hardcore fan freaks of the wheel of time

art by Jake Johnson
Minimize Maximize

Theoryland Resources

WoT Interview Search

Search the most comprehensive database of interviews and book signings from Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson and the rest of Team Jordan.

Wheel of Time News

An Hour With Harriet

2012-04-30: I had the great pleasure of speaking with Harriet McDougal Rigney about her life. She's an amazing talent and person and it will take you less than an hour to agree.

Read the interview

The Bell Tolls

2012-04-24: Some thoughts I had during JordanCon4 and the upcoming conclusion of "The Wheel of Time."

Read More

Theoryland Community

Members: 7653

Logged In (0):

Newest Members:johnroserking, petermorris, johnadanbvv, AndrewHB, jofwu, Salemcat1, Dhakatimesnews, amazingz, Sasooner, Hasib123,

Theoryland Tweets

WoT Interview Search

Home | Interview Database

Your search for the tag 'ta'veren' yielded 41 results

  • 1

    Interview: Jul, 2002

    Question

    Does ta’veren-ness ebb and flow as needed? If Rand, Mat, and Perrin were all ta’veren growing up, it seems that the Two Rivers would have had a lot of odd events occurring, but no mention is made of it.

    Robert Jordan

    You might say that ta’veren-ness ebbs and flows. For one thing, remember that even for someone like Rand, the effects are really occasional, not continuous. Even when he is causing dozens of coincidences in a particular place, many more events pass off quite normally. For another thing, no one is born ta’veren. Rand, Mat, and Perrin only became ta’veren just before Moiraine appeared. You become ta’veren according to the needs of the Wheel. Like the Heroes linked to the Wheel, who are spun out as needed to try to keep the weaving of the Pattern straight, a man or woman becomes ta’veren because the Wheel has “decided” to use them as an influence on the Pattern. And, no, the Wheel isn’t sentient. Think more of a fuzzy logic device that uses feedback to correct what it is doing in order to do it in the most efficient way.

    Tags

  • 2

    Interview: Oct 17th, 1994

    Question

    Is Bela ta'veren?

    Robert Jordan

    He quoted John Novak's Darkfriend Social scene. (He called it the "Darkfriend Social". He got the name from Judy.)

    Tags

  • 3

    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

  • 4

    Interview: 2011

    Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Brandon Sanderson (3 January 2011)

    Reading the start of The Eye of the World reminds me that there's an extra person in the cover art. (More obvious in the secondary, inside piece, I think.)

    RINA

    In the cover of The Eye of the World there's only Moraine, Lan, and one boy to the side. Am I looking at the wrong one?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    There are two covers. One ended up on the inside flaps. The outer one wraps around, though, and I think he's in both.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Here's the secondary cover: http://bit.ly/hZu0Uw

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    HCFFs already know who that person is, but it's a fun Easter egg to know that there's a story behind that extra figure.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    By the way, HCFF stands for "Hard Core Fan Freak" for those asking. They're self named. It's what many uber-wot-geeks call themselves.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Mr. Jordan wrote a large chunk of The Eye of the World with a fourth Two Rivers lad going along with Perrin, Mat, and Rand. Was to be a major character.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Harriet talked him out of it, pointing out that the fourth lad never did anything useful. @theoryland, do you guys have a good thread on him?

    TEREZ

    Nah, nothing to talk about really. But here is RJ saying that: http://bit.ly/RJ-BN2000

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    I've asked Harriet if she could dig up any of the old manuscript with the fourth ta'veren in it, but she's not certain they have any.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    She said she thinks he was Dannil, but couldn't remember for certain. Many think he was Ewin—a good guess and a possibility.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Cover art was commissioned when he was still a main character, and it was too late to change it when he was removed.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Looks like the fourth ta'veren was Dannil, in another form: http://bit.ly/h0iDIO (Look for Liandra's question.)

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Jason from @dragonmount says: "RJ once told me that Daniell's heroics ended up being done by the other Two Rivers boys."

    AZRAL HANAN

    What role would the so-called 'Fourth' ta'veren have played if he had been written into the story? Could you elaborate?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    I'd like to see the original drafts if I could. I do know RJ said his part was split among the other three.

    RINA

    Is the fourth boy (Dannil)'s name pronounced [dan-nil] or [daniel]?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    I say the first.

    Footnote

    Some fans think this is a BS story made up as an inside joke between RJ and Harriet about the cover art, mostly because the concept of three heroes seems to work better with the mythology that RJ used to develop them.

    Tags

  • 5

    Interview: Oct 27th, 1994

    Tom Burke

    I introduced myself as an internet user. I told him that some on the net seemed to think that every other person was a Darkfriend. He replied, "I've heard". I told him that my feeling was that the number of Darkfriends in Randland were probably between 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 100,000.

    Robert Jordan

    He replied, "Closer to the later, of course we see more of them because of the ta'veren."

    Tom Burke

    I asked if there were fewer amongst the Aiel than in the great cities.

    Robert Jordan

    He responded, "Yes, of course."

    Tags

  • 6

    Interview: Jun 26th, 1996

    Compuserve Chat (Verbatim)

    Hopper

    We know of high ranking Darkfriends among the Aes Sedai and Whitecloaks. Is it safe to assume that there's one placed near each of the ta'veren as well?

    Robert Jordan

    Gee guys, read and find out!

    Tags

  • 7

    Interview: Nov 11th, 1998

    Talisein

    You've said before that the reason Perrin wasn't in...that one book, excuse my ignorance, was because he wasn't doing anything of importance besides running the Two Rivers. I hope I don't spoil anyone present when I note that Mat was not in The Path of Daggers. Was this because he was doing nothing of note, or you simply wanted to make us cry? ;)

    Robert Jordan

    C'mon guys....Mat had half a building fall on him! Give the man a little rest! If he's alive, which I will neither confirm or deny (I could probably do very well in Washington!)....but you don't have half a building fall on you without a few ill effects!

    Talisein

    Hey, he IS ta'veren. The blocks could have formed a neat little cave around him.

    Robert Jordan

    That would be pushing the laws of coincidence, if you wish to call them that, a bit far. What a ta'veren does, remember, in effect, is unwittingly bend the laws of chance to favor himself, and to affect other lives. What would happen one time in a million without him there will happen because he IS there. But there really are limits.

    Tags

  • 8

    Interview: Apr 8th, 2001

    Gonzo the Great

    Is Mat really as strongly ta'veren as Hawkwing was?

    Robert Jordan

    No.

    GONZO THE GREAT

    Two down.

    Tags

  • 9

    Interview: Apr 6th, 2001

    Pytr

    Why do Rand, Mat and Perrin see colors when they think of each other?

    Robert Jordan

    The acronym is RAFO—read and find out.

    Tags

  • 10

    Interview: Sep 4th, 2005

    Question

    At the end of The Great Hunt when Rand and Ishamael were fighting in the air above Falme, they appeared in the sky over many places and my question is whether this is something done by the One Power or something done by the Creator? How did they appear in the sky?

    Robert Jordan

    An effect of the Wheel, really. It wasn't the Creator. The Wheel is more than a simple mechanism. Remember the Wheel can spin out ta'veren, can spin out Heroes as a self-correcting device because the Pattern is drifting from what it is supposed to be. We are not talking about something as simple as a spinning wheel at all, we are talking something more along the lines of the most complex computer you could possibly imagine. There were at that time, two, there were false Dragons that had a chance to create a lot of disruption. By the appearance in the sky at that battle, not just in Falme but in other places, those false Dragons were taken off the board because there was only room now for one, for one Dragon.

    Tags

  • 11

    Interview: Oct 5th, 2005

    Robert Jordan

    For kcf, again, we have never met anyone who has the Talent of emulating the effects of a ta'veren over a small area.

    I give my input on the design of the chapter icons whenever a new one seems needed, but Harriet actually decides where to place them, and I am happy to leave the job to her.

    Yes, Ingtar was seen at the Darkfriend Social.

    The Wheel creates ta'veren at need, making someone who is already alive one. You aren't born ta'veren. Can you imagine being around a ta'veren who is teething?

    It would be possible for a Darkfriend or Forsaken to be made ta'veren, but it seems unlikely. Ta'veren are part of the Wheel's self-correcting mechanism. When the Pattern seems to be drifting too quickly, and especially if it is in the wrong direction, one or more ta'veren are created. I can't really see how making a Darkfriend or Forsaken ta'veren would help with correcting the drift of the Pattern.

    Ta'veren can oppose one another, when their conflict is what the Wheel "sees" as the necessary corrective. And, no, ta'veren is not Old Tongue for Deus ex machina. It came out of musings on luck, charismatic leaders, and the theory of the indispensable man.

    Katerine escaped with the help of Darkfriends. Galina, who is much more closely watched by Wise Ones than Katerine was, would have little opportunity to use their help for an escape even if she wanted to, and she doesn't, not until she can get her hands on that rod. She'll put up with anything to get that.

    Anyone who can channel, however weakly, can see the glow of saidar and feel someone channel. For sul'dam who have been sul'dam for a time, some begin to be able to see what might be called a ghostly image of the flows. Others convince themselves that this is, of course, only imagination and manage to give themselves a block.

    Wow, you have a lot of questions. One more, and then I'm off to the next person.

    Someone who sees ta'veren sees them as glowing. The more strongly ta'veren, the brighter the glow. This is a Talent, and is something that only someone who can channel can do. While she was stilled, Siuan could not see ta'veren, nor could she have if she had been burned out.

    Tags

  • 12

    Interview: Oct 24th, 2005

    Question

    The next person who asked, wanted to know more about the swirling colors the three ta'veren see.

    Robert Jordan

    RJ corrected his pronunciation, apologized for cutting the guy off, and then said "RAFO".

    Tags

  • 13

    Interview: Oct 24th, 2005

    Robert Jordan

    Naturally there was one RAFO when asked about the swirling colors the ta'veren experience when thinking about each other which pleased everyone to some extent because it's such a trademark of the man himself.

    Tags

  • 14

    Interview: Oct 22nd, 2005

    Robert Jordan

    Another RAFO was the question of what the colors in Rand's, Perrin's, and Mat's heads when they think of each other mean.

    Tags

  • 15

    Interview: Oct 24th, 2005

    Question

    Another question was regarding the swirling colors in Mat's, Perrin's and Rand's heads.

    Robert Jordan

    That got a big RAFO response. Not even any hesitation. However, this was the only RAFO answer given during the QA period. I guess that we Lexingtonians just do not ask tough questions.

    Tags

  • 16

    Interview: Oct 31st, 2005

    Question

    Another man asked about Siuan's Talent of seeing ta'veren. Was she able to see them after she was stilled?

    Robert Jordan

    No.

    Question

    Could she see them after she was Healed?

    Robert Jordan

    Yes.

    Question

    So, if the ability to see them was based on the Power, what about the Ogier Elder who knew Rand was ta'veren?

    Robert Jordan

    For Siuan, yes, for the Ogier, no. The Ogier was able to see (or feel, I can't remember which RJ said) the Pattern shifting around Rand.

    Tags

  • 17

    Interview: Jan 20th, 2006

    Robert Jordan

    For ben, of course women can be ta'veren. None of the major female characters in the books is ta'veren, though. The Wheel doesn't cast ta'veren around indiscriminately. There has to be a specific reason or need. (I tossed in the "major" just to leave you something to argue about.)

    Tags

  • 18

    Interview: Jan 20th, 2006

    Robert Jordan

    Various people have commented on Egwene being dumb with Rand, in particular contrasting how Pevara leaped immediately to a conclusion that he was ta'veren where the same information took Egwene to possible Compulsion. Pevara has a clean slate regarding Rand. Insofar as Compulsion goes, to her it is a forbidden weave, suppressed so effectively among women who come to the Tower that despite the fact that many wilders have some form of it as their first weaving, by the time the White Tower is done with them many of those same women can no longer make the weave nor, in some cases, even recall how to. How, then, does this young man come by Compulsion? Much more possible, however unlikely, that he is ta'veren. Egwene, on the other hand, grew up with Rand. She largely evaded the training that would have set the same thoughts regarding Compulsion in her head that Pevara has. Whatever Egwene has learned about Rand and now knows intellectually, there is a core of her that says he is Rand al'Thor rather the Dragon Reborn, or least before being the Dragon Reborn, and if Rand were in any way ta'veren, surely she would have noticed it during their years growing up. On the other hand, he has surprised her, and others, with abilities and knowledge of weaves, such as Traveling, that they didn't expect. If he is pulling strange weaves out of nowhere, who is to say that Compulsion isn't among them? It would certainly fit the information, after all.

    Tags

  • 19

    Interview: Nov 13th, 2009

    Yellowbeard

    I did get to ask a question Terez put me up to.

    Brandon Sanderson

    His answer was no, Heroes of the Horn are not always ta'veren at all in their lifetimes when spun out. Sometimes, they even live normal lives and don't do anything extraordinary, like they sometimes spend their lives as farmers, etc.

    Tags

  • 20

    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

  • 21

    Interview: Nov 14th, 2009

    Matoyak

    Heroes of the Horn, are they corrective mechanisms by themselves, or are they corrective mechanisms by virtue of being ta'veren?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Heroes are not always ta'veren. So, yes, they are corrective mechanisms by themselves.

    Tags

  • 22

    Interview: Apr 22nd, 2009

    Leigh Butler

    After this I was on another panel, "Theories and Rampant Speculation", the subject of which should be fairly self-evident, with Jakob R, Bao Pham, and (of course) Matt Hatch, who actually did not manage this time to steer us Asmodean-ward, not for lack of trying. Most of the hour, as I recall, was taken up discussing the nature of Min's visions, how that whole ta'veren thing works, and whether and how the One Power differs from the Pattern. The latter debate mostly centered around balefire, and whether the fact that it could unravel the Pattern had to do with the people/souls it destroyed, or because it undid the choices they had made. I personally really liked the notion that the Pattern consisted of choices/events, rather than souls/lives, and wish I could remember who had suggested it.

    Tags

  • 23

    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

  • 24

    Interview: Nov 8th, 2010

    Question

    Why do Mat, Perrin and Rand always stop the swirling colors when they have visions of each other?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Their personalities. A piece of them still feel that they are still those small village boys and don't want to be involved. It's the nature of the beast.

    Maria Simons

    And sometimes they see things they really don't want to see!

    Tags

  • 25

    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

  • 26

    Interview: Jan 10th, 2011

    tonka ()

    About the swirling colors/ta'veren experience: 

Would Perrin be able to see what Mat is doing in the Tower of Ghenjei? If I was Perrin I'd be following every move Mat makes.
 And hypothetically if Rand thinks about Mat at some moment during and after his journey in the Finn World Rand should be able to see Mat and Moraine or if before they rescue her Mat and company in the Finn World. Is that right? I find this connection between the ta'veren so fascinating.

    Brandon Sanderson ()

    How about this. Swirling colors don't work in Tel'aran'rhiod. Granted that within the Tower of Ghenjei is somewhat different from Tel'aran'rhiod, but there are some similarities.


    Tags

  • 27

    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

  • 28

    Interview: Dec 17th, 2011

    Loialson

    Can Rand consciously control his ta'veren pull to any degree? Specifically referencing to his meeting with Tuon to will her to submit to him, and when he threatened Cadsuane to will her dead.

    Brandon Sanderson

    He, um, believes that he can.

    LOIALSON

    Still, even after the The Gathering Storm reintegration?

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    He has a more zen view on it now, but he still believes that he can have some influence.

    Tags

  • 29

    Interview: May 15th, 2003

    Dario Olivero

    In the book just published in Italy [Crossroads of Twilight], the protagonist, a young man named Rand al'Thor, predestined to do something great, is scared and tries to flee, to escape his fate. Is it possible to escape fate?

    Robert Jordan

    All have many opportunities to change their lives. In this sense there is no fixed and immutable destiny. Fate materializes in the moment in which you make a decision: it is in that moment that your life takes a necessary direction.

    Tags

  • 30

    Interview: Nov 14th, 2009

    Brandon Sanderson

    The black/dark aura around Rand is partially, but not entirely, an effect of True Power usage. There will be consequences from Rand's True Power use.

    Tags

  • 31

    Interview: Nov 14th, 2009

    Brandon Sanderson

    Rand did not use compulsion, or any other weaves, on Tuon at their meeting. Tuon's refusal was mainly due to her innate sense of self. At this point, she firmly believes that she is the most important person in the world.

    Tags

  • 32

    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

  • 33

    Interview: Sep 22nd, 2012

    Loialson

    Mat's dice in his head. Are they real? Do they come from Sindhol? Are they from his ta'veren nature, or is it just a plot device? (laughter)

    Brandon Sanderson

    Everything that I've read in the notes indicates that they are from his ta'veren nature, and that they are a manifestation of being ta'veren [?] related to his [?]

    Loialson

    One of Perrin's manifestations, visions in the Wolf Dream...

    Brandon Sanderson

    Partially. Perrin's manifestation is also...he draws to him things that he needs; what he needs comes to Perrin. That's actually his primary manifestation of being ta'veren.

    Loialson

    So what's the difference between what Perrin does and what Egwene does?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Oh boy. Can I get into this? They are similar, but not the same. What Egwene does is partially a Talent of the Power, and it's related to the Power. And Perrin is not.

    Loialson

    Is it [?] him being a Wolfbrother?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yes.

    Loialson

    [?] if he chose to.

    Brandon Sanderson

    It is related to him being a Wolfbrother.

    Loialson

    Why can the wolves not see it?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I honestly don't remember the answer to that.

    Loialson

    That's okay...

    Tags

  • 34

    Interview: Jan 9th, 2013

    Marie Curie

    We found out in Knife of Dreams that some of the Forsaken (most especially Moridin) are able to 'read' the Pattern to locate ta'veren, for example. How (or where) do they 'read' the Pattern? Do they use Tel'aran'rhiod? Or the Gap of Infinity?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I don't know. (Brandon looks at Maria)

    Maria Simons

    I don't know. It might be in the notes.

    Footnote

    Lanfear/Cyndane can also do it; the Talent is probably related to Dreaming.

    Tags

  • 35

    Interview: 2013

    Twitter 2013 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Kamarile Sedai (23 January 2013)

    Are Mat and Perrin still ta'veren after the Last Battle?

    Brandon Sanderson (23 January 2013)

    That is an excellent question...that I'm not allowed to answer. (Sorry.) I feel bad. I'm giving you lots of RAFOs.

    Andy Nogar

    Is Rand still ta'veren? If not, how did he warp reality and light his pipe at the end?

    Brandon Sanderson

    These are questions that I'm not answering, I'm afraid. RJ wanted some things about the ending to remain ambiguous.

    Mike W

    How can you still be RAFO'ing stuff? What is left to read?

    Brandon Sanderson

    To RJ, RAFO sometimes meant "Read, think about it, and decide." It didn't always mean "I'll give an answer."

    Peter Binkowski

    Is 'RAFO' basically to mean we're never going to find some things out?

    Brandon Sanderson

    There's a "Talk it over, see if you can figure it out" aspect to it as well.

    Tags

  • 36

    Interview: Feb 16th, 2013

    Catfish N. Cod

    Ta'veren Telepathy in Technicolor (TM): what was the point?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Not totally sure; RJ's notes just said "This keeps happening up to the very end." Narratively, to keep attention focused on the Superboys, and to connect timelines.

    Tags

  • 37

    Interview: Feb 22nd, 2013

    Terez

    Um, was there any connection between Mat's luck and the dagger?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Um, not that I know of. Good question, but we can MAFO that one, but you can give the, "not that I know of". I'm still kind of...you know, the Mat's luck being beyond him being ta'veren, is one that's very interesting to me, because everything that I know says that his luck does extend beyond his ta'verenness, but...

    Terez

    Well, it's like his whole plotline seems kinda designed as like this revenge story for Manetheren against Aridhol, you know?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah, uh-huh. Yep.

    Terez

    And, you know, he starts speaking the Old Tongue right before they go into Shadar Logoth; that's the first time he speaks it...

    Brandon Sanderson

    Uh-huh. Yep.

    Terez

    ...you know, and then as soon as he wakes up from the Healing, he's got memories, he's got this luck, you know?

    Brandon Sanderson

    Yeah. Mmmhmm.

    Terez

    So...yeah.

    Tags

  • 38

    Interview: Feb 20th, 2013

    Question

    Perrin felt his ta'veren-ness melting away. If Mat lost it too, does he lose his luck?

    Brandon Sanderson

    I don't believe that he does. Being a ta'veren has a distinct effect on him, but I think there is an innate luckiness to Mat, partially drawn from the fact that the Heroes [of the Horn] call him Gambler. And so in other lives where he would not have been ta'veren he was still a gambler and still lucky. However, I do think being a ta'veren meant that the luck was greatly magnified, and I think it grew stronger and stronger through the series. That's my read on it from the notes, and I'm pretty sure on that one. I have to give the caveat that there could be something out there that contradicts me.

    Tags

  • 39

    Interview: 2013

    iwasazombie (March 2013)

    Hey Brandon! I'm the redheaded dude who was helping at the last two Midnight Release parties, and I am actually at BYU right now. I have two questions:

    I know you've said you can't answer these directly, so, rather than give the "official" answer, I was wondering if you could give us your "fan theory" on the answer, as if you weren't the writer.

    What do you think about Mat, Rand, and Perrin keeping certain "abilities"? I know you've said that they may or may not still be ta'veren, and Perrin thinks they aren't, but can Perrin still talk to wolves? Is Mat still lucky? Does Mat still have his memories?

    In your opinion, who do you think Nakomi was? Do you like the "Nakomi is the avatar of the Creator theory"? Do you think of her as the third member of the Christian godhead?

    Finally, Harriet was quoted as saying that she thinks Rand's special ability at the end was a "new magic"? Do you agree? Or do you think it is something else?

    Thanks for being awesome!

    Brandon Sanderson

    1. Perrin can still talk to wolves. That is certain. Also, Mat keeps his memories. These two are official, not theories on my part. What I can't give official on is the ta'veren-ness of the guys. I don't think RJ ever even says in the notes. Me? I think they aren't.

    2. I'm too close to this one. I can't say, unfortunately. I can answer as a fan for things I don't know because it's not in the notes, or for things I could theorize about before I came onto the project. For things I learned about while working, I don't have a "fan" perspective, only a writer perspective. Sorry.

    3. Harriet is more likely to be right than I am, but I don't believe it is a new magic. I think it is a result of Rand touching the Pattern directly.

    iwasazombie

    Awesome! So, I'm still unsure about Mat's luck. Would you say that's part of his "ta'veren-ness?"

    Thanks for the great answers. I'm more at peace now with some of the previous answers you've given.

    Brandon Sanderson

    My gut tells me Mat still has his luck, but not to the extent he once had. But I have no foundation for this in the notes.

    Tags

  • 40

    Interview: Jan 6th, 2015

    Question

    Can women be ta'veren? Because in the entire series there is not a single female ta'veren.

    Brandon Sanderson

    There is not, but I'm very sure that they can be, based on things that I read in the notes. So, that's what I would have done, but I don't know if that's what Robert Jordan would have done. Can you just imagine that, Mat having to think that he's in someone else's story now?

    Tags