Red Aja, before and after the breaking of the world

[GriffiN]

Well, im re-reading the series and after reading some official material online (http://www.tor.com/shayol.html) i came to the following problem:

 

if the red aja's sole purpose is to hunt men who can channel to gentle them, what was it's purpose before the Breaking of the World?? because before, male and female channelers worked in unison, so whats up with them?

 

was the breaking the catalist to form the Ajas? or where they from before? if so, what was the purpose of the red Aja before??

 

 

 

 

PS: i did a search and nothing of the sort apeared.

[Guest Barmacral]

I don't believe that there was Ajah's before the breaking.

 

The current seven Ajah's were the seven most powerful Aes Sedai factions who came together to found the White Tower.

[Kaznen]

AoL AS ajah were small temporary groups who had a specfic purpose.

[algspkr]

I always pictured the ajah of the AoL as being akin to present day politcal parties in Europe, but that may just be me showing my ignorance of European politics. Kaznen has the proper definition.

[GriffiN]

so after the Breaking they solidified.

wow

 

thanks ppl :D :D :D

[Kaznen]

The thing is, after the breaking they weren't really Aes Sedai. They were a group of women who could channle that called themselves Aes Sedai.

[GriffiN]

the thing i dont understand either, is instead of hunting them, why not study them to see how to Heal the madness? It could have been tried. Stilling/Gentling was thought to be unhealeable, but thanks to a bit of study (Nynaeve) it was made possible to Heal it.

 

oh well, RJ narrated it, so it cant be fixed, what is, is already done, plus it has been fixed so as no other male channeler has to go through that again.

 

 

 

[Offtopic]

i want a decent pc game, movie or mmorpg of Wot!!!!! Also i want a group of RPG in my area to play!!! omg

[/offtopic]

[Hannah Banana]

the thing i dont understand either' date=' is instead of hunting them, why not study them to see how to Heal the madness? It could have been tried. Stilling/Gentling was thought to be unhealeable, but thanks to a bit of study (Nynaeve) it was made possible to Heal it.[/quote']

 

Well when men first started going mad during the Breaking, you've got the most talented and learned Healers of the AoL no doubt doing everything they could to try to find a cure. Then the Breaking totally tears the world to crap. The female Aes Sedai probably concluded that after the best Healers had tried and failed, and after all the mayhem and destruction the men caused, there was nothing TO do but gentle them ASAP.

 

You pretty much answered your own question with the example about Stilling being Healed. The AS (even of the AoL) thought that was impossible, so after a while no one eventually tries. Until one person comes along and doesn't know that it's impossible, and then manages to do it.

 

There is a common theme in the latter books of the sort of "de-mystifying" of the AS. In the beginning of the series, they were mysterious, all-powerful, all-knowing beings that you didn't dare try to cross. But now their power is being greatly reduced, and their dignity. Things that they said were impossible being accomplished is just one more way this is achieved.

[Phiotr AlManera]

I don't believe that there was Ajah's before the breaking.

 

The current seven Ajah's were the seven most powerful Aes Sedai factions who came together to found the White Tower.

 

Do you know this' date=' or think this? I haven't read the BWB yet so forgive my possible ignorence!

 

What I do remember from tGH are the portal stones.

[i']Around the Portal Stone, seven steps colored like the Ajahs rise to ground level.[/i] from http://www.encyclopaedia-wot.org/

 

This implies a connection between the colours and the True Source, a connection wich was there well before the third age.

[BrainFireBob]

Right in one- it's in the BWB.

 

It's also the meaning of Mesaana's remark "You children almost match the ajah at times."

 

In the AOL, the ajah were more like political action commitees than political parties- they were voting/vote solicitation blocks, at a guess, within the democracy (or republic) of the Hall of Servants, existing within the democracy/republic/whatever it was of the AoL.

 

During the Breaking, ajahs were formed for specific purposes, and because the unity of Aes Sedai fractured, became permanent. Some continued the War with the Shadowspawn, some began "taming" their male colleagues for the good of all, some became concerned with preserving what was being lost- proto-Brown, Yellow, and potentially White all being versions of this- some became concerned about the lack of centralization and co-ordination (proto-Greys), and some were concerned about the loss of, well, justice in society (proto-Blues).

[Phiotr AlManera]

A late new years resolution: buy copy of BWB!

 

I do think however that the ayah's will keep on excisting! If there's another breaking to come, the same needs will arise. Also, Aes Sedai tend to do a lot of thing out of tradition - as Nyneave said a few times already.

 

And as for the purpose of the Red Ayah now saidin's cleansed? :?:

I'd say, originally it was offering protection and shelter to the people, a cause worthy of a true AoL Aes Sedai.

Hard to believe given the current views of the red ayah.

 

Does anybody have a theory about the colours on the portal stones?

 

Or is this another BWB thingie? :cry:

[Luckers]

ajah (without the capital) in the Age of Legends were described as small shifting alliances of like-minded Aes Sedai for the purpose of enacting some specific goal. In the BWB groups of Aes Sedai are described as a 'vast sea of ajah, constantly shrinking, growing, deviding, combining and fading away only to be reborn in some new guise to continue the purpose.'

 

In the aftermath of the breaking ajah was still used to describe groups of Aes Sedai. Fourteen major ajah came together in the meeting that decided that the White Tower and Tar Valon would be created, as well as several minor ajah. There were also many ajah that opposed the creation of the Tower, but following the capture and stilling of Lideine Rajan and her entire ajah (one of the largest) and the capitulation of Mailaine Harvole, who lead another of the largest ajah there was a general fall in ajah that were not aligned with the Tower.

 

With all the large ajah alligned with the tower or destroyed, those that remained were declared false Aes Sedai, or women 'claiming' to be Aes Sedai, and were rather viciously exterminated. However, there were many that were allowed to join the Tower after capture. Essentially by 200AB all ajah were alligned with the White Tower. This is around the time that the word Ajah first came into use as it is known now.

 

The reason there were seven, and not 12 (Mailaine and Lideine's ajah were likely excluded from the setting of policy, though thats only my opinion) is likely because some of the ajah had similar goals. Certainly only seven of the leaders of those ajah took part in the council that aided Elisane Tishar, the Amyrlin, in ruling the Aes Sedai at that time, indicating some degree of priority in power between the ajah. Likely there was also an attempt to formalise and consolidate the goals and policies of the ajah that led to the formalisation of seven different Ajah as well.

 

This was also around the time three sitters came to be the number to represent the Ajahs. My guess is that this allowed for the leaders of the multiple ajah to retain power in the formation of the new Ajahs.

[Ashlan]

I am at work, and don't have a good reference tool, but I beleieve the red ajah's true purpose was to prevent another breaking. The stilling of male channelers is just a means to that end.