That's kind of the point.... Aes Sedai call themselves Aes Sedai, not "Servants of All". It's not an innocent distinction... They know the meaning of the name, but by insisting to use the Old Tongue term, they've turned it into a pure honorific/mark of status.
The Tower has turned to the common tongue for near everything it wants the people to understand. Novices have to understand what they are. Sitters are sitters, and the Hall the hall. Other terms, they've given an aura of mystery and power by keeping the OT name alone: Amyrlin, Ajah, Aes Sedai. Barely anyone, especially not the Aes Sedai, think of "servant" when they use the honorific Sedai. A great deal would be different if they'd translate the title and people high and low were calling the sisters "Servant X" or Servant of All. That might have made the AS more humble, for one thing, and become a constant reminder to them and to the people of what they really ought to be.
I agree this test goes completely against what an Aes Sedai used to be. The Accepted spend years preparing for it, and one of the consequences, though I doubt the sisters realize this, is to drive out of the future Aes Sedai all desire to be a servant of All to become a servant of the White Tower. The fact AS are servants of all is virtually kept a secret for initiates, except when the sisters have political reasons to portray themselves as "only serving". Developing a mentality of service is totally discouraged in the current Tower system, it's hardly surprising the standard test reflects this. They see such as inappropriate behaviour in a sister. Today's AS are taught to serve only when it serves the purpose of the WT and won't harm the Tower's aura of power. The average sister sees most services as demeaning for women of her status. For eg: sisters were horrified that objects crafted by their hands could be sold, sisters were angry to be seen in public working on the harbour walls. And so on.... Aes Sedai would be pissed to be forced to work at Travelling Grounds the way Elayne has the Windfinders/Kin do without a fuss. Service an AS will render with the OP is limited pretty much to fighting and healing. Almost everything else is perceived as demeaning.
I think if an AoL Aes Sedai, or pre-Trolloc War Aes Sedai were around, they would fail anyone but Nynaeve. Either that, or they would have stopped the test by correctly pointing out how stupid it is.
I think it is significant that Rand said, just before Nynaeve left him, that being calm and serene no matter what is one type of strength, not the only type.
Which is one reason why I wish it was Egwene taking the test. With Nynaeve, we could have predicted what she was going to do. With Egwene, it would have been harder to predict. Personally, I think Egwene would have done exactly what Nynaeve did, if maybe with a more controlled facial expression, since she's had to practice that useless skill so much. But the consequences of Egwene doing those things would have been far more interesting. But clearly, RJ never intended that...
Nynaeve's stupidity and the test for Aes Sedai
- 07/12/2010 08:27:05 PM
4656 Views
Way to totally misunderstand the chapter
- 07/12/2010 09:39:08 PM
1935 Views
I second this
- 07/12/2010 10:10:24 PM
1592 Views
your bold is stuck. *NM*
- 07/12/2010 10:21:22 PM
685 Views
On the whole, the test is innappropriate IMO
- 07/12/2010 09:40:08 PM
1702 Views
nice post
- 08/12/2010 09:20:02 AM
1487 Views
Isn't it implied
- 08/12/2010 02:16:58 PM
1247 Views
no they were students together
- 08/12/2010 05:33:17 PM
1210 Views
No, Lanfear was older than Lews
- 08/12/2010 07:21:45 PM
1423 Views
Where on earth did you get that from?
- 08/12/2010 08:41:16 PM
1350 Views
Re: Where on earth did you get that from?
- 09/12/2010 10:27:20 AM
1370 Views
Re: Where on earth did you get that from?
- 09/12/2010 03:56:32 PM
1470 Views
I always got the impression that they were together for quiet some time
- 09/12/2010 04:34:23 PM
1394 Views
Re: I always got the impression that they were together for quiet some time
- 09/12/2010 05:43:40 PM
1342 Views
I think skill with Saidar is easy enough to judge as it's a simple matter to see the skill
- 08/12/2010 05:37:27 PM
1282 Views
I think the greens should have been on Nynaeve's side as well
- 08/12/2010 06:18:16 PM
1395 Views
Problem is they are Aes Sedai and thus more likley to be political rather than rational! *NM*
- 08/12/2010 08:52:00 PM
935 Views
Re: nice post
- 09/12/2010 01:23:50 PM
1482 Views
On the matter of strength
- 09/12/2010 08:51:36 PM
1295 Views
Strength was "prized" in the AoL ... but lack of strength was not a negative
- 12/12/2010 01:41:08 AM
1261 Views
Yes. How dare she not conform with every other fucking mindless stupid WT Aes Sedai *NM*
- 07/12/2010 11:36:52 PM
759 Views
Status is not an end in itself. *NM*
- 07/12/2010 11:52:37 PM
645 Views
They're not really stupid...
- 08/12/2010 01:00:20 AM
1373 Views
Not saying they are. It's just that most AS that we've come across
- 08/12/2010 02:20:05 AM
1089 Views
They're constantly outsmarted by a teenage girl that has spent most of her life in a damn farm.
- 08/12/2010 10:32:50 AM
1348 Views
Bah...
- 09/12/2010 10:56:24 AM
1381 Views
I did not say all Aes Sedai are stupid, I said all WT Aes Sedai are stupid.
- 10/12/2010 09:19:52 AM
1348 Views
You are not only wrong in your call,
- 08/12/2010 04:39:44 AM
1588 Views
Re: You are not only wrong in your call,
- 08/12/2010 09:13:37 AM
1592 Views
if that is the purpose of the test
- 08/12/2010 01:34:45 PM
1292 Views
minor disagreement
- 08/12/2010 05:27:51 PM
1378 Views
Yes, but you can be not-panicked and not calm of body
- 08/12/2010 06:38:56 PM
1217 Views
not really the same thing as what the AS are getting at though
- 08/12/2010 09:02:05 PM
1856 Views
that's retarded, imo
- 09/12/2010 12:21:27 AM
1384 Views
Oh it's totally stupid!
- 09/12/2010 04:37:14 PM
1341 Views
No I know why she took the job. I just don't understand why she got it
- 09/12/2010 04:52:34 PM
1275 Views
I think Elaida just smarmed up at the right time, Morgase was very young then
- 09/12/2010 05:52:29 PM
1386 Views
Oh. Well, I'm sorry then.
- 08/12/2010 06:48:50 PM
1331 Views
I think it has already been established that the purpose of the test is to ensure that
- 08/12/2010 09:59:18 PM
1077 Views
Yeah, but how does that work?
- 08/12/2010 10:24:35 PM
1235 Views
Somewhere in the sub-conscious they know what they're doing is important to them.
- 09/12/2010 12:20:47 AM
1355 Views
Even so, it wouldn't work.
- 09/12/2010 03:32:55 AM
1269 Views
I think if this thread has established anything it's that the test is severely flawed. *NM*
- 09/12/2010 09:24:48 PM
623 Views
Another headless chicken example.
- 09/12/2010 12:30:02 AM
1248 Views
the headless chicken is just such a lovely metaphor for panic
*NM*
- 09/12/2010 04:48:11 AM
565 Views
*NM*
- 09/12/2010 04:48:11 AM
565 Views
Re: Oh. Well, I'm sorry then.
- 09/12/2010 12:07:15 PM
1327 Views
You seem to have no grasp of the difference between "politic" and "right"
- 09/12/2010 02:59:50 AM
1427 Views
Re: You seem to have no grasp of the difference between "politic" and "right"
- 09/12/2010 09:26:21 AM
1303 Views
That's not the dilema
- 09/12/2010 05:23:19 PM
1497 Views
One of those few times where I completely agree with Cannoli. Give over Sidious. You're wrong.
- 09/12/2010 09:55:20 PM
1266 Views
That's not what it's really about
- 10/12/2010 05:44:12 AM
1240 Views
This test, even by its usual abysmal standards, was idiotic. It bordered on being evil.
- 09/12/2010 03:46:31 AM
1295 Views
Re: This test, even by its usual abysmal standards, was idiotic. It bordered on being evil.
- 09/12/2010 09:40:09 AM
1340 Views
Re: This test, even by its usual abysmal standards, was idiotic. It bordered on being evil.
- 09/12/2010 02:04:02 PM
1643 Views
Re: This test, even by its usual abysmal standards, was idiotic. It bordered on being evil.
- 09/12/2010 11:26:40 AM
1341 Views
Agreed...
- 09/12/2010 01:54:09 PM
1305 Views
One of those few times where I completely agree with fionwe1987. Give over Sidious. You're wrong.
- 10/12/2010 03:53:25 PM
1385 Views

*NM*