Strange question about the One Power

[Guardsman Bass]

We know that men channel saidin, while women channel saidar (unless they are a forsaken male soul put into a female body). My question is, where would hermaphrodites (or people with ambiguous sexuality, sex organs, or gender) fall in this system? Would they simply have an equal chance of ending up as either Saidar or Saidin?

[Luckers]

Hermaphrodites occur for various reasons, but usually have a distinct genetic gender. For instance a boy who is allergic to testosterone still has an XY cromozone make up, despite the female physical attributes--remember we are all female at first. The influence of testosterone doesn't begin untill later in the developmental process (6 weeks? Don't quote me on that). My guess would be that if they could channel at all, the channeling will follow the line their genetic code.

[SinisterDeath]

Hmm, channeling its self is 90% mental.... So maybe its possible for a 'true' hermaphodite, to channel one or the other depeding on what gender they feel they are...... :P

[Telzen]

The person's body may be that of a hermaphrodite, but i'm thing that you can only have either a male or female soul. And that's probably determines what you can use.

[Lews Therin Telamon]

hermaphrodites are the greatest creation of the Dark One n they have the inborn ability to use the True Power which is a combo of saidin and saidar lol (joke, i know the True Power isnt that)

[Osangar1282083176]

Hermaphrodites occur for various reasons' date=' but usually have a distinct genetic gender. For instance a boy who is allergic to testosterone still has an XY cromozone make up, despite the female physical attributes--remember we are all female at first. The influence of testosterone doesn't begin untill later in the developmental process (6 weeks? Don't quote me on that). My guess would be that if they could channel at all, the channeling will follow the line their genetic code.[/quote']

 

I can't belive that i actually disagree with luckers... who woulda thunk it ??? but if your physical genetics determines whether you use saidin or saidar then halima should no longer be able to use the male half of the source. she (he) would have to use the female half. since she (he) is a male soul in a female body; i think this is conclusive proof that use of the one power is not determined soley by sex. there must be a link with the spirit or soul.

[SinisterDeath]

Uggh, well look at it this way. Male souls get spun out to male bodies. Female souls get spun out to female bodies. Thusly, males channel saidin, and females Sadar.. Depending on what gender the soul that goes into a hermaphadite, depends whether or not they can channel, and what.

[RobertAlexWillis]

Which is, I think, what Luckers was saying. Even in a phenotypically hermaphroditic individual, there is an underlying gender genotype that would, in all likelihood, match the inherent gender of the soul. Since the soul determines the type of access to the Source (evidenced by Balthamel's male soul channeling saidin in Halima's female body), and the soul likely matches the underlying but only partially expressed gender genotype, then knowing the genotype would allow one to know the gender of the soul and the potential for channeling either the male or female half of the Source. Also, I believe he was pointing out the simple fact that hermaphrodism, ambiguous genitalia, intersexuality, mixed gonadal dysgenesis, CAH, and other like physical gender disorders are imperfect phenotypical expressions of a more clear underlying genomic expression. By which I mean that deep down, even hermaphrodites have a dominant gender.

[chuckievi]

What Robert's saying is that you have either male or female genetics. No such thing as a true hermaphrodite.

 

 

What about the poor individuals born with the XXY chromasomes? True they wouldn't generally live long enough to manifest their spark.... but still interesting question!

[Bob T Dwarf]

Well, it seems that what Luckers is saying, and Robert is amplifying upon is that women are just less evolved men.

 

 

 

How's that for stirring the pot? :twisted:

[chuckievi]

Well.... technicaly Luckers is wrong, men don't start out as women, men are from the merging of the sperm and egg men. But the way our bodies develop there is no difference between men and women until the introduction of testosterone. So someone whose body resists testosterone will look female (but still be male)

[Luckers]

My point was that physically we are female until our bodies start producing testosterone at around 6 weeks. Prior to that or organs and genetalia are feminine in nature, and it is only with the direct influence of testosterone that that changes. What had been developing as overies start moving lower in the body and become, in time, testicals, and its been shown that it male children who have, for whatever reason, not begun producing testosterone, retain a female body... not just a feminine body type, but a female body, with a vagina and all that goes with, though because they are male they never produced estrogen and are usually unfertile, and their wombs usually dont develop right either.

 

Also, i stated in my post that people, even in such situations, retain a basic genetic gender that comes from being XY or XX, which addresses what you said.

[chuckievi]

Well, we are kinda saying the same thing, but what this gets at is whats the definition of male or female.... which we could debate all day long :)

[TheDarkOne]

I have given all my children the ability to use the True Power!

[Luckers]

That's nice.