The Oath Rod/Binder

[Caveatar]

The Oath Rod was originally used for 'binding' criminals.

The Oath Rod shortens the life of the channelers sworn on it.

(Does it work on non-channelers?)

 

Just what IS the original use of the thing?

Just a guess, comparing to our age criminal justice system:

Instead of a prison sentence in a cell for a stated length of time perhaps

that length of lifespan was removed from the criminal's life expectancy.

A six month jail term removing six months of life and reducing prison costs.

 

Binder equivalent of the Three Oaths would be something like the following.

Oath One:

I swear to fully and truly confess all my crimes.

(Criminal confesses all crimes.)

 

Oath Two:

I swear to fully and truthfully divulge information I have on any criminal activity by others.

(Criminal rats out all others he/she knows about.)

 

Oath Three:

I swear to accept the legal prescribed life reduction sentence for all past

and any future crimes including the same pain I caused others to suffer.

(Convict automatically has lifespan reduced, suffers proportionate pain and feels

the future tightening down on his hide like a tighter skin.)

 

Secondary effects:

Criminal starts returning things he/she hadn't even stolen.

Criminal begins to apologize for every thing that has ever gone wrong from all

previous ages.

Criminal begins to tremble uncontrollably every time he/she even considers a

crime in the future.

(Causing bystanders/witnesses to point fingers and say "neener neener").

 

SO: seriously, How WOULD the danged thing have been used on criminals?

Anyone?

 

Caveatar

[LeeM.Erickson]

I always got the impression that it was a little more simple than that.

 

It was more like, well, you got caught stealing something, so now you swear an Oath not to steal anything. Now, maybe not for something as mundane as stealing, but I assumed that was the general gist of the way it was used. It IS called a "binder" after all, which implies its primary purpose is used in restriction. I may be wrong, though, since this fundamentally seems a bit brutal for the Age of Legends. It's basically the WoT equivalent of the Ludavico Technique.

[2RiversFan]

Have we seen any ter'angreal that work on non-channelers? For that matter, have we seen the oath rod used on a male channeler?

 

I think the answer is no, but I may be wrong...

 

I think the situations you describe are plausible, except you'd have to have a channeler there to activate the oath rod and direct it toward the criminal in order to make it binding. Just my take.

[dazparra]

yes, one of the books states that in the case of non-channelers there was a binding chair - which we assume worked in the same manner, but for those who can't channel.

 

and yes the oath rod, binding rod, will work on male channelers

[rand4747]

the life reduction is a sorta effect of the strain the oath rod causes to the channelers, that strain is what will alsoc ause the feeling of pressure when they take the oathes and the agelessness. That its is 3 oathes taken there is a huge strain, just 1 may not have caused a significant reduction in life.

[YoungKing]

Have we seen any ter'angreal that work on non-channelers? For that matter, have we seen the oath rod used on a male channeler?

 

I think the answer is no, but I may be wrong...

 

I think the situations you describe are plausible, except you'd have to have a channeler there to activate the oath rod and direct it toward the criminal in order to make it binding. Just my take.

 

You're certainly wrong. The dream ter'angreal works on non-channellers. A Stilled Siuan uses it just fine.

 

I was under the impression ter'angreal had nothing to do with channelling. Also, throw in the glass ter'angreal Wise Ones use. Many aren't channellers and it works on them. Doorframes to the A and E...

 

Surprised you'd ask if we've seen ter'angreal used on non channellers.

[kght22]

 

You're certainly wrong. The dream ter'angreal works on non-channellers. A Stilled Siuan uses it just fine.

 

I was under the impression ter'angreal had nothing to do with channelling. Also, throw in the glass ter'angreal Wise Ones use. Many aren't channellers and it works on them. Doorframes to the A and E...

 

Surprised you'd ask if we've seen ter'angreal used on non channellers.

heh, even birgette uses the twisted ring ter'angreal.

[csarmi]

I think they had the criminal swear an oath to obey the law absolutely, or something along those lines. They could also have him/her to swear an oath to obey the some authority absolutely and seek it out every month.

 

I think they used the rod the same way it was used by Therava. An oath of obedience, followed by orders.

[Caveatar]

I think they had the criminal swear an oath to obey the law absolutely, or something along those lines. They could also have him/her to swear an oath to obey the some authority absolutely and seek it out every month.

 

I think they used the rod the same way it was used by Therava. An oath of obedience, followed by orders.

 

I agree that is the simplest and best explanation of how it works/worked.

But I wonder why the reduced lifespan of the Aes Sedai?

Maybe Therava's Aes Sedai toy Galina will not have to spend a full 600 years of her servitude.

(Personally I think she deserves it but that is just my opinion.) :D

 

Caveatar

[Agitel]

I think they had the criminal swear an oath to obey the law absolutely, or something along those lines. They could also have him/her to swear an oath to obey the some authority absolutely and seek it out every month.

 

I think they used the rod the same way it was used by Therava. An oath of obedience, followed by orders.

 

I agree that is the simplest and best explanation of how it works/worked.

But I wonder why the reduced lifespan of the Aes Sedai?

Maybe Therava's Aes Sedai toy Galina will not have to spend a full 600 years of her servitude.

(Personally I think she deserves it but that is just my opinion.) :D

 

Caveatar

 

I'm fairly certain Jordan has been quoted as saying that a single oath wouldn't affect lifespan as much. It's likely a side-effect of too many oaths, which affect the body physically and perhaps mentally too.

[Suttree]

I think they had the criminal swear an oath to obey the law absolutely, or something along those lines. They could also have him/her to swear an oath to obey the some authority absolutely and seek it out every month.

 

I think they used the rod the same way it was used by Therava. An oath of obedience, followed by orders.

 

I agree that is the simplest and best explanation of how it works/worked.

But I wonder why the reduced lifespan of the Aes Sedai?

Maybe Therava's Aes Sedai toy Galina will not have to spend a full 600 years of her servitude.

(Personally I think she deserves it but that is just my opinion.) :D

 

Caveatar

 

I'm fairly certain Jordan has been quoted as saying that a single oath wouldn't affect lifespan as much. It's likely a side-effect of too many oaths, which affect the body physically and perhaps mentally too.

 

Here you go...

 

Budapest Q&A - April 2003

 

Q: Is it true that the Three Oaths is why Aes Sedai [mumble mumble] I thought it might be because, when you try to avoid the Three Oaths, you get a lot of dangerous situation [mumble mumble]...

RJ: No . . . now you have to be careful with this, because this is a kind of spoiler for people that haven’t read far enough, but the Oath Rod is what was in the Age of Legends called a binder. It was used on criminals. If you committed a violent act, or some sort of criminal act, with a binder, someone who could channel could be constrained from ever doing that again, and the result of having three of the Oaths, is the ageless appearance. One would not produce agelessness, but even one would shorten life, and three of them put a cap on Aes Sedai’s lives, on how long they could live.

 

https://docs.google.com/View?docID=dcjspjqg_61cqq85pf7&revision=_latest

[Caveatar]

I think they had the criminal swear an oath to obey the law absolutely, or something along those lines. They could also have him/her to swear an oath to obey the some authority absolutely and seek it out every month.

 

I think they used the rod the same way it was used by Therava. An oath of obedience, followed by orders.

 

I agree that is the simplest and best explanation of how it works/worked.

But I wonder why the reduced lifespan of the Aes Sedai?

Maybe Therava's Aes Sedai toy Galina will not have to spend a full 600 years of her servitude.

(Personally I think she deserves it but that is just my opinion.) :D

 

Caveatar

 

I'm fairly certain Jordan has been quoted as saying that a single oath wouldn't affect lifespan as much. It's likely a side-effect of too many oaths, which affect the body physically and perhaps mentally too.

 

Here you go...

 

Budapest Q&A - April 2003

 

Q: Is it true that the Three Oaths is why Aes Sedai [mumble mumble] I thought it might be because, when you try to avoid the Three Oaths, you get a lot of dangerous situation [mumble mumble]...

RJ: No . . . now you have to be careful with this, because this is a kind of spoiler for people that haven’t read far enough, but the Oath Rod is what was in the Age of Legends called a binder. It was used on criminals. If you committed a violent act, or some sort of criminal act, with a binder, someone who could channel could be constrained from ever doing that again, and the result of having three of the Oaths, is the ageless appearance. One would not produce agelessness, but even one would shorten life, and three of them put a cap on Aes Sedai’s lives, on how long they could live.

 

https://docs.google.com/View?docID=dcjspjqg_61cqq85pf7&revision=_latest

 

OKAY! That explains it. I thought I had read ALL of the RJ interviews but I missed that

or my (72 years) old memory is just kicking in at failure mode.

That does make sense. I suppose the "third oath cap" is similar to the

"three time loser / habitual criminal" thing of the U.S. system.

 

Thank you.

 

Caveatar

[damandred]

72 years shame on you caveater, thought you'd remember.

*tongue in cheek*

[Caveatar]

72 years shame on you caveater, thought you'd remember.

*tongue in cheek*

 

And just hoping like hell to last long enough to read the last of WoT.

:D :D

 

One good thing about my memory,

(which is like a ragged map, it is just a very rough guide to past events.),

I forget some of those shameful things I did so I feel better about myself overall.

 

I remember my first reading of Bram Stoker's 'Dracula' when I was six.

(BTW I slept with the cover pulled up over my neck until I was twelve because of it. LOL)

I sometimes have to reread parts of WoT to clarify things I read last week.

I believe reading obituaries of friends has a damaging effect on memory.

It seems like the more of them I read the worse my memory gets.

Or maybe that is just a coincidence?

 

Caveatar

[2RiversFan]

LOL. Don't worry Caveater, some of those things are happening to me at the age of 45, particularly:

"I sometimes have to reread parts of WoT to clarify things I read last week."

 

I also remember my first book - but it was Tom Sawyer...