In the Wheel of Time, naming the Dark One by his real name, Shai'tan, is considered dangerous because it draws his attention to you. Likewise for darkfriends; it is considered blasphemy so they don't say it either. If this is so, how does everybody know the name, because nobody wants to say it?
A few characters in the series do say it out loud, but how did they get to know it?
It seems very improbable that everyone knows the name but only one in a thousand or more will ever say it out loud.
There's always the Cenn Buies and the Coplins and the Congars, and other like-minded people repeating it quietly when the Wisdom can't hear...
I can very well picture Matt and Rand playing at 'tell the Dark One's name' when they were mischievious kids.
Anyway, it's just my view of the Wheel of Time, not anything official :)
I must admit that I'm not familiar with the series, but it seems like knowledge of the Dark One's name could easily be passed on in written form instead of spoken words.
A few characters in the series do say it out loud, but how did they get to know it?
From other people who said it out loud, of course. How do children in the real world learn curses and swear words that they're not supposed to hear? People say them, despite the belief that they're not supposed to.
Regardless of whether or not they actually speak the name aloud, there are bound to be hundreds of volumes containing the name in all the great libraries, and it would seem to follow that the Aes Sedai, the Brown Ajah in particular, wouldn't allow that knowledge to become lost. Especially considering how seriously they take their prophecies, and I'm sure his true name is probably in a few of those too.
harry-potter.:-x