Uh, I am in fact new here, but I have read the FAQ front to back, and
I just thought of something about Taim. One of the points debated was
the fact that Taim built up such a tremendous organization for Rand at
the Black Tower, and why didn't he do that before then, if he was
capable of such a thing. I don't know if this possibility has been
discussed, but it could boil down to one word: ta'veren. So far as I
know, there are no indications that Taim is, was, or ever has been
ta'veren, which Rand, of course, is. He needs a lot of manpower
backing him (the Asha'man were quite crucial in rescuing him at
Dumai's Wells), and maybe the Pattern undertook itself to provide him
with a lot of raw material. Additionally, there is this: Yes, Taim
probably channeled for 15 years prior to his appearance in the books.
But for only a small ****tion of that would he have been widely known
as a claimant to the title of the Dragon Reborn. Imagine, if you
will, that you are an average Randlander male who happens to be able
to channel. This random guy who you do not know has come up to you
and said, "Follow me and I will teach you to channel." You're going
to be thinking, "Well, I could follow this charismatic chap I just met
down a path that will eventually lead to madness and rotting alive,
that is to say, if the Aes Sedai don't gentle me first. Or I could
just stab myself to death, which would be both faster and easier."
Presumably after 3000 years of people saying "Male channelers are
bad," there will be some sort of psychological inhibition against
willingly becoming a channeler. Follow a channeler claiming to be the
Dragon Reborn, yes. Learn to channel from your own free will,
probably not. My guess would be that the few men who Taim was able to
teach were among his more fanatical sup****ters, the ones for whom
devotion to Taim overpowered the societal prohibition against
channeling. It's possible, however, that for Rand, the fact that he
is the true Dragon Reborn would push them over the limit. Make of
that what you will.
(I thought it might make a pleasant change from the spam that appears
to be clogging this group. :) )
|
