My only theory is that weaves weren't shared due to channelers being isolated from each other or simply mistrusting those they did encounter. Thus knowledge disappeared as the AOL channelers aged and died.
It's still a stretch to believe that Travelling was among the lost weaves, however. It was broadly useful and doesn't seem to require a special talent. You would think every AOL channeler with sufficient strength would have learned it.
As Gher pointed out, making angreals and cuendillar weren't common weaves and probably required a certain aptitude. It's far easier to believe that knowledge could be lost.
Knowledge of Balefire would have been deliberately allowed to die out.
Compulsion wasn't actually lost, just forbidden. Besides, even if the AOL weaves had passed from memory, apparantly half of all wilders figure out some version of it on their own.
So Travelling is the only big mystery, IMO.
It's still a stretch to believe that Travelling was among the lost weaves, however. It was broadly useful and doesn't seem to require a special talent. You would think every AOL channeler with sufficient strength would have learned it.
As Gher pointed out, making angreals and cuendillar weren't common weaves and probably required a certain aptitude. It's far easier to believe that knowledge could be lost.
Knowledge of Balefire would have been deliberately allowed to die out.
Compulsion wasn't actually lost, just forbidden. Besides, even if the AOL weaves had passed from memory, apparantly half of all wilders figure out some version of it on their own.
So Travelling is the only big mystery, IMO.
How were all these amazing weaves 'lost' ?
20/08/2010 04:33:43 AM
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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
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Re: You're right. It is merely a plot requirement, made ludicrous by the ease of mastering
20/08/2010 03:40:16 PM
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These are good points. To some extent, it may be because our main characters are "gifted" channelers
20/08/2010 08:57:49 PM
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The bigger problem is minor characters copying the weaves so quickly...
20/08/2010 09:14:25 PM
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Lost Weaves
20/08/2010 01:43:25 PM
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Not logical
20/08/2010 01:50:32 PM
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Re: Not logical
20/08/2010 03:22:04 PM
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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
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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
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I don't think that creating cuendillar and 'angreals was common knowledge.
20/08/2010 05:06:20 PM
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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
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My only theory...
20/08/2010 06:02:14 PM
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Maybe Aes Sedai treated weaves like Intellectual Property
20/08/2010 09:49:12 PM
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Trademark? Patent? Or Copyright? =P *NM*
20/08/2010 10:19:36 PM
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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
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Idea?
21/08/2010 12:47:52 AM
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But they weren't too weak
21/08/2010 02:48:43 AM
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That's because most of the major people in WoT are powerful channelers.
21/08/2010 04:13:04 AM
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How can you "write a weave down"?
21/08/2010 04:54:28 PM
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How did Moiraine learn balefire then? *NM*
21/08/2010 05:04:27 PM
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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
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That's a stretch - Moiraine never demonstrated any creative talent with the OP...
21/08/2010 06:15:01 PM
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OK, I'll buy Vandene teaching it, but not learning it from a written description *NM*
21/08/2010 06:35:46 PM
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I disagree - Moiraine's wilder tricks show that she is quite creative with the OP
24/08/2010 03:31:06 PM
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Re: I disagree - Moiraine's wilder tricks show that she is quite creative with the OP
24/08/2010 05:32:11 PM
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We know of her trick with stones and light from 'New Spring' IIRC
25/08/2010 02:40:26 PM
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Passing on useful survival skills trumped esoteric lore during the War of Power and the Breaking
25/08/2010 03:18:47 PM
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