan to bolster Elayne’s right flank. Bashere feels inadequate and Mat yells at him—a sign of respect that reassures Bashere and thus pleases Deira.

Mat feels the Andorans are weakening, then watches Ogier save them. Like Galad, he finds them terrifying—well, they are Ogres. The Prince of the Ravens discovers that the Gardeners are with the mainland Ogier, but the two are not mixing well. In war, the Ogier are as quiet as they are loquacious in peace.

Mat doesn’t see a vision of Rand when he thinks of him, only darkness. Rand is outside the Pattern at this point, having touched the Dark One’s darkness.

Teslyn left the White Tower, preferring to fight with Dragonsworn. It is not known if she left when the Amyrlin was Elaida or Egwene. I think the former is more likely.

Egwene POV

An archetypal Red, Silviana regrets Egwene’s relationship with Gawyn. In contrast, Yellows are accepting. Silviana sees Warders as a weakness, instead of also a source of strength or reassurance. She does not agree that the price paid is at all worth it. Egwene reminds Silviana that Gawyn saved Egwene’s life. Egwene is determined to return to fight in the Armageddon.

Rosil explains to Egwene that the only way to overcome the grief is with a stronger emotion. Not a problem, Egwene has plenty of anger to use, but also needs the steadying bond of a Warder, and asks Egeanin if she will accept it. The Amyrlin still feels some revulsion at a Seanchan but overcomes it.

Galad POV

Galad sees through Demandred’s ploys easily. Demandred is less talkative fighting him—an indication that Galad is testing him. Furthermore, Galad’s lack of response may be unsettling to him; Galad is no easy meat. He does have some difficulty against objects thrown at him with the Power, but not too badly, and even manages to cut Demandred. However, he is not fast enough to go on the attack, and mostly just responds to Demandred’s attacks. He loses a forearm to this Forsaken, as his brother lost a hand to another. Demandred wins but was fairly pressed.

Galad’s tactics worked in that Demandred stopped attacking Elayne’s armies. This helped Galad’s sister, if not his brother.

Androl POV

Androl is bold and quick-thinking in tricking Taim and putting him off-guard while getting close enough to pickpocket the Seals. Cleverly, he blames returning to Taim on Demandred. In a neat reversal, Taim overlays Androl’s own face on him to kill Logain. This is such a contrast to the Aes Sedia, whose weaker members are rarely able to have opportunities to shine, no matter how skilled, experienced or intelligent they are.

Arganda POV

Tam’s timing in battle is perfect. Knowing nothing of Tam’s time in the Illianer Companions, Arganda wonders how he learned it. Arganda is impressed with how everyone is fighting together. However, he realises that they can’t win, as does Lan. Lan is determined to fight to the death.

Rand POV

Rand manifests another possible world: this one, with the Dark One dead, is very unlikely and takes some effort to show. Yet in the Age of Legends, the Dark One was unknown. Rand’s version is more extreme still. He enters the world in Caemlyn, as he did in the previous world, although it is the very opposite of how it was in the Dark One’s vision. The Dark One can’t enter this world (a logical impossibility).

The Dragon is exploring the result of killing the Dark One so he can’t appear in another Age. The Dark One’s death resulted in the annihilation of the Trollocs. Here and now, Mat is aware that the Light’s forces will wipe them out themselves. Like in the test for Accepted, Rand has to be on guard against staying in this world.

No one needs to see the Queen; there are no problems for her to solve. National borders also mean nothing. She is an anachronism—and also a husk of what she was spiritually. She shows a wrongness like that of being Turned to the Shadow. I guess she has been Turned to the Light. Rand’s ‘perfect’ world is not turning out how he intended. It changes people in horrible ways.

The Dark One claims victory in this part of the duel. Rand discovers that a world without choice is evil. Rand and Dark One will be effectively the same—it little matters which of them is the sole ruling entity. This is why Cadsuane tried to make Rand more balanced and emotionally expressive. Regardless, Rand holds onto his erroneous idea of killing Dark One until the Last Moment.

This world proves that you can’t force perfection, only aim for it.