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WoT Interview Search

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Your search for the tag 'two rivers' yielded 26 results

  • 1

    Interview: Nov 21st, 1998

    Robert Jordan

    Moiraine lost her list sometime between New Spring and The Eye of the World. By the opening of the story, all she could remember was that there had been a name from the Two Rivers.

    Footnote

    The novel version of New Spring had not been released at this time. The Legends version included a mention of Kari, which RJ decided to remove in the novel version because of the confusion: ["Kari al'Thor. From Andor? Husband Tamlin, Second Captain of he Illianer Companions, took discharge." That pair might have gone anywhere in the world and there was doubt she had had a child at all.]

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  • 2

    Interview: Nov 21st, 1998

    Question

    Does the Snakes and Foxes game played in the Two Rivers have anything to do with the 'finn?

    Robert Jordan

    RAFO.

    John Novak

    (My answer: Duh?)

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  • 3

    Interview: 2010

    Michael Cockrum (12 August 2010)

    Why doesn't anyone in the Two Rivers realize how famous their tabac is?

    Brandon Sanderson (13 August 2010)

    Guess it's because it's plentiful to them, so they take it for granted.

    Footnote

    It probably mostly has to do with isolation. There's an implication that they could probably charge a lot more for it, if they were inclined to do so; no doubt Faile and Perrin will argue about that at some point (assuming they survive).

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  • 4

    Interview: 2011

    Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Brandon Sanderson (3 January 2011)

    The first wind is in the Mountains of Mist; I've always assumed this was a nod to Tolkien's Misty Mountains.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Look in The Way of Kings on the full map of Roshar for something similar.

    SHECKY X

    Well, his Charlestonian background makes the "Two Rivers" the Charleston area, so the "Mountains of Mist" may be...

    SHECKY X

    ... the Smoky Mountains, upstate from his home. (FYI: the Charleston area is defined by the Ashley and Cooper Rivers.)

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Nice note. I'd never known that.

    LYNN OLIVER

    Listening to WoT on audiobook, first time through series. Book one seems heavily influenced by Tolkien so far.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Yes, book one is very Tolkien influenced. Very. Book two less so. It's almost gone by book three.

    Footnote

    The Way of Kings map doesn't have the Misted Mountains labeled, but they border Shinovar on the east.

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  • 5

    Interview: 2011

    Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)

    Brandon Sanderson (3 January 2011)

    First laugh: "She asked the Wisdom for directions this morning," Ewin said, "and called her 'child.'" Rand and Mat both whistled...

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    If Mat could go back in time, he'd thump himself fawning over Moiraine in The Eye of the World. Then he'd fawn over Moiraine, but pretend he wasn't.

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    "Strangers and a gleeman, fireworks and a peddler. It was going to be the best Bel Tine ever."

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Lol. From @ltnolan0347: "Trollocs and Aes Sedai, Dragon's Fang and Padan Fain. Worst Bel Tine ever...

    BRANDON SANDERSON

    Another thought: Cenn is right more often than wrong in these early chapters. Unexpected, as I think of him as a blowhard.

    BRANDON SANDERSON (5 JANUARY)

    "...the ramp with a thump, while Mat and Perrin announced loudly that the Taren was not half as wide as they had heard."

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  • 6

    Interview: Jun 16th, 1995

    Robert Jordan

    He didn't give any conclusive answer to the Two Rivers channeling paradox, but he noted that many strange occurrences come from there, like inherent ability to speak the Old Tongue under stress.

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  • 7

    Interview: Oct 19th, 1998

    Phillip from Indianapolis, IN

    Why has Rand not made any attempt to reach or communicate with Tam? Is he trying to remain isolated from his former life?

    Robert Jordan

    Remember that Rand believes that the more interest he shows in his family, and in any of the people of the Two Rivers, the more he makes them a target. If his enemies believe that they hurt Rand by hurting Tam or hurting the Two Rivers, then they will, so Rand has set himself on a course of pretending to have forgotten his past. Pretending to have grown beyond his rude country beginnings. He thinks he has to make his enemies believe that the Two Rivers no longer mean anything to him. And the same for Tam.

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  • 8

    Interview: 2003

    Orbit Interview (Verbatim)

    Orbit Books

    Ezine understands you have two other side-novels planned, as well as continuing with further volumes in the epic saga. Will these also be prequels—can you give us any clues as to the content?

    Robert Jordan

    Basically, one of the two will tell how and why Tam al'Thor resigned his position as Second Captain of the Companions, the elite Illianer military unit, and returned to the Two Rivers to buy a farm. The second will reveal how and why Moiraine ended up in Emond's Field at just the right time in The Eye of the World.

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  • 9

    Interview: Jan 6th, 2004

    Aurora, Ontario, Canada

    What are the other short novels you are thinking about doing before you complete the series?

    Robert Jordan

    One would explain why Tam al'Thor abandoned a successful career to return to the Two Rivers and buy a farm. And the other one will, I hope, explain exactly how Moiraine turned up in the Two Rivers just in the nick of time in The Eye of the World.

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  • 10

    Interview: Jul 14th, 2005

    Robert Jordan

    Asked about the sequels to the prequel, RJ reiterated that one would address how Moiraine and Lan managed to arrive in the Two Rivers in the nick of time to rescue Rand and the rest from rampaging Trollocs. He said the other would be about Tam, and how he rose from a simple groom to second in command of the Companions, and why he chose to throw away his successful career to buy a farm in the middle of nowhere.

    Diomedes

    I think the groom bit is a small detail that hasn't been mentioned elsewhere.

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  • 11

    Interview: Sep 2nd, 2005

    Question

    You say one more main sequence book after Knife of Dreams, but will there be any more?

    Robert Jordan

    I intend to do two prequels; one is why Tam al'Thor gave up a successful military career and went home to buy a small farm in the Two Rivers. And the other one will be largely why and how Moiraine and Lan showed up in the nick of time in The Eye of the World. When I will do those two novels, I do not know.

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  • 12

    Interview: Oct 22nd, 2005

    Robert Jordan

    RJ also briefly outlined in what was my favorite part of the Q and A the nature of the other two prequels. Specifically what made Tam al'Thor decide to give up a "lucrative military career" and move to the Two Rivers and buy a small farm, and how Lan and Moiraine arrived in the Two Rivers when they did in The Eye of the World. RJ also briefly mentioned that we would meet Kari al'Thor (Rand's surrogate mother) and how she came to meet Tam. All in all they were obvious answers, but nice to hear RJ confirming them all the same.

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  • 13

    Interview: Nov 22nd, 2005

    Robert Jordan

    For Kison, education in this world is a very sometime thing. In the Two Rivers, where literacy is valued, parents teach children, and if, say, old Jondyn is known to be knowledgeable about history, parents send their children to him. This education is not as broad as that they might receive in a school, but then, the education given in many schools as late of the 19th Century would hardly stand up to today's standards. Rhetoric was given as great a weight as mathematics when it wasn't given more. Modern languages were deplored, and not taught even at university level. Parents teaching children is the general model followed. Sometimes a village might hire a sort of schoolmaster, but this is usually thought to be a waste of money since the parents between them have enough knowledge to teach most subjects to the extent necessary.

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  • 14

    Interview: Nov 5th, 2009

    Shannon Berndston

    A question was asked about Robert Jordan’s notes—particularly how they were left.

    Brandon Sanderson

    We were told that Harriet has said that Jordan has left more in notes than in the series itself! Brandon then related a story about how he needed to know who was traveling with Perrin. He asked RJ’s assistants to look to see if there was a file with that info. A few days later he received an email titled “traveling with Perrin.” Unfortunately it listed every single person from the Two Rivers and their occupation who was traveling with Perrin. Some hadn’t even appeared in the books!

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  • 15

    Interview: Jun 30th, 2010

    Luckers

    I have this weird thing about random historical tidbits from the series (like the poisonous peaches, or the six-toed Two Rivers cats), so I was wondering if you have encountered anything like that which you could tell us? Or could you tell us why peaches are now so poisonous?

    Harriet McDougal Rigney

    Peach PITS are poisonous here and now. They're full of—strychnine? Arsenic? I've forgotten which, but they really are bad. The flesh is not. You could look it up. But after one encounter with peach pits, a person would decide the whole thing was poison. This is on a par with the eighteenth century belief that tomatoes were poisonous—some people have an allergic reaction to them.

    And in some locations, six-toed cats are common.

    Footnote

    The poison in peach pits is actually cyanide, and RJ commented on the peaches here.

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  • 16

    Interview: Mar 11th, 2011

    Question

    Verin ends up in the Two Rivers. Who sent Verin to the Two Rivers?

    Maria Simons

    RAFO.

    Question

    Did Verin's trip to the Two Rivers have anything to do with Verin's plans to betray the Dark One?

    Maria Simons

    RAFO.

    Question

    Did Verin ask Alanna to accompany her to the Two Rivers? If not, why did Alanna accompany her?

    Maria Simons

    RAFO.

    Question

    Has Alanna been keeping an eye on Verin? After all, twice she went to the kitchens after Verin did, plus she went to the Two Rivers with her, and both went to Fal Dara.

    Maria Simons

    RAFO.

    Question

    If it was Verin's choice to bring Alanna, was Alanna's emotional state a factor in that choice?

    Maria Simons

    RAFO.

    Question

    Did Verin ever use compulsion on Alanna?

    Maria Simons

    RAFO.

    Question

    Did Verin ever suspect Alanna of being Black Ajah?

    Maria Simons

    RAFO.

    Question

    Was Alanna's bonding of Rand something she was encouraged to do by Verin?

    Maria Simons

    RAFO.

    Question

    Was Alanna's bonding of Rand something the Black Ajah, Forsaken or Dark One told her to do?

    Maria Simons

    RAFO.

    Question

    Did Verin have any idea the Shadow was going to attack the Two Rivers?

    Maria Simons

    RAFO.

    Question

    Did Verin know who Luc was?

    Maria Simons

    RAFO.

    Question

    Did Verin know of Slayer's unique nature?

    Maria Simons

    RAFO.

    Question

    Have Verin and Slayer ever met, even unknowingly?

    Maria Simons

    RAFO.

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  • 17

    Interview: Nov 11th, 2011

    RobMRobM

    Will we find out in A Memory of Light just how Morgase became familiar in her youth with Two Rivers speech patterns?

    Brandon Sanderson

    No, we won't. It would have been part of a book that will most likely not be written, so we will probably get to find out in the Encyclopedia.

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  • 18

    Interview: Apr, 2012

    Luckers

    Did Verin have any other reasons for going to the Two Rivers, other than recruiting girls?

    Brandon Sanderson

    RAFO *he grins at me*. You know I’m going to RAFO Verin stuff. We’ve given a lot there.

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  • 19

    Interview: Mar 15th, 2003

    M. L. Van Valkenburgh

    It's here that Jordan's passion for history comes through. His love for Charleston and his frustration that Charleston continues to be overlooked as a major player in the American Revolution are evident in the way he crafts the history of every city in the world in which his characters live—and the way that history gets twisted by the leaders of his cultures.

    Robert Jordan

    "There are bits and pieces (of Charleston) here and there, though I continue to stress that the Two Rivers (home of the series' three main protagonists) has no relation between the Ashley and the Cooper, but of course things filter through. It's impossible to write without keeping who you are and where you're from out of it," says Jordan.

    "History is mutable. It's so dependent on who you remember and what you remember. For instance, with the American Revolution, Charleston was written out of the history books because of the secession. You know, during the Boston Tea Party, we sent more food and aid to Boston than any of its neighboring colonies. But that's not something that children read about in school. The solid tones of the past are not that solid. They are a thin facade placed by partisan observers," he says.

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  • 20

    Interview: 2012

    Alyeska2112 (August 2012)

    Brandon Sanderson (August 2012)

    Harriet drove me by here on one of my visits. Pointed at the sign and waited for me to get it.

    Tags

  • 21

    Interview: 2012

    Memories of Light (Verbatim)

    Day 35

    The Blight had consumed the Two Rivers. (p. 652)

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  • 22

    Interview: Jan 12th, 2013

    Question

    What happened to the fourth boy from the Two Rivers?

    Harriet McDougal

    Jim originally had good plans for him later on, but when convinced to eliminate him, he realized how easy it was to kill off that story line.

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  • 23

    Interview: Jan 12th, 2013

    Question

    Did Charleston have a lot of influence on the Ogier?

    Harriet McDougal

    The Two Rivers? Ogier Street?

    Maria Simons

    Actually, it was later revealed that Ogier was a subconscious thing, as Jim wanted something close to the term "ogre".

    Harriet McDougal

    And, Jim grew up in a small town, much the same as the Two Rivers in their treatment of strangers.

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  • 24

    Interview: Jan 8th, 2013

    Question ()

    What about the main character that was removed from The Eye of the World?

    Harriet McDougal

    He didn't do anything until book 4. So he got cut.

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  • 25

    Interview: Jan 4th, 2013

    Petra Mayer

    So what was your role? I know you picked the chapter titles, but describe for our listeners your role in sort of the creation and editing of the series.

    Harriet McDougal

    Well, in The Eye of the World in particular, in the beginning there were four boys leaving the village, but one of them didn't have anything to do. And my husband said, "Well, I had plans for him for the fourth book." And I said, “If you bore people, then there never will be a fourth book. Cut that boring kid out.” So he did.

    Petra Mayer

    Yeah. There are only three, in the final.

    Harriet McDougal

    Yes, that's right. The original cover art—the kind of brownish cover art that was on the inside cover—does show four, which is rather ghostly.

    And another thing . . . Nynaeve . . . I helped him develop her by saying, "Why on earth is she always riding up there to talk to Moiraine? She doesn't seem to have anything to talk about." And I said, "Maybe she's trying to show her that she knows her way around herbal remedies." So a major piece of Nynaeve's character slid into place with that.

    Petra Mayer

    Oh, that she was the Healer and the Wisdom.

    Harriet McDougal

    Yes, the village Wisdom—for people who haven't read the books, we're getting into some detail—but you might be interested that the village the main characters come from has a mayor and a Council, who are all men. But the village Wisdom (laughs) is the wise woman of the village, and generally represents the power of women. It's a very egalitarian world as far as gender is concerned.

    Petra Mayer

    I did notice that, yeah.

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