Mat's Aelfinn Answers (lots of spoilers to ToM and AMoL)

[Guest keeper of the light]

Okay. I finished AMoL a few days ago, but I have a question that I can't find the answer and I looked the TWoT topic but I couldn't find it in here either.

 

So my question is, one of the Mat's answers from Aelfinn was "To give up half the light of the world to save the world". I figured out what the first part means and waited for it for a loong time    (End of the ToM was GREAT by the way) So, the first part occured, but what about the second part? How did it save the world? Am I missing something? I thought that he losed his eye to save the Moiraine and Moiraine was a big part of Rand's battle with DO so Mat's bargain saved the world in a way, but that seemed a little... disappoinment for me. So I'm asking you. How did it save the world?

Edited November 2, 2015 by keeper of the light

[Bort he/him]

You got it in one. Giving up half the light of the world was indeed a reference to losing an eye. And to save the world? Well, in aMoL, Rand was in a very difficult place, and would probably have done some very silly things had Moiraine not turned up to slap some sense into him.

 

She was a reminder to him, of where he had come from, and that there were people who believed in him, and that he wasn't fighting for his death, but for everyone else's life. That little bit of advice was, or so I thought at least, the key point that let him defeat the Dark One (or one of them at least, Egwene's 'Let people be their own hero' was another).

[Guest keeper of the light]

So you're saying he saved the world because he saved Moiraine. I understood. Thank you very much for your answer.

[king of nowhere]

in the notess from robert jordan, it was stated that it must be clear that without moiraine, the forces of the light would have gone to fight separately. that was her role, and why mat was needed in rescuing her.

[Yata he/him]

Yes that sentence are about the price to save Moiraine. She will be a core part of the Pattern that lead to the Dark One re-sealing

[Rayse]

Agree with others on Moraine's importance. 

 

One thing I kept waiting to come back into the story that I thought would have been very cool was Mat using the ashandarei to open a gate back into the tower of Gengai and shoving a forsaken or dark friend into it and saying something sarcastic like I'm sure you'll enjoy the company. There was no limitation on distance from the tower. I did really like the use of the ghost town and thought this would have been a similar measure. 

[Alfa he/him]

Agree with others on Moraine's importance. 

 

One thing I kept waiting to come back into the story that I thought would have been very cool was Mat using the ashandarei to open a gate back into the tower of Gengai and shoving a forsaken or dark friend into it and saying something sarcastic like I'm sure you'll enjoy the company. There was no limitation on distance from the tower. I did really like the use of the ghost town and thought this would have been a similar measure. 

Actually, the action with the Gholam was pretty much like that. Not exactly the same, but from the same characteristic

[Rayse]

Actually, the action with the Gholam was pretty much like that. Not exactly the same, but from the same characteristic

 

It was similar but they used skimming to vanquish the Gholam not sending it to the snakes and foxes. That scene came prior to saving Morainne so sending the Gholam there would have been a mistake since Mat knew he would be returning for Morainne. 

[Shardbearer he/him]

I'd like to see what the gholam and the snakes and foxes could do to each other, though...