The Wheel of Time Companion

by Robert Jordan

  Elaida and Meidani Eschede were entered in the novice book within weeks of each other, and soon became pillow friends. Elaida broke off the relationship when she was raised, but considered herself Meidani’s friend, though she showed it by giving her the same sort of attention and pressure that she did to Moiraine and Siuan.

  Elaida was not deeply involved personally in the male channeler pogrom in 979–985 NE, though she learned of it from other Reds and supported it wholeheartedly, partly because the leadership of her Ajah was behind it and partly because she considered a man who could channel dangerous enough for her to violate the law, even to do murder on suspicion; at least, she would not herself have taken part in a killing, but she would turn a blind eye. Her one involvement was seeing that Thom’s nephew was gentled on the spot when he was caught; this was at the very tail end of the pogrom. Once she became Amyrlin, she hardly cared whether anyone discovered her involvement with Owyn. Those Sitters who dared to openly oppose her would not have the nerve to suggest any discipline against the Amyrlin Seat herself, not even for so dire a violation of Tower law—not when it was so long ago, not when making it public even among the sisters could damage the Tower in its battle against the rebels, and most of all, not when attaining consensus against her would be impossible.

  Elaida once met Cadsuane, during the Aiel War, the first time that Cadsuane had seemingly come back from the dead. Among other things, Cadsuane told her that she was too hard, that good steel had some give in it, and what was too rigid was too easily shattered. Cadsuane also told her that she allowed her anger too free a rein, that an Aes Sedai had to be the mistress of her emotions, not they of her. It was a cold chewing-out, in fact. Elaida had had the shawl for a few years then, but the meeting left her feeling like a novice wanting to run back to her room from the Mistress of Novices’ study.

  Elaida knitted for relaxation, as much as she could ever be said to relax. She sometimes used it to try putting people off guard; someone knitting would not look at all threatening and might simply be discounted. She also liked to examine her collection of carved miniatures, sometimes doing so while giving an audience to make the person attending know that he or she was not as important as the carvings.

  In 999 NE, Elaida learned that the Amyrlin, Siuan Sanche, and her Keeper, Leane Sharif, had secretly met with the Dragon Reborn, and she orchestrated a coup. She had Siuan and Leane removed from office and stilled, and she was raised Amyrlin, with Alviarin Freidhen as her Keeper.

  As Amyrlin, Elaida made many mistakes: She kidnapped sitting kings and the Dragon Reborn; she initiated an attack on the Black Tower that failed miserably and led to Aes Sedai being forcibly bonded; she came under the control of a member of the Black Ajah and caused the Tower to nearly fall apart. It could be argued that her biggest mistake was ignoring the warning of a Seanchan attack. When that attack occurred, Elaida was captured, made a damane and given the name “Suffa.” Suffa was not a good damane.

  Elaiva Walfor. An Andoran Aes Sedai of the Gray Ajah and the loyalist contingent, with a strength level of 19(7). Born in 806 NE, she went to the White Tower in 822 NE. After spending ten years as a novice and eight years as Accepted, she was raised to the shawl in 840 NE. Elaiva was part of the expedition to capture Rand in Cairhien. She was captured at Dumai’s Wells and treated as da’tsang by the Aiel. Under Verin’s Compulsion she found reason to swear oath to Rand, which she did before Cadsuane departed Cairhien for Far Madding.

  Elam Dowtry. A boyhood friend of Mat in Emond’s Field. He had a long nose and a cowlick; when young, he aspired to have more sheep than anyone in the Two Rivers. Elam helped Perrin in the defense of Emond’s Field. Later, with Ewin Finngar and Dav Ayellin, he ran off to see the world.

  Elamri den Rendalle, Ballin. An Illianer nobleman who was a member of the Council of Nine.

  Elan Dapor. A nation that arose after the Trolloc Wars.

  Elan Morin Tedronai. Ishamael’s name in the Age of Legends.

  Elandria Borndat. An ancient scholar and the author of Seeing Through the Breaking.

  Elansu. Agelmar’s shatayan in Fal Dara. She was black-haired and sharp-faced. There were few men she could not bully—some even said she could bully Agelmar.

  Elayne Traemane. An Andoran noblewoman; she was Ellorien’s grandmother, and Elayne Trakand was named after her.

  Elayne Trakand. An Aes Sedai of the Green Ajah and the rebel contingent, with a potential strength level of 8(+5). Born in 981 NE, she went to the White Tower in 998 NE. After spending less than a year as a novice and less than a year as Accepted, she was raised to the shawl in 999 NE by Egwene’s decree. Elayne was also Queen Morgase’s daughter, the Daughter-Heir to the Throne of Andor. Her sign was a golden lily. She became Queen of Andor and Cairhien, and participated in the Last Battle.

  Elayne had red-gold curls and big blue eyes. Her face was a perfect oval, her lips full and red. About 5'7" tall, a little shorter than Aviendha, she was quite tall for an Andoran woman. Her brother Gawyn was a head taller than she. Elayne was slim, but not too slim; curvaceous but neither overly busty nor under-endowed. She had a dimple in her cheek when she smiled; Mat thought that dimple hadn’t failed her very often in getting her own way. Her voice was not particularly high, but she believed that it was not suited for shouting, for one thing, because in her opinion her shouts came out sounding like shrieks.

  As a child she had a nursemaid named Lini, of whom she was very fond; Lini had also been her mother’s and grandmother’s nursemaid.

  Although basically a good and decent person, Elayne was the Daughter-Heir of Andor, born to wealth, power, position and prestige. While she was ready to bend (e.g., novice training), she usually wanted and expected her own way, and was really shocked or surprised that she could be hurt even when she had taken a risk. She was quite willing to consult with others, but truly expected the decision to go her way. She was stubborn, but willing to see when or where she was wrong, though often only after a long resistance (as with Thom), and she was not likely to say “you were right and I was wrong,” only to adopt the new position.

  Elayne was by nature a peacemaker; she tried to smooth over roughnesses between people. On the other hand, if she was roused, there was no peacemaking in her.

  As a commander, she expected those under her to do as they were told. She had a weakness for sweets, especially hard candies, and colorful language. Elayne had the mind of a development engineer: she was not particularly good at discovering new principles, but she was a whiz at figuring new ways to use those already known and at reverse-engineering things. These abilities were particularly well suited to making ter’angreal, and she was the first after the Breaking to be able to do so. She tried to teach others how to make ter’angreal, but no one showed much skill or success in doing so. She had real abilities with weather.

  Elayne met Rand at the Royal Palace in Caemlyn when he first arrived there from the Two Rivers. She was already a novice at the White Tower when Egwene and Nynaeve arrived, and they became friends. She tested for Accepted at about the same time Egwene did. She was winkled out of Tar Valon by Liandrin, taken via the Ways to Toman Head, escaped being turned over to the Seanchan and helped to rescue Egwene, who had been captured. She traveled back to the White Tower, leaving again with Egwene and Nynaeve to hunt the Black Ajah on Siuan Sanche’s orders. She traveled with the other two young women to Tear; on the way they met Aviendha. In Tear they stayed with Mother Guenna, who introduced them to Juilin Sandar; he agreed to help them find the women of the Black Ajah, although he was not aware that the women were Aes Sedai. He was caught by the Black sisters and betrayed Elayne, Egwene and Nynaeve. The three women were taken prisoner by the Black sisters and jailed in the dungeons of the Stone of Tear. Egwene used her dream ter’angreal ring to work toward freedom; Mat and Juilin arrived and freed them.

  After Rand won the Stone, Elayne and Nynaeve then headed to Tanchico, accompanied by Thom Merrilin and Juilin Sandar, aboard the Wavedancer, a Sea Folk ship. Elayne le
arned that Jorin, the Windfinder, could channel; Jorin taught Elayne how to weave weather, and Elayne taught Jorin how to weave with Fire. In Tanchico, Elayne and Nynaeve met Bayle Domon again and Egeanin for the first time. They learned that the Black Ajah was in the Panarch’s Palace and sneaked in. While Nynaeve fought Moghedien and found the male a’dam, Elayne and Egeanin freed the Panarch. They gave the male a’dam to Domon and Egeanin to drop into the ocean, and tried to make their way back to Tar Valon. In Mardecin, they saw a signal for a Yellow Ajah eyes-and-ears, Ronde Macura. They talked with Ronde, who dosed them with forkroot tea so that they could be taken to the Tower. Thom and Juilin rescued them, and they continued on their way in disguise.

  In Sienda they encountered Galad, who wanted to take them to Caemlyn. To escape him they joined Valan Luca’s show; Elayne performed as a tightrope walker. They met Cerandin, a Seanchan who had been left behind at Falme; she gave Elayne an a’dam. Elayne studied it and figured out how it worked and thought that she could make other ter’angreal. After Birgitte was ripped bodily out of Tel’aran’rhiod by Moghedien, Elayne bonded Birgitte as her Warder to save Birgitte’s life. In Samara, Nynaeve asked both Masema and Galad to get them a ship so that they could go to Salidar; although the Whitecloaks fighting the Prophet’s men caused a great riot, they made it to the ship, Riverserpent, and sailed for Salidar. After Nynaeve captured Moghedien, Elayne created an a’dam out of Birgitte’s silver arrow to hold her.

  Egwene raised Elayne, Nynaeve, Faolain and Theodrin Aes Sedai by decree when she became Amyrlin, and then sent Elayne, Nynaeve and Aviendha with other Aes Sedai and Mat to Ebou Dar to find the Bowl of the Winds. In Ebou Dar, Elayne and Nynaeve discovered the Kin, made a bargain with the Sea Folk and found the Bowl of the Winds, although they had to fight the Black Ajah and a gholam for it. Elayne, the Sea Folk and the Kin went to the Kin’s farm and used the Bowl of the Winds to heal the weather; just as they were finishing, the Seanchan arrived and they fled through a gateway to Andor. Elayne, who created the gateway, attempted to unravel it; the attacks by Seanchan damane caused her to lose her grip and a great explosion resulted, killing all of the Seanchan and injuring Elayne, Birgitte and Aviendha. Nynaeve Healed them, and they accompanied the Kin back to Caemlyn.

  Elayne laid claim to the Lion Throne. Dyelin supported her; Elenia, Arymilla and Naean opposed her, leaving her in need of more Houses to support her. She became first-sisters with Aviendha, who began teaching her Maiden handtalk, though she said it was forbidden.

  Dyelin and Doilin Mellar saved Elayne from an assassination attempt; though suspicious of him, she made Mellar the captain of her new group of Guardswomen. When Rand and Min paid a surreptitious visit to the palace, she, along with Aviendha and Min, bonded Rand as a Warder. Elayne and Rand slept together and she became pregnant with twins. After following Mellar to a house on Full Moon Street, Elayne and others surprised some members of the Black Ajah, and were in turn surprised by more of the Black Ajah. Sareitha, Vandene and Careane were killed, and Elayne was captured. With help from the Sea Folk, Birgitte rescued her, killed Asne and captured the other Black sisters and Mellar. At the same time, Arymilla attacked the city of Caemlyn; Elayne joined the battle and won. Pelivar, Luan, Arathelle, Ellorien, Abelle and Aemlyn then went to Caemlyn; all but Ellorien stood for Elayne and she became Queen of Andor.

  Elayne made arrangements with the Kin for them to have a headquarters in Caemlyn to help with Traveling and Healing, and arrangements with Mat for use of the dragons and the Band of the Red Hand. She attempted to fool the captive Black sisters and get information from them; she was captured again and stabbed but was Healed and managed to escape. Elayne put forth a claim to Cairhien, and after some political feints won the Sun Throne. When the Trollocs entered Caemlyn through the Waygate at the start of the Last Battle, she set fire to the city and led her troops north, eventually taking over allied command of the campaign against the Shadowspawn.

  She was almost killed by Daved Hanlon on the Field of Merrilor, but was saved by Birgitte, already dead but returned as a Hero of the Horn.

  Elbar, Zaired. See Zaired Elbar

  Elber. A Queen’s Guard at the Royal Palace in Caemlyn who was hired by Gaebril. He was rude and fat with eyes like a rat. He was at the gate of the palace in Caemlyn when Mat attempted to deliver Elayne’s letter to her mother.

  Eldar, River. A river flowing east and south from the Mountains of Mist to Ebou Dar and the Sea of Storms. It formed the western boundary of Altara.

  Eldase Takashi. A Kandori Kin and a member of the Knitting Circle in Ebou Dar. Her strength level was 41(29), not strong enough for her to make a gateway of any size whatsoever. She was fierce-looking and had a temper, though better controlled than when she was young. She had two streaks of white, like plumes, across the top of her head. Born in 665 NE, she went to the White Tower in 683 NE. After spending thirteen years as a novice and seven years as Accepted, she was put out of the Tower because of her temper, which had made her a severe discipline problem. Cemaile Sorenthaine was Amyrlin then. At the time the Seanchan invaded Ebou Dar, she sold lacquerware to merchants for export. Eldase traveled to Caemlyn with Elayne from the Kin farm.

  Eldaya Tolen. An Aes Sedai of the Blue Ajah who served as Amyrlin from 533 to 549 NE. Eldaya was an Amyrlin of below-average strength, though not entirely weak; she was willing to let the Hall have its way in most things as long as they went along with the manipulations she planned in various countries, which she engaged in more than were usual for the Tower, which is saying a great deal. The result was that the Hall had effective control of the Tower itself and most affairs among the sisters.

  Elders, Council of. The ruling body of each stedding.

  Eldin clan. A Two Rivers family. See Get, Marce and Whatley Eldin

  Eldone Market. A town or village on the other side of the river from Tar Valon in Andor. A guard outside Tar Valon told Verin and her companions that Whitecloaks had tried to move into Eldone Market, but were driven off by Tar Valon soldiers.

  Eldrene ay Ellan ay Carlan. The last Queen of Manetheren and wife of Aemon. She was also known as Ellisande, the Rose of the Sun. Eldrene was so beautiful that it was said the flowers bloomed to make her smile. When Tetsuan betrayed Manetheren out of jealousy of Eldrene and Aemon and his armies were falling to the Shadow’s armies, Eldrene organized the flight of the people of Manetheren into the forests and mountains. From the city of Manetheren, Eldrene felt Aemon die, and her heart died with him. Driven by grief she reached out to the True Source, and hurled the One Power at the Trolloc army. All the Dreadlords burst into flame, and the Trollocs fled. But Eldrene had drawn to herself more of the One Power than any human could wield unaided and as the enemy generals died, so did she; the fires that consumed her consumed the empty city of Manetheren, even the stones of it, down to the living rock of the mountains.

  Eldrid Methin. A cook in the Sun Palace in Cairhien. When Loial and Karldin visited, Eldrid talked of how dangerous and deadly Rand was.

  Eldrin Cauthon. Mat’s younger sister. She was born in 984 NE. Plumply pretty, she had a grin similar to her sister Bodewhin’s. As children, she and Bode spied on Mat and told their mother everything. She, her mother and her sister were arrested by Whitecloaks and freed by Perrin. During the defense of Emond’s Field, when a Trolloc grabbed Bodewhin, Eldrin thrust a boar spear through its chest.

  Eldrin Hackly. A big wagon man who once almost killed Deni Colford. Not normally a rough man, he was very drunk when he tried to break her neck.

  Eldrith Jhondar. An Amadician Aes Sedai of the Brown Ajah in public and of the Black Ajah in truth. She had a strength level of 16(4). Born in 884 NE, she went to the White Tower in 901 NE. After spending twelve years as a novice and seven years as Accepted, Eldrith was raised to the shawl in 920 NE. Her Warder was Kennit; he was not a Darkfriend. She was about 5'4" tall and plump, with a round face and brown eyes and hair. She was a little vague sometimes; she could have risen faster as a student, but she was dreamy and a
bsentminded even then. Eldrith was one of the first thirteen members of the Black Ajah who fled the Tower, killing sisters and Warders and stealing ter’angreal. She went to Tanchico; she disliked having cats in the house and secretly disposed of a number of Marillin’s cats there. She then went to Amador, where the group was co-opted by Moghedien. Moghedien ordered Eldrith, Asne, Temaile and Chesmal to follow her to Samara. Eldrith failed to keep her bond to Kennit masked, and he tracked her down in Ghealdan and tried to kill her. She didn’t want him killed, given the effect that would have on her, so she and her companions fled to Caemlyn hoping to find Elayne, and maybe Nynaeve, both of whom they believed Moghedien very much wanted. Asne, Chesmal and Eldrith were all intimidated by Temaile, who took control over the group despite the fact that Eldrith stood higher in the Power; Temaile’s preparation of Liandrin for her fate had frightened them. Eldrith was not at Lady Shiaine’s house when Elayne and her allies went to arrest the Black Ajah members, but she arrived soon after and helped take Elayne captive. Eldrith was captured when Birgitte and her forces rescued Elayne. When Elayne went to the prison disguised as a Forsaken to try to gain information, Eldrith was not fooled. She was killed by Mellar in the fighting that followed.

  Eldros, Nemaira. An Aes Sedai who lived at the time of the formation of the White Tower.

  Elegar, Lord. A minor Andoran nobleman. He was thin-lipped and nervous, at least eighteen years older than Rand. He was one of Gaebril’s sycophants and a Darkfriend, a toady and errand-runner. Elegar retched when Taim was led into the courtyard of the Royal Palace. He fled after Rand and Dyelin reached an accommodation.

  Elenar. An apprentice Wise One of the Daryne Aiel. She was the apprentice furthest along in her studies; Amys thought she ought to be encouraged to take the final step to being a Wise One so that she could go to Rhuidean and see if Aviendha’s visions of the world after the Last Battle repeated themselves. Bair didn’t believe she was ready to be a Wise One.