Anyway, we've still had no reason why the Aiel should be given a "magical" explanation, while other things get a pass. No real difference.

 

It really shouldn't be that difficult to see the point here even if you don't agree with it. Individuals may be exceptional, but a race of people, all of whom are exceptional, is not the human species that I am familiar with.

 

Now I wouldn't mind this as much, if it were not for the fact that the human species as I am familiar with it does exist in the books, they're called non-Aiel.

Maybe it's because of the harsh conditions that the Aiel have had to deal with over the three thousand years since the breaking. Unlike wetlanders (and us in our modern day western societies), Aiel die if they are not strong enough to cope with the Extreme conditions of the waste. While not concrete evidence, this is a pretty strong arguement as to why the Aiel are such a rugged people; because they have to be otherwise they would not have survived for as long as they have.

I disagree with Militiades's original arguement and generally am against his opinion on the Aiel. However, his point about the Aiel's fitness/muscularity is a very valid one.

But then again, this kind of inconsistency is present through the whole series, not just with the Aiel. Perrin for example is described as having thick slabs of muscle on his chest..You won't work your chest swinging a hammer on a forge. Also, he seems to go almost the whole series eating very little, you'd lose the muscle you had without consuming a good amount of protein/calories each day. This is also a valid point against the muscularity of the Aielmen. They seem to scrounge what they can and never lose muscle (that we hear/know of)despite the huge distances that they run.

Now I'm not criticising Jordan at all here, this is a fantasy book. It would suck a lot if everything was as mundane as it is in our world. How lame would it be if Gaul took 5 from his battle against the WCs to down a protein shake and some chicken? This is a fantasy work, and the Aiel are slightly unbelievable as people in our world, as are the trollocs, fades, warders etc.

Stop judging people in the book by the standards of our world and enjoy it.

Woah, some big posts in this thread! Just thought I'd chip in with my 2c

I love the Aiel, I think they're by far the most interesting guys in the books. And while yes, massively muscular guys running marathon distances may be a tad unbelievable, but this is a fantasy, if you're not going to buy into it, stop reading.

Militiades, you seem to be stuck with the notion that the Aiel haven't adapted to their fighting habits. So they don't have cavalry? That doesn't mean they're going to stand there while they're charged. They dont wear armour? They don't intend on getting hit in the first place.

As for the Gaul and perrin vs WC situation in TDR (I think), I don't find that unbelievable at all. You have about 10 arrogant guys, confronting a man almost 7" tall, of whose race they know nothing about except all the scary tales they hear about Black Veiled Aiel.

Also, how stupid would you have to be to punch someone in their armour? I seem to remember having read recently the kidnapping of Faile and crew. During this struggle Rolan subdues Faile by several blows to her wrists etc which render her completely useless. Do you really see Gaul sauntering up to a WC and punching him in the helmet like a hooligan in a bar? In fact I can quote: "his stiffened hand struck like a dagger at the Whitecloak's throat." What a noob for not cleaving him in the platemail eh?

The Aiel kick ass, deal with it

My prize posession is a signed copy of New Spring in hardback. May not seem much to many on here but it was a great present from my sis, means a lot to me.