Unsolved Mysteries From The Wheel of Time!
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My head canon: Rand is become Tom Bombadil. Eternal, carefree, and infinitely mysterious.
Elayne Goldberry confirmed?
Hahahaha! Love it!
I believe it.
In relation to Rand lighting the pipe by bending the pattern: Remember when he asked Cadsuane that if he she believed he just needed to think something and then it would happen. she got scared. Why was she scared. I think she knew of the Dragons power to manipulate the pattern.
“Cadsuane, do you believe that I could kill you? Right here, right now, without using a sword or the Power? Do you believe that if I simply willed it, the Pattern would bend around me and stop your heart? By . . . coincidence?”
Interesting take. At the time of reading I thought it would be because of him being Taveren, it seemed to fit the ongoing themes of that part of the story. (him strolling into the white tower's Hall, Knowing he'd get what he wanted and walk out for example.)
Eh. I think Cadsuane just noticed how unhinged he was in that moment, and whether it be through the "wheel" or his actual action, she was going to die if she remained.
That said, that moment, as well as a few others, at least in my mind, definitely allude to him getting said power to be capable of that.
I think that, while he maybe was able to do that, Cadsuane was scared because of the dark aura around him, caused by the true power.
I don’t think rand believed he actually had that ability. If he’d wanted to kill her mysteriously at that moment he probably would have drawn on the true power (which he’d just done for the first time moments before) and made everyone _think_ he had just “willed” her heart to stop because none of the Asha’man would have been able to see his weaves.
Mordeth names himself at the end of a memory of light, in his final scene before Mat kills him. Mordeth names himself "Shaisam" which means he is the other half of the dark power; when compared to the light halves Saidin and Saidar. I understand that, while in the light the halves are separated by sex, in the darkness they are separated differently between Shaitan and Shaisam; this, I think takes force when considering Mordeth is mashadar but also machin shin. So basically only Mat could him since was the only one inmune due to the dagger
This is how I understand it too, this is how Rand used Shadar Logoth to cleanse Saidin, using both halves of the light's power (saidin and saidar) and the two halves of the dark power (Shaitan/Shaisam.) I feel like the dark one represents an external source of evil while Shaisam represents the evil in the hearts of humans.
Never thought about it like this. Nice
Thank you! I have mentioned before online Padan Fain's encounter with Machin Shin, but have never heard anyone else even truly consider it. Probably because it doesn't happen "on screen". There also (IMO) must have been more of a contact between Fain and Mashadar in his time in Shadar Logoth, otherwise his attraction/immunity to the Dagger makes no sense.
Ok let's say stealing the Dagger from Mat in Fal Dara was just a whim and he didn't kill Egwene and Mat (in the Dungeon) because he was low on seconds. This still occurred after he got through Machin Shin to exit the Ways, and after Moraine said he was far worse than just a Dark Friend.
There has to be a lot more to the story than what we see in the POVs.
@@josecastillo3331Dude, that is a sick ass theory, it fits so well with the pattern of WoT
@@josecastillo3331Interesting theory
I think that the Seals are just a stasis field in the area of Shayol Ghul. I think it operates on a gradient, from the epicenter at the Pit of Doom itself. My theory is that Ishamael was rushing out to engage Lews Therin when the Seals activated, and that Aginor and Balthamel were running in the opposite direction, and all three got caught in the ‘penumbra’ of the effect while the other ten Forsaken were completely frozen in time closer to the Pit of Doom. Ishamael can sometimes act, free of the stasis field, but is essentially ‘called back’ when the field oscillates and becomes stronger at the point where he is located. I think for Ishamael, he might even subjectively experience a bit of a sensation of time moving backward as he is called back, but to an outside observer, he simply vanishes.
I think Mordeth was simply Mitch McConnell in the Third Age.
I think the Horn of Valere is just a very powerful ter’angreal. I think that it basically anchors a person’s coherent identity within Tel’aran’rhiod, where otherwise their memories, identity, and ‘soul’ would be erased and reused. The souls are still reborn into the Pattern as normal, but instead of being a blank slate, they simply accrue new memories. Similar to the way Lews Therin Telamon is reborn as Rand al’Thor, but retains Lews Therin’s memories on top of Rand’s. It also has to have an element of Compulsion, as the heroes tied to the Horn are compelled to serve whomever blows it. As to when it was made, I think it may have been created by Latra Posae's people during the Breaking, probably as part of the writing of the Karaethon Cycle. We don't hear anything about the Horn of Valere in the Second Age before the Breaking, so this is the most logical time for it to have been made, essentially at the same time Callandor was made. We know very powerful objects were still being made for a while after the breaking, and the Aes Sedai were responsible for both the Eye of the World and Callandor. It makes sense that the Horn was placed there to fulfill the Prophecies of the Dragon.
I think Nakomi is the last of the late Second Age/early Third Age Aes Sedai of Rhuidean, and a Dreamer. I think she lives in Rhuidean more or less full time, and because of the time dilation effect within Rhuidean, she might only be about 400 years old from her point of view, while millennia have passed outside of Rhuidean. As a denizen of Rhuidean, she has access to the glass columns, the rings, the twisted redstone doorway to Sindhol, and all of the other objects of the Power cached within the city. She is the last guardian of the secrets of Rhuidean, the last remnant of the Aes Sedai who founded Rhuidean, and the sole living witness to the entire Third Age. She may have even participated in the creation of the Horn of Valere and Callandor.
I think Rand and Moridin’s Pattern Threads became fused together when they crossed balefire streams in Shadar Logoth. This was how Rand was able to subdue Moridin during the Last Battle, by expoiting this connection, but I also think this was how Rand was able to kill Semirhage. I don’t think the Dark One was playing 4D chess, sacrificing Semirhage to ‘turn’ Rand, because not only did that not work, but Shaidar Haran had literally just freed Semirhage and gave her the Domination Band moments before she slapped it on Rand. The Dark One is just not that subtle and crafty, and he certainly didn’t have any real problem with Semirhage, one of his best agents. Moridin, on the other hand, would absolutely take a shot at Semirhage if he had the chance, and I think that’s exactly what happened. It may also be that Rand unconsciously drew on the True Power through Moridin, without Moridin being aware of it, because they were ‘sharing’ a Pattern thread at that point. And I think Moridin’s true death only comes about because his Thread becomes fused with Rand’s, the Thread becomes Rand’s alone after Moridin dies.
Lighting the pipe: I think this is just the True Power, without the Dark One’s influence. I don’t think the True Power is tied to the Dark One, I think it is the essential power of the universe, and the Dark One was able to use it, but it didn’t come from him. Nothing that can be used to create can come from the Dark One. The True Power, for someone who can really use it without any filters, wouldn’t have flows and weaves and the like, it would just manifest as a shift in reality. The Dark One slapped his own operating system on it and trickled it out to the various Chosen, but they never had access to it in its unadulterated form. That's my theory, anyway.
Nice shirt, btw.
The designer of that shirt is pretty amazing
It has always been my understanding that the One Power and the True Power were two separate things: the One Power being the power of creation and the True Power being that of destruction. One comes from the Creator and is the essense of the Light, the other from the Dark One and is his essence.
I also think that the taint on saidin is just that: the True Power. The effects of the taint are certainly similar to those of using the True Power.
Whereas wielding the One Power is said to be basically weaving the Pattern, It is stated in several books that wielding the True Power is detrimental to the Pattern. For instance, Isam uses the True Power to rip a hole in the Pattern to Travel. I also recall a passage, but I cannot remember which book, where one of the Forsaken uses the True Power to rip someone's thread from the Pattern completely, so that she cannot be reborn.
It is that very idea, that it is detrimental to the Pattern that precludes most of the Forsaken from using it more than sparingly, other than its corrupting effects on the human body. With the possible exception of Ishamael / Moridin, who truly wants the Pattern to end and to send the Universe into oblivion, even the Forsaken are unwilling to go _that_ far, because it would prevent them from achieving their own personal goals, such as immortality. They may not care about the consequences of their actions much, but they would and do care if the consequences were to affect them as well.
The only reason Rand was able to use the True Power during the Last Battle was because he existed outside the Pattern at that point and was basically able to use whatever was at hand to accomplish his goal. Rand also knew he needed both the One Power and the True power to seal the hole in the Bore once and for all, which is exactly what he used. Which also raises the question of him being the Creator for the coming turning of the Wheel - after all doesn't the creation myth of the Wheel Of Time state that "the Creator imprisoned the Dark One in his prison at the beginning of time"? It is never explicitly stated that the numbering of the ages is really synchronous with the turning of the Wheel.
As for Rand lighting his pipe without using the One (or True) Power, well that is just a nod to Tolkien and Tom Bombadil. In universe I would bet he is only loosely tied to the Pattern, being able to influence it directly. Him being the Creator of the coming turning of the Wheel and all.
McConnell as Mordeth is entirely plausible! But is it Washington DC or Kentucky that is Shadar Logoth?
@@fardareismaigrandma6825 I'd say Kentucky. They keep sending this guy to Washington D.C.
What a surprise, finding actual insightful comments on you tube. Nice write up =D
Brandon mostly explained the body swap in a Reddit thread. The text is as follows:
"Disclaimer: RJ wrote this sequence, not me, and he didn't always leave great explanations of why he wrote what he wrote. (He was focused on getting me the information to write scenes he hadn't had time to write.) However, to the best of my recollection, what you outlined here is basically what RJ intended--though with a little tweak to the second part. I believe in the notes (or it could have just been Harriet relating it to me) he said, "The soul that wanted to live found the body that wanted to live, and the soul that wanted to die didn't go to the effort." (Or something to that effect.)"
So the Dark One, as the Lord over the Grave, takes a human captive, rips whomever the poor soul is, out of the body, stuffs in Ishmael (who wants to end it all anyway by breaking the Wheel) into said body for another round and sends him out to be his #1?
It fits with the vague expalanation, I guess.
I was going to mention this as well.
I love how these mysteries and unanswered questions keep the series tangible; it makes the whole world of the Wheel of Time feel like it's still alive and breathing, even well after its final pages.
Totally agree
I find it also very much aligned with the Eastern philosophys that the journey reflects. You can't just be given the answers, process is the point. What is the nature of reality and your experience of it?
I always felt that Rand lighting the pipe was a continuation of how Perrin could control 'reality' in the dream world. Maybe the whole world is a dream, or maybe Rand now has the power to directly influence the pattern.
I'm rereading last book now and in chapter 9 Rand visits Eleyne in her tent and when her tea gets spoiled he takes the cup and makes it fresh and wonderful. He explicitly says he didn't channel to do that, he just used the pattern as the taveren - it's exactly a similar situation as with the pipe, he just needed it to be lit!
Do we ever find out how the Ogier came to be in our world or how their steddings are islands where the One Power simply does not exist? Do we ever get a definitive answer for exactly where the Portal Stones came from and how they are made?
Nada.
portal stones i think were just another thing made in the age of legends to help with travel, no clue about steddings though
@@j-jackquinn5540 portal stones in the books are mentioned to be from an age before the age of legends. the people of the era learned how to use them but not how they were made.
Ogier have a magic book (Book of Translation) that teleports all Ogier to a different world/dimension.
@@j-jackquinn5540 stated in the books that Portal Stones are from before the Age of Legends. There is nothing that says they have to be known/found in every age.
5:20 totally unconfirmed, but it would give a good reason why one of the rules for dealing with the Finn is never ask for anything, answers or favors, directly related to the Dark. That was always the rule that never came up again unlike all the others (iron, music, fire, etc.).
My theory on Ishamael is that he was never actually sealed away. The books mostly theorize on him coming out periodically, there's hardly conclusive proof given. Multiple times in the books do the Chosen mention how they have immortality as Chosen, which explains how he was around for 3000 years. It also explains his craziness (thinking he is the dark one) in the beginning, and why he couldn't actually get much done by himself except start wars periodically, until he was finally killed by Rand and resurrected.
Great point about Forsaken being immortal. It sort of ruins the whole Aginor and Balthamel aging from being too close to the seal narrative, though. It's normal for authors to not have everything nailed down in the first book of a very long series and I'd say that's one of the details Jordan had to fudge later.
I got the feeling that ishamael’s soul was what was getting out, rather than his physical body. So his body wouldn’t age like aginor or balthamel. Not that I have an argument as to how this happened or what the consequences would be, but that was my impression
Good theory. I speculate either the dark one had protected him, as he would be pre-selected for nae'blis or;
Ishmael had tapped into the power of the bore and possible the true power, was holding on to the source or a sort of shield when the seals were made and so was left partially unsealed.
But as mentioned in the video it doesn't explain why Ishamael "vanished" at key points in history.
@@JesseSierks What if he didn't actually disappear? Sure, he caused some chaos at times, but wars are won and lost on their own reasons and it takes time to start a whole new one sometimes, especially if you're going crazy from overuse of the true power.
Mordeth is that guy who's in every Among Us game who's like "Red is sus" for no reason
Hes also the red one
The body swap was actually answered via Terez I believe. Something about the soul that wanted to live being drawn to the body that would survive. Additionally, it was stated in that Reddit thread (sorry will find link later as the kiddos are being put down) the Nakomi answer would be provided after the 10 year anniversary of aMoL. Some other tidbits are the 3 questions and answers Rand received, confirmation that Taimendred was the original intent, and some early ideas for the series. Terez got all this information from the Charleston library where the notes are kept.
I'm almost certain I remember someone posting this theory on reddit at one point and Brandon confirming it.
@@Maldium_0 Me too. I actually believe that Brandon wasn't allowed to answer the questions, but he was given permission to confirm if someone else guessed correctly
Nice and that sounds vaguely familiar. Nakomi being the creator character would be a nice imo balancing gesture since there was a dark one. It’d be nice if that person was around somewhere too
Okay, so the weird thing about the Horn of Valere: its inscription "The grave is no bar to my call" is written in the old tongue, which would lead one to assume that its creation was during the Age of Legends (since the previous age is supposedly OUR age, and it would be the ultimate in hubris to assume that the old tongue is English or any other current language. It's known that the heroes of the horn predate that age, but given the supposed knowledge of tel'aran'rhiod in the AoL, the most sensible option is that some Aes Sedai of that age created it and it is a unique sort of ter'angreal.
Given that the wheel turns and what once was is come again anew, the Horn could be a paradoxical item, which "must" have been created at some point, but that point is always before this turning.
If it is a ter'angreal, what's to say that the inscription couldn't always appear to be in some older language of that age, which not everyone knows (eg, in our age in a European/Western context, it could be in Latin, and when the old tongue was common, it would have been in an older language)?
I commented on this topic under this same video. You can check it out if you are interested, it's too long to post twice. It contains info on the horn from Team Jordan.
That is the most logical and probable possibility ive heard anyone think of yet.
Well there are a few heroes of the horn that are easily placed throughout our own era ie Artur hawking being King Arthur, Birgitta potentially being Artemis, Hend the striker being John Henry. So on some level we can examine the characters of the series and start placing them as potential heroes of the horn, Perrin has the Thor connection, mata Terese the healer thom mentions (I’m working off of audiobooks so pardon the spelling) could easily be mother Teresa. Len who flew to the moon in the belly of a flaming eagle is the Apollo moon landing. There’s so many little Easter eggs if you start looking
Well.... Rand channeled LIGHT itself.....This passage explains (at least to me, how he lit the pipe... a new form of channeling LIGHT ITSELF)...*FROM THE lAST BATTLE.... Rand hurled the Powers forward with his mind and braided them together. Saidin and saidar at once, the True Power surrounding them and forming a shield on the Bore. He wove something majestic, a pattern of interlaced saidar and saidin in their pure forms. Not Fire, not Spirit, not Water, not Earth, not Air. Purity. Light itself. This didn’t repair, it didn’t patch, it forged anew. With this new form of the Power, Rand pulled together the rent that had been made here long ago by foolish men.
Jordan, Robert; Sanderson, Brandon. A Memory of Light: Book Fourteen of The Wheel of Time (p. 985). Tom Doherty Associates. Kindle Edition.
"With this new form of the Power, Rand pulled together the rent that had been made here long ago by foolish men."
"Foolish men" did not drill a hole in the Dark One's prison. That was an ambitious Lanfear assisted by some most likely ignorant others. I think perhaps it is addressing they way back when of our own First Age when the mystics and philosophers gave us the Elemental powers (+ throw in Spirit from the religious priests). Rand fixed THAT mistake.
@@bobok5566 nah...it is just a way of saying "something dumb that humans did"
@@bobok5566 Lanfear was just one of several who opened the bore, she didn’t know of the dark one when she did it
I suspect Lews/Rand is a Hero of the Horn. He's someone who gets brought back multiple times. Just because none of the heroes mentioned are channelers, doesn't mean that they don't exist. The books tended to focus on the characters from Gleeman tales.
I agree with wyvern723. There can be channelers who are Heroes of the Horn. My own belief is that after she died, Egwene will now become a HotH. The reason that she did not reappear when the Horn 📯 was blown is her soul had already been placed into one of Melanie's twins
Yeah the only heroes we truly interact with are: Birgette(and Gaidal Cain sorta), Hawkwing, and Noal( who is a maybe new addition) the others are either mentioned in passing or not named/described, And of those only Hawkwing is seen only in ghost form.
I wonder if, after the Last Battle, Rand somehow ends up partially in the “real” world, partially in Tel’aran’rhiod with the ability to just “think” things into existence no matter which world he is in.
This has been my running theory as well. Between being outside the Pattern for a time and learning how to manipulate it, being able to physically enter TAR, and living in the real world, after his "death" and subsequent merger with Moridin Rand now exists in all three realities simultaneously and is able to simply think things into being the way that he wants them.
Yes that's my theory as well. It's prophecy that he would die, and some heroes who die end up in tel'aran'riod, like Birgitte.
Well a tavareen is always able to affect the pattern. So I think whether it's pulling from TAR or not he has conscious control over it now to the extent that he can do small things that don't cause ripples in the pattern.
It is said that some people are able to "Dream" Themselves into the True World and "Leave the Illusion behind". Assuming that thought is where we all really Live and physical location is irrelevant to our True Life, perhaps Rand has done this too.
🤔
Balefires touching combined the souls, Callandor gave Rand a conduit, and Ishamael finally found the peace he always wanted.
The pipe lighting was done by channeling the creators version of The True Power, or so I interpreted it. Kinda like channeling without the need to weave. Basically he's endorsed with the true power of creation. It was a reward for ask his sacrifice, to make his life one of rare after he's endured infinite lives of suffering. When he sacrificed everything, or was willing to, and truly sealed the dark lord (till he's freed again in future millennia) he gets to enjoy life and see the world and his remaining loved ones without risk or additional sacrifice. I imagine it's limited, but still sufficient, to assure a life of ease for himself and those he loves.
Wielders of the one power are channeling the light, but Rand doesn't channel, he literally possesses the light, or a fraction there of, until he dies. It's how he was able to edit the weave and defeat the dark one. He's been tested again and again for eternity, and will be again, but until that time comes again, he's the embodiment of true creation.
That's always been my interpretation, but I could be, and almost certainly am, wrong.
Interesting, this might also help explain why Avienda and "Rand/Moridin's children (at least one of them anyway) can channel from birth.
I don't agree that none of the heroes of the horn can channel. Rand (Lews Therin) is recognized by Artur Hawking. I believe that Lews Therin *is* a hero of the horn (and honestly, even Mat and Perrin may be!)
They are both Taveren yes. So they have met before. But maybe Rand isn’t called by the horn. (Or maybe he is; I could buy your story.)
I'm pretty certain that Mat and Perrin are HotH, but we just don't get back story on them. They, and Rand, may be a linked set, like Gaidal and Birgitte?
It is not necessary to be a HotH to be reborn, reincarnation theory says we are all reborn. I would also suggest that it is not necessary to be Hero for another to recognize "your" soul when called back by the Horn if you have had close interactions in a previous lifetime (lifetimes). + i believe that it was stated that Mat chose/chooses not to be a HotH.
@@abj136 If Rand is already in the real world how could the horn call him
.... ❓
Mat specifically asked the Heroes if he was one of them, but they said he wasn't. (Much to Mat's relief!)
So, regarding none of the heroes of the horn being able to channel -- this is an area I recently ended up researching because I had always believed that Lews Therin was a hero of the horn (based mostly on the conversation Rand has with Hawkwing in TGH) , and mentioned that in a recent video, and got a LOT of comments about how none of the heroes channeled (which, again, if LTT was a hero would not be true).
I did manage to find a quote from an interview with RJ where it does appear to have said that LTT was a hero of the horn -- I can't find the quote right now, but well... if I remember correctly, he said LTT was one of The Heroes and he had hung out in TAR with Hawking or something like that.
Three forbidden topics: the Pipe, Nakomi, and ???. Maybe there’s a connection: The pipe was lit because Jordan always lights a pipe when he’s done writing. Nakomi is his wife Harriet, and the suggestions are those she thought and discussed with RJ when editing drafts.
I actually like those especially the Pipe and Harriet is Nakomi, you may just be right.
I've been thinking much the same thing. About Nakomi that is (love the idea about the pipe too). I keep thinking why would Jordan never want fans to know who she was? I think the answer lies in that somehow. So putting Harriet into the books as Nakomi makes perfect sense to me.
So long as they don't turn out to be robots in disguise.
I think that the three things Brandon can't talk about and several of the others can be explained by this: The characters and events are all part of RJ's world of dreams. The unexplainable are clues to the characters that the entirety of Randland is a dream world and when Rand swaps bodies and lights the pipe he is acknowledging that all the world he knows is a dream and in a dream, if you know it for a dream, you are it's master.
Now we have to go full Inception mode?
Rand as an avatar of the creator had merged with LTT and gained a more absolute understanding of the pattern and how the powers of channeling make reality. He had gained a conscious understanding of the pattern that would allow him to will existence.
I remember how the Saa' that floated before Morridins eyes were described to allow channeling the true power and that reality itself was made of the true power...
Been a minute but I assumed that was what it was, considering Rand finishes off with Saa' (probly mis-remembering that word...) in the form of the dragons fang on one eye.
I see you footstack, we must all awake from the dream someday.
I kind of thought Rand's power was like the True Power but tied to the Creator instead of the Dark one
What a great concept for a video, Naebs! I think Nakomi is an in world appearance of Harriet. As the editor she knows all about Randland. ;)
I just finished the last book, and when I read the scene with the pipe I didn't read it as Rand being able to light the pipe at all! He seems almost surprised to see it light up, then he turns and sees Min, Elaine and Aviendha staring at him from afar. I always took it as one of them channeling to light his pipe for him.
My guess is that Lews Therin had a connection to Ishamael similar to Rand's connection with Moridin. This allowed Ishamael to manifest but after Lews Therin killed himself, Ishamael was truly sealed away.
As for the body swap. The Dark One has the ability to give his chosen new bodies. Rand could have used the True Power to transfer his consciousness into Moridin.
Or maybe he just wished for it as a taveren and it happened
I think Moridin figured the body swap out himself as he wanted an end to the repeating cycle and endless battle. He just needed a viable vessel that was able enough to get to the Last Battle to make the swap, freeing himself finally of his service to the Dark One.
That would go against the very reason he joined the shadow to begin with. He joined because he thinks the dark lord winning is inevitible. If not this round, then the next one, or the one after that. Ishamael wants oblivion, not just dying. He wants the very nature of existance to end so that in effect, he would be without sin (although that last part is my head cannon :D ).
@@thehoogard so he joined the Dark One and then feels oblivion would free him of his sin of joining the Dark One? I think we're close. He joined for one reason and then had some failures and had a different reason for escaping his choice. I think he saw the Dragon winning during Rand's life as he lost to him multiple times and found a way to break free of his cycle.
@@CptRameus But why do you think the cycle was broken? That's not what I took with me from reading those final scenes in a memory of light.
He always say that the dark one has to win because of infinite attempts but there are also infinite realities each with a dragon and only one needs to beat the dark one for him to be resealed
@@curtisgoldthorpe6656 My initial reading (still is) is that the shadow literally can't win, that's the only way to deal with infinities. Now I've seen som youtoubers etc. comment that perhaps time isn't really infinite in the past (just the future), so there's a finite number of turnings of the wheel in history. That doesn't explain multiple worlds though, as you say. Provided they are right about a) there's an infinite amount and b) the dark one breaks free in all worlds if he breaks free in one and c) finite past as discussed above.
I always figured that rands control of reality, seemingly the way others control the dream, was because he is the most powerful taveerin. I think he could have always done it but never realized how strong his ability to shape the pattern was
Was Brandon Sanderson forbidden from answering those questions until the hour of his death like Verin? We may find out eventually if that's the case.
OMG what a theory!!!
While I have zero confidence in this being true, I think Ishamael (and Belthamel and Aginor) being only partially sealed/sealed close to the 'surface' is in fact part of the Dark One's counterstroke. By linking to some of the Forsaken, and then yeeting them out of Shayol Ghul as the Seal forms, he preserves his influence in the wolrd, even if it is reduced. In so doing, some of the things which depend on his influence - the Forgers at Thakan'Dar, for example - can continue to exist in the real world.
Maybe Mordeth was another person like Padan Fain, who was "modified" by the shadow in some way in order to bring down one of the 10 Nations, but became his own evil along the way?
This... what the hell even is Padan Fain by the end of the series, and why isn't the Dark One even the slightest bit concerned about him just going Rogue and becoming an unbound, frightening entity? :)
I like the Horn meshing the real world and TAR. Would it be possible though for a real world person to then be trapped in TAR when the mesh collapses?
Interesting thought
Ofcourse. Hadn't the wise ones mentioned how it was a danger to become trapped in TAR...?
No. I want it all answered! Hopefully the series gets more books down the road...maybe a few hundred years down the road.....thank you for the video.
I can't wait till I finish the series so that I can watch these.. On Book 13 now!
Exciting! Can’t wait to hear what you think about the end!
I personally think there is a third type of power in the world. To me that would explain talents like dreaming and being a Sniffer that have nothing to do with the one power. It might also explain Rand's ability to light the pipe if he can now tap into that power.
If Lews Therin & Ishamael were the only two to witness that Lews Therin murdered his family, how is he known for ages as Kinslayer? How is it known how Dragonmount was created?
I think the TV show has given a good explanation for Ishamael’s presence despite being sealed away: he mentioned to Lanfear that he had a long time to learn/experiment in TAR. So I think he could communicate with people in their dreams occasionally. The prolog of TEOTW does not explicitly exclude that possibility.
I think the biggest unsolved mystery (which ties to the others in some way) is “how do Perrin and Slayer shift into and out of Tel’aran’rhiod” TAR isn’t what it’s purported to be, I think.
I like the idea that Nakomi is an agent of the Light/the Creator who is nudging the Pattern in the right direction. I think her being the female equivalent to the Dragon is cool too, but only because I really want to know more about the heroes of the horn. I think the Dusty Wheel had a segment on Nakomi and they mentioned that female equivalent as a possibility.
I always thought of her as an opposite to rand, more of a phoenix cycle of the pattern . In her age of legends the ability to channel is lost. Then in her "third age" the ability is reborn though her back into the world.
I have forgotten so much from this series since my reading. Your videos make me realise just how much is missing from my memory. That’s why I’m now doing another read through, taking my time and enjoying the journey as if it’s my very first read through.
Moridin was given access to the True Power and Rand figured out how to use it. The True Power doesn't come from the Dark One, He/It is only able to use it. The True Power is also how the Growing Song works. It isn't Channeling... That one is easy. Rand Swapped bodies because he was always stronger than Elan Morin and since that wasn't HIS body either, Rand just booted him out as he was being sealed away. Again, simple. Mordeth is a Failed Dragon from another Slice of reality; he hates the Dark One and will do anything he can to Destroy Him. The Madness of the Dark One affect each person differently so it is possible that when Lews Was corrupted in 'another shard' that his madness evolved differently. When Ishamael Healed Him, maybe he went to the Fins to find a way to defeat the Dark One and when he left, he used the Portal Stones to go to a different world where he could take over Aridhol and use it to defeat the Dark One in a very Long Game. Iahamael was blown out of the Bore with the Retributive Strike that tainted Sai'din. But he has a Tether that pulls him back ... It's like a very long orbit, like Haleys Comet. He circles back for 40 years every 1000... The Horn of Valere is an Object of Telaranrhiad and predates the One Power use... from an earlier age. Yeah, Nakomi is an Angel, what you become After you are a Champion of the Light, Win, and ascend... That's my story and I'm sticking with it.
Isn't it obvious that rand and nakomi have ascended and are interdimensional beings!
Maybe Ishamael's body was sealed, but he managed to get into Tel'anariod and use it to visit Lews Terin
So, Nakomi: Don't we know the Dragon/Reborn is the same soul each time? If so, there couldn't be two walking around. And my head cannon says Rand fixes Avi's feet. Fight me.
I think of Nakomi as a separate protagonist of the Light (or at least the Pattern). There are 7? Ages, and nothing says each and every Age is the Dragon vs Shaitan. Who are the main drivers of the 6th Age? No one knows, even the myths and legends of that age are lost to the Third Age.
@@bobok5566 I think the theory goes that Nakomi is a Dragon from a previous turning, not an Age. But, that can't be since the soul of the Dragon is in Rand. I agree though that the driving force for each Age doesn't have to be the Dragon. It wasn't in the First Age after all.
3:52 Mordeth means More Death.
Ishamiel stated in later books we wasn’t sealed for long, not even a short time. So let’s say a week or 2 passed after the counter stroke, maybe longer. That’s enough time for Ishamiel to break free especially if the seal is a time/space dilation lock. What seemed months or a year to Ishamiel could be a month or so for those outside the prison.
Ishamael could have been projecting himself astrally when he found the strength. Also, the horn could be a potent dream ter'angreal.
Daniel Green made a video last year about the Moridin/Rand body swap where he discussed a fan theory that was posed to Brandon and was “confirmed.” Basically, balefire needs a soul to wield it and their souls became intwined. One body and one soul wanted to die, the other to live, and the respective soul was pulled to the respective body. He explains it much better than I just did though
I believe Ishamael was not immediately sealed away when Lews sealed the Bore. He only vanishes 40 years later. Somewhere in one of the Aiel memories from Rhuidan is the memory about a slightly mad female Aes Sedai they encountered who said something to the effect that Ishy was not sealed away. Aran the scholar tried to observe the same theory but did not live long enough to prove it. My personal guess is, that Ishy was even further out than Aginor, not yet quite arrived at the assembly, and hence partially sealed when it happened.
I thought it was very clear that the Horn of Valere was a Ter'Angreal. We know they don't always require channeling to do what they do. We know that the hero's live in Tel’aran’riod, I just assumed it opened a gateway like connection and the Hero's came through.
When I finished the last book I didn't even realize there was a body swap. But him lighting the pipe made sense. I thought that If there's dark power, there's a light power. But I like the theory in this video. Having seen the pattern, he knows how to control it.
Which is kind of the same thing.
I think the Horn of Valere is tied to tel'aran'rhiod, so was something made early on, beyond remembrance of anyone named in the series.
Mordeth
I've also thought of Mordeth as evil magic outside of the one power. Just as being a wolf brother is not connected with the one power or the true power , neither is Mordeth and all of his stuff going on.
Horn of Valere
Same as being a wolf brother, it's just a magic outside of the one power. I can see the horn being made by someone powerful in Tel'aran'rhiod and given to someone as a means of protection for after that person dies, or something like that. This is all just my own theory of course.
Rand lighting his pipe
I just assumed he kept some of the creation magic from when he was fighting the Dark One. I also think he can still use the one power, he would rather believe he got burned out and because he has creation magic he was.
I have no idea about the other points.
I was expecting the theme music from the referenced show to lead into your theme music.
Rand lit the pipe using the true power that he inherited when he entered Moridin's body. He couldn't use saudin any longer but he could use the true power.
I thought that was just force of will that lit the pipe. Since by the end he is basically God/the creator
The True Power is the Dark Ones Essence and he is sealed away now. Can’t be the True Power
The Dusty Wheel has like an hour long panel discussion of a dozen theories on the pipe lighting.
Lol I said this on Twitter but I’ll say it here again- I never thought of Mordeth for unsolved mysteries! And now my head’s spinning. And the theory you talked about to explain seems plausible and pretty interesting to explore! We could speculate what wording he might have had to gain that ability..
@@NaeBlis *Is* it, though? It might just be something "only" he could touch. He did love to lie about stuff like that. I just don't know if we ever get any confirmation of this that isn't the word of the Dark One. Didn't the pre-Taint channelers simply, ehh, detect an energy vein in the earth, essentially, and drill to it? (I realize some form of dimensions are sort of involved, but you get the idea). This would almost be like detecting heaven, then breaking in and finding an angel who's like "HEAVEN IS ME!"
I feel like the lighting of the pipe is RJ giving us one last troll as he knew it would be something fans would obsess over and question for eternity with no clear answer to be found
My headcanon on Rand's pipelighting is that he was a "hero who died", thus living on in tel'aran'riod, like Birgitte. However, he swapped his body too, so now he's a half-tel'aran'riod user and with his training as a dreamwalker in the earlier books, he can use the powers of the dreamworld in the real world.
After reading Mark Laurence broken empire series my theory is that the "magic" works the same way in that it isn't magic but really advanced quantum mechanics controlled through will/belief/thought moderated by expectations. That pretty much explains everything that is a mystery with wishey washy science using "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." Nakomi is a form of Boltzmann's brain, Rand after his "death" is just aware that he has his control and the Elfin don't grant anything other than the belief that they have granted something which makes it real. Also works well with the transition from the similar our time to the age of legends, a form of science so advanced it seems like magic. Age of legends took it for granted and forgot what it really was and by the Third age it is magic because it's so advanced.
As for Ishamael, he just believed he could come out of the bore as he understood this as well as the dragon however conflicting belief of the dragon was so strong it forced him back in on occasion hence the popping in and out for a quick cuppa tea.
Saidin and Siadar is just a collective belief in how it should work so it becomes that and continues to be that.
Rands ability to light the pipe seems pretty simple to me, if vague. He already had a deep connection to the pattern before confronting the dark one, and the process of fighting the dark one did all sorts of weird things to him. His connection just grows extremely strong
I thought Sanderson said the Nakomi answer would be given after 10 years from Memory of Lights release instructions from Robert Jordan before his death.
On the origin of Nakomi, remember Harriet's hint that it comes from the native American grandmother figure in Longfellow's 'the song of hiawatha'. Reading the poem made me focus on the timing of the meeting of Nakomi and Aviendha. I had some thoughts about the relevance of them meeting just before Aviendha going through the crystal columns in Rhuidean. The poem gives a glimpse of the ending of the ancient native American culture and their assimilation. This can be compared to the visions and warnings from past and future Aiel. Nakomi in this context seems connected strongly to this event and came across to me as a time travelling figure from the Aiel future.
I always wonder what the song the tinkers are looking for is; and why the gardeners don't suffer from the longing.
Wow! I was mind-blown with meshing of TAR and real world. Never actually thought about the Horn in this way.
Is there a possibility that we will get those mysterious solved by Brandon years from now?
In regards to Rand lighting the pipe, could it be that he can use the Taveren power at will?
I think Shaisam is the pattern's way of having a back up Dark One. If Rand did kill the dark one, then Shaisam would move in, kill Rand, and take the place of the dark one.
Re: who/what is Mordeth?... I think a big clue is when he followed Rand's party through the ways, and met Machim Shin,. The Black Wind was cowed by Fain/Mordeth, and recognized him as one of its own kind.
(Did Fain set Machin Shin to guard the ways, thus delaying Rand's arrival at Falme? It seems likely, IMHO).
And, re: Rand and moridin switching bodies, I suspect that the fact that Moridin was not the real owner of his body and Rand had another person inside of him... I think those two facts (and that at the pit is likely Ish got his new body- maybe that is one of the things that can only happen at the bore, like mindtraps)
Where is the boat?
"Three on a boat. The lion sword, the dedicated spear, and she who sees beyond."
WHERE IS THE BOAT?!
I still think Nakomi is a former dragon who did what rand did and now exists somewhat outside of the pattern. Probably weak head canon but eh.
Edit: didn't finish your vid before writing this lol.
But, if Dragons are falling out of the Pattern from age to age, how many are wandering around now? We've got no clue how many times the Wheel has spun around, but there could be dozens of Rands and Nakomis out there, not to mention other Dragons. Maybe they fade away after a few Ages?
The aiel think this life is a dream + what you believe is real in the world if dreams becomes real = rand can light a pipe
Ok in regards to Rand lighting the pipe. I remember thinking that he reached a level of understanding with the One Power that he realised that the ability to channel, the male half and female halves were just blocks put in place by men and women and that he could draw from the One Power as a whole.
Horn of Valere could be a gift from Eelfins just like the Ashandarei - it's not a weapon against dark, as it will serve to anybody who will blow it, so it would fit the rules
Maybe the horn was created by the power within the world of dreams in a time well before the Age of Legends.
Great video. A few thoughts
1. Why can Ishamael live so long? Well, immortality is one of the standard perks of the Chosen. Also, if he were only spun out for thrice 40 years, that's well within his natural lifespan as a top flight channeler.
3. Nakomi. I really like the idea from another poster that Nakomi is an insert character for Harriet, who gets to advise Avienda in person, perhaps as Harriet may have advised RJ
6. Pipe. Has anyone considered that Ishamael / Moridiin is a vastly more experienced channeler than Rand, and has perhaps has access to far more knowledge than even Lews Therin (e.g. by having thousands of years to meditate on the nature of the Power, or perhaps by having the memories of his past lives restored by the Dark One). In which case, maybe he just "enchanted / created tied off weaves" his body (Moridin's) with a whole boat load of obscure but handy utility powers so he didn't have to bother actually channeling - and Rand has unwittingly inherited these powers, and one of them is "ignite flammable materials with a passing thought".
I have a question that is invading my dreams and I am hoping someone here can help. It regards the writing more than plot points and BS may have address it at some point but I can't find it.
It seemed "obvious" to me from the beginning of his introduction that Taim was Demandred in disguise and that there was a big confrontation brewing between him and Rand for several books. They were described the same and LTT freaked out whenever in his presence so it seemed apparent to me. When Rand declared the amnesty and the Black Tower was formed I was super excited and was really looking forward to Rand bringing them to prominence but they were almost forgotten about after that. When we see Taim (M'Hael) being elevated to Chosen and Demandred supposedly responsible for bringing him to the shadow I was genuinely stunned. Then throughout BS's books we see the internal struggle of the Black Tower and Rands extremely flimsy, and actually downright stupid reason for not interfering, even going so far as to "break up via text" with them by sending them a letter. I felt like the whole Black Tower and all the men channelers was a huge plot point that was criminally underused and forgotten about and I really want to know..
Was I right about Taim being Demandred originally and was RJ going to have some confrontation there where Rand needed to take back the Black Tower? Was it BS that changed the whole plot line by adding the Sharans and kinda drafting Demandred so he could have someone lead them? Or was I wrong and RJ really intended for Taim to sound important but end up being just a schmoe darkfriend that gets elevated for no real reason? Did RJ really intend for Rand to set up the Black Tower, needing men channelers for the Last Battle but then shrugging and saying "meh, don't really care if half of them are darkfriends now, I'm sure its fine, nothing could really go wrong there I'll just let them sort it out themselves".
Again, I just feel like this was a horribly mishandled plot point and I want to know who to blame in my mind. Thank you for reading if anyone actually does..
Now I am imaging the intro in Robert Stackd voice, for that I thank you.
In Malazan terms, Rand Ascended.
this can be long winded but callandor - how was it made. rand makes a big deal about explaining how the sead ter'angreal worked, you had to be able to use the power to make the thing effect the power. so whoever made it would have been able to use the true power.
This may have been mentioned, but also unanswered is what was “the song” the traveling people were looking for? What did it represent? Why did the never find it?
I think Nakomi is Tom Bombadil. Though Brandon wrote about her, she is clearly a Jordan creation; and Jordan was constantly drawing characters and stories out of myth, science fiction, and existing fantasy ... and then modifying them just enough to be barely recognizable. I think that was his way of saying that nothing was really new under the sun; and that yes, ALL of this had happened before ... and before that .... and before that ... and before that. Etc. He clearly loved and respected Tolkien's work; so why wouldn't he want to slip in an appearance of Tolkien's own ultimate mystery.
I have found it difficult to let go of this Nakomi = Tom Bombadil notion since I wrote my original comment. It bothered me that Sanderson has indicated that this is one of the mysteries upon which he is forbidden to comment. That suggests something more complicated was involved. Then it dawned on me that there is a significant following for the theory that Tom Bombadil was actually Tolkien himself, interjecting himself into the stories much the way Alfred Hitchcock always interjected himself into his movies. (Not saying there is a direct link, there; but why not? Hitchcock was already a famous and studied director by the late 1930s.) IF Jordan ascribed to this theory about Tolkien and Bombadil, then his homage to Tolkien might have been to insert HIMSELF via the "Nakomi" character. OR, even more cleverly, his Tolkien/Bombadil homage might have been to insert his wife, Harriet, as the Nakomi character. No one can ever doubt Harriet's contributions to the series, including the selection of Brandon Sanderson himself, as the author to conclude the series. And if THAT were the case, it could FULLY EXPLAIN why Sanderson is 'forbidden' from discussing this issue. After all, Harriet is the ONLY person who could have made such an instruction to Sanderson in the first place. Wouldn't THAT be a trip?
Huh? Brandon already HAS answered the Rand-Moridin thing. According to Daniel Green, Brando confirmed the balefire-cross theory. So it's not a question he's not allowed to answer. Re Ishy's partial sealing: my theory is there's an intermittent loophole through TAR open to Ishy because he's the one who administered the Taint - in TAR, by trapping LTT in a nightmare which Lews mistook for reality. Lews Therin was holding the entirety of the True Source - and the Source weaves the Pattern. Ergo, the nightmare became reality.
"Ishy" was able to protect mentally and effect real things through his will, wielding the one power, and the dark ones power.... at least that's always been my interpretation.
What if something about his position or circumstances at the time of being sealed made him a conduit through which the Dark One could reach outside the prison, just slightly? So Shaitan essentially used Ishamael as a somewhat-willing puppet for a while, just doing a few things in short bursts here and there, and that's why Ishamael went so nuts and believed himself to be the Dark One?
I liked the pipe theory they mentioned on the Dusty Wheel with “the Dragon is one with the earth”
I think that Mordeth/Shadar Logoth serve an important role; not all evil comes from the Dark One.
The DO is not some puppet master responsible for all of the evil in the universe. Humans still do evil things, even without his influence. Evil existed in the Age of Legends, just far less of it.
The whole Mordeth/Shadar Logoth thing is introduced early, and makes it clear it is something entirely separate from the Shadow. I think in a lot of fantasy it's kind of a trope that all evil begins and ends with the big bad, and that once they are defeated, the entire world sings Kumbaya around the campfire until the end of the universe. Evil exists, ultimate evil even exists, there is a a Dark One and the Dragon must square off against him... all introduced early in EotW.... but fairly soon we get to Shadar Logoth, and encounter an entirely different kind of evil that is just as dangerous and leaves lasting scars on Mat. There are other smaller examples. Darkfriends stalk and attack, sure... but we also have the whitecloaks (which serve a similar narrative role). To me this was Jordan stating 'not ALL evil comes from the Dark One, humans create plenty on their own'. He was destroying the Fantasy Trope of 'kill the bad guy and all evil dies' right out of the gate, telegraphing it was going to be more complex. If Mordeth doesn't seem super fleshed out in terms of what exactly it is, what it can do, and how... well... primary, I think Mordeth was a device to make a point; there is evil that has nothing to do with the Dark One. I like the Finn theory though.
In The Shadow Rising, chapter 26: Adan talks to an Aes Sedai that mentioned, after Adan's people were healed and she took some of the objects entrusted to the Aiel, that Ishamael was either only partly trapped or not trapped at all as he was still touching the world. This was during the breaking of the world, while the Aiel was still looking for a place of safety. He assumes due to this statement that she may not be entirely sane. So, it was known during the time of the breaking, and also in The Dragon Reborn, Verin Sedai shows Egwene a piece of parchment that has a few lines from a book copied that presents a riddle about Ishamael.
So there are clues to the fact that Ishamael was not as sealed into the bore. I seem to remember from another book in the series that Isamael boasts of creating the Black Ajah and Darkfriends and something was said about Ishamael (I think it was in The Dragon Reborn, and it was Perrin that either was told to by Lanfear or overheard, or it could have been at another time. I seem to think the World of Dreams was involved, so it was either Perrin or Egwene or one of the Chosen that it was connected to).
Ishamael was around for part of the trolloc wars so he may have founded the BA but my guess is there were always darkfriends. As far as we know, Tetsuaan betrayed Manetheran all on her own so there might've been DF sisters but he provided structure.
@@joetaticchi7825 It is mentioned in the book that Ishamael did recruit people to serve the shadow. He is credited with creating Darkfriends and the Black Ajah.
So sad that no more books will be written in this wonderful world. Also the TV show.
Biggest mystery is how the events unfold at 1:28
Great video! Another unsolved mystery I ALWAYS think about: What are those thin clouds in the sky during Rand’s time in the world accessed through the first portal stone?
Their description reminds me of jet plane contrails. But that wouldn’t make any sense…or would it??!
I always assumed that those were some sort of orbital weapon left over from the Dark's triumph. And for some reason never actually questioned that assumption...
There are lots of references to our Age scattered throughout the series - I just figured that those were contrails from an alternate that has high altitude flight.
Love your lore videos man.
I had no reaction to Unsolved Mysteries, but I did for the longest time hit the shower curtain going into bathrooms because of Psycho.
... even though Norman was not in the shower.
Rand , like Nakomi, is a manifestation of the True power. No need to channel because they ARE the true power. The one power has a male and female 1/2 for mortals ( however long lived ) So does the true power and rand has assumed that role by expelling the dark one and assuming that power as an immortal.. It just so happens that the 1/2's of the true power are identical. Only the combination of these 2 halves can actually create or destroy so it would take both Rand and Nakomi to create or destroy something. Nakomi to create and Rand to destroy but only with agreement and power from the other.
I saw a theory on Reddit the other day that I dig about Mordeth. Mordeth was spun out of the pattern as a contingency in case Rand decided to go through killing the Dark One, as a means of balance. Mordeth was to be a replacement for the Dark One. That’s why he’s built up as a divine being until the instant Rand makes the decision to reforge the Dark One’s prison, when Mordeth is then dispatched rather anticlimactically as the pattern can now discard it without consequence.
Not exactly a mystery tons of people are clamoring for an answer to, but just a question I've had for a while; did Rand seal the Dark One so well that he is sealed until the end of the 2nd age rolls around again? Is the Dark One only influential in the world for the 2nd and 3rd of the 7 ages? Are Dragons only needed in those 2 ages? If so, one wonders what happens to end the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th ages. We can surmise the 1st age ends with a full nuclear exchange, and we know the battles with the Dark One end the 2nd and 3rd. One wonders what apocalypses end the other 4.
Mordeth could have been the second age's version of Fain. He was changed by the shadow and they lost control of him.
We have two clues as to how Rand changes bodies. Ishamel and Rand's threads already started to fuse when they crossed balefire. Rand was then outside the pattern where he figured out the knowledge of how to transplant a soul from one body to another. We've witnessed this multiple times with the forsaken during the books.
IMO Rand lighting his pipe was due to learning how to manipulate the pattern from being outside of it.
Lastly Nakomi was the last of the Aes Sedai that set out with the Jenn Aiel. Most likely alive through a wish from the Eelfin. She had full knowledge and command of the glass pillars to know what the future held.
These are my guesses anyway
I think that Nakomi was a creature like the green man was.
A thought on Ishamael: What if was ensnared, but not trapped by the seal, and only got caught within the sealing the first time he returned to Shayol Ghul?
Maybe the pattern created Mordeth in response to the dark one tainting half it's energy supply
I always watched unsolved mysteries as a kid! Awesome
I'll have to re-read, but maybe Nakomi is actually Rand to guide Aviendha without making it an emotional connection. If he can warp the pattern to fit his needs, he can do or be anything he needs to be. Being outside the pattern he could see the different possibilities and wanted to make sure the Aeil survived.
While were at it did it ever definitively say who Shaidar Haran is? Dark one incarnate? Just a large Fade with extra powers ?
Maybe Mordeth asked for a way to defeat the shadow, and in part he did since rand cleansed the source there. Probably reaching but who knows.