Perhaps she would be allowed a second chance but I doubt it. The Kin are special cases, really. We're talking about women who were put out at 16-17 y.o. and who are now very often over 150, 200, 300 etc.
There are bound to be younger women in the Kin as well ... certainly there are a few who have been put out in the last 10 years or so as well as those like Reanne and Sumeko. We've only really been shown the "Eldest" from Ebu Dar as interactive characters.
Else seems to simply not have got what it takes to be Aes Sedai. She gives the feeling of someone who didn't want to be Aes Sedai but rather saw all this as an opportunity to leave her parents' farm and live the life. But who knows.. maybe at 25 or 30, she'll have matured enough and will wish to train seriously, and then she could seek a second chance. She would not have gotten it under the old Tower system, but under Egwene's reforms she might. I guess she'll be saddled with a husband and children soon enough, though, or end up dancing on tables in Lugard.
True enough, it's not likely that the Kin would have found a woman who was only in the Tower for a few months and given her baseline personality it's very doubtful that she would consider the opportunity until she's settled down a bit.
At the moment, the Aes Sedai still see being AS as a career/vocation they dedicate their whole life to. There's no sign yet that the AOL worldview will make a comeback any time soon. As far as we can tell, being an Aes Sedai in the AOL meant that you agreed to train an ability that was gifted to you by life, and in return you adhered to a set of ethics and agreed to put that ability to the service of others when called by the Guild. Except for those who worked for the Guild (eg: LTT, Barid Bel Medar), being AS wasn't a career, it was a way of life. To several, it opened doors to OP-related careers (Lanfear, Semirhage, Aginor), but to many others - probably the majority of them - being AS was just a matter of being trained when young, following a code of ethics and helping when asked. Moghedien, Elan Morin, Balthamel, Mesaana, Be'lal and perhaps also Rahvin (who seemed to have been involved in civilian politics, as we know some AS were) pursued full-time careers unrelated to their AS status. Being AS for them was more like doing community service part-time.
In this vision, that's perfectly possible for anyone to be AS, even Else Grinwell raising a string of kids in her village could be trained, and help the farmers around with their crops, with wounds, help lift heavy stuff, find springs etc. But at the moment, the Tower has a very narrow and very elitist vision of what being an AS means. They probably don't know enough about the AOL to realize why the Guild became so influential in the first place (it serves massively everyone in daily life, and shaped the possible in technologies and ways of life), and that prior to LTT and the WoS it appears politics was one of the fields in which they were the most reserved and least present (the Guide hints that some AS were part of the government, but also hints between the lines that their status as AS was irrelevant to that, that is they were probably elected by people like any other representative, not delegates representing the Guild on the civilian government). The WT has perpetuated and turned to the normal state of things the special role of the Guild during the War of Shadow, when its leader was given special powers and was put in charge of a lot, and placed above the regional governments to conduct the War. That's still the vision the WT has of the role of the Amyrlin Seat, as standing above all the rulers, and having a large role/influence in politics everywhere. A lot of this rests on the standing of the WT and the sisters, and thus started to appear all those standards to be AS, and then it narrowed down even further in the TW, when to gain the shawl you had to show you could defeat your fears and could channel under attack well enough to stand your ground in a fight (those tests then got ritualized later, taking other symbolism... like representing severance to your old life, and showing that you want to be AS above anything else. Initially, it seems to have been a test of courage: are you too much of a coward to train to fight with the OP in the Wars, because we have no time to train cowards - and then a second test to assess if you fighting skills were good enough or if you'd put yourself and the army you fought with in danger at the first occasion.
In this vision, that's perfectly possible for anyone to be AS, even Else Grinwell raising a string of kids in her village could be trained, and help the farmers around with their crops, with wounds, help lift heavy stuff, find springs etc. But at the moment, the Tower has a very narrow and very elitist vision of what being an AS means. They probably don't know enough about the AOL to realize why the Guild became so influential in the first place (it serves massively everyone in daily life, and shaped the possible in technologies and ways of life), and that prior to LTT and the WoS it appears politics was one of the fields in which they were the most reserved and least present (the Guide hints that some AS were part of the government, but also hints between the lines that their status as AS was irrelevant to that, that is they were probably elected by people like any other representative, not delegates representing the Guild on the civilian government). The WT has perpetuated and turned to the normal state of things the special role of the Guild during the War of Shadow, when its leader was given special powers and was put in charge of a lot, and placed above the regional governments to conduct the War. That's still the vision the WT has of the role of the Amyrlin Seat, as standing above all the rulers, and having a large role/influence in politics everywhere. A lot of this rests on the standing of the WT and the sisters, and thus started to appear all those standards to be AS, and then it narrowed down even further in the TW, when to gain the shawl you had to show you could defeat your fears and could channel under attack well enough to stand your ground in a fight (those tests then got ritualized later, taking other symbolism... like representing severance to your old life, and showing that you want to be AS above anything else. Initially, it seems to have been a test of courage: are you too much of a coward to train to fight with the OP in the Wars, because we have no time to train cowards - and then a second test to assess if you fighting skills were good enough or if you'd put yourself and the army you fought with in danger at the first occasion.
I actually don't think the AOL AS were as uninvolved as you seem to be portraying. We know that Mesaana and some of the other Forksaken seem to be amused by current AS machinations there is a quote about "you children almost approach the ajah" that infers that there were strong political games being played by the AOL AS even before the Collapse.
If you think about it when these people were living 3-5x as long as the rest of the society and that there were literally millions of channelers, you have to figure that even the weakest, most humble AS were still regarded as community leaders. Couple that with an organized guild it seems obvious that they wielded amazing influence over the "civilian" government.
I'd even go so far as to say the system of "service earns honor" was probably a societal measure to control the guild. If that system wasn't in place there would be no way the AS would have not wound up in total control. By shifting the "currency" of personal value to service to the community the society ensured AS were kept in check by a moral code rather than a political one.
I don't think the mentality of a "separate flesh" sprung up out of nowhere, I have a feeling it, like many other things, had a deep seated root in the AOL. AS in the AOL obviously stood out and would have had the opportunity to be community leaders just by virtue of long life and abilities far beyond the norm.
Imagine a woman like Egwene in the AOL becoming a goldsmith or metallurgist of some kind. She would have been the greatest at her trade possible (pardon the hyperbole), how could she fail? Elayne would have become an icon in the ter'angreal world and Nynaeve one of the great Restorers of the Age ... how can a non-channeler hope to be anything other than an assistant to someone like this? You have to figure almost every vocation would have a Channeler who dominated the trade (even if only because of longevity). I also think in the AOL most AS were likely steered into their vocation based on their abilities. Thus someone like Egwene would not end up on a farm somewhere digging up rocks with the Power.
During the Breaking this separation would have been even more distinct. By the founding of Tar Valon it's not a surprise that AS believed in this mentality.
THE AOL version was more like "any training will let you be of some use to society", and how much so is up to your talents, your efforts and your desires to serve. Being AS gave some respect/status (the training was probably hard), but nowhere near what your accomplishments as AS earned you. It ranged from perfect nobodies lie Moghedien to celebrated people with an honorific third name like Semirhage, LTT or Demandred.
Moghedien may have been a nobody by AS standards, but she certainly had a far superior life to most AOL people by virtue of being AS. Not to mention that despite her dubious personality (she was reprimanded for shady behavior) she was on LTTs general staff. And as I said above I would not be surprised if the guild guided all members to where they would shine.
So for people like Else there was a place then in the Guild, but in the fourth age it will very depend how much Egwene and likely Logain turn the White Tower around, and if/when they do, if they'll turn toward the AOL mentality of "public service", distancing themselves from politics, or if they'll try to bring back the Tower to its golden age of political influence. If the latter, not much will change, except after the way the Tower let down the nations during the series, I'm not too sure the nations will accept a return of the meddling Tower once TG is done. Egwene, if she survives TG (I'm not convinced either way myself) is gonna get a lot of "where were you when we needed you? Oh yes that's right... too busy with your WT affairs to care about my realm and its people anymore..." the day she tries to send back AS advisors to the rulers.
I agree and disagree. Else will remain useless to a 100% politically motivated Tower agenda, but I seriously doubt the world will be able to resist a post-TG political agenda from what is like going to be the only source of stability. Just like when the Tower was originally formed, the world had many reasons to hate AS and blame them for the troubles of the past, but they also have little choice but to hold tight to the biggest source of safety in the world. Perhaps the Seanchan will continue to pressure the AS system, but it's really only a matter of time until the united BT/WT overcome them and the secular powers of the 4th Age certainly have no reason to turn away the AS when the world needs to be rebuilt. In then end the nations that embrace (or make use of) channelers have always survived and become the most powerful. The 10 Nations, Andor, Shara, Seanchan, The Borderlands are all examples of nations that either ally with or use Channelers and have maintained powerful footholds.
Domani Drag Queen in the White Tower ... Aran'gar watch out!
Else Grinwell...
- 08/08/2010 10:49:52 PM
1589 Views
Else Grinwell...
- 08/08/2010 11:14:02 PM
1140 Views
wait
- 08/08/2010 11:18:33 PM
863 Views
No. Not in Eye of the World.
- 08/08/2010 11:25:58 PM
834 Views
I was under the impression that she was.
- 09/08/2010 01:46:32 AM
802 Views
I think Lanfear killed Else
- 09/08/2010 12:02:34 PM
827 Views
Why would she?
- 09/08/2010 12:17:34 PM
815 Views
If she knew about Else going after Rand in TEoTW... No idea how she would though. *NM*
- 09/08/2010 03:01:29 PM
272 Views
Re: Else Grinwell...
- 09/08/2010 01:04:04 AM
769 Views
Re: Else Grinwell...
- 09/08/2010 02:08:10 AM
991 Views
Almost non-existant (the BA seems to disagree with your opinion she had potential)
- 09/08/2010 12:42:30 PM
796 Views
I agree with you DomA
- 09/08/2010 03:16:47 PM
829 Views
Re: I agree with you DomA
- 10/08/2010 01:01:51 AM
758 Views
I'm not so sure
- 10/08/2010 05:01:12 AM
721 Views
Re: Almost non-existant (the BA seems to disagree with your opinion she had potential)
- 10/08/2010 06:11:47 AM
620 Views
It could also be that they are afflicted with Aes Sedai prejudice (like their disregard of the Kin)
- 11/08/2010 03:29:16 PM
617 Views
Didn't the BA kill Else? Or did they kill some other farmer girl? *NM*
- 10/08/2010 10:51:38 AM
275 Views
Other farmer girl, I think. Sahra? *NM*
- 10/08/2010 02:53:58 PM
290 Views
Re: Other farmer girl, I think. Sahra?
- 10/08/2010 05:50:51 PM
644 Views
I always assumed it was Alviarin
- 10/08/2010 09:12:01 PM
580 Views
Re: I always assumed it was Alviarin
- 11/08/2010 06:24:44 AM
635 Views
Sheriam would have known, but at this point in the story we had no clue she was BA
- 12/08/2010 03:28:09 AM
560 Views