How would the world be different if Saidar was tainted instead of Saidin?

[Blackhoof]

You have a point; most Aes Sedai dont marry because very few men would like to have a wife that can do magic, the same is not true vice-versa; women might not mind as much.

 

It's been pretty explicitly stated that the vast majority of important works with the Power require linking of some kind.

 

Without linking, you can't have the Stone, you can't have the kind of protections that Callandor got, hell, you can't have a Black Tower anything like the White Tower.

 

Moreover, it was also stated by RJ that Rand could only really force his way through the shield because half of it was tied off. And that as long as the linked women were stronger than, say, Morgase, thirteen women could smother any man like you or I squash a fly.

 

It would have been *far* more difficult to stop the Breaking, because the men would have had to fight individually. In a duel, they'd come out on top, but my guess is that those crazed females would have still linked up, and thus could take down their male opponents the way a Hong Kong Kung Fu movie protagonist defeats his opponents - by destroying each in detail, while the opponents are incapable of working together.

 

The fact is, the Female side of the Force is far, far stronger than the Male side collectively; Saidin's only more powerful on the individual level.

 

The entire point of the Breaking is that you had, essentially, a hundred million jackhammers out there, instead of, say, the USSR's or the US's 1983 era nuclear stockpile. Fewer in absolute numbers, but capable of destruction on an entirely different scale.

 

Note: Obviously, neither jackhammers nor even B61 gravity bombs approach the devastation a really powerful male channeler could wreak. But the point is that a circle of thirteen powerful female channelers would make what that guy did look pretty small in comparison.

 

That is all assuming that the crazy women would trust each other enough to link..... i mean, come on, would any homicidal crazy chick pass her power on to another?

[Vhar Khoebhan Xudan]

 

Just look at the continent of Seanchan before Luthair Paendrag and his descendants took it over. It was full of scheming female Aes Sedai who continued to turn against and ally one another for their own goals.

 

Then he was given the a'dam. After that, he never had a problem with women channelers.  ;D

 

Male Channelers wouldn't have made the Three Oaths, or used subtle influence to pull the strings of politics. They'd get right down to the point by calling together their army, Traveling to the warring countries, and absorb it into the Male Channeler's Domain.

 

The End.

[Blackhoof]

Probably, yeah. And people probably wouldn't mistrust the Male channelers as much as they do the female ones. The men would be straightforward and blunt, probably, ruling the world, or at least intimidating it. No schemoing or negotiating for them; "If you two dont stop fighting, i will blow you up!"

[wavemistresstrammell]

Probably, yeah. And people probably wouldn't mistrust the Male channelers as much as they do the female ones. The men would be straightforward and blunt, probably, ruling the world, or at least intimidating it. No schemoing or negotiating for them; "If you two dont stop fighting, i will blow you up!"

Yes us ladies are irrational in real life too. Haha. I don't think the female Aes Sedai could have handled things any worse, they were so... well, stupid about it.

 

I like a lot of the theories you all have came up with but I'm not really sure which one I like the best.

 

Since men have a history of being more reckless-guys you know this to be true- I don't feel that the shadow would be defeated. Quite the opposite actually. I think that the shadow would cover the land because the men would have made some small but very important mistake because they didn't think it through.

On the other hand. I think that the Aes Sedai would wait way too long and so set the shadow on the world.

Also, I don't think that the men would create Ajahs or have oaths just because they would want to have as large of army as possible and need the women to pass the trait on.

I want to say I support this one because I'm a woman, but that's kind of sexist huh? (I'm joking) I don't know that they would be wreckless, I think, like others have said, that they would just have a problem controlling all the women. If they managed to get ahold of some women who could channel before they went crazy and were constantly watching their mental health, it might be possible. But the problem is how do you know when exactly someone is getting ready to lose it? If the male channelers could find a way overcome those two problems I think they would be ok.

 

As far as what would happen concerning the Shadow... quiet honestly I'm not sure. Perhaps the men would have tried harder to preserve their knowledge and pass it on. The female Aes Sedai are very over protective of all their 'discoveries', which is silly. Maybe the men wouldn't have guarded important things like those discoveries like the women did. Why they would do that is beyond me....

[Arkelias]

I'd tend to agree that men would be more forceful, and that had they set up a white tower sort of organization it would have been the heart of a massive empire.

 

The women seem more content to let thrones dance for them and to be the power behind them rather than control things directly.

[Thorum]

I'd tend to agree that men would be more forceful

 

But less powerful. They cannot link.

[Arkelias]

Right, I just mean more militaristic and inclined to seize direct control.  I think they'd want an empire and wouldn't be content to guide rulers like the current WT.

[wavemistresstrammell]

Right, I just mean more militaristic and inclined to seize direct control.  I think they'd want an empire and wouldn't be content to guide rulers like the current WT.

*Nods* I agree. Things would have been done differently regarding other countries for sure. Who knows, perhaps Rand wouldn't be having the problems he's having now if saidar was tainted. Although we might be looking at a woman being destined to save everyone instead of a man....

[Mr. Micawber]

Then he was given the a'dam. After that, he never had a problem with women channelers

 

The reason this works - as suggested in Elan Morin's mind in POD - and why it wouldn't have worked for men is very simple. Men, again, cannot link.

 

The a'dam is the "involuntary circle" that Elan Morin thought of when he was discussing the strange innovations of this current, more primitive age, alongside things like the Warder bond.

 

Meanwhile, the Sad Bracelets don't work properly, and it is highly doubtful they'd work properly in the case of saidar being tainted.

 

*However*, they might, because a man has to control a male/female circle, which is probably why the current Sad Bracelets eventually cause the male channeler to be in control, because men must lead in regular circles of the male/female type. And can lead any circle above that point.

[wavemistresstrammell]

*However*, they might, because a man has to control a male/female circle, which is probably why the current Sad Bracelets eventually cause the male channeler to be in control, because men must lead in regular circles of the male/female type. And can lead any circle above that point.

I never thought of it that way before. Nice catch ^.^

[Mr. Dragon]

a circle of thirteen of the weakest Aes Sedai in the Tower could take out and sever a channeler of Rand or Elan Morin's strength without breaking a sweat.

 

That's why Rand and LTT always get freaked out whenever they're around thirteen or more channeling women they can't control. Because they know they'd get defeated at least 9 times out of 10.

 

Well obviously but that isn't the point, 2 men of medium strength working in tandem could easily kill even a very strong AS where it would take many more AS to do the same to a man, even linked. Also, as many more men are able to create gateways by themselves, it is much more likely that this weave would not be forgotten, the ability to move large distances in an instant would give the men a significant upper hand in any conflict. It also renders places such as The Stone in Tear obsolete so it wouldn't have been built in the first place.

[Al Thor93]

 

Well obviously but that isn't the point, 2 men of medium strength working in tandem could easily kill even a very strong AS where it would take many more AS to do the same to a man, even linked. Also, as many more men are able to create gateways by themselves, it is much more likely that this weave would not be forgotten, the ability to move large distances in an instant would give the men a significant upper hand in any conflict. It also renders places such as The Stone in Tear obsolete so it wouldn't have been built in the first place.

 

Good one. I think that men would have the advantage here because they could just sneak up on their enemies. Also I agree with wavemistresstrammell

on the point that men would have tried to preserve more of the knowledge.

[wavemistresstrammell]

Good one. I think that men would have the advantage here because they could just sneak up on their enemies. Also I agree with wavemistresstrammell

on the point that men would have tried to preserve more of the knowledge.

Thank you ^.^

[Al Thor93]

 

Thank you ^.^

Your welcome.

Also do you think that maybe the men would have used the Sa'angreal by now?

[wavemistresstrammell]

Which one? The Choden Kal or something else?