There is a reason that some of those weaves were lost. It was discussed a lot on wotmania and here.
Traveling: The most logic reason was that for so many years during the Breaking, the landscape changed so much and so often that it eventually became very risky and dangerous to travel. Same applies for Skimming. If you think you know a place and open a Gateway, you might end up in the ocean or on a volcano instead of the place you thought it would be. Why was the weave forgotten? Eventually, most Aes Sedai, the more stronger and knowledgeable died, and with lack of a central organization resulted in fragmentation of the information. People were more and more isolated and didn't share the information.
Cuendillar: I guess the need for it became unimportant and eventually it just became less and less utilized so people forgot it existed. The perpetual decrease of strong Chanelers and maybe a loss of Talent in Earth resulted in Cuendillar being lost.
Balefire: Was forgotten by most but still known. I mean, Moirane figured it out and used it on 2-3 occasions. If Moirane who is a good Chaneler but not the greatest could figure it out, maybe from a book or from someone, it must not be that difficult for top people like Egwene, Nynaeve or others.
Angreal: Maybe they need some special tools, Ter'Angral that needs to be utilized to create them. This is one of the lost Talents I understand more why it was lost.
There was also a reason for RJ to have those lost. Imagine plot wise what it would of been if everybody had access to Travel and all those weaves. In a series where lack of comunication is one of the main aspect, it would of changed the feeling of the series too much. It would also depreciate the main protagonists accomplishments.
Traveling: The most logic reason was that for so many years during the Breaking, the landscape changed so much and so often that it eventually became very risky and dangerous to travel. Same applies for Skimming. If you think you know a place and open a Gateway, you might end up in the ocean or on a volcano instead of the place you thought it would be. Why was the weave forgotten? Eventually, most Aes Sedai, the more stronger and knowledgeable died, and with lack of a central organization resulted in fragmentation of the information. People were more and more isolated and didn't share the information.
Cuendillar: I guess the need for it became unimportant and eventually it just became less and less utilized so people forgot it existed. The perpetual decrease of strong Chanelers and maybe a loss of Talent in Earth resulted in Cuendillar being lost.
Balefire: Was forgotten by most but still known. I mean, Moirane figured it out and used it on 2-3 occasions. If Moirane who is a good Chaneler but not the greatest could figure it out, maybe from a book or from someone, it must not be that difficult for top people like Egwene, Nynaeve or others.
Angreal: Maybe they need some special tools, Ter'Angral that needs to be utilized to create them. This is one of the lost Talents I understand more why it was lost.
There was also a reason for RJ to have those lost. Imagine plot wise what it would of been if everybody had access to Travel and all those weaves. In a series where lack of comunication is one of the main aspect, it would of changed the feeling of the series too much. It would also depreciate the main protagonists accomplishments.
If you can make a gateway to another planet - which is spinning in an orbit around another star and is therefore a constantly moving point compared to your point of reference, and which may be a gas giant or a boiling inferno like Mercury or Venus, then Travelling to an unstable landscape on the same continent is hardly a challenge.
To Travel, you need to know your point of departure in any case, not your destination.
This message last edited by Shannow on 20/08/2010 at 02:03:40 PM
How were all these amazing weaves 'lost' ?
- 20/08/2010 04:33:43 AM
1835 Views
You're right. It is merely a plot requirement, made ludicrous by the ease of mastering these weaves
- 20/08/2010 10:08:10 AM
1161 Views
Re: You're right. It is merely a plot requirement, made ludicrous by the ease of mastering
- 20/08/2010 03:40:16 PM
897 Views
These are good points. To some extent, it may be because our main characters are "gifted" channelers
- 20/08/2010 08:57:49 PM
930 Views
The bigger problem is minor characters copying the weaves so quickly...
- 20/08/2010 09:14:25 PM
967 Views
Lost Weaves
- 20/08/2010 01:43:25 PM
1164 Views
Not logical
- 20/08/2010 01:50:32 PM
1139 Views
Re: Not logical
- 20/08/2010 03:22:04 PM
951 Views
All I'm saying, is that Travelling would STILL be a very usefull survival tool during the Breaking..
- 20/08/2010 03:44:59 PM
1095 Views
If you go back and read the descriptions of the breaking, and think about the 3000 year cycle
- 20/08/2010 04:37:02 PM
1006 Views
I don't think that creating cuendillar and 'angreals was common knowledge.
- 20/08/2010 05:06:20 PM
958 Views
You & Ryan make good points, esp on balefire/compulsion. In a shorter series, it'd make more sense
- 20/08/2010 08:52:59 PM
961 Views
Maybe Aes Sedai treated weaves like Intellectual Property
- 20/08/2010 09:49:12 PM
871 Views
Trademark? Patent? Or Copyright? =P *NM*
- 20/08/2010 10:19:36 PM
406 Views
If they are secretive and protective, it's not a huge stretch that knowledge would be taken into the
- 21/08/2010 10:27:15 AM
1004 Views
Idea?
- 21/08/2010 12:47:52 AM
802 Views
But they weren't too weak
- 21/08/2010 02:48:43 AM
895 Views
That's because most of the major people in WoT are powerful channelers.
- 21/08/2010 04:13:04 AM
998 Views
How can you "write a weave down"?
- 21/08/2010 04:54:28 PM
972 Views
How did Moiraine learn balefire then? *NM*
- 21/08/2010 05:04:27 PM
1089 Views
figured it out on her own, don't forget that Nyn used it too against the Fades in TDR. *NM*
- 21/08/2010 05:12:15 PM
441 Views
That's a stretch - Moiraine never demonstrated any creative talent with the OP...
- 21/08/2010 06:15:01 PM
886 Views
OK, I'll buy Vandene teaching it, but not learning it from a written description *NM*
- 21/08/2010 06:35:46 PM
443 Views
I disagree - Moiraine's wilder tricks show that she is quite creative with the OP
- 24/08/2010 03:31:06 PM
901 Views
Re: I disagree - Moiraine's wilder tricks show that she is quite creative with the OP
- 24/08/2010 05:32:11 PM
1239 Views
We know of her trick with stones and light from 'New Spring' IIRC
- 25/08/2010 02:40:26 PM
1057 Views
Passing on useful survival skills trumped esoteric lore during the War of Power and the Breaking
- 25/08/2010 03:18:47 PM
1044 Views
