What is the significance of Rand's new sword? (TGS Spoiler Alert!)
Matthew Kuhl
Tor.com), Rand thinks about a new sword that he recently received from
some people who thought that it would make a nice gift for the Dragon
Reborn. This is the relevant passage:
--
He relaxed his hand on his sword, though he did not release it. He
fingered the cloth-tied hilt. The weapon was long, slightly curved, and
the lacquered scabbard was painted with a long, sinuous dragon of red
and gold. It looked as if it had been designed specifically for Rand—
and yet it was centuries old, unearthed only recently. How odd, that
they should find this now, he thought, and make a gift of it to me,
completely unaware of what they were holding. . . .
He had taken to wearing the sword immediately. It felt right beneath
his fingers. He had told no one, not even Min, that he had recognized
the weapon. And not, oddly, from Lews Therin’s memories—but Rand’s
own.
--
I've been wondering a bit about this weapon, which is apparently
significant to Rand. I think that it's Artur Hawkwing's sword,
"Justice".
This is why: No one recognizes it but Rand, not even LTT. That means
it isn't from the AoL, or a very recent figure. He says that it's
centuries old, and only recently unearthed. We know that in the chaos
after Artur Hawkwing's death, a lot of the remaining artifacts of his
reign got shoved into the background by people who did not want folks
to think much about AH. However, Rand has seen AH, along with a
handful of other people (none of whom are currently present). Thus, he
would probably know what AH's sword looks like.
I await the scene in TGS (or perhaps TOM) when he meets Tuon and
brandishes Artur Hawkwing's sword to Artur Hawkwing's descendant.
Chucky & Janica
<patto...@gmail.com> wrote:
>He had taken to wearing the sword immediately. It felt right beneath
>his ?ngers. He had told no one, not even Min, that he had recognized
>the weapon. And not, oddly, from Lews Therin�s memories�but Rand�s
>own.
>--
>I've been wondering a bit about this weapon, which is apparently
>significant to Rand. I think that it's Artur Hawkwing's sword,
>"Justice".
From Rand's own memories?
Ah, from the battle of Falme or something? Could be.
>I await the scene in TGS (or perhaps TOM) when he meets Tuon and
>brandishes Artur Hawkwing's sword to Artur Hawkwing's descendant.
And she does something annoying and illogical.
Oh wait, Under New Management. She might just react rationally.
C&J
Arlia...@webtv.net
Just popping in to point out...
A rational reaction from Tuon
towards Artur Hawkwings sword would be a
"shrug" ... Nice Sword.
It's a 1000 year old or more sword,
nobody in the world BUT Rand should have any real clue what "Justice"
looked like.
Even the Seanchan at Falme
who got close enough to see it...
well, they wouldn't be alive no more to talk about it.
Well, and Maybe Ishmael, if he's not dead.
Since he killed Hawkwing and all.
Eric
James Hammons
That's true, but for all we know, the Seanchan have illustrations of
Justice peppered through their history books. Maybe only the Blood or
the Royal Family have ever seen them. Or there might be an
inscription somewhere on the hilt or the blade that Tuon might
recognize. I think the sword will play a role in making nice with the
Seanchan. Rand might even gift it to Tuon as a wedding present or
something.
Chucky & Janica
>A rational reaction from Tuon
>towards Artur Hawkwings sword would be a
>"shrug" ... Nice Sword.
Point. But of course that's not going to happen, because they all
remember this stuff for some reason.
C&J
Matthew Kuhl
> On Mon, 5 Oct 2009 12:30:36 -0700 (PDT), Matthew Kuhl
>
> >He had taken to wearing the sword immediately. It felt right beneath
> >his ?ngers. He had told no one, not even Min, that he had recognized
> >the weapon. And not, oddly, from Lews Therin’s memories—but Rand’s
> >own.
> >--
> >I've been wondering a bit about this weapon, which is apparently
> >significant to Rand. I think that it's Artur Hawkwing's sword,
> >"Justice".
>
> From Rand's own memories?
>
> Ah, from the battle of Falme or something? Could be.
That's pretty much what I thought. It was just the Superboys and their
Shienaran friends who actually saw the Heroes of the Horn up close and
personal (unless Verin was still sticking her enigmatic nose in). And
since there are no Interwebs in Randland, there are no photos of Artur
Hawkwing to spread around, so that most people would probably not
recognize his sword.
Matthew Kuhl
Given that Rand can no longer really use a sword, I would suspect that
for now, it's for show, but that he will use it with regard to the
Seanchan. Whether he uses it to taunt them or to gift them, that
remains to be seen...in 11 days.
maj
As I read the passage you have quoted it is not indicated that Lews
Therin
did not recognise the sword, only that Rand recognised it from his
own
memories.
A.S.F.A.I.R. it is stated in TGH that Artur's sigil was a hawk. Which
would
have a lot to do with his nickname "Hawkwing".
The First of Mayene, a decendent of Hawkwing, also uses a hawk.
I have as yet read nothing of the new book and won't.
maj
BCl...@aol.com
The sword is the Dragon's Sword from the Age of Legends. Rand sees it
on a table when he is inside the ter'angreal in Rhuidean during one of
the earliest memories. It was unearthed back in Knife of Dreams. Why
LTT doesn't recognise it, I can't say.
BClubb1
>
> - Show quoted text -
Aaaargh, I am an idiot. I have reread the passage and it clearly says
that the sword in the angreal is a "crystal sword".
I am back to thinking it's Justice with the rest of you.
Pelle
>
> That's pretty much what I thought. It was just the Superboys and their
> Shienaran friends who actually saw the Heroes of the Horn up close and
> personal (unless Verin was still sticking her enigmatic nose in). And
> since there are no Interwebs in Randland, there are no photos of Artur
> Hawkwing to spread around, so that most people would probably not
> recognize his sword.
My gut feeling when I read that passage was that it was Turak's sword.
The first leader of the Hailene that Rand killed at Falme. But I have
no proof...
--
Pelle Johansson
David DeLaney
Reading their respective descriptions seems to put paid to this.
Several people think it is, rather, the great sword Justice. (Which apparently
is not a greatsword.)
Dave
--
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