Question about a Wheel of Time plot point (Potential spoilers)

[Xerosch]

Hello everyone!

I'm currently in the middle of the 8th book and I think I skipped a rather important plot point:

Could you guys explain why the Bowl of the Winds is so important for Egwene and the others? I seem to have completely blocked out why they are holding on to it.

Was the weather all over the place before or do they have a specific plan? Or maybe they just think it could come in handy?

 

[Chimpzy_v1legacy]

IRC, at the time of that book the Dark One's prison had weakened enough to let him influence the weather, causing the summer to be extraordinarily long, dry and hot. The basic plan was to weaken the good forces through drought and famine. His own forces would technically also be affected, but much less so, since they're mostly cannibalistic carnivores used to surviving a desolate wasteland anyway (also, why care if thousands of mooks starve?).

Egwene and the Aes Sedai needed the Bowl (and help from the Athan Miere seafolk to use it) to restore the weather to normal, letting rains and winter come in again. The seafolk in turn used it as a bargaining ship to gain access to the White Tower and Aes Sedai teaching.

The Bowl will get more use way at the end of the story, but that's spoiler territory.

 

[WolfThomas]

Also adding on to what Chimpzy said, Egwene used her abilities in the World of Dreams to find a solution to the ever increasing summer, it pointed her to the bowel of winds and Ebou Dar.

 

[iwinatlife]

the long summer and the initial winter both caused by dark one touching the world
bowl of the winds was the reset button.

 

[Oinodaemon]

I logged into my account for the first time in almost a year just to respond to this...No specific plan, but Elayne and Nynaeve used general "Need" to find...something they needed...and they were taken to the Bowl of the Winds in Tel'aran'rhiod. Elayne believes it will fix the weather problems.

 

[Chimpzy_v1legacy]

Also adding on to what Chimpzy said, Egwene used her abilities in the World of Dreams to find a solution to the ever increasing summer, it pointed her to the bowel of winds and Ebou Dar.

Ok, the idea of a Bowel of Winds gave me an immature, yet hearty chuckle.

 

[rodneyy]

umm after a quick look at the recap of what happens in what book, they all run together a bit, i think what you guys are talking about is more book 6 and 7 the finding and use of it.

in book 8 they are holding onto it more as an insurance policy. the bowl has been used, but its yet to be seen if it has fully worked or the changes are just more of the dark ones doing. as well as that the seafolk place such high regard for it the aes sedai are using it as a balancing token. one, to keep them around and two, to delay the start of their side of the bargin they struck for the use of it.
the aes sedai are used to always being the most important side of any deal. in this one they came out second best, espically when the seafolks side of the deal is finished with. one of they few things keeping the seafolk inline, as the aes sedai see it, is their open desire to have the bowl and their unwillingness to do anything that would jeopardize getting it. so holding onto it keeps some parity in their relationship at least for the time being.

there are also some spoilers for the next few books why the seafolk didnt just leave with it as soon as the changes were made and had to go with elayne