Was talking about the idea that sul'dam and damane must have run in families. Rare perhaps, nothing so simple as Gregor Mendel's yellow and green peas, but perhaps like madness, or something else complex-yet-detectable. The reference to farmers was to the idea that after over 1000 years after the conquest of Luthair Pendrag and the creation of the a'dam, it is hard to believe NO ONE, not even farmers, figured out that channeling runs in families, and perhaps there's a connection between sul'dam and damane.
Well, obviously the connection between sul'dam and damane is known, since the sul'dam are the only ones capable of using the a'dam to control the damane. However since the sul'dam never actually start channeling on their own, it is likely that no one fully realised what the connection TRULY was.
I mean the Seanchan know that after 25 years, no one sparks. And the sul'dam are tested until that age so everyone "knows" that they cannot channel. And ofcourse even if a sul'dam was tested afterwards and caught, everyone would just say that she had managed to somehow avoid/cheat the test originally. This is twice as true since people would not want their precious system to be threatened.
I think it would take dozens and dozens of sul'dam being collared everywhere for the people to wake up and start wondering if maybe there was something strange here.
Or else, people did, and they were silenced. Or, being so incredibly superstititous and religiously devoted to the eternal power of the Empire, refused to contemplate the implications.
Yep, if it happened, it did so very rarely. And in those rare cases the implications could be dismissed as coincidence or accident or whatever.
I am aware that damane aren't used for breeding stock. The comparison to the Aes Sedai and mainland folks (Aiel excluded) is that it's another culture in which innate, no-need-to-be-taught channelers rarely marry. The numbers of channelers in Aiel and Sea Folk society are probably a lot higher, but the odds in Seanchan of a girl being born with the spark are probably low. However, given Seanchan's enormous population, I suppose that even with long odds, there will be a lot of damane around.
Yeah, no sparkers in Seanchan have children. Or atleast its rare. There are probably some men and women who have children before they spark and are captured/killed. Still, you are right that to some extent the ability to channel and the spark(if it is inherited) has been culled in Seanchan.
Seanchan girls. Do they live in terror until 25?
- 02/06/2010 12:32:14 AM
1675 Views
It's a huge honor to be a sul'dam, and they test for that on the same day
- 02/06/2010 01:06:32 AM
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Re: It's a huge honor to be a sul'dam, and they test for that on the same day
- 02/06/2010 01:50:49 AM
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Re: It's a huge honor to be a sul'dam, and they test for that on the same day
- 02/06/2010 05:53:14 AM
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Re: It's a huge honor to be a sul'dam, and they test for that on the same day
- 04/06/2010 07:19:36 PM
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A few details to consider
- 02/06/2010 01:11:12 AM
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Re: A few details to consider
- 02/06/2010 02:31:08 AM
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Wasn't talking about breeding damane
- 03/06/2010 03:32:44 AM
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Re: Wasn't talking about breeding damane
- 04/06/2010 07:30:55 PM
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Well, it took centuries for most people to understand breeding/genetics
- 02/06/2010 08:57:43 PM
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Re: Well, it took centuries for most people to understand breeding/genetics
- 03/06/2010 03:38:25 AM
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Re: Well, it took centuries for most people to understand breeding/genetics
- 04/06/2010 07:46:08 PM
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Nobody knows about Sul'dam because it takes them extra long to learn.
- 03/06/2010 07:58:41 AM
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I think they retest only the sul'dam
- 02/06/2010 04:13:55 AM
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I'll have to check my EotW, but I think Eg did have some fevers before Winternight. *NM*
- 02/06/2010 06:34:35 PM
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Re: I think they retest only the sul'dam
- 04/06/2010 07:55:56 PM
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Point on the testing
- 08/06/2010 02:15:26 AM
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Re: Point on the testing
- 08/06/2010 02:46:06 PM
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I'd think that would be a tiny chance given how diligent the Seanchan are in this regard
- 08/06/2010 02:58:15 PM
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Remember, Seancean have no idea channeling can be "learned"
- 02/06/2010 07:04:11 AM
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This is how Damane and Sul'Dam are determined, straight from tGH
- 03/06/2010 08:14:03 AM
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That doesn't make sense. Are you sure they don't put the BRACELET on the girls, not the collar?
- 04/06/2010 01:35:08 AM
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I am absolutely sure. Quote from book.
- 04/06/2010 03:09:08 AM
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*NM*
Toun, though too young can be collared
- 06/06/2010 03:29:29 AM
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I don't think Tuon will ever Channel
- 06/06/2010 03:39:16 AM
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Re: I don't think Tuon will ever Channel
- 06/06/2010 05:07:40 AM
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I just see all of that as potential plot lines for the planned follow-up Mat/Tuon in Seanchan novels
- 08/06/2010 02:09:26 AM
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Not at all
- 02/06/2010 03:52:31 PM
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As with most things in Jordan's universe, I don't think it was thought through very seriously.
- 03/06/2010 08:05:04 PM
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Huh?
- 03/06/2010 08:44:35 PM
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Sure
- 03/06/2010 09:00:40 PM
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Bah...
- 03/06/2010 09:51:09 PM
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Jordan definitely made mistakes with the Ajahs. In particular, the Black Ajah ones who fled.
- 03/06/2010 10:56:39 PM
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Re: Sure
- 04/06/2010 04:55:23 AM
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I don't know if that's totally true
- 04/06/2010 12:09:29 PM
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Maybe you don't read that much serious literature? I just don't see why you are arguing this.
- 04/06/2010 03:47:50 PM
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I actually don't read much fiction at all to be honest
- 04/06/2010 04:00:03 PM
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You're right about the fact that I have mostly contempt for Jordan.
- 04/06/2010 05:42:49 PM
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Meh
- 04/06/2010 05:03:41 PM
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I love that: "I'm convinced Rand al'Thor is the most monotonous man in the world."
- 04/06/2010 05:47:01 PM
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I think the number of characters directly contributes to the situation.
- 04/06/2010 03:51:42 PM
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Re: I think the number of characters directly contributes to the situation.
- 04/06/2010 05:04:52 PM
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Brandon brings out supporting chars. better, it's true.
- 04/06/2010 03:17:52 AM
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You're absolutely right. Sanderson gets "inside" the characters a bit more. *NM*
- 04/06/2010 03:52:29 PM
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