Why Is Tel'aran'rhiod So Dangerous??

[Lightflame]

Does anybody else notice how Amys is always saying that The World of Dreams is the most dangerous thing ever and making metaphors such as "Letting someone not familiar with it wander the World of Dreams is like letting a wetlander baby walk the waste." What exactly is this supreme danger? Yes, I know there are nightmares and other people in Tel'aran'rhiod, but any sensible person would be able to figure out "avoid the evil black things". And nightmares only appear in TAR when it serves the plot or creates drama, so it seems like Amys is over-reacting. Yes, there are wolves there, but they don't kill anything, and Slayer is there, but Amys doesn't know about him. So why is she so convinced that letting someone into the world of dreams is as good as a death sentence?

[Superhal]

I forget which book, but there is a detailed explanation about the danger of TAR caused by soul loss. If you are in TAR too strongly, you lose part of your soul, and if you keep doing it you will die. In ToM, Hopper gave a wolf-explanation about controlling how much of yourself enters TAR to avoid this danger.

[Arani Lepenque Aes Sedai]

Because unfortunately most people in Tel'aran'rhoid kill themselves in there before they can develop enough control to correct their mistakes. You saw what happened to the Aes Sedai in Lord of Chaos, one of the first few chapters. It took Elayne, Siuan (who both had plausible control over the dream) and several Aes Sedai to dispel a nightmare that had enveloped them.

[Rufae]

Mainly because death in TAR is death in the real world too. So would you let a child cross a busy street by themselves? No, you would lead them by the hand so they do not accidently get ran over and killed. There are many things that can kill you in TAR and the rules of the place are different than the real world. So her comparison is valid.

 

 

[LemonPastie]

Also all it takes is for you to think "Luckily I'm not thinking of a ninja stabbing me in the back, that would be bad... imagine if it really happen....blargh" dead.

[Hybrid]

And nightmares only appear in TAR when it serves the plot or creates drama, so it seems like Amys is over-reacting.

 

The fact that the nightmares are present is enough.

 

We don't actually know how often an inexperienced Dreamwalker would encounter them.

[jemron]

Let's not forget, WOs treat their "apprentices" the way parents treat children who want to run off and cross a busy street by themselves. WOs intentionally try to scare apprentices into going beyond their training/understanding/maturity to keep them safe. Aes Sedai do this same thing to Novices, explaining the dangers of "drawing too much."

[jsbrads]

Mainly because death in TAR is death in the real world too. So would you let a child cross a busy street by themselves? No, you would lead them by the hand so they do not accidently get ran over and killed. There are many things that can kill you in TAR and the rules of the place are different than the real world. So her comparison is valid.

 

Quoting the wolves, death in TAR is not death in real world, or rather not just death in real world. It is permanent.

Many cultures see death in real world as temporary, implying an eternal soul. (eg Aiel think if they die...)

 

Death in TAR is the permanent.

[Entreri]

only to noobs

[Jon Paul]

How can we take any of their words at value? Knowledge of.. well.. everything has severely declined regarding.. well.. everything. I'll only accept the words of someone from the Age of Legends regarding TAR.

[rand4747]

Mainly because death in TAR is death in the real world too. So would you let a child cross a busy street by themselves? No, you would lead them by the hand so they do not accidently get ran over and killed. There are many things that can kill you in TAR and the rules of the place are different than the real world. So her comparison is valid.

 

Quoting the wolves, death in TAR is not death in real world, or rather not just death in real world. It is permanent.

Many cultures see death in real world as temporary, implying an eternal soul. (eg Aiel think if they die...)

 

Death in TAR is the permanent.

 

Thats wolves because when they die they live in TAR until they are reborn, a bit like the heroes of the horn. So their soul is wandering TAR. If they die in TAR they are really dead.

 

Dreamwalkers however don't wander the dream like that. So what the wolves say you cant be sure if it affects people or not.

[mb]

Not sure about Telaranrhiod being most dangerous place in the series.

But the metaphor seems accurate.

To me she was speaking about there being danger in general, not about any specific danger.

 

 

Some portion of the Wise One comments come from experience (their own experience and/or experience of their predecessors). At least those words can be taken at value.

And some portion seems confirmed in various Egwene POVs; do not have time to search right now.

[jsbrads]

Also in a none metaphysical way, you can be walking down the street in your home town and generally expect that your worst nightmare won't materialize in front of you and kill you, not so in TAR (for the noobs and anyone who is not perfect, even Slayer fell prey to a nightmare and he has been around the block in TAR for a while).

[dexterryu]

Mainly because death in TAR is death in the real world too. So would you let a child cross a busy street by themselves? No, you would lead them by the hand so they do not accidently get ran over and killed. There are many things that can kill you in TAR and the rules of the place are different than the real world. So her comparison is valid.

 

Quoting the wolves, death in TAR is not death in real world, or rather not just death in real world. It is permanent.

Many cultures see death in real world as temporary, implying an eternal soul. (eg Aiel think if they die...)

 

Death in TAR is the permanent.

 

I don't think this is correct. I think it is only permanent in cases like Hopper or say Birgette (before she was ripped out). It' permanent to the spirits of the dead that roam TAR awaiting rebirth, but not to currently living.

[Sharaman]

The Aiel DWs actually don't know that much about TAR. They are naturally talented women who have spent some time dreaming their way in and worked their way through some of the rules by trial and error. The Aiel DW know just enough to know that TAR is dangerous. They've half-understood legends that entering it in the flesh is also dangerous. They really have no idea why (since none of them have made Gateways until Egwene figures out how). So it's a blind superstition as far as the Aiel are concerned.

 

The AOL featured large numbers of people who researched TAR and dreams in much more detail. In particular, they had training ter'angreals in large numbers. Mesaana's PoV also makes it clear that the AOL had also figured methods of training people who were not inborn DWs to get into TAR by dreaming.

Lanfear and Moggy had spent vast quantities of time there working away at nasty stuff.

All the FS including the not-so-talented Halima probably have TAR experience both In The Flesh and as dreamers

If entering in the flesh was that dangerous, the Forsaken would at least think about it - they never do.