So far we’ve only seen one Gholam , in a fight against our heroes Mat, Nynaeve and Elayne at the end of A Crown Of Swords. We've also had evidence for the following facts.
- The One Power weaves melt away, just like with Mat’s amulet.
- Gholam are not affected by normal steel weapons.
- Gholam are faster and more flexible than men (we learned why from Birgitte).
- Mat's amulet burned and hurt the Gholam.
We’ve learned from Birgitte that
- They were created during the War of the Power.
- Only six were made because the Forsaken even feared them.
- They have no spine and are flexible enough to get under a doorway.
Now my suggestions for ways to kill one of them.
- The Gholam was never touched by Mat’s power wrought blade. We may be able to assume blades wrought from the power have the same burning affect as the foxhead amulet, and may kill a Gholam . This is also assuming Mat’s amulet is One Power wrought.
- Saidin. Mat often fears saidin and thinks his amulet will be no protection against it. Remembering how the Gholam’s ability to melt weaves is described as "just like" Mat’s amulet, then maybe it is the same in this regard. This is not too likely as there were male Aes Sedai in the War of the Power and it would have been designed to kill them also.
- True Power. In this theory I propose that the creator of the Gholam, Aginor, would have had some safeguard against the Gholam should they turn against him. This safeguard is good because Aes Sedai can’t use it. I’m sure there should be a way for our heroes to kill them though, and they won’t use the True Power. Maybe they’ll have to recapture a Forsaken and force them to use the True Power against a Gholam.
- Balefire. This weave was discontinued early in the War of Power, so it is likely Aginor didn’t factor such a strong and lethal weave into the Gholam’s immunity. If this is true however, one has to wonder whether Mat is vulnerable.
- The One Power, though not directly. Maybe in the form of calling lightning or throwing rocks. This will work, we've seen it used on Mat.
Of all these I like the True Power as the most likely. The last theory may also be likely.
wotmania says: I also tend to believe that the Gholam might be vulnerable to the True Power. After all, Aginor is an intelligent man. Why would he build something which could be used against himself with no way to stop it? It makes sense he would create them with an achilles heel which only the Forsaken could actually make use of. Two other things - Mat’s medallion does work against saidin, and things done with the One Power (lightning, etc.) could indeed hurt Mat (or a Gholam).
Comments
If they are just like Mats necklace and some people think that it only stops female channlers (cause those are the only Ase Sedai at the time of the wish) then maybe gholam are like that. It is said that half the Gholam are females and half are males, i think that male gholam cant be hurt by female channelers and females cant be hurt by male channelers. I dont have any proof so im ending this here.
All right, remember that there were gholams made seperate to kill women and men. Perhaps if a gholam that is immune t Saidar gets tied up in fkows of Saidin and hacked to pieces with it, perhaps that'd work. Maybe vice versa too.
Just a thought, but Mat wished for his madallion to protect him from AS. If I remember correctly, the eye of the fox in the medallion is the ancient symbol for AS. If that is the case wouldn't it make sense for Mat's medalion to work both ways?
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I like the idea of gholmns being killed by the true power, it's just that not all the forsaken were given permission to use the true power. So far only Mordin has used it, I think. And Graendal was appalled by this when she found out. I think it's more likly to be power wrought weapons as the killer.
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No. Any of the Forsaken can use the True Power, they just don't, because it is too dangerous. I think only Ishmael (or Moridin, if you prefer) uses the True Power with any regularity (which is probably why he is so crazy). In WH, Demandred says that he himself uses the True Power, although only in desperate situations, because of the consequences (a horrible and painful death).
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...does stop saidin. When Halima (Aran'gar) tried to channel something at him it did not work. He felt the foxhead go cold on his chest. When he turned around Halima had a shocked look on her face. And as we all know by now (at least I hope all of us do) Halima channels saidin. She is a man in a womans body. Mat still thinks the necklace does not stop saidin for some reason. I dont remember why he thinks that.
I believe its the same for the gholam as the foxhead. I dont think balefire will work either. Its channeling and channaling just does not work. The weaves will just melt away. Using the the power to throw things at the gholam would only slow it down. Lightning or fireballs might work against them, but I dont think they will kill them. After all when blades cut them it does not appear to hurt them and the wounds heal almost immediatly. I think the wounds recieved by lightning and firballs would heal just as quickly without really harming them.
I like the idea of Power wrought weapons working on the gholam. I think they may be the only thing that will work. Somethings got to.
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I may be wrong here but I think Elayne will have a huge impact on killing a Gholam.
She can make Ter's and I have a feeling she will make a weapon like one that has the same effect as Mat's Foxhead. I see new spear or staff /axe or hammer/ sword for one of our fav men.
Just my thoughts.
Pinte
I thik BTW that the fox amulet can't stop male channeling.
Why?
Because Rahvin killed Matt in tFoH with a ligthning(Rand saved him with balefire).
So Gholam could be killed with TP I think and some way with the amulet
Fanatic-Templar of the Order of Cadsuane Haters
I have heard and now believe that mats medallion blocks both halves of the one power but in the case of tFoH, the lightning that killed mat wasn't directly saidin from Rahvin. the weaves for lightning are more producing and guiding where to strike. unlike a binding or striking flow of air, which we have all seen unravel upon impact with mat, the weaves dont actually TOUCH mat. There for i dont think that lightning would kill it because it would just reheal itself muchlike the bad guy in terminator 2. it would slow it down a lot more that a fireball would though just due to the damage it would cause. thats all
This is just merely me sprouting an idea that just at this instance popped into my head. The gholam cannot be affected by the True Power. A lot of people seem to be saying that Aginor is an extremely intelligent man (so smart he died twice, though, poor Forsaken), and would have created a "backdoor" way of controlling the gholam. We have learned of many of the things Aginor has created through his mad scientist routine, such as Trollocs, worms, etc. But the focus here should be on those fun-loving ghouls, the Myrdraal. He ACCIDENTALY created those eyeless freaks. He had no idea how they were formed, nor how they operate. Can we truly expect that such a brilliant man knows a secret to the gholam? A brilliant man, who after testing countless Myrdraal to see how they function, could not ascertain what they did? A brilliant man who, even had he the supreme knowledge, is dead? So, even if he did know, which seems doubtful to me, he's dead anyway. More the pity. And what are the chances of him coming back one last chance? But then again, you do get three strikes in baseball....
First of all, about a comment in the actual theory that those pesky little goodie-goodies could capture one of the Chosen and force him or her to use the True Power against a Gholam...
The True Power may only be channeled with the Blessings of the Great Lord, Chosen or no. Being captured by Dragonfriends doesn't count as being in favor. Not even the Nae'blis could channel the TP if he displeased the Great Lord, and yes, being captured and coerced by the Dragonfriends DOES count as being in disfavor (Great Mistress Moghedien and that traitor, Asmodean).
Which brings me to my next point: I don't remember where I read it, but I think it was Demandred who mentioned that only Great Master Moridin could channel the true power since his annointing as Nae'blis. "Only Moridin was allowed that privelege, since his.... anointing." or something to that effect. So only the Nae'blis would be able to kill one of the Gholam with the True Power.
-poor_WoT_addict
Servant of the Dark One
the foxhead medallion did not work just like Gholam. they said it was different; in the Gholam weaves melted, and in the medallion they were absorbed. i do think Gholam have a weakness but i dont think it is that simple-balefire would most defenately work, but i dont think the forsaken wouldbe so afraid of the Gholam if it had such a simple akileas heel.
Mat's medallion probably isn't silver, because when things get madet ter'angreal, they aren't the substance it was(like the "stone" ring made to enter T'A'R). So when ELayne gets the hang of makinter'angreal, she'll probably make some sort of weapon of the same material as the madallion, and it will be used in the slaying.
It´s easy to kill it...just make a agteway and walk through it and when the gholam follows you make the gateway dispapear and slice it...
I have yet so see anyone mention this. But I think that the way to kill a Gholam is with Cuindillar (sry about spelling I know it's wrong, don't have the book in front of me). I think this because it absorbs the One Power kinda like a the medallion (in a slightly different way). So I think they will make a Weapon made from Cuindillar and that will kill the Gholam.
Okay. #1. Bladed weapons and flame are different. (think trolls, in standard dungeons and dragons games.)
#2. I highly doubt the spearhead would act the same way as the medallion would. HIGHLY. It doesn't protect from the One Power, just because that's what it was made of. (proof: book 6 , Shadar Logoth, Rand touches a flow of air to the POWER-WROUGHT metal gate, and it collapses.)
#3. The medallion DOES protect from Saidin. (Halima) Lightning IS indirect, as noted earlier by fennag05, (proof, book 2, Nynaeve's test for Accepted, first gate. She REDIRECTS, not blocks-his-and-makes-one-of-her-own. That says that the forsaken had aimed it at her, and she moved the gun(lightning) barrel the other way. The part involving channeling is the targeting, not the creation.
ummm...... I can't think of anything else... I'll post if I think of something.
the lightning blast that hit/killed mat at the end of FoH was an indirect affect of channeling, not made of saidin/the one power. therefore the gholam is immune to saidin
let the speedbart ride again upon the winds of time
Made the second post on the new WoTMB2 
The medallion IS proof against both Saidar and Saidin AS LONG AS the weave is directed at its wearer!
I don't have the page open right now, but weren't Mat, Aviendha and a lot of Wise Ones and Aiel killed when the WALL THEY WERE STANDING UNDER COLLAPSED DUE TO A BLAST thereby CRUSHING THEM...????????? They (none of them) were killed by a weave but by the wall tearing down onto them as trollocs poured forth from the break in the wall - am I remembering correctly here?
Does anybody who watches the anime Dragonball Z remember the cell games? for those who don't have a clue what i'm on about, Cell is a monster who wants to kill the main characters and destroy the planet earth. he is super strong and can regenerate his complete body so long as a single cell remains. The way he was destrayed was by making an explosion so fierce and hot that every cell in his body was desintegrated so he could not regenerate.
I reckon this would work for the gholam too. we have seen that it heals miraculously but would it heal if it was dismembered or decapatated? destroying every remnant of the beast by mixing the one power and aludras fireworks you could make something hot enough to evaporating every last drop of its being i believe would work. scientifaclly there has to be a central nervous centre for any living being to live. if it is not possible to destroy the CNC than the next option would be to seperate its body from the CNC so that its body could not receive any signals in through the nervous system. starving it, i imagine, would work for sure because of its need to feed, but howon earth do u starve something like that? it can slip through cracks in brickwork and under doors! locking it in a stasus box again would do nothing but lock it up. once it is opened again the gholam would still be alive. do we know if the gholam can swim? its weekness could be water... maybe. i think what the gholam may be is a living sespool of deseased bacteria. as we know mat's SILVER medalion harmed it and as we should all know from history silver has anticeptic properties. it was common to use silver pins to hold wounds together in battle until they could be tended to properly. As we know bacteria needs to feed like the gholam and many diseases thrive in our blood, like the gholam. im just realising how rediculous this sounds, but it does supply a valid point as to why mat's medallion hurt it.
Well, we know that Mat's medallion does block saidin (Aran'gar tried to channel at him in Salidar, after he turned up to 'rescue' Elayne), so I think we can assume that the gholam is immune to it too.
I'd say that the best bet is probably an indirect attack with the Power, like hitting it with lightning, or closing a gateway on it.
(Incidentally, it's been mentioned that Shadowspawn can't survive travelling - presumably this extends to gholams?)
Maybe