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A few details to consider Comet Sedai Send a noteboard - 02/06/2010 01:11:12 AM
Overall, I would agree that, whether or not RJ wrote this into the culture, I would imagine that testing there is a traumatizing effect on children. Not just girls--boys are tested too, except that male channelers are killed, IIRC. And men tend to exhibit the spark later than women, so their terror could potentially last a lot longer.

So, there are a couple of things to consider, although there are a lot of details we can't be sure of. First, channeling is a rare talent. So, most girls will not be collared. It's a genetic lottery, and given that channelers never marry or have children, the genetic tendencies are rare.

However, on the flip side, having a sul'dam in the family is a great honor, and is far more common (although it too is rare--just less rare than being a channeler). These are folks born with the ability to learn, but not channel innately, which I would imagine is on the genetic 'channeling spectrum'. Now, we don't know how often sul'dam marry. Very often? Do they tend to have many children? Are their lives subtly lengthened because of their quasi-channeling?

Are there no farmers in Seanchan? Does no one understand breeding? The fact that Egwene figures out that sul'dam can be collared, and yet NO Seanchan person in the culture itself has figured this out is frankly amazing. It defies belief, but RJ seems to suggest it is so. These folks really are brainwashed by their society into not thinking certain things. It's actually incredible that they've managed to maintain an empire for so long and conquer so much of Randland so successfully, given that they have been trained from birth by their culture to be so blinkered about what is staring them in the face. Tuon, who despite being rather xenophobic and superstitious, is actually pretty sharp, and yet even she hardly blinks an eye when finding out her culture is built on such extraordinary misdirection.

Perhaps the super-secret-society of Seanchan High Elders knows this, and would have informed Tuon when she became empress, had she not already known.

Anyway, back to your question. In sum, seeing as Aes Sedai rarely marry or have children, and have been 'culling' male channelers as well, and seeing as this has led to a decrease in the number of channelers, it stands to reason that channeling ability is rare in Seanchan as well. Only about 1 in 1000 is collared, and the chances go down from there after age 20, even if they don't let up until 25. The marriage issue is a good one--I wouldn't put it past Seanchan culture to kill the babies of women who later find out they can channel, or else turn them into da'covale for life.

The chief difficulty Alice found at first was in managing her flamingo.
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Seanchan girls. Do they live in terror until 25? - 02/06/2010 12:32:14 AM 1494 Views
A few details to consider - 02/06/2010 01:11:12 AM 868 Views
Re: A few details to consider - 02/06/2010 02:31:08 AM 878 Views
Wasn't talking about breeding damane - 03/06/2010 03:32:44 AM 869 Views
Re: Wasn't talking about breeding damane - 04/06/2010 07:30:55 PM 737 Views
Well, it took centuries for most people to understand breeding/genetics - 02/06/2010 08:57:43 PM 711 Views
Nobody knows about Sul'dam because it takes them extra long to learn. - 03/06/2010 07:58:41 AM 1013 Views
Re: A few details to consider - 04/06/2010 07:33:39 AM 733 Views
I think it's seen as something that happens to other people. - 02/06/2010 02:20:09 AM 741 Views
I think they retest only the sul'dam - 02/06/2010 04:13:55 AM 913 Views
Re: I think they retest only the sul'dam - 04/06/2010 07:55:56 PM 704 Views
Point on the testing - 08/06/2010 02:15:26 AM 680 Views
Re: Point on the testing - 08/06/2010 02:46:06 PM 745 Views
Remember, Seancean have no idea channeling can be "learned" - 02/06/2010 07:04:11 AM 809 Views
This is how Damane and Sul'Dam are determined, straight from tGH - 03/06/2010 08:14:03 AM 1150 Views
That doesn't make sense. Are you sure they don't put the BRACELET on the girls, not the collar? - 04/06/2010 01:35:08 AM 698 Views
I am absolutely sure. Quote from book. - 04/06/2010 03:09:08 AM 769 Views
Re: I am absolutely sure. Quote from book. - 04/06/2010 11:54:25 AM 607 Views
Thanks Darius *NM* - 08/06/2010 01:48:28 AM 378 Views
Toun, though too young can be collared - 06/06/2010 03:29:29 AM 601 Views
I don't think Tuon will ever Channel - 06/06/2010 03:39:16 AM 750 Views
Everything points to a change in policy - 06/06/2010 04:04:33 AM 640 Views
Re: Everything points to a change in policy - 06/06/2010 04:18:21 AM 533 Views
Re: I don't think Tuon will ever Channel - 06/06/2010 05:07:40 AM 654 Views
Not at all - 02/06/2010 03:52:31 PM 619 Views
Re: Are the new damane actually tortured? - 02/06/2010 06:56:10 PM 774 Views
I think "tortured" is relative... - 03/06/2010 08:22:37 AM 710 Views
As with most things in Jordan's universe, I don't think it was thought through very seriously. - 03/06/2010 08:05:04 PM 655 Views
Huh? - 03/06/2010 08:44:35 PM 753 Views
Sure - 03/06/2010 09:00:40 PM 761 Views
Bah... - 03/06/2010 09:51:09 PM 710 Views
Jordan definitely made mistakes with the Ajahs. In particular, the Black Ajah ones who fled. - 03/06/2010 10:56:39 PM 700 Views
oh come now - 04/06/2010 12:58:44 AM 623 Views
Re: Sure - 04/06/2010 04:55:23 AM 801 Views
I don't know if that's totally true - 04/06/2010 12:09:29 PM 630 Views
Maybe you don't read that much serious literature? I just don't see why you are arguing this. - 04/06/2010 03:47:50 PM 665 Views
I actually don't read much fiction at all to be honest - 04/06/2010 04:00:03 PM 686 Views
You're right about the fact that I have mostly contempt for Jordan. - 04/06/2010 05:42:49 PM 652 Views
meh. I prefer non-fiction most of the time - 06/06/2010 03:44:38 AM 703 Views
I have read lots of fiction - 06/06/2010 03:57:07 AM 696 Views
Meh - 04/06/2010 05:03:41 PM 685 Views
LOL ... I hear ya on that - 06/06/2010 03:49:48 AM 688 Views
We've seen so little of the old tongue how can you tell? - 06/06/2010 03:33:46 AM 548 Views
This raises another question - 06/06/2010 04:13:25 AM 611 Views
Re: This raises another question - 06/06/2010 04:53:42 AM 661 Views

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