WoT Theories

 
Moiraine* Berelain sur Paendrag * Aviendha
Seanchan * Vandene/Adeleas * Cadsuane/Lanfear
Lanfear/Cyndane * Perrin * Verin/Forsaken * Elyas
Rand * One Souler vs. Two Souler * Olver * Other theories
 
 
 

Moiraine

- She is very strong.
- In tEotW she was channeling into her blue stone, which she had learned in the palace of Carhien, before she went to the Tower.
- I read somewhere that someone had seen that Thom would take a blue stone from a fire. Moiraine has a blue stone.
- Min saw that Rand needs her and her viewing about Moiraine was the only one, which didn't became reality. Min's viewings are always true. So, they must happen in the future.
- We never read that she's really dead, only that she disappeared.
- She's much to important to be dead.
- In tSR he said that she was a beautiful woman, if only she wasn't an Aes Sedai.
- She felt sorry for him, when she spoke about his cousin, or at least it seemed she did. When does Moiraine ever feel sorry for anyone???
in your theory of moiraine i believe that she will be rescued by mat, not thom, who was told by a fortelling will gamble with the dark one for something dear. I think that he will die and gamble with the dark one for his life and moiraines. I read about this in one of the books, but i cant remember which one.
 
Moiraine. Just some more info on her love for Thom. Do you remember Thom's reaction to the letter given to him by Mat in tLoC? The letter was proberly the one given to Rand to give to Thom by Moiraine just before her death. Thom's reaction to the letter was grief stricken with a deep sense of loss! Such reactions inply that there are defently feelings for Moiraine in Thom, and that the letter was very meaningful, prehaps professing her love for him?

Berelain sur Paendrag

- Min said she would fall in love with 'a man in white'. Galad is a Child of the Light.
- They are both in Geldan at the moment (this isn't a reason, I know! But it makes it easier to fall in love, when they can see each other).
She could also fall in love with a Gai'shan, because they wear white clothes, too. But I prefer the theory of Galad.

Vandene/Adeleas

No - Why would she retire and write a book with her sister, if she's BA?
Yes - Vandene and Adeleas have studied the history for years, so Vandene knows a lot. That could be a help for the BA.
Yes - When Moiraine stays at her home in tGH, she is attacked by a Draghkar. How did this monster know where she was? Vandene could have told him.
 
Why Vandene? Well, first it is very strange that Lan was the person who found the bodies of Adeleas and Ispan. If Adeleas and Vandene both were responsible for Ispan, wouldn't Vandene be the one to find them? And when the bodies are found, Vandene doesn't really show any emotion. Of course she is an Aes Sedai, but when your sister is killed... Would you stay calm?
Next there is the tea. The person who brought this, must have known that Adeleas liked tea with honey. Vandene knew it and she could give it to her sister, knowing that Adeleas would trust her. Then there is the way the two are killed. Ispan has been tortured, while Adeleas only has her throat slit. This could mean that the person who killed them, felt sorry for Adeleas.
 
Why did she do it? I don't really know the answer for this question. It could be that Vandene knew Ispan would tell Nynaeve and friends something about the Black Ajah and that she killed her to prevent this. We also know that the DO doesn't like losers and that he punishes them (like he did with Moghedien and Carridin). Ispan was a loser and her death could be her punishment. Of course all this isn't a reason for Vandene to kill her sister. Hm... Still working on that part.
 
Look at 'Is Vandene Black Ajah?'. All this could also count for Adeleas. Maybe Vandene discovered her sister was Black Ajah. She had to tell Nynaeve and Elayne this, but she was afraid they would do something to Adeleas (after all, Adeleas is her sister). So she kills her to prevent her from other pains.
If this theory is right (I don't think it is, but if...) there is the problem of Ispan. It's not strange Vandene kills her too, because she doesn't want a witness. But why the torture? Problem... I don't know.
 
Adeleas was BA and she discovered that Ispan was about to tell Nynaeve and Elayne that she was. So she tortures and kills her. Then Vandene comes into the house and somehow she finds out what has happened and why. Vandene doesn't want Adeleas to be treated like Ispan, so she kills her to prevent that. This theory is very unlikely, but could be true. Still, it doesn't explain Vandene's calmness, although she already knew Adeleas was dead.
First, I don't belive either vandene or adeleas are BA. Have you forgotten about Fades, soulless, etc. Any one of them could have killed ispan and adeleas. Or even just a servant darkfriend. Vandene is dealt a huge emotional blow and is in shock. Also if you notice later after elayne walks away she hears a blood curdling scream from the shed. She is also out of sorts for the whole rest of the trip.
Ok, Aledeas and Ispan theory... Do you happen to remember the prologue of one of the books, I can look it up for you, where a warder and an Aes Sedi were tortured and killed by semerhage. Lan found their remains. One of the things semerhage was puzzelled about was the bond between Warder and Aes Sedi. As far as I can tell, these were the only pair of White tower representatives that have been tortured and killed in the books plotline. Not that they're the only ones. I believe that you can remove the idea that her sister was black ajah from the board.
Moiraine goes to see Aldeas to study the histories that she and her sister Vandine are putting together. There she is attacked by a Draghkar. (Watchers- TGH) I believe that this is solved by the early disapearance of Liandrin and her connection to the darker ajah. If Verin or Liandrin did send the draghkar to assault Moiraine then it clears aldeas and vandine of any darker connections at the beginning of the series. We move closer to the point. How did Verin find Rand’s party? I know that the trail of 20 men on horseback who are not trying to hide shouldn't be too difficult to follow, but her haste is in question. I think that night meetings between herself, Ba’ alzamon and Ingtar. Remember there were two Aes Sedi in the dream world meeting in the prologue of TGH.
I’m currently looking for the part of the series where one of the forsaken attempts to torture an Aes Sedi, and finds herself puzzled by the bond between warder and Aes Sedi. This forsaken is un-named, but her penchant for torture marks her as Semerhage, I believe. Now I know that this is from one of the later books in the series, but It’s problematic for us to dismiss this incident from discovery. Robert Jordan is notorious for his attention to detail. Every death is accounted for and discovered by someone. Even Jachim Carridin finds out about his releatives being murdered by the fade throughout the series. Even that promise comes back to haunt him in winter’s heart. What does that leave us with? Well, an Aes Sedi are tortured and murdered by one of the forsaken. I believe that their bodies are discovered by Lan when he finds the murdered pair. Aldeas and Vandine are sisters, and they have been collaborating together on the history since the breaking, but they share no real bond that can be compared to that between warder and Aes Sedi. This frees the sister from direct impeachment as Black Ajah. However actions are muddied and no one is above suspicion.
 

Cadsuane/Lanfear

Cadsuane has these ter'angreal in her hair: stars and moons etc. Didn't Lanfear/Selene have stars and moons in her hair in tGH? I'm not really sure, but if she DID...
- are these stars and moons Lanfear had ter'angreal?
- are they perhaps even the SAME ter'angreal as Cadsuane has now?
- is Cadsuane Lanfear? (Wow, that would be something! Still, I don't think she is, because we know after Winter's Heart Cyndane = Lanfear.)
- or is Cadsuane Black Ajah? (My answer: no, I don't think she is. But then, how did she get them?!)
- is Cadsuane perhaps Moiraine reborn, like Cyndane is Lanfear reborn? That would explane how she got those ter'angreal. (Again, my answer is: no, I don't think she is. She can't be, if you've read New Spring. Are you getting borred yet?)
 
I'm afraid we'll have to wait for the next book to solve this one. (Or perhaps I should just check The Great Hunt. Perhaps Lanfear/Selene didn't have stars and moons in her hair...)
 

Aviendha

In Winter's Heart it is made pretty clear that Elayne will have twins, because Min had a viewing. She had a viewing about Avi, too: Avi would have four children of Rand and all at ones, but there was something strange about that.
Well, I can't believe RJ would let Avi have four children at ones (like double twins, I don't know the English word). If he did, I would be very dissapointed, because I think you just can't put such a thing into a fantasy story. So there must be an other explanation.
Then I thought: Avi is not very likely to get pregnant in the next book, because she isn't with Rand right now and she can't be pregnant already, because we would have known that by now. On the other hand, Min is with Rand, so it's more likely she will get pregnant. Elayne will have twins, that are two children of Rand. Min could get twins too. That are FOUR children, all of Rand. If Min and Elayne die, or just aren't able to look after their children, they would probably ask Avi to help them out. So Avi would get four children of Rand, all at ones, and the strange thing is that they aren't HER children.
Still, I hope Min and Elayne don't die. I like them far more than Avi! But this is the only thing I can come up with, except that these four children will be Avi's children indeed. Anyway, they can't die before Rand has (remember Nicola's foretelling).
 
 

Lanfear/Cyndane

I think Lanfear/Cyndane is the same person. Cyndane is very beautiful, so that's a first hint. Then - I'll have to check this, because I'm not completely sure... be right back - yes, here I got it: In Winter's Heart, Chapter 35, you have a PoV (=Point of View) of Cyndane. She says about Alivia: She was stronger than Cyndane had been before the Aelfinn and the Eelfinn held her! Lanfear and Moiraine are the only two who are/were held by the Aelfinn/Eelfinn. I cannot believe Cyndane is Moiraine, for Moiraine is not a Darkfriend. So Cyndane must be Lanfear. From this sentence we can also conclude that Cyndane/Lanfear is not hiding her full strenght, because she says Alivia is stronger than she had been. She obviously isn't that strong anymore. How she lost her strength, I can only guess, but I think the Aelfinn/Eelfinn have got something to do with that.
Cadsuane/Lanfer. Cadsuane is a very old Aes Sedai. Also very famouse. Lanfear and the other forsaken have not been free for that long, so it's not possible time wise for them to be one and the same, unless Lanfear has killed and replaysed Cadsuane. Also Cadsuane is very strog in th one power and the reborn Lanfear is weak!

Rand

Check this out. Remeber the prophecy " with his blood on the rocks of Shayul Ghul " well that does not mean he is going to actually have life blood on the slopes. Ghalad is Tigraine's son, from when she was married to Torangail Domadred. Rand is Tigraine's son from when she went to the Aiel waste. So, Ghalad is Rands half-brother. He has to be there because he is Rand's blood. They are brothers. That is what with his blood on the rocks of shayul ghul means. Well that is my theory. Take it easy. - Will
Well, two things have really bugged me about some of the stuff in WoT. Mostly its about Rand.
1. Rand reveals in his thoughts that the strange people he met in the door ter-angreal told him that "to live, you must die". The thought occurred to me that the Dark One can ressurect people once. So to put it together, perhaps Rand dies at Shayol Ghul (the whole thing about spilling his blood on the rocks of Shayol Ghul) and is ressurected by the Dark One to serve him. Then, if all this is true, chances are he'll somehow break his bondage to the Dark One or use it to seal him up again in the Bore.
2. Lews Therin at several points mentions hearing Rand in his own head. That's pretty obvious, Rand and Lews therin are both going crazy and if you've ever read Magician: Apprentice and Magician: Master by Raymond E. Feist, you'll remember the part where Tomas and Ashen Shugar share thoughts and converse across time. Okay, so we have that down (and if you haven't read the Magician books, I highly recommend them) Lews Therin also mentions at one or two points of yet another voice. He specifiacally says something along the lines of "stop invading my mind, you and the other one" or something. Anyway, perhaps there is a third Dragon we are not yet aware of (because he is farther away on the WoT, age-wise).
3. When Moridin is playing himself in the strange "stones" variant, he describes the Fisher of Life to be clutching his side in pain (Rand's never-healing wound) and also to have a bandage across his eyes (perhaps in addition to all the pain and suffering of Rand, Robert Jordan will blind him, its a possibility at least). So maybe the Fisher is Rand, Moridin even says it, so I suppose that if this were true, we can tell that the Last Battle is near if Rand recieves an eye wound.
4. Min has a vision of the false dragon from the first book (the one who was Healed of the gentling) will succeed Rand or "step forward and take his place after Rand's death" as she says in different words. So maybe the false dragon becomes the leader of the black tower or something after Rand's death.
5. The Seanchan have a Prophecy of their own which states that Rand will kneel to the Chrystal Throne. It's possible that this means Rand will need the help of the Seanchan for the Last Battle.
Concerning Rands blood on shayul ghoul. He COULD die there, they always said anything short of being severed or death can be healed, but nyneave disproved on, so why not the other? Also Elayne and Aveindha are strong in the power, plus min has power of her own that might yield something useful. In the viewing by Nicola all three of them are around his body in a raft, seemingly praying (not sure on the prayer part) maybe they revive him or truly pray to the creator to restore him or something. Everyone follows the "Light" but there is no real religion, maybe they are the first in a line that truly follows the creator...?
 
Here are my theories concerning the Last Battle and Rand.
 
1. Lews Therin takes over Rand's body during the battle and then does something insane or something that will keep the whole thing from repeating in a couple of thousand years again. He is mad/sad about Ilyenna and because of that he might destroy the wheel or the one power. Then the DO kills LTT and Rand returns.
 
2. Like others have mentioned in my mailing list and on the site, it might not be him that dies but someone else like the Aiel or a relation. (I certainly hope Elayne or Aviendha gets killed because I like all three girls in their own way.
 
3. Here is the last one, perhaps Rand gets killed but they find some way to bring him back, perhaps by bringing him out of Telanrhioid or maybe Nynaeve and Flinn get together with the Chodean Kal.

 

Perrin

Perrin is going to resurrect Manetheren whether he likes it or not (Faile on the other hand will probably be pleased). After he's raised the banner there is no turning back. This will get him in conflict with Elayne. Rand needs both of them to win Tarmon Gai'don so he will have to resolve the situation somehow. I don't think Rand will stop Perrin from becoming king of Manetheren since it will bind Ghealdan, a nation up to now hopelessly divided, to him.
 

Verin/Forsaken

Hello. I've been re-reading some of the books again (not in any particular order), and it seems to me that Verin may be one of the Forsaken. Remember when Elaida's Keeper is approached by the Forsaken in the White Tower? The Keeper makes a mental note of the Forsaken tapping her lips. It occurs to me that Verin is frequently tapping her lips. I suspected Verin as Black Ajah, until she was in Far Madding and did not put that 'drug' into the tea, once learning Cadsuane's intentions. But then, isn't drugging someone's drink immoral?
I cannot figure out how the Forsaken learned of Rand's plan to use the statues to clean saidin. The characters who knew at the time the Forsaken discussed his plan were: Lan, Rand, Min, and Nynaeva. No others. Lanfear/Cyndane knew, but how? My best guess is that one of the Forsaken has been 'visiting' with either Min or Nynaeva, unless Nynaeva told Eugene. Is Eugene's massuese still rubbing her head, or did she leave? I forget, but I remember that it was very suspicious, and thought it was one of the Forsaken.
 
Someone I suspect to be black... Verin. First verin was near Rand when he wasn't known to be the dragon. Second, she told a lie in Emmonds Field during the trolloc invasion. Second, when Moraine left the white tower delegation to go and study the prophesies, Verin Took followed. It's too big of a coincidence. Third, Ba'alzamon... Ishamael in disguise... was in possession of a lot of information he shouldn't have had before and after the conflict at Toman Head. I believe that this information was supplied by Verin. There's more to Verin than meets the eye, and I'm fairly certian it doesn't have the light shining on it... Fee free to drop me an e-mail if you want to discuss this further.

Olver

I have yet to read Winter's Heart or whatever the name of the most recent book is, so this may already be proven or something. Anyways, I think Olver is Birgitte's boyfriend (can't remember his name) spun out again. Or at least one of the heroes reborn. One - He's ugly, which is basically Birgitte's type. Two - He's surrounded by all kinds of soldiers that are teaching him to be a soldier himself more than likely. Three - I really don't know if this has anything to do with this, but he's always sweet talking women. So why not? I'm convinced. ~Brendan
Olver. The idea that he is Birgitte's boyfriend while having some good points has a flaw! It's said (I'm noy sure where prehaps tFoH) that Birgitte's boyfriend is famed to be as hansome as she ie beautiful. Surely Olver being ugly means there is little chance of him being the rewoven hero?
Also I agree with the theory of Oliver being Gaidal Cain reborn. The time line doesn't exactly fit, but in the world of dreams time is different, and what if he was ripped out of the Dream at the same time, but due to him being closer to being reborn he appears younger?
 

Elyas

Elyas Machera will meet his Aes Sedia, Rita, again before Tarmon Gai'don. She is only briefly mention in book 8 'The path of daggers'. I think she will be forced to accept Elyas' talent. Recent development, (Elayne bonding Brigitte, Asha'man bonding both women who can and cannot channel, Elayne, Min an Aviendha bonding Rand) have made a revaluation of the relationship between Aes Sedai an their Warders necessary. It will be Perrins Yellow eye's that will draw Rita out.
 
 

One Souler vs. Two Souler

Introduction
 
In the theory sections within the plethora of websites relating to Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time, there is generally only superficial examination of the Rand/LTT problem. Some say that Lews Therin truly exists within the body of Rand al'Thor. Others say that Rand is simply succumbing to taint-induced madness. There are, however, other stances. One of these is the idea that it is actually Lews Therin's soul that shares the Dragon Reborn's body with the soul of Rand al'Thor. Despite my feeling on this "2-souls" theory, I think it must be displayed since there have been a fair number of intelligent people supporting it. Nor is this the only theory that has not been displayed on the web concerning this matter. Therefore, I was
driven to compile all the arguments I could find relating to the voice in Rand's head.

A. The 2 soul argument:

1. There is something different about the Dragon Reborn. Something that makes him stand out. What is this aspect of him that is different from all
other people? Rand al'Thor and Lews Therin Telamon are two distinct souls living in one body. If Rand was simply one soul losing his mind, then being crazy leaves Rand with nothing special about him. In response to this, 1-soulers argue that his innate abilities as the Dragon Reborn are what make him special (ta'veren, memories from AoL, his destiny).

2. One of the biggest points this theory makes is that Lews Therin can grab at saidin while in Rand's body. The mind cannot do two contradictory things at once. Rand and LTT obviously cannot both hold saidin at once, any more than you could turn your face to both sides at once. Therefore, it makes sense that there must be another soul in Rand's body that can channel saidin.

3. Another point is the knowledge that Rand has of specific events from the Age of Legends, yet should not. Others remember some things as a result of the Old Blood, but not like Rand does (except for Mat Cauthon). All these memories he "remembers" are attributed to Lews Therin, considering all that LTT has spoken of. The question that the 2-souler asks unbelievers is how Rand could have access to this information if Lews Therin's mind and soul were not present (1-soulers argue that the memories are the Dragon Reborn's birthright; the supposed existence of Lews Therin is secondary).

4. Another important argument has to do with possible misconceptions. One of these is the alleged misconception that Rand is LTT beyond a doubt. EVERYONE knows LTT was the Dragon. Everyone understands that Rand is the Dragon Reborn. Yet, the 1-souler suggests that everyone mistakenly takes it for granted that Rand is LTT reborn. This point cannot really be refuted, considering that we cannot know if Robert Jordan created the Dragon Reborn to be different from other people that are reborn (and playing by different rebirthing rules).

B. The 1 soul argument:

There are actually (at least) two schools of thought within the 1-soul camp. On the one hand, it has been argued that some vector (such as the taint) has broken down the barrier between the past and current lives of a soul. I shall call followers of this theory the "real 1-soulers," since they hold that Lews Therin is real. On the other hand, it has been argued that there is no Lews Therin at all; that Rand is simply losing his mind as a result of stress, the taint, and the existence of memories that he shouldn't have. I shall call followers of this theory the "insane 1-soulers." These separate schools shall be discussed at length. Prior to that, however, the common thoughts and evidence of the entire 1-soul camp shall be listed:

1. At the simplest level, it is intuitively impossible for Rand's body to contain more than one soul. The infamous question is "how can you be 'reborn' if you weren't born that way in the first place?" After all, a soul other than that of Rand cannot be the Dragon reborn; the word reborn itself means it is the same soul not two different ones.

2. When Sammael meets with Graendal:
"Thoughts he had forced himself to dismiss came oozing back. Al'Thor was not Lews Therin, but al'Thor was Lews Therin's soul reborn, as Lews Therin himself had been the rebirth of that soul. Sammael was neither philosopher nor theologian, yet Ishamael had been both, and he claimed to have devined secrets hidden in that fact." -Sammael's thoughts [Lord of Chaos, ch. 6]
At first look, this appears to prove that the Dragon Reborn and The Dragon (plus all the others before them) are the same soul. But there is always
that troubling part about what Ishamael claims to know about it. What does he see in that fact that we do not?
3. When Lanfear corners Rand before the trollocs invade the Stone of Tear:
"Moghedien or Sammael can destroy your body. The Great Lord of the Dark can destroy your soul. And end utter and complete. You will never be reborn again no matter how long the Wheel of Time turns!" -Lanfear [The Shadow Rising, ch. 9]
This implies that Rand is a soul reborn, not two souls in one body. Rand has self-preservation instincts like the rest of us. So why would a threat to
destroy the soul reborn to fight the Shadow, his soul, carry extra weight? Because there is only one soul.
4. In this meeting of the Chosen:
"He may be Lews Therin reborn, but he is not Lews Therin himself." -Lanfear [The Fires of Heaven, Prologue]
2-soulers use this quote to back the argument that Rand al'Thor is Lews Therin reborn. It sounds simple enough, but many 2-soulers continue not to
believe this, passing off this quote as something that could easily not be true due to its source.
This whole argument comes down to what it means to be reborn in another life. There is only person who we are CERTAIN of being reborn over and over, that the characters of the series have interacted with at length: Birgitte. We could use any of the heroes of the Horn as an example, but it is Birgitte we know best. Deornoth of Theoryland asks "Did she have a separate soul every time she started a new life. I don't boast to know exactly what a soul is, but by any definition I can think of, Birgitte has always had the same soul. Separate memories, maybe a different spirit, sure (whatever that means); but always the same soul. Why would the Dragon be any different?" In response, some 2-soulers say that the Dragon is different because of just that: he is the Dragon.

5. In "The Grave Is No Bar to My Call" from The Great Hunt, Rand (not LTT) recognizes the heroes of the horn by not only their current name, but a name they had in a previous life as well. This just doesn't seem likely if he were not just one soul.

C. 1-soul (Lews Therin is real):

According to this theory, the presence of the Dark One's taint on saidin gradually causes the barrier between present and past lives to be broken
down. Rand Al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, has been hearing the voice of Lews Therin only since he has begun channeling. It may in fact have been a
gradual process, considering that there have been some questionable sections in the series even before Rand took the Stone of Tear and declared himself the Dragon Reborn.

For example:
"Well, a voice in his head taunted, you did it, didn't you. I had to, he told it. I will be dangerous just to be around. Blood and ashes, I'm going to go mad, and. . . . No! No, I won't! I will not use the Power, and then I won't go mad, and. . . . But I can't risk it. I can't, don't you see? But the voiced only laughed at him." -Rand al'Thor arguing with a voice in his head [The Great Hunt, Ch. 3]

The real 1-souler calls our attention to the term "Reincarnation." As Frenzy of Theoryland says, this is not a new concept, for a soul to be reborn into
a new body. But, more importantly, each time a soul is reborn, it starts out new; Tabula Rasa. An analogy is to think of the soul as a jewel, with each
facet being a different life. Each facet is unique from it's brothers, yet there is a chance that past lives can interfere with the current life. (The Old Blood phenomena.) The degree of this interference depends on the individual.

Examples of soul displacement in the series include Aran'gar and Osan'gar. The Dark One put the souls into new bodies. So, if having more than one soul in a body was not a problem, why go throught the effort of removing the previous souls before installing Aginor and Balthamel into their new bodies?
Shaidar Haran said, "The body bends to the soul, but the mind bends to the body." in LoC pg. 60, hardcover. Aginor's and Balthamel's souls were put
into new bodies, but with the 'facet' of their last lives, their minds, in control. They aren't reborn, but they are alone in their bodies.

Now, to apply this idea to the Dragon reborn. Rand begins to get in touch with his previous self, namely Lews Therin the Dragon, thanks to the taint.
This corresponds with Cadsuane's comment that there have been some channeling men that began to hear voices.
"some men who can channel begin to hear voices...It is part of the madness. Voices conversing with them, telling them what to do." -Cadsuane [A Crown of Swords, Ch 18]
While she seems to be of the belief that this is a symptom of the madness, it is a definite possibility that these channelers are actually hearing voices from their last lives.

D. 1-soul (Rand is mad):

It seems, to me, that most readers of the Wheel of Time believe that Lews Therin must truly exist in the body of Rand al'Thor. I suppose that, as
readers, we must believe that LTT is more than just a voice. For if we were to accept the possibility that Lews Therin is not in Rand's head, then we
would have to see Rand as an extremely troubled human being. While it would be a bit disturbing to have the fate of a world rest on the shoulders of a
man that is already insane, it is entirely possible. The voice that Rand "hears" talking to him may, in fact, be nothing more than a symptom of his
growing insanity. The causes of Rand's insanity are obvious: the taint on saidin, tremendous pressure of being the only one that can fight the Dark One, everyone trying to kill him, etc.
Working on the assumption that this theory is true, for the shear pleasure of the argument, some posters at Theoryland have put forth ideas of the
mechanism by which an insane Rand would hear voices. Some have argued that Robert Jordan has based Rand's condition on Multiple Personality Disorder (now known as Dissociative Identity Disorder). Others contend that is more akin to Schizophrenia. These arguments will be discussed elsewhere, considering that they are lengthy and not really relevant to the main discussion. We can only speculate on how much Robert Jordan knows of the field of Psychology. So he cannot know whether he based things on stereotypes of MPD, on Schizophrenia, or that he based it on neither. Now,
to return to the main discussion.

What hard evidence is there to support the theory that Rand is simply mad?

1. The statement by Cadsuane:
"some men who can channel begin to hear voices...It is part of the madness. Voices conversing with them, telling them what to do." -Cadsuane [A Crown of Swords, Ch 18]
If this statement is true, it can be taken as meaning that Lews Therin a voice caused by the taint.

2. Insane 1-soulers use the following section of The Great Hunt against those that support the insanity idea: Upon being called by the horn, Artur
Hawkwing and Birgitte both call Rand "Lews Therin" and are surprised to hear him call himself something else. They looked at a new body and still called him Lews Therin. If the voice of Lews Therin, which had not fully shown itself yet (aside from some questionable quotes), was a symptom of Rand's encroaching madness, then why would ancient heroes refer to the Dragon Reborn by the ancient name? The insanity 1-soulers respond to this by saying that the heroes of the horn could not know the Dragon soul's current name, since they were stuck in t'a'r until they were called. They knew the most recent name, so they used it.

E. The infamous 1.5 souls theory:

This is a rather different theory than those most commonly offered regarding the Lews Therin issue. It states that there are two souls in Rand's body.
However, it holds that two souls can't fit into a body at the same time. Left at that, this would seem to support the 1-soul camp. However, the main
proponent of this theory (Camaris of Theoryland), takes things in an entirely different direction.
 
Camaris states that Lews Therin is dormant in the early part of Rand's life. Note that, unlike many of us, he is saying that Lews Therin was always
there. In other words, Rand was never truly alone. The explanation of how Lews Therin was switched from dormant mode to active is the same as that given by those 1-soulers who say that the taint broke down barriers between lives. The only difference is that for the 1.5-soul theory, there were no
barriers broken; the dormant Lews Therin was awakened. So Lews Therin is awakened, and we start to see Rand gaining access to ancient memories. Camaris asks how this could be possible if Lews Therin was simply an alternate personality created by an increasingly mad Rand Al'Thor. The reason Rand starts to gain access to Lews Therin memories is because Lews Therin wants to be inside the body. We know that he wants to be inside the body since we have seen Lews Therin try to take control by grabbing at saidin.

The biggest point this theory makes is to say that when Lews Therin attempts to grab and hold saidin, he is pushing his soul into to Rand's body. As a
result of this, the souls of Rand and Lews Therin merge somewhat because the body can only hold one soul.

Though it gets points for being originality, the 1.5-soul theory has its problems, aside from just being pretty far out there. One thing is that it does not address the possibility that Rand may have memories from the Age of Legends simply as a birthright of the Dragon Reborn. If the Wheel has given Rand these memories as a helper, then it is at least possible that Lews Therin does not exist in Rand Al'Thor as another being.
 
Conclusion

Reasons why this mystery just won't be solved until we get more information from RJ:

1. In this Forsaken gathering:
"How do you know? It may well be that, as many people believe, all are born and reborn as the Wheel turns, but nothing like this has ever happened that I have read. A specific man reborn according to prophecy. Who knows what he is?" -Graendal [The Fires of Heaven, Prologue]

We clearly cannot determine which of the above theories are correct. The Forsaken aren't really sure. The only character who thinks she knows is
Cadsuane, and we really don't know enough about her, and where she's been in the past years, to consider her quote as credible.
 
  • Two Souler - One Souler - by ???:
    • "Two Souls, One Body, Only Half a Brain"
     
    Introduction

    A theoretical doctrine on the dual nature of Rand al'Thor and Lews Therin Telamon, who are the Dragon Reborn.

    Development

    There is at the least one odd characteristic about Rand al'Thor, one unique trait that makes him different than every other man we have heard of in the Wheel of Time. How do I know this, you might ask? It's quite simple-Rand al'Thor, a shepherd from the backwoods area of the Two Rivers, can and is going to do what has been impossible for every other man in History has, so far as we know. What is this? He's going to re-imprison the Dark One, so
    that his presence can no longer reach the world in a direct manner.
     
    I can already here some of the "non-believers," those who believe so strongly that there is one soul so that they are already searching for mistakes. They are screaming right now "Lews Therin sealed the Dark One up! And all other Dragon Reborns did so too!" But this is an incorrect statement. Lews Therin *imperfectly* sealed the Dark One up, whereas Rand is foretold by the 4th Age quotes at the bookends to do it perfectly. And, as we do not know of any previous Dragon Reborns, if they existed-thus the part of my quote that reads, "so far as we know." I have now established that Rand is unique, in the fact that only he-the Creator's Chosen One-can do what must be done. In fact, this is said when the booming voice, presumably the Creator, says to Rand, "I WILL TAKE NO PART. ONLY THE CHOSEN ONE CAN DO WHAT MUST BE DONE, IF HE WILL" (EotW, Against the Shadow, p758, paperback). Only the Chosen One-only Rand, and not one other person in existence.
     
    Now we come to the crux of the problem. Just what is it exactly that makes Rand unique? It's not his ability to channel. It's not even his strength in
    the Power, even if he is the strongest channeler alive-a linked circle of thirteen weak girls could defeat him if that was his advantage. It's not Rand's ta'veren-ness, either. Rand is the likely the strongest ta'veren of all Time, but the same principle can apply here as to channeling. Mat and Perrin together are likely ta'veren enough that together than effect chance as much as Rand can. Also, Min's repeated visions of the fireflies about Rand and the fact that he cannot win Tarmon Gai'don without Mat and Perrin means that even he is not ta'veren enough to do that alone.

    Others have said it's The Karaethon Cycle, the Prophecies of the Dragon that makes him special. But I have to ask this, though it really is another
    debate. Do the Prophecies truly make the Dragon Reborn, or are they simply a way of letting others know that the Dragon is truly Reborn? Do words on a piece of paper make the slightest bit of difference to the Pattern? The Pattern recognized Rand as the Dragon Reborn when Rand admitted it to
    himself-that's when the false dragons stopped appearing. But Rand had not yet finished the Prophecies-if the Prophecies were what made the Dragon
    Reborn what he was, Rand would not be the Dragon Reborn until every last Prophecy was completed. So this cannot be it, because Rand would not be the Dragon Reborn until the Dark One was already sealed away.

    Others have used this quote, as a tangent off the Karaethon Cycle argument.
    "How do you know? It may well be that, as many people believe, all are born and reborn as the Wheel turns, but nothing like this has ever happened that I have read. A specific man reborn according to prophecy. Who knows what he is?" (Graendal, tFoH p27. hardcover).
    There are two problems with this quote, however. One is ".that I have read." I don't believe that Graendal has read everything, and knows everything, about how the eternal battle between the Creator's Chosen One and the Dark One. The second is this .".as many people believe." These people aren't even sure that the Wheel of Time spins people out as the Ages past, but you wish me to believe that they know how many souls a body can have?

    The next argument people have with this theory is their idea that a body cannot hold two souls, that it is impossible. I have to ask you, though, is
    it really? It is also impossible to Heal stilling, isn't it? And isn't it impossible that freeing the Dark One in one world releases him in all, while holding him in any world keeps him there as well? And, for a last example, isn't whatever happens when to channelers balefire each other at the EXACT
    same time impossible as well? Impossible isn't a word that can be used while theorizing about fantasy settings, and many people do not understand that.

    Some people also criticize me-once they start to accept the possibility of two souls existing in one body-that there are already such people out there.
    This is not true. There are some "almost cases," which never quite two souls at once. Mat was possessed by the evil of Shadar Logoth, but not a soul of any individual. Mashadar is a conglomeration of different souls, I would say, but it is cannot be classified as a person. And Mashadar may not even
    be made of souls; but that is another argument. The same can be said, in the same doubt, about the Black Wind, Machin Shin. Others use, or try to use, the Heroes of the Horn as examples. However, they do not have multiple souls, but one soul reborn over and over again. How do I know this, you might ask? Birgitte has memory of her past lives, and classifies those memories as her own. Both of these would not be true if it was more than one
    soul-she would feel similar to Rand, with another's memories intruding on her, but she considers those memories as her own.

    Now, we get on to the actual core of the two-soul debate. Rand has memories that he should not have as a shepherd from the Two Rivers. No matter your stance, I feel that I can safely say we all agree that these are Lews Therin's memories, however you feel Rand has them in his head. This knowledge is from the Age of Legends, and is not from Rand's own life in any way, shape, or form. I have read several theories on different ways this has happened, many with valid points. The majority says that LTT is just a mechanism for Rand to handle memories from his past life, but I don't agree with this. As if you hadn't guessed that already.

    Part of the problem with this idea is that these people are applying real-world techniques to a fantasy setting. While not a completely incorrect
    way to go about theories, it is perhaps not the most efficient way to do it. This is similar to people arguing that two souls can't exist simultaneously
    in one body, in that their logic is .well, illogical. Rand does not have some psychological disorder, such as DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder),
    Schizophrenia, or something like that. He has memories from a REAL life that existed thousands of years before-those diseases all deal with made up lives and memories that the diseased creates in his mind.

    Now people claim that Rand truly is Lews Therin reborn, and the taint is just dissolving the "barrier" between lives. There is some proof that a soul
    does retain all memories, since Birgitte knows who she is while in Tel'aran'rhiod. But she does not know if the real world, as no one else does. So there are two options-there is a barrier than can be broken down and Tel'aran'rhiod simply removes this barrier, or that the soul can only hold the previous lives' memories while in Tel'aran'rhiod. These possibilities are muddled by Cadsuane asking about Rand hearing voices. We don't know how any other male channeler has gone crazy firsthand-we don't know if they hear voices of their past lives, or other, made up voices. So this option cannot be refuted completely, which only leaves me the option of completing this theory and hoping to sway you with a better explanation.

    Rand is in a very dangerous position right now, with way the taint on saidin increases Rand's chance of going insane the more he channels. Two souls
    inside of Rand could possible act as a filter for this-Rand, having two souls inside of him, only gets half the amount of the taint that others would, since Lews Therin's soul gets the other half. This, I will admit, is very "iffy," but it does make sense in a way. This could also apply to Rand's final battle with the Dark One. Depending on how this battle is fought-spiritually, physically, some other way perhaps-having two souls could possibly help. Rand cannot channel inside of Shayol Ghul; the Forsaken have told how this means instant death. The Dark One's mere speech-if anything of the Dark One can be described as "mere"-can drive a man to the floor. It is possible-though I'll admit I'm not exactly sure how yet-that having two souls inside one's body would half these events as well, giving Rand twice as much a chance as anyone else.

    Lews Therin, the best in many ways of the Age of Legends, could not reseal the Dark One up perfectly, so how is Rand to do this? Rand is less than Lews Therin-but with Lews Therin inside of him, partially guiding him, Rand has access to information of two Ages, and he has access to the experience of a previous battle with the Dark One. Rand al'Thor, and Lews Therin Telamon, together, and only together, make up the hero known to the world as the Dragon Reborn. And may the Light protect us all from them.
     
    Conclusion

    This, of course, leads to my prediction. Rand fights the DO, somehow wins, and Lews Therin's soul dies or is removed from Rand's body in the process. Rand is left weak because of this, and either actually dies. Nynaeve Heals Rand (this would allow for the Nynaeve Heals someone three days dead quote-can't find the page numbers), boxes his ears for trying to be more than a shepherd and the curtain drops.
     

    Seanchan

    The Seanchan have conquered large parts of Tarabon, Amadicia and Altara. Since a great number of settlers arrived it will be all but impossible to get them out. Rand will not accept this fact outright but in the
    long run he will have to. Since it would be too costly for both parties to keep fighting some agreement will have to be made. The Seanchan will want Rand to kneel for the crystal throne. This would mean that Rand would lose his independence and that in turn would mean that Tarmon Gai'don will be lost (most of the involved parties will disagree with this opinion of course). The Seanchan will serve the Dragon reborn
    somehow and Mat, being (all but) married to the Daughter of the Nine Moons will play an important role in convincing the Seanchan. This agreement will bind three more nations to Rand and apart from the borderlands most of the lands west of the Spine of the World will be under his influence.
     

    Other Theories

    People prob have already thought of this theory, but I thought I'd tell ya about it anyways. My theory is in regards to the entire wheel of time story. I believe that the story is one giant time loop hence the title WoT. Duh of course anyone could figure this out and say well of course, but wait, there's more. Rand has lived before ... not as Lews Therim but as Rand al'Thor. In a game of stones Moridin plays, he wonders if the main piece was based off of Rand .... and he mentions Rand specifically .. not Lews. Master Pel at the academy discovers something and is killed for it....since he was into philosophical puzzles....maybe he discovered about the giant loop and was killed for it. The Dark One keeps saying that he will break the Wheel of Time....hrm. Also another curiosity that bugged me was was Lews ranting about breaking the seals on the Dark One's prison. Maybe by breaking the seals...and releasing the Dark One, that will break this endless loop...stop the "Age of Illusions" and allow time to flow on. I believe that breaking the seals is vital to end this endless loop called the Wheel of Time and "break the world"
     
    The Wheel of Time - End of the World
    And it came to pass in those days, as it had come before and would come again, that the Dark lay heavy on the land and weighed down the hearts of men, and the green things failed, and hope died. >>>>And men cried out to the Creator, saying, O Light of the Heavens, Light of the World, let the Promised One be born of the mountain, according to the prophecies, as he was in ages past and will be in ages to come. <<<< Let the Prince of the Morning sing to the land that green things will grow and the valleys give forth lambs. Let the arm of the Lord of the Dawn shelter us from the Dark, and the great sword of justice defend us. Let the
    Dragon ride again on the winds of time.
     
    (from Charal Drianaan to Calamon, The Cycle of the Dragon. Author unknown, the Fourth Age)
     
    The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again. In one Age, called the Third Age by some, an Age yet to come, an Age long past, a wind rose in the Mountains of Mist. The wind was not the beginning. There are neither beginnings nor endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time. But it was a beginning.
    Hey! I was browsing through your site and thought i'd throw one of my theories out there, it's about the mental projection of Lews Therin's voice in Rand's mind. I had a hard time coming up with this theory because i had a few different theories and none of them really captured the whole picture, basically i think that the voice is a combination of lews therin as well as moridin. Back in the prologue of TEOTW the flash of heat Ishmael gives to Lews therin, it's assumed that he is merely bonding him to the dark one and curing the effects of the taint, but what if it was more? no one knows more about mind traps then moridin as he already has cyndane/lanfear and moghedien under his spell, also, something i jumped on in the Path of Daggers - Moridin has an utter lack of fear about rand himself - he even goes so far as to imply he can't lose Tarmon Gaidon when he plays both sides of the board, in reference to the board game that reminds him of the bigger struggle. This lack of fear is surprising given the fact that rand has basically not lost yet and furthermore killed ishmael himself, who is now moridin. Also, the voice and memories did not begin until after ishy died and was presumably reborn, although this could be discounted in that the effects of the taint were not great enough by then.we should know more with the next book now that the taint is gone.

    Part theories, part observations, not all of them mine... I have been collecting anachronisms - or maybe a better word is relics - in the wheel of time that are remnants from our own time, or a similar one. I'm sure that more clever readers can spot more - so please add.
    The first one was the very popular and most ancient gleeman's tale of "Len who flew to the moon in the belly of an eagle". This one is mentioned in the
    first book and at least one other time. I know I don't have to spell out the connection to Neil Armstrong and The Eagle lunar module. Correct me on the name if I have it wrong but I think it was very similar to Neil spelled backwards.
    The second one was in the book where Nynaeve has the showdown with the Forsaken in that museum of ancient artifacts. The most ancient one mentioned was not a magical item, but a three pointed star that exuded arrogant pride. That is just too obviously a Mercedes hood ornament. Some have advanced the theory the Anla the Wise Counselor - survived only by her name, her works are lost to history - is a contraction of Ann Landers.
    Ooops - I left one out: "Mosc and Merc who fought each other from across the world with lances of fire". Equate to MOSCow, aMERiCa, and the nuclear arms race (hopefully nothing but history now).
     
    Balefire is a sort of burn in the pattern which causes the thread( in the pattern ) to burn and events actually happen before it happens ( confusing
    huh? ). So balefire touching balefire would not have any real effect, right? If you remember Rand fighting some forsaken ( was it?) in shadar logoth, the 2 balefires met ...
     

     
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