Aviendha's gatewaw size doesn't decrease. She is just less energy efficient in creating it... - Edit 1
Before modification by Shannow at 23/12/2009 05:31:03 PM
traveling *is* still a type of talent. Even people that are considered strong in the one power can have difficulties opening up those 4X4pace gateways, when others of the same strength are able to do it with ease. In example: Aviendha now has to use her *entire* strength to open up a gateway that is still smaller than what Elayne is able to create. Now, we know that Aviendha is able to travel normally, without using her entire strength, but she completely forgot how to create the weave she used to instaport to Seandar/Seanchan.
This proves to me that TRAVELING, i.e. the standard weave, is something able to be done by everyone strong enough, and much like the ACTs, some people do better with it than others, even though those that do poorly can be just as intelligent. To go along with this metaphor, Aviendha's hastily erected weave, say the "SATs" of traveling, worked very well for her and would probably work well for several others (we haven't met any specifically) that have problems with the "ACT" method.
The main problem with 3rd age travelers comes from their lack of innovation; most of the Aes Sedai refuse to think anything is possible if they don't already have a weave (or they say it is some lost marvel, never to be seen again, from the AoL). In the Age of Legends, where research was paramount, there might have been as many versions of the traveling weave as there was numbers of channelers strong enough to implement it. Where does it say in the text that all of the forsaken use the *exact* same weave? As long as the basic method of female/male is intact (folding the pattern/boring a hole in the pattern) then the methodology is up to the creativity of the weaver.
thoughts?
This proves to me that TRAVELING, i.e. the standard weave, is something able to be done by everyone strong enough, and much like the ACTs, some people do better with it than others, even though those that do poorly can be just as intelligent. To go along with this metaphor, Aviendha's hastily erected weave, say the "SATs" of traveling, worked very well for her and would probably work well for several others (we haven't met any specifically) that have problems with the "ACT" method.
The main problem with 3rd age travelers comes from their lack of innovation; most of the Aes Sedai refuse to think anything is possible if they don't already have a weave (or they say it is some lost marvel, never to be seen again, from the AoL). In the Age of Legends, where research was paramount, there might have been as many versions of the traveling weave as there was numbers of channelers strong enough to implement it. Where does it say in the text that all of the forsaken use the *exact* same weave? As long as the basic method of female/male is intact (folding the pattern/boring a hole in the pattern) then the methodology is up to the creativity of the weaver.
thoughts?
The size of the gateway is linked to her potential.
Aviendha and Elayne are of similar strength And Aviendha says that Elayne can make the same size gateway that Aviendha can, only that Elayne uses only a part of her strength for it while Aviendha has to use most of her strength for it.
But the sizes of their gateways are the same. Therefore, gateway size remains an accurate gauge of the channeler's potential strength. They just may use different proportions of their potential to make it.
Same with Flinn. He states in tGS that he isn't as good at making gateways as one of the other Ashaman. But his gateway is still the largest of all the Ashaman with Rand in PoD. So it merely means that Flinn uses more of his strength to make his gateway. But the maximum size of his gateway is not diminished because of it.
Bottomline, the potential strength/gateway size correlation is a solid one, and therefore Rand, Logain, Egwene and others all refer to it as a clear cut rule. The larger your gateway, the stronger you are in the Power. How MUCH of your strength you use to make that gateway does not change the fact that your gateway size and potential strength are correlated.