in's Viewing: Rand, the Begger's Staff, and the Hot Iron.
by Ashaman Grady: 2003-09-02 | Not yet rated
In Eye of the World, Min has a viewing of Rand with a begger's staff and a peice of hot iron. Combined with the Fisher King image (eyes bandaged as though blind, hands cluthching side), I believe that RJ is heading us towards a recreation of the Crucifixtion in some manner.
Why, you ask?
Regarding the Beggar staff...
1. RJ has stated that he views Rand along the lines of Jesus.
2. Rand is apparently giving up his temporal power. He is negotiating peace in Tear and is ready to surrender power in Cairhein. I'm just wondering about Ilian...guess we'll find out. View this as giving away his earthly goods and entering metaphorical poverty.
3. Believe it or not, Rand apprears to be gaining some humility. As in the fact that he realizes that the Wheel does not rotate around him. Thus, his negotiations to bring peace in Cairhein and Tear.
4. Rand's true power comes from a more metaphysical, fundamental area than mere politics. Numerous bible quotes attribute Jesus stating "Give Ceasar his due" (paraphrase).
So, heres my take on the matter.
Through some manner, Rand is brought before the Dark One. Broken, blinded, and filled with despair. A literally broken, humbled man (a begger, for what else is a begger but someone who has given up hope?). A moment akin to the utterance of Christ upon the Cross "My lord, why have you forsaken me!"
Regarding the Hot Iron.
Than somehow, Rand wins. Perhaps he sees evidence of the good in the world (My personal opinion is that he discovers he has children..."The Blood of the Dragon upon the rock's of Shayol Ghul will free the world.") Rand discovers that resolve that will not bend can only break.
Rand has been discovered as being a hard man. At the end of WH after the imprisonment in Far Madding, Min says that "if he was stone before, hes iron now." Eventually, he will give into despair but his love for his children or the 3 ladies (the metaphor of love to heat and flames is cliche) will finally give Rand the ability to rise from the Beggar, to the Crown and defeat the Dark One.
You cannot rate theories without first logging in. Please
log in.
1
Tamyrlin: 2003-09-11
So, you don't literally believe that he will be a beggar, just that his attitude, dress, characteristics, will be indicative of a beggar; a lost and broken man? But you also state that you believe he is becoming more humble, giving over rule to these other countries, as though he doesn't need to be broken, because he is changing on his own. Is it possible that he makes a sham of being a beggar to accomplish some goal, faking out the Dark One? I do like how you have tied in his knowledge of his children to his ability to defeat the DO, like they will give him a reason to live.
2
Callandor: 2003-09-11
**2. Rand is apparently giving up his temporal power. He is negotiating peace in Tear and is ready to surrender power in Cairhein. I'm just wondering about Ilian...guess we'll find out. View this as giving away his earthly goods and entering metaphorical poverty.**
Rand still rules there, just that his stewards rule in his abesence (right?) and he has stewards now in Cairhien (Dobraine), Illian (Gregorin), and Tear (Darlin).
3
Rand-althor: 2003-09-11
I think that Rand began negotiations because he believes that he will need every man he can get behind him when TG comes, so he wants to avoid all out battle completely. Now with the Aes Sedai sworn to him, he has somebody to do the negotiation that he has no time for. The same reason he is trying to ally with the seanchan, so that he does not need to have any more of his men die, and so he has their men behind him as well.
4
spearmaiden: 2003-09-11
Ok, I don't really understand what you're saying about the Hot Iron, could you clarify what you're trying to say? What does the Iron represent in your scenario?
5
Ashaman Grady: 2003-09-11
I think that the begger's staff can be viewed through Rand's personification of one aspect of the beggar archtype.
One aspect of the begger concept is despair. I believe that at some point, Rand will become broken. He will literally become emotionally destitute and give into despair. He will view himself as having lost everything. If you accept that a begger is the ultimate expression of a person who has given into despair, the begger staff fits like a tee. Tied into Rand's personage as a Christ-like figure, Rand will give into espair and question everything before acheiving his ultimate victory.
Begger's can also be viewed as an archtype for humility. The Dragon's true power is beyond the power of a powerful channeler...it arises from Prophecies and his destiny to defeat the Dark One at TG. Christ is viewed as the archtype of humilty, so Rand's acceptance of his limitations can be seen as moving into this aspect of the beggar archtype, although honestly I think its weak and we'll have to read and find out.
Combined with Rand's personality hardening into "iron," I naturally favor the despair portion of the begger archtype. Plus, the hot iron ties in way too perfectly with Min's comment for it to be coincidental.
6
SDog: 2003-09-12
The Tamyrlin makes a good point about the apparent contradiction of him slowly becoming humble, but yet needing to be broken.
I do like the idea that Rand must reach a moment of complete despair before he can face the Dark One. RJ could go the cheesy way and have Rand think that Elayne and his kids are dead (once he learns about them), making him completely humble, etc. Only then does he learn that they are not, and he gets his second wind (or he learns after the LB and they all live happily ever after).
Still, I'll have to think about the Christ symbolism a little more. In the Bible, Christ was the embodiment of humility, but also the embodiment of absolute superiority (he was God, and told you so, after all). According to some points of view, it was only during his Crucifixion that he became fully human and experienced the sorrow, sadness, and humility that is mortality.
Rand is certainly becoming harder and harder, and as RJ has stated numerous times, the hardness and strength are not the same. Hard things can break, while strong things may not. So, in that sense, you may be right that Rand is headed for a breaking (hmm...nice verbage if RJ uses it that way).
7
Caramoor: 2003-09-12
The quote is "a bloody hand and a white-hot iron."
I think this has to do with the branding of the Heron on his palms.
8
A Wild One: 2003-09-13
Since this viewing was seen at the start of their journey, not a whole lot had happened. The bloody hand could signify all the people Rand has killed and all those he will kill, he has the blood of all those people on his hands. As for the white-hot iron, could that be balefire?
9
Ashaman Ragsdale: 2003-09-15
Isn't balefire described as hot iron? Maybe balefire will have something to do with it!
10
Pendragon: 2003-09-24
It might just be me, but this viewing has already come true. Remember in the Dragon Reborn. Rand trekked across the continent to get to Tear as a begger/traveler. And I agree with Caramoor: the hot iron was the heron brand. The bloody hand, however, might be Rand loosing a hand, but I don't know.
11
Caramoor: 2003-09-26
I think the bloody hand and the white-hot iron are the same viewing. The way the quote was worded (I don't have it in front of me and I loaned EoTW out to someone) made me think that it was the same thing. It was something like : "a laurel crown, a beggar's staff, a bloody hand and a white hot iron, you pouring water on sand, etc....".
When his palm was branded the first time it was right after a battle and I beleive he had blood on his hands. Thus his hand grabbing a white hot iron.
I thought that the beggar's staff may have been his time travelling to the Stone as well, but I just have a feeling that it doesn't represent this, but it very well might.
Also, the Fisher King : I thought Moridin was describing a piece on the board of a game similar to stones, but more complicated. What book was that in? Was he comparing Rand to a person who may have existed once?
12
broon7: 2004-01-06
Here's my thought on this. I think that Rand is going to become prisoner to the Seanchan with the use of the male a'dam. What this has to do with the beggar staff the iron and the bloody hand i will explain.
I think the beggar's staff means that as a prisoner of the Seanchan, a damane for all intents and purposes, he loses everything. As you know, the Seanchan don't even look at them as being human really. The hot iron is for the torturing they will put him through to break him as a good damane should be. And the bloody hand symbolizes that as a damane, he no longer holds any power over anything, he can no longer "touch" the world in the way he did. Just a thought.
13
notsoevil1: 2004-06-14
I do not believe he will become a beggar at all! There is no good reason why he would become one other then go undercover.
14
Darren: 2004-06-15
Sure there is... Whether or not the voices in his head are real, he drew more of the Taint in at Shadar Logoth than ANY male, living or dead, including his illustrious former self, ever did. It's late February, and our boy's a rabbit. A season of madness is coming.
For Nynaeve, too, I'm hoping.
15
Ablar: 2004-06-27
I think the thing with all of Min's viewings is that they usually represent actual items, rather than being metaphors, e.g. (Matt-dagger, Perrin-broken crown, Nynaeve-Lans ring etc), so I think that whatever the beggar, bloody hand and hot iron turn out to be, they will actually happen, Rand will be a beggar, he will have a bloody hand, and he will hold a hot iron, rather than him doing something that these are metaphors for (e.g. beggar=humility= humble before DO)
Novice theory, so pick apart as you wish...
16
hassman: 2004-07-01
I acribe to the nonmetaphoric view. None of the other fulfilled foreshadowings are very metaphoric.
After saying that, I think Rand will be captured and blinded by SemiAnath. A hot iron is a historically apt way to accomplish this. Ergo, he has a blindmans staff. The hand part is unclear, but may be a completely different concept. Rand would be a hard man to break, his pain threshold is clearly very high, and he has 4 nominally unbreakable warder bonds to support him. I don't think despair is his problem
To fully qualify for a loony theory award I add the following: after being rescued by Mat and Tuon, I think they go to the Finns, to heal Rand. This would fit the 'give up half the light of the world line', as has been mentioned by many others. Matt will either give Rand an eye, or gamble using one or two eyes as wagers.
17
charliec: 2004-07-05
**I acribe to the nonmetaphoric view. None of the other fulfilled foreshadowings are very metaphoric. **
How about the auras of light, or the falcon and hawk?
18
The Eternal Dragon: 2005-09-10
There is no way that RJ will allow Rand to "become a beggar" after giving away his "earthly goods". Tarmon Gaidon will begin with Rand leading vast armies against the legions of the DO. In the course of TG he will go to Shayol Ghul. Obviously that won't be easy and by the time he meets the DO (or Shaidar Haran he may never fight with the DO himself) he may well fit the description both literally and metaphorically.
