Theoryland Chronicles

Members :SDog : Tel'aran'rhiod and the Nature of the Dark One's Prison

Introduction

Based on several pieces of evidence, I believe that the Dark One’s prison may be either in Tel’aran’rhiod, or that the Unseen World is directly involved with it.

Development

I will briefly discuss the various aspects of the WoT that I believe point to my thesis, and then summarize and tie them together in the conclusion.

Outside the Pattern

According to all sources, the Dark One’s prison is outside the pattern. We read this in the BWB and it is referenced throughout the series. Based on Verin’s description of Tel’aran’rhiod in TDR (Ch. 21, “A World of Dreams”), we know that the Pattern and the Mirror Worlds are the “warp and woof” of the weave, while Tel’aran’rhiod surrounds and/or intersperses them all. If this is true, we can think of a giant quilt (the Pattern) surrounded by a cloud (TAR). In order for the prison to be outside of the Pattern, it must be either in Tel’aran’rhiod, or just outside of that cloud that surrounds the quilt. This may mean that TAR sits between the Dark One and the Pattern, acting as a barrier.

The Third Constant

According to Verin (TDR, Ch. 21, “A World of Dreams”), the three constants of reality are the Creator, the Dark One, and Tel’aran’rhiod. Furthermore, Verin notes that if the DO is freed in any one world, he is freed in all. Egwene, understandably, finds this quite confusing, but Verin writes it off as part of the Dark One’s paradoxical nature. I believe there is a bit more to this. As noted above, TAR surrounds and infuses all aspects of the Pattern. If TAR acts as the prison for the Dark One, it stands to reason that opening that prison will give the DO access to every part of the Pattern. If his prison is part of TAR, it touches and infuses every world, so he is imprisoned on every world, as well. What better prison, for a constant of nature than another constant of nature? The Pattern may be too dynamic and flexible to act as a suitable prison.

Lanfear and the World of Dreams

According to all sources, Lanfear “claimed” TAR as hers after migrating to the Shadow. Although Moghedien thinks her skills are superior, she still considers Lanfear a formidable opponent in TAR (tFoH, Ch. 25, "Dreams of Galad").

We also know that, while she was Mieren, Lanfear led the team of scientists that discovered the thinness that was the Dark One’s prison. It stands to reason that her expertise in TAR may have come from her time as a scientist. Indeed, she may have been researching TAR when she discovered the prison.

The Dark One and Souls

We know that the Heroes of the Horn and wolves exist in Tel’aran’rhiod after death and before rebirth. There may be evidence that all souls exist there at one point or another, as well. We also know that the Dark One is called the “Lord of the Grave”, and has some control over the souls of the dead. Perhaps he has access to those souls precisely because TAR is part of his prison.

The Nature of the Pit of Doom

By all indications, the Pit of Doom seems to be a surreal place. Demandred (LoC, Prologue, "The First Message") and Moghedien (CoS, Ch. 25, "Mindtrap") both reflect to themselves that the sky as seen through Shayol Ghul is not the same as the sky as it appears outside the Pit. In the same sections, Demandred notes that "the strange was ordinary here", and Moghedien thinks, "[r]eality was clay to the Great Lord here..." A strange reality that is easily molded to one's whims is reminiscent of the Dream World, as experienced by Egwene and her counterparts. Could the “thinness” of the Pattern around the DO’s prison bring those in the Pit closer to TAR, such that the DO can manipulate it as Egwene and the WOs do the Dream World?

Moreover, how were LTT and the 100 Companions able to imprison all 13 (well, 12) Forsaken, and the DO, at the same time? Perhaps because the 13 were in Tel’aran’rhiod at the Pit, thus much further outside the Pattern (and into TAR) than they would normally be. The nature of the Seal, itself, is an issue to be debated elsewhere.

Conclusion

From all of this circumstantial evidence, there is a distinct possibility that the Dark One's prison exists in, or consists at least partly of, Tel'aran'rhiod. While the exact physical or logical construction is almost impossible to deduce from the evidence, one can imagine that Tel’aran’rhiod physically surrounds the Pattern. As such, in order to touch the Pattern, the DO must penetrate TAR.

If the cosmology of the WoT Universe (and all of its worlds) is simply a pattern surrounded by a bubble of TAR, the Dark One may exist outside of it, along with the Creator. In this case, the Dark One is not truly imprisoned, but rather restricted from touching the Pattern. To the inhabitants of the Pattern (our heroes), however, it would appear that the DO is imprisoned, because they perceive their reality as all encompassing.

If we think of the cosmology as a metaphorical wheel (the Wheel of Time), with different worlds existing on different layers along the spokes, the DO's prison can take on a different structure. In this case, the DO is imprisoned inside the "hub" of the Wheel, but is unable to touch the Pattern. This would explain why some of the Forsaken (Aginor and Balthamel) suffered the ravages of time much more strongly than did the others. They were closer to the outside of the Wheel, and thus subject to time's passage. This is also consistent with the DO's statement to Demandred: "Even I cannot stop outside of time" (LoC, Prologue, "The First Message").

Alternatively, we can think of the cosmology as a sphere, with each world existing on the surface. TAR, then, would be inside the sphere, and would thus have contact with all the worlds. Similarly, the DO's prison would be inside the sphere, so that if he were released, he would have contact with all of them. Whether the DO's prison is surrounded by TAR as TAR is surrounded by the universe is unclear, but this visualization does suggest that TAR either stands between or constitutes some part of the DO's prison.

All in all, we have little evidence to prove such cosmological theories in any one direction. Whether the author will deign to reveal his ideas to us, or even if he has completely hashed out the philosophical and physical structures of his universe, remains to be seen.

Practical Application

The only truly practical application of this theory lies in the Dragon Reborn's effort to reseal the Dark One's prison. If the prison lies in or is part of TAR, some portion of Rand al'Thor's battle will have to be fought there. However, until we know the specifics of the relationship between TAR and the Prison, speculation is difficult. One might suggest that Rand will have to travel to the Dream World to begin or end the battle, if TAR is truly a barrier between the DO and the real world. There are also theories that the Mirror Worlds accessed by the Portal Stones are part of the Dream World. This may mean that Rand must travel to one of those in order to win the Tarmon Gai'don.

It is also possible that Lews Therin's cuendillar seals are focus points in the real world for the seven points of the seal in TAR. This has implications regarding the Taint on saidin, because that Taint is often almost tangible when the Seals are near. If the Seals are focused in TAR, and that Taint is evident through the Seals, it is possible that the Taint is somehow affecting TAR. But how would we know if this were the case?

A troubling issue for this theory lies in the fact that we see little or no direct impact on TAR from the Dark One. We would expect, if TAR lies between his prison and the real world, to find his touch permeating the Unseen World constantly. Instead, TAR seems relatively peaceful when compared to the real world, where the DO sends his minions, changes the weather, and causes bubbles of evil. However, the nature of TAR may limit the DO's direct effect upon it, or may limit our (the character's) perceptions of how TAR should be. TAR is nearly always in flux, and the nightmares and dark thoughts of those touching it often create frightening situations. How easy could it be to detect the influence of the DO in this dynamic and possibly dangerous world?

One way to account for this possibility is to suggest that the DO's prison is closer to the real world at a certain point (the Thinness at Shayol Ghul). That is, the Tel'aran'rhiod barrier and the Pattern it surrounds are both very thin at that point, and the DO can exert his influence more strongly. If this were the case, we would expect the DO to concentrate his efforts at that point, rather than trying to permeate the entire Dream World with his evil. An analogy might be a deeply frozen pond: a person trapped under the ice would concentrate his or her efforts at breaking through the thinnest point. Thus, we would see less direct impact on TAR, itself, and more impact surrounding that thin piece of the Pattern. This is consistent with the odd properties of Shayol Ghul and its surrounding areas.

This theory last updated: 11/5/2002 by SDog