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Strength was "prized" in the AoL ... but lack of strength was not a negative darius_sedai Send a noteboard - 12/12/2010 01:41:08 AM

In general it sounds like you had to exceed greatly the current Tower's standards to make a career in the Guild or in the Guild-based faciliities like the Collam Daan. OTOH, it's also likely a great deal of women put out by the Tower would have managed to meet the AOL standards to be an Aes Sedai (if they followed the OP training, of course), as few ever seem to be put out for lack of channelling skills, but rather for not fitting the mold. The OP aside, I bet fairly few sisters in the White Tower would meet the standards of the Guild in issues like ethics, behaviour and mentality.


I can't prove this from the text but I always figured that strength in the One Power was a lot less important to the Age of Legend Aes Sedai than it is to present day Aes Sedai.

Weak channelers are considered unfit by present-day Tower because they wouldn't be able to kill a trolloc horde by themselves while weaving a 100 useless weaves but in the Age of Legends that wouldn't be so important. There's a reason why they made all of those angreal. It was an equalizer that enabled channelers with small inborn strength to realize her talents. Circles, so common in the Age of Legend, functioned similarly. They were headed by the most talented person among them, not the strongest.


From my interpretation I think the very Strong Channelers had great status, probably because they are typically so versatile in their OP abilities. But equally important were those gifted with strong Talents or particularly gifted in certain areas (think Naeff with Air). Those seemed to be the type of people who would add an extra dimension to a circle and thus would have been in great demand. In the AoL Egwene probably would have wound up in a vocation involving Earth, mining or perhaps building ... Naeff perhaps in the Weather business etc...

Current AS are more "generalists" with the Power and thus Strength plays a more important role ... the Stronger you are the more stuff you can do being the theory. Since Talents are so rare with AS, or rather they go unidentified, that dimension was lost to them. It's one of the major problems with the Tower IMO.
Domani Drag Queen in the White Tower ... Aran'gar watch out!
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Nynaeve's stupidity and the test for Aes Sedai Sidious - 07/12/2010 08:27:05 PM 4416 Views
Just like all women. Great Lord of Chaos - 07/12/2010 09:15:12 PM 1270 Views
Way to totally misunderstand the chapter Icarium - 07/12/2010 09:39:08 PM 1754 Views
I second this redhand - 07/12/2010 10:10:24 PM 1432 Views
your bold is stuck. *NM* LadyLorraine - 07/12/2010 10:21:22 PM 610 Views
He BOLDLY seconded it... *NM* HyogaRott - 08/12/2010 03:04:33 PM 584 Views
which is quite excellent. I was just leting him know *NM* LadyLorraine - 08/12/2010 03:28:24 PM 489 Views
I think that statement says it all. LadyLorraine - 07/12/2010 10:19:50 PM 1457 Views
Thanks. That's exactly what I think. ˥ɐ ʎpu∀ɹ - 08/12/2010 08:29:28 AM 1323 Views
+1, well said *NM* Lord Haart - 08/12/2010 11:19:29 AM 545 Views
Agrees *NM* Onarishma - 09/12/2010 03:27:53 PM 1038 Views
Yes, the OP totally whiffed here. Nyn couldn't remember.. The Angry Druid - 11/12/2010 01:50:11 AM 1283 Views
On the whole, the test is innappropriate IMO DomA - 07/12/2010 09:40:08 PM 1557 Views
I agree with this entirely *NM* LadyLorraine - 07/12/2010 10:07:52 PM 542 Views
very well said *NM* darius_sedai - 07/12/2010 10:23:06 PM 485 Views
It's kind of a chicken and egg thing BlackAdder - 07/12/2010 11:13:19 PM 1207 Views
Re: It's kind of a chicken and egg thing DomA - 08/12/2010 12:37:20 AM 1489 Views
nice post Sidious - 08/12/2010 09:20:02 AM 1322 Views
Isn't it implied guttering flame - 08/12/2010 02:16:58 PM 1098 Views
no they were students together darius_sedai - 08/12/2010 05:33:17 PM 1043 Views
No, Lanfear was older than Lews guttering flame - 08/12/2010 07:21:45 PM 1264 Views
Where on earth did you get that from? darius_sedai - 08/12/2010 08:41:16 PM 1190 Views
Re: Where on earth did you get that from? DomA - 09/12/2010 10:27:20 AM 1201 Views
Re: Where on earth did you get that from? Sidious - 09/12/2010 03:56:32 PM 1290 Views
I always got the impression that they were together for quiet some time darius_sedai - 09/12/2010 04:34:23 PM 1223 Views
Re: I always got the impression that they were together for quiet some time moratcorlm - 09/12/2010 05:43:40 PM 1212 Views
I think skill with Saidar is easy enough to judge as it's a simple matter to see the skill darius_sedai - 08/12/2010 05:37:27 PM 1118 Views
I think the greens should have been on Nynaeve's side as well LadyLorraine - 08/12/2010 06:18:16 PM 1243 Views
Problem is they are Aes Sedai and thus more likley to be political rather than rational! *NM* darius_sedai - 08/12/2010 08:52:00 PM 846 Views
too f'n true *NM* LadyLorraine - 09/12/2010 12:17:58 AM 553 Views
Re: nice post DomA - 09/12/2010 01:23:50 PM 1302 Views
On the matter of strength guttering flame - 09/12/2010 08:51:36 PM 1145 Views
Re: On the matter of strength Timthetrolloc - 10/12/2010 10:38:42 AM 1134 Views
Strength was "prized" in the AoL ... but lack of strength was not a negative darius_sedai - 12/12/2010 01:41:08 AM 1106 Views
The test is stupid and it was about time someone pointed it out Zeratul - 07/12/2010 10:29:38 PM 1132 Views
Channeling under duress IS necessary for ALL Aes Sedai Urbannen - 05/01/2011 12:04:53 AM 1275 Views
Well BlackAdder - 07/12/2010 11:03:38 PM 1194 Views
Yes. How dare she not conform with every other fucking mindless stupid WT Aes Sedai *NM* Variant - 07/12/2010 11:36:52 PM 688 Views
Status is not an end in itself. *NM* Chas - 07/12/2010 11:52:37 PM 561 Views
They're not really stupid... DomA - 08/12/2010 01:00:20 AM 1231 Views
Not saying they are. It's just that most AS that we've come across Chas - 08/12/2010 02:20:05 AM 920 Views
They're constantly outsmarted by a teenage girl that has spent most of her life in a damn farm. Variant - 08/12/2010 10:32:50 AM 1201 Views
yeah because that's so realistic Sidious - 08/12/2010 12:17:29 PM 1138 Views
Egwene had everything handed to her on a silver platter. Variant - 08/12/2010 11:50:17 PM 1096 Views
Bah... DomA - 09/12/2010 10:56:24 AM 1254 Views
Nope, the Sitters were always stupid Zeratul - 09/12/2010 12:37:05 PM 1192 Views
I did not say all Aes Sedai are stupid, I said all WT Aes Sedai are stupid. Variant - 10/12/2010 09:19:52 AM 1206 Views
cause being rural automatically makes you dumb?..... *NM* Onarishma - 09/12/2010 05:34:11 PM 627 Views
It makes you uneducated moratcorlm - 09/12/2010 05:46:49 PM 1101 Views
You are not only wrong in your call, Fanatic-Templar - 08/12/2010 04:39:44 AM 1446 Views
Re: You are not only wrong in your call, Sidious - 08/12/2010 09:13:37 AM 1434 Views
if that is the purpose of the test LadyLorraine - 08/12/2010 01:34:45 PM 1140 Views
minor disagreement darius_sedai - 08/12/2010 05:27:51 PM 1217 Views
Yes, but you can be not-panicked and not calm of body LadyLorraine - 08/12/2010 06:38:56 PM 1040 Views
not really the same thing as what the AS are getting at though darius_sedai - 08/12/2010 09:02:05 PM 1705 Views
that's retarded, imo LadyLorraine - 09/12/2010 12:21:27 AM 1180 Views
About Elaida... Zeratul - 09/12/2010 12:29:21 PM 1143 Views
...no wonder the Aes Sedai are floundering LadyLorraine - 09/12/2010 01:43:42 PM 964 Views
Oh it's totally stupid! darius_sedai - 09/12/2010 04:37:14 PM 1194 Views
No I know why she took the job. I just don't understand why she got it LadyLorraine - 09/12/2010 04:52:34 PM 1132 Views
I think Elaida just smarmed up at the right time, Morgase was very young then darius_sedai - 09/12/2010 05:52:29 PM 1191 Views
hmm. curse smarming, then *NM* LadyLorraine - 09/12/2010 07:47:26 PM 492 Views
As I recall... Fanatic-Templar - 10/12/2010 05:18:25 AM 1169 Views
Oh. Well, I'm sorry then. Fanatic-Templar - 08/12/2010 06:48:50 PM 1193 Views
I think it has already been established that the purpose of the test is to ensure that Chas - 08/12/2010 09:59:18 PM 936 Views
Yeah, but how does that work? Fanatic-Templar - 08/12/2010 10:24:35 PM 1074 Views
Somewhere in the sub-conscious they know what they're doing is important to them. Chas - 09/12/2010 12:20:47 AM 1203 Views
Even so, it wouldn't work. Fanatic-Templar - 09/12/2010 03:32:55 AM 1126 Views
I think if this thread has established anything it's that the test is severely flawed. *NM* Chas - 09/12/2010 09:24:48 PM 544 Views
Another headless chicken example. Chas - 09/12/2010 12:30:02 AM 1105 Views
the headless chicken is just such a lovely metaphor for panic *NM* LadyLorraine - 09/12/2010 04:48:11 AM 496 Views
Re: Oh. Well, I'm sorry then. Sidious - 09/12/2010 12:07:15 PM 1185 Views
Re: Oh. Well, I'm sorry then. Fanatic-Templar - 10/12/2010 05:32:27 AM 1266 Views
The main difference guttering flame - 10/12/2010 05:50:43 AM 1121 Views
I'm not sure I agree. Skeeve the Great - 08/12/2010 12:17:12 PM 1188 Views
You seem to have no grasp of the difference between "politic" and "right" Cannoli - 09/12/2010 02:59:50 AM 1257 Views
I hate it when I love you just a little *NM* LadyLorraine - 09/12/2010 04:46:57 AM 529 Views
Re: You seem to have no grasp of the difference between "politic" and "right" Sidious - 09/12/2010 09:26:21 AM 1158 Views
That's not the dilema Cannoli - 09/12/2010 05:23:19 PM 1355 Views
One of those few times where I completely agree with Cannoli. Give over Sidious. You're wrong. fionwe1987 - 09/12/2010 09:55:20 PM 1132 Views
Bah! As if an opinion on the test's validity can be wrong *NM* Sidious - 10/12/2010 04:39:14 AM 1279 Views
That's not what it's really about guttering flame - 10/12/2010 05:44:12 AM 1100 Views
The paralells are not obvious to me... Cannoli - 15/12/2010 11:42:51 AM 1180 Views
More like guttering flame - 15/12/2010 01:26:40 PM 1086 Views
This test, even by its usual abysmal standards, was idiotic. It bordered on being evil. fionwe1987 - 09/12/2010 03:46:31 AM 1115 Views
Re: This test, even by its usual abysmal standards, was idiotic. It bordered on being evil. Sidious - 09/12/2010 09:40:09 AM 1199 Views
Re: This test, even by its usual abysmal standards, was idiotic. It bordered on being evil. fionwe1987 - 09/12/2010 02:04:02 PM 1508 Views
Re: This test, even by its usual abysmal standards, was idiotic. It bordered on being evil. DomA - 09/12/2010 11:26:40 AM 1200 Views
Agreed... fionwe1987 - 09/12/2010 01:54:09 PM 1148 Views
One of those few times where I completely agree with fionwe1987. Give over Sidious. You're wrong. Cannoli - 10/12/2010 03:53:25 PM 1197 Views
no, she did not disagree. slight difference LadyLorraine - 10/12/2010 05:53:54 PM 1076 Views
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