Cuendillar

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It's been put forward as an idea many times.

But there's no evidence either way for it really unfortunately.

maybe is as good as answer as I can give you.

Without more evidence its really hard to say either way. It's entirely possible that women were involved in the creation of the focus points but not the actual sealing if there is indeed gender aspect as to the colour of cuendillar produced by a weave.

However its just as possible that cuendillar can be formed in a number of different ways. We've already seen quite a few different weaves that end up with the same result.

So its entirely possible as well that either sex can make both colours.

No way yet without further information to see which way is correct.

I'm curious if there is any property difference between the two colours or if its just aesthetics.


I'm leaning towards it being something that isn't gender related personally, if it was we'd probably see more black cuendillar around than we do.
 
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I'm confused ... I thought the cuendillar that Egwene and the Salidar AS were making was kind of a light ash color, rather than white.
 
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Same old white as always

The pair of Aes Sedai channeling at the table nearest the entrance, Kairen and Ashmanaille, had an audience of two as well, Janya Frende, a Sitter for the Brown, and Salita Toranes, a Sitter for the Yellow. The Aes Sedai and the novices were all performing the same task. In front of each woman, a close net woven of Earth, Fire and Air surrounded a small bowl or cup or the like, all made by the camp’s blacksmiths, who were very puzzled at why the sisters wanted such things made of iron, not to mention having them made as finely as if they were silver. A second weave, Earth and Fire woven just so, penetrated each net to touch the object, which was slowly turning white. Very, very slowly, in every case.

“Make sure there isn’t a next time,” Egwene said absently, her attention on Kairen’s cup. The line of white crept upward steadily. When Leane did this weave, black iron turned to white cuendillar as if the iron were sinking quickly into milk. For Egwene herself, the change was faster than the blink of an eye, black to white in a flash.

There was no need for touching, though. No need for waiting, either. Embracing saidar, she was barely aware of the thrill of life filling her before she had the weaves in place. Earth, Fire and Air surrounding the chain; Earth and Fire touching it. The black iron flashed to white across the whole width of the harbor mouth.
 
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Thanks Axis Gaidin, setting me straight as usual.
 

Ilverin Matriam

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So, I don't know how this got into my head and I was searching for an answer to this question, but couldn't find a better thread... how could you tell if an object IS made of cuendillar???

In the Great Hunt we see the Great Lord Turak's colection of cuendillar items and he says that the material is more common in Seanchan than in the Westlands, which leads me to the questions...
1. Why? and
2. How can you tell one regular object from its cuendillar counterpart? :look:

If we use the quotes that Axis supplied in the previous posts, it could be that a regular object, but milky white in color can be recognized as made out of cuendillar, created by a woman channeling saidar. But let me know if I am missing something else :look:
 

Arinna Katal

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So, I don't know how this got into my head and I was searching for an answer to this question, but couldn't find a better thread... how could you tell if an object IS made of cuendillar???
Try to smash it? lol

In the Great Hunt we see the Great Lord Turak's colection of cuendillar items and he says that the material is more common in Seanchan than in the Westlands, which leads me to the questions...
1. Why?
This is wild speculation, but: maybe the ability to make cuendillar wasn't lost before the establishment of the damane system, so they had a non-zero number of enslaved channelers who could produce useful trade items (UGH I really dislike the Seanchan).
 

Jaryd Kosari

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It's also possible that cuendillar was something regionally popular in the Age of Legends, and Seanchan happens to be in the same place as that region.
 

Jaryd Kosari

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Also I was thinking about the original question— the seven objects might have already existed when the men decided to use them as focuses to seal away the Dark One. There's nothing that says otherwise, anyway.

Reduce, reuse, recycle, amirite? :p
 

Ilverin Matriam

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Try to smash it? lol
lolol sure, after you've had a suspicion that it might be cuendillar, sure :P But what could tell it apart from any other object visually? I hope the people of Randland didn't try to smash every object they've had until they found the cuendillar :laugh:

It's also possible that cuendillar was something regionally popular in the Age of Legends, and Seanchan happens to be in the same place as that region.
Sure, I guess this is the best explanation I could come up with too :cheeseeni: When Moiraine says that the knowledge of how to create it has died with the Aes Sedai from the Age of Legends, it could be possible that the Aes Sedai on Seanchan still created many more objects after the Breaking and continued to make more, etc.
 

Arinna Katal

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lolol sure, after you've had a suspicion that it might be cuendillar, sure :p But what could tell it apart from any other object visually? I hope the people of Randland didn't try to smash every object they've had until they found the cuendillar :laugh:
The true Breaking of the World!

Sure, I guess this is the best explanation I could come up with too :cheeseeni: When Moiraine says that the knowledge of how to create it has died with the Aes Sedai from the Age of Legends, it could be possible that the Aes Sedai on Seanchan still created many more objects after the Breaking and continued to make more, etc.
Yes, that's what I was thinking, similar to how the Aes Sedai have lost the ability to make ter'angreal until Elayne figures it out, but damane were able to make a'dam, which are ter'angreal.
 

Merena Orithana

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Try to smash it
:rofl
But what could tell it apart from any other object visually? I hope the people of Randland didn't try to smash every object they've had until they found the cuendillar

So back in ye olden days, I think folks would often bite their coins to make sure they were of the particular metal that they were supposed to be made of. Perhaps they have some sort of system like this to establish what is cuendillar?
 
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