The deaths of Untrained Channelers

[Orderofolde]

It occurred to me the other day after all these years that the sickness that took those people who touched the source, those men and women who died before they could learn to consciously touch the source died terribly, but I wondered about the exact cause.  Was it that since they could not control their channeling that they drew too much and killed themselves, or was it something more along the lines of burning themselves out and wasting away from some unknown loss of being able to touch the source?  We know that up until Rand cleansed Saidin the men when they touched the source began being corrupted by the taint.  Some could have died from it after only a few touches, while others went many years without being fully corrupted.  I thought that it would be an interesting to see people's thoughts on the matter as I cannot recall anyone else discussing the topic in all the time I've been on Dragonmount.   

[BFG]

I think the corruption you describe comes from men who have become wilders

 

The deaths I think come sooner, moiraine describes that people who unconsciously touch the source experience side/after effects, think Rand throughout eotw. At some point the after effect comes at the same time as touching the source, and that's when they die? Not sure why though, or why being guided the first time makes a difference *ponders

[BFG]

Think most in book information will be in the first 2

[Kesiera_Sedai]

I think they burn themselves because they seize the Power but can't channel anything or can't release it at will...Remember in book 3 when their group was attacked and Rand tried to help Moiraine? He drew in the Power and couldn't do anything with it. He almost killed them because he set all the trees on fire in his desperate attempt to channel something to "relieve the pressure". I remember that being the reason why it's supposed to be dangerous to continually embrace the Source... You'll unconsciously draw more and more until you burn out. Elayne tried holding the Power all day, and Vandene came to her quarters , curious to know what she was doing that would require so much of the Power. She then realized that she'd been holding almost as much as she could without even realizing it. During Egwene's test for Accepted, while inside the testing ter'angreal one of the possible futures was one where she and Rand were married, and he kept getting these terrible headaches. Each time, lightning would strike or something equally odd, and his headache would disappear.

[Orderofolde]

I think they burn themselves because they seize the Power but can't channel anything or can't release it at will...Remember in book 3 when their group was attacked and Rand tried to help Moiraine? He drew in the Power and couldn't do anything with it. He almost killed them because he set all the trees on fire in his desperate attempt to channel something to "relieve the pressure". I remember that being the reason why it's supposed to be dangerous to continually embrace the Source... You'll unconsciously draw more and more until you burn out. Elayne tried holding the Power all day, and Vandene came to her quarters , curious to know what she was doing that would require so much of the Power. She then realized that she'd been holding almost as much as she could without even realizing it. During Egwene's test for Accepted, while inside the testing ter'angreal one of the possible futures was one where she and Rand were married, and he kept getting these terrible headaches. Each time, lightning would strike or something equally odd, and his headache would disappear.

I remember that her cures for his headaches were less and less effective, and later she ended up dying for some reason and he wasted away, having only enough fingers to draw the bow when the Two Rivers went to the river to meet the trollocs.  Another of his visions was going off and getting robbed, his money and letter of introduction to the Army of Illian from his dad being stolen, and him joining the army of Andor and serving Elayne in the last battle, half rotten away and able to wield the power which he unleashed until a dreadlord or someone killed him. 

 

The question wasn't so much the taint aside from the fact that a male channeler could go mad in the first few touchings, or could last years as an observation.  My thoughts on wilders that die that don't even know what they are doing are either 1. Burning themselves out and wasting away as they have unconsciously touched this great thing and now cannot, or 2. drawing too much and killing themselves because they have touched the source but have absolutely no control over what they do yet.  Rand's urging Bela to run and run when they leave Emond's Field resulting in him cleansing her of fatigue, oddly enough without having to lay a hand to her, done so well that Moraine thinks that Bela was made of sterner stuff, though later she revealed she was suspicious of it and linked it to one of the boys being the DR and able to channel.  

 

I wanted to discuss other possibilities as to how or why people died from touching the source before they could learn to control it in the crude manner of wilders.  Nynaeve needed her herbs or the weather to make her healing work or to listen to the wind, others used it to grant their "wish" for things to happen, like dad buying them a new dress, or listening in on conversations, all the tricks people developed before they went to the tower.  From all my reading there were very few women or men who could actually consciously channel and achieve something they wanted.  All the non-Aes Sedai were still trained by others, the Windfinders by their own kind, the Wise Ones, etc.

[Kesiera_Sedai]

Yep...That's why Aes Sedai think little of wilders...Even if they make it through the sickness without dying, most can't channel at will, or have some weird limits like only being able to channel when angry (Nynaeve), or Theodrin's needing a cute guy in the room (lmao), or one being able to embrace the Source with your eyes closed (how counterproductive!). However, apparently there were self-taught wilders who were as skilled as any Aes Sedai, as Cadsuane apparently discovered in her younger days.

[Sabio]

Nyn if I remember right remembers a girl dying the way Moriane described.  I think most the deaths are sickness and not burnout simple becuase most die before they even know they can channel.  it's the symtoms from touching the source that get them.  Rand's near death was on the way to Caemelyn I believe, after he survived that he was past the risking death part.

[thehumantrashcan]

But what do you guys think causes the sickness. Why does guiding someone stop the sickness?

[Kesiera_Sedai]

In a "sparker," I suppose not learning to channel would be like have a blockage in an organ such as the colon or something...Something has to eventually happen or it'll kill you.

I know this probably sounds gross, but can you imagine having to use the bathroom and not knowing the source of your discomfort or what to do about it?

[Orderofolde]

But what do you guys think causes the sickness. Why does guiding someone stop the sickness?

Wow, you managed to get the exact question I wanted to ask, lol.

[thehumantrashcan]

So it's kinda of like needing someone to teach you how to poop?  And if someone doesn't teach you how to relieve that pressure you will become septic?  I could see that.  You need to learn to release or let all that power out or it will overwhelm your system.