Why is promoting the true Dragon Reborn a stillable offense?

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I'm currently reading The Dragon Reborn, and near the beginning Siuan muses that if anyone found out what she was doing (hiding and enabling Rand), she would be stilled before sunrise.

 

I don't get this. It's common knowledge that the Dragon is needed to fight the Dark One at Tarmon Gaidon. When Rand was born, an Aes Sedai with the Foretelling Talent said the true Dragon Reborn is now among us.

 

So why did Moiraine and Siuan need to do all their work in secret? Why wouldn't all the Aes Sedai (even the Reds) cooperate in enabling Rand to save the world?

[Simple Gleeman]

Well for one, she is hiding the most important issue in the world from the Hall and the rest of the tower. Aes Sedai being power hungry and all wouldn't appreciate finding that Siuan and Moiraine have been keeping them out of the loop.

 

Also, despite that she knows Rand is the dragon reborn, I think she fears that the Aes Sedai might react badly; they might reject him, gentle him immediately out of fear, etc.

 

And, Siuan and Moiraine both believe that even if Rand were accepted as the dragon reborn, he would be locked up in the Tower for "safe keeping" and they think he needs time to play in the sandbox to grow and let his ta'vereness do its thing.

 

edit: About the Fortelling you mentioned. Thats not common knowledge among Aes Sedai. I think Moiraine and Siuan are the only two living who know it. And keeping Rand secret until he grabs callendor will protect him, because once he has callendor, the Aes Sedai won't be able to hide from the fact.

[Phiotr AlManera]

Yes, and they were planning to tell the Hall. They just needed some time to set everything up so the Hall would follow Siuan's lead and not go into a panic and screw up.

Perhaps Siuan and Moiraine were a bit afraid of the black ajah too. In NS there are black sisters on a hunt for a Ta'veren already.

[schneb]

I don't get this. It's common knowledge that the Dragon is needed to fight the Dark One at Tarmon Gaidon. When Rand was born, an Aes Sedai with the Foretelling Talent said the true Dragon Reborn is now among us.

 

In "The Great Hunt," Thom mentions that it isn't common knowledge that the Dragon will fight the Dark One at TG. In fact he states that most people that do realize that the Dragon will fight in TG think that he will be fighting on the DO's side.

 

So why did Moiraine and Siuan need to do all their work in secret? Why wouldn't all the Aes Sedai (even the Reds) cooperate in enabling Rand to save the world?

 

From the prequel, we know that some inkling of the Dragon being Reborn was known to the Black Ajah. Many of the people that Moiraine went looking for ended up dead. The BA didn't have all the information that Moiraine and Siuan did cause they were also targeting older people. I believe that these early experiences taught them the need for secrecy. And as Simple Gleeman said the reaction of the other Aes Sedai was not guarenteed.

[DragonSpawn]

Let's try to make it somewhat hypothetical to relate to it.

 

Imagine you were protecting someone who you knew would become the next Hitler and cause destruction, havoc and death where ever he went. Even ending whole era's and times. Something along those lines. But despite all the absolute carnage his maturing would cause you know it is vital for the fate of humankind as a whole.

 

However most Aes Sedai, will see this and have a "omg itsa Hitler" reaction. You cannot loose him on the world, etc..

 

Especially since at the moment the Aes Sedai almost run Randland by proxy, controlling and manipulating every leader. And somehow the Dragon Reborn will tear quite a lot of that up and disrupt a delicate balance as he did.

 

This is also one of the reasons the Aes Sedai are so intimidated and met their idealogical match with the Seanchan. The Seanchan don't even put themselves in the position to be allowed to get manipulated, they just go along the reactions of "omg you can channel, stfu and get in the chains NAO!!!."

[Magicana]

Siuan told the hall that Rand could channel after she got the message from Moiraine. It was a stillable offense because she kept it from the hall, didn't tie strings to him, etc.

[Phiotr AlManera]

Imagine you were protecting someone who you knew would become the next Hitler and cause destruction, havoc and death where ever he went. Even ending whole era's and times. Something along those lines. But despite all the absolute carnage his maturing would cause you know it is vital for the fate of humankind as a whole.

Don't forget he was a male chaneller using tainted saidin.

[Beckon]

I'm currently reading The Dragon Reborn' date=' and near the beginning Siuan muses that if anyone found out what she was doing (hiding and enabling Rand), she would be stilled before sunrise.

 

I don't get this. It's common knowledge that the Dragon is needed to fight the Dark One at Tarmon Gaidon. When Rand was born, an Aes Sedai with the Foretelling Talent said the true Dragon Reborn is now among us.

 

So why did Moiraine and Siuan need to do all their work in secret? Why wouldn't all the Aes Sedai (even the Reds) cooperate in enabling Rand to save the world?[/quote']

 

Look at what Elaida's idea of the proper way to handle Rand is...bring him to the tower and keep him shielded. There are not many Aes Sedai who would actually sit still for letting the Dragon Reborn do his own thing even with an Aes Sedai advisor. The Reds consider any man who can channel to be their property...if it came out that they knew his identy they'd be hard pressed to keep him from being gentled.

 

Then you have the Black Ajah looking for him. What happens if you go trumpeting about that you're looking for the Dragon Reborn? Either you die, or once you find him you've drawn the Black Ajah right to him...and then you die.

 

She'd be deposed and stilled because she's hidden all this from the hall.