Two Questions...

[dyehead]

What made Lan 'a man alone?' (I listen to the audiobooks so I'm going to butcher 'An Alain')

 

In A New Spring when the Aiel (all 600 or whatever) stamp their spears and shout it then leave, was there ever a reason discussed for this?  Was he too honorable to fight against?

 

Question 2..

 

at the end of book 11, 6 sisters used gateways, when only 3 in the tower were supposed to know how.. Beonin, Elaida, and Egwene. (aside from Alviarin and Mesaana) Where did these other sisters learn?

[PrinceOfRavens]

the story of malkier is also famous in the waste i would think, and also of the baby carries away by the 20 most skilled warriors of malkier, they also know he was raised in the blight as someone else is raised in his own backgarden, they respect him for that and for his deadly abillity in almost anything. Thats my intepretation i think.

[aevogt]

It is better translated "the man who is an entire people"

 

It's not entirely true since there are many Malkiere living in other borderland countires but since he is the uncrowned king it fits the character.

 

 

These sisters were sent by Elaida to bond Ashaman warders so presumably, since they are all Reds, Elaida taught them how to travel.  

 

[Luckers]

Actually Elaida has no idea about the bonding of Asha'men warders. The idea was originally suggested by Tarna to Pevara, and ultimately decided on by Tsutama, the head of the Red Ajah.

 

As for how they learnt how to travel, Tarna was present when Beonin showed Elaida how to travel, and had permission to learn the rest of it anyway. Additionally Elaida was going to have Beonin teach some other Reds besides, so its highly likely Javnidhra (who Elaida reguards as her lap dog) would have been taught anyway.

 

 

[elmis]

In A New Spring when the Aiel (all 600 or whatever) stamp their spears and shout it then leave, was there ever a reason discussed for this?  Was he too honorable to fight against?

 

I always thought that scene was kinda lame.

[Luckers]

In A New Spring when the Aiel (all 600 or whatever) stamp their spears and shout it then leave, was there ever a reason discussed for this?  Was he too honorable to fight against?

 

I always thought that scene was kinda lame.

 

This was after Laman was already dead. As far as the Aiel was concerned the Toh had been met. In that light yes, Lan was too honourable to kill--and concidering the numbers in play, it would have been kill, not just fight.

[Guest cw]

Translations from the Old Tongue are never precise.  If I remember correctly, Aan'allein can be translated simply as "one man" or maybe "man alone".  That is descriptive of Lan's one man war against the Shadow.  Even "Man who is an entire nation" fits to the extent that Lan refuses to lead others in that war.

 

[elmis]

I understand why they didn't want to fight Luckers, just the stomping and shouting the name that puts me off. I could understand some pointing and whatnot but I just never liked them shouting Aan'allein. It's as if it was written in to make Lan seem even cooler, but just completely misses the mark, at least for me. Over the top, if you will.

[Luckers]

Well... too be fair these people arn't exactly exposed to the soaps. Melodrama isn't really that much of a fopaux.

 

But yeah, it was obviously staged for the moment.

[DuDZiK]

Actually Elaida has no idea about the bonding of Asha'men warders. The idea was originally suggested by Tarna to Pevara, and ultimately decided on by Tsutama, the head of the Red Ajah.

 

As for how they learnt how to travel, Tarna was present when Beonin showed Elaida how to travel, and had permission to learn the rest of it anyway. Additionally Elaida was going to have Beonin teach some other Reds besides, so its highly likely Javnidhra (who Elaida reguards as her lap dog) would have been taught anyway.

 

 

 

It wouldn't matter if Elaida wanted some of them taught or not. As long as Tarna wanted this mission to happen, she would have taught all of them how to do it, IMO.

[Luckers]

Which is pretty much what I said....

[cloglord]

Which is pretty much what I said....

 

No it is not, DuZik makes the important distinction that it didn't nessecarily need Elaida's permission.  Tarna could have easily taught these sisters on her own authority in the execution of her red ajah mission.  Which would mean that Tarna had shown signs of favoring her ajah over her amrylin, a very important distinction.

[wvlr]

Which is pretty much what I said....

 

No it is not, DuZik makes the important distinction that it didn't nessecarily need Elaida's permission.  Tarna could have easily taught these sisters on her own authority in the execution of her red ajah mission.  Which would mean that Tarna had shown signs of favoring her ajah over her amrylin, a very important distinction.

 

Above and beyond that, Tarna is seriously showing signs of favoring the WT over Elida.  She repeatedly seems to placate Elida and then go on to do what (to me) she sees as the best action for the Tower.    She does not appear to be working actively against Elida, but she is not proping her up as well.    (Sorry, no Quotes but that was my impression from my last read)

[aevogt]

I understand why they didn't want to fight Luckers, just the stomping and shouting the name that puts me off. I could understand some pointing and whatnot but I just never liked them shouting Aan'allein. It's as if it was written in to make Lan seem even cooler, but just completely misses the mark, at least for me. Over the top, if you will.

 

Actually, I rather enjoyed that scene.  It reminded me of the end of the film "Zulu" with the Zulu warriors chanting as they withdrew from Rourke's Drift, shields held over their shoulders as a sign of respect for an enemy that wouldn't break.