07-13-2025, 02:31 PM
Hey all! Since linking has now been discovered, I thought it would be a good idea for use to have a thread where we could find all the linking rules. I did a lot of research to make it as accurate to the source material as I could, and I thought I'd save you guys the headache of finding all of this later. I felt this was the right section to put this thread in - if I didn't - mods feel free to move it 
If you know anything that I forgot, please comment!
All these rules are from the Wheel of Time Companion:
1. Combined flow is not as great as the sum total of the individual flows - but it is more precise and has a far greater effect than the individual flows can
2. One person leads the circle.
3. Men cannot link their abilities without the presences of a woman or women in the circle
4. Up to thirteen women can form a circle without the presence of a man. Adding a man can extend this number by another thirteen up to the limit of six men and sixty six women (a total of seventy two).
5. There must be at least one more woman than men in a circle with the following exceptions.
8. Entering a link is usually a voluntary act, but under certain circumstances a sufficient circle could bring another woman in forcibly as long as no man is a part of it. Men cannot be forced into circles (I don't recall a woman being forced into a circle - but it was in the companion so I included it.)
9. Only the leader can release the link. (I didn't find this in the Companion, but I do remember reading it somewhere - can't recall where).
How A Link Is Formed
Nynaeve describes this in The Path of Daggers Chapter Five.
The woman initiating the link embraces saidar and the person being linked to prepares to embrace the source, but doesn't actually embrace it. Then the intiiating woman reached out to the other and open herself to the source through the person. It's the same way as using an angreal. Nynaeve describes it as embracing the source and angreal at the same time. To add others, the process is repeated.
Seeing and Feeling the Power In A Mixed Link
I went to Winter's Heart to figure this out. When Rand and Nynaeve are linked to cleanse Saidin, Nynaeve comments on feeling Saidin and Rand can also feel Saidar, but her feeling seems to go away as he begins to channel the flows. He feels both while he is channeling and has to simultaneous fight Saidin while surrendering to Saidar. The two powers don't mix in this instance - they weave around each other. From Rand's POV, he sees Saidin as a "flowery weave" (Jordan's words). This leads me to believe that the leader can see the weaves of the opposite power they are channeling (must be able to see the weaves to channel). I don't think the others in the circle would see it, but they'd be able to see the weaves in their own half.
Thats all I found at this time - please let me know if I forgot something!
If you know anything that I forgot, please comment!
All these rules are from the Wheel of Time Companion:
1. Combined flow is not as great as the sum total of the individual flows - but it is more precise and has a far greater effect than the individual flows can
2. One person leads the circle.
3. Men cannot link their abilities without the presences of a woman or women in the circle
4. Up to thirteen women can form a circle without the presence of a man. Adding a man can extend this number by another thirteen up to the limit of six men and sixty six women (a total of seventy two).
5. There must be at least one more woman than men in a circle with the following exceptions.
- One man and one woman
- Two men and one woman
- Two men and two women
- Man has to control a link of 72 people
- Man has to control the link in mixed circles of fewer than thirteen
8. Entering a link is usually a voluntary act, but under certain circumstances a sufficient circle could bring another woman in forcibly as long as no man is a part of it. Men cannot be forced into circles (I don't recall a woman being forced into a circle - but it was in the companion so I included it.)
9. Only the leader can release the link. (I didn't find this in the Companion, but I do remember reading it somewhere - can't recall where).
How A Link Is Formed
Nynaeve describes this in The Path of Daggers Chapter Five.
The woman initiating the link embraces saidar and the person being linked to prepares to embrace the source, but doesn't actually embrace it. Then the intiiating woman reached out to the other and open herself to the source through the person. It's the same way as using an angreal. Nynaeve describes it as embracing the source and angreal at the same time. To add others, the process is repeated.
Seeing and Feeling the Power In A Mixed Link
I went to Winter's Heart to figure this out. When Rand and Nynaeve are linked to cleanse Saidin, Nynaeve comments on feeling Saidin and Rand can also feel Saidar, but her feeling seems to go away as he begins to channel the flows. He feels both while he is channeling and has to simultaneous fight Saidin while surrendering to Saidar. The two powers don't mix in this instance - they weave around each other. From Rand's POV, he sees Saidin as a "flowery weave" (Jordan's words). This leads me to believe that the leader can see the weaves of the opposite power they are channeling (must be able to see the weaves to channel). I don't think the others in the circle would see it, but they'd be able to see the weaves in their own half.
Thats all I found at this time - please let me know if I forgot something!