Don't make me explain myself! 
- Edit 1
- Edit 1Before modification by Yondaime at 21/04/2010 08:20:54 PM
Hm. If it's a Rand-is-the-land thing, wouldn't the terrible weather be more likely to be Rand, and the food be more likely to be the Dark One? Food doesn't really equal "land," but the DO is definitely in favor of death and decay.
Like I said, I don't really know that much about this subject. I tend to rely upon more knowledgeable individuals, such as Doma to enlighten me. That said, here is my understanding. Rand, as the Dragon, is linked with the Land.
i>"The Dragon is one with the land," Thom said, still juggling unconcernedly, "and the land is one with the Dragon."
- The Eye of the World, The Last Village
This symbolism extends to facets such as war (such as at Falme, when Rand's battle was linked with how well the Heroes did against the Seanchan), and nations (Rand's goal is to unite the world against the DO). I understood that the spoiling of the food was a metaphor for the spoiling of Rand's humanity. Rand has grown hard and dark, and the land mirrors this change. Food is a great symbol for the fertility of the Land, and an indicator of the health of an ecosystem. Arad Doman was an obvious example of this in The Gathering Storm. The entire freaking food supply spoils almost instantly because of Rand. I just took this to be confirmation of the Land-Rand (see the pun?) relationship.
There is. No. Song. It's a corruption of the old legends of Aiel seedsinging. I suppose it's POSSIBLE that seedsinging might make some sort of appearance, however unless they find a bunch of Da'shain Aiel in a stasis box, I don't see it happening. No one knows how to DO it, and only a handful of people even have an inkling that it existed.
Yeah, you are right of course. I just didn't explain myself very well. The Tinker version of the Song doesn't exist. They believe in some incredible force that will solve every problem that the world has every had, and will make them live happily ever after. That is complete bullshit, of course. Like you said, the 'Song' is a corrupt legend of seedsinging. When I talk about the Song, this is what I am actually referring to. Sorry for not clarifying; I sometimes forget that some people don't have the same distinction.
As far as the possibility, I disagree with you. The Aiel have been in possession of a device that could accomplish this goal for hundreds of years; the Wise One testing mechanism that allows the individual to experience the life of their ancestors. It is very possible that some one could rediscover this talent.