I always used to believe that the way Balefire worked was that it only erased things with actual threads in the pattern backwards through time. That is to say, only living things like people and animals and such. That is why when balefire struck physical objects (like the walls in the palace during the Rahvin confrontation) it simply cut through them, creating grooves. But when it struck anything alive, the living being turned to glowing sparkling mist and then vanished completely.
If this view were correct, your theory simply could not work since as a physical object that was not alive, the angreal would not have a thread to be burned back. Its destruction, even by balefire would not reverse the compulsion. Only the death of Graendal herself by balefire would work.
If this view were correct, your theory simply could not work since as a physical object that was not alive, the angreal would not have a thread to be burned back. Its destruction, even by balefire would not reverse the compulsion. Only the death of Graendal herself by balefire would work.
I agree. Objects must have threads that can be burned back in time, for my idea to work.
But then we got to TGS and my understanding went right out the window. There are several cases where balefire in this books acts differently to the way it did before.
Compare for instance what happened during the final confrontation with Ishamael. Ishy weaves balefire at Rand, who somehow splits the balefire in two. The split balefire actually HITS Rands wool coat, igniting it, but just barely misses Rand himself. The balefire then strikes the colums, but again simply bores through them rather than causing them to disappear in sparkles. We see this again in the Rahvin confrontation. Balefire striking walls just bores through rather than causing the wall to sparkle away.
But thats not how it works in TGS. When Rand weaves balefire at his coat, rather than just making a hole into it (and the floor), the coat disappears entirely. This happens again during the Graendal confrontation. Rand's balefire, rather than just boring through the mansion (and erasing the living things it hits) actually erases the entire mansion. Even the parts that were not hit.
When asked about this, Sanderson actually said that the view I had was wrong and that physical objects in the pattern actually DO have threads, in which case your theory could be true.
Compare for instance what happened during the final confrontation with Ishamael. Ishy weaves balefire at Rand, who somehow splits the balefire in two. The split balefire actually HITS Rands wool coat, igniting it, but just barely misses Rand himself. The balefire then strikes the colums, but again simply bores through them rather than causing them to disappear in sparkles. We see this again in the Rahvin confrontation. Balefire striking walls just bores through rather than causing the wall to sparkle away.
But thats not how it works in TGS. When Rand weaves balefire at his coat, rather than just making a hole into it (and the floor), the coat disappears entirely. This happens again during the Graendal confrontation. Rand's balefire, rather than just boring through the mansion (and erasing the living things it hits) actually erases the entire mansion. Even the parts that were not hit.
When asked about this, Sanderson actually said that the view I had was wrong and that physical objects in the pattern actually DO have threads, in which case your theory could be true.
Agreed, given what BS said. Regardless whether BS is right or wrong, it seems we should use balefire evidence from TGS to determine the possibility/impossibility of an idea regarding other balefire usage in TGS.
Having said that ... based on discussion in this thread, I'm thinking my idea is pretty unlikely, even if evidence from TGS suggests that it could be possible.
The whole thing gives me a headache.
Me too!
Rise and fall, turn the Wheel,
'cause all life is
is really just a circle.
-BHT&tM
'cause all life is
is really just a circle.
-BHT&tM
Graendal's Fate (Alive or Dead?)
05/01/2010 05:44:12 PM
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Re: Graendal's Fate (Alive or Dead?)
05/01/2010 06:46:19 PM
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Re: Graendal's Fate (Alive or Dead?)
05/01/2010 07:15:41 PM
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Nynaeve's boat...
05/01/2010 07:23:57 PM
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Good point ...
05/01/2010 07:52:04 PM
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I'm somewhat surprised objects have threads.
05/01/2010 08:45:52 PM
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Re: I'm somewhat surprised objects have threads.
05/01/2010 09:23:06 PM
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Re: I'm somewhat surprised objects have threads.
05/01/2010 10:30:42 PM
- 741 Views
There is another way...
05/01/2010 07:00:31 PM
- 728 Views
Nope
06/01/2010 04:36:56 AM
- 765 Views
USe Occam's Razor yourself...
06/01/2010 05:53:22 AM
- 883 Views
and why didn't she invert any of the weaves?
06/01/2010 05:55:54 AM
- 706 Views
Maybe you cannot invert compulsion?
06/01/2010 06:56:35 PM
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so it's the one and only thing we've seen that can't be inverted? seems a little
06/01/2010 11:31:09 PM
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Re: so it's the one and only thing we've seen that can't be inverted?
07/01/2010 12:02:00 AM
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Balefire is so confusing
05/01/2010 07:03:29 PM
- 770 Views
Re: Balefire is so confusing
05/01/2010 08:52:57 PM
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She's dead as a bloody doornail. Or whatever that saying is... *NM*
05/01/2010 07:20:36 PM
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I think she's alive.
06/01/2010 06:12:50 PM
- 696 Views
Compulsion is rather useless isn't it?
06/01/2010 07:44:42 PM
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It may take an exceptional Delver/Healer
06/01/2010 08:49:37 PM
- 747 Views
perhaps, but still I have a hard time believing Graendal didn't invert the weaves!
06/01/2010 11:06:49 PM
- 681 Views
Re: perhaps, but still I have a hard time believing Graendal didn't invert the weaves!
07/01/2010 03:42:17 PM
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