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Your search for the tag 'dragon soul' yielded 31 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 (4 January 2011)

    Back to reading The Eye of the World, all. Posts to follow. I'll try to keep it at a steady stream, not a flood.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    WoT Easter Egg: there's an easily overlooked line in the prologue of The Eye of the World which gives huge foreshadowing of things Rand can do in Towers of Midnight.

    TEREZ

    I always thought the fact that Lews Therin could sense that there were no people around for miles was interesting.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    I should have guessed that you'd be the only one who would pick out the right line, Terez.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    The Easter egg in the prologue has to do with Lews Therin sensing the lack of people around him for miles and miles.

    BRANDON SANDERSON (5 JANUARY)

    Regarding yesterday's Easter Egg, Maria mentions RJ was preparing a blog post on the concept.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    For those who missed it, it has to do with Lews Therin sensing nobody was nearby when he made Dragonmount.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    And before you ask, no, I can't say more. Sorry. Suffice it to say that what is in the books stands as enough of an answer, for now.

    TEREZ

    My original(ish) post on the ability to sense for people: http://bit.ly/safegates in '06. I was a noob(ish) then.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Interesting theory. What do you think of it now?

    TEREZ

    I think it still holds up (despite a few details I missed), but I think it's not what you were getting at. :)

    Footnote

    Most think this has something to do with the 'one with the land' thing. (See the Fisher King tag for more info.)

    Tags

  • 3

    Interview: 2011

    Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Darth Andrea (20 January 2011)

    Odd question, is it possible in the WoT universe, for there to have been a world where the Dragon was a woman?

    Brandon Sanderson (20 January 2011)

    RJ said that gender was a 'soul attribute.' Meaning, souls were reborn as the same gender.

    Footnote

    RJ addressed this in the CNN chat of 2000, again in Leiden in 2001, and at an unknown signing from around the same time (maybe a different report from the Leiden signing).

    Tags

  • 4

    Interview: 2011

    Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Terez (10 August 2011)

    It's official: Construct theory wins. http://bit.ly/opIvk4 (Sorry @BrandSanderson ...sort of, anyway. :p) (It was out there, so...)

    Brandon Sanderson (10 August 2010)

    Construct theory? Should I know what that is?

    TEREZ

    Nope, it's a secret. :p (The Lews Therin debate - real/construct; another person/delusion caused by insanity and memories).

    FOOTNOTE—TEREZ

    This led to a flurry of tweets between me and Luckers, none of which Brandon responded to, but he did have to step in at one point with an email to assure us that he didn't get in trouble with Team Jordan in any way for the GeekDad interview I linked. (It seemed the most logical explanation for his subsequent clamming up on the issue, and still does really, but it's the official word.) It's also at least a little bit likely that he was hedging on not knowing what construct theory is.

    Tags

  • 5

    Interview: Oct 22nd, 1998

    Pam Basham

    Regarding the Dragon and the Dragon Reborn (and Graendal's thoughts about Ishamael's musings):

    "Is this soul born in any other Age, or only at the advent and (theoretically, of course) the closing of the Third Age, as the Dragon/the Dragon Reborn?"

    Robert Jordan

    This soul is one of the Heroes, and bound to the Wheel, spun out as the Pattern wills. "It" is born in other Ages, but in a non-Dragon incarnation, to suit the pattern of that Age.

    Pam Basham

    In the course of this answer, he related this to why Hawkwing calls Rand "Lews Therin" at Falme—because Hawkwing recognizes this soul. This didn't really tell me why he specifically calls him "Lews Therin", but apparently they've been hangin' together in Tel'aran'rhiod and the etiquette there is to call each other by the name of your last incarnation. (My interpretation.)

    Tags

  • 6

    Interview: Oct 22nd, 1998

    Pam Basham

    Regarding That Whole Thing About the Horn—Hawkwing vs. Moiraine

    Question: Hawkwing says they follow the banner and the Dragon. Moiraine says the Heroes will follow whoever winds the Horn. Was Moiraine wrong?

    Robert Jordan

    *Arch look* Moiraine doesn't know everything. She was speaking the truth as she knows it.

    Pam Basham

    (I took this to imply that Moiraine was misinformed, and the conflict resolved, until he continued.)

    Robert Jordan

    However, she is correct in that whoever sounds the Horn "controls the Heroes." [exact quote]

    Pam Basham

    (I started to get confused at this point. Is Moiraine right or is she wrong? What's he trying to tell me?)

    Question: Then what happens if the Dragon and the banner are on opposite sides of the conflict from whoever sounds the Horn?

    Robert Jordan

    "Then we get a [rift] in the Pattern." [1]

    Pam Basham

    (This elicited a pronounced Startled Moment from Harriet, which I took at the time to express the same reaction as me—"A WHAT?!?"—but which Kevin told me later he interpreted to be more along the lines of "I can't believe you're telling them that!" It could, of course, mean something entirely different.)

    At this point, part of my mind was running wild down paths about the Dark One and potential entrances into the Pattern, while the rest of it remained stunned, frozen, in absolute denial: "A WHAT?!?"I remain steadfastly in denial about this one. Oh, sure. He did say it, and if it becomes relevant, he'll work it in, no doubt. But I firmly believe he Made This Up. If the Dark One was aware of this, it seems to me that he'd be working a lot harder on making this happen, since it would seem to represent the equivalent of a serious "crack in the door to the Pattern." It's so much less work than using up all your main players (Chosen) in inefficient, conflicting plots and setting up Rand for "easily escapable situations involving an overly elaborate and exotic Death." [2]

    [1] I'm not certain if this is the exact word he used. It may have been "schism" or "breach," but it was definitely a word expressing the concept of a forced opening/rupture. Sorry. It was lost in the momentary brain freeze.

    [2] Moridin, of course. He's overly elaborate and exotic even before he puts on his silk coats.

    Tags

  • 7

    Interview: Aug 27th, 1999

    Robert Jordan

    Someone asked if the Dragon is always male, and he told them to Read And Find Out.

    Tags

  • 8

    Interview: Sep 20th, 1999

    Robert Jordan

    I re-asked the question about the Shadow controlling one of the Horn or the banner, and he said that the Heroes would have to follow the Horn (I think. I don't have this on tape, so...But he didn't say anything about a rift, which was what I'd heard someone say he said before?)

    Tags

  • 9

    Interview: Dec 12th, 2000

    CNN Chat (Verbatim)

    Jonan

    Mr. Jordan, is it possible that in another age, another turning of the wheel, that saidar could be tainted instead of saidin? This relates to the Female Dragon Theory.

    Robert Jordan

    That is not something I intend to explore.

    Tags

  • 10

    Interview: Apr 4th, 2001

    Aan'allein

    In this same Age, in a different Turning of the Wheel of Time, could it be possible that it wouldn't be Rand's soul that was spun out as the Dragon, but for a different, female soul to take on this role?

    Robert Jordan

    Jordan said "Yes" then maybe a few more words and only then did I remember to actually put the recorder on again. If I remember correctly Avaeus taped those first few words on his digital camera however, so I'll see if I can add those exact words here.

    (transcription) ...it would have to be. Err, in the differences between the same Age in different turnings of the Wheel, are that.. as for an analogy: imagine two tapestries hanging on a wall, and you look at them from the back of the room to the front of the store. And to look at them, they look identical to you. But as you get closer, you begin to see differences. And if you get close enough, they don't look anything at all alike. That is the difference between the Ages. Between the Age in one Turning and the Age in another. So it's quite possible that someone other than Rand could be the reborn soul of the Dragon Reborn. [And that's the phrase that ended my jubilation.]

    Aan'allein

    It would be the same soul, or it would be a different soul?

    Robert Jordan

    It would be the same soul. That is, that is the belief of the world that I've set up, that it's the same soul. It's a soul of someone bound to the Wheel, which is spun out for the purposes, for the Wheel's purposes really, to attempt to re-balance the Weaving of the Pattern.

    Aan'allein

    But the soul would always be male. Souls don't change gender, so ...

    Robert Jordan

    ...so the soul of the Dragon Reborn is always going to be male, just as Birgitte's soul is always born as a woman, just as Ameresu's soul is always born as a woman. There are divisions here, and they are not interchangeable.

    Aan'allein

    [He actually pronounced this as Amatherisu. Anyone else find it curious that Jordan would place her on equal footing with Rand and Birgitte? The way he said this reminded me of Mother Therese, just like "Materese the Healer" (The Eye of the World, Chapter 4). Ameresu could most definitely be the same person as Materese. And the "The Healer" tag suddenly gets a lot more meaning, when thinking about how important she is to Jordan...]

    Tags

  • 11

    Interview: Jan 7th, 2003

    Question

    The question is, with Rand and Lews Therin, do they have one soul or two souls in the body?

    Robert Jordan

    They have one soul with two personalities. The reincarnation of souls does not mean reincarnation of personalities. The personality develops with each reincarnation of the soul. This is the cosmology that I have cobbled together.

    Tags

  • 12

    Interview: Jan 7th, 2003

    Question

    If Rand is the reincarnation of Lews Therin, why does he have no contact with personalities before Lews Therin?

    Robert Jordan

    Read and find out.

    FOOTNOTE—JASON DENZEL

    Ahh, the year's first "RAFO". I was wondering how long it would take.

    Tags

  • 13

    Interview: Jan 7th, 2003

    Question

    The question is, with Rand and Lews Therin, do they have one soul or two souls in the body?

    Robert Jordan

    They have one soul with two personalities. The reincarnation of souls does not mean reincarnation of personalities. The personality develops with each reincarnation of the soul. This is the cosmology that I have cobbled together.

    Tags

  • 14

    Interview: Jan 7th, 2003

    Question

    If Rand is the reincarnation of Lews Therin, why does he have no contact with personalities before Lews Therin?

    Robert Jordan

    Read and Find Out.

    Tags

  • 15

    Interview: Jan 16th, 2003

    Question

    (inaudible)

    Robert Jordan

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

    Tags

  • 16

    Interview: Feb 26th, 2003

    tarvalon.net Q&A (Verbatim)

    Question

    Was Ishamael lying when he told Rand that the hero of the Light had turned to the Shadow in other lifetimes?

    Robert Jordan

    No he was not. Even those who lie sometimes tell the truth when it serves their purposes.

    Tags

  • 17

    Interview: Feb 26th, 2003

    tarvalon.net Q&A (Verbatim)

    It has also been further confirmed that:

    Robert Jordan

    —Taimandred is bogus.

    —Rand has only one soul, but has two personalities.

    —Museam Replicas will be producing the Sword and Dragon pins as well as an approved version of the Great Serpent ring (which apparently goes around the finger twice before biting its own tail).

    —Someone has correctly deduced who killed Asmodean, so no one should ever ask him that question again.

    Tags

  • 18

    Interview: Sep 3rd, 2005

    Question

    Ishamael mentions in prior turnings of the Wheel that the soul of Lews Therin was raised up as the Shadow's champion, and if that is the case, who was the champion of the Creator?

    Robert Jordan

    You believe Ishamael??? Sorry, man, but c'mon!

    Footnote

    RJ effectively answered this question twice in 2003: 1) for tarvalon.net, and 2) for Tim Kington on the Crossroads of Twilight book tour. The first version of the question (which clearly refers to Rand, as Ishamael was talking about Rand, and RJ said Ishamael did not lie) seems to contradict this one, but it doesn't, really. RJ does not say here explicitly that Ishamael lied, so it seems that he was avoiding the question of who would be the Champion of the Light if Rand turned. He could hardly say RAFO without leading the reader to believe that Rand would be somehow turned to the Shadow before the end.

    Tags

  • 19

    Interview: Oct 21st, 2005

    Question

    Were the Dragon Banner and the Horn of Valere made at the same time?

    Robert Jordan

    No.

    Question

    Then why did Hawkwing need Rand to produce the banner at Falme before he could attack?

    Robert Jordan

    Legends change.

    Tags

  • 20

    Interview: Oct 27th, 2009

    Matt Hatch

    Was the taint influential in the creation/development/existence of the voice of Lews Therin in Rand's head?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Brandon answered that the taint was influential, but not the only factor. He referenced Semirhage, that of course we can't believe the Forsaken always, but yes, that the taint was an influence in the the voice. That we have to accept that in fact, in a way, Rand is going insane (as in as the books progress).

    Tags

  • 21

    Interview: Nov 8th, 2010

    Question

    Have there been any female ta'veren?

    Maria Simons

    None in the main series, but they can be. Some people think Egwene may be ta'veren, but I don't think she is. (A fan pointed out that someone would have seen her as ta'veren and Maria agreed that she is not.)

    Alan Romanczuk

    The Dragon is always a man.

    Tags

  • 22

    Interview: Nov 22nd, 2011

    Zombie Sammael

    In The Gathering Storm Graendal thinks that Demandred had a shot at being the Dragon. What we were wondering was whether this refers to the soul itself or to the title Dragon, and if the title is tied to the soul.

    Brandon Sanderson

    Brandon then said (quite excitingly IMO) that it actually went further than that, and if perhaps Rand had died whether someone else would have taken over that role.

    ZOMBIE SAMMAEL

    If that had happened, would that person be called Dragon?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    I'll give you this: there was no chance of Demandred ever being Dragon.

    ZOMBIE SAMMAEL

    Ah, that's a bit similar to the answer you gave before. But if not Demandred, somebody else?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Maybe.

    Tags

  • 23

    Interview: Apr, 2001

    Robert Jordan

    I liked the explanation of how the different turnings of the Wheel of Time create similar but very different tapestries for the same age—but the Dragon Reborn will always be a male soul (that was the question), just like Birgitte will always be a female soul.

    Tags

  • 24

    Interview: 2001

    Thus Spake the Creator (Paraphrased)

    Signing Report (Workings of the Wheel)

    Robert Jordan

    Female Dragon..NO when a female hero is needed she is one of the ones bound to the Wheel. Jordan did mention a name but I didn't hear it. But he did say the Dragon is never female.

    Let's try and clear some of this up... I can't remember the exact question, but from what I read in this thread, it doesn't matter (I haven't read the Female Dragon thread). RJ said that, no, it is not possible to have a female Dragon. If the wheel needs a female Dragon, then it would weave in *insert female Dragon name here*. Probably because of the blank faces he was getting he then added, you can find her in the scene where Mat blows the Horn...

    He also said that a soul ready to be reborn cannot change gender, therefor the Dragon is ALWAYS male.

    Footnote

    This might actually be two different reports; since we haven't found the original sources for either, we're not sure.

    Tags

  • 25

    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

  • 26

    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

  • 27

    Interview: 2012

    Twitter 2012 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    M. Pry (5 November 2012)

    Something I've always wondered. In the Age of Legends was Lews Therin aware he was the Champion of Light (with previous memories of past lives)?

    Brandon Sanderson ()

    He did not, so far as I know, have memories of past lives.

    Tags

  • 28

    Interview: Jan 7th, 2013

    Drew McCaffrey

    My name is Drew McCaffrey; I'm from Fort Collins, Colorado. I've been an absolutely huge fan of the series for eleven years now, and I just recently graduated as a creative writing major, and I'm a writer because of the Wheel of Time. [applause, cheers]

    My question is in regards to a debate that I've had with my cousin and a couple of my friends for a while now. Is it possible for a channeler to be tied to the Horn of Valere?

    Maria Simons

    (Brandon passes mic to Maria, laughter) Um, I think I'm gonna have to say, that's a really good question. [laughter] I honestly can't say why not.

    Drew McCaffrey

    (to his friends) HA! [laughter, applause]

    Maria Simons

    But! But I would really love to do some research before giving an absolute definitive answer [laughter] and I can't do that right now.

    Drew McCaffrey

    Would Lews Therin's soul be tied to the Horn?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Lews Therin! He was.

    Maria Simons

    Well yeah. [laughter]

    Brandon Sanderson

    He was recognized.

    Maria Simons

    That's right. Absolutely.

    Brandon Sanderson

    He was recognized, but was he tied to the Horn? Do we have confirmation of that happening? [laughter] Or they just know him? See, he's trying to trick us into saying things.

    Harriet McDougal

    Maria's saying she'll have to look it up and post it.

    Drew McCaffrey

    Ooh. Agreed. Well, thank you very much, all of you, for being here tonight and...yeah. [laughter, applause]

    Footnote

    Robert Jordan confirmed that Rand was a hero of the Horn.

    Tags

  • 29

    Interview: Jan 7th, 2013

    Adam Simmons

    My name is Adam Simmons, and I'm from Atlanta, Georgia. [hoots] I really hope that I'm not misremembering something. I was trying to look it up on my Kindle, and I couldn't find it, so please God, let me not be wrong. [laughter]

    In one of the Forsaken viewpoints in—I think it was Knife of Dreams or something?—one of the Forsaken was thinking about how, had circumstances been different, Demandred could have been named the Dragon. And what I'm wondering is, is "the Dragon" an actual title, or was Lews Therin born to be the Dragon, or was that a mantle he picked up along the way?

    Brandon Sanderson

    (looks at Maria and Harriet) [laughter]

    Maria Simons

    Not me!

    Brandon Sanderson

    I can say some things on this, but it's going to be more...it may not be the exact answers you want. I can say things that have been said. For instance, you can look at things like Logain, and how false Dragons were being brought up out of the Pattern, until Rand, and at that moment, everything collapsed. Until...and it was really when Rand channeled for the first time—am I correct?—that everything sort of collapsed. (to Maria) There's some parallels in there. When he what? No, it was when he took Callandor. Yeah, you're right.

    Maria Simons

    It was the visions in the sky!

    Brandon Sanderson

    In the sky? Okay. Until Rand took up the mantle—yeah, that's it—and so it's when Rand...and so, you could look at that and make the argument, "Wait a minute; until that moment, until Rand stepped up and was willing to be the Dragon, the Pattern was searching for one." And you can interpret that a lot of different ways, and you could probably make an argument—Theoryland could make an argument for both sides on that. [laughter] And if Rand had not stepped up, was that just the end of the world? Would the world have then been doomed, if Rand as a baby had been killed? That's something that you can theorize on, and you can look at the clues in the books, and Jim did not leave us an answer, so far as I know.

    Adam Simmons

    Okay, thank you.

    Footnote

    The quote in question was in Graendal's POV in the prologue of The Gathering Storm, which was presumably written by Brandon himself. In any case, "Dragon" was a name given to Lews Therin by his peers in the Age of Legends much like the names given to the Forsaken, so while it's possible Demandred could have been given that name as a title, it's not possible that he could have been the Champion of the Light. This is addressed by Matt Hatch at the end of the Q&A.

    Tags

  • 30

    Interview: Jan 7th, 2013

    Brandon Sanderson

    We blame people like these, that came up with this, but I do want to—and thank you for your question—I do want to hand...(to Matt) You had a correction on something we said earlier? Do you have it? Okay, Matt's going to correct us from what we were unable to answer, because Robert Jordan apparently gave an answer.

    Matt Hatch

    So, there was a question about the Dragon soul, and whether that was a title or not—was that your question?—so, he did answer. Someone asked him, because it had to do with...the entirety of the question was, you know, can it change? Could it be a woman, could it be a female? Would it be the same person in a new Turning? And his point, his answer was, it could not be female—that the soul would remain the same gender—and he also said that it would not necessarily be Rand in the next Turning. So in other words, it would still be that same soul, but it would not be—necessarily—the Rand story, the next time around. It might be...whatever. And he talked about it just because, looking at the Pattern as things change in Turnings, little things are going to change, or I guess in this case, maybe it's something bigger. So, I don't know if that answers your question, but that is answered again.

    Adam Simmons

    The question was really more about Lews Therin as the original Dragon, or as the original Dragon that we know about, and was he born to be the Dragon, or is that something that he kind of grew into?

    Matt Hatch

    It's the soul, the soul is the Dragon.

    Adam Simmons

    Okay, so he was born to it.

    Tags