Mat's Memories

Joined
Aug 24, 2010
Messages
56
Age
47
Location
Baltimore, MD
I recently discovered Audible, and am in the middle of my first ever listen through of the WoT; I have read all the books many, many times, but listening is an interesting experience. I am currently on Lord of Chaos, and just finished the scene of Mat dancing with the serving girl in their inn. During the scene Mat is reflecting on the memories that he received in Rhuidean, and it crossed my mind that perhaps the memories are from his past lives, as opposed to just random Generals of history. I am sure this is not an original idea, but I don't think I have seen it discussed anywhere. Has this been revealed by RJ or BS anywhere?
 

Jeffan Caliarthan

Aes Sedai
Joined
Feb 14, 2005
Messages
7,130
Location
Seattle, WA
Pronouns
  1. They - Them
  2. He - Him
From Theoryland:

QUESTION
Are all of Mat’s memories from his past lives?
ROBERT JORDAN
No, Mat’s “old” memories are not from his past lives at all. The “sickness” he got from the Shadar Logoth dagger resulted in holes in his memory. He found whole stretches of his life that seemed to be missing. When he passed through the “doorframe” ter’angreal in Rhuidean, one of the things he said – not knowing that the rules here were different than in the other ter’angreal he had used – was that he wanted the holes in his memory filled up, meaning that he wanted to recover his own memories. In this place, however, it was not a matter of asking questions and receiving answers, but of striking bargains for what you want. What he received for that particular demand was memories gathered by the people on that side of the ter’angreal, memoriesfrom many men, all long dead, from many cultures. And since not everyone passing by has the nerve to journey through a ter’angreal to some other world, the memories he received were those of adventurers and soldiers and men of daring.

WEEK 12 QUESTION
You stated in another interview that Mat's memories came from adventurers who traveled through the ter'angreal. However several of Mat's memories end with the adventurer dying. Since adventurers probably didn't go through the ter'angreal after they died, how could the 'Finns have obtained these memories?
ROBERT JORDAN
A good question. I was wondering when someone would ask that. I expected it as soon as Mat started revealing those old memories. At least a partial answer will be coming up in the next main sequence book, so I guess you could say this is a RAFO. But I will say that if I said those adventurers all entered through the two ter'angreal, I misspoke. A good many entered through the Tower of Ghenjei, which was more widely known in earlier years, if never exactly a household name.
 

Jeffan Caliarthan

Aes Sedai
Joined
Feb 14, 2005
Messages
7,130
Location
Seattle, WA
Pronouns
  1. They - Them
  2. He - Him
Absolutely. :D Theoryland's Interview Database is super amazing and an invaluable resource.
 

Aduiavas Ida

Aes Sedai
Head of the White Ajah
Joined
Jun 10, 2008
Messages
20,137
Age
34
Location
Drøbak, Norway
Pronouns
  1. She - Her
Yeah, it was probably luck or ta'veren or both that gave him the exact memories he needed to become a great general and all that, albeit grudgingly :p

The only old memory that is "his" is the one from Manetheren, that he remembered after being Healed from the Shadar Logoth dagger...

And I am also listening to the book on Audible atm, I am at Path of Daggers. It do really give a new level of understanding, especially because I can't just skip the long sequences of descriptions or explanations like I often do when I read.
 
Top