PLEASE NOTE: This version of the FAQ is now outdated; go directly to the current version or see the Welcome Page for more information. (November 2010)

Chapter Icon

4.1: Egwene's Dreams

The Great Hunt
The Dragon Reborn
The Shadow Rising
The Fires of Heaven
Lord of Chaos
A Crown of Swords
The Path of Daggers
Crossroads of Twilight

From The Great Hunt

[TGH: 12, Woven in the Pattern, 180]

... she saw Rand sleeping on the ground, wrapped in a cloak. A woman had been standing over him, looking down. Her face was in shadow, but her eyes seemed to shine like the moon, and Egwene had known she was evil. Then there was a flash of light, and they were gone. Both of them. And behind it all, almost like another thing altogether, was the feel of danger, as if a trap was just beginning to snap shut on an unsuspecting lamb, a trap with many jaws."

This has been fulfilled. It is where Lanfear takes Rand and Co. into the Portal Stone world in an attempt to bring Rand under her control.

From The Dragon Reborn

[TDR: 25, Questions, 233-234]

She had dreamed of Seanchan, too, of women in dresses with lightning bolts woven on their breasts, collaring a long line of women who wore Great Serpent rings, forcing them to call lightning against the White Tower. That had started her awake in a cold sweat, but that had to be just a nightmare, too. And the dream about Whitecloaks binding her father's hands.

The first part seems to indicate that the Seanchan will capture a number of AS and/or Accepted and use them to attack the Tower. Though the Seanchan have caught a few AS thus far, the dream seems to imply something on a larger scale, perhaps in the prophesied upcoming battle with the Seanchan and the White Tower (see below). The second part, with the WCs, has been fulfilled: Master Al'Vere was powerless to act against the WCs in the 2R until Perrin came along.

[TDR: 25, Questions, 234]

There had been a dream of Rand, reaching for a sword that seemed to be made of crystal, never seeing the fine net dropping over him.

Fulfilled. The sword is Callandor, and the net is the trap Be'lal set.

And one of him kneeling in a chamber where a parched wind blew dust across the floor, and creatures like the one on the Dragon banner, but much smaller, floated on the wind, and settled into his skin.

Fulfilled. This is Rand being marked the Car'a'carn in Rhuidean.

There had been a dream of him walking down into a great hole in a black mountain, a hole filled with a reddish glare as from vast fires below,

Not fulfilled. By the description, the mountain is SG.

and even a dream of him confronting Seanchan.

Possibly fulfilled. He confronted some Seanchan in TFOH after he and Avi MPS'd, and waged a campaign against them in TPOD. He is on his way to negotiate a peace treaty with them now, but there is good indication that that's going to go horribly wrong (see section 1.4.12).

[TDR: 25, Questions, 234]

Perrin with a falcon on his shoulder, and Perrin with a hawk. Only the hawk held a leash in her talons--Egwene was somehow convinced both the hawk and falcon were female--and the hawk was trying to fasten it around Perrin's neck.

The hawk and the falcon are Berelain and Faile, respectively. It's interesting that the hawk is the one with the leash; one would think that Faile is the one who has "leashed" Perrin. Berelain's tacit declaration of war on Perrin in WH may be the beginning of her attempt to "leash" him, but she seems to change her mind in COT (or maybe it's a case of more flies with honey...)

... And that dream of Perrin--with a beard!--leading a huge pack of wolves that stretched as far as the eye could see.

At least partially fulfilled. Perrin has a beard, and he led wolves at Dumai's Wells, but that was probably not the last time.

Mat, placing his own left eye on a balance scale.

Not fulfilled. The most likely interpretation is that Mat will sacrifice his eye. This meshes with some of Min's visions, and the "half the light of the world" prophecy.

Mat, hanging by his neck from a tree limb.

Fulfilled. This happened at Rhuidean.

There had been a dream of Mat and Seanchan, too, but she was willing to dismiss that as a nightmare.

Probably not fulfilled. None of Mat's interaction with the Seanchan thus far has been particularly nightmarish, though his courtship of Tuon has been pretty surreal. The nightmare quality of the dream may have to do with Anath, aka Semirhage, who's likely to be pretty pissed about Mat abducting her "willful charge".

...Just like the one about Mat speaking the Old Tongue.

Fulfilled many times over. Mat talks Old Tongue all the time.

[TDR: 37, Fires in Cairhien, 352-3]

She had dreamed of Perrin with a wolf, and with a falcon, and a hawk -- and the hawk and falcon fighting

This is the Faile and Berelain thing again. Perrin and the wolf could be the general "Wolfbrother" thing, or maybe Eg actually caught a glimpse of Perrin running with Hopper in TAR.

...of Perrin running from someone deadly,

This is very vague; it could be referring to Slayer.

and Perrin stepping willingly over the edge of a towering cliff while saying, "It must be done. I must learn to fly before I reach the bottom."

This is very vague, and could refer to any number of issues Perrin is facing, from him mastering his wolf-brotherhood, to being a leader, or taking part in the Last Battle. It could be related to the dream Eg had about him and Aram hacking their way towards an unseen cliff.

There had been one dream of an Aiel, and she thought that had to do with Perrin, too, but she was not sure.

Probably refers to Perrin's freeing of Gaul from the cage in TDR.

And a dream of Min, springing a steel trap but somehow walking through it without so much as seeing it.

Fulfilled. This refers to the Tower Coup: her return to the Tower started Elaida getting suspicious of what SS was up to, which led to the coup. Min never realized what was coming. Yet, she got out of the Tower unscathed.

... Mat with dice spinning 'round him...

Refers to Mat's general luck and ta'verenhood.

Mat being followed by a man who was not there ... or maybe more than one, but in some way there was no one there

Fulfilled. Mat was stalked by Gray Men in Tar Valon.

Mat riding desperately toward something unseen in the distance that he had to reach

Fulfilled. Refers to Mat racing to save El/Eg/Ny in Tear.

and Mat with a woman who seemed to be tossing fireworks about. An Illuminator, she assumed, but that made no more sense than anything else.

Maybe fulfilled. In TDR, Mat meets the rogue Illuminator Aludra, whence he gets the fireworks with which he busts into the Stone of Tear. He meets up with her again in Ebou Dar in WH.

Men and women breaking out of a cage, then putting on crowns.

Fulfilled. The Forsaken have broken out of SG and have taken up places of power in the world.

A woman playing with puppets, and another dream where the strings on puppets led to the hands of larger puppets, and their strings led to still greater puppets, on and on until the last strings vanished into unimaginable heights.

This is probably just symbolic of the various degrees of manipulation and plotting going on.

Whitecloaks ravaging the Two Rivers.

Fulfilled and dealt with.

[TDR: 48, Following the Craft, 468-469]

... A Whitecloak putting Master Luhhan in the middle of a huge, toothed trap for bait

Fulfilled. The WCs used the Luhhans and Cauthons as bait to catch Perrin.

Why should Perrin have a falcon on his shoulder, and what was important about him choosing between that axe he wore now and a blacksmith's hammer?

The falcon is Faile. As for the hammer and axe, Perrin's axe vs hammer choice seems to be a choice between war and peace, the life of a leader and that of a simple blacksmith. As of COT, he seems to have chosen the hammer, but I doubt getting rid of the axe is going to be that easy.

What did it mean that Mat was dicing with the Dark One, and why did he keep shouting "I am coming!" and why did she think in the dream that he was shouting at her?

Fulfilled. This refers to Mat's "bet" with Gaebril/Rahvin that he'd save El, Eg, and Ny from the assassin.

And Rand. He had been sneaking through utter darkness toward Callandor, while all around him six men and five women walked, some hunting him and some ignoring him, some trying to guide him toward the shining crystal sword and some trying to stop him from reaching it, appearing not to know where he was, or only to see him in flashes. One of the men had eyes of flame, and he wanted Rand dead with a desperation she could nearly taste;

Fulfilled. The men and women are the Forsaken who weren't dead at the time. Fire-eyes is Ishy, and it is interesting that he wants Rand dead in this dream. Maybe this is a combination between the state of the game as it is when Eg has the dream (Rand looking for Callandor) and a prophecy of later in TDR, when Ishamael for once actually decides that Rand needs to be killed?

Rand in that dry, dusty chamber again, with those small creatures settling into his skin.

Again, Rhuidean.

Rand confronting a horde of Seanchan.

Has occurred, in TFOH and TPOD, but there may be more to come.

Rand confronting her, and the women with her, and one of them was a Seanchan.

Hasn't occurred yet. This is likely connected to Eg's dream in COT about the Seanchan woman with a sword - see below.

From The Shadow Rising

[TSR: 11, What Lies Hidden, 145]

Rand as tall as a mountain, walking through cities, crushing buildings beneath his feet, with screaming people like ants fleeing from him.

This has not been literally fulfilled (Rand hasn't done much city-crushing), but if the dream is symbolic, it is in progress, and refers to the strife Rand leaves in his wake.

Rand in chains, and it was he who was screaming.

Possibly fulfilled; this could refer to his capture and torture by the Tower AS.

Rand building a wall with him on one side and her on the other, her and Elayne and others she could not make out. "It has to be done," he was saying as he piled up stones. "I'll not let you stop me now."

This is in the process of being fulfilled. Rand is deliberately isolating himself from his friends and allies, and becoming increasingly paranoid about not trusting anybody, though he regained some common sense in WH.

Aiel fighting each other, killing each other, even throwing away their weapons and running as if they had gone mad

Fulfilled. This is the aftermath of Rand's revelation of the Aiel's history.

Mat wrestling with a Seanchan woman who tied an invisible leash to him

Mostly fulfilled. Mat literally wrestled with Tuon during his escape attempt from Ebou Dar. The invisible leash probably refers to their impending marriage.

A wolf-- she was sure it was Perrin, though-- fighting a man whose face kept changing.

Fulfilled; refers to Perrin fighting Slayer.

Galad wrapping himself in white as though putting on his own shroud

At least partially fulfilled. The white clearly refers to Galad's joining the WCs. If the shroud bit is prophecy, and not just metaphor, it seems as if Galad will die as a result of his joining up.

and Gawyn with eyes full of pain and hatred.

Certainly fulfilled in one respect or another. Possibly refers to the Tower Coup, or thinking Rand killed Morgase, or just his generally psychotic state.

Her mother weeping.

This could be anything, really. The Two Rivers residents have had lots of reasons to weep of late, and doubtless will have more in the future.

From The Fires of Heaven

[TFOH: 15, What Can Be Learned in Dreams, 214]

Rand sitting down in a chair, and somehow she knew that the chair's owner would be murderously angry at having her chair taken

This one's been the subject of some debate. Many people think this has already been fulfilled. After Rand takes Caemlyn at the end of TFOH, he briefly sits down on the Lion Throne, noting that it is uncomfortably small [TFOH: 56, Glowing Embers, 680]. The rightful "owner" of the Lion Throne at that time was Morgase (she didn't abdicate to Elayne until LOC), and she was angered enough by Rand's takeover to do some seriously stupid things (like seek aid from the Whitecloaks).

Some, however, do not think this has been fulfilled yet. Another possibility is that it refers to the Crystal Throne of the Seanchan; the owner could either be Tuon or her mother, the current Empress. A less likely idea is that it refers to the Amyrlin Seat.

...Perrin, lounging with Faile on his lap, kissing her while she played with the short-cut beard that he wore in the dream. Behind them two banners waved, a red wolf's head and a crimson eagle. A man in a bright yellow coat stood near to Perrin's shoulder, a sword strapped to his back; in some way she knew that he was a Tinker, though no Tinker would ever touch a sword. And every bit of it except the beard seemed important. The banners, Faile kissing Perrin, even the Tinker. Every time he moved closer to Perrin it was if a chill of doom shot through everything.

Partially fulfilled. Perrin is set up with Faile, has Aram as a bodyguard, has the wolf banner, and the Manetheren banner, but we haven't seen any doom related to Aram, though his unhealthy fascination with Masema may lead to something bad for Perrin.

...Mat throwing dice with blood streaming down his face, the wide brim of his hat pulled down low so she could not see his wound

Not fulfilled. The blood could be another reference to Mat losing an eye.

while Thom Merrilin put his hand into a fire to draw out the small blue stone that now dangled on Moiraine's forehead.

Not fulfilled. This is evidence that Thom will rescue Moiraine from durance vile in Finnland.

Or a dream of a storm, great dark clouds rolling without wind or rain while forked lightning bolts, every one identical, rent the earth.

This is kind of vague. It sounds like a general OP battle, perhaps the Battle of Cairhien, or Rand's psychotic episode with Callandor on the Seanchan campaign in TPOD. It is also similar to Fain's description of Shayol Ghul.

From Lord of Chaos

[LOC: 15, A Pile of Sand, 258]

Twice, right atop one another, she dreamed of taking [Gawyn] by the shoulders and trying to turn him to face the other way against his will. Once he brushed her hands away roughly; the other time she was somehow stronger than he. The two blended together hazily.

Not fulfilled. Will Eg convince Gawyn to join her on the side of the rebels, or will he cling to his loyalty to Elaida? Related to Min's viewing of Gawyn kneeling to Eg or breaking her neck.

In another, [Gawyn] began swinging a door closed on her, and she knew if that narrowing gap of light vanished, she was dead.

Not fulfilled. Again, this must be related to Min's viewing of Gawyn kneeling to Eg or killing her-- Gawyn has the power to destroy Eg, if he chooses not to join her. Or rescue her, possibly, given events in COT.

[LOC: 15, A Pile of Sand, 258]

Perrin came and stood before her, a wolf lying at his feet, a hawk and a falcon perched on his shoulders glaring at each other over his head. Seemingly unaware of them, he kept trying to throw away that axe of his until finally he ran, the axe floating through the air chasing him.

Well, the wolf is obvious, and the birds are Berelain and Faile. He literally threw the axe away from him after torturing the Aielman for information on Faile [COT: 27, What Must Be Done, 599]. He leaves it behind, but it's doubtful Perrin is done with the axe just yet, judging from the "chasing after" part.

We have yet to decide for sure what the axe symbolizes in general. Maybe it's the Lordly life Faile has planned for him, and the fighting inherent therein. On a broader scale, the hammer symbolizes creation, the axe destruction. Perrin doesn't like it, but it is currently his duty to destroy and then rebuild. The axe following him could mean that, since he is ta'veren, he can't run away from his duty.

Again Perrin; he turned away from a Tinker and ran, faster and faster though she called for him to come back.

The Tinker could be Aram, in light of the "doom" vision from TFOH, possibly related to Aram's fascination with the Prophet. Perrin and Aram's relationship doesn't seem to have degenerated so far, so likely this hasn't been fulfilled. It's been suggested that Aram represents the exact opposite of what Perrin wants. Perrin wants to give up fighting for a peaceful life. Aram gave up the Way of the Leaf to become a soldier.

[LOC: 15, A Pile of Sand, 258]

Mat spoke words she almost understood - the Old Tongue, she thought - and two ravens alighted on his shoulders, claws sinking through his coat into the flesh beneath

In light of other visions, this probably has to do with the Daughter of the Nine Moons and the Seanchan. Raven tattoos on the shoulders mean "Property of the Seanchan Empress." It's also been suggested that these ravens could represent Mat's raven-engraved ashanderei. It's worth noting Tuon's interest in Mat's spear, and the carvings on it, in WH, and her comments about making him a "cupbearer" - da'covale, in other words - in COT.

He seemed no more aware of them that Perrin had been of the hawk and the falcon, yet the defiance passed across his face, and then grim acceptance.

Probably fulfilled, if it refers to his situation with Tuon. Mat's spent most of the books fiercely resisting the idea that he had to marry the DotNM, but when actually confronted with her, he no longer denied the inevitability of it (quite the opposite, in fact). Or alternately, maybe the ravens refer to his spear, which he got on his trip to A/Eelfinnland, where he also became a battle-master, which he first fought, and has now accepted?

In another, a woman, face shrouded in shadow, beckoned him toward great danger; Egwene did not know what, only that it was monstrous.

Not fulfilled, maybe. The woman could be Semirhage as Anath, though she doesn't seem to be beckoning him toward anything. Tuon is another possibility; Jeff Dougan suggests that the "shrouded in shadow" line could refer to the veil that keeps Tuon's true identity from being spoken.

[LOC: 15, A Pile of Sand, 258]

Several concerned Rand, not all bad, but all odd. Elayne, forcing him to his knees with one hand.

Not fulfilled, and seemingly contradicted by events in WH - Elayne bonded him as a Warder, but did not force him to do it, nor did she demand anything from him re: the throne of Andor. Maybe the forcing part comes later?

Elayne and Min and Aviendha, sitting in a silent circle around him, each in turn reaching out to lay a hand on him.

Fulfilled. This is the triple Warder-bonding ceremony in WH.

Him walking toward a burning mountain, something crunching beneath his boots. She stirred and whimpered; the crunching things were the seals on the Dark One's prison, shattering with his every step.

Not fulfilled. The mountain must be Shayol Ghul. The breaking of the Seals--does it have something to do with LTT wanting to break them, and Fel's note? It seems likely that Rand will deliberately break the seals at some point.

From A Crown of Swords

[ACOS: 10, Unseen Eyes, 195]

...that she [Egwene] would bond him [Gawyn], she knew from interpreting her dreams...

Not fulfilled.

[ACOS: 10, Unseen Eyes, 201]

On bare feet, Gawyn walked [toward her] across a floor of broken glass, shards breaking at every slow step....she could see the trail of blood left by his slashed feet.

Partially fulfilled? This seems to indicate that before Gawyn can join Egwene, he must go through a great deal of pain and difficulty.

[ACOS: 10, Unseen Eyes, 202]

...a man riding on a black stallion. Gawyn. Then she was standing in the road in front of him, and he reined in. Not because he saw her...but the road that had been straight now forked right where she stood, running over tall hills so no one could see what lay beyond. She knew, though. Down one fork was his violent death, down the other, a long life and a death in bed. On one path, he would marry her, on the other, not. She knew what lay ahead, but not which way led to which. Suddenly he did see her, or seemed to, and smiled, and turned his horse along one of the forks...

This is pretty self-explanatory--Gawyn's possible futures. Pick one of each: quick, violent death or long life, marriage or not. Which combination is the necessary one for Eg to live and win him over to her side, and which results in him destroying her? (See previous dreams and Min visions.) Not fulfilled.

[ACOS: 10, Unseen Eyes, 202]

She stood before an immense wall, clawing at it, trying to tear it down with her bare hands. It was not made of brick or stone, but countless thousands of discs, each half white and half black, the ancient symbol of the Aes Sedai, like the seven seals that had once held the DO's prison shut...the wall stood strong however she beat at it. She could not tear it down. Maybe it was the symbol that was important. Maybe it was the AS she was trying to tear down, the White Tower. Maybe....

This could be related to Eg's dream of Rand building a wall between himself and all his friends and loved ones. Note that the wall is made of the emblem of Rand's forces. A more interesting possibility is that it refers to the cuendillar chain she created in COT. While not technically a "wall", the chain certainly serves the same purpose, and like the seals is made of heartstone. It's possible, after all, that Egwene's actions will destroy the White Tower rather than reunite it.

[ACOS: 10, Unseen Eyes, 202]

Mat sat on a night-shrouded hilltop, watching a grand Illuminator's display of fireworks, and suddenly his hand shot up, seized one of those bursting lights in the sky. Arrows of fire flashed from his clenched fist, and a sense of dread filled her. Men would die because of this. The world would change.

Not fulfilled. This indicates that Mat will find a way to use gunpowder as a weapon. Recall his use of fireworks to blow a hole in the Stone of Tear in TDR, and his reunion with the Illuminator Aludra in WH, who currently appears to be working out how to make cannon (see section 2.1.8).

[ACOS: 10, Unseen Eyes, 202]

Straps at waist and shoulder held her tightly to the block, and the headsman's axe descended, but she knew that somewhere someone was running, and if they ran fast enough, the axe would stop.

On its way to being fulfilled, looks like. Egwene is betrayed and captured at the end of COT, by either Elaida's people or the Black Ajah (see section 2.6.8). Clearly, she won't be able to get herself out of this one without help. This could possibly be the thing where Gawyn will either save her or destroy her. Other possibilties are Nicola (who probably Foresaw Eg's capture), the mysterious Seanchan swordswoman, or even Sheriam (wrt the golden halo vision Min had of her).

[ACOS: 10, Unseen Eyes, 202]

Logain, laughing, stepped across something on the ground and mounted a black stone; when she looked down, she thought it was Rand's body he had stepped over, laid out on a funeral bier with his hands crossed at his breast, but when she touched his face, it broke apart like a paper puppet.

Not fulfilled. This is possibly related to Min's vision of Logain's future glory. Another dead Rand (cf Min's vision in TEOTW), but maybe a fake. It has been suggested that the stone is the Black Tower "speaking stone," the rock that Taim and Rand stand on when addressing the Asha'man. This vision may indicate that Rand will somehow fake his death, and Logain will take over his position of power, or get the credit for defeating the DO. Logain is now with Rand's party, which could put him in a good position to take charge if something happens to Rand in Ebou Dar.

[ACOS: 10, Unseen Eyes, 203]

A golden hawk stretched out its wing and touched her, and she and the hawk were tied together somehow; all she knew was that the hawk was female.

The golden hawk is the symbol of Mayene. The female hawk has symbolised Berelain in many other Egwene-dreams. This indicates that Berelain and Eg will be connected in some way. Of course, if Eg marries Gawyn and Berelain marries Galad, they'll be in-laws! [John Seehafer] Alternatively, the hawk could refer to a Seanchan noblewoman, possibly Tuon (the golden hawk is the symbol of the Seanchan Blood), or the swordswoman Eg Dreams about in COT. Either way, not fulfilled.

[ACOS: 10, Unseen Eyes, 203]

A man lay dying in a narrow bed, and it was important that he not die, yet outside a funeral pyre was being built, and voices raised songs of joy and sadness.

Absolutely no clue on this one.

[ACOS: 10, Unseen Eyes, 203]

A dark young man held an object in his hand that shone so brightly she could not see what it was.

Possibly fulfilled. Jahar Narishma - a dark young man - wielded Callandor during the Cleansing battle at the end of WH. The wording is vague enough that we can't say for sure, though.

From The Path of Daggers

[TPOD: 15, Stronger than Written Law, 308]

Rand, wearing different masks, until suddenly one of those false faces was no longer a mask, but him.

Could refer to LTT and the "third" man introduced in TPOD and WH, especially if the third man is another Dragon. Perhaps more will show up? Alternatively, it could refer to how Rand acts in wildly different ways, plays different roles, with different people. This could be Rand trying to be the ever-hardening Dragon Reborn/dictator on one hand and the man who can maintain calm in the middle of combat, off three Forsaken with political skill, and then return home in time to be a loving husband. Maybe one of his roles will become the "real" him.

Perrin and a Tinker, frenziedly hacking their way through brambles with axe and sword, unaware of the cliff that lay just ahead. And the brambles screamed with human voices they did not hear.

The Tinker is Aram. The frenzied hacking could refer to Perrin's current rush to rescue Faile. The various signs of impending doom could imply that they'll be so focused on saving her that they'll be oblivious to other factors or situations which will cause them and/or somebody else big trouble and/or pain. Possibly, Perrin will, perhaps at the urging of Aram, make a huge sacrifice of life, maybe his group of soldiers, and that it will turn out to be a bad decision, or Masema's forces will do something similar and Perrin will do nothing to stop it, maybe due to interference from Aram on Masema's behalf. Alternately could refer to Perrin cutting off the Aielman's hand, being willing to torture someone for information. Probably related to the vision of Aram and doom, and to the one of Perrin jumping off a cliff and saying he has to learn to fly before hitting bottom.

Mat, weighing two Aes Sedai on a huge set of balance scales, and on his decision depended....She could not say what; something vast; the world, perhaps.

This may refer to Mat's dilemma in WH about rescuing Teslyn and Edesina from the Seanchan. What the "something vast" could be is unclear, but it could be related to the sul'dam he uses in the rescue, and Egeanin's thoughts about how their little secret could destroy the Seanchan empire. Another possibility is that it refers to the results of his rescue, which was the devastating OP battle in Ebou Dar. The imagery of the dream is similar to the one about Mat's eye on a balance scale, which suggests a connection between the two.

Recently, all of her dreams about Mat were pale and full of pain, like shadows cast by nightmares, almost as though Mat himself were not quite real.

Refers to the severe injuries Mat took from the wall collapsing on him in ACOS, and his long convalescence.

From Crossroads of Twilight

[COT: 20, In the Night, 492-495]

Mat stood on a village green, playing at bowls [...] he was sharp and clear, dressed in a fine green coat and that wide-brimmed black hat [...] Rubbing the ball between his hands, he took a short run and casually rolled it across the smooth grass. All nine pins fell, scattered as if they had been kicked. Mat turned and picked up another ball, and the pins were back upright. No, there was a fresh set of pins. The old still lay where they had fallen. He hurled the ball again, a lazy underhanded bowl. And Egwene wanted to scream. The pins were not turned pieces of wood. They were men. [...] there were more new pins, new men, standing in orderly formation among the men lying sprawled on the ground as if dead. No, they were dead. Unconcerned, Mat bowled [...] Every one of those human pins had represented thousands of men. Of that she was certain. And an Illuminator was part of it [...] Still, it was only a possible future.

Different symbolism, same meaning as before - Mat and Aludra, cannon, etc. The interesting thing is Mat's apparent unconcern, and that this is another "maybe" prophecy.

She was struggling up a narrow, rocky path along the face of a towering cliff. Clouds surrounded her, hiding the ground below and the crest above, yet she knew that both were very far away. [...] Abruptly, the ledge dropped away from under her with the crack of crumbling stone, and she caught frantically at the cliff, fingers scrabbling to find a hold. [...] Suddenly a woman appeared, clambering down the sheer side of the cliff out of the clouds, making her way as deftly as if she were walking down stairs. There was a sword strapped to her back. Her face wavered, never settling clearly, but the sword seemed as solid as the stone. The woman reached Egwene's level and held out one hand. "We can reach the top together," she said in a familiar drawling accent.

As Egwene herself notes, obviously related to her dream about a Seanchan being among the women "with her" in TDR, and also possibly related to her dream about the female golden hawk in ACOS. So far, the only significant Seanchan female character we've seen who is normally armed is Egeanin. However, Tuon does mention in passing in her POV in WH that she is trained in "suitable weapons", which for all we know may include swordsmanship. Perhaps she would carry a sword if she were going about unveiled as the DotNM instead of merely the "High Lady Tuon" [Rich Boyé]. John Hamby adds that Arthur Hawkwing had a sword named Justice [Guide: 12, The Reign of the High King, 109]; it's reasonable to suppose that the sword is part of the Seanchan Imperial regalia.

It's interesting that the dream seems to suggest that it is the sword that's important, rather than the woman, but it's not clear what that signifies. Possibly, the swordswoman is symbolic of the Seanchan empire/army as a whole (which is led by a woman) coming to Egwene's rescue, rather than being a specific character. It is likely that the Seanchan are going to be involved in Tar Valon happenings real soon now:

[Egwene climbs up on top of a spire.] A small white plinth stood centered in that circle, supporting an oil-lamp made of clear glass. The flame on that lamp burned bright and steady, without flickering. It was white too. Suddenly a pair of birds flashed out of the mist, two ravens black as night. Streaking across the spire-top, they struck the lamp and flew on without so much as a pause. The lamp spun and wobbled, dancing around atop the plinth, flinging off droplets of oil. Some of those drops caught fire in midair and vanished. Others fell around the short column, each supporting a tiny, flickering white flame. And the lamp continued to wobble on the edge of falling.

No need to guess on this one - Egwene knows exactly what it means: the Seanchan will attack the White Tower, an attack that will "shake the Aes Sedai to their core and threaten the Tower itself". To further reinforce this, just before she is captured Egwene sees what she first thinks is a Draghkar but then dismisses as a bat flying across the moon [COT: 30, What the Oath Rod Can Do, 677]. Sounds like a Seanchan scout flying a to'raken to me.

[ Previous Section | Previous | Section Contents | Next | Next Section ]

The Wheel of Time FAQ. Copyright 2004 by Leigh Butler, Pamela Korda and Erica Sadun. HTML implementation by Leigh Butler. This site maintained by Pam Korda (pam@linuxmafia.com). Comments and questions regarding the content itself should be directed to Leigh Butler (leighdb@pacbell.net).