—Tuatha'an farewell
- For a category listing of songs, see Songs.
Finding the Song is one of the main focus of the Tuatha'an philosophy and their life. They never stop, search for it throughout the world and believe that when they find it, what is lost will come back – meaning the peace and prosperity of AoL. The other one is keeping The Way of the Leaf.
Age of Legends[]
In the Age of Legends, the Tuatha'an were part of the Da'shain Aiel. They served the Aes Sedai of that time and worked on the fields. Here they used to sing along with the Ogier and the Nym to grow the crops and nature in its whole using the Song of Growing. That song had a magical effect on the world around the singers. It does not use the One Power; how it actually works is unknown.
Stories describe later that Aiel singing was a wondorous thing, but their songs got lost during The Breaking.
When the Collapse began, at one of the biggest city called Tzora ten thousand Aiel sang to a mad male Aes Sedai, called Jaric Mondoran, to try to keep him from destroying the city with the One Power in his madness from the taint on saidin. Aiel died one by one, singing, and with their death gaining enough time to most of the population of the city to be fled from death. He has listened the last Aiel for almost an hour before destroying him then burned Tzora with Balefire.
The Breaking and the Split of Tuatha'an[]
During the Breaking of the World and their wandering most probably all the Aiel songs were lost including the Song of Growing. How they were lost is not known but learning how many of them were killed so rapidly, most probably those who knew them had no time to pass the songs over to the new generations.
The ancestors of the Third Age Tinkers split off from the Aiel after a terrible raid when lots of them were killed led by an Aiel called Sulwin. They kept the part of the promise they made to Aes Sedai about "Keep moving, always moving, until you find a place of safety, where no one can harm you." but abandoned all other parts taking care of the objects of Aes Sedai. They started to believe that finding the song will bring back the lost times of peace and prosperity. They believe that despite they do not know it, they will recognise it when they hear it — their heart will recognize it.
The Split[]
"Sing?" Adan scoffed. "I have heard those old stories, too, that Aiel singing was a wondorous thing, but you know those old songs no more than I do. The songs are gone, and the old days are gone. We will not give up our duty to the Aes Sedai to chase after what is lost forever."
"Some of us will, Adan." The others behind Sulwin nodded. "We mean to find that safe place. And the songs, too. We will." [1]
Tuatha'an customs[]
By greetings[]
"Do you know the song?" The proper answer for that is "I do not know the song." The reply from the questioner is "Then we seek still. As it was, so shall it be, if we but remember, seek, and find." [2]
By leave-taking[]
"You came in peace, – bowing formally, hands on his chest – depart now in peace. Always will our fires welcome you, in peace. The Way of the Leaf is peace."
"Peace be on you always, and on all the People. I will find the song, or another will find the song, but the song will be sung, this year or in a year to come. As it once was, so shall it be again, world without end."
"World without end. World and time without end.[3]
The Song has never been found[]
There are fan-theories about whether the Song of Growing is the song what the Tuatha'an seek. Brandon Sanderson stated in an interview that it is not The Song of the Traveling People. There is no indication in the book series that the Song was ever found.