From: darknite@camelot.bradley.edu (John S. Novak III)
Subject: Re: The Wheel Of Time - Gentling
Keywords: gentling, power, escape
Organization: Bradley University
Date: 20 Dec 92 07:24:37 GMT

Here be spoilers:


In <H.NpwoppBmADk@elfhaven.ersys.edmonton.ab.ca> mforget@elfhaven.ersys.edmonton.ab.ca (Michel Forget) writes:

>In _The Shadow Rising_, Robert Jordan has several of the Forsaken mention that
>"any shield can be broken if you are willing to accept the pain" (paraphrase).
>When Nynaeve is talking to the Forsaken in Tanchico, we see the process of
>gentling/stilling described.  It is like being shielded from the True Source,
>but the weave of Spirit is sharper.

I wasn't quite sure what was meant by a 'sharper' flow cutting
off the Power in the first place.  Two interpretations I could
think of were these:

o	The weave of spirit is 'sharp' enough to actually cut off
the ties of the channeling woman to the one source.  I always
imagined these ties as being vaguely thread-like.  My (flimsy)
justifications are that the power is 'weaved', that the term
channel implies a directed pathway, and the Forsakens' ties to
the Dark One are thread-like as well. 

	The problem with this model is that it seems to imply
that stilling is, indeed, permanent.  To think otherwise implies
that the thread-like connection can be re-established after the
sharp shield is down.  This is hardly impossible, but it needs a
justification for why no other woman or man has done it.
Possibly, they all die before the shields decay and fall, or they
stop trying before the shield falls.  Not impossible.

o	The weave of spirit is tied off and permanent, with sharp
edges on the inside, making it painful to try and batter it down,
or even feel for the Power.  This jibes a bit with the comments
about pain.

On the whole, I prefer the first idea, but its probably wrong...

>If being gentled is being permanently shielded from the True Source, which
>is what it seems like to me, perhaps a man could "ungentle" himself.  At
>the very least, an Aes Sedia could get through a shield blocking her from
>the source.

Bear this in mind:  I've never heard references to gentling or
stilling before the Breaking of the World.  There may be a reason
for this.  The reason may be as simple as a lack of reference,
but I prefer the following reasoning:  If gentling were possible,
would not the Forsaken have gentled Lews Therin Telamon, or
vice-versa?  Its entirely possible that un-gentling someone is
(or was) a fairly trivial task, with the right knowledge and
power.  

	We now have Asmodean to tutor Rand in the ways of
knowledge, and both Rand and Nynaeve are on the power level of
the weaker Age of Legend Aes Sedai.  Asmodean may very well take
one look at Suian Sanche and say, "Oh, a caged one.  Here's you
set the silly twit free."  

	Or it may just be intuitively obvious to a male
channeler.

>If Logain were to become ungentled, perhaps he could be the one to take
>up Callandor.  One of the prophecies in _The Shadow Rising_ seems to
>imply that Rand will not return to Tear to take up Callandor again.
>Apparently Logain is in for some glory and power (according to Min) so
>this seems like a likely course.

Agreed.  Maybe Callandor will help him to ungentle himself.

>On a seperate subject, what did people think of the breaking of the White
>Tower?  I was surprised that Gawyn would lead the other student against his
>teachers.  When it happened, my first reaction was to wonder if he was a
>total idiot, but after more thought, his reaction seems possible.  From
>his point of view, Siaun Sanche was a boulder in the path between him and
>Elayne (and Egwene).  With Elaida in power, he might have better luck finding
>them.  Also, his loyalty is to the White Tower (as a student) rather than
>to Siaun Sanche.

Well, I found it perfectly in character for Galad, but also for
Gawyn.  Remember, all Gawyn knows of things is that Suian Sanche
keeps a hell of a lot of secrets from everyone.  He's damned sure
that she's lying about Egwene and the others-- why shouldn't she
lie about anything else?  Besides, he's probably never really
known first hand of any other Amyrlin Seat, so the fact that
they're all the same is kind of lost on him.  It made sense to
me, although Jordan could easily have written Gawyn the other way
with equal believability.

--
"...and Dave's not here?  The prime kiss-up opportunity of the season, and
he's not here ...!?"
          -Mike Ostrego, 10-27-91
 John S. Novak, III		darknite@camelot.bradley.edu