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« on: January 01, 2009, 07:59:37 PM »
RAFO - Read And Find Out, which was RJ's classic phrase to answer questions involving points he didn't want to reveal.
One last thing about Moiraine - for RJ to go through all this work to outline a plot to save Moiraine, the strong hints of her future relationship with Thom, and the detailed rules involving the Finns that include a definite way to "cheat" them, and then just have her be dead already or do nothing in the story is extremely unlikely. Mat's not going to lose an eye just for the fun of the adventure.... As for the world of the Finns, Moiraine stated earlier in the story (The Shadow Rising) "That world is... folded... in strange ways", but it is also unlikely it is some kind of life/death dimension. RJ was asked about it in 2000 and he said that world had natural laws, although drastically different from our own. The world of the Finns is most definitely real, and so Moiraine is still alive and waiting, as previously indicated.
The manner of Rand's death and living again is, as mentioned by others, one of the big mysteries of the last book. I actually think it quite unlikely Nynaeve will have anything to do with it, but I wouldn't be surprised. It is probably more likely that it has something to do with Moridin and the body swap, however.
Shaggy, your point about the story never ending is actually pretty accurate. That is the whole point of the story: "There are neither beginnings nor endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time." If the Wheel were to be destroyed, everything RJ wrote about, the philosophy of everything repeating would have to be ignored. Remember, our time has already occurred in Rand's time, and will eventually occur again. Think of the legends and tales Randlanders tell each other, involving Elsbet the queen of the whole world, Mosk & Merk fighting each other, Lenn flying to the moon...these are all obvious references to our recent history. If the Wheel were to stop turning, that would mean that our world would not occur again. While that is possible, I would suggest it extremely unlikely.
Also, in Lord of Chaos, Herid Fel tells Rand that the Dark One needs to be sealed in his prison for the Wheel of Time to turn. If the Dark One breaks free, he will break the Wheel of Time and remake Time and the world in his own image. Actually, that entire discussion (chapter 16) between Rand & Herid reveals a lot of interesting details regarding the Wheel philosophy.
Finally, it's "Gawyn", not Gawain...even though that's the legendary character that RJ obviously modeled Gawyn after.