Where do the spears come from?

[nirve9909]

So the other day I was having an epic spatula vs tongs swordfight with my friend's kid, and along the way I realized how much easier it would be to have a spear (and the general advantages to spears). This naturally lead to thinking of the Aiel. While I was thinking about how much less metal a spearhead uses as opposed to a sword I realized that there's almost no wood in the Waste. There must be 50 mentions of nothing growing straight enough to use for anything decent. So where do the shafts for their spears come from? Do they trade, and if so why do peddlers bring books instead of spearshafts? I'm sure this has an obvious answer but it's got me.

[Rhienne]

I think they use very short spears, so nowhere near the length of what we are familiar with as a spear.  There are a few references to low scrubby bushes, so maybe there is enough wood on those to make a short spear.

[David Selig]

 Aiel's logistics and supplies don't make much sense if you look close at them. No way a place so extremely inhospitable as the Waste can support almost a million top class soldiers.

[clutzyninja]

 Aiel's logistics and supplies don't make much sense if you look close at them. No way a place so extremely inhospitable as the Waste can support almost a million top class soldiers.

I wondered the same thing.  I justified it to myself as cultural bias.  As in, the wetlanders consider the waste to inhospitable to live in, but maybe it's not QUITE so bad as described.  And, the waste is enormous.  Each hold having a few hundred to a thousand or two, added up, gives you your unstoppable Aiel horde.

Like I said, that's how I justified the inconsistancies in my mind anyway.

[nirve9909]

The logistics don't bother too much in general. They're fairly self sufficient little groups. There's a passage that talks (I think) about the Stone River sept breaking off from another, so I assume they keep each hold small enough for the resources available in that area. But every bush is twisted and covered in thorns. That's not good wood for a shaft. Even a small spear is probably 3 feet long, maybe 4 or 5. Times three per warrior and all the ones that get broken or lost. There couldn't possibly be enough wood for them. The more I think about it the more I get confused.

[clutzyninja]

They have hidden spear-shaft generating ter-angreal in Rhuidean that they never mention.  Not even in the books.  Now stop worrying about it :) 

[Agitel]

The Waste is massive. It's about one fifth the size of the western part of the continent that there's a map for, maybe even a little bigger. We only ever saw a small portion of it. There may be areas more hospitable to the types of trees or whatever needed for crafting spears

[Orderofolde]

The initial description used is not accurate.  Breadcrumbs and slight variations of the description of the spears actually reveal that they are too short for throwing and have long spearheads.  If you've ever seen the movie Zulu those are exactly the spears and actual idealization behind the lifestyle of the Aiel people (including the hide bucklers) blended with those of the Jewish faith and sprinkles of other cultures.  The shafts are very short as well as not very thick, maybe around two feet long and slightly thicker than a thumb, short enough combined with a 16-20" spearhead that these can be strapped to the back and they carry at least 3 to as many as 5-6 spears.  They also carry them in their buckler hand behind their bucklers very often.  RJ had a fascination with all sorts of weapons even if the sword was his favorite. 

[BFG]

I always assumed they traded for it.  I doubt the Waste has any trees suitable, as I doubt there's enough water anywhere to sustain enough suitable trees (consider every Aiel reaction to a stream/river...) 

[EmperorAllspice]

and the fact that battles are fought over puddles.

 

If the water situation is really that bad, I'm surprised there's enough moisture for all of the people there to survive

[BFG]

That does seem to be the more pertinent issue.

[jedman67]

That does seem to be the more pertinent issue.

its stated above (and in the books) that a) the waste is huge b) the aiel are very good at adapting c) very savvy traders d) know how to live off the land.

They are a hardy and proud race, and have their real world origins in bedouins and saharan tribal races; people that can live and survive in an extremely hostile environment and call it home. 

I imagine most of the wood comes from trade.

[Eht Slat Meit]

My speculation would be that they're getting them from the stunted trees seen in TSR, ch 36, that seem to be RJ's version of a real world cactus. For as short as the spears are described to be, and the Aiel skill in sharp knives and with blacksmithing, I'm guessing they wouldn't have much problem taking cuttings for spears. The trees are described as rare by Rand's PoV but he's also not a a native Aielman and wouldn't know the whole of the Waste or places where it might be more populous and native to various regions.