Avienda's Children

[spoke]

We know from the Rhuidean columns that Avienda's children are weird in their ability to channel - constantly holding the source, doing so since childhood.

 

So here is my question for you. If you took a young child (say a three year-old) could you teach him/her to channel? All we have seen in any culture is that they start training when they are teenagers and older, but that doesn't mean that they couldn't necessarily learn earlier. So are they really that freakish, or is it just that everyone else is truly limited because they learned when they were older?

 

A second question that may be a bit of an inconsistency, Bruan (the only clan chief in the vision to remember the dragon), but if you start to channel, it causes slowing, how old would those kids have to be in order to be teenagers with the slowing, and yet Bruan still be alive?

[Myrenna]

If I remember correctly, at one point Nynaeve is described as having "already started slowing." Channelers seem to have a normal-length childhood, and at some point near physical maturity, they slow down. I wish there was more stuff about that, I've always wondered about channelers and (ick alert) the female reproductive cycle. I can't help but wonder if channelers reach menopause later, since other physical signs of aging are slowed. Shame it's not really talked about... Damn Aes Sedai and their customs!

[Mulk]

I could be wrong, but I think that the ability to channel is historically tied to puberty in some way? I think I read that somewhere. That would at least partially explain why men manifest the ability later.

[Myrenna]

I don't remember seeing that anywhere, myself. It would make sense as puberty is a time of tumultuous physical and mental maturity, and learning to channel is very similar in that respect. Also, the slowing happens after puberty, which is usually after the ability manifests itself. Maybe that explains the fact that there are some rather ages Asha'man? Surely had they been channeling from an early age, they'd be dead by the founding of the Black Tower, so it makes sense if slowing occurs after the ability is manifested.

[spoke]

Nynaeve slowed because she started to channel, but some of the new novices never slowed because they never learned to channel, and once they started, the started slowing. What the question is, would Avi's children slow at a young age and how long would it take them to reach puberty, if they did slow, how old would that make Bruan?

[Mulk]

I don't think slowing can take effect until someone reaches "maturity." You can take that with a grain of salt, as it's my unsubstantiated opinion. It says they were teens in the book, and I take it to mean they also appeared that way. Bruan was old for an Aiel (whatever that means) but not excessively so. /shrug. Which means that the scene described in Aviendha's vision occurs some number that is less than 20 down the road from whenever Avi gets pregnant, which hasn't happened yet.

[Ozzie_aiel]

If you remember, Min had a viewing that Avi would have Rands kids, 4 at the same time, but something would be weird with them. I'm guessing we know what it as now

[SvetSedi]

If you remember, Min had a viewing that Avi would have Rands kids, 4 at the same time, but something would be weird with them. I'm guessing we know what it as now

 

The Black Tower bI think recruited some very young boys. I think well be4fore puberty. I think that the Red POV that we saw go there thinking that the WT never does such a thing - so apparently it could on learners.

[fatima]

when is avi going to have the babies. there does not seem to be time enough before the TG. but if she has them afterwards should she not be alive in the tean age of her children. the future seams to say that every one of the main characters died in TG except maybe tuon so when the babies?

[Jblaylock]

I do remember the Black Tower recruits including some young'uns, but I also remember the youngest of them as being described as barely having to shave, which indicates that they do at least sometimes have to shave, and they are thus past the initial stages of puberty.