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Your search for the tag 'saidin' yielded 53 results
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1
Interview: Jan 25th, 2005
TOR Questions of the Week Part II (Verbatim)Week 20 Question (LordJuss)
Why was Aginor so interested in the Eye of the World? He could channel clean saidin anyway so it shouldn't have been an issue?Robert Jordan
He was able to channel clean saidin, true, but only through the "filter" which had been provided by the Dark One just a short time previously, which meant the Dark One would be aware of him channeling wherever he was. Remember, Aginor was the creator of the Trollocs; he is quite able to reason things out clearly, at least in a scientific sense. Also, he wasn't certain whether or not the Dark One also would know what he was doing when he channeled, too. For someone as secretive, competitive, and generally untrustworthy as the one of the Forsaken, the Eye of the World amounted to a valuable asset if it could be secured. To put it simply, Aginor saw a means of channeling without the Dark One looking over his shoulder, and maybe a way to increase his own power at the expense of those who didn't have that advantage. Balthamel might well have been for the long drop, administered by Aginor, if things hadn't worked out differently.Tags
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2
Interview: Jul 19th, 2005
TOR Questions of the Week Part III (Verbatim)Week 8 Question
When a person that can channel is shielded, where is the shield placed? Is it placed around the whole body of the person or around the head of the channeler where they sense saidin/saidar? If you are shielded from the One Power, are you also shielded from the True Power? What happens if someone in a circle is shielded? Can a Warder feel that his Aes Sedai is shielded?Robert Jordan
A shield exists both as a barrier around the entire person and as a single point along with everything in between. (In a way, this is like the Bore, which does not actually exist as Shayol Ghul. The Bore exists everywhere, but Shayol Ghul is the place where it can best be detected. Which is not to say that there is any connection between the Bore and a shield. Both simply exist in different states simultaneously.) Someone who is shielded and trying to get past the shield can "feel" their way along its inner "surface" hunting for weaknesses, such as the points that indicate where the shield is being maintained or has been tied off. Shielding against the One Power will indeed stop someone from reaching for the True Power. It isn't possible to shield one person out of a circle since, in effect, the circle has become a single person for the purpose of channeling. You would have to shield the entire circle, which would require either a circle of your own or a pretty hefty sa'angreal. A Warder cannot feel that his Aes Sedai has been shielded, though he would be aware of any agitation on her part. But this would tell him no more than that she was agitated.Tags
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3
Interview: Nov, 1993
Trinity College Q&A (Paraphrased)Robert Jordan
He also spoke for quite some time on the splitting of the One Power into male and female halves, and on the disharmony produced when they don't work together...this came across as one of the core elements in the origin of WoT. (re: Yin/Yang—leaving out the little dots in the symbol is an intentional representation of the lack of harmony between male/female Power in Randland.)Tags
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4
Interview: Oct 11th, 2005
KOD Signing Report - Pary (Paraphrased)Robert Jordan
Re: bulk "strength" in the Power, RJ reiterated that men were stronger than women by a couple of levels, including Lanfear [whom he reiterated was a woman after all]; but then he also reminded us that that did not take into account the dexterity factor.Tags
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5
Interview: 2010
Twitter 2009-2010 (WoT) (Verbatim)Azral Hanan (29 July 2010)
Are the taint and the True Power the same?Brandon Sanderson (29 July 2010)
No, they are different.AZRAL HANAN
Can Mashadar destroy True Power and True Power weaves like it destroyed the taint?BRANDON SANDERSON
RAFO.AZRAL HANAN
If there was no Cleansing would the taint eventually run out as it's used by men who go insane & die ad infinitum?BRANDON SANDERSON
I don't think it'd run out. But that's a "Brandon's mostly sure, but hasn't checked the notes."AZRAL HANAN (30 JULY)
Did Mr. Jordan list out what the True Power can/not do relative to the One Power? Are there limits to both?BRANDON SANDERSON
RAFO. Maybe we'll put some of that in the encyclopedia. They are certainly different. Towers of Midnight has some hints.BENJAMIN MOLDOVAN
Mashadar is gone, isn't it? Would it really hurt to say whether the True Power would be affected?BRANDON SANDERSON
Have we ever confirmed that Mashadar is dead? :)Tags
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6
Interview: 2011
Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)Jeff Edde (3 January 2011)
Interesting. In The Eye of the World, Rand uses Light and Power. Is it significant that he uses Light and Power again in Towers of Midnight?Brandon Sanderson (3 January 2011)
Yes.JEFF EDDE (12 JANUARY)
Can Rand channel Light and Power as a result of touching the Eye of the World, or does he have access to it because he is who he is?BRANDON SANDERSON
It was the power in the Eye, so far as I know.Tags
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7
Interview: Oct 25th, 1994
LOC Signing Report - Edward Liu (Paraphrased)Edward Liu
Channeling saidin and the taint:
As some of you know, there was a pretty big debate over this topic, especially whether Thom could or couldn't channel, which I participated in. Well, I'm happy to say that I was mostly correct in my theories.
Robert Jordan
What RJ said was that once a man channeled he will inevitably die (if nothing else kills him first) as a result of the taint, whether from going mad and getting himself killed or from the wasting sickness. When I asked him if continued channeling only sped up the tainting, he said yes.Edward Liu
So the theory that tainting only occurs upon channeling is incorrect as well as the conclusion that a man will only go mad or waste away after years of frequent channeling. The important thing is that once you've channeled, you're doomed. I'm not sure whether it's the first time you grasp saidin or the first time you channel that counts.Robert Jordan
He said yes when I asked him something to the effect of, "When a man channels early in his life and never channels again, will he go mad or die from the wasting sickness?" I'd guess it's the latter, but I'm not sure. He pointed out that once a man channels he basically cannot stop himself. He (the man) becomes addicted to it; RJ made an analogy to a junkie: he might want to stop but can't. I know some of you might think, "Well he eventually dies because he can't stop himself from channeling, thus it doesn't mean tainting is a process unaffected by the amount you channel."Edward Liu
Realizing this I asked, "Theoretically if he channeled once and never channeled again, would he still die?"Robert Jordan
The response was still a yes.Tags
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8
Interview: Oct 25th, 1994
LOC Signing Report - Edward Liu (Paraphrased)Edward Liu
Now, regarding Thom, those who argued that Thom could channel are correct.Robert Jordan
RJ said a man will not go mad or sick away if he never channeled. Thus, he agreed that a male channeler who could be taught to channel (as opposed to having the inborn ability) and has never channeled would not die from the taint. BUT, when I asked him if he ever intended to make people think that Thom could channel, he said no. I brought up the hereditary point (i.e., Owyn) but he said just because your parents have a particular gene doesn't mean you'll receive that particular gene. Also he made a point that Owyn was his nephew so therefore not necessarily very similar gene-wise. When I pressed him again on it, he said (I'm quoting) "There is no way in hell Thom can channel." All he offered for explanations is that Thom is a "mysterious man." Enough said.Footnote
Emphasis added for clarity. Edward's assertion is apparently in reference to arguments that, since Thom is so old, he couldn't possibly have the ability to learn.Tags
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9
Interview: 2011
Twitter 2011 (WoT) (Verbatim)Brandon Sanderson (12 March 2011)
From questions I've gotten at signings, people still seem confused by the black threads/cords sometimes attached to Forsaken.BRANDON SANDERSON
I thought this clear; that these were the means by which male Forsaken avoided the taint. Is there still uncertainty on this point?TEREZ
RJ said in interview that they were protection from the taint but he also said at one point that...TEREZ
...they were the conduits by which the True Power could be accessed (if they had permission). [He also contradicted himself on that, apparently.]BRANDON SANDERSON
There may be a tad more to the cords that RJ didn't state, but I will say that one major reason is the taint protection.Tags
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10
Interview: Jun 16th, 1995
East of the Sun Con - Karl-Johan Norén (Paraphrased)Robert Jordan
The Flame and the Void he said was mainly a concentration technique, but one very close to the techniques used for teaching men to contact the One Power.Tags
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11
Interview: Apr 5th, 1996
Balticon XXX - Bill Garrett (Paraphrased)Robert Jordan
Mat's amulet blocks both saidin and saidar. Jordan answered this one straight-out when asked. He pointed out that the amulet only blocks actual weavings of the One Power, not the physical effects that could be caused by a weaving. For example, Elayne was able to use the One Power to hurl a rock at Mat. Rahvin was able to create a bolt of lightning which struck Mat. (Jordan noted that Mat's death by lightning and subsequent undoing of his death when Rand balefired Rahvin, fulfills a prophecy about living, dying, and then living again.)
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12
Interview: Jun 21st, 1996
Robert Jordan
The universe is driven by saidin and saidar working against each other. They will not end up as the Light Power.Tags
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13
Interview: Aug 4th, 1996
ACOS Signing Report - Hawk (Paraphrased)Hawk
Pam—here's something new for the FAQ. I asked him exactly why the pool of untainted saidin was needed at the Eye of the World.Robert Jordan
He kind of gave me a RAFO. RJ said that he has an idea of what he wants that to have been for, but he's not sure he's going to use it, so he didn't want to give me information and then change his mind later. So all our guesses are correct at the moment!Tags
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14
Interview: Nov 1st, 1998
SciFi.com Chat (Verbatim)Linda
We see a lot of characters making estimates about how strong such and such a channeler is or will be, but when we're talking about so far unfulfilled potential, how accurately can it be judged? Especially if the channeler making the judgement doesn't know how much training the channeler being judged previously has had?Robert Jordan
Someone can judge a current strength. This differs between men and women. A woman that can channel can [make a] very accurate judgement of another woman's strength whether she is channeling or not if she is standing close enough. Among Aes Sedai at least, knowledge of potential strength, especially if it is thought to be a great strength, becomes very widespread. Among men the circumstances are different. A man who can channel cannot judge the strength of another unless the other is channeling the One Power or holding the One Power, and even then all he can judge is how much of the One Power the other man is holding. He can't say how much he can hold. There are great differences between men and women in the One Power.Footnote
Rand noted in Lord of Chaos that it is possible to tell if a man is straining (that is, holding as much as he can), and Logain reiterated the point in Knife of Dreams.Tags
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15
Interview: Nov 14th, 2000
SciFi.com Chat (Verbatim)Nevik
Can you give some more details on how the taint was cleansed? I was sort of confused reading the book.Robert Jordan
Sorry...I can't.Tags
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16
Interview: Dec 12th, 2000
CNN Chat (Verbatim)Jonan
Mr. Jordan, is it possible that in another age, another turning of the wheel, that saidar could be tainted instead of saidin? This relates to the Female Dragon Theory.Robert Jordan
That is not something I intend to explore.Tags
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17
Interview: Dec 9th, 2002
Question
Is there a reason the Dark One could not or would not re-taint saidin?
Robert Jordan
The conditions would have to be exactly right. Those conditions were set up while the seals were being placed on the Bore. The chances that exactly those conditions would occur again are fairly small. And that is saying that it was a volitional act rather than a side-effect of trying to stop the seals from being placed. After all, if the Dark One could taint saidin at will, why could he not taint saidar as well, and why would he not have done so?
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18
Interview: Apr 6th, 2001
Dromen and Demonen Chat (Verbatim)Moridin
When/if Rand manages to remove the taint placed on saidin, are the people infected with it cured? Or does their condition remain the way it is?Robert Jordan
When/if the taint is removed from saidin, further ill effects are stopped but what has already occurred remains.Tags
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19
Interview: Jan 23rd, 2003
COT Signing Report - John Nowacki (Paraphrased)John Nowacki
Without the True Power to contrast it with, did people in the Age of Legends refer to the 'One Power' and 'True Source', or simply the 'Power' and the 'Source'?Robert Jordan
The names would have been the same, he said, since "One Power" was meant to signify that saidin and saidar are two halves of the same thing and not different things entirely.Tags
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20
Interview: Jan 23rd, 2003
COT Signing Report - Zeynep Dilli (Paraphrased)Question
Without the True Power to contrast it with, did people in the Age of Legends refer to the 'One Power' and 'True Source', or simply the 'Power' and the 'Source'?Robert Jordan
(from John Nowacki's report): The names would have been the same, he said, since "One Power" was meant to signify that saidin and saidar are two halves of the same thing and not different things entirely.Zeynep Dilli
What he said.Tags
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21
Interview: Feb 26th, 2003
tarvalon.net Q&A (Verbatim)Question
What do the Tinkers traditionally do with males among them that begin channeling? Are they turned over to an Aes Sedai?Robert Jordan
They are just shunned from the group and cast out, since they are inherently violent and considered an abomination to them.Tags
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22
Interview: Apr, 2003
Budapest Q&A (Verbatim)Mort
What about the thread of the life in case of the Forsaken? Are they part of the Pattern or they are outside? Is it broken in the case of the Forsaken?Robert Jordan
No. They're part of the Wheel, except for the fellows who've been balefired, who are now gone: no rebirth [resurrection]; they’re out. The Dark One is outside of the Pattern, as the Creator is outside of the Pattern, but everything human is inside of the Pattern. One of the things that the Forsaken hope to gain is immortality. And immortality would put them outside of the Pattern.Footnote
RJ has said elsewhere that balefire is not the eternal death of the soul, and Brandon has confirmed it (and so RJ was merely saying that the balefired Forsaken could not be transmigrated into new bodies).Rhynn
You’ve wrote somewhere that Moridin used the True Power and he stepped out of the Pattern or something like that.Robert Jordan
No, he's made a hole in the Pattern as a way of Traveling which uses the True Power, which is a different thing. If you notice as far back as the Prologue of The Eye of the World, when Ishamael Traveled in to meet Lews Therin, who was mad, the description does not match the Traveling that we see later. It’s because at that point, Ishamael is using the True Power, which produces a different sort of effect for Traveling. It is a different method of Traveling than either men or women use with saidin and saidar.Mort
The descriptions are quite similar when he arrived by Travel with saidin. You also say 'bore a hole through the Pattern', and for the True Power, I think in one instance, 'ripping a hole in the Pattern'. And in one other instance you wrote that he stepped back inside the Pattern.Robert Jordan
It's similar. Similar, but it's not the same thing. It's why it produces that fading in and fading out effect.Sequoia
But if a woman used the True Power she would use it the same way?Robert Jordan
Yes. It's not separate. The True Power is not like saidin or saidar. The reason there are differences for men and women using the One Power is that one is using saidin, for men, and women are using saidar, which are not identical. But using the True Power, which flows from the Dark One, men and women are using exactly the same force, exactly the same source of Power.Tags
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23
Interview: Apr, 2003
Budapest Q&A (Verbatim)Question
About channeling, you begin as having channeling [mumble mumble] so when Rand cleanses saidin, he thought about it, how he [mumble mumble] Do you do this intentionally, or do you just not want to tell us?Robert Jordan
In the beginning when Rand channels, it’s something very new and unusual to him, and as time has gone along, channeling has become a more common thing. When a child learns to walk, walking is an adventure, and maybe for that first whole year, walking and running is just this wonderful thing, and all excited about it, and a year after that well, you know, you walk, and it’s no big deal. Rand, first learning to channel, first growing in strength, it’s something that is to him a very big deal. Even if he’s trying to be cool about it, it’s still a very big deal. But he’s been doing this long enough now that channeling, per se, is no longer a big deal, and that’s what I’m trying to show in this. He doesn’t think about it in the depth. He’s aware of the effect of saidin, of what saidin is like, but he doesn’t think about it in the same depth that he did when he was first learning how to walk, and doing this wonderful thing about moving around on his hind legs.Tags
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24
Interview: Apr, 2003
Budapest Q&A (Verbatim)Question
Why saidin, why not saidar, was tainted?Robert Jordan
Because there were only men in the party that made up the party that made up the Strike at Shayol Ghul, that were setting the seals. In the act of setting the seals, there was a backblast that affected the people doing this. As I pointed out in something...I wrote a piece called The Strike at Shayol Ghul...there was a great division at the time—I don’t know if all of you have read it...or have none of you read it?Question
Yes, yes.Robert Jordan
Okay, then you know about the political struggles that were going on, and the different plans to try and end the War of the Shadow, and seal up the...and why various groups thought that one plan or the other was the best way to go. And in the end, what resulted was the so-called “Fatal Covenant” [It was actually the “Fateful Concord”], which had the female Aes Sedai swearing not to go along with Lews Therin’s plan, that they would not support it. The result of this was that Lews Therin carried out his plan with only male Aes Sedai, so there were only male Aes Sedai channeling there, which was a lucky thing, because if there’d been women as well, then both saidin and saidar would have been tainted. And his plan worked, except for that one side effect of the backblast which tainted saidin and caused him and the men there with him to go mad there and then, and other male Aes Sedai to go mad slowly as they touched the Source and began to absorb bits of the taint. But that’s why saidar was not tainted, because there were only men there channeling during this act of sealing up the Dark One’s prison.Tags
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25
Interview: Mar 8th, 2005
Comic Book Resources Interview (Verbatim)CBR
Gun powder is not the only fearsome weapon in Jordan's world. There is also a mysterious and deadly power.Robert Jordan
"The biggest single political power in their world is the great city of Tar Valon, home to the White Tower, which is the headquarters of the Aes Sedai, women who can tap into the power that drives the universe and turns the Wheel of Time, the One Power."
Men are not able to manipulate the power like women can, the dual nature of the power is often too much for them. "Men can't do that safely. A man who channels the One Power, which has a male half, saidin, and a female half, saidar, will eventually go mad and die," Jordan explained. "Only until he dies, he's a madman who can do horrific things with the Power. The fly in the buttermilk is this. Prophecy says that a boychild will be born who is humanity's only chance to win the Last Battle, when the Dark One breaks free of the prison where he was confined by the Creator at the moment of creation. And that boychild will be able to channel the One Power."
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26
Interview: Jul 14th, 2005
ComicCon Reports (Paraphrased)Question
Thoughts on his magic system?Robert Jordan
In physical strength men have the advantage so he wanted to design a system where women could have the advantage. This led to the concept of saidin and saidar and of the taint limiting men.Tags
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27
Interview: Jul 14th, 2005
ComicCon Reports (Paraphrased)Question
Why do you seize saidin but surrender to saidar?Robert Jordan
Men's and women's brains are physically different so it makes sense that handling the One Power should be different for them. Seizing saidin is like surfing the mountain slopes amid in a firestorm. Opening oneself to saidar is much like judo.Tags
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28
Interview: Jul 14th, 2005
ComicCon Report - Diomedes (Paraphrased)Question
When asked about how he came up with the magic system for WoT, RJ said it began in kind of a strange way.Robert Jordan
He had read a book a long time ago, he didn't provide a title or author, where the women of that world were not allowed to use the magic. RJ said that started him thinking about a world where it was the men, not the women, that were forbidden magic. Then he needed a real reason for denying men the use of magic, and that the Source, its division into male and female halves, and the taint on the male half all grew from that original line of speculation. As he was designing the concept, he tried to devise it as a science and engineering concept with the use of the different elements in weaving and such.Tags
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29
Interview: Sep 3rd, 2005
DragonCon Report - Isabel (Verbatim)Question
When you first starting thinking about the series and thinking about writing it: when you were naming things, and places and people, did you have any sort of process or did you say, hey that sounds cool?Robert Jordan
Well, I don't know, it is a combination of things. I gave this recently, so it is probably already on the net. How did I come up with the division of the One Power, the male and female half? I had seen a novel, there are a lot now, but this was the first I had seen like this. Young woman wants to be whatever it was, a magician, whatever, but she can't because she is a woman, and women aren't allowed to do that so she is going to struggle through it.
I thought it was interesting, one of the earlier novels of the feminist struggle, and all that. I put it back, because it didn't seem something I cared to read, but I thought about it because the thought that occurred to me is okay, that's real easy, women aren't allowed to do this, it is historically based or grounded at least, what if it was men who couldn't, now how would that be, as my wife points out to me, we have the upper body strength, and she is convinced all of the inequities in the world vis a vis gender, are subject to the fact that we have all the upper body strength, and I am sorry about that baby, I ain't giving it up. So, how could there be a situation where men were not allowed to do this, and it does not somehow get itself reversed over time, add into this I wanted a near gender equal world as I could, and how could I have a situation where women could maintain gender equality?
Okay, now I split men and women, have different sources of power and the male source of power is tainted. Okay, you've gotta stop men and at the same time, out of this beginning came the division of the One Power, the White Tower existing as the political center of power for three thousand years, false dragon, the destruction of the world by men, false dragons arising periodically to remind humanity exactly why men can't be allowed to channel and why the White Tower must remain the center of political power. A lot of stuff came out of that one notion.
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30
Interview: Sep 3rd, 2005
DragonCon Report - Isabel (Verbatim)Question
Does Mat's amulet work against the male side of the power, and if so will Elayne's research of it develop into something that can be used in the conflict between Aes Sedai?Robert Jordan
Read and Find Out.Tags
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31
Interview: Sep 2nd, 2005
DragonCon Report - Isabel (Paraphrased)Question
How do the Atha'an Miere and the Amayar deal with male channelers?Robert Jordan
They kill them...actually the Sea Folk kill their male channelers. The Amayar don't channel themselves they see it as a violation of their Water Way and they commit suicide.Question
Are we going to see more of Tremalking in the next book or of their prophecies?Robert Jordan
In a way.Tags
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32
Interview: Sep 2nd, 2005
DragonCon Report - Isabel (Paraphrased)Question
I know the male side of the source is clean but those who were driven mad before, will they be cured?Robert Jordan
No. Whatever the degree of taint channelers have won't change. (They won't get more.)Tags
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33
Interview: Sep 2nd, 2005
DragonCon Report - Isabel (Paraphrased)Question
Is one of the effects of the taint to lower the boundaries between past lives or is Rand a special case?Robert Jordan
RAFO.Tags
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34
Interview: Sep 2nd, 2005
DragonCon Report - Isabel (Paraphrased)Question
Someone had a question about Machin Shin in the Ways. Since it seems to absorb the creatures that pass through there, could you regard it as a servant of the Dark One or perhaps almost as a Forsaken?Robert Jordan
It's not a servant of the Dark One. It will kill Trollocs or anything else. You can say it's a parasite that grew in the Ways because of the taint on the One Power that was used to initially create the Ways. The talisman of growing that was used to extend the Ways. So it's not a servant of the Dark One, but it's definitely on the evil side.Question
Would it be cleaned with the Cleansing of saidin?Robert Jordan
No. Its like a bacteria breed. Just by cleaning up the chemicals that caused the bacteria to come into existence, unless it's feeding on that, those chemicals, you are not going to destroy the bacteria. You simply cut off what helped to create it.Tags
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35
Interview: Sep 3rd, 2005
DragonCon Signing Reports - Matt Hatch (Verbatim)Ted Herman
How old is Taim and has he slowed?Robert Jordan
Taim has slowed, but one thing I am not going to reveal it in the books, so I'll tell you, men slow later than women do. And yes, he has slowed, and he is in his late twenties, yes his late twenties.Tags
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36
Interview: Oct 13th, 2005
KOD Signing Report - Basri (Paraphrased)Basri
During the signing, I got to ask whether there exists a type of balance or opposite to the True Power the way there is with saidar and saidin.Robert Jordan
He said no, and described how they are different, mostly stuff that is already known. The two sides of the One Power being different and from the Creator and keeping the Wheel turning and all that. He did mention that when a channeler uses a weave (either saidar or saidin) and releases the weave, the Power flows back into the available pool of saidar or saidin. It is never used up, and so it is like an infinite reservoir of Power. The True Power is not like this at all. The True Power comes from the Dark One of course.Basri
I thought this was interesting. Did this imply that the amount of True Power is finite? Does it drain the Dark One to use the True Power? I didn't get to ask. Maybe there's a way to destroy the Dark One here?Tags
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37
Interview: Oct 21st, 2005
KOD Signing Report - Scott Carlson (Paraphrased)Scott Carlson
On my second trip up, I went for what I figured was the longer-shot. I asked "Rand has been having the dizzy spells and sick sensations when channeling, despite having cleansed saidin. Is this an lasting effect of the taint, like having built up some taint in male channelers that won't go away?"Robert Jordan
And the answer was "No, it's completely unrelated to the taint."Scott Carlson
In retrospect, I should have gone for an either/or on the second question, posing Lews Therin trying to seize control of saidin as a second option, and maybe gotten a positive confirmation on my top two contenders, instead of just a negative confirmation on one.Tags
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38
Interview: Jul, 2009
Theodor
Brandon, with you being a writer specialized in cool and unique magic systems, how was it to use and write with the magic system in Wheel of Time? Hard or easy? Did you have to come up with new weaves, or did Jordan already have unmentioned weaves written down somewhere? And how did it work for you to write channeling battles?
Brandon Sanderson
Well, the Wheel of Time magic system was one of those that inspired me to make magic systems the way I do. I've long loved the magic in Mr. Jordan's books, and think he does a very good job of walking the line between having it feel scientific and still feel wondrous. He does tend to go a little bit further toward wonder—as opposed to science—but that has a great number of advantages for his story.
In answer, I've come up with just a few new weaves, but mostly I wanted to use his weaves in new ways. I think there's a lot of room to explore the use of weaves and how people interact with the magic. Don't expect a LOT of this though. The focus is on the characters and the Last Battle at this point, but there were a few places where (mostly in throw-away, background moments) I was able to explore the magic a tad. I actually found it one of the easier things in the book, though I DID have to keep looking up how specific weaves were created. It gets confusing, particularly since men and women often do the weaves differently.
As for channeling battles...well, I can't really tell you if there are any of those in the book without giving anything away, now can I? So we'll have to RAFO that. ;)
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39
Interview: Nov 11th, 2009
TGS Signing Report - Tim Kington (Paraphrased)Question
It's pretty clear now that Moridin and Rand are linked because of the balefire incident. Since Rand used saidin to create the balefire, and now he gets sick when channeling saidin, does that mean Moridin gets sick when he tries to use the True Power?Brandon Sanderson
You're assuming that Rand's channeling sickness comes from crossing the streams.Footnote
From Knife of Dreams Chapter 21, "Within the Stone":
The face of the man from Shadar Logoth floated in his head for a moment. He looked furious. And near to sicking up.
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40
Interview: Nov 17th, 2009
TGS Signing Report - Robert Moreau (Verbatim)Question
Was the Warder bond originally created to control male channelers?Brandon Sanderson
RAFO.Tags
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41
Interview: Nov 17th, 2009
TGS Signing Report - Robert Moreau (Verbatim)Question
Will we see Nynaeve Heal the darkness that is in some of the male channelers before the Cleansing?Brandon Sanderson
Nynaeve has said before, and believes, that everything can and should be able to be Healed, except for maybe death, and she certainly believes that it is possible. I'm not going to say whether or not it will happen.Footnote
Nynaeve Healed Naeff's madness in Towers of Midnight 15, and spoke of Healing other Asha'man as well. Since RJ said that the One Power can't be used to Heal insanity, this has led to some heated discussion. Those inclined to give Brandon the benefit of the doubt have suggested that what Nynaeve did wasn't technically Healing (she did specify that she didn't use Healing weaves).Tags
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42
Interview: Nov 17th, 2009
TGS Signing Report - Robert Moreau (Verbatim)Question
Does Mat's medallion work against all types of Power, or just against saidar? Because you know he said in the book, something to be free of Aes Sedai.Brandon Sanderson
Yes, that is what he said specifically, but you know, Aes Sedai were both male and female once, and so we don't know yet, and I will have to RAFO that.Another person from audience
But that was in book six.Brandon Sanderson
Was it in book six?Audience
Yeah, that's where Aran'gar gets him with a weave.Brandon Sanderson
Oh, that's right; it did happen. You see, I know a lot of stuff....but I get in trouble if I say too much, because at one of the early signings....no, it wasn't even one of the signings; it was JordanCon. I was talking about....someone asked me a question, and I started answering, talking about, 'Do you remember that scene, where this happened, and this happened, and this happened....' and everyone started staring at me blankly. And I'm like, 'What? No...' and I argued with them that this scene existed. I promised them. No one remembered it! And about a month later, I realized as I was looking through it, 'Oh, it was a deleted scene from book seven.' Which now, in my head, is in book seven! And so I'm very careful not saying things I know, but you're right; that was proven in the books.Tags
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43
Interview: Nov 21st, 2009
Matt Hatch
Ok, we’ll move on from there. Were male channelers across Randland able to feel Rand's use of the male Choedan Kal when he destroyed it atop Dragonmount?
Brandon Sanderson
I would certainly think they would have been able to, consistent with what has happened before.
Matt Hatch
But did they know that it was destroyed? Is that what they felt, or was it just the use of?
Brandon Sanderson
I do not believe the destruction of a sa’angreal would be the type of event that you would be able to notice. It is not consistent with what we have seen before.
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44
Interview: Nov 2nd, 2010
TOM Signing Report - Matt Hatch (Paraphrased)Matt Hatch
We are told the male Aiel channelers go to the Blight to "to kill the Dark One." And it is said "None survived long enough to face madness." Is this point of view or truth?Brandon Sanderson
RAFO. It's not that I don't know, it's that I think in reading the text you can answer that question yourself.Tags
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45
Interview: Apr 17th, 2011
Driving Mr. Sanderson - Terez (Verbatim)Terez (herid)
What exactly did Graendal see when Aran'gar put Compulsion on Ramshalan?Brandon Sanderson
She doesn’t see it. We talked about this in editing when we were looking at it. It’s Graendal’s viewpoint; she’s summarizing; she doesn’t actually see it. We actually didn’t change it, because I just thought that was, ‘That’s what’s going on; it’s in her viewpoint; she doesn’t see the weaves.’ So, that isn’t an error. Maybe it’s not the clearest writing around, but I felt it was sufficiently clear when I looked at the passage. It got flagged by Maria.
Maria Simons
Actually, we did asked for this to be changed for e- and future editions. It should now read "Aran'gar shrugged, but focused as if laying down a thick and complex Compulsion on the unfortunate Ramshalan's mind." The answer is the same, though, really; she saw nothing.
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46
Interview: Aug 31st, 2011
Reddit AMA 2011 (Verbatim)Ted Herman ()
Did the Dark One try to resist when Rand cleansed saidin?Brandon Sanderson
His resistance was primarily through the people he sent.Tags
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47
Interview: Jul 11th, 2010
Chat with Brandon Sanderson (Verbatim)Dylan
Are there any male characters who don't know they can channel, but will learn?Brandon Sanderson
Wonderfully specific question that is EXACTLY the type of thing RJ would RAFO. I will say this. We are not going to be introducing new plot lines in the upcoming books. Robert Jordan was specific. These books are culminations, not thread-starters. So basically, they will be focused on plots you already know about. Mostly. (Not much help there, am I? Sorry.)Tags
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48
Interview: Dec 2nd, 2010
4th Age Podcast Interview with Team Jordan (Verbatim)Virginia
Okay. Well…I guess we'll just go into the pronunciations.
SPENCER POWELL
Well, our next little bit needs a little bit of a lead-in for our listeners who don't have access to our huge list of questions like we do. As part of our interview questions, we have a list of words, and we asked, "How do you pronounce each of these words?" And there are about 43 of them. There are probably some on here that don't need to be on here, and I know that there aren't some on here that should be, but these are the 43 that we came up with.
VIRGINIA
Yeah, Spencer got mad at me because I went and annotated the list, like…I gotta be exact, and he's like "No…"
SPENCER POWELL
I didn't get mad at you! I just took 'em off; I'm like, "Oh yeah, you're right; take that one off." Anyway. And so Maria, Alan…would you please go through the list and tell us how to pronounce these names and places?
Maria Simons
Okay, here we go. And I may, you know, be wrong on some. But others, I'm pretty sure of.
VIRGINIA
And feel free to add some in if something occurs to you as you're going.
MARIA SIMONS
O-kay. We have add-uh-LAY-us. (Adeleas) el-FINN. (Aelfinn) eyes-DEYE-shar. (Aesdaishar) (RJ used EYE to rhyme with the word 'eye') ahm-uh-DEE-see-uh. (Amadicia) [glossary: ah-mah-DEE-see-ah] (ah=ahhh sound, uh=schwa) ERR-id doe-MAHN. (Arad Doman) [glossary: AH-rad do-MAHN] arr-uh-FELL. (Arafel) [glossary: AH-rah-fehl] brr-GEE-tuh. (Birgitte) (hard G) [glossary: ber-GEET-teh] Brenn. (Bryne) [glossary: BRIHN, GAH-rehth] KEYE-ree-enn. (Cairhien) [glossary: KEYE-ree-EHN] CHA fah-EEL. (Cha Faile) (mid ch) drag-car. (Draghkar) [glossary: DRAGH-kahr] EEL-finn. (Eelfinn) guh-LAHD. (Galad) [glossary: gah-LAHD] GAH-win. (Gawyn) [glossary: GAH-wihn] GALE-donn. (Ghealdan) [glossary: GHEL-dahn] I'm not sure if it's huh-REEN or huh-REEN-uh. (Harine) din toe-GAHR-uh Two Winds. ILL-ee-in. (Illian) [glossary: IHL-lee-ahn] ill-ee-AY-nuh. (? - AY is long A) CAN-door. (Kandor) (door like the word) lee-AH-nuh. (Leane) [glossary: lee-AHN-eh shah-REEF] mall-KEER. (Malkier) [glossary: mahl-KEER] my-EEN. (Mayene) [glossary: may-EHN] myur-an-DEE. (Murandy) [glossary: MEW-ran-dee] MEER-drahl. (Myrddraal) [glossary: MUHRD-draal] NEIGH-bliss. Sorry. NAY-bliss. [laughter] (Nae'blis) NEFF. (Naeff?) nee-AHM Passes (Niamh Passes) nigh-NEEV. (Nynaeve) [glossary: NIGH-neev al-MEER-ah] Plains of mah-REE-doh. (Plains of Maredo) ree-AH-nuh. (Reanne) seye-DAR. (saidar). [glossary: sah-ih-DAHR] seye-DEEN. (saidin) [glossary: sah-ih-DEEN] sall-DAY-uh. (Saldaea) [glossary: sahl-DAY-ee-ya] see-AEN. (Seaine?) Alan…
ALAN ROMANCZUK
SHE-nar.
MARIA SIMONS
SHE-nar. (Shienar) [glossary: shy-NAHR] Swan. (Siuan) [glossary: SWAHN SAHN-chay] sor-uh-LEE-uh. (Sorilea) [glossary: soh-rih-LEE-ah] terra-BONN. (Tarabon) [glossary: TAH-rah-BON] TAR-win's Gap. (Tarwin's Gap) tell-uh-RON-ree-odd. (Tel'aran'rhiod) [glossary: tel-AYE-rahn-rhee-ODD] Tower of genn-JEYE. (Ghenjei) (hard G) truh-MALL-king. (Tremalking) [glossary: treh-MAL-king] too-AH-thuh-AHN. (Tuatha'an) [glossary: too-AH-thah-AHN]
ALAN ROMANCZUK
Do you want to go over the saidar/saidin thing we talked about?
MARIA SIMONS
In the glossaries of the books, Jim has it sah-ih-DEEN and sah-ih-DAHR, but I swear, I don't think he pronounced it that way; I mean you kind of give a little hint of the i but not much: sah-ee-DEEN, sah-ee-DAHR.
ALAN ROMANCZUK
Yeah, he always seemed to be saying seye-DEEN and seye-DAHR.
SPENCER POWELL
I'm surprised at how many of those I thought I knew, but I didn't.
JENNIFER LIANG
Yeah. That's like, "Waait a second, that's not…but oh, I guess it is."
MARK
How do you pronounce the Traveling people again?
MARIA SIMONS
too-AH-thah-AHN.
VIRGINIA
There's something else with the double A there…
MARIA SIMONS
ah-tha-AHN mee-AIR. (Atha'an Miere)
VIRGINIA
Okay, great. Any others you can think of that are commonly mangled, that would have driven Jim crazy?
MARIA SIMONS
I think I've mentioned tah-EEM before, and egg-ee-AH-nin…
VIRGINIA
dee-MAN-dred? dee-MAHN-dred? DEE-man-dred?
MARIA SIMONS
Ehh...dee-MAHN-dred, I think…but I wouldn't swear dee-MAHN-dred. [glossary: DEE-man-drehd]
ALAN ROMANCZUK
Pretty straightforward.
VIRGINIA
How about all of the Forsaken? A lot of them often get mangled, or a few. GRIN-doll?
MARIA SIMONS
Grindle, is how I say it. [glossary: GREHN-dahl] And it's interesting, just looking at a thing, and I pronounce CADD-in-soar (cadin'sor) wrong. [glossary: KAH-dihn-sohr]
JENNIFER LIANG
Oh really?
MARIA SIMONS
Yeah, because it's supposed to be cah-DIN-soar. [It's not, according to the glossary.]
JENNIFER LIANG
Okay, because I say it the way you say it.
VIRGINIA
Yeah, I think… [inaudible] so that makes sense.
ALAN ROMANCZUK
Oh! ish-AH-may-el, and SAM-may-el. [glossary: ih-SHAH-may-EHL, SAHM-may-EHL] [When RJ said it, the 'may' part was more like the German 'Mai'.]
JENNIFER LIANG
Yes. Those are really common mistakes; I hear that a lot.
VIRGINIA
Ben [?] was right; we had that famous tagline from the original podcast, and we had this thing…I think, "Sammael was pretty buff!" [laughter] We used that a lot, and it sort of went away when he did, I guess.
SPENCER POWELL
Another one that I have lots of problems with—and I can't believe I didn't get it on the list—but is the GOLL-um (gholam), or the…I can't even pronounce it right now.
MARK
GO-lem?
SPENCER POWELL
Yeah, the GO-lem, that's chasing Mat.
ALAN ROMANCZUK
Yeah.
MARIA SIMONS
Gollum.
SPENCER POWELL
Gollum?
VIRGINIA
Oh, it's Gollum! [crosstalk]
MARIA SIMONS
I am not absolutely sure, but that's how I say it, so…
VIRGINIA
What about some of the other Seanchan beasts that made me think of, the grolm, then there were two of the others that…
MARIA SIMONS
ROCK-in (raken), and TOE-rock-in. (to'raken)
VIRGINIA
Yeah, and then there was another one, the um…
MARIA SIMONS
Torm…the book is right in front of me…
VIRGINIA
Oh, maybe it was the name of that…oh, Suroth's pet!
MARK
S'redit?
MARIA SIMONS
Oh yes, that thing. I can't remember… [crosstalk]
VIRGINIA
Mandra…Mandragal?…Almandragal.
ALAN ROMANCZUK
The LOW-par (lopar)?
VIRGINIA
Yeah, the lopar. Almandaragal was his name, or something like that?
MARIA SIMONS
Something like that. I would have to look it up.
ALAN ROMANCZUK
It was a LOW-par (lopar), wasn't it?
VIRGINIA
Yeah, lopar. I think there was another one that I couldn't…maybe I'm just hallucinating. [laughs]
MARIA SIMONS
Let's see…
VIRGINIA
I'm sure there's a zillion others I'll think of after you're off the air here with us…
ALAN ROMANCZUK
Oh, s'RED-dit (s'redit) is another one. Remember the elephant-like creature?
MARIA SIMONS
Corlm, C-O-R-L-M (I like that word). Torm…that's all I can find.
VIRGINIA
What about Tuon's new name as Empress?
MARIA SIMONS
for-too-OH-nah?
VIRGINIA
Fortuona, okay. I'm not sure how else you could pronounce that, but I've been wrong before, so...
MARIA SIMONS
That, I'm assuming is right; I'm pretty sure I heard Jim pronounce it that way, because that was his choice of name.
VIRGINIA
There must be something else; there seems like a million things, and that I didn't add enough to the list.
MARIA SIMONS
OH-geer…
ALAN ROMANCZUK
moe-TIE? (???)
VIRGINIA
Oh! What about—speaking of historical figures—LAH-tra…poe-SAI? Or poe-SAY? deh-KYU-meh? (Latra Posae Decume)
ALAN ROMANCZUK
Oh yeah, LA-tra (LA rhymes with laugh)…
VIRGINIA
I got the Latra, but I'm not sure about the second and third names.
MARIA SIMONS
Boy.
VIRGINIA
It's P-O-S-A-E, and then D-E-C-U-M-E.
MARIA SIMONS
po-SAY-uh deh-COO-may.
VIRGINIA
deh-COO-may, okay. [crosstalk]
MARIA SIMONS
That's totally off the top of my head. I see it (?) and think it, anyway. po-SAY-uh deh-COO-may, yeah.
Tags
pronunciation, maria, alan, adeleas, aelfinn, aesdaishar, amadicia, arad doman, arafel, birgitte, bryne, cairhien, cha faile, draghkar, eelfinn, galad, gawyn, geography, ghealdan, harine, illian, kandor, leane, malkier, mayene, murandy, myrddraal, nae'blis, naeff, nynaeve, reanne, saidar, saidin, saldaea, seaine, shienar, siuan, tarabon, tarwin's gap, tel'aran'rhiod, ghenjei, tremalking, tinkers, sea folk, taim, egeanin, demandred, graendal, cadin'sor, ishamael, sammael, gholam, grolm, raken, to'raken, s'redit, lopar, tuon, ogier, latra posae, -
49
Interview: Apr, 2012
Twitter: SwanCon 2012 - PRK (Paraphrased)Terez (8 April 2012)
Ask him if the manner of the Aiel service to the Aes Sedai in the Age of Legends was just Singing, or if it was also domestic.
TEREZ
As a follow-up you could ask him if female Voices were also used in non-Earthy scenarios, i.e. to enhance saidar in particular?
TEREZ
And ask him if non-Aiel could really have the Voice (assuming the type that enhances channeling) or if Lews Therin was just confused.
Brandon Sanderson
PRK
Lews Therin was confused about time and place, but what he was saying was possible.
PRK
There was more than just singing, but Brandon wasn't willing to go into it. Unsure if that was RAFO or irrelevance.
PRK
Brandon said he wasn't willing to talk much about the Voice things. I got the sense it was a subtle RAFO.
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50
Interview: Nov 7th, 2010
TOM Signing Report - RDDK (Paraphrased)RDDK
I asked for clarification of Aiel male channelers.Brandon Sanderson
Brandon said that once they learned the taint was cleansed, no Aiel men were/would be sent to the Blight.Tags
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51
Interview: Nov 27th, 2000
WH Signing Report - Fairfax McCandlish (Paraphrased)Fairfax McCandlish
This was my first RJ signing, at a Tower Books. While I was getting The Path of Daggers and Winter's Heart signed, I asked RJ how Narishma could have channeled inside Far Madding to set off their alarms (or was he outside but within the range of the detection ter'angreal)?
Robert Jordan
He corrected me that it was Flinn who channeled (I haven't reread that part of the book yet, and was taking the Seafolk channeler's word on it, as I recalled it), and that he did indeed do so outside the range of the blocking field, but inside the detection range.
Footnote
It was Narishma who channeled outside the city. Flinn pretended to channel in the scene where Cadsuane used her Well and Nynaeve's to get Rand out of prison.Tags
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52
Interview: Feb 22nd, 2013
AMOL Signing Report - J. Dauro (Verbatim)Question
What created the Black Wind in the Ways?
Harriet McDougal
I have no idea.
Brandon Sanderson
I believe Robert Jordan may have answered some questions about this at certain times, so if you look at the fan archives of questions, people have asked a lot of questions about this one, you may be able to get some clues there.
Footnote
RJ said that the Black Wind (Machin Shin) grew in the Ways like a parasite as a result of the taint on saidin.
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