Will There be Channeling After The Last Battle

[capuga]

I have seen a few predictions that there will be no channeling after the Last Battle. So I was curious as to what everyone thinks about this.

 

Personally, I think the series has been building towards a new golden age of channeling once the Last Battle is won. Let's look at some of the things that have happened:

 

- Lots of lost Talents such as Traveling and improved Healing have been rediscovered.

- The making of ter'angreal has been rediscovered.

- The existence of channeling groups among various races has been discovered and Egwene plans to tie them all together.

- Saidin is clean and there is now a male channeling organization.

- Men and women have been bonding each other and starting to work together.

- RJ spent a long time building up Egwene to be an awesome Amyrlin and reunite the Tower. Why all that work if she will be irrelevant in a few months?

 

What do you guys think?

[Bob T Dwarf]

I have seen a few predictions that there will be no channeling after the Last Battle. So I was curious as to what everyone thinks about this.

 

Personally, I think the series has been building towards a new golden age of channeling once the Last Battle is won. Let's look at some of the things that have happened:

 

- Lots of lost Talents such as Traveling and improved Healing have been rediscovered.

- The making of ter'angreal has been rediscovered.

- The existence of channeling groups among various races has been discovered and Egwene plans to tie them all together.

- Saidin is clean and there is now a male channeling organization.

- Men and women have been bonding each other and starting to work together.

- RJ spent a long time building up Egwene to be an awesome Amyrlin and reunite the Tower. Why all that work if she will be irrelevant in a few months?

 

What do you guys think?

 

[LazyMonk]

In general, yes. but everything hangs in a fine balance.

What if this time Saidar will be tainted during the sealing of the Bore??

[Ewandrina]

I also think that its likley to be another golden age, as you say they are just starting to rediscover things and work together would be a shame if things dont work out.

[dovien]

I rather think the power will be lost when the age after the one which is about to dawn begins. Or something.

[Guest]

for the very reasons you have stated i _really_ hope channeling will continue. im going to be really disappointed should channeling be removed.

 

but i must admit, the academies and their inventions and mats dragons is a serious pointer to what seems to be an industrialized world. but again, i sure hope they at first co-exist at least.

[capuga]

for the very reasons you have stated i _really_ hope channeling will continue. im going to be really disappointed should channeling be removed.

 

but i must admit, the academies and their inventions and mats dragons is a serious pointer to what seems to be an industrialized world. but again, i sure hope they at first co-exist at least.

 

That is true, but I don't think the technology and magic have to be mutually exclusive. The Age of Legends was full of technological marvels in addition to better Aes Sedai

[Moon Sedai]

That is true, but I don't think the technology and magic have to be mutually exclusive. The Age of Legends was full of technological marvels in addition to better Aes Sedai

 

Technology + Channeling= Steam Punk WotWorld! That would Rock!

 

You would think that access to channeling/magic would limit the capabilities of inventions. I mean, why invent the car when you can just Travel? Why research Cancer or surgery or new drugs (sorry Nynaeve) when you can just Heal? Why invent the lightbulb if one can just channel a ball of light to read by? Why invent cannons when you can just, well, explode stuff with the Power (unlike the AS, who can't use power as a weapon, but like the Damane and Ashaman, who ARE weapons)?

Except that the Age of Legends appears to have had elevators, airplanes, and many other such wonders that don't exist in WotWorld today, and that was a golden age of channeling.

It seems that the Age of Legends had wonders that helped non-channeler and channeler alike. What we know of the AoL seems mostly from rumor, text, and from the minds of characters who remember it (though admittedly, mostly Forsaken). We know very little about non-channeling life in AoL. [We tend to think of the AoL as a time when EVERYONE channeled, but, channeling was still only a small part of the population].

 

I think the schools/inventions coming around through the books are going to help the non-channelers, and that the next age might mimic the AoL.

 

Historically, the Middle Ages were called "Dark Ages" because people in the Renaissance (self-centeredly) felt that nothing happened in Europe after Rome fell and before their period of 'rebirth.' (The middle ages were actually a time when the modern European nations and languages developed, among other things). Rome was seen as a time of great accomplishment.

The Third age is similar to those "dark ages" in that the age before, the AoL,was a time of great achievement. The new coming age appears that it will be a time of rebirth, rediscovery, and stronger building.

[capuga]

That is true, but I don't think the technology and magic have to be mutually exclusive. The Age of Legends was full of technological marvels in addition to better Aes Sedai

 

Technology + Channeling= Steam Punk WotWorld! That would Rock!

 

You would think that access to channeling/magic would limit the capabilities of inventions. I mean, why invent the car when you can just Travel? Why research Cancer or surgery or new drugs (sorry Nynaeve) when you can just Heal? Why invent the lightbulb if one can just channel a ball of light to read by? Why invent cannons when you can just, well, explode stuff with the Power (unlike the AS, who can't use power as a weapon, but like the Damane and Ashaman, who ARE weapons)?

Except that the Age of Legends appears to have had elevators, airplanes, and many other such wonders that don't exist in WotWorld today, and that was a golden age of channeling.

It seems that the Age of Legends had wonders that helped non-channeler and channeler alike. What we know of the AoL seems mostly from rumor, text, and from the minds of characters who remember it (though admittedly, mostly Forsaken). We know very little about non-channeling life in AoL. [We tend to think of the AoL as a time when EVERYONE channeled, but, channeling was still only a small part of the population].

 

I think the schools/inventions coming around through the books are going to help the non-channelers, and that the next age might mimic the AoL.

 

Historically, the Middle Ages were called "Dark Ages" because people in the Renaissance (self-centeredly) felt that nothing happened in Europe after Rome fell and before their period of 'rebirth.' (The middle ages were actually a time when the modern European nations and languages developed, among other things). Rome was seen as a time of great accomplishment.

The Third age is similar to those "dark ages" in that the age before, the AoL,was a time of great achievement. The new coming age appears that it will be a time of rebirth, rediscovery, and stronger building.

 

Some very good points. And I agree that it will be the non-channeling common folk that would benefit the most from the technology. Especially since we have seen the Aes Sedai ignoring their servants of all duties for most of the series. For example, where are the hospitals Yellow Ajah? You spend your 200+ year life studying how to heal but then don't bother to actually use any of that knowledge unless someone travels all the way to TV for it? You would expect them to be out in the world healing people and even using their knowledge of the human body to train doctors that could help people even when Aes Sedai are not around. But instead you see them be very disdainful of Nynaeve and her herbs instead of seeing this type of thing as a branch on their professional tree. So it would greatly benefit the majority of the people in the world that can't channel for science to take a great leap forward.

[WhiskyJack]

4th age will be age of technology, probably.

[Corlock]

That is true, but I don't think the technology and magic have to be mutually exclusive. The Age of Legends was full of technological marvels in addition to better Aes Sedai

 

Technology + Channeling= Steam Punk WotWorld! That would Rock!

 

You would think that access to channeling/magic would limit the capabilities of inventions. I mean, why invent the car when you can just Travel?

 

Not all Aes Sedai are strong enough to Travel. In addition, an Aes Sedai who is strong enough to Travel may not be available.

 

Why research Cancer or surgery or new drugs (sorry Nynaeve) when you can just Heal?

 

Not all Aes Sedai are skilled at Healing. And one who is may not always be available.

 

Why invent the lightbulb if one can just channel a ball of light to read by? Why invent cannons when you can just, well, explode stuff with the Power (unlike the AS, who can't use power as a weapon, but like the Damane and Ashaman, who ARE weapons)?

 

And what do you do in these situations if you're not a channeller. Seems to me these inventions still have uses despite the existence of Aes Sedai. A better question, is why invent the lightbulb, when you can invent a Ter'angreal that does the same thing and may not need the Power to activate it, you know, like glowbulbs.

 

Except that the Age of Legends appears to have had elevators, airplanes, and many other such wonders that don't exist in WotWorld today, and that was a golden age of channeling.

It seems that the Age of Legends had wonders that helped non-channeler and channeler alike. What we know of the AoL seems mostly from rumor, text, and from the minds of characters who remember it (though admittedly, mostly Forsaken). We know very little about non-channeling life in AoL. [We tend to think of the AoL as a time when EVERYONE channeled, but, channeling was still only a small part of the population].

 

I'm of the opinion most of these things were ter'angreal of some sort, not all requiring the user to be a channeller of course.

 

I think the schools/inventions coming around through the books are going to help the non-channelers, and that the next age might mimic the AoL.

 

I agree the question really is, will the inventions be ter'angreal or technology. And if they are technology and the Power is still available, why are they not ter'angreal?

[capuga]

I agree the question really is, will the inventions be ter'angreal or technology. And if they are technology and the Power is still available, why are they not ter'angreal?

 

Perhaps a ter'angreal such as a glowbulb is too expensive for most of the population so they buy technology driven items like lightbulbs instead?

[Jon Paul]

If channelling disappeared after the Last Battle (immediately), the channellers would start dropping like flies. The One Power is a drug that one gets addicted to and cannot be weaned off. You need the hit or you die unless you have a sheer force of will that is truly exceptional. I could see Rand pulling it off, maybe.. but very few others.

 

In regards to the One Power and technology. I think that, the attitude of channellers to the One Power really effects this. The channellers themselves have this view of the One Power as being magical where as in the Age of Legends the Power was viewed in a scientific light, and not a magical light. It's very much like modern Christianity. Catholic theologians (less so Orthodox in my view, because their tradition is much more esoteric, but it's still evident to an extent) viewed the study of theology as a science. Aquinas would have considered himself just as much a scientist as Newton. But today, very few people view theology in this light and therefore Catholic apologetic standards fall.

[Vordreller]

If, after the last battle, channeling will be gone, I'll be very disappointed. Mostly because it's a huge cliché.

 

Humans are given great power, do not use it properly, lose power forever.

 

They've been pulling this one since the Garden of Eden.

[horus17]

As far as hospitals go, weren't there a group of Red Belts that went around like herbalists and healed people in Ebou Dar when NitWit-nyaeve and Dumb-layne there looking for the Bowl of Winds? Not quite a hosital, but one city took care of the sick. As far as things go, I think that the One Power and technolgy will work together in the future.

[Shard]

If, after the last battle, channeling will be gone, I'll be very disappointed. Mostly because it's a huge cliché.

 

Humans are given great power, do not use it properly, lose power forever.

 

They've been pulling this one since the Garden of Eden.

 

I agree several stories have already done this. Final Fantasy 6, Secret of Mana, etc.

[Barid Bel Medar]

If, after the last battle, channeling will be gone, I'll be very disappointed. Mostly because it's a huge cliché.

 

Humans are given great power, do not use it properly, lose power forever.

 

They've been pulling this one since the Garden of Eden.

 

I agree with this. Seriously, there is a whole world built on channeling, if it just disappears, that whole aspect (a huge part) of the world is gone. Basically 90% of the main characters are dead, all of the character building and world building (asha'man, White Tower etc) were for absolutly nothing. Also, as you say, it owuld be a cliche. People loose the magic and things turn out like our own age. Its just stupid, i too wll be extremely disappointed.

[Mr Ares]

While it is a given that at some point channeling will be lost (and subsequently rediscovered), there are as yet no real indications that the loss of the Power is imminent. Personally, I think an ending where the Power disappears overnight runs the risk of being disappointing, and I hope it is not the route RJ planned on going down. On the subject of magic and technology, I do not see the existence of the Power as reason enough to let technology stagnate. The drives to improve will still be there, and the OP only does so much to offset that.

[Lisa Campbell]

While it is a given that at some point channeling will be lost (and subsequently rediscovered)

 

Where is it said in the books that there was an age with no channeling? I've read the series many times and can't recall this.

[Sid]

The ring of Tamyrlin was supposedly created by the person that discovered channeling and the One Power. Thus, at some point in the cyclic ages of the wheel the ability to channel is either unavailable or forgotten so it can be 'discovered'.

 

I think that's in tBWBoBA. The ring itself is mentioned in TEOTW's prologue though.

edit- I looked it up and it's an entry in the expanded glossary of "To the Blight" (the re-released TEOTW part 2)

[Lisa Campbell]

Aahh, well that would be why I don't know about it or the ring of the Tamyrlin. My copy of tEotW precedes the 2 book version and, I was disillusioned at the time and refused to buy the BWB. I thought it was just something to please the fans and don't give what's in it much credence when quoted here. Perhaps I should reconsider that opinion but obviously can't until I read it.

[Beer Rot]

It'll be unfortunate if channeling does continue after the end of the series, at least for Nynaeve and Moiraine.

 

Both falling in love with older men, how long will Lan and Thom live compared to the two AS?

[Lisa Campbell]

Well if channeling is suddenly eradicated one would think the long life-spans are too as they are linked to the usage of power. So given that, why would Moiraine and Nynaeve care any more than anyone else?

[Beer Rot]

what?

[FarShainMael]

While it is a given that at some point channeling will be lost (and subsequently rediscovered)

 

Where is it said in the books that there was an age with no channeling? I've read the series many times and can't recall this.

 

It's not stated outright, but it's suggested that our own Age is one of the seven - and I dunno about you, but I can't channel..