My only theory is that weaves weren't shared due to channelers being isolated from each other or simply mistrusting those they did encounter. Thus knowledge disappeared as the AOL channelers aged and died.
It's still a stretch to believe that Travelling was among the lost weaves, however. It was broadly useful and doesn't seem to require a special talent. You would think every AOL channeler with sufficient strength would have learned it.
As Gher pointed out, making angreals and cuendillar weren't common weaves and probably required a certain aptitude. It's far easier to believe that knowledge could be lost.
Knowledge of Balefire would have been deliberately allowed to die out.
Compulsion wasn't actually lost, just forbidden. Besides, even if the AOL weaves had passed from memory, apparantly half of all wilders figure out some version of it on their own.
So Travelling is the only big mystery, IMO.
It's still a stretch to believe that Travelling was among the lost weaves, however. It was broadly useful and doesn't seem to require a special talent. You would think every AOL channeler with sufficient strength would have learned it.
As Gher pointed out, making angreals and cuendillar weren't common weaves and probably required a certain aptitude. It's far easier to believe that knowledge could be lost.
Knowledge of Balefire would have been deliberately allowed to die out.
Compulsion wasn't actually lost, just forbidden. Besides, even if the AOL weaves had passed from memory, apparantly half of all wilders figure out some version of it on their own.
So Travelling is the only big mystery, IMO.
How were all these amazing weaves 'lost' ?
- 20/08/2010 04:33:43 AM
2032 Views
You're right. It is merely a plot requirement, made ludicrous by the ease of mastering these weaves
- 20/08/2010 10:08:10 AM
1302 Views
Re: You're right. It is merely a plot requirement, made ludicrous by the ease of mastering
- 20/08/2010 03:40:16 PM
1030 Views
These are good points. To some extent, it may be because our main characters are "gifted" channelers
- 20/08/2010 08:57:49 PM
1068 Views
The bigger problem is minor characters copying the weaves so quickly...
- 20/08/2010 09:14:25 PM
1109 Views
Lost Weaves
- 20/08/2010 01:43:25 PM
1329 Views
Not logical
- 20/08/2010 01:50:32 PM
1306 Views
Re: Not logical
- 20/08/2010 03:22:04 PM
1092 Views
All I'm saying, is that Travelling would STILL be a very usefull survival tool during the Breaking..
- 20/08/2010 03:44:59 PM
1247 Views
If you go back and read the descriptions of the breaking, and think about the 3000 year cycle
- 20/08/2010 04:37:02 PM
1157 Views
I don't think that creating cuendillar and 'angreals was common knowledge.
- 20/08/2010 05:06:20 PM
1137 Views
You & Ryan make good points, esp on balefire/compulsion. In a shorter series, it'd make more sense
- 20/08/2010 08:52:59 PM
1095 Views
My only theory...
- 20/08/2010 06:02:14 PM
1064 Views
Maybe Aes Sedai treated weaves like Intellectual Property
- 20/08/2010 09:49:12 PM
1023 Views
Trademark? Patent? Or Copyright? =P *NM*
- 20/08/2010 10:19:36 PM
477 Views
If they are secretive and protective, it's not a huge stretch that knowledge would be taken into the
- 21/08/2010 10:27:15 AM
1143 Views
Idea?
- 21/08/2010 12:47:52 AM
940 Views
But they weren't too weak
- 21/08/2010 02:48:43 AM
1060 Views
That's because most of the major people in WoT are powerful channelers.
- 21/08/2010 04:13:04 AM
1139 Views
How can you "write a weave down"?
- 21/08/2010 04:54:28 PM
1126 Views
How did Moiraine learn balefire then? *NM*
- 21/08/2010 05:04:27 PM
1158 Views
figured it out on her own, don't forget that Nyn used it too against the Fades in TDR. *NM*
- 21/08/2010 05:12:15 PM
512 Views
That's a stretch - Moiraine never demonstrated any creative talent with the OP...
- 21/08/2010 06:15:01 PM
1021 Views
OK, I'll buy Vandene teaching it, but not learning it from a written description *NM*
- 21/08/2010 06:35:46 PM
510 Views
I disagree - Moiraine's wilder tricks show that she is quite creative with the OP
- 24/08/2010 03:31:06 PM
1047 Views
Re: I disagree - Moiraine's wilder tricks show that she is quite creative with the OP
- 24/08/2010 05:32:11 PM
1381 Views
We know of her trick with stones and light from 'New Spring' IIRC
- 25/08/2010 02:40:26 PM
1288 Views
Simple: none were necessary for survival in Stone Age barbarism.
- 23/08/2010 09:12:40 PM
1028 Views
Passing on useful survival skills trumped esoteric lore during the War of Power and the Breaking
- 25/08/2010 03:18:47 PM
1206 Views
