Mat's Ashandari (potentially stupid question)

[JakeBarnes]

Yes indeed! 

 

In a related question... Mat's memories... Do you guys think they could be the memories of his past lives or just a jumble of a bunch of different people's memories? 

 

 

 

This has already been answered.  The quote can be found on 13th Depository.

 

Mat's memories come from other people who visited the Finns, not from his past lives.

[Doselan]

Ahhhhh yes.  That does sound familiar.  lol

[DocBean]

The Ashandari is a receipt of their transaction.

 

simple as that.

 

However, I believe Mat is latent on paying his bill since Moraine and Lanfear severed their connection to him.

They wanted to experience his life, and now they cannot. I believe they hung him knowing Rand would save him, and wanted to

feel the raw emotion they'd get from him hanging and thinking he was dying.

I think that's why they are keeping Moraine because they know from her visits with the other Finns that Mat will come to her rescue.

 

She knew Mat and Thom would come for her, and I think they'd now know that too.

They'll want the rest of their payment from him.

[gambril]

The Ashandari is a receipt of their transaction.

 

simple as that.

 

However, I believe Mat is latent on paying his bill since Moraine and Lanfear severed their connection to him.

They wanted to experience his life, and now they cannot. I believe they hung him knowing Rand would save him, and wanted to

feel the raw emotion they'd get from him hanging and thinking he was dying.

I think that's why they are keeping Moraine because they know from her visits with the other Finns that Mat will come to her rescue.

 

She knew Mat and Thom would come for her, and I think they'd now know that too.

They'll want the rest of their payment from him.

 

Yes, and in my opinion the payment will be one of his eyes so they can continue to experience his life once he leaves.  Don't ask me how an eyeball will allow them to do this because the 'Finns are wierdos and can do..well...wierd things.

[aunt_pol]

Would an adam hold a Finn? Now it's prob not as stupid a question as it looks, God only knows what the pack of freaks can do.

 

Hey, better idea - I'm on fire tonight... isn't cuendillar made from iron? Once it's transformed it's not technically iron anymore...

[Doselan]

Hmmm.  Cuendillar is unbreakable... iron to bind... Who knows!?  lol

[aunt_pol]

That'll do me, one vote of confidence is all I need! That's it sorted so, cuendillar is the "iron"!

[Doselan]

Lmao.  Oh no!  What have I done! :o

[Barid Bel Medar]

It has been suggested that the "iron" is actually blood.

 

Having Iron in the blood would i suppose make it a kind of iron.

 

In alot of stories, blood is used as a "pact" or a "binding" so who knows.

 

I dont think so, but there it is.

[farthammer]

Correct me if I'm wrong but the Jenn would not even touch a weapon, so who got Mat's boom stick to Rhuidean?  Made by that last AS that stuck around to the end?

 

Iron binding also refers to the capacity of a persons blood to ..bind iron.

[torrente]

Why is Mat no longer all that good with his weapon as he was in Book 3 when he fought Galad with a stick?

 

Discuss.

[MikeRiley]

Correct me if I'm wrong but the Jenn would not even touch a weapon, so who got Mat's boom stick to Rhuidean?  Made by that last AS that stuck around to the end?

 

They didn't take the ashanderai to Rhuidean. The finns have a massive stockpile of ter'angreal and things made with the power. It came from that.

 

 

Why is Mat no longer all that good with his weapon as he was in Book 3 when he fought Galad with a stick?

 

Discuss.

 

Ta'veren. He needed the skill then and he got it. He had to have that money to leave Tar Valon. It was also a quarterstaff which he has a natural talent in using. Gawyn and Galad were overconfident.

 

But who says he's no longer as good? The fight scenes aren't as interesting as that one scene on the Tower grounds but that doesn't make what he does any less skilled.

[aunt_pol]

@farthammer: blood to bind iron? elaborate!

 

@Barid: everyone that's gone in there has regular blood, so far as we know, and they got on ok. Not counting Mat being hung, obv.

[FarShainMael]

The Ashandari is a receipt of their transaction.

 

simple as that.

 

However, I believe Mat is latent on paying his bill since Moraine and Lanfear severed their connection to him.

They wanted to experience his life, and now they cannot. I believe they hung him knowing Rand would save him, and wanted to

feel the raw emotion they'd get from him hanging and thinking he was dying.

I think that's why they are keeping Moraine because they know from her visits with the other Finns that Mat will come to her rescue.

 

She knew Mat and Thom would come for her, and I think they'd now know that too.

They'll want the rest of their payment from him.

 

Agreed up to a point, except that the inscription on the ashandarei states that 'The price is paid'. There's no outstanding debt.

 

@aunt_pol: cuendillar=iron! I love it!!

 

@farthammer: blood doesn't bind iron, it is made with it, iron turns up in the haemoglobin in the red cells. Blood binds to oxygen and carbon dioxide (according to their relative concentrations) and - if you're very unlucky - to carbon monoxide, usually fatally.

 

[aunt_pol]

Yay, I'm right !!  :D

[torrente]

 

Ta'veren. He needed the skill then and he got it. He had to have that money to leave Tar Valon. It was also a quarterstaff which he has a natural talent in using. Gawyn and Galad were overconfident.

 

I pretty much agree with this answer.

 

But who says he's no longer as good? The fight scenes aren't as interesting as that one scene on the Tower grounds but that doesn't make what he does any less skilled.

 

I seem to vaguely recall him not being all that good with the weapon in a later book . . .

[Barid Bel Medar]

 

 

@Barid: everyone that's gone in there has regular blood, so far as we know, and they got on ok. Not counting Mat being hung, obv.

 

Yeah, but they arnt leaking blood?

 

As I said, im not really into the theory, but it would go something like this.

 

THe iron in peoples blood would have some kind of binding effect, whatever that may be.

 

Ie, like in old stories, people cut their hands and swap blood to create a "pact" or something like that.

 

Similarly, the Finns may be able to be bound if someone cuts themselves and does some wacky stuff with their blood.

 

So yes, everyone else would have normal blood, but they didnt cut themselves open and try to bind the Finns did they? (Alright we dont know, but for the theory to work, they didnt)

 

Anyway, the theory goes something along the lines of that.

[aunt_pol]

hmmm... don't know what to say to you now!

[Barid Bel Medar]

hmmm... don't know what to say to you now!

 

Personally, I dont think its likely, it sounds annoying to me, i meann, its a medieval/pre-gunpowder world, they wouldnt exactly know that iron is in the blood (or do they? Im not sure when thy discovered it)

 

No other reasons why it cant be that I can think of now, apart from, it just doesnt sound likely.

[aunt_pol]

Yeah, I'd say it's prob something more crafty. Like my "yeah it's cuendillar, oh wait, it was made from iron.." and the whole place falls to bits, or something.... idea!!

 

There's the other side of this whole thing - what will actally happen if any of the banned items find their way in? Once Mat's involved, it's prob gonna involve some crash! bang! wallop!

 

Is iron involved in the making of fireworks, anyone know?

[Doselan]

Correct me if I'm wrong but the Jenn would not even touch a weapon, so who got Mat's boom stick to Rhuidean?  Made by that last AS that stuck around to the end?

 

The Jenn took the Doorframe TerAngreal to Rhuidean, and the Ashandari came from the Terangreal.  Probably was in there before the Jenn transported it.  And if not, the Aes Sedai crated all of the items up for them to transport, so that may have had something to do with it too.

[FarShainMael]

Yeah, I'd say it's prob something more crafty. Like my "yeah it's cuendillar, oh wait, it was made from iron.." and the whole place falls to bits, or something.... idea!!

 

There's the other side of this whole thing - what will actally happen if any of the banned items find their way in? Once Mat's involved, it's prob gonna involve some crash! bang! wallop!

 

Is iron involved in the making of fireworks, anyone know?

 

Yes, I believe so - I think iron filings are the sparkly bits in sparklers.

 

And in response to your other point, suppose Aludra tells Mat that steel contains iron - and he tells the 'finns.. That should start a few fireworks  ;)

 

[farthammer]

 

@farthammer: blood doesn't bind iron, it is made with it, iron turns up in the haemoglobin in the red cells. Blood binds to oxygen and carbon dioxide (according to their relative concentrations) and - if you're very unlucky - to carbon monoxide, usually fatally.

 

 

I'm not a biologist and saw no need to introduce a bunch of jargon for no reason if the general idea could be conveyed but here you go.  And here.

[Doselan]

I guess we're all assuming that Mat and Friends are going to have to sneak these items in... Who says he needs to?  He could bust up in there with torches flaring and music playing, right? 

 

Why or why not?

[aunt_pol]

Ehhhhhmmmm, cos they peel people they don't like!!

 

In this case, I think some craftiness might be clever. What's that old saying about discretion being the larger/better part of Valour? That's the one.

 

Not that Mat knows much about discretion, unfortunately. Not when he's in derring-do mode, leastways...