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Your search for the tag 'fisher king' yielded 14 results

  • 1

    Interview: 2010

    Azral Hanan (2 August 2010)

    Why is the Dragon 'one with the Land'? Is it just due to him being ta'veren or is there more to it?

    Brandon Sanderson (2 August 2010)

    More to it. More about being the Dragon than being ta'veren. Who he is.

    AZRAL HANAN

    So it's more than a title or being ta'veren and Hero of the Horn? The Dragon plays its own unique role in the Pattern?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Note that Prophecy says that the Dragon specifically is reborn time after time.

    Azral Hanan

    RJ said the soul is immortal. But Hopper says dying in the Wolf Dream is likely permanent. Is Hopper wrong?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO, for now. Ask again after the last book is out.

    Tags

  • 2

    Interview: 2011

    Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Brandon Sanderson (10 January 2011)

    Curious: First mention of the Fisher King concept happens when Rand is dreaming, still half-sick, in the back of Bunt's wagon.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Is this our first Lews Therin moment? Bunt wouldn't have mentioned it, and neither would have Ishamael. Unless it's actually something Thom said.

    TEREZ

    I assumed was a True Dream, including Thom's connection to the queen, and Rand & Tam with the sword.

    TEREZ

    But the first Lews Therin moment was in chapter nine when Rand recognized Shayol Ghul (and maybe Ishamael too).

    MATT HATCH

    I'd say Ishamael recognition is a fact in chapter nine. There are some nice comparisons with the prologue.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Well, you probably have a point there. Though you might argue that this is a shade of Lews Therin speaking to him, for the first time.

    TEREZ

    I might, but I wouldn't. :D It's more interesting to me the other way, and Rand didn't dream Lews Therin's dreams much.

    TEREZ

    He remarked on the strangeness of it in The Path of Daggers before Lews Therin came back (after having been chased away by Cadsuane).

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Wait. What?

    TEREZ

    I remembered it wrong. Lord of Chaos 19: 'Lews Therin's dreams. That had never happened before, not dreaming the man's dreams.'

    TEREZ

    In A Crown of Swords 41 while Lews Therin is gone, Rand still hears the voice in a dream.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Oh, I see what you're saying. (I think.) Is your argument this: "Lews Therin doesn't talk to Rand in dreams. Therefore, this isn't Lews Therin?"

    LUCKERS

    I think deep down her argument is probably more 'Lews Therin doesn't talk to Rand at all'. ;)

    TEREZ

    Whether Lews Therin really talks to Rand at all or not, this would be quite atypical & strange. As Thom? Why?

    LUCKERS

    Why would Lews Therin speak as Thom? The moustaches baby, the moustaches.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Curious. So who do you think is speaking to Rand the Fisher King words, if it's not a Lews Therin memory?

    TEREZ

    It's a dream. Why does there have to be a 'real' ;) person involved?

    TEREZ

    But I do appreciate the hint. :) [That is, the hint that Lews Therin was also one with the land, and was aware of it. This might be what Brandon was getting at with his Easter egg thing.]

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    I don't normally dream things that happen to be word-for-word true prophecies. Rand's not a Dreamer. He got the info somewhere.

    TEREZ

    Now I'm going to cry. :( Why can't Rand be a Dreamer?? So chapter nine was completely fabricated by Ishamael? That is weird.

    TEREZ

    None of the other dreams influenced by Ishamael were anything like that. How did he create all of those people in Tar Valon?

    TEREZ

    Why would Ishamael first prevent Rand from reaching Tar Valon, and then force him to go to the Tower? Makes no sense. :(

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Lol. I'm not sure if you're being serious or not. Is there some theory on Rand being a Dreamer that I should know?

    TEREZ

    I'm being serious. There's a hint Asmodean's warding might prevent True Dreams. Also...

    TEREZ

    Egwene was guided to it, but Rand had no one to guide him if he was a Dreamer. And everything in The Eye of the World nine was true.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Either it's Lews Therin, it's something someone told him in the real world, or it's Ishamael giving him the info.

    TEREZ

    Maybe he had heard The Karaethon Cycle from Thom at fireside on the way to Baerlon, though. Would make sense.

    TEREZ

    Well, not on the way to Baerlon, since he mentions them for the first time in Baerlon. But maybe on the Spray.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    I'll entertain an argument that it's basically 'known' information, or that Thom mentioned it.

    LUCKERS

    Did you see my cultural idea? That it might be Rand's subconscious—like the way everyone knows the Dark One's name?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    But it really seems like a memory, and we've never seen people mentioning it, while naming the Dark One we see.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    I'll look up answers on this one for sure; right now, I'm just speaking by instinct. But I read the Fisher King concept as...

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    ...coming from Lews Therin/Rand's subconscious and being fed through Thom's mouth as Rand's mind fit it into the dream.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    I'm also pretty sure Rand's not a Dreamer, though he does have uncommon power over his dreams.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    But he does not see specific prophecies in his dreams (other than a few debatable moments) nor enter Tel'aran'rhiod spontaneously.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    But I'll look into it. I rebel against it because Dreaming is basically Egwene's thing.

    TEREZ

    Also, didn't Perrin pretty much just show her that it wasn't HER thing any more? :p

    TEREZ

    And yeah, I know his prophetic dreams only happen in Tel'aran'rhiod. But I just want a male Dreamer dangit!

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Perrin does something different. Also, Egwene was caught off guard and had been spending a lot of time lately doing other things.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    It would be unwise to assume that Perrin is better at Tel'aran'rhiod than she is because of that moment. He had just spent weeks training...

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    ...specifically to fight like that in Tel'aran'rhiod, while Egwene has been forced to fight other fights and let herself get a tad rusty.

    TEREZ

    haha, yeah I know. I have argued much the same against Egwene-haters. I did enjoy that moment though.

    TEREZ

    Why do all the prophets have to be female? Foretelling I can see because of the taint, but the rest? Except Perrin.

    TEREZ

    The Thom dream used to make me think I was missing something, or maybe a deleted scene. Very odd.

    TEREZ

    Also, even with the taint seems like we should have had a male Foretelling by now, or a dreamer. Something.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Well, out of fondness, I'll let you know that I DO know of at least one male (other than Perrin) who can see the future.

    TEREZ

    lol. The male Aelfinn?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Dang. You're too clever. Okay, then, I promise you there's actually a man—human—who meets your requirements.

    Footnote

    In retrospect, it seems most likely that RJ did in fact pare down Thom's earlier conversation about the prophecies (in The Eye of the World Chapter 13, or in another place), not wanting to give too much away. The dream in Chapter 34 should have been a recollection of what Thom had told him. It's possible that Brandon was correct and it had something to do with Lews Therin, but I find it unlikely for many reasons (some covered in the conversation). Also worth noting is that in the previous chapter, during Rand's fever dreams, Thom mentioned the Black Ajah, which had not previously been mentioned to Rand on screen. Also, this hint from Brandon was the first of many concerning the male prophet; the other clues make it pretty clear that Moridin is a Dreamer.

    Tags

  • 3

    Interview: 2011

    Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Brandon Sanderson (18 March 2011)

    This Thom scene in The Shadow Rising chapter 17 is an absolute gem of writing. Wonderful characterizations, excellent motion, powerful reversals.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Guys, when I talk about how to write a great scene, THIS is what I mean.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Notice that the Siuan mentions that the Blight is retreating in this chapter. Hmmm... Wonder why...

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    I remember reading somewhere that some think this was an effect of the Eye of the World's usage. Hmm...

    FOOTNOTE—TEREZ

    Brandon is probably hinting here that it rather has something to do with the Fisher King prophecies.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Thom, speaking of how future ages may see him: "Not a gleeman—but what? Not eating fire, but hurling it about like an Aes Sedai..."

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Will you believe that, in my youth, it wasn't until around that moment that I caught the Thom/Merlin connection?

    OWENSMTO

    Don't feel too bad. I didn't catch the Mat/Odin connection until very recently. And Perrin is Thor, it seems. heh.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    I believe there's actually a Slavic god of the forge named "Perun" or something along those lines.

    NATHAN ANDRUS

    Thom/Merlin connection? I don't see it.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Look really closely at Thom's last name.

    Tags

  • 4

    Interview: Oct 20th, 2005

    Robert Jordan

    When the Blight receded in The Eye of the World, the plants actually healed (new plants didn't immediately appear from elsewhere).... minor detail, but good to know.

    Tags

  • 5

    Interview: Nov 11th, 2009

    Question

    After Rand has channeled the True Power, he has a dark cloud around him. When he meets with Tuon after this, she manages to resist his ta'veren pull. Is this because the True Power has reduced his ta'veren mojo?

    Brandon Sanderson

    The reason she manages to resist is that she has a lot of willpower. Rand is just as ta'veren as ever.

    Question

    How about the food going bad in Bandar Eban? Was that caused by Rand being nearby with his cloud of evil?

    Brandon Sanderson

    We've heard earlier in the books that the Dragon is one with the land, and the land is one with the Dragon. This is an old belief—many kingdoms believed that the wellness of the king was directly tied to the wellness of the land. In WoT, this is quite literally true.

    Tags

  • 6

    Interview: Nov 15th, 2009

    Question

    Is there a connection between the spoilage of food and Rand's temperament?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Look at the Fisher King prophecies, and the prophecies in WoT that mention that the "land and the Dragon are one."

    Tags

  • 7

    Interview: Nov 16th, 2010

    Question

    Someone else asked if Rand's internal state of affairs was affecting the world around him.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Brandon said there are two things going on—ta'veren and the Fisher King prophecy which says the Dragon is tied directly to the land. He says it seems to Rand that more bad stuff was happening in The Gathering Storm but that this could be either just Rand's perception or what is really going on. We should remember that ta'veren is supposed to be 50/50—an extra equal amount of good and bad going on. He would not tell us at this point whether there was really more bad stuff happening in The Gathering Storm or whether its Rand's perception as there was purposefully very few viewpoints from Rand himself in Towers of Midnight. Like the third book The Dragon Reborn, Towers of Midnight is meant to step away from Rand and view him from the viewpoints of others.

    Someone also asked if Rand's ta'veren nature would affect people on the other side of an open gateway. Brandon said that the Pattern considers that Rand is where he is and not on the other side of the gateway, so he would not affect a place just by having a gateway open there and not actually being there.

    Tags

  • 8

    Interview: Dec 17th, 2011

    Loialson

    Hey Brandon, I got a bunch of questions from the Wheel of Time Re-read.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Okay! Alright! So Wetlander and people.

    LOIALSON

    Yes...Are the impressive displays of power that Rand makes in Towers of Midnight (i.e., stopping the Trolloc army and having no concern over being able to leave the White Tower) a result of his integrated knowledge or his ta'veren nature?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Umm...Both, though, one thing you have to keep in mind, is...Rand, as a result of power level...Robert Jordan was specifically not using him very often because his power had grown so powerful even by the end of Knife of Dreams. I mean, you look at Knife of Dreams—if you go reread the fight in Knife of Dreams he is laying waste to nearly as many Trollocs as he has when he does the battle at the temple—which is not actually called that in the books—that's the one with the Trollocs and things [referencing Rand's big single-handed fight in Towers of Midnight]. And so...yes, some of these things have changed, but he's really powerful now.

    Now, the thing about in the White Tower is something different. [Brandon smiles]

    Footnote

    Someone needs to ask Brandon about that 'temple' thing.

    Tags

  • 9

    Interview: Dec 17th, 2011

    Loialson

    Is the glow in Rand's head that Nynaeve sees upon delving Rand linked to the nature of him being ta'veren, or because of the nature of him being the Dragon?

    Brandon Sanderson

    (laughs) I'm gonna RAFO that one.

    Tags

  • 10

    Interview: Nov 14th, 2009

    Brandon Sanderson

    The prophecy of the land being one with the Dragon Reborn, and the Dragon being one with the land will play a big role in these last three books.

    Tags

  • 11

    Interview: Jan 12th, 2011

    Luckers

    Was Lews Therin one with the land like Rand is?

    Brandon Sanderson

    The Dragon is one with the land...so the answer is yes.

    Matt Hatch

    He went on to say that it says the Dragon, not the Dragon Reborn, making the point that it most definitely applied to Lews Therin. (I riffed off a second related question from Luckers which was: Did he have the same extra abilities?) Instead I asked:

    Question

    Considering what you mentioned regarding Lews Therin's ability to sense the lack of inhabitants within miles of the spot he was at in the Prologue, is this ability something that comes from being the Dragon, being ta'veren, or a Talent?

    Brandon Sanderson

    (paraphrased) It's not a Talent, but I won't say whether it is a factor of being the Dragon or something about being ta'veren.

    Matt Hatch

    Luckers, I asked this question because the way Brandon answered the first it seemed apparent to me that the Dragon is Lews Therin is Rand, as far as 'one with the land' and abilities. My interest then became that specific ability he noted in Lews Therin during the re-read.)

    Tags

  • 12

    Interview: Oct 30th, 2009

    jharoldson

    I...asked Brandon a question regarding Graendal possibly not being dead. I started by saying that Graendal was ordered to keep Arad Doman in chaos. After she was killed Rand was forced out of Arad Doman because all of the food he brought spoiled all at the same time, not in random intervals like had happened before due to the Dark One's touch. My question to Brandon is was this food spoilage caused by the Dark One or could it have been a strong channeler with inverted weaves, perhaps someone who was ordered to make sure that Rand's plans in Arad Doman failed?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Brandon told me explicitly that this was not caused by someone channeling but instead it was caused by Rand. Robert Jordan evidently left strong notes regarding the fact that the quote we heard early on in the story from Thom about "The Dragon is one with the land and the land is one with the Dragon" will be emphasized towards the end of the story. When people complained that only bad ta'veren things happened in Bandar Eban when Rand was there with no offsetting good things this was an example that as Rand has hardened and become darker the land has also grown more dark. The spoiling of all the food at once was also caused by the darkness in Rand.

    Tags

  • 13

    Interview: Nov 6th, 2012

    Question

    Do you mind if I ask a Wheel of Time question?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No, I don't mind at all.

    QUESTION

    The group that I'm a part of on Facebook has a list going of things we want to ask you.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Ooooh, okay!

    QUESTION

    So I'm trying to ask one that's not gonna get a Read And Find Out.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Okay.

    QUESTION

    Do the women in Randland shave?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    [Laughter] Wow, I've never been asked that. Oh wow, I don't know. I honestly don't know.

    QUESTION

    It's been bothering me since I started the series.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Wow. That's an excellent question. Ask Maria, she might actually know. That's the sort of thing that's probably buried in the notes somewhere. You can ask another one since I didn't know. You can go down a few and if I have to RAFO, then I will but is there another one you can ask that might get an answer?

    QUESTION

    Maybe, you're going to have to forgive me if I mispronounce...

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    That's all right.

    QUESTION

    What did Moridin mean by the Fisher King being a dim remnant of a memory of Rand al'Thor?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    There are lots of ways to interpret that I will give you one interpretation. And that is that it is a memory from the last time that Rand al'Thor did what he did. And that those stories were passed on and passed on and so now he is following legends about himself. Does that make sense?

    QUESTION

    Yeah.

    Tags