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Weird Harold: 2003-03-20
Master Rabbi:
"When the circle used the Bowl of Winds, there were no males. The Bowl used Saidin. I think it's logical to say that if a male were included in the circle, the flow of Saidin would be controlled more, and that the weather would be less harsh. ..."
Tamyrlin:
"I think I can agree with that idea that we cannot be sure of what happened because no male channelers were involved, but Saidin was..."
The Bowl of the Winds, and the "strangeness" it caused in the True Source, is IMHO one of the most misunderstood clues to the nature of the True Source and the One Power RJ has provided.
There are several factors to consider about the BotW and the "Strangeness."
1) The nature, capabilities, and designed usage of the BotW.
2) What the BotW did and how it did it.
3) Why and How it caused the "Strangeness" in the True Source.
1: The Bowl Of the Winds:
What is known:
Moridin's thoughts as Elayne and Co. Travel to the Kin's Farm, indicate the BotW was designed for Local weather control. He didn't seem to think it could reverse the DO's Endless Summer, but had some doubts because of the Windfinder's abilities in Weather Control. He also wondered if they would try to use itwith a Ring. From this we can deduce that the Operator's skill and capacity are important to the way the BotW works, and that it wasn't designed to work on the scale intended.
According to interview reports RJ has said that the BotW was "over-stressed" and that was why it caused the Strangeness; incidentally confirming a link between the BotW and the problems with the True Source.
When the BotW is used, (tPoD Ch: 5,) Elyane's POV describes the process and results, noticing Saidar "bending around something" to show Saidin was used as well. Caire, the Windfinder guiding the circle, weaves a Four Pointed Star and places it precisely on the Bowl, and then changes it in sequence to five points, six, etc; producing different visual effect in the Bowl with each. With the Nine Pointed Star, the Bowl begins drawing Saidar (and Saidin) on it's own to send a "writhing braided column" of Saidar (and Saidin) as wide as the Bowl and reaching into the sky until it's top disappeared. Caire continues to change the weaves, and the Bowl changes the intricate braiding of the column in response until, "... abruptly spiderwebs of Saidar blossomed from the unseen top of the column, like uneven spokes of a wheel...." {There's about two full pages of description and my typing skills aren't up to a full quote}
When Caire finally releases the weaves and circle, "The Bowl turned clear again, but tiny patches of Saidar flashed and crackled around its edges."
Finally, the weaves used On the BotW, and By the BotW, use all five powers -- Fire, Air, Water, Earth and Spirit.
Deductions about the BotW:
From Moridin's thoughts, it is probable that the bowl was intended for use by one person and a Ring is not the proper way to use it. The one person could be either male or female. There might be a way to use the both with both sexes at once, but its primary mode seems to be intended for a single operator.
From the above deduction, it's apparent that the BotW is one of the Ter'angreals that can be used by either sex.
Using the BotW requires more skill and knowldege than sheer power when used as intended. It is most closely analagous to an amplifier -- like a Hi-Fi or Stereo Amplifier or Linear Amplifier for a CB set.
Although more power extends it's range, power alone is not enough to control the weather. Caire obviously has the knowledge required to use the bowl and knowledge of controlling the weather, but she doesn't have any experience with controlling the weather *through* the BotW -- She may not have had enough *Skill* to make the best use.
Using a circle of thirteen powerful women and three angreals of varying strength probably put ten times the power into the BotW than it was designed to handle -- AT *LEAST* TEN TIMES as much! The output of the BotW -- the True Source it drew on it's own -- was probably ten time as much as it was designed for as well.
From experience with Stereo systems, I know that either too much input or too much output causes "distortion" -- the sound gets garbled. IRL, ten times as much power as an amplifier is designed for is usually disastrous -- it causes the smoke (that makes electronics work) to escape. One power Amplifiers are obviously tougher than electronics. ;)
Cautiously applying the Stereo amplifier analogy, I deduce that the Braided column that changed the weather did not do exactly what Caire intended it to. The fact she kept changing the weaves after the column first appeared suggests she was compensating as best she could for the distortion.
Conclusions about the BotW
1: The extreme change from Endless Summer to Winter's Heart was the result of using the "Right Tool for the Wrong Job" -- i.e Using a Screwdriver where a Crowbar was needed or a tack-hammer to do a sledgehammer's job.
From the Deductions about the BotW, I surmise the following about the "Strangeness" -- Why it happened and what it was.
Why it happened:
The Bowl drew a great deal of the True Source from a single loction and sent it all over the world, creating a temporary "low pressure region" in the True Source. Because of the distortion and magnitude of the Draw on the True Source, the low pressure was not a "smooth pressure gradient" -- there were pulses and waves of pressure with in the low pressure region.
What it was:
The Strangeness was simply turbulence in the True Source.
When the True Source flowed back into the area to equalize the pressure, the pulses and waves cause it to "swirl and slosh" for a few days. In one sense, the BotW changed the "weather" of the True Source in that area, creating a localized "storm" that made using The One Power as difficult as flying a Kite in a tropical storm, or swimming in a high surf.
RJ has always used water metaphors for describing controlling Saidar and Saidin. I think my conclusions fit that consistent representation that hints at Fluid Dynamics as at least part of RJ's conception of the True Source. The analogy can only be stretched so far, and allows for a very wide variety of effects even if exact. Still, I've found that RL experiences of swimming and using flowing water helps me understand the True Source in a consistent manner -- maybe not the *right* manner, just one that makes sense to me. ;)
Note, the Cleansing of the Taint also created a "Low Pressure Region," but it was much more localized because the True Source drawn in at one point was returned only three miles away at Shadar Logoth instead of sent all over the world. There was no "distortion" involved to create turbulence in the True Source; Power was drawn smoothly and returned smoothly. What little turbulence occured was relatively mild.
The Cleansing affected all USERS of Saidin by removing the Taint, but it did not use, or affect, ALL of Saidin; The Cleansing simply siphoned the Taint away from the surface of Saidin and actually only used Saidin to start the siphoning action.
More Saidin than Saidar was drawn in the cleansing, but I believe that more Saidar was actually "used."
That's all probably more details than you ever wanted to know, But I think it's fairly close to an explanation of "What, How, and Why" about The Bowl of the Winds and it's effect on the True Source -- Saidar and Saidin both.
