Galad can channel!!

[CowboyNinjaD]

I'm almost certain Galad can channel, pretty sure Gawyn can channel and even willing to entertain the possibility that Mat can. After all, Mat's sister can channel.

[Sharaman]

No, Galad can't channel, Gawyn can't channel and Mat can't channel. At least, we've seen zero evidence in the books.

They all also have lots of non-channeling relatives - more non-channeling relatives than channelers. Rand has one parent in common with Galad and none with Gawyn, Elayne.

If Janduin was latent and Tigraine was latent, Rand could be a sparker with Galad not being anything at all.

Maybe Tigraine wasn't tested for latency since she came to the Aiel as a grown woman,.

Apart from Avi, we also have the example of Amys as a maiden who was wilful and didn't want to be a WO.

If Tigraine had latent channeling ability, it would have to be missed out or maybe the WOs decided that, as non-Aiel, it would be better if they didn't go the whole hog with her.

[Majsju]

If Tigraine had any ability to channel, it would have been discovered since she, as all daughter-heirs of Andor would have studied at the WT.

[Vermillion]

He could have a block like Nyn and channeling it tied to souls not genes.

[Ashaman Kovan]

I'm almost certain Galad can channel, pretty sure Gawyn can channel and even willing to entertain the possibility that Mat can. After all, Mat's sister can channel.

 

"Almost certain" and "Pretty sure" must leave a lot of wiggle room in your mind. There's barely anything (If at all) to even make you suspect it.

[Sylvia]

No....Galad cannot channel....neither can Gawyn or Mat.

[Leatherleaf]

Why would Galad need to channel? He's already ultimate to a fault. Also, he's a hit with the ladies. All these facts are conclusive that Galad cannot channel!

 

Also, in case you didn't notice, I was being a bit sarcastic. But I highly doubt that Galad can channel, there is no proof whatsoever of him being able to. If he could channel, he probably would have taken his own life by now because it would be "the right thing to do." ...stupid Galad.

[draconian]

I'm almost certain Galad can channel, pretty sure Gawyn can channel and even willing to entertain the possibility that Mat can. After all, Mat's sister can channel.

mat and perrin cant as they are unable to learn the flame and void like all other channels. flame and void associated with sword technique b/c bel'lal and LTT were the ones to "take that tame sport" and turn it into the "art of killing"

1. the more common one is that having one copy of the channeling gene makes you a learner, two copies (one from each parent) make you a sparker, and no copies make you all in all a loser.

Looking at the Tigraine+Janduin=Rand table and knowing that Rand is a sparker, we can definitively say that both parents should carry a copy of the channeling gene => Tigraine has the channeling gene.

However, I find that theory overly simplified and personally lean towards Theory 2.

I can see a flaw in theory 1. If having one copy of the channeling gene makes one a learner, and two makes one a sparker, then Rand, being a sparker, must have gained copies from each of his parents. Which means Tigraine must be a learner. But she went to the Aiel. She became a Maiden of the Spear. Not a Wise One. And all channeling women in the Wast become Wise Ones. Therefore, if Tigraine could channel, she would become a Wise One. She didn't, so she probably couldn't. So, looks like theory 2 then.

So there we have it - the odds of Galad being a channeler... and with a ta'veren for a brother this ain't such bad odds. ;)

Ta'verenism works backwards in time? Cool.

and theres a flaw in urs as well

wise ones have deamer which is a lesser foretelling ability and were also told the prophecies by tigraine and the shewas sent by aes sedai to become a maiden so even if she was a learner they would never have interfered with her as they would with others.

[Mr Ares]

I'm almost certain Galad can channel, pretty sure Gawyn can channel and even willing to entertain the possibility that Mat can. After all, Mat's sister can channel.

mat and perrin cant as they are unable to learn the flame and void like all other channels. flame and void associated with sword technique b/c bel'lal and LTT were the ones to "take that tame sport" and turn it into the "art of killing"

How do you know Mat and Perrin cannot learn the flame and void?

1. the more common one is that having one copy of the channeling gene makes you a learner, two copies (one from each parent) make you a sparker, and no copies make you all in all a loser.

Looking at the Tigraine+Janduin=Rand table and knowing that Rand is a sparker, we can definitively say that both parents should carry a copy of the channeling gene => Tigraine has the channeling gene.

However, I find that theory overly simplified and personally lean towards Theory 2.

I can see a flaw in theory 1. If having one copy of the channeling gene makes one a learner, and two makes one a sparker, then Rand, being a sparker, must have gained copies from each of his parents. Which means Tigraine must be a learner. But she went to the Aiel. She became a Maiden of the Spear. Not a Wise One. And all channeling women in the Wast become Wise Ones. Therefore, if Tigraine could channel, she would become a Wise One. She didn't, so she probably couldn't. So, looks like theory 2 then.

So there we have it - the odds of Galad being a channeler... and with a ta'veren for a brother this ain't such bad odds. ;)

Ta'verenism works backwards in time? Cool.

and theres a flaw in urs as well

A flaw in urs? Poor urs. You know, I find it much easier to read what people have to say when they stoop to using actual words. I know it's asking a lot.

wise ones have deamer which is a lesser foretelling ability and were also told the prophecies by tigraine and the shewas sent by aes sedai to become a maiden so even if she was a learner they would never have interfered with her as they would with others.

While the Wise Ones can Dream, we don't know that they did have a Dream on this matter. If not, it would have to come before she had started learning. Rather a lot of supposition, to back up a theory that had no real support in the first place.

[Worm]

Erm I think your reading a bit too much into Galad's sword fight. What the book described was the flame and the void, a trick used by Blade Masters to enhance their fighting skills by focusing entirely on the battle. You are suggesting that because Galad (an extremely able swordsman) was taught this by the Warders he can channel...

 

The first few times you channel without being taught you cannot control what happens and you aren't actually embracing the source, it bursts out of you and does things you can't control. Because Valda wasn't suddenly hit by a bolt of lightning and Galad wasn't mysteriously empowered in any way (he had to resort to feigning injury to win didn't he?) I think we can safely say that if Galad could channel the fight wasn't his first time touching it.

 

So you're suggesting he was taught it somewhere else. This theory is even more unlikely, he has been around Aes Sedai since he was a child and had no opportunity to be taught it by anyone (the warders taught him the void - not the same as channeling) and if he had noticed he could channel his sense of honour would have compelled him to admit it. Even if he didn't and just repressed it or used it sparingly I doubt RJ would have left us in the dark (and what purpose does Galad channeling have anyway, do you think he's gonna slay Demandred?).

 

Which brings me to the last possibilty, that he has developed a block that stops him from channeling at will. This can be disproved fairly easily, we haven't seen any signs of sickness in Galad or any evidence that he has ever channeled. If Galad could channel whenever he was embracing the void he would notice the lure of saidin in the background (like Rand did after a few months). This was not described in the fight.

 

Therefore Galad cannot channel.

Mat cannot channel.

Perrin cannot channel. 

Gawyn cannot channel

 

In fact I doubt that any other main character will suddenly show his/her newfound talent for channeling, it is far too late in the books for that. Do you really think in the few months before TG someone will develop with enough control/power to make any difference?

[Sharaman]

Also Fortuona will not channel if she can help it!

[Loophole]

If Galad can channel i'll eat my own shoes.

[Cillian]

If Galad can channel i'll eat my own shoes.

 

I'll hold you to that. ;)

[ed2funy]

I didn't read all six pages...just the OP...

 

Now, the Oneness is not just used by channlers...

It has been used for a long time before male channelers were commonplace.

 

While I think he has a chance to, I don't think this is evidence that he can channel.

If he does end up being able to, it will help him. But using the Oneness is not an indicator of being able to channel.

[lordofsoup]

im gona go with we dont know if galad can channel, against what i said two months ago.  we have no way of knowing, because no one has ever tested him.  i dont think genes have anything to do with this, souls are what matters. 

 

do u have to learn the flame and the void/ oneness as lanfear calls it to be able to channel saiden?

 

 

[ed2funy]

It depends on who teaches.

Most people teach that now, because that is how they learn.

 

Remember, when someone learns something. They cannot do the same weave as strong/good, if they do it differently.

 

But, it could be needed to control it....SO, who knows...

 

Yes, I just presented both sides of the argument...

 

[LordoftheMorning]

If Galad can channel he hasn't been taught yet... that scene just proves he can use the Oneness. There is no evidence in any of the books that he has ever sensed, touched, or held saidin.

[nophone]

I had the same thought and completely agree with you. It is validating to hear somebody else voice the same opinion.

 

I would like to offer some evidence to the jury out there. FIRST OF ALL, I agree with you about how we become familiar with the way that RJ writes about channeling by way of the oneness through Rands PoV, and that the scene reflected this implication (and I think this is reasonable evidence to speculate on).

 

Secondly, I feel like it's significant that this was written into the prologue of the book. I don't think that RJ was just plopping this into the beginning of the book, to precede the story to come, just to verify to all of us that some white cloaks are douche bags (as we know) and that Galad is amazing with a sword (which we knew). I think it's about a little bit more than the alliance with the Seanchan (and if I'm wrong about this, then the Seanchan would be the only other significant reason to drop this into the prelude). I believe that we are meant to be in the head of a man whom is on the cusp of channeling for the first time, and furthermore, that Galad may very well be one of the first men whom have embraced, or at least become aware of clean Saidin, without ever knowing the presence of the taint, since the DO was sealed away in the age of legends (well except Rand in TEotW... but only because of that pool of pure Saidin, which the book was named for, was stashed away for him).

 

Third, I also believe that his role as a White Cloak is supposed to offer some kind of irony here, and as such, may help spin together a cohesive story line that will tie the White Cloaks to Rand in the future. We know that Galad and Rand do share the blood line, and this is important as well when establishing cause, but has been discussed to death.

 

My final argument for why this may be a valid point is as follows... When trying to find the spark in a man, the technique employed is for a man who can already channel, to channel a significant amount of the power in the presence of the man being tested, and hold it there until there is an... "echo" of the power in the man being tested. One of the things RJ wrote about when Rand was cleaning Saidin was of a man who was delivering a wagon full of brandy coming across the giant Sa'angreal and seeing for the first time with the sphere in the statue's hand glowing fiercely. The impression I gather from that particular scene was that this was the first time that man had been mad aware of his ability to learn to channel (he was a man in his later years, and he went home to drink every drop of that brandy himself as a result).

 

The implications of this scene seem to be that many men in the world were essentially exposed to a large amount of Saidin, within a reasonable proximity (anywhere on earth, hell maybe even the moon haha), and echo's all over the world could probably have been felt during that time, if they hadn't been drowned out by the great beacon in the sky. Men all over the world the ability to learn to channel had felt that spark light something up inside them. That being said, I believe this would explain how the the spark would have been lit in Galad, and why he is now experiencing such a high level of intricate detail when he delves deep into the oneness.  

 

thanks for the great post!

[Shortdevil]

What had me suspecting that Galad could channel is that there is some indication in Fire's of Heaven that every male in Andor's Royal Family (up until Rand's) was born with the spark. One of the High Seats in Andor comments that all the men in the Royal Family died somehow by their mid-twenties.

Alone that doesn't mean much, but added to the scene you're talking about makes me think that it's almost a given that Galad can probably channel. Tigraine was therefore likely to have children who channel and, given that Taringil's child with Morgase (Elayne) could channel's so strongly, it's likely that Tigraine and Taringil's son, Galad, would be able to channel.

[solarz]

19 hours ago, Shortdevil said:

What had me suspecting that Galad could channel is that there is some indication in Fire's of Heaven that every male in Andor's Royal Family (up until Rand's) was born with the spark. One of the High Seats in Andor comments that all the men in the Royal Family died somehow by their mid-twenties.

Alone that doesn't mean much, but added to the scene you're talking about makes me think that it's almost a given that Galad can probably channel. Tigraine was therefore likely to have children who channel and, given that Taringil's child with Morgase (Elayne) could channel's so strongly, it's likely that Tigraine and Taringil's son, Galad, would be able to channel.

 

No, I'm positive there's no such thing written in the books.

 

Andor's royal family changes all the time. Every major house can take the throne, assuming they get enough support. Are you going to say that every male Andoran noble was born with the spark?

 

Not to mention, Luc was the First Prince of the Sword (or the heir to that position), and he never sparked.

 

I don't know why people insist on making things up. If you want to write fan fic, don't present it as authorial material!

[Sabio]

Ughhh I never read anything that suggested every male in the Andor royal family had the spark.  The men dying by early twenties is what set the precedence for Andor always having a queen.  As solarz said there is no set line.   Chances are had Morgase not isolated her pals and when she died that Elayne would of easily become queen.  But Morgase wasn't the first to become Queen through a near civil war and not be a direct sibling of the former queen.  Also I suspect had Galad showed even the slightest trace he might of had the spark Eladia would of known.

Edited February 17, 2020 by Sabio

[TheSociopath]

well, if all he had was potential and not truly the spark, she might not have. That being said, I don't think Galad will ever learn to channel

[Shortdevil]

On 7/16/2018 at 8:08 AM, solarz said:

"I don't know why people insist on making things up. If you want to write fan fic, don't present it as authorial material!"

 

I'm hardly invested enough to go "making things up"; next time I reread the series I'll post the exact quote. I merely thought it was interesting, but thankfully have enough of a life not to run around online casting aspersions on people's integrity.

[Cheyboygan]

I think its very possible that Galad is among the people who could learn to channel, if he had the desire and someone willing to teach him.  That is probably true of many people in this world who will never actually develop that talent.  It may even be that *most* people could develop at least a small ability to channel given sufficient desire, focus  and instruction.  That is not the same as having an innate ability to channel that is almost certainly going to emerge, even if uncontrolled, regardless of training.  Tuon was not wrong when she said that the ability to learn to channel is not the same thing as being born with the gift (or curse as the Seanchan see it).  The former won't be a "danger" unless they make a concerted effort to become so, while the latter are a danger to themselves and others unless properly trained (or collared).  Probably anyone with the ability to concentrate enough to achieve the void can be taught at least some level of channeling, even though achieving the void is not itself an act of channelimg..  

[Sabio]

Ughh please don't remind me of the horrible OMG news of this will rock the empire and then for no one to even care.  IMO one of the biggest disappointment in the series.