It came to my attention after making this that I might have been wrong about the proportion of white ajah that become black sisters. However I don't think that changes my ranking much, I think the other reasons are strong enough to keep them in place!
I realize this comment is old, I'm new to the Wheel of Time series and came across this video and comment. I too find myself favoring the brown aija I really like how they want to know more about history and how the world works. Looking forward to learning more about them and the other aija.
@@berserkersam9118being a proud Ravenclaw and introvert myself, brown ajah is the best, followed by yellow, white, blue, green, red, grey and black respectively.
It never occurred to me before, but the comparison between the reds and corrupt cops is a really good one. I think that over time the Aes Sedai as a whole lost their way and purpose, going from "Servants of All" to having the biggest collective superiority complex than any other group of characters in the entire seties. Seriously, the 3rd Age Aes Sedai make nobility and royalty, even from other series look humble. The Amyrlyn Seat is supposed to be The Watcher of the Dlame, Keeper of the Seals, and again, by the 3rd Age they no longer have posession of the seals
Hey thanks for your comment! you pretty much sum up how I feel about the Aes Sedai in the book there. It is for that reason why I find Egwene's character arc very satisfying; watching her (as well as Nyneave) put the Aes Sedai in their place is so satisfying!
One of the browns were my favorite in the books. I loved Verin's casual matter of factness, she was always processing so much information I sometimes I wondered if she was on the spectrum, and she didnt try to be flashy with magic like the others. I hope they stay true to her character in the show
Verin is a fabulous character, but who knows if she'll appear in the show... or if she'll be anything remotely like she is in the books. I'm doubtful! :P
Verin Mathwin was brown ajah. She was caught by the black ajah and swore allegiance to the dark one, to serve the light. She represented both ajah so convincingly, she became one of my favorite characters and found redemption at the end. How awesome❤️
"...And an Amyrlin should be well armed with knowledge. That, among all things, is the most sacred duty of the Brown-to arm the world with knowledge. I’m still one of them. Please see that they know, although the word Black may brand my name forever, my soul is Brown. Tell them…" One of my absolute most favorite moments from the series.
@@Broxigar25 Agreed, Verin played her role in the black like only a brown could, sacrifice for knowledge, ultimate sacrifice. She knew what was in store for her and her soul..
I agree that the yellow ajah should be first, Nynaeve had the biggest accompaniments with helping cleanse the taint on Saidin with Rand, figuring out how to heal those that had been stilled, and even went toe to toe with one of the forsaken in terms of power but as far as Aes Sedai, there are not many yellow ajah in the series I would deem arrogant, I think that goes more to the blue ajah with their causes. Interesting ranking, I agree with 50% of it, thanks for nerding out.
Well, a ranking of a whole group or organization base on a single person or entity, seems like asking for disaster. Also, Moiraine toppled 2 Forsaken/Chosen. And Nynaeve's contributions to the healing aspects of the stilled, I really applaud her for that.
The yellows also seemed very stuck in their ways. Most of the “impossibilities” like healing madness or stilling relate back to them and were only figured out because Nynaeve was a stubborn goat.
My ranking after TarmonGaidon: 1. Red ties with Green: they have the most exp fighting powerful channelers. The Reds and Greens will also be on the frontlines to fighting and liberating the collared demane. 2. Yellow: Nyneaves discovery would also mean healing the madness in men along with people after the war. Idk if the Yellows do mental health but they will be needed for the helping the freed deman adjust to life after the collar. 3. Browns: with men being able to channel they can find forgotten weaves meant for saidin along with objects meant for men 4. Blues: there will be need of passionate women and spy networks to free the women under the demane leash 5. Greys: with the dragons peace i do not really see a need for the greys unless they want to find ways to undermine the Seanchan or find a diplomatic solution to freeing of the demane along with establishing a power vaccuum in Shara. 6. White: i dont really understand why their magic is necessary to logic and reasoning. It should be logical that there are more logical muggles and men who don’t weild saidar but are forbidden from joining the white ajah. 7. Blacks not existent.
So most of your points are good. I just think the Red shouldn't be so low. They basically did the job that was a horrible one but given the male channelers always went insane and once insane could and would destroy and kill others. The amount of lives they saved and political stability bought about by their work is clear, they were doing a job every aes sedai agreed necessary but few could do or wanted to do despite it's agreed importance. Moreover their move in later books to bond male channelers even when they didn't know/believe the source was cleansed as they thought it was the only way to protect the world (knowing they couldn't gentle so many) essentially was pretty epic especially given all the unknowns to the plan and the potential personal danger involved. Their personalities and social skills were perhaps horrible in general but I don't think personality of members was one of your criteria so this can only be judged in as much as it pertains to their inability to work with other ajahs when needed and whether this is reducing their effectiveness. So yeah just imo didn't deserve such a low ranking. If I ranked which Ajah I liked the most of course they'd be in that lower rank but can't deny the job they had, they got it done.
I really wish Robert Jordan took a more moderate approach and gave us a few reds that were actually good people. It might have been interesting to see rand interact with a red that didn’t despise him but was more of a “I understand you need to exist and we are on the same side but if you do go mad I’ll take you out because I have to not because I want to”
I personally agree with your rankings for the most part, especially Black and Red at the bottom. Green can work for more good than you mentioned due to being a sort of deterrent against the Shadow, but not enough to change it's place. I would personally switch Blue with Brown, if only because the Brown Ajah tended to record all of their findings for future generations. Due to those records, they almost get an even higher spot than that for me. Grey would be third, if only because constant meditation can lead to coddling and while meditation is highly valuable, it's rarely seen being applied in the Tower the way I would've expected. White comes in second, but that's primarily because even when, as in the case of one of the forsaken (Ishamael), whom I believe used logic to decide that the Dark One was the appropriate choice. Something about infinite chances meaning that one day he will inevitably claim victory I believe. Regardless, even when logic is used against the Light, with strong enough argument and reason, I believe most of the white who 'go astray' would be among the easiest to 'correct.' Yellow clearly wins though, by the criteria you mentioned.
Thanks for your response! You might be right about swapping Blue and Brown around. Brown have done so much in preserving history that might have otherwise been lost. Hadn't really thought about that in my original ranking. :)
Interesting -- the television show was talking about how powerful Ae Sedai are and yet at the same time, most of the world is still run by men. What fascinates me is that because Saidin was corrupted that for 400 years the users of Saidar alone would be able to specialize and create such a specialized system.
I agree except I’d put White lower- they are known to be cold and emotionless only caring about logic. They are neck and neck with Brown, IMO, and really only matter in the White Tower......... With that being said the Blue Ajah should be higher on the list. They are constantly away from the politics of the Tower and usually have a just cause that holds their commitment and fighting for it for the good of the Light is about as noble as any Aes Sedai Ajah can get (in my opinion). I’d honestly rank it Blue, Yellow, Gray, Green, Brown, Red, White, Black. But hey, that’s just me 🤪
I have to admit this was a difficult one for me to watch lol. As someone who has read the books multiple times, my list would be entirely different, even based on the same criteria. My personal list from best to worst. 1. Green Ajah 2. Yellow Ajah 3. Blue Ajah 4. Brown Ajah 5. Grey Ajah 6. White Ajah 7. Red Ajah 8. Black Ajah Anyway, im not going to go into all my reasons and arguments for each one but that would be my list. Enjoy the content however! Cheers!
The decoration of your room is exquisite. One of the best decorated ones I've seen so far on youtube. You also explain the information very well. Keep going!
For the most part, very well thought out. But I would have swapped Blue and White, having White next to Brown in usefulness. Logic/Intelligence is slightly better than Research/Knowledge IMHO but not as good as actually trying to bring Justice/fight a cause.
Ironically in order to bring justice you need knowledge and research. In order to know how to use the knowledge and research you need logic and intelligence. To cast any 1 category out or even rank them is a little obtuse.
Thank you for this video, I started watching the Amazon series and I got obsessed with the Aes Sedais, so I really needed it. Ps: I ate a MAJOR spoiler but I already suspected it, I guess I can't complain 😅 thanks for the info 🥺
The Greens don't fight in any general wars, the Oath about not using the power as a weapon against mankind would prevent that. Instead, most of them took their Warders up to the Blight to fight the Shadow there while waiting for Tarmon Gai'don. Also, Logic and Philosophy are nice, but not very useful in day to day life for most people when action is a more preferred road. So here's my ranking based on your criteria: 1) Blues (Keeping tabs on the outside world to inform the Tower of threats) 2) Green (Being ready) 3) Yellow (Obviously in a feudal world Healing is vital) 4) Brown ( Those who fail to learn from mistakes in the past are doomed to repeat them) 5) Grey (Politics in diffusing situations is all well and good, but they tend to play favorites and politics is corruption) 6) Red (They prevent the world from a second Breaking, but are blinded by their pursuit of their stated goal) 7) White ( Sorry, but I gave my reason above) 8) Black (Duh)
You said it! Working towards noble causes and defending the world-against-the dark trumps politics and theory any day. This is how I'd rank them exactly, except I'd put brown 3rd place and yellow 4th, cuz you know, though they are not skilled at it, I'm sure browns uncovered a lot of lost knowledge on healing (along with other stuff that's relevant to other ajahs) and shared them with the yellows and other sisters, cuz that's their job, and in a sense, everyone depends on this, in this age. But yeah, seriously boring only-in-theory-whites in 3rd place and can-be-any-ones-pawn-greys in 2nd place? That's stupid.
Nice video. I believe it's a valid criticism of the White Tower that the various ajahs don't do more out in the open world to help the common man. I know Aes Sedai aren't welcome everywhere but you'd think the Greens would be on the forefront of the war against the shadow, investigating rumors of Shadowspawn and Dark Friends throughout randland the moment they arise, whether that be in the two rivers or at tarwins gap, with various outposts and battle stations interspersed across the continent, as well as preparing the southern nations for the last battle and how to spot/fight Shadowspawn as opposed to letting the common man think they're nothing but fancy stories. The Browns should be all over the various academies Rand instituted, such as the one in Cairhein, or the great libraries of the world, teaching histories and studying new innovations and inventions. The Grays ought to have a dedicated, specialized Ogier ambassador/team of ambassadors, dedicated soley to maintaining and growing relations with the various Ogier groups, as well as for Aiel pre and post Aiel war as they were one of the few people allowed into the waste (let alone the sea folk of all people). The Blues should have had a special team dedicated to finding and recruiting girls from various villages and towns, actively traveling about and searching for potential new novices. The Yellows should operate a system of continent wide hospitals and clinics, working in tandem with local wise ones and healers. The Whites should be holding large, great debates and lectures in the major cities, questioning and argueing various moral dilemmas and fallacies - such as morality of the use of the Oath Rod, or inviting and debating with Tairen High Lords on the practicality/morality of banning Aes Sedai and the Power, or if southern states should be compelled to send men north to the Borderlands. The Reds have the most dangerous job of all, and are good at it - the only real criticisms there are is the fact if anyone needs multiple warders it's probably them, let alone at least one, as well as the fact they should never have stopped trying newer/better ways at handling men who can channel. I also believe they can expand their role to the study and safeguarding of the One Power itself, both Saidar and Saidin (which they are already more familiar with than the other Ajahs), policing and punishing those that would misuse the Power while working in tandem with the other Ajahs to study and develop new weaves and uses of the Power in a controlled setting when not out actively hunting male channelers. Ofc, I'm aware that Traveling wasn't available, (though they still had large and reliable systems of Eyes and Ears that could have been expanded upon if they did implement all of these continent-wide systems and reforms), their numbers are dwindling by the time of EotW, and ofc the actions of the Black Ajah have caused the Aes Sedai to bundle up in their tower and squabble over petty Ajah politics, but in general they could have had a much stronger world presence, better relations with the various nations, an increase in trust and leadership, more novices and Tower Guard army and Warder recruits, and better preparation for both Tarmon Gaidan as well as the surprise attack of the Seanchan.
I'm not sure if my read is the prevailing wisdom, but when talking about the types of people that wind up in which Ajah, well the Greens. I've always thought of them as the party people of the tower. Animal House comes to mind. Especially the prequel novel seems to set up the idea that the Ajah is filled with women who *enjoy* men. Whether that should move them up or down in the rankings (probably not further down with where you put them) is up for debate.
Awesome video mate. I’m not sure I agree with the decision to include how good or evil an Ajah is in this ranking, especially since it seems you’ve weighted that category quite heavily - though I could be wrong about that. In my opinion a better metric to include would be how effectively that ajah achieved their goals, which likely keeps yellow and grey at the top but vastly changes the rest of your list. Regardless, cool discussion that I’m 2 years late to lol
I like this video - not because I agree with your criteria and therefore your ranking, but because you represented and then attempted to solve the problem.
I agree with everything except for putting Yellow over Grey. Yes, Yellow's work is more immediate and more spectacular at times but in a world that is very disconnected their healing is most probably reaching a small amount of people only. I cannot foresee them curing a huge epidemic strictly because of the lack of communication and resources. It is not through a fault of their own, it is just where the world is at that point.
Hmmm, that is an interesting thought, and something I hadn't thought of. I am inclined to agree, especially if we take into account how few Aes Sedai there are during the books. :)
Great video! I agree with the rankings, with the exception that I would switch Green and White. I think your point on the Green Ajah makes sense, but I view that their purpose of fighting in the last battle is actually ongoing. Iirc, Green sisters make up most of the Aes Sedai fighting in the borderlands and historically fight foremost against the Shadowspawn when they invade. On top of this, sure other Ajahs fight in the last battle, but so do other Ajahs heal, negotiate, and capture rogue channellers. There is simply an Ajah that specializes for each purpose. The White Ajah is good in theory, but as you said, they are very secluded and will often focus too much on their own philosophies and logic to actually help the world in any major way. At least the browns write books and leave research for other sisters, the white becomes too focused on theory rather than practice. If you think about it, they are the only Ajah that don't actually affect the world in any substantial way. Plus, in terms of members, most Green sisters seem far more agreeable than most White sisters. Though Alviarin certainly isn't helping lol
Alviarhin (a White) was one of the highest ranked Black Ajah members and the Green Ajah are fixated on the saving the world. It was Moiraine's cause that found Rand. The Whites were too wrapped up in their philosophising. The Yellows are too spread thin to make a difference for the world and it was only until Nynaeve came along (then Damer Flinn for the Asha'man) that Healing was more than about healing injuries and sickness. I would rank it as: 1. Green, 2. Blue, 3. Yellow, 4. Grey, 5. Brown, 6. White, 7, Red, 8, Black. Red is so low because even though gentling men is their purpose, it also is kind of every sisters' duty to gentle a man and Cadsuane of the Green, holds the record for the most men gentled.
This is one of your best videos Super interesting without me having to deal with reading the whole book Also, images with voiceover’s the way to go! I can follow along sooo much better The best parts are 1st the interesting content, 2) your personal take Again, only my humble opinion and I can only tell you what appeals to me.
good point of view on the brown ajah. I was thinking about how little knowledge has been recovered since the breaking of the world, so i'm guessing the brown ajar arent doing a very good job LOL
The characterisation of the brown ajah seems a tad odd. It’s like saying there’s no point in research that doesn’t have any immediate practical implications. But without these kinds of research projects, a lot of what we take for granted would probably not exist - the internet for example was borne out of a defence research project that certainly didn’t anticipate its eventual applications that took years to materialise.
Red ajah was the most useful since their predecessors stopped the breaking of the world. They were also the most competent out of all ajah, aside from blue every other ajah was complete failures and incompetent. Greatest grey negotiator thinks her life work was failure. White do nothing. Yellow only manage something because of Nynaeve. Greens just suck. Browns were pretty useful. Tower split was struggle between blues vs reds, other ajahs failed to band together to stop their infighting.
Mad respect for Black Ajah, because of one particular character that shall remain nameless. Also whar muh Grays at? I came to really like many of the Reds in the later books like Joline, Teslyn, Pevara, Silviana.
Neat placement of the green. There could be an argument for them being higher, if they at least were prepared/constantly striving for their purpose. But, to the Captain General at the time of the ladt battle: Battle Ajah my ass. Also most outstanding members just join the Ajah judt to be able to marry their warders, not even for a particular commitment to its cause.
You need to switch the white and the green. Philosophy in logic is white elan decided to join the shadow in the first place, so you could argue it work for the dark. As far as as far as the other groups they learned all of their battle tactics from the green Aja they were the main instructors.
There is quite a difference between saying that logic and reason are important and saying that the white Ajah is important. It’s important that AES Sendai be logical and rational. But that should be more of a general philosophy(and the Aes Sendai test with the 100 weaves performed under duress suggests that all Aes Sendai are trained to make rational decisions when under pressure), rather than something that a specific subgroup focus on. If you want a group of people to focus on logic, it doesn’t really need to be a group of channelers. I have similar feelings about the Grays. It’s not clear why being a mediator is helped by channeling(assuming you aren’t using compulsion or otherwise manipulating people by channeling).
I think I have to agree with you. I do feel like Gray and Yellow are a close tie, (even if I am partial to blue). I loved Nynaeve (after book 1) and she made me love the Yellow Ajah. It's a shame that White and Gray had so little to do in the books (It's been 20 years since I've read some of the earlier books in the series though, so maybe I'm wrong.) Verin made me love the Browns.
Enjoyed your rankings with no real complaint. But I'd like to know just how the Black Ajahs were able to break their oaths. Oaths are serious things and there are bindings involved. Do dark friends have the power to break those oaths without consequences?
I find that the yellow ajah's function is very similar to green in some sense. Managing the politics and preventing wars seem like better goals than just curing people. I agree that they are exceptionally good at healing but normally all the sisters can heal to an appreciable extent which in most case is sufficient. Given that Blue ajah can play a huge role in shaping the world along with the whites and grays, I feel blue should've ascended multiple steps bringing yellow ajah lower.
I would argue that the average Aes Sedai is so self important, she can't be bothered to go out into the world and do her job whatever her Ajah says it is, but some Ajahs are definitely more slothful than others. The only ones that are shown effectively doing their job on their own initiative are the Brown, Blue, and ironically, the Red. Yellows don't regularly go out healing people, grays only get involved at the highest level of political conflicts and often fail, greens prefer sleeping with their warders over helping the Borderlanders, and the whites, well, frankly I can't remember any named whites other the Alviarin, the head of the black ajah. If they all went out and actually played their roles in wider society I would generally agree with your ranking, though I think the whites and grays could use some secondary tasks that actually make use of their magical abilities.
I would put the brown ajahs in the first place. Aes Sedai, being the cultural and political binding power within the medieval world of Wheel of Time, are not unlike the Church during the Middle Ages. I would argue that the main reason for the power of the Church at the time lied in its ability to hold a monopoly over knowledge. Its power had been built up over the centuries through cultural and eventually political dominance. The preservation of that dominance hinged on its ability to control the three pillars of civilization - written record, education, and administrative capacity. The Brown Ajah fill that role for Aes Sedai in the books. Their administrative and record-keeping capacity is the absolute condition for any kind of influence that the Aes Sedai may desire to assert. It is also a condition for their development as well. I agree with you that Yellows are, from the utilitarian standpoint, the most useful ones. However, their research and progress in healing are dependent on their access and maintenance of reliable records. As such, I would argue that their overall success is dependent on the Browns. Also, the pursuit of purely theoretical knowledge is necessary for any kind of progress. For example, Einstein did not advance physics, and technology respectively, by constantly asking about the practical applications of his field. Paradigm shifts come before the practical application of technology. Magic being the basis of Aes Sedai’s understanding and practice within the WOT world means that pure research in it has the same value. I would put the Whites in second place. Same reasons as in your classification but straightened by the fact that without their internal examination and critique, a power like Aes Sedai, would become as fanatical and extremist as the medieval Church, outstripping negatively any singular positive contributions. Third place goes to the Yellows. Same reasons. They have the most direct singular utility. Fourth place goes to the Greens. Now, you argued that diplomacy would be the main modus operandi of the Aes Sedai, but considering their unbreakable oaths, I wouldn’t consider the Grays as practically capable of effective politics. For in order to be an effective political player one would need to have the ability to freely manipulate information. Absolute candor makes for ineffective political influence I am afraid. No, I would argue that the Aes Sedai maintain political power by the magical equivalent of a cold war. Having trained individuals in the art of war that have the power to take out whole armies by themselves, or with small numbers, maintains a balance of terror between the kingdoms. As such, the very presence of the Greens, as a trained army, with no equal, makes them the cornerstone of Aes Sedai’s political power. In fifth place come the Blues. If you are maintaining political power by a passive balance of terror, having a spy network with autonomous individuals and with the ability to act according to the situation or on independent missions is not useful. It is essential. Sixth place goes to the Grays. They are the political voice of the Aes Sedai, but not the cornerstone of their political power. Seventh place goes to the Reds. They are not solving the problem with the madness in the male channelers. They are merely mitigating it by very bad and ineffective methods. Eight - The Blacks. Same reasons as you
New to the Wheel of Time world. Also just starting to read the book. Watching this, can we say that since most? all? Ajahs know how to fight, we can liken the Aes Sedai to soldiers in general, but the Greens are Seal Team 6?
Nah they shown themselves to be grossly incompetent especially during the SeanChan attack (without giving too much away), the asha’man make far better soldiers and are actually a military force. Green ajah is more like a bunch of people masquerading around as soldiers, there’s not even any military ranks in their ajah outside of the ajah head. Most Aes sedai also panic in tense situations and have limited combat experience. The Asha’man are trained to be weapons in all aspects everyone knowing basic healing, sword forms, hand to hand combat, traveling, and combat weaves. They only lack in utility training since they have such a huge focus on combat.
For me, the best ones are white and blue(love Moiraine so I’m biased) then are the yellow, the green ,grey and brown…As a man I can’t sympathise with the red Ajah . Also, I don’t really consider the black Ajah as a proper Ajah since is formed by sisters from all the colours.
I always thought the Red somewhat tragic in a way. All the colors are united in that they still want to make the world a better place but the Red’s approach is largely what left Tar Volan so distrusted and isolated from the rest of the world. The wheel weaves as the wheel weaves...
If the Red Ajah wasn’t filled with awful people, I would say they are one of the more useful Ajahs. Finding and stopping men who could potentially kill thousands is wildly important, and it is a task that stayed relevant and necessary since the founding of the White Tower. The Ajah itself gets a bad rap; the sisters of the Ajah, though…ehhhh…
Overall, I agree with most of your points, though I think the scope should include the centuries of the existence of the Aes Sedai, not just the narrow time line of the books. With that in mind, my picks: 8. Black 7. Red - agree completely 6. White - they are the smallest Ajah, what accomplishments can you really point to? 5. Green - agree with your reasoning; they’re all about something that may not happen in their lifetime 4. Blue - agree that their scope tends to be narrow and limited 3. Brown - knowledge is power. Think of all their discoveries in investigating various angreals; hugely important; agree that they tend to be aloof and not well rounded 2. Yellow - agree that healing others is important and noble, but their impact is not going to be as big as the grays; Nynaeve is just one person 1. Gray - preventing war could save thousands of lives; I agree that they’re very under appreciated
Thanks for your thoughts! I guess we are generally in agreement. I think for me with the White's, there are two things to note. First, they are one of the Ajahs that Jordan spends the least time developing, so I think my thoughts and reasoning their are more speculative and philosophical. My reasoning with the Whites is that their role is important because they are dedicated to logic and reason, whereas all the other Ajah's are committed to something a bit more concrete. So to ask, as you do "what accomplishments can you point to?" is to maybe ask the wrong question. It's more that having a sect that keeps abstract and detached can be quite a useful force within the white tower, where all the other factions are bent on their own political/social/academic agendas. I see the Whites as the one's who would walk in to a room of squabbling Ajahs and say "let's just step back, think about this rationally, and get something done". But that is speculative because Jordan doesn't give much to go on, so I am thinking more about what a sect committed to philosophy, reason and logic would do rather than what is said in the books. I hope that makes sense! :)
@@JoshuaJClarkeKelsall I suspect a bunch of squabbling Aes Sedai would be calmed more by a Grey than a White. WIth the propensity for philosophers to get lost in minutia and refusing to step beyond such things, it's more than likely the white is the cause of it. Not to mention logic and reason can easily lead to extremely immoral decisions, or even blindness to certain things. The white Ajah would fall prey to all the same trappings philosophers do in the modern era. Likely always arguing over minutia, like "What is a chair?" And likely wording and publishing things so dense or obfuscated it makes little difference on the overall world. Most of the philosophies and ideas discussed in setting come from people like Artur Hawking and not the White Ajah. I would see them more as a department in a university on life support from more useful departments. xD But, as mentioned we can only speculate as we don't see many of them. Greys and Yellows definitely belong on top though. Considering how much of a powder keg the Westlands are the Greys do a very good job.
Interesting argument. I would like to point out a few thoughts that should be considered for the overall usefulness of each Ajah. The Green are often found fighting in the Blight, helping to keep Trollocs, Shades and the other nasties from sweeping out in great numbers. How many people refused to even believe that these creatures existed? The Green have been fighting since the Breaking, even as they prepare for the Last Battle. The Gray Ajah seem to me as a far lower necessity in the order. Yes they mediate and strive for peace, yet in the books they rarely have an effect greater than any other Aes Sedai when dealing with rulers. Once the ring is seen, everyone usually jumps regardless of the Ajah. Like the Grays, the White Ajah has little impact on events that other Ajah's can't do. Whites dedication to logic has shown to be more close minded than open in several instances, refusing to accept possibilities that don't have what they consider enough facts. This can leave them still evaluating instead of acting. Overall each Ajah has it's place and is important. Some are needed to maintain or improve the world. Others to defend and protect. Even though every Ajah has it's purposes and goals, the individuals in each Ajah are complex and can find themselves completely at odds with another woman in their Ajah. I found myself thoroughly enjoying the moment that an Aes Sedai character finds herself questioning the traditions of her Ajah and grows beyond the limits that have become self imposed. Such as when a Red wonders if having a Warder wouldn't make her job easier. Regardless, these are just my thoughts and opinions. The best part of reading this series is having these discussions with others who are just as passionate about it as myself. Keep up the good work!
my ranking: 1. Blue, justice, righteousness, tact, informative. ask yourself: what would have happen if a white rather got the info about the Dragon's reborn? 2.Green: keeping trollocs backs and keeping hope for humanity that they should not be swallowed in blight. 3. Red: though hated and unlikable, they did what needed doing. have u read little history about the breaking? 4. Brown: Knowledge powers the tower, discoveries and reading patterns are important. 5. Yellow: Health is important, every ajah can heal a little, but what they do are good. 6. Gray: the blues even pioneered this area, and does a more effective work.. But the grays skills are still needful. 7. White: was that logic been useful in any way? 8. Black: at least, they were effective in what they did, though bad. if not that it was evil, i'd place them before white.
My ranking: Blue Arja - Righteous causes and justice. Gray Arja - Politics & mediators, uphold the law. Yellow Arja - Healers Green Arja - Battle Arja. Prepared for the last battle. Family sorts. Brown Arja - Scholars & Administration. White Arja - Philosophers, detached from the world. Red Arja - Hunts down make channelers. Arrogant, misanthropic. Black Arja - Servants of the Dark One
I agree with almost all except I'd switch white with blue. Without logic and reason and leadership, all the other Ajah will seek more power without proper guidance and order, thus, the white tower will crumble.
Hmmmm. I’d put white down the list. Sound like they’re more like an administration that’s never worked in the field or have an real experience. It’ll sound good until you have to apply it in the field. Take an engineer who’s never walked the floor to see the products being made. Now ask the manufacturer and see what he says. Idk. Just a thought
I believe that the Whites are one of the worst ajas as they are often cold and distant. And that as you said war is bad, however sometimes it is unfortunately necessary too especially in this world such as during the Trolloc Wars or shadowspawn incursions
Isn’t the blue ajah the least populous with black sisters only surpassed by the yellow ajah? With that being said, Moiraine does a significant amount of representation of the ajah thay is not really seen elsewhere.
BIAS! Hahaha. The Whites are the smallest Ajah tho. Don't forget that before the Last Battle, there are constant fighting at the Borderlands. Shienar, Arafel, can't remember the rest are where most Green sister stay. They are generals as well. Any trips to the Blight must have the Greens. And politics is more Blue than Grey. The Grey are literal lawyers
I think it's clear this has to do with your own subjective values. RAND and Perrin, and Mat would be green if they were women who could channel, right? Greens fight dark friends and not just at the last battle. Blues have missions and I value that.
Wouldn't Rand be Blue then, he has one mission and then he plans on dying. He truly treats it more like a mission than a "fight against the Darkness" way of life.
Interesting question! I would say that logic is to do with reasoning and deduction, whereas knowledge is about having accurate judgements. We can use logic to arrive at knowledge about the world, but logic itself isn't knowledge, it's just a process of reasoning which can help us attain knowledge. Hope that answers your question. :)
The Ajahs would be all great if they had better communication and cooperation between them. Browns and Whites working together would create profound knowledge generation and be for the betterment of society for example.
It seems like the green doesn't actually spend time fighting trollocs. For example in the first book we see no aes sedai at tarwin's gap even though the green should really be there, especially considering that the forces of the light were about to loose before rand saved the day.
One of my biggest complaints about the series is how poorly the aes sedai are utilized in the world. For example, why are there never any green sisters fighting back the blight in the borderlands? Why does Morgaze have an aes sedai advisor from the red ajah instead of the gray? I think we meet three people who have aes sedai advisors and all their advisors are not from the gray ajah. Why do yellows not travel the world healing people? Why do we never run into any other blues trying to accomplish their goals? The only ajah we really ever see actually going out into the world and doing their job are the reds. I wish we could have seen the ajahs do more.
I would agree with you there. In fact, that's part of the reason why in my ranking there is a bit of speculation about what roles the Ajah would play in the world, rather than going purely on book. Thanks for your comment! :)
What does the one power give to the white ajah that makes it different from the say regular philosophers? ie. Why doesnt the white ajah have regular ppl as members?
I would say that given their experience with the One Power and their connection to magic, they have a metaphysical insight that normies probably don't have, and given how important the magic system is to the world, I'd say that that is pretty important.
I always pictured the White Tower - and by extension the Ajahs - as a giant dysfunctional machine that had utterly failed due to stagnation. The Red Ajah have allowed their emotional hang-ups to blind them. They treat a symptom(gentling individual men who can channel) instead of the disease(the Taint). The Blues have ignored a cause that would have benefited from their attention. Simply... the White Tower has been losing numbers for a long time. What if the Blues had -as a group - tried to fix this. We know from the author that in modern day Randland, approximately 1% of the population can learn to channel. And, Tar Valan is a city of 500,000 people. Assuming these numbers... that means 5,000 people in the city could learn to channel. Assuming a 50/50 split(which I wouldn't**), this means that if they tested every girl and woman in Tar Valan, they would likely need to build three more Novice wings(which hold 400 girls each) just to fit everyone. Of course, you end up taking those people out of the breeding population. So... up sides and down sides, I guess. The Browns are interested in knowledge. Good for them. I approve of this. What I don't approve of is that they don't share it with anyone... as far as we know. Not once to we hear of a school financed by the Tower to spread the knowledge they've gathered. The Grey... I actually have the least criticism of. They're kinda doing their job acceptably for the most part. The Yellow. My disappointment with them is similar to the Browns. Why are there no hospitals that have been around for hundreds or a thousand years? If they'd been in the populous doing healing people for that long, there would probably have been more trust towards Aes Sedai. Plus, life in general would be better for more people. Green - Why isn't there just a bare skeleton crew of Greens at the Tower at all times? Why aren't the majority of them up in the Blight honing their skills against Trolluks(spelling?)? Again, this would increase good will towards the Aes Sedai. The White Ajah has... I fear... failed the most in this regard. Their duty was to ask the hard questions without letting emotion cloud their judgement. They should have pointed all of these things out before they became a problem. **I would guess the distribution would favor men. So... maybe they'd find AT MINIMUM 800 girls? That's assuming a massive swing in favor of more men having the ability than women, though.
I dont think a "tier ranking" of the Ajas is the best way to address this. its just TOO subjective having said that nice vid and your entitled to your oppinion.
I would put the gray as 1 and yellow as second for one reason. Without the political work of the Grays, the yellow ajah would not be able to move so freely outside of Tar Valon.
I think that the show never really shows that the Aes Sedai where both men and women. Men only became destructive due to the spoiling and smudging of Saideen by the dark one.
@@nerdzone I think part of the problem is we really didn't get much of that from them in the books. It was almost unclear what their ajah did other than devote themselves to pure logic.
@@nerdzone I wouldn't describe philosophers as all being necessarily white ajahs. I'd say blue ajahs with their whole justice-idealism are just as philosophical only more active.
Frankly anyone can be a philosopher so it felt irrelevant to channeling. IMO Jordan should have gotten rid of that ajah or made it the color of the Amyrilin since white light is all colors.
![Ranking My Least Favorite Tropes [CC]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/6wC3qrYAHV0/mqdefault.jpg)
It came to my attention after making this that I might have been wrong about the proportion of white ajah that become black sisters. However I don't think that changes my ranking much, I think the other reasons are strong enough to keep them in place!
I appreciate the small touches with the candles in the background symbolling the Ajahs branches. Make honest review of the TV show pls.
Just so you know. I see what you did with your candles !!!
Hehe! ;)
@@JoshuaJClarkeKelsall And by the way my dude your video was in my recommended !!!
@@fast.food.ninjalarry954 Awesome!
He is short one candle, u less you count the Black. Then, he is short 2 candles.
As a PhD student in history, brown Ajah is clearly superior. (I’m being super biased) great work. I’m throughly enjoyed this!
~adjusts her brown shawl with a sniff~ Blood and ashes I agree with you!
I realize this comment is old, I'm new to the Wheel of Time series and came across this video and comment. I too find myself favoring the brown aija I really like how they want to know more about history and how the world works. Looking forward to learning more about them and the other aija.
@@berserkersam9118being a proud Ravenclaw and introvert myself, brown ajah is the best, followed by yellow, white, blue, green, red, grey and black respectively.
@@SensitiveMetal Exactly ! add waterbending too
im brown too!
It never occurred to me before, but the comparison between the reds and corrupt cops is a really good one. I think that over time the Aes Sedai as a whole lost their way and purpose, going from "Servants of All" to having the biggest collective superiority complex than any other group of characters in the entire seties. Seriously, the 3rd Age Aes Sedai make nobility and royalty, even from other series look humble. The Amyrlyn Seat is supposed to be The Watcher of the Dlame, Keeper of the Seals, and again, by the 3rd Age they no longer have posession of the seals
Hey thanks for your comment! you pretty much sum up how I feel about the Aes Sedai in the book there. It is for that reason why I find Egwene's character arc very satisfying; watching her (as well as Nyneave) put the Aes Sedai in their place is so satisfying!
One of the browns were my favorite in the books. I loved Verin's casual matter of factness, she was always processing so much information I sometimes I wondered if she was on the spectrum, and she didnt try to be flashy with magic like the others. I hope they stay true to her character in the show
Verin is a fabulous character, but who knows if she'll appear in the show... or if she'll be anything remotely like she is in the books. I'm doubtful! :P
i love her in season 2! the acting is spot on
@pluckybellhop66
They did
Verin Mathwin was brown ajah. She was caught by the black ajah and swore allegiance to the dark one, to serve the light. She represented both ajah so convincingly, she became one of my favorite characters and found redemption at the end. How awesome❤️
"...And an Amyrlin should be well armed with knowledge. That, among all things, is the most sacred duty of the Brown-to arm the world with knowledge. I’m still one of them. Please see that they know, although the word Black may brand my name forever, my soul is Brown. Tell them…"
One of my absolute most favorite moments from the series.
@@Broxigar25 💯agree
@@Broxigar25 Agreed, Verin played her role in the black like only a brown could, sacrifice for knowledge, ultimate sacrifice. She knew what was in store for her and her soul..
Should have just given a thumbs up, but it was Verin
@@RedmanLew Verin is well loved, I’m sure. Her character arc generated a permanent memory for me.
I agree that the yellow ajah should be first, Nynaeve had the biggest accompaniments with helping cleanse the taint on Saidin with Rand, figuring out how to heal those that had been stilled, and even went toe to toe with one of the forsaken in terms of power but as far as Aes Sedai, there are not many yellow ajah in the series I would deem arrogant, I think that goes more to the blue ajah with their causes.
Interesting ranking, I agree with 50% of it, thanks for nerding out.
Ya that's the thing. It's only her. One person not others. Without her the yellows ate nothing
Well, a ranking of a whole group or organization base on a single person or entity, seems like asking for disaster.
Also, Moiraine toppled 2 Forsaken/Chosen.
And Nynaeve's contributions to the healing aspects of the stilled, I really applaud her for that.
The yellows also seemed very stuck in their ways. Most of the “impossibilities” like healing madness or stilling relate back to them and were only figured out because Nynaeve was a stubborn goat.
My ranking after TarmonGaidon:
1. Red ties with Green: they have the most exp fighting powerful channelers. The Reds and Greens will also be on the frontlines to fighting and liberating the collared demane.
2. Yellow: Nyneaves discovery would also mean healing the madness in men along with people after the war. Idk if the Yellows do mental health but they will be needed for the helping the freed deman adjust to life after the collar.
3. Browns: with men being able to channel they can find forgotten weaves meant for saidin along with objects meant for men
4. Blues: there will be need of passionate women and spy networks to free the women under the demane leash
5. Greys: with the dragons peace i do not really see a need for the greys unless they want to find ways to undermine the Seanchan or find a diplomatic solution to freeing of the demane along with establishing a power vaccuum in Shara.
6. White: i dont really understand why their magic is necessary to logic and reasoning. It should be logical that there are more logical muggles and men who don’t weild saidar but are forbidden from joining the white ajah.
7. Blacks not existent.
So most of your points are good. I just think the Red shouldn't be so low. They basically did the job that was a horrible one but given the male channelers always went insane and once insane could and would destroy and kill others. The amount of lives they saved and political stability bought about by their work is clear, they were doing a job every aes sedai agreed necessary but few could do or wanted to do despite it's agreed importance. Moreover their move in later books to bond male channelers even when they didn't know/believe the source was cleansed as they thought it was the only way to protect the world (knowing they couldn't gentle so many) essentially was pretty epic especially given all the unknowns to the plan and the potential personal danger involved.
Their personalities and social skills were perhaps horrible in general but I don't think personality of members was one of your criteria so this can only be judged in as much as it pertains to their inability to work with other ajahs when needed and whether this is reducing their effectiveness. So yeah just imo didn't deserve such a low ranking. If I ranked which Ajah I liked the most of course they'd be in that lower rank but can't deny the job they had, they got it done.
okay but how would you justify putting them above any of the others. (excluding black of course)
I really wish Robert Jordan took a more moderate approach and gave us a few reds that were actually good people. It might have been interesting to see rand interact with a red that didn’t despise him but was more of a “I understand you need to exist and we are on the same side but if you do go mad I’ll take you out because I have to not because I want to”
@@jasonbrody8724 He did. They were present when they were hunting the black sisters in the tower. It's been years so I forget their names.
Don't forget two Red Amerlyns, one of which caused the death of manetherine because she was a petty child.
@@notadog4194 yeah im sure there were some but kindof minor characters. And yeah its been so long since my last read I wasn’t sure
Green ajah held it down during the trolloc wars.
Aye I suppose they did, credit where it's due!
Unfortunately not during the part where the people went to the tower. Just incase anybody hasn't read that part i keep it vague
I personally agree with your rankings for the most part, especially Black and Red at the bottom. Green can work for more good than you mentioned due to being a sort of deterrent against the Shadow, but not enough to change it's place. I would personally switch Blue with Brown, if only because the Brown Ajah tended to record all of their findings for future generations. Due to those records, they almost get an even higher spot than that for me. Grey would be third, if only because constant meditation can lead to coddling and while meditation is highly valuable, it's rarely seen being applied in the Tower the way I would've expected. White comes in second, but that's primarily because even when, as in the case of one of the forsaken (Ishamael), whom I believe used logic to decide that the Dark One was the appropriate choice. Something about infinite chances meaning that one day he will inevitably claim victory I believe. Regardless, even when logic is used against the Light, with strong enough argument and reason, I believe most of the white who 'go astray' would be among the easiest to 'correct.' Yellow clearly wins though, by the criteria you mentioned.
Thanks for your response! You might be right about swapping Blue and Brown around. Brown have done so much in preserving history that might have otherwise been lost. Hadn't really thought about that in my original ranking. :)
Interesting -- the television show was talking about how powerful Ae Sedai are and yet at the same time, most of the world is still run by men. What fascinates me is that because Saidin was corrupted that for 400 years the users of Saidar alone would be able to specialize and create such a specialized system.
Good point, you would expect more matriarchal societies…noting that some of the most powerful Kingdoms and Empires in the world are ruled by Women
I agree except I’d put White lower- they are known to be cold and emotionless only caring about logic. They are neck and neck with Brown, IMO, and really only matter in the White Tower......... With that being said the Blue Ajah should be higher on the list. They are constantly away from the politics of the Tower and usually have a just cause that holds their commitment and fighting for it for the good of the Light is about as noble as any Aes Sedai Ajah can get (in my opinion). I’d honestly rank it Blue, Yellow, Gray, Green, Brown, Red, White, Black. But hey, that’s just me 🤪
Definitely agree with this ranking
Agreed
I'd still put white a bit higher. Without logic and reason, all the other ajah will crumble without leadership because they are all so different.
I have to admit this was a difficult one for me to watch lol. As someone who has read the books multiple times, my list would be entirely different, even based on the same criteria. My personal list from best to worst.
1. Green Ajah
2. Yellow Ajah
3. Blue Ajah
4. Brown Ajah
5. Grey Ajah
6. White Ajah
7. Red Ajah
8. Black Ajah
Anyway, im not going to go into all my reasons and arguments for each one but that would be my list. Enjoy the content however! Cheers!
The decoration of your room is exquisite. One of the best decorated ones I've seen so far on youtube. You also explain the information very well. Keep going!
Thanks so much 😊
For the most part, very well thought out. But I would have swapped Blue and White, having White next to Brown in usefulness. Logic/Intelligence is slightly better than Research/Knowledge IMHO but not as good as actually trying to bring Justice/fight a cause.
Ironically in order to bring justice you need knowledge and research. In order to know how to use the knowledge and research you need logic and intelligence. To cast any 1 category out or even rank them is a little obtuse.
Thank you for this video, I started watching the Amazon series and I got obsessed with the Aes Sedais, so I really needed it.
Ps: I ate a MAJOR spoiler but I already suspected it, I guess I can't complain 😅 thanks for the info 🥺
Idk how the algorithm knew but I was wondering about the ajah after this weeks episode and bam here you are ranking and explaining them. Great stuff!
Google is watching you! :P
@@JoshuaJClarkeKelsall oh boy let’s hope they aren’t watching everything 😬👀
The Greens don't fight in any general wars, the Oath about not using the power as a weapon against mankind would prevent that. Instead, most of them took their Warders up to the Blight to fight the Shadow there while waiting for Tarmon Gai'don. Also, Logic and Philosophy are nice, but not very useful in day to day life for most people when action is a more preferred road.
So here's my ranking based on your criteria:
1) Blues (Keeping tabs on the outside world to inform the Tower of threats)
2) Green (Being ready)
3) Yellow (Obviously in a feudal world Healing is vital)
4) Brown ( Those who fail to learn from mistakes in the past are doomed to repeat them)
5) Grey (Politics in diffusing situations is all well and good, but they tend to play favorites and politics is corruption)
6) Red (They prevent the world from a second Breaking, but are blinded by their pursuit of their stated goal)
7) White ( Sorry, but I gave my reason above)
8) Black (Duh)
You said it! Working towards noble causes and defending the world-against-the dark trumps politics and theory any day. This is how I'd rank them exactly, except I'd put brown 3rd place and yellow 4th, cuz you know, though they are not skilled at it, I'm sure browns uncovered a lot of lost knowledge on healing (along with other stuff that's relevant to other ajahs) and shared them with the yellows and other sisters, cuz that's their job, and in a sense, everyone depends on this, in this age. But yeah, seriously boring only-in-theory-whites in 3rd place and can-be-any-ones-pawn-greys in 2nd place? That's stupid.
Nice video. I believe it's a valid criticism of the White Tower that the various ajahs don't do more out in the open world to help the common man. I know Aes Sedai aren't welcome everywhere but you'd think the Greens would be on the forefront of the war against the shadow, investigating rumors of Shadowspawn and Dark Friends throughout randland the moment they arise, whether that be in the two rivers or at tarwins gap, with various outposts and battle stations interspersed across the continent, as well as preparing the southern nations for the last battle and how to spot/fight Shadowspawn as opposed to letting the common man think they're nothing but fancy stories. The Browns should be all over the various academies Rand instituted, such as the one in Cairhein, or the great libraries of the world, teaching histories and studying new innovations and inventions. The Grays ought to have a dedicated, specialized Ogier ambassador/team of ambassadors, dedicated soley to maintaining and growing relations with the various Ogier groups, as well as for Aiel pre and post Aiel war as they were one of the few people allowed into the waste (let alone the sea folk of all people). The Blues should have had a special team dedicated to finding and recruiting girls from various villages and towns, actively traveling about and searching for potential new novices. The Yellows should operate a system of continent wide hospitals and clinics, working in tandem with local wise ones and healers. The Whites should be holding large, great debates and lectures in the major cities, questioning and argueing various moral dilemmas and fallacies - such as morality of the use of the Oath Rod, or inviting and debating with Tairen High Lords on the practicality/morality of banning Aes Sedai and the Power, or if southern states should be compelled to send men north to the Borderlands. The Reds have the most dangerous job of all, and are good at it - the only real criticisms there are is the fact if anyone needs multiple warders it's probably them, let alone at least one, as well as the fact they should never have stopped trying newer/better ways at handling men who can channel. I also believe they can expand their role to the study and safeguarding of the One Power itself, both Saidar and Saidin (which they are already more familiar with than the other Ajahs), policing and punishing those that would misuse the Power while working in tandem with the other Ajahs to study and develop new weaves and uses of the Power in a controlled setting when not out actively hunting male channelers.
Ofc, I'm aware that Traveling wasn't available, (though they still had large and reliable systems of Eyes and Ears that could have been expanded upon if they did implement all of these continent-wide systems and reforms), their numbers are dwindling by the time of EotW, and ofc the actions of the Black Ajah have caused the Aes Sedai to bundle up in their tower and squabble over petty Ajah politics, but in general they could have had a much stronger world presence, better relations with the various nations, an increase in trust and leadership, more novices and Tower Guard army and Warder recruits, and better preparation for both Tarmon Gaidan as well as the surprise attack of the Seanchan.
The problem is the Aes Sedan stopped being "Servants of All" and serving their own self interests.
I love the candles. Such an amazing touch :)
This was very good. Thank you
Good luck with your channel.
Forget Ajahs, I would like to bond @Joshua J Clarke-Kelsall as my Warder.
I'm not sure if my read is the prevailing wisdom, but when talking about the types of people that wind up in which Ajah, well the Greens. I've always thought of them as the party people of the tower. Animal House comes to mind. Especially the prequel novel seems to set up the idea that the Ajah is filled with women who *enjoy* men. Whether that should move them up or down in the rankings (probably not further down with where you put them) is up for debate.
Criteria for green ajah: u wan sum fuk?
Awesome video mate. I’m not sure I agree with the decision to include how good or evil an Ajah is in this ranking, especially since it seems you’ve weighted that category quite heavily - though I could be wrong about that. In my opinion a better metric to include would be how effectively that ajah achieved their goals, which likely keeps yellow and grey at the top but vastly changes the rest of your list. Regardless, cool discussion that I’m 2 years late to lol
Since I'm a therapist, I liked that my Ajah, the Yellow, came out on top. ;)
I like this video - not because I agree with your criteria and therefore your ranking, but because you represented and then attempted to solve the problem.
I appreciate your take on how you would rank them, regardless of my order. Happy Holidays!
Too bad the Green Ajah doesn't set up "chapter houses" in the borderlands. They could do a lot of good in keeping back the blight
I just finished the books! Have been waiting a WHILE to watch this video
Hope you liked it, and well done for finishing all those books!
Very well explained, I actually agree with you in the same exact order, very well done!
I agree with everything except for putting Yellow over Grey. Yes, Yellow's work is more immediate and more spectacular at times but in a world that is very disconnected their healing is most probably reaching a small amount of people only. I cannot foresee them curing a huge epidemic strictly because of the lack of communication and resources. It is not through a fault of their own, it is just where the world is at that point.
Hmmm, that is an interesting thought, and something I hadn't thought of. I am inclined to agree, especially if we take into account how few Aes Sedai there are during the books. :)
Great video! I agree with the rankings, with the exception that I would switch Green and White. I think your point on the Green Ajah makes sense, but I view that their purpose of fighting in the last battle is actually ongoing. Iirc, Green sisters make up most of the Aes Sedai fighting in the borderlands and historically fight foremost against the Shadowspawn when they invade. On top of this, sure other Ajahs fight in the last battle, but so do other Ajahs heal, negotiate, and capture rogue channellers. There is simply an Ajah that specializes for each purpose. The White Ajah is good in theory, but as you said, they are very secluded and will often focus too much on their own philosophies and logic to actually help the world in any major way. At least the browns write books and leave research for other sisters, the white becomes too focused on theory rather than practice. If you think about it, they are the only Ajah that don't actually affect the world in any substantial way. Plus, in terms of members, most Green sisters seem far more agreeable than most White sisters. Though Alviarin certainly isn't helping lol
Alviarhin (a White) was one of the highest ranked Black Ajah members and the Green Ajah are fixated on the saving the world. It was Moiraine's cause that found Rand. The Whites were too wrapped up in their philosophising. The Yellows are too spread thin to make a difference for the world and it was only until Nynaeve came along (then Damer Flinn for the Asha'man) that Healing was more than about healing injuries and sickness.
I would rank it as: 1. Green, 2. Blue, 3. Yellow, 4. Grey, 5. Brown, 6. White, 7, Red, 8, Black. Red is so low because even though gentling men is their purpose, it also is kind of every sisters' duty to gentle a man and Cadsuane of the Green, holds the record for the most men gentled.
This is one of your best videos
Super interesting without me having to deal with reading the whole book
Also, images with voiceover’s the way to go!
I can follow along sooo much better
The best parts are 1st the interesting content, 2) your personal take
Again, only my humble opinion and I can only tell you what appeals to me.
good point of view on the brown ajah. I was thinking about how little knowledge has been recovered since the breaking of the world, so i'm guessing the brown ajar arent doing a very good job LOL
The characterisation of the brown ajah seems a tad odd. It’s like saying there’s no point in research that doesn’t have any immediate practical implications. But without these kinds of research projects, a lot of what we take for granted would probably not exist - the internet for example was borne out of a defence research project that certainly didn’t anticipate its eventual applications that took years to materialise.
Red ajah was the most useful since their predecessors stopped the breaking of the world. They were also the most competent out of all ajah, aside from blue every other ajah was complete failures and incompetent. Greatest grey negotiator thinks her life work was failure. White do nothing. Yellow only manage something because of Nynaeve. Greens just suck. Browns were pretty useful. Tower split was struggle between blues vs reds, other ajahs failed to band together to stop their infighting.
Ya i agree and i have seen that all male fans gaye the reds🤭🤭🤭
Well the feelings are mutual
I think you shortchange Blue. Blue is about a cause and for the tower not to have a cause is to say it doesn't have a purpose. That's significant.
Mad respect for Black Ajah, because of one particular character that shall remain nameless. Also whar muh Grays at? I came to really like many of the Reds in the later books like Joline, Teslyn, Pevara, Silviana.
Neat placement of the green. There could be an argument for them being higher, if they at least were prepared/constantly striving for their purpose. But, to the Captain General at the time of the ladt battle: Battle Ajah my ass.
Also most outstanding members just join the Ajah judt to be able to marry their warders, not even for a particular commitment to its cause.
You need to switch the white and the green. Philosophy in logic is white elan decided to join the shadow in the first place, so you could argue it work for the dark. As far as as far as the other groups they learned all of their battle tactics from the green Aja they were the main instructors.
There is quite a difference between saying that logic and reason are important and saying that the white Ajah is important. It’s important that AES Sendai be logical and rational. But that should be more of a general philosophy(and the Aes Sendai test with the 100 weaves performed under duress suggests that all Aes Sendai are trained to make rational decisions when under pressure), rather than something that a specific subgroup focus on. If you want a group of people to focus on logic, it doesn’t really need to be a group of channelers.
I have similar feelings about the Grays. It’s not clear why being a mediator is helped by channeling(assuming you aren’t using compulsion or otherwise manipulating people by channeling).
I think I have to agree with you. I do feel like Gray and Yellow are a close tie, (even if I am partial to blue).
I loved Nynaeve (after book 1) and she made me love the Yellow Ajah.
It's a shame that White and Gray had so little to do in the books (It's been 20 years since I've read some of the earlier books in the series though, so maybe I'm wrong.)
Verin made me love the Browns.
Yeah it is a same that some of the Ajahs are massively under developed in comparison to the others so you have to fill in the gaps a lot with them.
Enjoyed your rankings with no real complaint. But I'd like to know just how the Black Ajahs were able to break their oaths. Oaths are serious things and there are bindings involved. Do dark friends have the power to break those oaths without consequences?
All to be revealed! Wouldn't want to spoil it, but glad you enjoyed the video.
Watching this After watching the live action Amazon prime series,Great!!
Really great video.
I find that the yellow ajah's function is very similar to green in some sense. Managing the politics and preventing wars seem like better goals than just curing people. I agree that they are exceptionally good at healing but normally all the sisters can heal to an appreciable extent which in most case is sufficient. Given that Blue ajah can play a huge role in shaping the world along with the whites and grays, I feel blue should've ascended multiple steps bringing yellow ajah lower.
I would argue that the average Aes Sedai is so self important, she can't be bothered to go out into the world and do her job whatever her Ajah says it is, but some Ajahs are definitely more slothful than others. The only ones that are shown effectively doing their job on their own initiative are the Brown, Blue, and ironically, the Red. Yellows don't regularly go out healing people, grays only get involved at the highest level of political conflicts and often fail, greens prefer sleeping with their warders over helping the Borderlanders, and the whites, well, frankly I can't remember any named whites other the Alviarin, the head of the black ajah. If they all went out and actually played their roles in wider society I would generally agree with your ranking, though I think the whites and grays could use some secondary tasks that actually make use of their magical abilities.
I would put the brown ajahs in the first place. Aes Sedai, being the cultural and political binding power within the medieval world of Wheel of Time, are not unlike the Church during the Middle Ages. I would argue that the main reason for the power of the Church at the time lied in its ability to hold a monopoly over knowledge. Its power had been built up over the centuries through cultural and eventually political dominance. The preservation of that dominance hinged on its ability to control the three pillars of civilization - written record, education, and administrative capacity. The Brown Ajah fill that role for Aes Sedai in the books. Their administrative and record-keeping capacity is the absolute condition for any kind of influence that the Aes Sedai may desire to assert. It is also a condition for their development as well. I agree with you that Yellows are, from the utilitarian standpoint, the most useful ones. However, their research and progress in healing are dependent on their access and maintenance of reliable records. As such, I would argue that their overall success is dependent on the Browns. Also, the pursuit of purely theoretical knowledge is necessary for any kind of progress. For example, Einstein did not advance physics, and technology respectively, by constantly asking about the practical applications of his field. Paradigm shifts come before the practical application of technology. Magic being the basis of Aes Sedai’s understanding and practice within the WOT world means that pure research in it has the same value.
I would put the Whites in second place. Same reasons as in your classification but straightened by the fact that without their internal examination and critique, a power like Aes Sedai, would become as fanatical and extremist as the medieval Church, outstripping negatively any singular positive contributions.
Third place goes to the Yellows. Same reasons. They have the most direct singular utility.
Fourth place goes to the Greens. Now, you argued that diplomacy would be the main modus operandi of the Aes Sedai, but considering their unbreakable oaths, I wouldn’t consider the Grays as practically capable of effective politics. For in order to be an effective political player one would need to have the ability to freely manipulate information. Absolute candor makes for ineffective political influence I am afraid. No, I would argue that the Aes Sedai maintain political power by the magical equivalent of a cold war. Having trained individuals in the art of war that have the power to take out whole armies by themselves, or with small numbers, maintains a balance of terror between the kingdoms. As such, the very presence of the Greens, as a trained army, with no equal, makes them the cornerstone of Aes Sedai’s political power.
In fifth place come the Blues. If you are maintaining political power by a passive balance of terror, having a spy network with autonomous individuals and with the ability to act according to the situation or on independent missions is not useful. It is essential.
Sixth place goes to the Grays. They are the political voice of the Aes Sedai, but not the cornerstone of their political power.
Seventh place goes to the Reds. They are not solving the problem with the madness in the male channelers. They are merely mitigating it by very bad and ineffective methods.
Eight - The Blacks. Same reasons as you
New to the Wheel of Time world. Also just starting to read the book. Watching this, can we say that since most? all? Ajahs know how to fight, we can liken the Aes Sedai to soldiers in general, but the Greens are Seal Team 6?
Nah they shown themselves to be grossly incompetent especially during the SeanChan attack (without giving too much away), the asha’man make far better soldiers and are actually a military force. Green ajah is more like a bunch of people masquerading around as soldiers, there’s not even any military ranks in their ajah outside of the ajah head. Most Aes sedai also panic in tense situations and have limited combat experience. The Asha’man are trained to be weapons in all aspects everyone knowing basic healing, sword forms, hand to hand combat, traveling, and combat weaves. They only lack in utility training since they have such a huge focus on combat.
For me, the best ones are white and blue(love Moiraine so I’m biased) then are the yellow, the green ,grey and brown…As a man I can’t sympathise with the red Ajah . Also, I don’t really consider the black Ajah as a proper Ajah since is formed by sisters from all the colours.
I always thought the Red somewhat tragic in a way. All the colors are united in that they still want to make the world a better place but the Red’s approach is largely what left Tar Volan so distrusted and isolated from the rest of the world. The wheel weaves as the wheel weaves...
Excellent point! I have to say, in terms of looking past the events in the novel, I am most interested to see how the Reds reinvent themselves.
If the Red Ajah wasn’t filled with awful people, I would say they are one of the more useful Ajahs. Finding and stopping men who could potentially kill thousands is wildly important, and it is a task that stayed relevant and necessary since the founding of the White Tower. The Ajah itself gets a bad rap; the sisters of the Ajah, though…ehhhh…
Overall, I agree with most of your points, though I think the scope should include the centuries of the existence of the Aes Sedai, not just the narrow time line of the books. With that in mind, my picks:
8. Black
7. Red - agree completely
6. White - they are the smallest Ajah, what accomplishments can you really point to?
5. Green - agree with your reasoning; they’re all about something that may not happen in their lifetime
4. Blue - agree that their scope tends to be narrow and limited
3. Brown - knowledge is power. Think of all their discoveries in investigating various angreals; hugely important; agree that they tend to be aloof and not well rounded
2. Yellow - agree that healing others is important and noble, but their impact is not going to be as big as the grays; Nynaeve is just one person
1. Gray - preventing war could save thousands of lives; I agree that they’re very under appreciated
Thanks for your thoughts! I guess we are generally in agreement. I think for me with the White's, there are two things to note. First, they are one of the Ajahs that Jordan spends the least time developing, so I think my thoughts and reasoning their are more speculative and philosophical. My reasoning with the Whites is that their role is important because they are dedicated to logic and reason, whereas all the other Ajah's are committed to something a bit more concrete. So to ask, as you do "what accomplishments can you point to?" is to maybe ask the wrong question. It's more that having a sect that keeps abstract and detached can be quite a useful force within the white tower, where all the other factions are bent on their own political/social/academic agendas.
I see the Whites as the one's who would walk in to a room of squabbling Ajahs and say "let's just step back, think about this rationally, and get something done". But that is speculative because Jordan doesn't give much to go on, so I am thinking more about what a sect committed to philosophy, reason and logic would do rather than what is said in the books.
I hope that makes sense! :)
@@JoshuaJClarkeKelsall I suspect a bunch of squabbling Aes Sedai would be calmed more by a Grey than a White. WIth the propensity for philosophers to get lost in minutia and refusing to step beyond such things, it's more than likely the white is the cause of it. Not to mention logic and reason can easily lead to extremely immoral decisions, or even blindness to certain things. The white Ajah would fall prey to all the same trappings philosophers do in the modern era. Likely always arguing over minutia, like "What is a chair?" And likely wording and publishing things so dense or obfuscated it makes little difference on the overall world. Most of the philosophies and ideas discussed in setting come from people like Artur Hawking and not the White Ajah. I would see them more as a department in a university on life support from more useful departments. xD But, as mentioned we can only speculate as we don't see many of them. Greys and Yellows definitely belong on top though. Considering how much of a powder keg the Westlands are the Greys do a very good job.
The lit candles are amazing!!!!!!!!!!!
I always pictured my self in the grey ajah, I majored in diplomacy so it makes sense… 😎
You have real talent bro in a few years you will be a superstar you got this bro get 1000000 subs in a couple years 👍
Hey cutie great channel and love the candles ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Interesting argument.
I would like to point out a few thoughts that should be considered for the overall usefulness of each Ajah.
The Green are often found fighting in the Blight, helping to keep Trollocs, Shades and the other nasties from sweeping out in great numbers. How many people refused to even believe that these creatures existed? The Green have been fighting since the Breaking, even as they prepare for the Last Battle.
The Gray Ajah seem to me as a far lower necessity in the order. Yes they mediate and strive for peace, yet in the books they rarely have an effect greater than any other Aes Sedai when dealing with rulers. Once the ring is seen, everyone usually jumps regardless of the Ajah.
Like the Grays, the White Ajah has little impact on events that other Ajah's can't do. Whites dedication to logic has shown to be more close minded than open in several instances, refusing to accept possibilities that don't have what they consider enough facts. This can leave them still evaluating instead of acting.
Overall each Ajah has it's place and is important. Some are needed to maintain or improve the world. Others to defend and protect. Even though every Ajah has it's purposes and goals, the individuals in each Ajah are complex and can find themselves completely at odds with another woman in their Ajah.
I found myself thoroughly enjoying the moment that an Aes Sedai character finds herself questioning the traditions of her Ajah and grows beyond the limits that have become self imposed. Such as when a Red wonders if having a Warder wouldn't make her job easier.
Regardless, these are just my thoughts and opinions. The best part of reading this series is having these discussions with others who are just as passionate about it as myself. Keep up the good work!
Without the Blues, there would be no Yellow. And that is the primary conflict between Romana and Lelaine Akashi.
Elena Aes Sedai in the RPG Wheel of Time was grey i think...
I like the green because they have the best balance bezween male and female responisibilities.
That is a fair point.
my ranking:
1. Blue, justice, righteousness, tact, informative. ask yourself: what would have happen if a white rather got the info about the Dragon's reborn?
2.Green: keeping trollocs backs and keeping hope for humanity that they should not be swallowed in blight.
3. Red: though hated and unlikable, they did what needed doing. have u read little history about the breaking?
4. Brown: Knowledge powers the tower, discoveries and reading patterns are important.
5. Yellow: Health is important, every ajah can heal a little, but what they do are good.
6. Gray: the blues even pioneered this area, and does a more effective work.. But the grays skills are still needful.
7. White: was that logic been useful in any way?
8. Black: at least, they were effective in what they did, though bad. if not that it was evil, i'd place them before white.
My ranking:
Blue Arja - Righteous causes and justice.
Gray Arja - Politics & mediators, uphold the law.
Yellow Arja - Healers
Green Arja - Battle Arja. Prepared for the last battle. Family sorts.
Brown Arja - Scholars & Administration.
White Arja - Philosophers, detached from the world.
Red Arja - Hunts down make channelers. Arrogant, misanthropic.
Black Arja - Servants of the Dark One
I agree with almost all except I'd switch white with blue. Without logic and reason and leadership, all the other Ajah will seek more power without proper guidance and order, thus, the white tower will crumble.
Hmmmm. I’d put white down the list. Sound like they’re more like an administration that’s never worked in the field or have an real experience. It’ll sound good until you have to apply it in the field. Take an engineer who’s never walked the floor to see the products being made. Now ask the manufacturer and see what he says. Idk. Just a thought
Thoughtful analogy and makes great sense.
I believe that the Whites are one of the worst ajas as they are often cold and distant. And that as you said war is bad, however sometimes it is unfortunately necessary too especially in this world such as during the Trolloc Wars or shadowspawn incursions
My head cannon is that all the ajahs have had their purpose corrupted over the years.
Why is the yellow wearing greens, why is grey not wear gray ?
I find greens the most sexiest and sensuous out of all women from other ajah's!!! Maybe they're inspired from harems???
Isn’t the blue ajah the least populous with black sisters only surpassed by the yellow ajah? With that being said, Moiraine does a significant amount of representation of the ajah thay is not really seen elsewhere.
BIAS! Hahaha. The Whites are the smallest Ajah tho. Don't forget that before the Last Battle, there are constant fighting at the Borderlands. Shienar, Arafel, can't remember the rest are where most Green sister stay. They are generals as well. Any trips to the Blight must have the Greens. And politics is more Blue than Grey. The Grey are literal lawyers
Browns will always be my pick.
💯
It's a crying shame that the Closed Captions don't match with what's being said.
I think it's clear this has to do with your own subjective values. RAND and Perrin, and Mat would be green if they were women who could channel, right? Greens fight dark friends and not just at the last battle. Blues have missions and I value that.
I mean of course it is, what else would it be? :P
Wouldn't Rand be Blue then, he has one mission and then he plans on dying. He truly treats it more like a mission than a "fight against the Darkness" way of life.
Yellow, I agree, just wish I'd be a yellow, instead I'm a grey, or a brown.
Whats the diff between logic and knowledge?
Interesting question! I would say that logic is to do with reasoning and deduction, whereas knowledge is about having accurate judgements. We can use logic to arrive at knowledge about the world, but logic itself isn't knowledge, it's just a process of reasoning which can help us attain knowledge. Hope that answers your question. :)
Actually, the yellow ajah has the least black ajah
My mistake, although that only adds to their being high up on the ranking list :P
The Ajahs would be all great if they had better communication and cooperation between them. Browns and Whites working together would create profound knowledge generation and be for the betterment of society for example.
Fighting orcs to save the world (green) > making peace between men in minor wars (grey)
It seems like the green doesn't actually spend time fighting trollocs. For example in the first book we see no aes sedai at tarwin's gap even though the green should really be there, especially considering that the forces of the light were about to loose before rand saved the day.
@@x23-w1o The Trolloc Wars
One of my biggest complaints about the series is how poorly the aes sedai are utilized in the world. For example, why are there never any green sisters fighting back the blight in the borderlands? Why does Morgaze have an aes sedai advisor from the red ajah instead of the gray? I think we meet three people who have aes sedai advisors and all their advisors are not from the gray ajah. Why do yellows not travel the world healing people? Why do we never run into any other blues trying to accomplish their goals? The only ajah we really ever see actually going out into the world and doing their job are the reds. I wish we could have seen the ajahs do more.
I would agree with you there. In fact, that's part of the reason why in my ranking there is a bit of speculation about what roles the Ajah would play in the world, rather than going purely on book. Thanks for your comment! :)
Love the candles. Hate the string lights. Why is that drawer not closed?
Dude you have talent on TH-cam be persistent and you will have 500k subs before you know it
What does the one power give to the white ajah that makes it different from the say regular philosophers? ie. Why doesnt the white ajah have regular ppl as members?
I would say that given their experience with the One Power and their connection to magic, they have a metaphysical insight that normies probably don't have, and given how important the magic system is to the world, I'd say that that is pretty important.
@@JoshuaJClarkeKelsall the increased lifespan also helps.
I always pictured the White Tower - and by extension the Ajahs - as a giant dysfunctional machine that had utterly failed due to stagnation.
The Red Ajah have allowed their emotional hang-ups to blind them. They treat a symptom(gentling individual men who can channel) instead of the disease(the Taint).
The Blues have ignored a cause that would have benefited from their attention. Simply... the White Tower has been losing numbers for a long time. What if the Blues had -as a group - tried to fix this. We know from the author that in modern day Randland, approximately 1% of the population can learn to channel. And, Tar Valan is a city of 500,000 people. Assuming these numbers... that means 5,000 people in the city could learn to channel. Assuming a 50/50 split(which I wouldn't**), this means that if they tested every girl and woman in Tar Valan, they would likely need to build three more Novice wings(which hold 400 girls each) just to fit everyone. Of course, you end up taking those people out of the breeding population. So... up sides and down sides, I guess.
The Browns are interested in knowledge. Good for them. I approve of this. What I don't approve of is that they don't share it with anyone... as far as we know. Not once to we hear of a school financed by the Tower to spread the knowledge they've gathered.
The Grey... I actually have the least criticism of. They're kinda doing their job acceptably for the most part.
The Yellow. My disappointment with them is similar to the Browns. Why are there no hospitals that have been around for hundreds or a thousand years? If they'd been in the populous doing healing people for that long, there would probably have been more trust towards Aes Sedai. Plus, life in general would be better for more people.
Green - Why isn't there just a bare skeleton crew of Greens at the Tower at all times? Why aren't the majority of them up in the Blight honing their skills against Trolluks(spelling?)? Again, this would increase good will towards the Aes Sedai.
The White Ajah has... I fear... failed the most in this regard. Their duty was to ask the hard questions without letting emotion cloud their judgement. They should have pointed all of these things out before they became a problem.
**I would guess the distribution would favor men. So... maybe they'd find AT MINIMUM 800 girls? That's assuming a massive swing in favor of more men having the ability than women, though.
The green Ajah do be fucking
I dont think a "tier ranking" of the Ajas is the best way to address this.
its just TOO subjective
having said that nice vid and your entitled to your oppinion.
Reds are very powerful. Surprised they 7th but I guess your criteria your video your rules
The arguemt for the low ranking of green is bad. They are active and aids in holding the boarderlands from the invading forces of the shadow
I would put the gray as 1 and yellow as second for one reason. Without the political work of the Grays, the yellow ajah would not be able to move so freely outside of Tar Valon.
Yellow, Grey, Red, Blue Green, Brown, White, Black
I think that the show never really shows that the Aes Sedai where both men and women. Men only became destructive due to the spoiling and smudging of Saideen by the dark one.
Your awesome at explaining and giving insightful info thanks if you broaden to other things you would be really popular
Thanks very much! Glad to hear you like the videos! :)
Red also have no warders.
This guy looks how I pictured Matt cathon
Long live the Greens!
If I was an Aes Sedai I would be brown (as I am a nerd) or white (as I love logic) 🙂
My favorite are the blue . They are just amazing.
They are like the Jedi.
White & Gray Ajah should have been consolidated into one, and it would still be useless
In my opinion the White Ajah seems pretty pointless. They don't really seem to have any sort of function at all.
This is how most of society views philosophers and that, good sir, means they serve exactly the purpose they need to.
@@nerdzone I think part of the problem is we really didn't get much of that from them in the books. It was almost unclear what their ajah did other than devote themselves to pure logic.
@@nerdzone I wouldn't describe philosophers as all being necessarily white ajahs. I'd say blue ajahs with their whole justice-idealism are just as philosophical only more active.
Frankly anyone can be a philosopher so it felt irrelevant to channeling. IMO Jordan should have gotten rid of that ajah or made it the color of the Amyrilin since white light is all colors.
How many of you got this recommendation after watching the series " THE WHEEL OF TIME"