In rereading, I've come across a curious situation. The Dragon has been reborn, but what of his lost love? Ilyena, killed in his madness, is curiously unmentioned. Now, it is possible that she simply was not reborn, but given Lews Therin's mourning of her, and his unwavering dedication to the woman who captured his heart, I think it likely that she is or will be. This is where things get murky. Robert Jordan named a character so similarly, Elayne, that we immediately assume her to be Ilyena reborn. I don't dispute this. Rand loved her from that first meeting, and she him, to the extent that she sought him and he dreamed of her, above Egwene. The pattern matches that of his previous life, when he left Mieren behind to be with Ilyena. There seems to be no doubt that Elayne is Ilyena reborn. Or, is there? Rand fell in love with not one, but three women, under similar circumstances, and can't seem to pick one over the others. This is at odds with Lews Therin's ultimate dedication to his love. Elayne, Min, and Aviendha have wed him, and he's connected on levels with each of them. Their relationship seems powerful enough that - should he die and be reborn - he would feel incomplete without them. The question is, how does this map with Ilyena, his soulmate? There's a passage that may apply, though so cryptic, it's difficult to tell. ------------ TITLE: Gathering Storm CHAPTER: 48 - Reading the Commentary <blockquote><p> With that thought in mind, Min leaned back on her cushioned bench and reopened her current book, a work by Sajius that was simply titled Commentary on the Dragon. One line in it teased at her, a sentence mostly ignored by those who had written commentary. He shall hold a blade of light in his hands, and the three shall be one. </p></blockquote> ------------ It's generally assumed that this refers to Rand, Lews Therin, and Moridin/Ishamael, due to the balefire-induced bond. However, with the end of The Gathering Storm, Rand and Lews Therin are now one, and Moridin is still independent. No blade of light was involved, and we now have two instead of three. This would tend to suggest that they are not those mentioned. Getting back to Rand's wives, there's an odd pattern in their names. Aviendha, Elmindreda, Elayne. Each bears a similarity to the name Ilyena. This could be coincedental, but knowing Robert Jordan's penchant for subtle clues and attention to detail, I find that unlikely. That he named all three so closely to Lews Therin's wife's name seems like an odd accident, particularly when you consider how few (if any) other characters share the similarity. So if we accept that it was no accident, is it possible that Ilyena's soul/thread has been split, and that she was reborn in three bodies? It's unprecedented, certainly, but he's never said it couldn't happen. Perhaps the three mentioned are, in fact, Aviendha, Min, and Elayne, and that they will become one (either symbolically, by acting together; literally, through some sort of powerful incident; or with their death, the fragments of thread recombining.) Look again at the talents of the three. Aviendha and Elayne have each rediscovered lost things, almost without thinking of it, but acting reflexively. Of the other characters, this has only happened with those who are reborn - otherwise, the discoveries are identified as minor tricks, things which are puzzled out; as opposed to seeming a barely recalled memory. Min is the exception again, not channeling, and with her peculiar gift. Her ability to read the pattern may be a talent, or it could possibly be some indication of having lived the pattern before. (That's a big question mark.) There are still events set to transpire that require the presence of all three (Elayne creating a ter'angreal hand for Rand; the three standing over his funeral bier; the three in a boat), but I suspect we have a great deal more to learn about their relationship.