The Wheel of Time Companion

by Robert Jordan

  Gazal, Toveine. See Toveine Gazal

  Gazar, Tiam of. The developer of the Gazaran Calendar.

  Gazaran Calendar. The calendar developed by Tiam of Gazar. It was adopted after the Trolloc Wars, when so many records had been destroyed that there was argument as to exactly what year it actually was under the Toman Calendar. The Gazaran Calendar celebrated the supposed freedom from the Trolloc threat by recording each year as Free Year (FY).

  Gearan. A young Jenn Aiel male from the time after the Breaking. He was as lanky as a stork and the best runner among the Aiel wagons. He went with Charlin and Lewin to save their sisters from bandits; they used weapons and killed some bandits, and because of their use of violence were cast out by their families.

  Gedarien, Stevan. See Stevan Gedarien

  Gedwyn, Charl. See Charl Gedwyn

  Gelarna. An Aes Sedai of the Yellow Ajah and the loyalist contingent. She and Musarin were guarding Leane when a bubble of evil caused her jail cell to melt; after a moment of understandable shock, the two pulled Leane free.

  Gelb, Floran. See Floran Gelb

  Gelbarn, Bernaile. See Bernaile Gelbarn

  Gelen. A member of the Deathwatch Guard who chased Mat around the Field of Merrilor to try to get him to sit in judgment on people seeking the Empress’s mercy. Gelen finally caught up with Mat on Dashar Knob, but the enemy arrived, and Mat sent him to get everyone to their posts.

  Geleni. One of Renald Fanwar’s farmhands. He was in the village to pick up new seed when Renald decided to go north, but Renald sent for him.

  Gelfina. A character from stories who was kept locked away in a forgotten tower for a thousand years.

  Gemallan, Cowin. See Cowin Gemallan

  Gemalphin, Marillin. See Marillin Gemalphin

  Gendar. One of Berelain’s thief-catchers from Mayene. He was about 5'10" tall, with dark hair and dark eyes. Bland-faced and ordinary-looking, he was so nondescript one would not notice him if he bumped into one on the street. He was friendly with Rosene and Nana, Berelain’s maids. Berelain used Gendar and Santes to spy by having them make friends with Masema’s people and taking them wine supposedly stolen from Berelain. Santes found the Seanchan document signed by Suroth, picking the lock of Masema’s camp desk under cover of the bustle of setting up camp. Gendar and Santes returned to Masema’s camp with Berelain’s last cask of Tunaighan and were expected to return by an hour after sunset, but they did not. They were presumed dead, killed by Masema’s men.

  Generals of Dawn’s Gate. A group of seventeen generals who swore fealty to Lews Therin in the Age of Legends.

  Genhal, Lemore. See Lemore Genhal

  Genhald, Androl. See Androl Genhald

  Genshai. A feast celebrated on the third of Tammaz in Tear, Illian, Amadicia, Tarabon and the southern parts of Altara and Murandy. Brightly colored ribbons were worn by both men and women.

  gentling. The intentional process of removing the ability of a man to channel; it was once thought to be permanent.

  Geofram Bornhald. One of the Lords Captain of the Children of the Light. He was the father of Dain Bornhald. Geofram captured Perrin and Egwene in the stedding where Hawkwing’s city was to be built; he intended to take them to Amador for trial, but they were rescued. Geofram led a force of Whitecloaks to Falme, where they engaged the Seanchan, and Geofram was killed.

  Georg. Pevara’s Kandori brother, who died at twelve during a Darkfriend uprising with a knife in his hand, standing over their father’s body and trying to keep the mob from their mother.

  Gera. A cook for the Salidar Aes Sedai. She was a good cook; she dreamed that she was much thinner and an Aes Sedai of the Green Ajah. Elayne saw her in this dream in Tel’aran’rhiod.

  Geral. A Malkieri who was a member of Lan’s High Guard in the Last Battle.

  Geraneos, Pavil. See Pavil Geraneos

  Gerard Arganda. Alliandre’s Ghealdanin First Captain of the Legion of the Wall. He was a hard-bitten, compact man, about 5'8" tall. He looked tough, not like a nobleman; he looked like what he was, a graying soldier who first hefted a lance as a boy. He had fought against Amadicians, Altarans and Whitecloaks; in the Aiel War he survived the Blood Snow at Tar Valon. Arganda was very concerned with the kidnapping of Alliandre; he was loyal to her, and besides, the Crown High Council would have had his head if he hadn’t gotten her back safely. Overall, he was concerned with the entire project from the beginning and considered it harebrained, what with Alliandre swearing fealty to Perrin and riding into Amadicia. But she was the Queen, so he obeyed. During the Last Battle Arganda was wounded severely enough to take him out of the fight, but he continued his command as best he could.

  Gerisch. A Seanchan Banner-General with Tuon’s army at the Last Battle. She had a nice backside. When it had become obvious there was a spy in the command tent, Mat wondered if it might be she.

  Gerra Kishar. An Aes Sedai of the Gray Ajah who served as Amyrlin from 601 to 638 NE. Gerra was a strong Amyrlin. She used her skills as a negotiator and mediator to play factions off against each other in the Hall. Chosen in part because her mild personality was so much in contrast to Shein’s—and possibly because the Hall thought she would be controllable—she continually got her way. She was also chosen in part because she was one of the ringleaders of the coup that toppled Shein, which should have given the others some clue to how biddable she would be. An attempted coup against her was crushed utterly. She was remembered as one of the greatest Amyrlins.

  Get Ayliah. One of Perrin’s men from the Two Rivers who was a good tracker. He and Hu Marwin went with Jondyn to try to find traces of Faile after she was kidnapped. Jondyn, Get and Hu went after the fleeing inhabitants of Malden, but all they found was some information and a sketched map of the town.

  Get Eldin. A Two Rivers farmer. He was leathery, bald-headed and three times Perrin’s age; Perrin asked him to stay and warn off anyone who tried to bother Master Luhhan while they were preparing to fight the Trollocs in Emond’s Field.

  Getares, Esmara. See Esmara Getares

  Ghar’ghael. A Trolloc tribe. Its sign was piled human skulls.

  Gharadin. A man of the Shaido Aiel taken gai’shain at Dumai’s Wells; he was sent to Ghealdan with Perrin. Square-faced and half again as big as Perrin, he had a half-healed slash down his hard face. Seonid wanted to Heal him, but the Wise Ones told her she must ask permission.

  Ghealdan. A nation in the south-central part of the continent. Its sigil was three six-pointed silver stars arranged one above and two below: the Stars, or the Silver Stars. Its banner was the Silver Stars on a field of red. Taking its name from the region rather than from any province of Hawkwing’s empire, Ghealdan was founded in approximately FY 1109 by Lord Kirin Almeyda, Lady Valera Prosnarin, Lord Cynric Talvaen and Lady Iona Ashmar. There had been numerous attempts to restore Dhowlan, with the longest lasting only twenty years and collapsing upon the death of the woman who had led it, and attempts to form a new nation in the region had also met with at best mixed results, the longest lived lasting for only thirty-four years and three rulers. The success of Lord Kirin, Lady Valera, Lord Cynric and Lady Ashmar is attributed, at least in part, to their agreement to join four strong Houses together, and to the fact that while Lord Kirin became King Kirin, the other three Houses formed a Royal Crown Council (Crown High Council), which had considerable power to check as well as choose the ruler and which later admitted still more noble Houses to membership. Of course, the relative isolation of Ghealdan played a part; far from the coast and containing neither major trade routes nor a major trading center, the region was not a popular target for others with ambition. And, too, the War of the Hundred Years already had been going on for over a hundred years; weariness on the parts of anyone coveting Ghealdan and the necessity of holding on to what they already held certainly helped Ghealdan survive.

  Ghealdan’s historic stability changed with the Prophet. There had been more playing of the Game of Houses in Ghealdan than in Andor, but much less than in Cairhi
en; that increased somewhat with the Prophet. Ghealdan was always aware of the Whitecloak presence in Amadicia, but was strong enough to keep them out for the most part.

  Ghealdan could be ruled by either a king or a queen. The ruler’s power was more than in Altara or Murandy, but less than in Andor, Cairhien or Illian. Marriage to a commoner barred one from the throne, although it was possible for a commoner to become a noble. The Crown High Council was of varying size, depending on what party or group had control, and of varying power in the land. It had a strong say in who ascended to the throne, though ascent was usually hereditary. By law, no one could sit on the Crown High Council if they were in the line of succession, and stepping from the Council to the throne was also against the law. Attempts to do so in the past had caused outbreaks of violence—a civil war in at least one case—and never succeeded. However, the Council did, upon occasion, depose a sitting monarch, change the succession or have someone other than the rightful successor crowned. In other periods the Council had been under the ruler’s thumb to one degree or another. As in most nations, the army historically consisted of the personal levies of the nobles. Ghealdanin noblewomen nearly always used a Master of the Horse to command their troops; it was extremely rare for a Ghealdanin noblewoman to take the field herself. As in other countries, noblemen were expected to lead their troops whether or not they were fit to do so.

  The Legion of the Wall was a permanent formation like the Queen’s Guards in Andor which provided a bodyguard for the ruler and border guards. It numbered between two thousand and twenty-five hundred men, but this formation was dispersed during the rise of the Prophet. After she swore fealty to Perrin Aybara, Alliandre used the excuse of raising troops to go with him into Amadicia to reinstitute the Legion. At that point, it numbered between nine hundred and a thousand men and officers. That was something she had planned to do, but she did not announce it even to Perrin. Only Arganda and a few of the most trusted officers knew that they had become the Legion of the Wall. The secrecy was because of Alliandre’s uncertainty regarding the Crown High Council. Gerard Arganda was named the First Captain of the Legion of the Wall, although he was not publicly announced.

  Ghealdanin common soldiers had green streamers on their lances that had a foot-long steel point, and wore green breastplates and green conical helmets with barred faceguards. The officers wore shiny, silvery breastplates and conical helmets with barred faceguards, red coats and red cloaks, and had a fat white plume on the helmet; officers’ reins, bridles and saddle cloths were fringed in red.

  Ghealdan was for many years the only major source of first-quality alum, easily better than that found in Arafel and Tear. Taxes on alum alone supported the throne of Ghealdan for generations. (A new source of fine alum opened up in Andor, though, shortly before the Last Battle.) There was some manufacturing of cloth and carpets, but neither was considered the finest. Ghealdan was especially known for timber and fine woods. Gold, silver and iron were mined in Ghealdan; Ghealdanin steel was not considered as good as Andoran or Illianer, though as good as most. Ghealdan also produced a significant amount of furs.

  gheandin. A plant whose powdered blossoms were used medicinally to relieve heart pain.

  Ghenjei, Tower of. See Tower of Ghenjei

  Gho’hlem. A Trolloc tribe.

  Ghob’hlin. A Trolloc tribe. Its sign was a goat’s skull with a fire burning behind it.

  Ghodar, Zenare. See Zenare Ghodar

  Ghoetam. A sage who supposedly sat under Avendesora, the Tree of Life, for forty years to gain wisdom; he was fed by the birds.

  gholam or Gholam. A type of Shadowspawn made by Aginor. Only six were made; three with a male appearance, three with a female appearance. This creature was created for the sole purpose of killing Aes Sedai. It looked like a human, though with a gray-pale complexion. It had the ability to elongate itself, so that it might squeeze its way along a four-inch pipe. Incredibly tough, it generally had to be hacked to pieces and the pieces all burned to ash to kill it; even when one had been cut in half or dismembered, the parts continued to function for a time, still under control of the brain. Given time, they would rejoin. Even destruction of the brain didn’t necessarily stop the body walking about, much like a Myrddraal. It was strong enough to rip a man’s arms off, and required blood for nourishment; animal blood would do, but it preferred human. At a distance up to fifty paces, a gholam could sense the ability to channel. Worst of all, it was immune to the One Power, as if it embodied Mat’s medallion; on the other hand, Mat’s medallion burned one like acid. For this reason, not even the Forsaken particularly wanted to use the things. “Gholam” was correct in thoughts or speech of someone who didn’t know better; if the one speaking knew, “gholam” was correct.

  Ghraem’lan. A Trolloc tribe. Its sign was forked lightning.

  giantsbroom. A tree that grew in stands; its trunks split into many branches, thick and straight, a pace above the ground; at the top, the branches split again into leafy brush. Loial Treesang one to make a staff for himself.

  Gilbearn, House. A minor Andoran noble House of which Lady Sergase was a member. See Sergase Gilbearn

  Gilber. One of Bashere’s quartermasters in Saldaea. Vanin reminded Faile of Gilber.

  Gilda. One of the maids at The Queen’s Blessing, Caemlyn. Gill said that she was the greatest gossip the Creator ever made.

  Gilgame. Someone from the Age of Legends to whom Rand wished he had listened.

  Gill, Basel. See Basel Gill

  Gille. A pale-haired damane. Her sul’dam Nerith brushed her hair to calm her after she had problems with saidar. Gille was killed in the first battle against Rand’s army.

  Gillin. A young woman who performed with Valan Luca’s circus. Olver thought her lips were ripe cherries.

  Gilyard. See Branlet and Mayv Gilyard

  Gitara Moroso. An Aes Sedai of the Blue Ajah with a strength level of 19(7). Born in 672 NE, she went to the White Tower in 689. After spending six years as a novice and seven years as Accepted, she was raised to the shawl in 702 NE. She was 5'6" tall, and voluptuous, with snow-white hair. She was also flamboyant enough for a Green or a Yellow. Gitara was always just, and usually fair, but kindness never seemed to occur to her. She possessed the Talent of Foretelling. She was the Aes Sedai counselor to Queen Mordrellen of Andor. It was Gitara who gave Luc the Foretelling which sent him off to the Blight and Tigraine the Foretelling which sent her to the Aiel Waste. She remained Mordrellen’s counselor until Mordrellen’s death in 972 NE. The following year Tamra Ospenya was raised Amyrlin, and chose Gitara as her Keeper of the Chronicles. She was the Keeper for Tamra from 973 to 978 NE. She died after Foretelling the birth of the Dragon Reborn during the Battle of the Shining Walls. Only the Amyrlin, Tamra, and two Accepted who were attending the Amyrlin, Siuan Sanche and Moiraine Damodred, were present to hear.

  Glancor. A town just northeast of Far Madding, across the Ajalon Bridge.

  gleemen. Traveling storytellers, musicians, jugglers, tumblers and all-around entertainers. Known by their trademark cloaks of many-colored patches, they performed mainly in the villages and smaller towns, since larger towns and cities had other entertainments available, though occasionally they might have been hired by nobles or wealthy merchants to provide rustic amusement.

  Glimmer. A brilliant white Saldaean mare that Elayne rode to her coronation in Cairhien.

  glowbulb. An illumination device from the Age of Legends, mentioned by the Forsaken, and found in Sammael’s rooms by the Asha’man.

  Goaban. A nation that arose from the War of the Hundred Years.

  goatflower. A plant having flowers with a variety of colors. The blue form worked medicinally for broken bones.

  goatstongue. A medicinal herb that had a soporific effect and was good for relieving stomach cramps.

  Godan. A village in eastern Tear, on the Bay of Remara. Tear regulated the size and existence of towns in their country, especially coastal towns, for fear of having them overshadow Tear, but G
odan was allowed to flourish because of the need for a strong presence overlooking Mayene.

  Gode, Howal. See Howal Gode

  Goemal. One of the two men seeking Elmindreda’s hand in the story Siuan and Min made up to account for Min’s presence in the Tower; the other man was Darvan.

  Goim Bridge. A bridge in Far Madding connecting the city via the Tear Gate to the mainland at a town called South Bridge.

  Gokhan, Lord. A Seanchan member of the Blood. Min saw that he would marry soon. Tuon sent him to the front lines with orders to stay single until after the Last Battle.

  Gold Road. A commercial highway that connected the city of Illian with Far Madding.

  Golden Bees, the. The symbol of Illian, nine golden bees on a field of green.