You forgot that Birgitte went into the tower in a past life! And she gives Matt a bunch of advice (as much as she can remember) before he ends up going in.
Yeah, the Tower of Ghenjei is one of the truly mysterious artifacts/entities in the WOT and I've always wondered whether in RJs mind it was supposed to be the origin of them all. The artifacts and entities I'm referring to are the Horn of Valere, the portalstones and Mashadar/Mordeth. All of them seem to use powers beyond the One Power. As they all seem to involve other worlds or souls to some extent. I agree with you that the portalstones do have a number of things in common in the way they allow you to travel to a different world or to different mirror worlds. As for the Horn, there has to be someone who chooses who gets bound to it and if it isn't the DO or the Creator the only ones who could do it are the Finn. Perhaps Noal dying there before he became a new Hero wasn't coincidence afterall. And the Horn itself reminds me of the artifacts Mat got from the Eelfinn. Perhaps in the distant past someone traded with them for it. And finally Mordeth/Mashadar. I always found the explanation for their powers rather sketchy and Aridhol is right next door to the ToG. Someone entering it and trading for a power which even the Shadow would fear and run from and it ending up in a disaster like Shadar Logoth would be only fitting. Oh and I forgot the whole Luc/Isam connection which seems to have been created by the Finn- seeing how Slayer could enter and leave the Tower without too much trouble.
Great post and I agree with these connections and even though I never figured them out myself they all seem to work logically within the universe of the Wheel of Time. Further support for your hypoethsis is that Sindhol and Aridhol (Shadar Logoth's original name) are too similar to be coincidence and I believe that these are some of the breadcrumbs Robert Jordan left for us to uncover by ourselves. One of my favourite aspects of the series is that not everything was explained which leaves us time to theorize and come up with new explanations or understandings for events and objects in the world even though the series has been finished for almost 8 years. I love these books.
@@MistaZULE Well the names are simply "Neverland" (Sindhol) and "Land of harmony" (Aridhol), so they're basicly just two places with the word "land" in them. The proximity between the two places does support the theory of the Finns being involved though.
Did we just know it was foreshadowing though? It seemed to me, both on my first reading and rereadings, that Domon was giving the standard "Aye boys, the world is so much bigger than you know" speech to the wide-eyed farmers. Later revealing that it was the Tower of Ghenjei feels retconned to me. My suspicion is that RJ created a generic "wondrous tower" and only later made it the Tower of Ghenjei to fit it into his growing multiverse.
@@commbir5148 For me, as a reader, it was 1000% foreshadowing even if RJ didn't know exactly what he was going to do with it earlier. Same with the giant statues angreal that held the orbs. You just knew it was going to come back up :)
You didn't mention that Olver was able to win a game of Snakes and Foxes in ToM. I think this was an important moment foreshadowing that it is possible to visit Sindhol and return, especially given his obsession with the game!
@@silaspeeders8302 ahahahaha! You set no terms! Kindness and peace shall fall across the lands. Though the stillness of the water soon leads to brackish tea. *[OUTFLOWING OF SUPPORTIVE COMMENTS FOR INCELS, FLAT EARTHERS, & NECKBEARDS JUMP 25000%]* ...ps, om nom nom.
I think it is possible that the snakes and foxes game is actually based on the story of Moriane's rescue in the prior third age. Mat bases the rescue of the remnants of the tale of himself.
Someone mentioned spin off in an earlier comment. I always thought Oliver was an obvious spinoff because it seemed clear that he would enter into the doorways to get his own answers in his quest for revenge. I would love to see a character study on him
As a Finnish person, we often both refer to ourselves and are referred to as Finns. I find that quite funny. I'd like to think of myself as a fox, if I must choose
The tower of Ghenjei, the portal stones, all the things that are one step older than old...so intriguing. And I get that there needed to be a sense of mystery to make it great, but damn if I didn't want more info, more more more, on all the old stuff.
I just finished Towers of Midnight last week, my second trip through the series, first time on audiobook. It's an excellent scene, all these loose threads around Mat's memories snapping into place while his luck just twists the Pattern to his will -- and, as Mat does -- he accidentally fumbles it for a last second save. I was also trying to imagine it on the screen, and the absolute eerie horror they could give it.
They are basically the WoT's version of Elves. Aelfinn and especially the Eelfinn have characteristics very similar to the Fey. Tall and thin, weakness to iron and fire, love of music. @Naeblis what do you think?
Love you and your content Nae'blis. Last year I read WoT through for the first time and I absolutely adored it. Watching your content since then has only added to my enjoyment and appreciation of this series I'm more than happy to now call my favourite. Started a re read last week. Thanks for the effort and time dude
The Tower was one of the coolest things in the series, thanks for including this in your videos! I agree with others that it would be great to see a video that focuses on Mat’s dealings with the Finns.
combine the portal stones with the ogier = the finn. both are from different realities and interact with the "main" reality. the ogier actually went there and established extensions of their reality into the "main" reality, the finn established a single intrusion of their reality into the "main" reality. its a giant artificial portal stone powered by the standing waves, we know that the one power works in their reality and that the standing waves were once a thing, just because they were destroyed in the "main" reality to me (in other words obviously my opinion) doesn't mean that they stopped working in the finn's reality, for all we know that is where the standing waves (or ability to create them) came from. hell, their hunger to feed on the one power ability might be related. EDIT: might be "standing flows", it isn't mentioned much in the books.
I've always preferred stories where everything isn't explicitly revealed to me. The WOT wouldn't have worked nearly as well if Jordan explained every momentous thing. Instead, he wisely showed us what the character saw from their perspective. And usually, the characters didn't understand everything in the WOT.
Exactly my thoughts. The unreliable narrator and the whole "legend=myth and myth becomes forgotten" idea is a constant thoughout the series leaves just enough mystery for us to theorize about for years after the series concluded. I remember reading about the Tower in Eye of the World and became so invested in the mystery of why it was there and what could have made it that the payoff in Towers of Midnight was legendary. I don't think I was so excited for a revelation 12 books in the making. It was so damn good.
I love this series. That being said, there are things wrong with it. One of the things I thought was consistently brilliant was characters acting in good faith on bad information. It's a primitive time and even the closest of allies constantly posture and scheme amongst/against one another. To assume that information wouldn't get messed up, whether or not by design, at least some of the time, is ridic. And often things don't get wrapped up or explained after the fact, ppl just have to keep on keeping on. Always loved that.
When I first read the series, I thought the Finn would be a later series, and therefore introduced to generate interest. I'd say they have done that. Facts are scarce as to the Finn and how they relate to this dimension, or other dimensions. The potential for other series is undeniable. Jordan was a master of dividing, adding story lines and bringing them back into relavance later. Perhaps Harriet knows the plans, but if so, she isn't saying.
In my opinion this was one of the most interesting pay offs of the series. But I would have loved to have another venture or two into the tower. Or maybe an encounter with the finns out of the tower.
@@victorschinstock5887 True, the Finns would be easier to do with the doorways instead of the tower. But they would have to do something with the Moraine rescue
When I read Towers of Midnight I was surprised that the Aelfinn and Eelfinn live together, whereas previously it seemed they were in their own separate worlds since two different ter-angreal are used to meet them.
Oh yeah I think a cool video idea might be what if the Seanchan invaded just as Rand was born so the main story can still happen like maybe the aes sedi are on the run and Morayne could pass through save the two rivers take Mat, Perin and Rand to through the mountains of mist while flee the seachan and the shadow
Yeah, and the absolute worst thing is the length of time it took RJ to publish, coupled with his untimely passing. It would be great to have supplementary stories, explore different ages, etc. And even if RJ had moved on and no longer wanted to write about the WoT, other authors could champion the world, and we would still have a living authority to say "nah, that ain't it." Or "that's exactly how it went down, I would think..." Having that "veto power" until the obscure subjects were explored a little more in depth would be invaluable. Or just a canon/non canon stamp for published works. (No I don't mean a literal stamp.) The various star wars novels come to mind. Also the Mandalorian. George Lucas isn't really involved with either entities, but the Mando at least is canon, and some novels are, while others aren't. That franchise is so fleshed out at this point the lore is fairly mapped out, and it's easier to see what colors outside the lines. But with the scope of the WoT world, and the thematic nature of information obscurity therein, not having that living ex machina to "grade the test" is felt, most acutely.
Btw, how amazing isn't the passage when Mat, Moiraine and Thom escape the Tower and Thom keeps them off with his singing/music!! Especially when narrated by Michael Kramer!! Who btw should be rewarded with a minor role in the series together with Kate! :D
I want a Snakes and Foxes game to hit the market after the show comes out. You could make it winnable by adding a “Mat” element that would give you the ability to win with a lucky throw of the dice.
Tower reminds me of pseudoscience Erich Von Daniken (Metal Tower he writes about)(1st Age Easter egg?) Also, it makes me think of some hinted character interaction ex. Androl knowing Jain Farstrider.
It's quite beautiful the way it works out in the narrative actually. There's a very Tom Bombadil-esque vibe to the involvement of the Finn. They're also involved in one of the greatest mysteries in the books... generally, the murder of Asmodean as many have guessed either Moiraine or Lanfear to somehow be involved. To this day, even given the answer, there are those who believe an answer lies beyond, in the lands of the Finn.
@@ChristmasLore TB came to mind for me as well, though not till the very end. After Rand had beaten the final boss, and unlocked his pattern-weaver achievement, it felt like his life within the 4th age would be one similar to old Tom. Imbued with a power that is clearly greater than human, and wholly unlike anything else experienced in the world. Someone with a bigger view of the world, and how it truly works. Also the feeling that Rand had "graduated" past having to utilize the OP to manipulate the world to directly affecting the shape of the pattern to manipulate REALITY (my take on his pipe lighting,) felt very similar to how Tom was above the One Ring's sphere of influence, and could see Frodo while in wraith mode. And Tolkein was pretty clear that Tom wasn't Illuvitar (forgive my spelling, pls) but was something very special, with a unique world knowledge or insight. So too we find Rand, at peace in himself, content, but in possession of a power that seems directly tied to his awareness of the True Nature of the Pattern. Wasn't Tom described as smiling as if at some private joke? Can't recall, but again, both characters exude extra-worldly experience and awareness.
I can’t wait for the new wheel of time Amazon show to come out because if it is good we’ll get a load of new fan art and get a load of new fans and more people we’ll be watching your videos. And we might get more books and information books about the ages. We might even get a book on adventures of the 4th age
Excellent video about the tower! One recommendation for your videos -- for your section header title cards, could you also insert you (or someone else, if you want to make it clear that it's a section change) audibly reading them? (e.g. saying "Snakes and Foxes" out loud when you display that title card.) This would help any visually impaired listener better enjoy your content. Thank you!
I forgot his name but the kid that Mat basically adopts actually won the game without cheating. I can't remember which book it was but I distinctly remember him winning and how the person he was playing with was shocked.
Just a thought maybe the game board is an actual representation of the world of the Finn, and you could use it as a map, if you knew where your starting position was.
Mapping in any conventional sense is right out, thanks to the random assignations of pathways from room to room...(or at least non linear/non adjacent nature... unclear if exit A would always connect to room D, or it sometimes the same exit would connect you to different pathways.. maybe A goes to D, another time it sends you to W.... one makes mapping difficult, the other impossible.) I think what is more telling is the "cheat to win" aspect of the game. "Adults know...children still try" Thinking in less literal terms, adults could be considered the initiated, people who have dealt with and survived the Finn. Game gives another hint; the opening poem doesn't warn off the safety items, it encourages their utility. Therefore this can't be remnant knowledge from a time when the treaty was established. Those items are verboten when using the t'a doorways. Therefore it probably refers to times before the treaty, when every potential interaction was also a potential conflict, thus being representative of a time when the only bridge was the Tower of Ghenjei... Anyone who has been through the ToG knows that to try to navigate their world with our logic means death. If you want to successfully get to where you're trying to go in Finnland, and you try to go from room 1 to 2 to 3 with a blood lusty aelfinn looking for new people skins, ya gonna die. But if you fudge your rolls, move your game piece in/out a ring when no one is looking, you might just have a chance. Which is a fair abstraction for how you move in their world. Children, or the naive, won't understand this type of movement about the board, or how it could be anything other than cheating. But adults know: it's the only way to come out a winner. Alive. Another possible take I just thought of; perhaps the cheating refers not to the nature of travel with their world, but perhaps it refers to the building of the ter'angreal and the setting of the treaty; the only way to win is to build your own path, and set your own rules. Moving on their terms can only lose you the game. Thoughts are fun.
@@knuckle12356 agreed I didn’t mean as actual representation, but remember on the board there are places where you can only move in certain directions I think this was a guide of the the nature of the realm.
@@abigailslade3824 oh I gotcha, not a literal map. Durr. Also wasn't there something about the snakes and foxes moving straight toward the player's pieces, while the players had to move according to the board? That sounds like a great representation of the trouble visitors would come across in trying to navigate the Finn world compared to the locals easy pursuit in their own realm. Countless cases of doubling back whilst the enemy closes in on all sides.
Moridin went there to "rescue" Lanfear. I wonder why she couldn't leave by gateway. Is it not possible to create gateways to that realm? If so, how did Moridin leave? And what bargain did he make to release Lanfear? I presume it was amicable because Moiraine says she heard his voice once say "not her, the other one. Or maybe he did just bully them by threatening the Shadow's wrath.
Naw man, The Adventures of Jain Farstrider was already a book. I'm sure it would be a sequel book in the Fourth Age called The Further Adventures of Jain Farstrider
A friend says these books are full of allegory-lots of mythology metaphors, ethics, some "deep metaphysics" (his words) symbolically woven throughout. Based on this video, though, seems he was wrong.
@@DazedCutty The beauty of these books, is that you can be both right and wrong depending on what you notice when you read them. The books leave room for that.
Just fyi the WOT audio books are on TH-cam right now. I've been. Listening the last month or so and I'm on Crown of Swords. I love it they are free but kinda feel guilty cause I know they are copyrighted.
If you want to feel better about it; use the audible link in my video description. You can get a free audiobook and then only pay a small amount each month and you can listen to them all!
What do you have against the Eelfinn (the snakes)? They would make as good as pets as Aelfinn. How did Slayer get into the Tower? Or did he make it appear he entered the Tower. If Slayer did enter, I want to know how his encounter went.
@@dalehenrickson6243 he didn't go into the tower, that was a bit of unreliable narrator. he tried to trick perrin into entering the tower. EDIT: i see all sorts of things that catch readers in this series, always remember the pov, the narrators are ignorant of allot of things. its why many people call the banner of light (the banner with the ancient symbol of aes'sedai) the dragon banner when perrin points out while walking up to caemlyn the banners flying, and one is the dragon banner, another is what many people are calling the dragon banner. the dragon banner has a dragon on it, the banner of light has the symbol of the light on it, the symbol of the one power, the ancient symbol of the aes'sedai, the banner of light. this series is full of unreliable narrators.
@@dalehenrickson6243 oh, and don't try to say "but perrin was following him easily" what would perrin see if he had jumped straight through the tower to the base of the other side then stepped out of the dream. he would have seen someone appear to disappear into the tower. it was a trick. keep in mind that the fin seem to not care about shadow or light in how they deal with people, morridin killed lanfear because it was just simpler, then he left without a bargain. i think birgitte is right, jumping in there in the dream would make it unlikely that you come out, physically in the dream or not, mat & co barely escape, by cheating.
@@kght222 Slayer head already mastered popping in and out of reality wherever he wanted to go. So going into the tower was no big deal or getting out. Even if he was trying to Trick Perrin to go into the Tower. His encounter with the Eelfinns Would have been uneventful. Any sign of trouble. he gone back into the dreamworld
Careful...foxes bite. A price will always be paid to the Fox and Snake which always higher than expected. I wonder what comes of the tower in the new age? Great video
I think after a while when the nations finish most reconstruction and start becoming more developed outside of just their main cities, people will start looking at the tower, namely scholars from the Rose Academy and people looking to build new towns. Mat will probably try and get Elayne to forbid it, trying to convey the danger and even mention how Bridgette died there as well.
I don't think Slayer actually entered the Tower while in the wolfdream. I think he just shifted out of the dream or away from it. There's no reason Slayer would need to go there or have any idea on how to enter. Just a diversion imo
First mistake. The real world. I'd think you should say is," they are from a different reality but we really don't know because this is fantasy". But the Aelfinn/Eilfiin world's aren't any less real than the world that Rand, Mat, Moraine, Brigitte and her love, Lanfear, Moridin, Jaim Farstrider or any other lived. It was REAL. it just wasn't THEIR or any others reality until they went there. For that matter you could include a great many others who went through the arches it any other entrance, that were described to have done so. Their reality isn't written off as Not Real just because. I hit pause so... Next
You forgot that Birgitte went into the tower in a past life! And she gives Matt a bunch of advice (as much as she can remember) before he ends up going in.
Great questions about how did the story get told, even though Brigitte died in the other world?
@@Project57-pgs maybe because friends of hers at the time knew she was going in, or maybe they gave some of her memories to someone else after?
@@Project57-pgs or she and a Dreamer could have made friends in the dream world, and she could have told them.
@@Project57-pgs there must have been people who got out. Or perhaps the Finn told the story to visitors through the Red Stone Door Terangreals
Yeah, the Tower of Ghenjei is one of the truly mysterious artifacts/entities in the WOT and I've always wondered whether in RJs mind it was supposed to be the origin of them all. The artifacts and entities I'm referring to are the Horn of Valere, the portalstones and Mashadar/Mordeth. All of them seem to use powers beyond the One Power. As they all seem to involve other worlds or souls to some extent.
I agree with you that the portalstones do have a number of things in common in the way they allow you to travel to a different world or to different mirror worlds. As for the Horn, there has to be someone who chooses who gets bound to it and if it isn't the DO or the Creator the only ones who could do it are the Finn. Perhaps Noal dying there before he became a new Hero wasn't coincidence afterall. And the Horn itself reminds me of the artifacts Mat got from the Eelfinn. Perhaps in the distant past someone traded with them for it.
And finally Mordeth/Mashadar. I always found the explanation for their powers rather sketchy and Aridhol is right next door to the ToG. Someone entering it and trading for a power which even the Shadow would fear and run from and it ending up in a disaster like Shadar Logoth would be only fitting.
Oh and I forgot the whole Luc/Isam connection which seems to have been created by the Finn- seeing how Slayer could enter and leave the Tower without too much trouble.
Great post and I agree with these connections and even though I never figured them out myself they all seem to work logically within the universe of the Wheel of Time. Further support for your hypoethsis is that Sindhol and Aridhol (Shadar Logoth's original name) are too similar to be coincidence and I believe that these are some of the breadcrumbs Robert Jordan left for us to uncover by ourselves.
One of my favourite aspects of the series is that not everything was explained which leaves us time to theorize and come up with new explanations or understandings for events and objects in the world even though the series has been finished for almost 8 years. I love these books.
@@MistaZULE Well the names are simply "Neverland" (Sindhol) and "Land of harmony" (Aridhol), so they're basicly just two places with the word "land" in them. The proximity between the two places does support the theory of the Finns being involved though.
@@Omni-kyun Thank you for the correction. So "Dhol" means Land in the Old Tongue so both having the same name makes a lot of sense.
You forgot to mention when Perrin saw the snakes while in the wolf dream near the bore when he was going to find slayer.
When reading about the tower in Eye of the World, you just knew there was some serious foreshadowing.
Did we just know it was foreshadowing though? It seemed to me, both on my first reading and rereadings, that Domon was giving the standard "Aye boys, the world is so much bigger than you know" speech to the wide-eyed farmers. Later revealing that it was the Tower of Ghenjei feels retconned to me. My suspicion is that RJ created a generic "wondrous tower" and only later made it the Tower of Ghenjei to fit it into his growing multiverse.
@@commbir5148 For me, as a reader, it was 1000% foreshadowing even if RJ didn't know exactly what he was going to do with it earlier. Same with the giant statues angreal that held the orbs. You just knew it was going to come back up :)
The first book did great setting up everything that happened later in the series
You didn't mention that Olver was able to win a game of Snakes and Foxes in ToM. I think this was an important moment foreshadowing that it is possible to visit Sindhol and return, especially given his obsession with the game!
I'd like to see video about the deal that was struck with Matt and an analysis of that deal
Yes this
@Pony Boy I'd like people to be nice in youtube comment sections. Too bad I already used my 3 Eelfin wishes.
Sometimes it is fun to see others theory about what happened to confirm yours, or to open new insights. Isn't that why we are all here?
@@silaspeeders8302 ahahahaha! You set no terms! Kindness and peace shall fall across the lands. Though the stillness of the water soon leads to brackish tea.
*[OUTFLOWING OF SUPPORTIVE COMMENTS FOR INCELS, FLAT EARTHERS, & NECKBEARDS JUMP 25000%]*
...ps, om nom nom.
@@DameTara loved you in American Pie.
I think it is possible that the snakes and foxes game is actually based on the story of Moriane's rescue in the prior third age. Mat bases the rescue of the remnants of the tale of himself.
Love the Finn and their world.
But couldn't stop noticing the "I want a pet Aelfinn foxes are cute." Cuz the Eelfinn are the foxes.
Exactly! Now the question is whether that was a mistake or just another level of trolling by Naebs. He’s a sneaky 🦊!
I love how mysterious the tower was.
I love your content! I need more of it!
Who has their fingers crossed for a superbowl trailer!
Someone mentioned spin off in an earlier comment. I always thought Oliver was an obvious spinoff because it seemed clear that he would enter into the doorways to get his own answers in his quest for revenge.
I would love to see a character study on him
Olver*
@@ziegfeld4131 cool bro. Bet you are a hoot at parties
As a Finnish person, we often both refer to ourselves and are referred to as Finns. I find that quite funny. I'd like to think of myself as a fox, if I must choose
The Tower is so awesome, I was intrigued the first time they saw it in eotw, and it was a great plotline
The tower of Ghenjei, the portal stones, all the things that are one step older than old...so intriguing. And I get that there needed to be a sense of mystery to make it great, but damn if I didn't want more info, more more more, on all the old stuff.
I just finished Towers of Midnight last week, my second trip through the series, first time on audiobook. It's an excellent scene, all these loose threads around Mat's memories snapping into place while his luck just twists the Pattern to his will -- and, as Mat does -- he accidentally fumbles it for a last second save. I was also trying to imagine it on the screen, and the absolute eerie horror they could give it.
They are basically the WoT's version of Elves. Aelfinn and especially the Eelfinn have characteristics very similar to the Fey. Tall and thin, weakness to iron and fire, love of music. @Naeblis what do you think?
Decided to check out your sponsor for my hubby's birthday.
My only regret about the Tower is that Moraine wasn't in the story much after her rescue.
I just read the part where they talk about this in Knife of Dreams last night
Chapter 10 A village in Shiota. I read it yesterday! 😁👍
Love you and your content Nae'blis. Last year I read WoT through for the first time and I absolutely adored it. Watching your content since then has only added to my enjoyment and appreciation of this series I'm more than happy to now call my favourite. Started a re read last week. Thanks for the effort and time dude
This is one of my favoirite things about this series is the depth. I wished we got a one off of these guys. Maybe a small novella. Oh well.
Great upload, listening to WoT (again) on audible and Matt just entered the tower, needed a refresher on the Snakes and Foxes and their bloody tower.
The Tower was one of the coolest things in the series, thanks for including this in your videos! I agree with others that it would be great to see a video that focuses on Mat’s dealings with the Finns.
combine the portal stones with the ogier = the finn. both are from different realities and interact with the "main" reality. the ogier actually went there and established extensions of their reality into the "main" reality, the finn established a single intrusion of their reality into the "main" reality. its a giant artificial portal stone powered by the standing waves, we know that the one power works in their reality and that the standing waves were once a thing, just because they were destroyed in the "main" reality to me (in other words obviously my opinion) doesn't mean that they stopped working in the finn's reality, for all we know that is where the standing waves (or ability to create them) came from. hell, their hunger to feed on the one power ability might be related.
EDIT: might be "standing flows", it isn't mentioned much in the books.
Another great video Nae’blis! Great information on the Tower of Ghenji. One of my favorite locations in the books.
I've always preferred stories where everything isn't explicitly revealed to me. The WOT wouldn't have worked nearly as well if Jordan explained every momentous thing. Instead, he wisely showed us what the character saw from their perspective. And usually, the characters didn't understand everything in the WOT.
Exactly my thoughts. The unreliable narrator and the whole "legend=myth and myth becomes forgotten" idea is a constant thoughout the series leaves just enough mystery for us to theorize about for years after the series concluded. I remember reading about the Tower in Eye of the World and became so invested in the mystery of why it was there and what could have made it that the payoff in Towers of Midnight was legendary. I don't think I was so excited for a revelation 12 books in the making. It was so damn good.
True.
I love this series. That being said, there are things wrong with it. One of the things I thought was consistently brilliant was characters acting in good faith on bad information.
It's a primitive time and even the closest of allies constantly posture and scheme amongst/against one another. To assume that information wouldn't get messed up, whether or not by design, at least some of the time, is ridic.
And often things don't get wrapped up or explained after the fact, ppl just have to keep on keeping on. Always loved that.
When I first read the series, I thought the Finn would be a later series, and therefore introduced to generate interest. I'd say they have done that. Facts are scarce as to the Finn and how they relate to this dimension, or other dimensions. The potential for other series is undeniable. Jordan was a master of dividing, adding story lines and bringing them back into relavance later. Perhaps Harriet knows the plans, but if so, she isn't saying.
I love how the mystery of the tower remains how it is. Thanks for the video.
In my opinion this was one of the most interesting pay offs of the series. But I would have loved to have another venture or two into the tower. Or maybe an encounter with the finns out of the tower.
I hope they have it in the show
It's super weird and would be difficult to depict, but I would hate to lose the finns.
@@victorschinstock5887 True, the Finns would be easier to do with the doorways instead of the tower. But they would have to do something with the Moraine rescue
They need to have it
Oh, and they have to have that Letter she wrote to Thom. That was straightup delicious.
I really liked the foreshadowing behind it. The payoff was great.
Thanks for what you’re doing! I hope this channel explodes when the show comes out (I think it will)
When I read Towers of Midnight I was surprised that the Aelfinn and Eelfinn live together, whereas previously it seemed they were in their own separate worlds since two different ter-angreal are used to meet them.
I think the world of the finn is super interesting, Wish we had more short stories and details about peoples interactions with it over the ages.
you are truly the nae'blis, you want a sentient creature as a pet.
Oh yeah I think a cool video idea might be what if the Seanchan invaded just as Rand was born so the main story can still happen like maybe the aes sedi are on the run and Morayne could pass through save the two rivers take Mat, Perin and Rand to through the mountains of mist while flee the seachan and the shadow
Oh yeah does watching the adds help you’re revenue
Yes! Bourbon is fantastic! And now onto the Tower of Ghenjei
One of the best things about the WoT is that many mysteries remain mostly mysterious
Yeah, and the absolute worst thing is the length of time it took RJ to publish, coupled with his untimely passing. It would be great to have supplementary stories, explore different ages, etc. And even if RJ had moved on and no longer wanted to write about the WoT, other authors could champion the world, and we would still have a living authority to say "nah, that ain't it." Or "that's exactly how it went down, I would think..." Having that "veto power" until the obscure subjects were explored a little more in depth would be invaluable. Or just a canon/non canon stamp for published works. (No I don't mean a literal stamp.)
The various star wars novels come to mind. Also the Mandalorian. George Lucas isn't really involved with either entities, but the Mando at least is canon, and some novels are, while others aren't. That franchise is so fleshed out at this point the lore is fairly mapped out, and it's easier to see what colors outside the lines. But with the scope of the WoT world, and the thematic nature of information obscurity therein, not having that living ex machina to "grade the test" is felt, most acutely.
I just wish we had more of the storyline set in the tower as well as more interactions with the Finns!!
Btw, how amazing isn't the passage when Mat, Moiraine and Thom escape the Tower and Thom keeps them off with his singing/music!! Especially when narrated by Michael Kramer!! Who btw should be rewarded with a minor role in the series together with Kate! :D
Great video, dude! Big up!
It would be awesome to hear from the aliens in the tower of genjai perspective
Great explanation of the Tower.
I want a Snakes and Foxes game to hit the market after the show comes out. You could make it winnable by adding a “Mat” element that would give you the ability to win with a lucky throw of the dice.
Tower reminds me of pseudoscience Erich Von Daniken (Metal Tower he writes about)(1st Age Easter egg?)
Also, it makes me think of some hinted character interaction ex. Androl knowing Jain Farstrider.
Because I like to drink bourbon...
You've got my attention, sir.
It's quite beautiful the way it works out in the narrative actually. There's a very Tom Bombadil-esque vibe to the involvement of the Finn. They're also involved in one of the greatest mysteries in the books... generally, the murder of Asmodean as many have guessed either Moiraine or Lanfear to somehow be involved. To this day, even given the answer, there are those who believe an answer lies beyond, in the lands of the Finn.
That would be one vicious Tom Bombadil!! :D
To me, the Bombadil vibe came very strongly from the Green Man.
(Book 1, when Jordan was actually blinking/nodding to his love of Tolkien)
@@ChristmasLore TB came to mind for me as well, though not till the very end. After Rand had beaten the final boss, and unlocked his pattern-weaver achievement, it felt like his life within the 4th age would be one similar to old Tom. Imbued with a power that is clearly greater than human, and wholly unlike anything else experienced in the world. Someone with a bigger view of the world, and how it truly works. Also the feeling that Rand had "graduated" past having to utilize the OP to manipulate the world to directly affecting the shape of the pattern to manipulate REALITY (my take on his pipe lighting,) felt very similar to how Tom was above the One Ring's sphere of influence, and could see Frodo while in wraith mode.
And Tolkein was pretty clear that Tom wasn't Illuvitar (forgive my spelling, pls) but was something very special, with a unique world knowledge or insight. So too we find Rand, at peace in himself, content, but in possession of a power that seems directly tied to his awareness of the True Nature of the Pattern. Wasn't Tom described as smiling as if at some private joke? Can't recall, but again, both characters exude extra-worldly experience and awareness.
I can’t wait for the new wheel of time Amazon show to come out because if it is good we’ll get a load of new fan art and get a load of new fans and more people we’ll be watching your videos. And we might get more books and information books about the ages. We might even get a book on adventures of the 4th age
Dude I love your little whiteboards. Lol.
When Matt rolls a one with two dice 🎲 🎲
Great video, your not the only one that would like a pet Aelfinn.
Awesome channel!
Excellent video about the tower!
One recommendation for your videos -- for your section header title cards, could you also insert you (or someone else, if you want to make it clear that it's a section change) audibly reading them? (e.g. saying "Snakes and Foxes" out loud when you display that title card.) This would help any visually impaired listener better enjoy your content. Thank you!
I love this story line. I would love to learn more about the Finn. I too hope they can make it to the screen. Woot! to Woodford Reserve.
Great subject But, Does anybody know how to handle the book cover crisis behind Nabils? Blood and ashes!
I forgot his name but the kid that Mat basically adopts actually won the game without cheating. I can't remember which book it was but I distinctly remember him winning and how the person he was playing with was shocked.
Olver was the kid and Talmanes doesn't believe him, I think it's in the Towers of Midnight
It happened when Mat, Thom, & Moraine escaped from the tower - ie they won - olver's game reflected this.
Always willing to talk bourbon. Try Larceny, my current favorite at a very surprisingly low price point.
First flashing thought was this was a tactic to secure booze, not a brand recommendation. 😆
Just a thought maybe the game board is an actual representation of the world of the Finn, and you could use it as a map, if you knew where your starting position was.
Mapping in any conventional sense is right out, thanks to the random assignations of pathways from room to room...(or at least non linear/non adjacent nature... unclear if exit A would always connect to room D, or it sometimes the same exit would connect you to different pathways.. maybe A goes to D, another time it sends you to W.... one makes mapping difficult, the other impossible.)
I think what is more telling is the "cheat to win" aspect of the game. "Adults know...children still try" Thinking in less literal terms, adults could be considered the initiated, people who have dealt with and survived the Finn. Game gives another hint; the opening poem doesn't warn off the safety items, it encourages their utility. Therefore this can't be remnant knowledge from a time when the treaty was established. Those items are verboten when using the t'a doorways. Therefore it probably refers to times before the treaty, when every potential interaction was also a potential conflict, thus being representative of a time when the only bridge was the Tower of Ghenjei... Anyone who has been through the ToG knows that to try to navigate their world with our logic means death. If you want to successfully get to where you're trying to go in Finnland, and you try to go from room 1 to 2 to 3 with a blood lusty aelfinn looking for new people skins, ya gonna die. But if you fudge your rolls, move your game piece in/out a ring when no one is looking, you might just have a chance. Which is a fair abstraction for how you move in their world. Children, or the naive, won't understand this type of movement about the board, or how it could be anything other than cheating. But adults know: it's the only way to come out a winner. Alive.
Another possible take I just thought of; perhaps the cheating refers not to the nature of travel with their world, but perhaps it refers to the building of the ter'angreal and the setting of the treaty; the only way to win is to build your own path, and set your own rules. Moving on their terms can only lose you the game.
Thoughts are fun.
@@knuckle12356 agreed I didn’t mean as actual representation, but remember on the board there are places where you can only move in certain directions I think this was a guide of the the nature of the realm.
@@abigailslade3824 oh I gotcha, not a literal map. Durr. Also wasn't there something about the snakes and foxes moving straight toward the player's pieces, while the players had to move according to the board? That sounds like a great representation of the trouble visitors would come across in trying to navigate the Finn world compared to the locals easy pursuit in their own realm. Countless cases of doubling back whilst the enemy closes in on all sides.
Know what I love most about the Fandom? I've yet to read a single "tl;dr" in any conversation... 😆 lol, it would be hypocrisy of the highest order.
@@knuckle12356 that is so true, can read 14/15 books that are doorstop size but an extra long paragraph is just too much lol
Moridin went there to "rescue" Lanfear.
I wonder why she couldn't leave by gateway. Is it not possible to create gateways to that realm? If so, how did Moridin leave? And what bargain did he make to release Lanfear? I presume it was amicable because Moiraine says she heard his voice once say "not her, the other one. Or maybe he did just bully them by threatening the Shadow's wrath.
Reading through the series now in Chinese. Hopefully I can keep my drive up to make it this far.
The adventures of Jayne Farstrider
Naw man, The Adventures of Jain Farstrider was already a book. I'm sure it would be a sequel book in the Fourth Age called The Further Adventures of Jain Farstrider
Think you hit on everything.
Have a grand day
Don't forget that Olver actually won the game once.
You missed out the time Mat won snakes and foxes.... :(
I like your intro!
Ooooo great topic!!
I wondered if the tower is some kind of space craft and they are extra terrestrial beings. Freaky ET’s for sure.
The Aelfin showing its teeth you showed looks a lot like Danny Elfman. Maybe....you don't think....
I'mma have to give you a C+ for this one.
I did give you a thumbs up despite the low grade though.
A friend says these books are full of allegory-lots of mythology metaphors, ethics, some "deep metaphysics" (his words) symbolically woven throughout. Based on this video, though, seems he was wrong.
He is not wrong
@@DazedCutty The beauty of these books, is that you can be both right and wrong depending on what you notice when you read them. The books leave room for that.
Why no mention of Rand going to the tower through the doorways?
I feel that the snakes and foxes were not explained well if just reading the books.
Lol i would be terrified of a pet aelfinn
is it confirmed that slayer entered the tower? i always thought he was trying to trick perrin into going into it.
Also a big fan of Woodford Reserve!
There was a lot you screwed up I description But .... Not necessarily missed
I always wondered, can you Chanel inside the tower?
Where did Mat get the clue to use a bronze dagger on the tower??? I can't remember for the life of me.
I think it was Bridgette
Just fyi the WOT audio books are on TH-cam right now. I've been. Listening the last month or so and I'm on Crown of Swords. I love it they are free but kinda feel guilty cause I know they are copyrighted.
If you want to feel better about it; use the audible link in my video description. You can get a free audiobook and then only pay a small amount each month and you can listen to them all!
Have you tried Weller Special Reserve Bourbon? Delicious
What do you have against the Eelfinn (the snakes)? They would make as good as pets as Aelfinn.
How did Slayer get into the Tower? Or did he make it appear he entered the Tower. If Slayer did enter, I want to know how his encounter went.
you are just as evil as the nae'blis, you also want a sentient creature as a pet.
Slayer entered physically through the dream world to the tower.
@@dalehenrickson6243 he didn't go into the tower, that was a bit of unreliable narrator. he tried to trick perrin into entering the tower.
EDIT: i see all sorts of things that catch readers in this series, always remember the pov, the narrators are ignorant of allot of things. its why many people call the banner of light (the banner with the ancient symbol of aes'sedai) the dragon banner when perrin points out while walking up to caemlyn the banners flying, and one is the dragon banner, another is what many people are calling the dragon banner. the dragon banner has a dragon on it, the banner of light has the symbol of the light on it, the symbol of the one power, the ancient symbol of the aes'sedai, the banner of light. this series is full of unreliable narrators.
@@dalehenrickson6243 oh, and don't try to say "but perrin was following him easily" what would perrin see if he had jumped straight through the tower to the base of the other side then stepped out of the dream. he would have seen someone appear to disappear into the tower. it was a trick. keep in mind that the fin seem to not care about shadow or light in how they deal with people, morridin killed lanfear because it was just simpler, then he left without a bargain. i think birgitte is right, jumping in there in the dream would make it unlikely that you come out, physically in the dream or not, mat & co barely escape, by cheating.
@@kght222 Slayer head already mastered popping in and out of reality wherever he wanted to go. So going into the tower was no big deal or getting out. Even if he was trying to Trick Perrin to go into the Tower. His encounter with the Eelfinns Would have been uneventful. Any sign of trouble. he gone back into the dreamworld
The Finn are malware in the source code of the Pattern.
You, sir, get a like and subscribe for the Woodford Reserve plug.
Aelfinn are the snakes.
For some reason I had always thought it was a nod to The Tale of Genji. Too much anime I guess.
Naeblis wants a Fox Girl?
Kitsune Waifu Wanted
Careful...foxes bite.
A price will always be paid to the Fox and Snake which always higher than expected.
I wonder what comes of the tower in the new age?
Great video
I think after a while when the nations finish most reconstruction and start becoming more developed outside of just their main cities, people will start looking at the tower, namely scholars from the Rose Academy and people looking to build new towns. Mat will probably try and get Elayne to forbid it, trying to convey the danger and even mention how Bridgette died there as well.
Land of the Finns or Finland 🤪
How did Olver win Snakes and Foxes? I feel like I’m missing something here because I’m dumb. Sadge.
Spoiler alert
To give up half the light of the world to save the world
The Tower of Ghenjei is where the Iron Giant lies buried, having a 'special' dream.
I don't think Slayer actually entered the Tower while in the wolfdream. I think he just shifted out of the dream or away from it. There's no reason Slayer would need to go there or have any idea on how to enter. Just a diversion imo
same. i think he was trying to trick perrin into going in.
First comment for the first time.
First mistake. The real world. I'd think you should say is," they are from a different reality but we really don't know because this is fantasy". But the Aelfinn/Eilfiin world's aren't any less real than the world that Rand, Mat, Moraine, Brigitte and her love, Lanfear, Moridin, Jaim Farstrider or any other lived. It was REAL. it just wasn't THEIR or any others reality until they went there. For that matter you could include a great many others who went through the arches it any other entrance, that were described to have done so. Their reality isn't written off as Not Real just because. I hit pause so... Next
Oh... I forgot Thom
Omg, stop saying "That world and the Real world". It should be "their world and our world" .
May I suggest the content not start 20% into the video.