The Song of the Tuatha'an

Just because you've heard a song doesn't mean you know it, especially if it's in a language you don't know.
If all the Aiel who've heard it came together & compared notes they might be able to put the tune & lyrics together.
There were ogier singing in Rands visions as well, weren't there?

I've always felt that a band of tinkers would eventually enter the waste and visit Rhuidian after Rand had opened it up. They do have Aiel blood, so they could still use the columns if they still work that is.

I don't believe the Song ever existed. When Rand is taking his trip through Rhuidean and we see the Tinkers split from the Aiel, there wasn't any special song that they were looking for.

Sulwin stepped back, then held his ground with his companions. "No Adan. We are supposed to find a place of safety, and some of us mean to do that. My greatfather used to tell me stories he heard as a boy, stories of when we lived in safety and people came to hear us sing. We mean to find a place were we can be safe, and sing again."

"Sing?" Adan scoffed. "I have heard those old stories, too, that Aiel singing was a wondrous thing, but you know those old songs no more than I do. The songs are gone, and the old days are gone. We will not give up our duty to the Aes Sedai to chase after what is lost forever."

"Some of us will, Adan." The others behind Sulwin nodded. "We mean to find that safe place. And the songs, too. We will!"

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The idea of the Song developed later, when they failed to find safety. Most likely it evolved to provide meaning to their endless wandering.

I always felt like it was referring to the seed songs sung by the Aiel. They would sing, and the Ogier would sing a separate song, and the Nym would dance in sort of a growing ceremony back in the Age of Legends.

Tehmpus said:

I always felt like it was referring to the seed songs sung by the Aiel. They would sing, and the Ogier would sing a separate song, and the Nym would dance in sort of a growing ceremony back in the Age of Legends.

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That is the song they are looking for. The Aiel sing it in the AoL as seen in the flashbacks in the columns. The tinkers are looking for the song that makes the crops grow faster and healthier.

I would disagree. I believe those songs related to the tree singing of the Ogier. If I recall correctly, Loial mentions having taught them what he could of those songs and that they were not the songs that they were seeking.

I kinda doubt most current Tinkers have much in the way of Aiel blood in them at all, they have a reputation of "stealing" young ones away from families & we saw how tempting it was for Egwene & Perrin to just go along with the Tinkers way of life in the first book (if I remember right, it's been a long time). There are likely some who do have Aiel blood, but I wouldn't think it'd be enough to matter for anything.

Do you *need* Aiel blood to enter the columns? Would Aes Sedai have made that ter angreal specfically for Aiel of old?

I agree with Tehmpus & Jell, I think the song the Tinkers are looking for is the growy-grow one. Ogier Tree-singing might be related.

From re-reading The Shadow Rising, I have a thought. Run with me on this and tell me if I'm crazy.

When Rand goes through the columns in Rhuidean, he sees an interesting phenomenon when he goes back through the generations. What seems logical or correct or true to one generation is not what the generation prior had known or held to.

When we see the Aiel (the Da'shain Aiel) we see them singing, and there is a reference to a culture of singing, of many different songs. The very next generation, there is disbelief in the concept of so many singing together.

I think there is more than one song, and that is why the Tinkers have such a difficult time finding what they seek. There are a multitude of songs belonging to the age of legends. While a sad idea, I think the Tinkers have spent their lives looking for something that simply does not exist. There are many songs of the age of legends that would suit what they seek, but I do not think that the "One Song" is a realistic concept. Does this seem crazy or misinterpreted? Maybe I need to read that section again but that is the conclusion I came to.

I do wonder if Rand/Lews Therin knows the song(s?). Would sharing it(them) with the Tinkers bring them joy? Or would it destroy them? What would it be like to suddenly lose all their purpose? Could they survive it? Its like the Aiel situation all over again.

That is a very good point, Vodan. However, I don't think they would react as badly as the Aiel did. The Tinker's purpose wouldn't so much be gone as it would change. They would go from Searching to Implementing. They would likely end up still traveling, but rather instead of searching for the song(s), they would be using it(them) to their purpose. The Aiel lost everything they thought they were and had to come to terms with that. The Tinkers would still have who they are. Also, finding the Song(s) could be very beneficial to the Ogiers as well. Which, I believe,would help the Tinkers to come to terms with the Change of their purpose.

I haven't read past book 6, But I always imagined the tinkers song as related to thr Tree singing the Ogier did? I think I must be pretty far off base here! :P

There was an interview with RJ or Brandon, I'm not sure, where they said that Rand doesn't know the song, that he hadn't heard it in the columns. The concept that there is no song sounds pretty interesting actually...

I've always assumed that The Tinker Song had magical abilities beyond making plants grow -- can't the Ogier's Tree Singers already do that?
I know that the Age of Legends had all the Singers working together to do amazing magic but each piece must have some type of magical power already.

Elya Trimrode said:

There was an interview with RJ or Brandon, I'm not sure, where they said that Rand doesn't know the song, that he hadn't heard it in the columns. The concept that there is no song sounds pretty interesting actually...

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spoils the very end of ToM (sort of)

Aviendha's talent of changing the columns could reveal the song. The only thing is that I cannot imagine the Aiel going out of their way to help the Traveling People. They despise the Tinkers and would not want to help find the song.