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FIFTY quatloos on the oldcomers! Joel Send a noteboard - 02/12/2010 02:37:19 PM
If it looks like an Aiel, lopes like an Aiel and wears a veil like an Aiel, in my book, it's an Aiel.
I chose that quotation because it's pithy.

Yeah, well, beware of Pithy Pet Phrases....
Aiel have light eyes and light hair, almost universally. We have never seen an Aiel with dark eyes before. So faced with five data points (black and brown clothing, red veils, spears on their back, dark eyes which are glassy and hard, pointy teeth) one of which is disqualifying and only one of which is common to Aiel (spears), I say they're plainly not Aiel and another explanation is needed.

"Loping" crouched-over while reading tracks is an Aiel attribute? A unique one? Sorry, I don't think that's grounded in fact. Many societies veil, including the Taraboners and the Sharans, and Aiel veils are black, not red. Cadin'sor are tan, not black. What in the description of these "Aiel" (provided by someone who thought they were Myrddraal seconds earlier and "not Aiel" seconds later) is recognizably unique to the Aiel? Nothing.

The Aiels long low stride appears unique to them, yes; who else has demonstrated it? While blue or green eyes are the norm, unless the Aiel ethnically cleansed the brown eyed people there should still be a few. We know little about Sharans, but Sanderson is on record that they won't play a significant role in the series (i.e. he won't introduce a small army of them at the far end of the world in the penultimate books cliffhanger). Domani don't don and remove their veils regularly and, while they do move like dancers, they don't do it with short hafted spears strapped to their backs. For that matter, how many non-Aiel carry MULTIPLE spears at a time? Carrying around normal spears on your back would be a bit cumbersome; forget about flying spin kicks wearing those. We saw Aiel following Rand begin adding bits of green to their cadin'sor soon after arriving in the Wetlands; Aiel in the Blight would be expected to alter their camouflage as well. Red veils are unprecedented among Aiel, but filing ones teeth to points is unprecedented among humans (in Randland). Does that mean we're dealing with some new kind of Shadowspawn? The only undeniably non-Aiel thing they do is REMOVE their veils before killing; otherwise they're weird looking Aiel, but clearly Aiel nonetheless.

The simplest and most logical explanation is that they're Darkfriend Aiel, either captured and turned male channelers or some sort of Darkfriend warrior society. Occams Razor isn't a law, but that's still the way I'd bet; if they aren't Aiel, wtf are they, wtf did Sanderson (or Jordan) muddy the waters with them, and wtf are we only now learning of them...?
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The Turned Ashaman and Aiel - not 13x13 guttering flame - 30/11/2010 10:20:07 PM 1548 Views
I didn't see it, but I think this could be a good catch RugbyPlayingAshaman - 30/11/2010 10:38:56 PM 804 Views
Tarna's the only one we have a handle on moratcorlm - 01/12/2010 01:39:28 AM 897 Views
The Aiel at the end are Aiel because they have veils (which they didn't replace before killing). Joel - 01/12/2010 02:01:17 PM 673 Views
Liah didn't veil in Aridhol when she killed some Trollocs. Macharius - 01/12/2010 03:41:56 PM 907 Views
True, at that point she was essentially a feral animal. Joel - 02/12/2010 01:18:14 AM 691 Views
Re: True, at that point she was essentially a feral animal. Lord Haart - 02/12/2010 11:08:16 AM 574 Views
There's actually a pretty good chance they aren't channelers, I think. Joel - 02/12/2010 02:45:41 PM 571 Views
Whoever she had been, she was surely no Aiel, not with that pale skin and /those dark eyes./ moratcorlm - 02/12/2010 12:34:46 AM 618 Views
"An Aes Sedai, perhaps. " Joel - 02/12/2010 01:59:32 AM 536 Views
The point is it doesn't look like an Aiel moratcorlm - 02/12/2010 04:22:14 AM 580 Views
Perhaps the black eyes are due to something akin to the saa? *NM* Lord Haart - 02/12/2010 11:12:03 AM 257 Views
Makes sense if they're Dreadlords, though, in a way, that would be disappointing. Joel - 06/12/2010 02:39:54 AM 691 Views
FIFTY quatloos on the oldcomers! Joel - 02/12/2010 02:37:19 PM 742 Views
They did "ethnically cleanse" moratcorlm - 03/12/2010 07:50:24 AM 608 Views
There's no evidence to that effect; on what do you base that statement? Joel - 06/12/2010 02:14:09 AM 728 Views
No, I was being facetious about "cleansing" moratcorlm - 07/12/2010 02:55:30 PM 660 Views
I suppose that means the guys who stabbed Demira in Caemlyn were Aiel too darius_sedai - 05/12/2010 04:56:59 PM 634 Views
If these guys were trying to make it look like a failed AIel killing, they suck at it. Joel - 05/12/2010 06:10:32 PM 540 Views
Re: If these guys were trying to make it look like a failed AIel killing, they suck at it. Lo'oris - 05/12/2010 11:26:52 PM 514 Views
Glad we're on the same page now. Joel - 06/12/2010 02:24:38 AM 705 Views
I'm not holding my breath that they are Aiel darius_sedai - 06/12/2010 08:42:11 PM 754 Views
Seriously framed comments usually prompt responses in kind. Joel - 06/12/2010 10:12:08 PM 555 Views
Just pointing out that it's been a sure sign of shenanigans when RJ pointed to something as obvious darius_sedai - 07/12/2010 03:52:46 AM 595 Views
Fair enough, but he usually made things obviously obvious. Joel - 07/12/2010 02:12:29 PM 566 Views
I thought this was what it meant. Posted about it in another thread somewhere. Bryce - 01/12/2010 03:12:19 PM 640 Views
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