Winter's Heart Cover Analysis

NOTE: The analysis was written during the time when the cover art was released but before the hardback novel was released. Many of the conjectures below are inaccurate. Please read and enjoy my conjectures that are wrong and my conjectures that are correct! An updated article is available at Winter's Heart & The Path of Daggers timline.
-Grady

The guy with a beard in the front is Perrin. The beard, the axe, the curly hair, and the air of leading the group are proof enough. So the group of people are most likely the same people who were with Perrin's forces at the end of Path of Daggers

The Setting:

The jacket text indicates that Perrin will be desperately searching for Faile. So that means he will be chasing the Shaido. Please see my Winter's Heart time line for why. The Shaido were located near Albina in northern Amadicia when they kidnapped Faile. The kidnapping and assault took place as the Jumai Shaido were heading east in search of their other septs.

We know that the Shaido Wise One's cannot Travel. So they will be limited by how fast they move their feet. The terrain in the picture is mountainous, so by viewing the map we should be able to approximate where the picture is supposed to take place. It appears that the picture takes place in the southeastern part of Garens Wall. This assumes that Sweet did not make another mistake by placing them in the mountains.

The Characters:

Many of the possibilities listed below are conjectures I have seen on various Wheel of Time Message boards.

1. The Aiel near the front?

   The buckler, short spears, and candisor name the character an Aiel. The lack of a black veil is definately a Sweet mistake.
   • Gaul
     My vote! Who else would stay so close to Perrin's side?
   • Some Maiden of the Spear.
     Where are the womanly charms? Those hands are no womans hands. That episode of Seinfeld about girl with big hands was too funny!

    

2. Who is the bald man who looks like he is surfing on a horse?

   • Balwer
     The guy looks too tall and too fat to be Balwer. Doesn't Balwer have beedy eyes? Mr. Sweet's mistake?
     
   • Basel Gill
     The guy looks too in shape. But maybe he has lost some weight since he left the inn. This is my vote.
     
   • Elyas
     Elyas has a beard, but a possible Sweet mistake.
     
   • Mazrim Taim
     Taim is not bald, and that pub nose is not exactly hawkish.
     
   • Some random retainer.
     Why would Sweet put that on the cover?
     

    

3. The lady (um... person?) with the staff?

   • Moraine
     Kinda looks like her doesn't it. But the way that RJ has paced the novels, I think it will take half a book for Moraine to be rescued. *lol* And then once she makes it out of the Tower of Ghenji, it would take entire book for to ride down to Ghealdan (she does not know how to travel). It is probably not her.
     
   • Morgause
     She was captured by the Shaido. But maybe she escaped?
     
   • Faile
     Same as Morgause.
     
   • Alliandre
     Same as Morgause.
     
   • Berelain
     I have never seen Berelain carry a staff. She was the only person that was attacked by the Shaido to escape.
     
   • An Aes Sedai
     Possibly. Moraine used to carry a staff. She has the dignified look of an Aes Sedai. And Mr. Sweet did a reasonable job of making her look ageless.
   • Aram
     How pretty is this guy. Doesn't he like to wear clothes of eye wretching brightness? I hardly call rust, olive, and denim colored clothes bright. Is the staff another mistake?
     

    

4. The guy carrying the banner?

   • Some random two rivers guy
     Possibly.
     
   • Some random Winged Guard
     Where's the winged helmet?
     
   • Some random Ghealdan soldier
     Probably not, but possible.
     
   • Mr. Sweet has no idea
     Probably.