Active Users:1145 Time:22/11/2024 07:53:34 PM
Agreed... fionwe1987 Send a noteboard - 09/12/2010 01:54:09 PM

That's kind of the point.... Aes Sedai call themselves Aes Sedai, not "Servants of All". It's not an innocent distinction... They know the meaning of the name, but by insisting to use the Old Tongue term, they've turned it into a pure honorific/mark of status.

The Tower has turned to the common tongue for near everything it wants the people to understand. Novices have to understand what they are. Sitters are sitters, and the Hall the hall. Other terms, they've given an aura of mystery and power by keeping the OT name alone: Amyrlin, Ajah, Aes Sedai. Barely anyone, especially not the Aes Sedai, think of "servant" when they use the honorific Sedai. A great deal would be different if they'd translate the title and people high and low were calling the sisters "Servant X" or Servant of All. That might have made the AS more humble, for one thing, and become a constant reminder to them and to the people of what they really ought to be.

I agree this test goes completely against what an Aes Sedai used to be. The Accepted spend years preparing for it, and one of the consequences, though I doubt the sisters realize this, is to drive out of the future Aes Sedai all desire to be a servant of All to become a servant of the White Tower. The fact AS are servants of all is virtually kept a secret for initiates, except when the sisters have political reasons to portray themselves as "only serving". Developing a mentality of service is totally discouraged in the current Tower system, it's hardly surprising the standard test reflects this. They see such as inappropriate behaviour in a sister. Today's AS are taught to serve only when it serves the purpose of the WT and won't harm the Tower's aura of power. The average sister sees most services as demeaning for women of her status. For eg: sisters were horrified that objects crafted by their hands could be sold, sisters were angry to be seen in public working on the harbour walls. And so on.... Aes Sedai would be pissed to be forced to work at Travelling Grounds the way Elayne has the Windfinders/Kin do without a fuss. Service an AS will render with the OP is limited pretty much to fighting and healing. Almost everything else is perceived as demeaning.


I think if an AoL Aes Sedai, or pre-Trolloc War Aes Sedai were around, they would fail anyone but Nynaeve. Either that, or they would have stopped the test by correctly pointing out how stupid it is.

I think it is significant that Rand said, just before Nynaeve left him, that being calm and serene no matter what is one type of strength, not the only type.

Which is one reason why I wish it was Egwene taking the test. With Nynaeve, we could have predicted what she was going to do. With Egwene, it would have been harder to predict. Personally, I think Egwene would have done exactly what Nynaeve did, if maybe with a more controlled facial expression, since she's had to practice that useless skill so much. But the consequences of Egwene doing those things would have been far more interesting. But clearly, RJ never intended that...
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Nynaeve's stupidity and the test for Aes Sedai - 07/12/2010 08:27:05 PM 4289 Views
Just like all women. - 07/12/2010 09:15:12 PM 1172 Views
Way to totally misunderstand the chapter - 07/12/2010 09:39:08 PM 1649 Views
I second this - 07/12/2010 10:10:24 PM 1344 Views
your bold is stuck. *NM* - 07/12/2010 10:21:22 PM 574 Views
He BOLDLY seconded it... *NM* - 08/12/2010 03:04:33 PM 550 Views
which is quite excellent. I was just leting him know *NM* - 08/12/2010 03:28:24 PM 457 Views
I think that statement says it all. - 07/12/2010 10:19:50 PM 1376 Views
Thanks. That's exactly what I think. - 08/12/2010 08:29:28 AM 1243 Views
+1, well said *NM* - 08/12/2010 11:19:29 AM 513 Views
Agrees *NM* - 09/12/2010 03:27:53 PM 950 Views
Yes, the OP totally whiffed here. Nyn couldn't remember.. - 11/12/2010 01:50:11 AM 1190 Views
On the whole, the test is innappropriate IMO - 07/12/2010 09:40:08 PM 1468 Views
I agree with this entirely *NM* - 07/12/2010 10:07:52 PM 509 Views
very well said *NM* - 07/12/2010 10:23:06 PM 459 Views
It's kind of a chicken and egg thing - 07/12/2010 11:13:19 PM 1120 Views
Re: It's kind of a chicken and egg thing - 08/12/2010 12:37:20 AM 1407 Views
nice post - 08/12/2010 09:20:02 AM 1239 Views
Isn't it implied - 08/12/2010 02:16:58 PM 1006 Views
no they were students together - 08/12/2010 05:33:17 PM 956 Views
No, Lanfear was older than Lews - 08/12/2010 07:21:45 PM 1179 Views
Where on earth did you get that from? - 08/12/2010 08:41:16 PM 1108 Views
Re: Where on earth did you get that from? - 09/12/2010 10:27:20 AM 1116 Views
Re: Where on earth did you get that from? - 09/12/2010 03:56:32 PM 1189 Views
I always got the impression that they were together for quiet some time - 09/12/2010 04:34:23 PM 1139 Views
I think skill with Saidar is easy enough to judge as it's a simple matter to see the skill - 08/12/2010 05:37:27 PM 1039 Views
I think the greens should have been on Nynaeve's side as well - 08/12/2010 06:18:16 PM 1158 Views
Problem is they are Aes Sedai and thus more likley to be political rather than rational! *NM* - 08/12/2010 08:52:00 PM 809 Views
too f'n true *NM* - 09/12/2010 12:17:58 AM 518 Views
Re: nice post - 09/12/2010 01:23:50 PM 1221 Views
On the matter of strength - 09/12/2010 08:51:36 PM 1061 Views
Re: On the matter of strength - 10/12/2010 10:38:42 AM 1061 Views
Strength was "prized" in the AoL ... but lack of strength was not a negative - 12/12/2010 01:41:08 AM 1022 Views
The test is stupid and it was about time someone pointed it out - 07/12/2010 10:29:38 PM 1060 Views
Channeling under duress IS necessary for ALL Aes Sedai - 05/01/2011 12:04:53 AM 1169 Views
Well - 07/12/2010 11:03:38 PM 1104 Views
Status is not an end in itself. *NM* - 07/12/2010 11:52:37 PM 528 Views
They're not really stupid... - 08/12/2010 01:00:20 AM 1137 Views
They're constantly outsmarted by a teenage girl that has spent most of her life in a damn farm. - 08/12/2010 10:32:50 AM 1122 Views
yeah because that's so realistic - 08/12/2010 12:17:29 PM 1070 Views
Egwene had everything handed to her on a silver platter. - 08/12/2010 11:50:17 PM 1045 Views
Bah... - 09/12/2010 10:56:24 AM 1158 Views
Nope, the Sitters were always stupid - 09/12/2010 12:37:05 PM 1087 Views
cause being rural automatically makes you dumb?..... *NM* - 09/12/2010 05:34:11 PM 593 Views
It makes you uneducated - 09/12/2010 05:46:49 PM 1012 Views
You are not only wrong in your call, - 08/12/2010 04:39:44 AM 1335 Views
Re: You are not only wrong in your call, - 08/12/2010 09:13:37 AM 1351 Views
if that is the purpose of the test - 08/12/2010 01:34:45 PM 1060 Views
minor disagreement - 08/12/2010 05:27:51 PM 1136 Views
Yes, but you can be not-panicked and not calm of body - 08/12/2010 06:38:56 PM 960 Views
not really the same thing as what the AS are getting at though - 08/12/2010 09:02:05 PM 1610 Views
that's retarded, imo - 09/12/2010 12:21:27 AM 1086 Views
About Elaida... - 09/12/2010 12:29:21 PM 1055 Views
...no wonder the Aes Sedai are floundering - 09/12/2010 01:43:42 PM 862 Views
Oh it's totally stupid! - 09/12/2010 04:37:14 PM 1107 Views
No I know why she took the job. I just don't understand why she got it - 09/12/2010 04:52:34 PM 1049 Views
I think Elaida just smarmed up at the right time, Morgase was very young then - 09/12/2010 05:52:29 PM 1098 Views
hmm. curse smarming, then *NM* - 09/12/2010 07:47:26 PM 458 Views
As I recall... - 10/12/2010 05:18:25 AM 1074 Views
Oh. Well, I'm sorry then. - 08/12/2010 06:48:50 PM 1109 Views
I think it has already been established that the purpose of the test is to ensure that - 08/12/2010 09:59:18 PM 854 Views
Yeah, but how does that work? - 08/12/2010 10:24:35 PM 1015 Views
Somewhere in the sub-conscious they know what they're doing is important to them. - 09/12/2010 12:20:47 AM 1125 Views
Even so, it wouldn't work. - 09/12/2010 03:32:55 AM 1038 Views
Another headless chicken example. - 09/12/2010 12:30:02 AM 1020 Views
the headless chicken is just such a lovely metaphor for panic *NM* - 09/12/2010 04:48:11 AM 459 Views
Re: Oh. Well, I'm sorry then. - 09/12/2010 12:07:15 PM 1110 Views
Re: Oh. Well, I'm sorry then. - 10/12/2010 05:32:27 AM 1180 Views
The main difference - 10/12/2010 05:50:43 AM 1040 Views
I'm not sure I agree. - 08/12/2010 12:17:12 PM 1108 Views
You seem to have no grasp of the difference between "politic" and "right" - 09/12/2010 02:59:50 AM 1165 Views
I hate it when I love you just a little *NM* - 09/12/2010 04:46:57 AM 492 Views
Re: You seem to have no grasp of the difference between "politic" and "right" - 09/12/2010 09:26:21 AM 1073 Views
That's not the dilema - 09/12/2010 05:23:19 PM 1261 Views
That's not what it's really about - 10/12/2010 05:44:12 AM 1017 Views
The paralells are not obvious to me... - 15/12/2010 11:42:51 AM 1101 Views
More like - 15/12/2010 01:26:40 PM 1014 Views
This test, even by its usual abysmal standards, was idiotic. It bordered on being evil. - 09/12/2010 03:46:31 AM 1019 Views
Re: This test, even by its usual abysmal standards, was idiotic. It bordered on being evil. - 09/12/2010 11:26:40 AM 1141 Views
Agreed... - 09/12/2010 01:54:09 PM 1054 Views
One of those few times where I completely agree with fionwe1987. Give over Sidious. You're wrong. - 10/12/2010 03:53:25 PM 1121 Views
no, she did not disagree. slight difference - 10/12/2010 05:53:54 PM 990 Views

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