It explains how they steered the Aiel into the war
Cannoli Send a noteboard - 23/11/2010 11:39:41 AM
I was just pondering - what do you think is the point, narratively speaking, of Aviendha's babies? We were told they'll be quadruplets, and in ToM we learn they're born channeling - very odd, when channeling ability doesn't normally manifest until well into puberty. But why? The chances of a woman in a preindustrial society even managing to carry four children to term, never mind any of them surviving, are staggeringly low.
Their channeling is entirely unprecedented, so far as we know. But nothing I read of them in ToM required four siblings, or even, really, that they be channelers at all.
I doubt it was put in as some sort of gimmick. Jordan must have had a reason for including such an astonishingly unlikely event, but I can't see us finding out what it was.
I doubt it was put in as some sort of gimmick. Jordan must have had a reason for including such an astonishingly unlikely event, but I can't see us finding out what it was.
I would guess it would be a side effect of something to come with Rand. The importance of their conception & channeling ability is that it illustrates what happened to their father. Or, it could have been something that enabled them to be leaders among their people, despite the lack of hereditary authority among the Aiel. These kids who run around performing miracles (don't forget, the channeling abilities of the Wise Ones are not common knowledge so the Aiel are even less familiar with channeling & the Power than wetlanders) and are the offspring of their legendary Car'a'carn who defeated the Dark One (which was not part of their prophecies, so it is not even something they have been expecting) and were born in rather miraculous circumstances... all of these things combined would give them influence and respect out of proportion to their own abilities or earned authority, and place them on a kind of pedestal. This alienation would further contribute to their misjudgements and the arrogance that led to their declaration of war against the Seanchan.
Cannoli
“Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions.” GK Chesteron
Inde muagdhe Aes Sedai misain ye!
Deus Vult!
*MySmiley*
“Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions.” GK Chesteron
Inde muagdhe Aes Sedai misain ye!
Deus Vult!
*MySmiley*
Aviendha's babies
- 22/11/2010 02:16:38 PM
1354 Views
They'll be conceived while Rand is fighting the DO and channeling a lot? 
*NM*
- 22/11/2010 02:56:49 PM
299 Views
*NM*
- 22/11/2010 02:56:49 PM
299 Views
Thank you for not calling them "babes." That grates on me everytime Elayne says it. *NM*
- 22/11/2010 08:18:07 PM
370 Views
Re: Thank you for not calling them "babes." That grates on me everytime Elayne says it.
- 23/11/2010 03:05:46 AM
764 Views
It explains how they steered the Aiel into the war
- 23/11/2010 11:39:41 AM
821 Views