The Heroes and the Horn

Q: What happens to Birgitte if the Horn of Valere is sounded again? 
A: Read and find out, my children, read and find out. :)

Q: Aside from the Heroes of the Horn waiting around in the World of Dreams, is there any kind of afterlife in WOT? Do the Heroes get a choice when they are linked to the Horn; can they retire, or take 'ordinary life' sabaticals?
A: In answer to the first question, yes, there is an ordinary afterlife. In answer to the second, no. You cannot decide NOT to be a hero linked to the Wheel.

Q: Mr.Jordan, since Gaidal Cain has been born only recently in the WOT universe, how is it that he will grow old enough to fight in the upcoming battle (Tarmon gaidon)? it will take at least 15 years for him to grow big enough to fight. and what about the other heroes? will the also be reborn, or will they remain to be recalled only by the horn?
A: Who says that what Gaidal has been reborn to do is to fight the last battle? There is more to do to keep the pattern on course than the last battle

Q: In The Great Hunt, you showed us Trayal, the Ogier without a soul. And he could still walk. Barely, but he could still walk. So, the body retains some skill without the soul. How.. how's that.. divided?
A: Think of it as.. ah, as what is autonomic, nervous-system really, autonomic nerve reflexes. You still breathe, you still move, but I would not... I would not ask him to play the flute.
Q: Language skills?
A: Ehm.. no.
Q: Absolutely nothing at all?
A: Absolutely nothing. Unless it's done in the form of a Gray Man. Which is a voluntary ahh.. rejection of your own soul. In that case, there are other skills, higher function. That's a matter of making a deal with the Dark One, and there are other prices to be paid from that.
(Yup, that was me again. Olver-Cain suddenly begins to look dim to me.)

It is not a matter of the lives being forced necessarily. It's wide, you have the Pattern, the Heroes that are bound to the Wheel, they're not always heroes in the way of someone who rides in galloping with a sword, or carries out daring rescues. The people, the Heroes who are bound to the Wheel, are the corrective mechanisms. Human behaviour is throwing the Pattern out. It's throwing the balance off. And the Wheel spins out the proper correctives.

Reports from signings

Q: "Is this soul born in any other age, or only at the advent and (theoretically, of course) the closing of the Third Age, as The Dragon/TDR?"
A: This soul is one of the Heroes, and bound to the Wheel, spun out as the Pattern wills.  "It" is born in other ages, but in a non-Dragon incarnation, to suit the pattern of that Age.  In the course of this answer, he related this to why Hawkwing calls Rand "Lews Therin" at Falme--because Hawkwing recognizes this Soul.  This didn't really tell me why he specifically calls him "LTT", but apparently they've been hangin' together in T'A'R and the etiquette there is to call each other by the name of your last incarnation.  (My interpretation.)
Q: Hawkwing says they follow the banner and the Dragon.  Moiraine says the Heroes will follow whoever winds the horn.  Was Moiraine wrong?
A: *Arch look* Moiraine doesn't know everything.  She was speaking the truth as she knows it.  (I took this to imply that Moir was misinformed, and the conflict resolved, until he continued.)  However, she *is* correct in that whoever sounds the horn "controls the Heroes."  [exact quote] (I started to get confused at this point.  Is Moir right or is she wrong?  What's he trying to tell me?)
Q: "Then what happens if the Dragon and the banner are on opposite sides of the conflict from whoever sounds the horn?"
A:  "Then we get a [rift] in the Pattern."  [1] (This elicited a _pronounced_ Startled Moment from Harriet, which I took at the time to express the same reaction as me--"A *WHAT*?!?"--but which Kevin told me later he interpreted to be more along the lines of "I can't believe you're telling them that!" It could, of course, mean
something entirely different.) At this point, part of my mind was running wild down paths about the Dark One and potential entrances into the Pattern, while the rest of it remained stunned, frozen, in absolute denial:  "A _WHAT_?!?" I remain steadfastly in denial about this one.  Oh, sure.  He *did* say it, and if it becomes relevant, he'll work it in, no doubt.  But I firmly believe he Made This Up.  If the DO was aware of this, it seems to me that he'd be working a _lot_ harder on making this happen, since it would seem to represent the equivalent of a serious "crack in the door to the Pattern."  It's so much less work than using up all your main players (Chosen) in inefficient, conflicting plots and setting up Rand for "easily escapable situations involving an overly elaborate and
exotic Death."  [2]
[1]  I'm not certain if this is the exact word he used.  It may have been "schism" or "breach," but it was definitely a word expressing the concept of a forced opening/rupture.  Sorry.  It was lost in the momentary brain freeze.
[2]  Moridin, of course.  He's overly elaborate and exotic even *before* he puts on his silk coats. Now that was what I call a long report! - Raina.

Female dragon..NO when a female hero is needed she is one of the ones bound to the wheel. Jordan did mention a name but i didnt hear it. But he did say the Dragon is never female.

Let's try and clear some of this up... I can't remember the exact question, but from what I read in this thread, it doesn't matter (I haven't read the Female Dragon thread). RJ said that, no, it is not possible to have a female dragon. If the wheel needs a female dragon, then it would weave in *insert female dragon name here*. Probably because of the blank faces he was getting he then added, you can find her in the scene where Mat blows the horn...
He also said that a soul ready to be reborn cannot change gender, therefor the dragon is ALWAYS male.

Q: "Is this soul born in any other age, or only at the advent and (theoretically, of course) the closing of the Third Age, as The Dragon/TDR?"
A: This soul is one of the Heroes, and bound to the Wheel, spun out as the Pattern wills.  "It" is born in other ages, but in a non-Dragon incarnation, to suit the pattern of that Age.  In the course of this answer, he related this to why Hawkwing calls Rand "Lews Therin" at Falme--because Hawkwing recognizes this Soul.  This didn't really tell me why he specifically calls him "LTT", but apparently they've been hangin' together in T'A'R and the etiquette there is to call each other by the name of your last incarnation.  (My interpretation.)

When Moghedien ripped out Birgitten from T'A'R she "short-circuited" the Pattern, by bringing in an adult "in the flesh" instead of letting Birgitte join Gaidal Cain the "normal" way. He said also that Gaidal Cain may not have any role to play in Tarman Gai'don. [ "may" - consider that - my note ]

Will more heroes be bound to the Horn?  RAFO.

As I promised, here is a short synopsis of what RJ said at the book signing regarding whether or not Rand is King Aemon Reborn.
For Rand to be Aemon reborn, Rand would have to be the same height as Aemon if Lanfear was correct in TSR that Rand is always the same height in each of his lives.
RJ stated that Aemon was 6'1" tall, but when I asked if Lanfear was correct, RJ stated that she was not. Normally this would not say either way if Rand was Aemon.
RJ knew immediately where I was heading (this is one very intelligent man). RJ confirmed that Rand is NOT Aemon. :-(
*sighs*. He stated that it was like an author's perogative to dangle "bait" in front of people and snatch it away. That's cruel and twisted. :-)
This not just torpedoes my theory out of the water, but just nukes it completely.
Thanks to Adrian for letting me use you as a sounding board for my theory.
If anyone wants his exact words, I can post a transcript later.

Here's what I got...
Mahiro: "Mr. Jordan..."
The Creator: "Yeah."
Mahiro: "How tall was the last king of Manetheren?"
The Creator: "The last king of Manetheren...?"
Mahiro: "Uh-huh."
The Creator: "The last king of... Height?"
Mahiro: "Yes."
The Creator: "Ummm...He'd be about 6'1" [six feet one inch]."
Mahiro: "6'1"? Okay. And was Lanfear correct that Rand is always the same height in each of his lives?"
The Creator: "Ahhh, no."
Mahiro: "No... okay. Thank you."
[At this point I turned to leave.]
The Creator: "Rand uhhh, Rand was not the last King of Manetheren."
Mahiro: "Thank you."
The Creator: "I very rarely come out and tell you guys something like that. It's much more intriguing to simply dangle a bit of "bait" in front of you and snatch it away. But, ahh no. That's that's that's definitely a "blue sky" direction."
Aan'allein, there it is nervous statements and all. You should have been there. "you can... hear him. You can... bathe in his presence...words cannot even begin to describe it. You must experience it to know. You must."
Oops, got a little carried away there... ;-)

My questions: (before this point, I couldn’t get a good listening spot without getting out of the line… well, big mass of people. But I don’t think many, if any questions were asked, as it took 2 minutes to get to me-#28)
H: When a soul is reborn, at what point does it enter the body?
RJ: Hmm… *think, think* I’d have to say as a fetus. When the body becomes capable of sustaining life.
H: *stupid grin* Ok. In tEotW, Thom said that the dead can take over a living body. If this happened, what would happen to the original soul?
RJ: *gave me a “haha, nice try you stupid monkey” grin* “Read and find out”
H: YAAAAAAAAAAAARG! DAMN YOU! (ok, not really)

While there I asked another quick question "Are Mat and Perrin Heroes of the Horn reborn?", which got RAFO'd, as I feared. Sorry Witte, I tried.

Raina's Hold / Thus Spake the Creator - Index