An obvious one, but whenever you encounter any prophecy, take a moment to really mull it over.
this post was submitted on 08 Sep 2023
2 points (75.0% liked)
Wheel of Time
295 readers
1 users here now
Discussion of the Wheel of Time Books and Show.
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
By lookout which of these do you mean?
- You want to avoid potential soft spoilers
Or
- You want somebody to gently say “take note of this… it’ll be a pleasant surprise later”
Or
- To say “This thing that just happened? Huge. Like by the end of the book(s)/arc it’s surprising that with just this little tidbit you could have foreseen everything that will happen if you knew what to look for?”
note: this is meant generally and is unrelated to the eventsyou described
I will say, since to me it seems you’re asking more along the lines of #2 that in the books there’s a kind of… echo and repetition to human events and the wheel of time. Everything that has happened has already happened and will happen again. Not exactly the same but, like a river, there will be variation but over the years the same general path flowing and meandering.
So while there may not be as much foreshadowing where it’s obvious something will happen there are some elements where it’s “of course this happened because it had to”.
Thanks for the thoroughness!
For me, definitely 2, but even with a bit of 3 thrown in if it’s vague and fun and not at all spoilery if possible.
That being said, what you’ve said is already helpful because I didn’t know that that’s what many referred to when they mentioned foreshadowing.
If you're a fan of foreshadowing you picked a great series, its everywhere. Heres some things I would like to note note
First, watch out for characters talking about their own future. Ex. "I'll X before I ever Y" a few of these end up more literal than you might expect in fun ways.
Second some characters have strong parallels with mythological figures, and catching those hints can be very revealing
Third, keep an eye on any and all Aes Sedai you see. The Aes Sedai are very inderect, and often are working towards their own aims in the background, they're worth paying attention to if you can keep their names straight XD
Fourth, watch for language / customs. Robert Jordan created a rich and diverse word and often you can catch things where people use specific language expected of certain groups but not others.
Hopefully those are fun hints to get you started, but dont expect to catch most things the first time through. The foreshadowing is such that I find new things every time I read through the books and I've been reading them on and off for over 20 years. I hope you enjoy the books and the series!
Thanks so much for the reply!
I’m a little confused what you mean by language. Are saying that some people might use phrases from or even the specific language of a group other than the wine they’re supposed to belong to?
Yes, many characters good and bad will try to pass themselves off as things they are not. You'll see this from both perspectives at various points too. For one example what a character calls a myrdraal can tell you where they are from, and what they call an aes sedai can clue you in to some political leanings. Some of these foreshadow pretty large events