I’ve seen a lot of people explain away some of what the Timeless One says by saying “he’s lying”.
Having the Timeless One lie about these massive plot points which partly form the basis of 3 entire novels would just be a foolish and pointless move. While I agree we should certainly take some of his words with a grain of salt, I find it far more likely that he’s using the truth as a manipulative device rather than lies.
Going back to the connection I examined between Gravemind and the Timeless One, we can all surely recall that Gravemind never lied - every word he said to John, Thel and Cortana was the truth, and he used that as a manipulative tool which even had us end up working with the Flood temporarily before being betrayed.
I’d say the TO is using these same tactics. I recall it being mentioned in Cryptum that the TO made a group of Ancient Humans commit suicide before its very eyes because he told them something absolutely horrifying, implying he said what would happen when they’re infected by the Flood. The truth hurts, especially when it unmasks a lie - for example, the Flood cure not actually existing and the Great Journey being revealed to Thel by the Gravemind as a lie. The truth is a far more effective weapon utilised by the Gravemind/Timeless One, so I don’t think his words should be so quickly dismissed as being lies just because the reader can’t make sense of something.
I don’t think he was lying about anything either. It’s possible, but I can’t see why it would be included if it wasn’t important. All the stuff he said was kind of ambiguous anyway.
Not saying anything the Timeless One said is false, but can we be sure it WAS the Timeless One the Didact was talking to on installation 07? I have the feeling he was gone and what rose was the Gravemind we all know.
This brings to mind the Timeless One’s statement about humanity being tested 100,000 years after his own demise. Was the Timeless One referring to the resurgence of the Flood on Delta Halo and the events that followed? I’d like to say he’s insinuating the Reclaimer trilogy rather than the original trilogy Flood but I just don’t know.
clearly it is lying as it tells humans one thing and forerunners another; forthencho and the didact finally picked up on that.
> clearly it is lying as it tells humans one thing and forerunners another; forthencho and the didact finally picked up on that.
Also, it said different things to Forthencho and Yprin. Regarding the cure.
which is my point that it was only stirring up chaos as it is “sweetness”. The galaxy was probably a potential threat to the precusors so they sought to weaken it before trying whatever they are doing.
For all we know the gravemind could be a little bit like me, no lies but cryptic and all that.
I wouldn’t say whether it’s lying or not, but you can’t take anything it says at face value at all, I wouldn’t trust it further than I could throw it. I’m sure some of what it has been saying are lies, but I can’t think of anything off the top of my head…but it’s definitely not trustworthy in the least…it lures you in with a clever mixture of truth, lies, and half-truths in order to get it where it wants you.