and's powers and abilities
by Great Lord of the Dark: 2003-02-25 | 5.5 out of 10 (8 votes)
What are Rand's Powers exactly?
He can channel, more powerfully than anyone in existence. Aes Sedai can feel creatures of the Dark One, can Rand? He usually seems to get a little forewarning before a Draghkar or Gray Man shows up. He's been bonded as a Warder by Alanna, Elayne, and Aviendha. Usually Warders get enhanced endurance from the bond, and can feel creatures of the Dark One like Myrrdraal. Is Rand's endurance even more since he's drawing from three channeler bonds? What does he get from being bonded to Min? How close could a Fade get before Rand knows it's there?
Rand can enter tel'aran'rhiod in his sleep, or go in the flesh while awake. Aren't male dreamwalkers impossible according to Wise Ones? Of course, they don't know about male channelers, there haven't been any since the days of the Forsaken, and they can all get there. Then there's Slayer/Luc/Isam. How can he enter tel'aran'rhiod without channeling? Besides being ‘special.'
Rand can use the knowledge of a dead man whose voice he hears in his head. The only person with anything similar is Mat, but he has only memories, not voices. According to Cadsuane, men who channel eventually hear voices. The difference is Rand knows who his voice is, other men get some unknown guy talking in their head, reason to believe they're insane, especially if that voice takes control of you, as Lews Therin tries to do, and did accomplish in one of Moiraine's visions in Rhuidean.
Rand can form weaves he doesn't really know. Egwene, Nynaeve and Elayne all do the same. But they can't claim they are tapping Lews Therin's knowledge, as could be explained for Rand's ability. Unless even wielding the one Power weakens the barrier between you and your former lives, the more you channel, the more the voice grows. But if that's due to the taint, then why can the girls suddenly develop forgotten weaves?
Rand is ta'veren. Incredibly unlikely events occur in his presence. Sometimes favourable, often dangerous, such as when a bubble of evil finds his thread.
Rand is clearly one of the greatest swordsmen in the world.
What does all this mean? Just a leaping off point for some of the associations between Rand's abilities and those of other characters and villains. Hope it leads to great new theories...
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1
Tamyrlin: 2003-02-26
I think that you have demonstrated that the Pattern was very concerned about this battle and sent three ta'veren and manipulated their experiences to give them, as you have mentioned with Rand, a considerable amount of powers. Rand, Mat, and Perrin are a potent combination that the DO would like to destroy by simply taking out "one of the legs" of the tripod. Rand seems more powerful than LTT, or at least more naturally talented. But I guess it should be expected for the first time that the seals were expected to break and release thirteen of the most evil Forsaken on the world again. The Pattern is balancing it out and Rand is trying to come to terms with all of his unnatural abilities. That's how I see it.
2
Dedicated: 2003-02-26
I agree with Tam that Rand seems to have more natural ability than LTT (at least when it comes to forming weaves he knows absolutely nothing about). Evidence at the end of TDR suggests this. Ishy throws everything he's got at Rand (probably some TP tricks thrown in to) and Rand counters it all, seemingly without knowing what he is doing.
Tigraine introduced a rather interesting suggestion in another theory. Maybe ta'averen is the Creator's way of helping his champions. If the DO's servants can have the TP, why not ta'averen for the Creator's. I say this because we have yet to come across a darkfriend ta'averen (or at least we haven't been made aware of one yet).
Oh yeah, another parrallel between LTT and Rand. LTT was also a great swordsman. In TDR pg650, Be'lal is dueling with Rand and says "'You were a greater swordsman once Lews Therin,' he said mockingly 'Do you remember when we took that tame sport called swords and learned to kill with it, as the old volumes said men once had.'"
One last note. Rand can feel Shadowspawn approaching. He mentions it when the trollocs attack at the beggining of TDR. He tells Perrin he could feel them approching. Rand says that they "feel like the taint of saidin."
3
Elder Haman: 2003-02-26
Well, addressing the subject of the three girls weaves-
Elayne has only shown one new thing- ter'angreal- a big thing, but it appears she "studied it out in her mind" first, all the other things she learned from Egwene, Nynaeve, Aes Sedai, or Moghedian.
Nynaeve- She's done alot of untaught things, but none of them "new", she's a wilder- and all wilders must somehow tap into an instinctive ability- there was that balefire- but that's about it that is unusual about her, everything else is from the same sources as Elayne.
Egwene- Now here is the real "new" weave person (besides Rand). Remember when she made the ball of fire hang in the air in TDR, and then there is the gateway- notice though that previous to entering TAR in the flesh Egwene only did "untaught" things that many Aes Sedai did, similar to Nynaeve- afterwards is when all the "new" weaves started appearing.
So, the following theories-
1 There is something in the water in the Two Rivers
2 It's just part of being a wilder/forced
3 Entering TAR in the flesh
4
Callandor: 2003-02-26
Just another fact for women forming weaves they dont know: Aviendha. She was actually the first women to re-discover Traveling for women, but she did it without actually knowing how to do it, she just formed a weave to escape Rand and ended up in Seanchan. So how did she just suddenly find that out?
And its interesting that in TPOD, Avi has a had time forming the exact same weave to Travel to the Kins Farm.
5
Anubis: 2003-02-26
Nynaeve has also busted out balefire. Book three when the ladies are captured by random thugs and nearly sold to mydraal. (how pathetic...)
6
Great Lord of the Dark: 2003-02-27
Good thought about how entering tel'aran'rhiod in the flesh, may give unconscious access to old knowledge, maybe from previous lives. It's a better explanation than them just being special. As for the water in the Two Rivers, even Mat had that connection to the Old Blood. Maybe Egwene does too? And Perrin is connected to something even older. Maybe it is just the water. Or the inbreeding.
7
Orko: 2003-02-27
Wanted to bring up one other point. don't know who quoted this first but "Necessity is the mother of invention" Most of the cases where a new ability is used or discovered involved the individual being under a lot of stress or having a great need. I dont think this is the only variable involved but probably one of the more important ones. Stubbornness seems to be involved as well.
8
Rand alThor15: 2003-03-05
I'm with orko on this,
nyn balefired the three fades without even realising what she was doing, she just wanted to kill them, and her life was on the line, their probabaly have been other moments like these which i can't really remember.
ah yes : when rand took away all of bela's fatigue in EOTW.
9
Elder Haman: 2003-03-05
Here's an idea- Wilders can do things they haven't learned, including "new" things like Nynaeve's Healing, Aviendha's gateway, Egwene's fire, and all of Rand's stuff previous to TSR, (when LTT appears). However, LEARNING to do new things- as in being able to repeat the weave on demand- requires a teacher, or past life expierence... or maybe continuous repetition (like Nynaeve's Healing). Hmm, this seems to be rather complex.
BTW- Yes, Egwene also has the "old blood" she understood bits of the Old Tongue.
10
araqyl: 2003-04-26
Just a question from the initial post - when does Rand enter TAR in his sleep?
Also, the Aiel dreamwalkers are proof that the ability has nothing to do with the power - there are Aiel dreamwalkers who cannot channel.
Basically I think Rand is a sort of prototype for what he wants the Asha'man to be - the ultimate killing machine, forged and tempered to an unbreakable blade with a razor edge. He seems to be constantly seeking new ways to kill (especially after he knows what balefire does), and refining those he knows, all the while making himself harder...
11
Callandor: 2003-04-27
Another ability is seeing the Black Cords. That seems like a Talent to me.
12
minorleaguer17: 2003-12-07
One of Rand's Major talents is his ability to see residues, as he does several times, and from comments made in POD, it is an extremely rare talent. The strength which he has this gift also seems quite an asset.
