Swirling Colors

For the past several books, the three ta’veren see swirling colors whenever they think about each other – the earliest instance I have found with some quick research on Encyclopaedia WoT is Ch. 1 of WH when Perrin sees color swirls when he thinks of Rand. The swirls finally escalate to full blown images at the culmination of the cleansing of saidin, when both Mat and Perrin know from the swirls that Rand is causing the surge in the OP – at that time, Perrin even sees Rand and Nynaeve sitting facing each other as they cleanse the True Source (CoT Ch. 8 – Whirlpools of Color).

While Mat and Perrin have been trying to suppress these images, in tGS Rand finally puts them to use. He uses the vision he has of Perrin to help him figure out where Perrin is when Nynaeve asks him. I believe this is some foreshadowing of the color whirls greater relevance to come in the finale of the series. If the ta’veren quit ignoring the color swirls (as Rand has by the end of tGS – in Ch. 47 he is even able to see both Mat and Perrin simultaneously) they should be able to use it advantageously to coordinate their actions and this could be crucial to winning the Last Battle.

Tarmon Gai'don could take place at several different locations over a span of hundreds of miles – we will probably see Rand at Shayol Ghul, someone with armies at Tarwin’s Gap, and maybe other places along the Blightborder or even scattered throughout Randland. If the ta’veren are able to see each other in their minds via the color swirls, they could carefully coordinate events simultaneously at all of these locations. This could be a key advantage in holding back the Dark One’s forces at the Last Battle.

One thing that should also be interesting is what will happen when any of the ta’veren are actually in a room together. On directly seeing each other, will they also simultaneously see color swirl images? This sounds like it would be a very dizzying effect, to say the least. Perhaps they will be completely aware of each other, almost as if they were bonded. In any case, it is unlikely all three will be together any time soon, with Mat off to rescue Moiraine from the Tower of Ghenjei and Perrin doing who knows what.

So what is causing these color swirls? It seems to be a completely unique phenomenon. TheTwo Rivers boys seem to be hiding it from everyone around them, so we haven’t been able to get any third party opinion on the matter to let us know if this has ever happened historically, but I’m inclined to say it has not. For one thing, no one had ever heard of having three people be this strongly ta’veren at the same time, much less three tied together in the way that these are. And in that lies the key to their cause. The color swirls are likely a result of the interaction of the three’s ta’veren pulls on each other. Each is a main thread pulling the entire shape of the pattern, and in turn these three main threads pull on each other. Perhaps their threads are twisting them closer and closer together and the swirls are a side effect of this – they are literally able to see each other through the pattern. Could this be related to the Karaethon prophecy: “He shall hold a blade of light in his hands, and the three shall be one”?

Quote of the Day:

“As the Seanchan reached out the hand, Mat slashed it with the ruby-hilted dagger … Every bit of his exposed flesh was black as putrid pitch and looked ready to burst at a touch. Mat licked his lips and swallowed. Even Turak stared, openmouthed. ‘You see,’ Ingtar said softly. ‘We are no easy meat.’” tGH Ch. 45

Top 5 Greatest Chapters

Per JakeBarnes request on Dragonmount.com, I’ve created a list of my top 5 chapters in the series (as of tGS):

5. tGS Ch. 50 – Veins of Gold. After descending into insanity and despair Rand finally hits rock bottom and actually thinks about not just committing suicide, but essentially choosing suicide for the entire world. He has forgotten love, laughter, joy, and all the good things that life brings, rather being convinced that existence is suffering. But just on the edge of the Dark One’s final victory, Rand realizes that life is worth living for love and at the end of the darkest book in the series we are ultimately left with a feeling of pure joy.

4. tGS Ch. 39 – A Visit From Verin Sedai. I don’t have to say much about this chapter to explain why it is so great. It contains a great twist that was not widely predicted (while many suspected Verin was Black Ajah, the fact that she was a double agent was pretty unexpected). And we get a nice redemption scene too. But most importantly, we finally get an explanation of the most complex character in the series that completely changes our interpretations of all of Verin’s actions and all scenes containing Verin when we reread the previous books in the series. For its ramifications on the reader’s perceptions of all previous books, this truly is one of the greatest chapters.

3.WH Ch. 35 - With the Choeden Kal. We get a linking of two of the strongest channelers on earth (who are also characters we’ve followed from the beginning) using the two most powerful sa’angreal ever created to accomplish something impossible. We finally get to see the amazing power of men and women working together for a common cause. And we get a chapter with more PoVs (Point-of-Views, for those who don’t know the lingo) than any other in the series, including most of the Forsaken. Forsaken that are pretty perturbed by what is happening.

2. tEotW Prologue. The epic nature and sheer scale of the series is immediately established as Ishamael expounds on how they have been fighting a never-ending battle of good and evil. Even though we’ve just met Lews Therin and are trying to figure out this world and what is going on, the sheer emotional power of the moment that Lews Therin realizes what he has done is enthralling. Simply epic.

1. tGS Ch. 22 - The Last That Could be Done. This is the single greatest chapter in the series so far for a few reasons. First, there is the buildup in tension throughout the first half of the chapter through dramatic irony. We know that Semirhage has been released and is going to come for Rand with the Domination Band, wondering when it will happen, creating tension in the background while we read Rand and Min muse on some crucial issues regarding the Last Battle. Then Semirhage finally strikes, clicking the Domination Band around Rand’s neck and we learn that it gives absolute control over the body as well as channeling – a horrifying prospect. As the chapter continues Semirhage finds the one thing that could still hurt Rand – forcing him to strangle the woman he loves. The quick pacing in this section emphasizes the urgency of the situation as Min struggles, and the parallel of Ilyena’s death at Lews Therin’s hand makes the situation all the more painful. The reason this part of the chapter is so emotionally gripping is that the reader is truly unsure whether Min will live or die – it is a complete unknown. On the one hand, if Min dies, there is no way Rand is ever going to be the same and no foreseeable way for him to ever recover emotionally to be in a fit state for the Last Battle. On the other, there is no foreseeable way for Min to survive – Rand is utterly trapped with no hope of outside help and no control over his own body. And then we get the greatest twist in the series – Rand channels the True Power to escape, something completely unexpected. To sum up, The Last That Could be Done is the best chapter in the series because it completely plays the reader’s emotions, inspiring true fear with no assurance that – oh, there will be some way out of it because the good guys have to win. Then while the reader is in this emotional turmoil, just when all hope seems lost, the situation is resolved with the least predicted twist in the entire series.

Runners-up: tFoH Ch. 52 – Choices (because Moiraine goes out in epic fashion); tFoH Ch. 31 – The Far Snows; LoC Ch. 55 – Dumai’s Wells; ACoS Ch. 38 - Six Stories; KoD Ch. 19 – Vows; KoD Ch. 26 – As if the World Were Fog (solely because I love the Tuon PoV – it is hilarious that she even thinks of Mat as “Toy” in her head)

…and far too many others.

Veins of Gold

I'm currently re-reading Winter's Heart, and I came across the scene in Ch. 12 where Elayne, Min, and Aviendha bond Rand. Immediately after the bonding Aviendha exclaims,

"The veins of gold. Oh, the veins of gold. You do love me, Rand."WH, Ch. 12

Then Elayne thinks she feels, laced through his hardened emotions, veins of gold when he looks at any of the three.

There are two possibilities: either Veins of Gold was just a very clever reference to Rand remembering love, or it could have bigger implications. It could be that these veins of gold being his connection to the three women could be the key to his survival. I’m rather more inclined to believe it was just an amazing reference, however, of which WoT has plenty. I believe Harriet did the chapter titles, so I've really got to give her major props on this one.

Quote of the Day:

"Lead me to this oosquai of yours Aviendha. I don't know about you two, but I intend to get drunk enough to ... well ... to take off my clothes and dance on the table. And not a hair drunker."

- Birgitte, WH, Ch. 12