Skip to main content

the wheel of time - Is Olver actually Gaidal Cain?


In the Wheel of Time series, especially the last few books we hear a lot about the relationship between Birgitte and Gaidal Cain. We also know very little about Olver other than that his family are dead (father killed by Aiel if I remember correctly), and that he is a rather ugly and short boy.


Birgitte makes reference to Gaidal being reborn at some stage before she was thrown out of Tel'aran'rhiod, though she doesn't know exactly how long in normal world time. From memory, she also says that Gaidal was short, and not exactly a pretty man...


Taking all this into account, is there any evidence that Olver is in fact Gaidal Cain?



Answer



No, he isn't.


This has been confirmed and explained by Robert Jordan himself, see point 23 in this interview report from Theoryland:



Is Olver Gaidal Cain?



RJ: No. I didn't really think that this would last as long as it has. The timing is wrong. He has another reason for being there besides being a red herring, though.


He's too old.


RJ: Yes. Time in Tel'aran'rhiod and the real world run at different rates, but it never runs backwards. You may spend an hour in Tel'aran'rhiod, and a day has passed when you get back, or you may spend a day, and an hour has passed when you get back, but you'll never go in on Tuesday and come back on Monday.


Is the difference in time constant?


RJ: No. It's fairly random. Sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes the same as real time.


It's different for different people, then?


RJ: Yes. Unless they're together in Tel'aran'rhiod. Then the same amount of time passes for them obviously.



So what specifically does RJ mean by "The timing is wrong"? Well, one of the first times Elayne meets Birgitte in Tel'aran'rhiod, Gaidal was also there (and disapproved of Birgitte speaking to Elayne); so he must have been reborn after that time, both in Tel'aran'rhiod and in the waking world. But Olver is much more than a year old, so he must have born years before even the start of the WoT series. Thus, Olver cannot be Gaidal Cain. QED.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

futurama - How much time is lost in 'Time Keeps on Slippin''

In time Keeps on Slippin' , Farnsworth creates a basketball team which he matures by abusing Chronitons. This leads to time skipping forward by random, but ever increasing amounts. How much time was skipped in this way? Answer Unfortunately, I don't think a good estimate can be made for this, for two reasons: Many of the time skips move forward by an indeterminate amount of time. At one point, the Professor mentions localized regions of space skipping forward much more than others. We then see two young boys on the street below complaining about having to pay social security, only to suddenly become senior citizens and start complaining about wanting their money. Thus, each individual could have experienced a different amount of time skippage.
Post a Comment
Read more

game of thrones - Is Syrio Forel dead?

In the episode 'The Pointy End' (Season 1 Episode 8) when Arya runs from the Lannister guards you hear the sound of a sword being dropped (around 4:56): [embedded content] After that neither Syrio or Ser Meryn Trant is never mentioned or seen in the show again, except when Arya mentions to the Hound that Ser Meryn Trant killed Syrio. Is there any mention in the books that Syrio actually dies?
Post a Comment
Read more

tolkiens legendarium - Difference between elves and dwarves blacksmithing in the Lord of the Rings

Both the elves and the dwarves were famous for their metal work in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but what is the difference between what they made, and which one had the better skill of making amours and swords? Answer James Christopher's answer sums up the second part of your question well, but as to the difference in what they made, a little more detail is needed. Once the Elves learned to forge with steel, the shape of the sword changed, now being able to take on the form of a great broadsword or a light and agile curved sword. Additionally, they took great pride in decorating their swords. As we see in the Lord of the Rings , some swords like Sting had magical properties such as glowing blue when orcs are near. As far as the use of Mithril, lotr.wikia has two contradictory passages: Thus, Elven blades became renowned as great weapons, capable of performing deeds beyond the skill of their handlers and were even more glorious when the use of Mithril was allowed to the Elves. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

How do Pokemon trainers collect their winnings?

According to Bulbapedia , Prize money is the money that a Trainer pays out at the end of a battle. So we know that the money comes directly from the trainer that just lost, and not some third-party committee or sponsor. But how is this done? It can be easy seeing the random trainers who challenge you along the way wanting to wager and then, after admitting defeat, sticking to their word and handing over their hard-earned pokebucks. Then there are the likes of Team Rocket and Giovanni, who also give money once they lose. This doesn't seem like something people in a criminal organization would willingly do. From this it appears that trainers have no say in whether or not they cough up the dough after losing, but I can't find anything on how exactly the funds are transferred from loser to winner. So how do Pokemon trainers receive their winnings?
Post a Comment
Read more