Book of Translation

[thevillagecouncil]

I just thought of something, but could the book of translation actually hold the notes and lyrics needed to sing the song that the tinkers are looking for?

[Awakened]

No, because the Tinkers are just sadly mislead people who are following after a legend that is based on how humans had a counterpart to tree songs. The Song, as understood by the Tinkers, is just a myth and nothing more.

[luftstark]

Yes, but as a myth, the song could have a mythic resolution, with a powerful enough revelations that could be considered "the song". This revelation could be knowledge in the book.

 

The Dragon will break the world. He has already broken most of it's people, and shattered alliances and bonds. Why not the tinkers?

[nlvulture]

Yes, but as a myth, the song could have a mythic resolution, with a powerful enough revelations that could be considered "the song". This revelation could be knowledge in the book.

 

The Dragon will break the world. He has already broken most of it's people, and shattered alliances and bonds. Why not the tinkers?

Well and he can. Lewis Therin has participated in the song as is clear from the first prologue so he should remember it partly atleast. Wouldn't it be fun if he teached Loial the song? So many things still to happen only 1 book left

[randsc]

I saw the Book of Translation as being something like the ships into the West in LOTR. It is the means by which the Ogier leave this world. Loial's task is to convince them not to leave.

[luftstark]

I believe the Book of Translation has some connection with the portal stones. That's how they leave this world. They go to another dimension.

 

The song is another topic. Althou LTT did participate in some kind of tree song from the age of legend, it's not the "song" that the tinkers look for, as their "song" is more a metaphor for The Way of the Leaf. But since they are not bond to the Aes Sedai (becoming the original Aiel), and they already follow, at some extent, the way of the leaf, so what more can they find?

 

That's why most ppl consider their search futile.

[Mulk]

My thought on the book of translation is that it somehow moves them in time to the next place/time they are needed in that world - they leave a world in which they are not needed or are about to be eradicated to one in which they are, and are at peace. Their general knowledge makes it clear that this has happened before, but never in response to the rise of the Shadow, given Loial's rather moving speech on the topic. Maybe at the end of the Fourth Age, say, man has technologically advanced ahead of where they were in the AoL, but have become more like people in our world and are burning away resources left and right. So they jump ahead an Age or two past the next (and self-induced) tragedy to a world that needs them again to help bring healing.

 

/two cents

[andrewatk]

My thought on the book of translation is that it somehow moves them in time to the next place/time they are needed in that world - they leave a world in which they are not needed or are about to be eradicated to one in which they are, and are at peace. Their general knowledge makes it clear that this has happened before, but never in response to the rise of the Shadow, given Loial's rather moving speech on the topic. Maybe at the end of the Fourth Age, say, man has technologically advanced ahead of where they were in the AoL, but have become more like people in our world and are burning away resources left and right. So they jump ahead an Age or two past the next (and self-induced) tragedy to a world that needs them again to help bring healing.

 

/two cents

 

 

I think you are fairly close.

 

However, speaking of The Song, TSR establishes that "The Song" is actually a distorted oral history of the Tree Songs that the Aiel used to participate in together with the Ogier. However, in TEotW, Lolial says that when the Ogier tried to teach the Tinkers Tree Sining, the trees would not listen to the humans. I wonder what the missing element is that allowed the AOL Aiel to participate. Could it be the Nym?

[Durinax]

I think it is the aiels dirge for the dead, it is described as so sorrowful that it could make stones weep, it may have to do with teh 'old blood' once again and the tinkers have lost the ability due to outside blood being too prevalent. So I think its the tinkers job to teach the aielmen to sing, and Loial may try to teach one of them and hopefully it will work

[johthohar]

No, because the Tinkers are just sadly mislead people who are following after a legend that is based on how humans had a counterpart to tree songs. The Song, as understood by the Tinkers, is just a myth and nothing more.

 

I think you're wrong. I'm pretty sure "The Song" is Smells Like Team Spirit by Nirvana.

[Lacanos]

On the topic of the Song: There is no "song", that's the really sad thing. The Tinkers began with a breakaway group of Aiel who wanted to relearn the old songs PLURAL. Not the tree songs, but just singing again; as shown in the same set of visions by the Daishain surrounding a mad channeler and trying to sing his memory back to sanity (not magically, but simply by making him remember them and himself).

This gradually, over time, evolved into the myth of the song.

 

I believe Luckers did a long post about a year or so ago, explaining this in considerably more detail.