Hello everyone!

 

Ive read the books a dozens of times and once or twice a year listen to the audiobooks at work. And now last time I listened to them something struck me concerning the prologue of the first book, Eye of the world. Here we get to follow Lews Therin Telamon wandering through a palace looking for his love. And suddenly Ishamael turns up clearing the taint on Lews Therins mind for a while.

 

The question is, If Lews Therin is already mad, then he and the hundred companions already sealed The dark one and the forsaken. Then how can Ishamael turn up in person? He's sealed to the bore..

 

What do you think?

Ishamael was never fully sealed away. He had varying amounts of freedom from near total physical freedom to a much restricted ability to use dreams and so forth.

Indeed, we get more hints of that later on, including evidence that he's been involved with the BA some twenty years past, and an AS who met the ancient Aiel and said that Ishamael still touches the world.

the general consensus is that Ishmael was only partially bound. with a cycle of freedom that lasted for about 40 years every 1000 years or so - hence he initiated the Trolloc Wars, he corrupted Arther Hawking, and is now only recently free some time before the books start.