The next book is now listed at Amazon.com. It will be available in November, and is entitled

"Winter's Heart."

The game of sha'rah, Moridin's favorite.

This is Birgitte. I wasn't actually drawing her, but she must have been in my mind because of the braid. Clothes are not correct, I know. Bad stance. Bad grip on the bow, because I planned wrong and there was not enough room on the paper. As soon as I have a few more pics, this one is coming down.

The tainted True Source turning the Wheel of Time.

The red is obviously the Wheel of Time. The white is Saidar and the black, Saidin. Together, they turn the Wheel, one turning into the other when on a certain side of the Wheel (seems like a reasonable way to have two halves of the One Power). The green is Randland and/or the Pattern. And the brown is the taint.

It is expressed that the taint is like oil floating on the surface. There's nothing wrong with Saidin, it's just difficult to get at without getting scum all over your mind. Not impossible, as shown at the Eye of the World. If I may be permitted to take the oil analogy a little farther, you will see that I have portrayed the taint 'floating' on top of the True Source. Both halves of the True source. However, with Saidar, the top is the side away from the world. Joe Channeller must put his 'bucket' through the oil to get water. Bringing out water, oil is still floating on top, and it is very difficult to get rid of all the oil before he 'drinks' it. Jane Channeller, reaching along a straight line to Saidar, will not touch the taint, and so has no need to choose between a great deal of effort (it killed many Aes Sedai to create the Eye) or drinking oily water. Thus, the entire Source could be tainted, and no one knows.

Major problems on various levels: with the center as the world, gravity pulls the heavier object closer to it. If it were oil on water, the water would at all times be closer. However, if it's more like this: the taint is oil, Saidar is water, and Saidin is air; then the gravity being factored in works. (punctuation correction, please?) I don't know what gravity is in this metaphorical construct, but I thought to address it.

I haven't worked out how this affects the Wheel, if at all. Could touching Saidin be the Dark One's way of trying to control the Wheel, to kill time itself?

Speculations and Questions

Heavy spoilers below this point, although it sometimes may be difficult to tell whether a thing is known or simply considered. I tried to winnow out everything that's in the FAQs, but I may not have been successful. These are simply notes, and in many instances not grammatical. E-mail me please with questions about what I said, or if you simply want to express disagreements.

If Lews Therin had killed himself with balefire, couldn't his family come back to life? Perhaps even himself back alive. (Probably not.) Perhaps cancel taint.

Lews Therin skimmed the taint from the Source in suiciding; that is what the blinding light was.

No one ever calls the Kinslayer "Lews."

The Red Ajah is supposed to prevent another Breaking of the World, not gentle men. Shouldn't they try to clease saidin? (Keep on trying?)

Is Bela important? She's Tam's horse; easy to forget, because she gets passed around so much.

Who is Mordeth? Where did he come from before creating Shadar Logoth?

A common theory: "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." This is not held true in the Wheel of Time.

Rand was with Mat all the time he had the dagger, and he actually handled it once. Will this harm him?

The dagger was with the Horn of Valere a lot; will this taint it? What's Valere?

Hyam Finch, the farmer who gave Rand and Mat the ride, will probably show up again.

What's behind a Waygate? What happens when you exit from the back of a Skimming boat?

How is Moiraine related to Galad and Gawyn's father, Taringail Damodred? What if their half sister? (She's too old for that, right? Then again, does anyone know how old Taringail was?) Maybe she'll turn out to be his sister, and so, Rand's half-brother's aunt. What relationship would that make her to Rand? To Thom, if Elayne's father? And he could be; he's been with Morgase since she started her bid for the throne. Only the matter of Elayne having at least some memories of Taringail means that Morgase would have had to be unfaithful. Or is that her prerogative, as Queen?

Rand and Galad meet. Galad would try to kill Rand, who would start defending himself, then realize the relationship and perhaps be happy that he has a brother, but at any rate try to stay alive without hurting Galad. Perhaps Galad will suffer a change of opinion?

Perrin and Dain Bornhald meet under battle circumstances. Dain will shout about his father being betrayed. Perrin will shout about his family being killed, never release his axe, knock Dain's sword away, and handle him like a pup, perhaps killing him, perhaps recalling himself and start protesting that he isn't a wolf. In the second instance, he might manage to convince Dain he's innocent.

Geofram Bornhald didn't die?

Who was Kari al'Thor?

Will Rand marry Elayne, Min, and Aviendha? What if Aviendha isn't the third? Min's never seen her.

How do the seals of the Dark One's prison break? Maybe there's more than seven.

The test for Accepted will be cancelled. It doesn't prove anything about dedication to Aes Sedai if they forget about it.

The Dragon's coming cancels all oaths. Even the Three Oaths?

Rand isn't the Dragon.

"She's not for you, nor you for her, at least not in the way you both want." Min to Rand about Egwene. Is that what I meant by Amyrlin marries Dragon? How can they be for each other in some other way?

Has Thom got any other children, giving Elayne a half-brother or sister besides Gawyn?

Dena's dead, but will she turn out important?

The two giant sa'angreal in Cairhein and on Tremalking. The largest possible linked group of six men and sixty-six women use them for something. What will it be?

Can Ogier channel? Others animals besides human (wolves)?

The portal stones and other worlds will be vital.

Why are the Seanchan only now coming back? What is the Daughter of Nine Moons like? Does she even have to be of royal blood?

Why should the Horn go to Illian? Does Elaida know it is in the White Tower? What will Rand do to her over the box incident?

Someone, probably Elayne, will try to make new cuendillar. Will they make more seals? Just keep making more as old ones are broken?

If force used against cuedillar> makes it stronger, perhaps trying to strengthen it makes it weaker.

What if Galad meets Fain? He probably will.

What is Lanfear's interest in Perrin and Mat? Lacking Rand, she may try to switch over.

Tallanvor can channel. He freed Morgase.

What are the circumstances of Galad twice saving Gawyn's life?

Galad is a Darkfriend.

Why don't Aes Sedai like Wilders?

Else Grinwell turns up again in annoying fashion.

Whitecloaks become less annoying, with some pockets of disgusting zeal left over.

Whitecloaks are completely disbanded.

The Else Mat met in the gardens (who edged around him) is Lanfear. Why did she act like that? She can't have thought he would recognize her. Perhaps she deliberately acted strange so Mat wouldn't notice personality inconsistencies.

Someone tries to take Perrin gai'shain, but they can't do that, since he's a blacksmith.

There is a significance in the titles, that we could predict the next logically:

But I can't figure the sequence out.

Egwene's parents show up, embarassing the Amyrlin. Perhaps they will make Gawyn uncomfortable the same way Faile's parents did Perrin. That Egwene never had an Ajah will be significant as well as never holding the Oath Rod.

There will be unfortunate deaths, landing Faile as Queen of Saldaea.

Is Faile trustworthy?

The Wise Ones will marry Berelaine to Perrin before he can object, and he runs away to hide from Faile.

What if Aludra the former Illuminator is the Daughter of Nine Moons? Mat and Thom did say that she was neither friend nor enemy, leaving the last option of 'lover.'

Loial's notes for his book will be stolen by someone intending to use them vilely.

Loial is actually not taking notes, but writing love poetry to Erith.

What does Easing the Badger mean?

Inn's names are significant. I recognized Culin's Hound. That's Cuculain, (or any of a dozen other spellings with the same pronunciation) the second greatest hero of Irish folklore. Anyone know of the others?

Do wolves like Faile?

Wolves call Forsaken 'Broken' something.

Mother Guenna will show up again.

Min, Aviendha, Egwene, Nynaeve, and Elayne are ta'veren, just not as strong as the trio.

Seanchan invade Tar Valon, and Captain Egeanin turns around. The damane are all freed. Nynaeve and Egwene have learned about the Law of Unintended Consequences when it comes to teaching someone backbone, but Egwene hasn't, and she'll be in charge of Tar Valon by that time.

Nynaeve figures out how to Heal herself.

Men can heal themselves, but women can't.

Why did Trollocs save Mat, Perrin, and Rand's lives in the Stone?

The Forsaken know the Tuatha'an's song.

Karaethon means Time. You had better know what 'Cycle' means.

Someone should clear Rand on which letter Elayne meant. Someone should show Aviendha both letters.

Tammuz causes trouble for Aludra, involving Mat again.

Moiraine thinks Egwene's still in love with Rand. (Does she? Surely she'd figure it out . . . then again, they didn't discuss it too much in front of her.)

The Green Man isn't dead.

You can fly by levitating the ground away from you or by levering against a tree branch, etc.

The sa'sara is going to make trouble.

Min's last name is Farshaw, only mentioned once, not even in the Glossaries. Why? Is it etymologically related to Farseer?

Olver is Gaidal Cain (nearly certain). Birgitte will get mad at Mat for corrupting him. Amusing scene ensues.

Valan Luca meets up with Morgase and her friends. He mentions how much she seems like Elayne, as Perrin was thinking. As it dawns on Morgase that the black-haired woman in breeches on the tightrope was Elayne, motherly indignation gets the better of her, and everything is revealed.

At some point someone realizes Morgase is still alive. How will that work? Elayne captures the insulting Whitecloak and it is revealed in interrogation. Trouble ensues.

The document Morgase signed comes back to haunt her.

Lini isn't human.

Lini is a Darkfriend, devastating Morgase and Elayne.

Unfortunately, it seems we can't theorize about Rand being a Darkfriend. How about Lews Therin?

Perhaps we already know who all the Darkfriends are; less than a hundred surviving who cannot channel.

The White Tower, the Little Tower, and the Children of the Light will have a war. Galad commands the Children and Gawyn commands the White Tower, and both abandon their posts when they see Egwene as Amyrlin of the Little Tower.

Cerandin and her s'redit encounter Elayne as a queen.

Nynaeve remembers everything once she sees it, so she knows compulsion. She may use it on Rand in an unfortunate incident.

What is Tarmon Gaidin? War in the general sense, only using the One Power? Two people, or a person and an entity, duelling? A bunch of circumstances leading to a major spell with no real conflict? Are we in it right now? When does it start? With Rand's birth, or when he reaches Shayol Ghul or the forges of Thakan'dar?

Something is going to involve Shara.

Sulin is Rand's real sister.

Shaiel and Janduin had more children before Rand.

Jain Farstrider will show into the story; indications are he is not yet dead. He can channel, perhaps is not as great as some think, and is the one who writes about his own exploits.

Nynaeve has a slip of the tongue and Lan gets jealous over Valan Luca.

What does Egwene mean by "all it needs is Mat, Elayne, Nynaeve, and me," when she is told Perrin and Faile are with Rand? A dream?

Ishamael was a philosopher and a theologian. This has more significance in a world where an evil being is known to exist. I like that way of thinking.

Balefire is the pure essence of saidin or saidar; that's why it rolls back time, because it pulls some of the force driving time out, and the wheel can't go any further. So, Lews Therin killed himself by drawing too much saidin; that is to say, with balefire.

Why did the Green Man call Avendesora ungentle?

Another Eye somewhere? Every human has two eyes. There should be one for saidar.

What does Shayol Ghul mean? Where did it come from in this Age?

What did everyone (Verin, Uno, Perrin, Mat, Masema) see during the Portal Stone trip?

Significance 'Lan' and 'Lan-fear'?

Thom foretold Mat suggesting that the Lord Captain Commander of the Whitecloaks marry the Amyrlin Seat; only it will be Galad in charge of the Whitecloaks that time, and he=ll willingly marry Egwene. She sees the political advantage of this, but doesn=t want to give up Gawyn, and Gawyn still wants to defer to Galad. Egwene=s Aiel training comes into play, and she marries both.

Rand will complain about people giving him Dragon things in the same way that Mat complained about Tylin to Elayne and Elayne will tell Egwene, and Egwene will realize at least partially how wrong she was about Rand=s swollen head. She will not tell Elayne.

Elayne will ask Rand to marry her, and Rand will stumble over his tongue telling about his relationships with the other two women. He=ll metaphorically try to kill himself with some extreme penance. Elayne will be furious, and perhaps will make him marry her as punishment.

The time Morgase heard Two Rivers tongue was about nine months before Elayne was born. Alternatively, Kari is Morgase's (sister?). Morgase looks younger than she is due to the slowing of channellers.

Something will happen to Nynaeve, and Aviendha will try to take blame; she promised Mat she'd look after Elayne and Nynaeve, but she'd look after Elayne anyway, so it has to be Nynaeve for the promise to have any significance. Similar to Nynaeve taking credit for Birgitte's actions; another tie.

What significance to Elayne learning all these swear words? Someone will use swear words as a code, and she memorizes every word they say, so that she's the only one qualified to crack it because she has all the necessary info.

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© 1997 limmortal@yahoo.com

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