Way to stop an Aes Sedai from channeling

[agreddon]

I don't know where this came from, but a thought occurred to me: I think in one place it was said that the Aes Sedai had to waive their hands, or some sort of gesture, even though it wasn't really linked to the Power (something was said that you could figure out who had taught whom by the way they wave their hands).

Given that, wouldn't it be slightly easier to keep an Aes Sedai from channeling by breaking her arms and wrists? I know, easier said than done, but could it be?

[Guest Barmacral]

From channeling certain weaves like throwing fireballs maybe. Not all weaves require arm movements, and even Aes Sedai can relearn a weave without the arm movements if necessary.

[Vaapad]

I don't have a book in front of me, but what you're referring to is an AS saying that some waves are taught along with motions. So yes, you can tell who the teacher was by what the motion is. That said, I don't think the motion is necessary, just comfortable out of habit. I'm sure a talented AS could figure out a way to make a given weave work without use of her hands/arms.

[agreddon]

From channeling certain weaves like throwing fireballs maybe. Not all weaves require arm movements' date=' and even Aes Sedai can relearn a weave without the arm movements if necessary.[/quote']

 

 

Maybe, but I'm postulating this: what if the motions are a sort of "bar" to speak? Would an Aes Sedai have a time retraining themselves in that short of a time period.

[Guest Barmacral]

It really depends on 1) the Aes Sedai, 2) The weave, and 3) How much time they have to retrain themselves in.

[Luckers]

1) The motions are not needed for the Weave. In PoD we see Aes Sedai, Windfinders and Aviendha attack a raken. The fatest balls of fire came from Aviendha and the windfinder because they didn't need to make the gesture.

 

2) Relearning a weave is diffcult. Most Aes Sedai think it pointless because they can never make the second weave as effective as the first, but i think they are wrong. In the Dragon Reborn we see Nynaeve learn to heal without her crutch (the herbs). It's immensely painful, but once she breaks the dependency it works fine. So its my belief that Aes Sedai could learn to weave the gesture weaves without the gesture, and still have them be effective, it would just take a lot, and be quite painful.

 

3) We should note that the Wise Ones are trying to force their Aes Sedai apprentices to lose their dependency on the gestures. Cadsuane thinks it unlikely that they will achieve, though Sorilea seems to disagree, but thinks that wether they do or not isn't that important.

[Guest Stefania Sedai]

Is it bad that when I saw the topic the first thing I thought of was "take her channel card away"?

What, you've never heard that old elephant joke?

I know, I know, I shouldn't attempt humor before lunch.

[Guest Barmacral]

I know' date=' I know, I shouldn't attempt humor outside of Fiddlesticks before lunch.[/quote']

 

Fixed :P

[Guest Stefania Sedai]

I swear, Barmacral, you are everywhere!

[Guest Barmacral]

Ahh, but I am.

[Beckon]

My understanding was always that the motions aren't strictly required but if you learned it that way it was all but impossible to perform the weave without it. That's part of the advantage of all these channeling groups that aren't part of the tower. They've learned to do things differently so they're not bound by the same restrictions the Aes Sedai are. One thing that comes to mind is the Kin woman who shields Nynaeve when they first meet them. Nynaeve is surprised at who shielded her because she's the weakest channeler in the group. She tries to break through and the shield just beeeennnnndssssss. The woman jokes that Nynaeve will break a blood vessel if she keeps trying.

[DemandredFO]

I would think that Arrows of fire and their female equivalent need the hands.

[mègon]

The hand motions are use as a focus. As a point at which the weaver can originate the weaving. So throwing fire balls, you use your hand not only as the focus for where to begin the weave, but as a way to subconsciously control which direction they will go.

 

I have a simple solution to the "How to stop an Aes Sedai from channeling" question...

 

You ready? Forkroot.

[Luckers]

Again, Nynaeve showed us in tDR that relearning a weave CAN be done. Its just immensely hard, and requires desperate need on behalf of the channeler. Even then it felt to Nynaeve like she was pulling off her own skin.

[Phiotr AlManera]

Can they weave without seeing?

Somewhere is mentionned that there was a novice with a block who had a problem with this.

On the other hand, Rand couldn't see when he was being held in the box at Dumais and he channelled.

[Luckers]

That was Tarna, and yes and no. They CAN weave, but dexterity and accuracy would be an issue. Effect also would be hard to judge.

[mègon]

Can they weave without seeing?

Somewhere is mentionned that there was a novice with a block who had a problem with this.

On the other hand, Rand couldn't see when he was being held in the box at Dumais and he channelled.

 

It really depends on what you're trying to weave. There is a point, when Egwene's head almost gets blown away by a crossbow bolt, where Nynaeve channels air somewhere she can't see, in some back hallway. She sees a movement, but then channels somewhere she cannot see.

 

I think if you know a weave well enough, or if it is simple enough you can weave it without seeing. But it would be incredibly hard to learn a new weave and see if you're getting it right, without being able to see what you were doing.

 

At Domai's Well rand channeled air to blow the iron strapped chest to bits. That doesn't take much. You know where the chest is all around you, and you know exactly what you're doing, so you can do it without seeing it.

[Luckers]

In that scene Nynaeve was looking through the crenallation. But i'd agree with the rest of what you said.