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2.2.8: Can Tuon channel? What is the fate the damane Lidya foretold for her?

[Leigh Butler, Jason Kraftcheck]

Why do we think Tuon can channel? When we first meet her in WH, we learn that she has tested to be a sul'dam, obviously successfully, since she "found as much enjoyment in training damane as in training horses" [WH: 14, What a Veil Hides, 325]. (Ick.)

As we know from numerous scenes from TGH on, sul'dam can channel. The difference between them and the damane is that damane are women like Egwene, who are born with the spark, and will channel whether they try to or not, whereas sul'dam are women who can be taught, but would never touch the source on their own without instruction. So Tuon can be taught to channel. Veddy interestink.

In the same chapter, Tuon regrets having punished Lidya, one of her damane, for "reading her fortune", and thinks to herself: "Only luck had kept anyone from overhearing Lidya's cryptic words. Everyone knew that damane could foretell the future, and if any of the Blood had heard, they would all have been chattering behind their hands about her fate" [ibid., 327]. Whatever that fortune was, it seems to have upset Tuon a great deal. So what could Lidya have told her?

Well, the first thing to wonder is whether Lidya's fortune-telling is of the tarot-card-and-crystal-ball storefront psychic variety, or if it is genuine Foretelling such as Elaida has. The interesting thing is that Tuon's thought above implies that Seanchan believe that all damane can foretell the future, on command, which is not at all true of the Foretelling the White Tower is familiar with. According to [ACOS: Prologue, Lightnings, 20], the Foretelling talent was thought all but lost until Elaida, and is not under the gifted person's control - it comes upon her without warning. This is true of both Elaida and Nicola, and seemed to be the case with Gitara Moroso as well, the way Moiraine tells it [TGH: 8, The Dragon Reborn, 109].

So it may be reasonable to think that the Seanchan are deluding themselves about damane fortune-telling abilities, as they are about so many things connected to channelling. Then again, maybe the damane know something AS in Randland proper don't; it's certainly possible. Tangentially related to this, perhaps, is Tuon's fixation on omens, which sound like just another Seanchan superstition but could actually be something significant, for all we know.

In any case, we still want to know what Lidya said. Judging from Tuon's subsequent behavior for the rest of WH, it seems most likely that Lidya's fortune had something to do with Mat. Why else would she show such interest in him? Remember, the first time she meets him [WH: 17, Pink Ribbons, 367], he's covered in mud and throwing a tantrum (or starting to, anyway) - certainly not the most stellar of first impressions - and he's Tylin's common-born boytoy, to boot.

What's in that resume to make Tuon, the heir to the Seanchan Empire, feel the need to follow Mat around and spy on him? And then declare, when she discovers he's leaving, that she "cannot allow that" [WH: 31, What the Aelfinn Said, 584]? And then smile when Mat announces that he's kidnapping her (after proclaiming her his wife, no less) [ibid., 588-590]?

Of course, she could be smiling because she's considering all the not-so-nice things that will happen to him for kidnapping the Daughter of the Nine Moons. But she seemed to be actually enjoying herself while fighting him a few moments before. And then there's the unusual amount of interest she shows in his ring and ashanderei. Perhaps Tuon's fortune mentioned them in some way; note it's after Tuon examines his ring at their first meeting that she offers to buy him.

So if her fate did concern Mat, as seems perfectly reasonable, why was she so upset about it? Because Mat is not of noble birth? Because he's not Seanchan? Maybe she just resented being told who she was going to end up with.

It's been suggested that maybe the fate Lidya foretold did not have anything to do with Mat, and instead had to do with Tuon's ability to channel. This seems rather unlikely, though. Given the Seanchan attitude toward channellers, Tuon probably wouldn't have thought to herself that the Blood would just titter behind their hands about it; they'd be utterly appalled. And wouldn't Tuon be horrified, too, rather than angry?

One last note of interest is Egeanin's reaction to Mat's words in [WH: 31, What the Aelfinn Said, 588]:

"'She is my wife,' he said softly...
"'What?' Egeanin squeaked, her head whipping toward him so fast that her tail of hair swung around to slap her face. He would not have thought she could squeak. 'You cannot say that! You must not say that!'
"'Why not?' he demanded. The Aelfinn always gave true answers. Always. 'She is my wife. Your bloody Daughter of the Nine Moons is my wife!'"

Egeanin doesn't say "What? WTF are you talking about?", she says, "You MUST not say that." Is there some special significance to him saying that? Amy Gray suggests: "What if Seanchan marriage customs are such that all you have to do to be married is say it three times? If this is the case, they're already married! The more I think about it, the more I like the idea. I think this is my new pet loony theory." Yikes.

Pam counters, "Well, it IS a good loony theory, but I find it unlikely that the Seanchan would have such a unilateral marriage custom. If it's like that, then the woman has no say in it! Any man could 'marry' any woman, just because he felt like it. Women are way too powerful in Seanchan society for that to be the case."

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