Agelessness

[A Demon Llama!]

All the female Aes Sedai gain the ageless face when using the power for a long time.  Do the men that can channel get the ageless look also? I got to the part where Rand first met Taim, and Rand did not mention anything about the man looking ageless. Taim has channeled for around 15 years, and that should be enough, since Moraine has channeled roughly the same amount and has the ageless look. Unless it has to do something with the taint.

[Majsju]

The ageless look comes from the Oath Rod, not channeling.

[nashdude]

Agreed. Now, the women SLOW DOWN in aging, due to the presence of the One Power, so I'd assume that the same holds true for the men. But as far as an ageless LOOK... yeah, that's because of the Oath Rod. Remember Siuan and Leane, when they were severed, LOST the ageless appearance because they were no longer bound by the Oath Rod. But the older members of the Kin---some more than 300-400 years with the Power---had no ageless look to them at all. They were simply YOUNGER than they should have been.

 

Get it? :)

[Majsju]

Yes, men also slow. Taim for example has slowed a little bit. He is in his late 20s, but looks younger. When Rand first met him he was quite roughred up from having been chased by Bashere for weeks, so Rand misjudged his age. Once introduced to soap and water, Taim does not look so old anymore.

 

Women start to slow in their early 20s, earlier than men. Nynaeve for example has started to slow, which we see in her reaction after her and Elaynes first encounter with the Kin.

[benr]

And men who channel haven't been living long enough to show the agelessness (except the Forsaken, and that's another kettle of fish).

[Guest Dreadlord]

QUOTE

And men who channel haven't been living long enough to show the agelessness (except the Forsaken, and that's another kettle of fish).

UNQUOTE

 

If Rand lived to 1000000000000 he wouldnt have the ageless look unless he took Oaths on an Oath Rod, and thats assuming that the agelessness works the same for men.

[trakand_01]

I just wondered, as we know it is the Oath Rod which causes the agelessness (as opposed to simply looking younger than you are), have we come across any Aes Sedai who have had it remarked that they dont have the ageless look? I just thought it might be a way of identifying those who had been released from their oaths for.... certain reasons.

[Majsju]

It seems quite logical the Ageless look would work the same for men and women. However, we do not know if any of the two known Oath Rods (or Binders, as they were called in the AOL) would work on men. Sammael suggests that the one he gives Sevanna does not, but he might be lying through his teeth on that one.

 

I just wondered, as we know it is the Oath Rod which causes the agelessness (as opposed to simply looking younger than you are), have we come across any Aes Sedai who have had it remarked that they dont have the ageless look? I just thought it might be a way of identifying those who had been released from their oaths for.... certain reasons.

 

Are you thinking of the BA? They would after all be the ones with the obvious reason to want to get rid of the Oaths. They do however replace the original Oaths with a new set, and since it is done instantly, there is no change in their look.

 

The only Aes Sedai we have seen that lacks the ageless look are those newly raised to the shawl, as it takes some time for the look to appear. For example a bunch of those involved in the kidnapping of Rand.

[trakand_01]

There's also one with Elayne... is it Sashalle?

 

Yes I was meaning the Black Ajah.

 

So in Galina's case, her new oath to therava will retain her look?

[dyring]

There's also one with Elayne... is it Sashalle?

 

Yes I was meaning the Black Ajah.

 

So in Galina's case, her new oath to therava will retain her look?

 

In Galinas case, since she got 4 oaths on her atm(if my memory servers that is;), wich propably will cause her "agelessness" to be even more pronounced. lso, she will propably lose another chunk of her life due to it(since the oaths shortens the lifespan of the person bound).

[Majsju]

We do not know if the number of oaths makes any difference in how much the lifespan is cut. Tough luck for the BA hunters in the Tower if that is the case...

 

As for Galina,I would not count on old age being the cause of death in her case... ;D

[Luckers]

There's also one with Elayne... is it Sashalle?

 

Sashelle is one of the Aes Sedai Rand severed during Dumai's Wells. The one you mean is Sareitha, who has worn the shall for two years.

[trakand_01]

I knew it began with S :)

 

She's an odd one. Didnt she follow Elayne and Aviendha out into the City the night they got thumped on the head? I always thought that a bit strange.

[aevogt]

She did.

 

Sareitha is a Red Herring but I don't want to spoil what happens in KoD for you.

 

 

[benr]

QUOTE

And men who channel haven't been living long enough to show the agelessness (except the Forsaken, and that's another kettle of fish).

UNQUOTE

 

If Rand lived to 1000000000000 he wouldnt have the ageless look unless he took Oaths on an Oath Rod, and thats assuming that the agelessness works the same for men.

 

Its the slowing that Rand would have, not the agelessness.  Imagine what the Kin would look like without agelessness...

[Orange Fescue]

 

 

Its the slowing that Rand would have, not the agelessness.  Imagine what the Kin would look like without agelessness...

The Kin don't have the agelessness, that's why no one realizes they can channel. They all left the Tower (one way or another) before taking the three oaths so they slow without ever developing the ageless look.

[benr]

You're right, sorry.  I meant the slowing.

[tallasse]

We do not know if the number of oaths makes any difference in how much the lifespan is cut. Tough luck for the BA hunters in the Tower if that is the case...

 

I'm pretty sure they alluded to it at some point.  I'm recalling this from memory, since I don't have any of the books here, but I thought at some point somewhere in the Salidar/Tower split books you had Aes Sedai lining up according to age, and it was noticed that oddly, a couple sisters that were fairly young looked pretty old.  It looked out of place, and I remember thinking that at least one or two of the out of place older-looking sisters were known BA.  From that I assumed that more oaths = shorter life.  I want to try to find the exact reference when I get home from work.

[tallasse]

Here it is, LoC chapter 35, when Egwene has just been voted in.

 

the Sitters formed a line behind them stretching toward the door. It was done in order of age, with Romanda at the very end.

 

Sheriam spread her skirts in a deep curtsy. “Please allow me to serve, Mother.”

 

“You may serve the Tower, daughter,” Egwene replied as gravely as she could. Sheriam kissed her ring and stepped aside, as Myrelle made her curtsy.

 

Down the line it went. There were some surprises in the arrangements. None of the Sitters were really young despite their Aes Sedai faces, but pale-haired Delana, whom Egwene had thought must be nearly as old as Romanda, stood less than halfway down the line, while Lelaine and Janya, both quite pretty women without a touch of gray in their dark hair, both came just ahead of the white-haired Yellow.

 

So it was only Delana who stood out, but to me, it made me think that appearing older might be a sign that more oaths shorten your life more.  Perhaps I read too much into it, but that's how I see it.

[Majsju]

As far as we know, the BA take three new oaths, ie the same number as when they were Aes Sedai.

[Guest Dreadlord]

QUOTE

We do not know if the number of oaths makes any difference in how much the lifespan is cut. Tough luck for the BA hunters in the Tower if that is the case

UNQUOTE

 

Hmm...I can see what you mean BUT remember that while it seemed they got a bad deal, they know the Dark One has the immortality card in his hand, so they just need to keep rolling high on the dice so to speak. Hows that for a Mat metaphor!

[balefireruinssteaks]

Also, except for recently when people have begun to really study the agelessness and its association to the Oath Rod...Aes Sedai just assumed the agelessness had to do with working with the Power.  This has been a truth to them for three thousand years.  Perhaps some of the first Aes Sedai thought it odd that they suddenly had an ageless quality when they did not before taking the first Oaths, but if they were curious about it no one mentioned it as something that far out of the ordinary.

 

It was only Egwene's pondering the Kin and Elayne their age that led to the discovery in the first place so even if the BA slowly lost the ageless face or it changed, Sisters probably didn't take much notice of it unless they knew about the Oath Rod.