RJ's response to Sarah makes me think that my suspicions could have some validity.  If the ashandarei is for sure from the AoL, and Aes Sedai weren't manufacturing OP blades until after the bore was made (being a peaceful people and all), and there was a "convention" of marking OP blades with herons for generals on the light side, then what is the significance of a weapon marked with two black ravens in metal on both the haft and blade of the weapon?

Could it have been the weapon of a Darkfriend General during the War of Power?

You are assuming that the image of Ravens is Universally associated with the Darkone and that this has been true since the AOL. Since Ravens are not associated with the Devil in our time your assumption is at least doubrful.

Is that speculation or is it actually mentioned somewhere in the series?  I simply don't recall ever reading that. 

As stated previously we know that Seanchen prophecy calls for the Dragon to kneal to the Empress. We know from the BWB that Ishy corrupted the Seanchen Prophecies. so it seems pretty clear that it was Ishy who placed that into the Seanchen Propheciies.

But that's kind of my point. People discuss this stuff like it should be rational or at least internally consistent. But it's not. Because it's make believe.

All good modern fantasy and science fiction is internally consistent. To be "rational" only means that it coherently follows certain rules. WOT does this. Moroever, to label something not rational because its "make believe" is the hight of idiocy. You eqate "rationality is with "scientific proof" but forget that science is based on observation. Observation of facts (phenomina) is not the same as observation of "reality" since as any Kantian or Quantum Mechanic would tell you the act of observation itself changes reality.

I don't have any sources but from what I remember back in the day many marriage rituals included someone watching the marriage being consumated (look it up if you don't know the meaning) because the marriage was not final until they did. A marriage which was not consumated, I think still today but I'm not sure, can be annulled (made as if it never happened).

For queens and kings it was done, I think, by a member of the clergy or maybe a doctor but I don't remember exactly...and like I said, I don't have any reliable sources. Not because there aren't any but because I didn't put the time into it to research it. It is possible that the Wavemistress may have been required to view the consummation of the vows.

I think you are confusing two very different things. In earlier times if a marriage was not consummated (the couple having sex) the marriage was deemed to be not completed and could be annulled. There was also a premium on the bride being as virgin. Thus among some (Russian royal weddings for one) evidence that the bride was a virgin and the marriage was consummated was required. This however meant that the bed sheets were viewed by the relatives the morning after for signs of blood. No one actually but the couple was however present during the night.

Plus, while the Sea Folk are quite free about top nudity nothing in the books suggests that they are peeping toms or would require a couple to be nude at their wedding.

There's a brief discussion of "Worm" by Sammael who describes them as Jumaira (another Aginor creation) that don't mutate as they were supposed to. (LoC)

Wyrm is an olde English spelling and it's often used to describe Western dragons (the evil fire-spewing beasts).

That doesn't mean we have a clear description of them. Except that they can give fluting cries and Lan says they're only killed by being chopped to bits.

The use of the term "Worm" by RJ may also be a tip of the hat to Frank Hurbert and his Dune series.

No, Valda knew the sword moves - his book learning, to use my example. If his experience was true he would have applied what he learned in the fights to it and he would not have tried bleeding Galad to death after seeing Galad was able to hold his own for a time. This stupid move cost Valda his life and that move is why I think Galad is the better fighter. Galad kept a cool head and that is something we are told repeatedly in the series is absolutely required.

Actually Valda is much more experienced then Galad. Moreover, he had already been deemed to be a masterswordmen (either by three masterswordmen or by killing one). However, Valda knew how good he was and had become both conceded in his expertise and contemptous of his opponents (those are his weaknesses). He should have, and almost did, beat Galad. However, Galad was a very good swordsman himself and was told what Valda would attempt to do. Thus, it was the luck of having someone on his side who told him of Valda's tendencies and Valda's concete that helped Galad win. Absent either one of those elements Valda would have killed Galad.

What could Lan's weakness be?

Lan's weakness was his unwillingness to face his destiny. He was born and raised to be Daiden(sp?) Lord and King but he never wanted to lead men to what he assumed would be their death. This Nyneave was able to fix in Knife of Dreams but throughout his adult life lan has been running away from his destiny.

Even though quite a few (the majority) are repulsed there is a minority willing to help them.

The same should apply to Aes Sedai shouldn't it?

You disregard the fact that AS are themselves addicted to the power and any reminder that they could accidentally lose the ability to get their "fix" would lead them to abandoned their sisters that burned out. Men who have been gentled and women that have been stilled are considered criminals who have transgressed the greatest Taboos of the society thus that they are shunned by the AS is not surprising. While I agree that AS are not the model of morality their treatment of those that have lost the ability to draw the power while somewhat problematic is not a good example of how they are morally unfit.

But it is not an automatic sentence to depression and death.

While I generally agree with your argument I do point out that the immediate result of slosing the ability to channel is to become depressed. That at least some people can find a reason to live that will get them out of their depression does not mean that such people do not automaticly go into a depression when the are caught off from the source.

As for the men, if they can find people willing to help, I think survival rates might well be reasonable. Why? Because Logain survived despite the fact that the Aes Sedai didn't really want him. He was aware that Suian and co wanted him around to disgrace the Reds.

Perhaps if there were people who wanted to help out of altruism then we could expect more to live. Genuine concern, and a more "human" approach than most Aes Sedai are capable of might well reap benefits.

I think of gentled men and burned out women as recovering heroin addicts. Even if they get past the physical addiction the physcological lose of the power (or drug) leads to a  great depression which leads them to lose the will to live. If they had a support system, people who cared about them (like in Stel Anan's case) they could learn to live with there lose and find that they had other reasons to live. However, no gentled man would never likely have such a support system as the stigma of what he was would likely drive most people who knew what he had been away. The burned out sisters on the other hand would have a built in support system except that their sisters can not bear to be reminded of the fate that awaits them if they ever drew to much of the power.

I would compare the AS up until now much like the organized church during the middle ages. By that I mean they expect their will to be carried out throughout all nations, and feel their way of things is more important than the leaders of the nations people are located in. In fact having Tar Valon on an island inside another nation is much like the vatican.

I think you are being to hard on the AS. You describe them as the Catholic Church in the "High" Middle Ages but you forget the role of Tar Valon in the aftermath of the Breaking or the Churches role in the Dark Ages. The Catholic Church in the Dark Ages did many bad things (as does Tar Valon), but it also was the sole unifying force in Western Eurpope at the time and what ever little learning from the ancient world survived in Western Europe can be credited to the efforts of the Church. Now the Church and Tar Valon grew to disparage the knowledge of other cultures and the wisdom of non-As. Moreover, Tar Valon like the Church constantly meddled in the affairs of Nations believing that they new best. The big differnce between the Church and tar Valon is that in the case of our Universe Western Europe is not central point which the entire Universe revolves around (whatever we may think) but Randland is the key to the Last Battle all the other cultures are only peripheral players in the upcoming Last Battle. When we take that into account the role of Tar Valon (whatever else can be said of it) in getting Randland to survive till this point in time is crucial. Now as to the future, who knows but remember that in the Age of Legends while power was decentralized all channellers were connected and loosely organized into one overreaching organization.

That implies that the taint is over the entire pattern, not just the specific world we are looking at.

Actually only that during his travels within the Portal Rand only visited those world's in which the male half of the Power was tainted. As can reasonably be inferred by Mat's reaction to the Portal, all their travels were to worlds where the DO would be triumphant. There is not enough information provided determine why this is so or what it means.

But Thom isn't a BA wizard

Ah, but as Thom himself muses in the Shadow Rising in future Ages he might be remembered as a fire breathing wizard (kind of reminiscent of Merlin the Magician of Camelot and King Arthur fame-- coincidence, I think not).

It specifically mentions war being a new concept to them after the bore was drilled, so if Lews Therin had been born a Dai'shain Aiel that wouldn't have been a conflict until after the Dark One was there.

Excwpt we knoe that LTT practitced the sport of "fencing" which no true Follower of the Leaf would do. Dai'shin Ail, tinkers, etc. were true total pacifests, they not only did not serve in the military but they held to an absolute ban on doing any violence to any living creature.

Everything we know of Lewis Therin implies he was not a follower of the way of the leaf. Remember he was an expert fencer among other things.

No.  Eliminated by concrete evidence?  No.  Far-fetched?  Maybe. 

Any evidence at all in support of the hypothesis besides your belief?

the Creator has become trapped in his own creation;?

How exactly do you support this statement? So the Creator makes the world and then turns around and tries to destroy it by utilizing evil?  I can buy Luckers theory that the Creator and the DO are equal in power (don't necessarily agree but its logical and can be supported by evidence in the story, but the same entity?

PPS.  This is what happens when lawyers write/talk, it generally takes up a lot of space/time and really says very little of consequence.

Iresemble that remark! :D

Have you never heard of adult niapers!

You must also remember that the events were caused by the DO's influence.  Its not that the pattern is simply unraveling (as it seemed to be threatening to do in the Age of Legends because of balefire) it is structure is being affected by the DO whose purpose is not to unravel reality but to change it to his liking.

To Red211:

hypocritical does not mean a a contradiction in terms. hypocrite is defined as:

a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess, esp. a person whose actions belie stated beliefs. 

2. a person who feigns some desirable or publicly approved attitude, esp. one whose private life, opinions, or statements belie his or her public statements. 

Thus a politician who extols family values in public but has an extra-marital affair is a hypocrite and is making a hypocritical statement when he says he champions family values.

Thus your point between stilling and burning-out is not a hypocritical statement although you are correct that in the literal definition of the words you can not "heal being burned out as their may not be anything to heal.

To Leopold"

With respect even if you can limit ones power with the Mind Trap why restrict Cylene's power to the extent that cylene's power is so obviously effected. She went from the strongest female channeler possibly the Third most powerful Channeler (after Rand and Moriden's) to being middling in power compared to the other Choosen?  It seems to me lowering her power to where she was still the second or third most powerful forsaken would suit Moriden's purposes better.

Now since Moriden can use the True Power, a limiting weave that would be undectable by those using Saiden or Saider would seem a better possibility.