The Wheel of Time Companion

by Robert Jordan

  Maighdin Dorlain. Morgase’s alias while on the lam.

  Maighdin Trakand. The mother of Morgase.

  Maigran. A young Jenn Aiel woman from the time soon after the Breaking. Adan was her greatfather, Saralin her mother and Lewin her brother. When she was five, her father and greatmother were killed by bandits. Some years later she and Colline were kidnapped and abused by bandits. Lewin, Colline’s brother Charlin and some of their friends set out to rescue the women; in the process of doing so, they killed the bandits, and Charlin died in the fighting. When they went back to the wagons, Maigran told the Jenn that the young men had killed, causing them to be disowned.

  Mailaine Harvole. An Aes Sedai who lived at the time of the formation of the White Tower.

  Mailinde Paendrag Lyndhal. The Queen of Shandalle and mother of Artur Hawkwing. She died during the Black Plague epidemic in FY 939.

  Mainde Cut. A hold in the Aiel Waste.

  Mainelle. An Ogier-built city in Aelgar, one of the Ten Nations after the Breaking. The city of Tanchico later grew on the same site.

  Mair. An Arafellin Accepted in the White Tower. Plump and blue-eyed, she was a novice when Egwene left the Tower. She was jealous of Egwene’s fast rise and tried to boss her around when Egwene first returned to the Tower after her capture by Elaida.

  Maira. An Aiel woman of the Serai sept of the Tomanelle Aiel and Far Dareis Mai. She had red hair and a thigh-slapping laugh. She was at least ten years older than Rand. Maira was guarding Rand’s tent near Taien when Trollocs attacked; she ran off to join the fighting, leaving Rand vulnerable to a Draghkar. She carried a doll for some time after that to remind herself that she was not a child. She also accompanied Rand to the farm outside Caemlyn, and did not understand Rand’s rooster joke.

  Maire. A woman who served as an attendant to Colavaere. Colavaere told Maire some of her plans for the future of Cairhien and that Rand would never dare oppose her. Maire told Faile what Colavaere said, and soon after vanished. Faile believed that Colavaere had her killed.

  Mairin Gome. A traveling circus owner who was in Samara at the same time as Luca. The line for her show was almost as long as the one for Luca’s.

  Maisia. The name Sammael called Graendal when she and Sammael met with Sevanna. Graendal threatened to kill Sammael if he ever called her that again; in the Age of Legends, it was the sort of name one might give a pet.

  majhere. A term referring to the female head of servants at the Stone of Tear.

  Makin, Croi. See Croi Makin

  Makzim. A Warder leading the training of students to be Warders, after the Tower was reunited under Egwene; he was stern and thick-armed. Gawyn said that he would speak to Makzim and Chubain on behalf of the Younglings who wanted to be soldiers instead of Warders.

  Mala, Mistress. A woman running an orphanage in Nynaeve’s test for the shawl.

  Malahavana. A sul’dam who participated in the White Tower raid. She was paired with Tuon’s damane Dali.

  Malai. A damane who could tell the fortunes of the weather. She said that there was no rain near when Tuon first met with Rand.

  Malain. A Saldaean soldier with Bashere in Maradon. Just before Rand arrived in Maradon, Ituralde, about to be overrun by the Shadowspawn, ordered Malain to gather the cavalry and organize them for a retreat.

  Malalin, Lord. One of the men Beslan plotted with in the basement of The Three Stars to overthrow the Seanchan.

  Malan. An Ogier who was the son of Senar and the father of Aran, the last being an author who wrote about Ishamael after the sealing of Shayol Ghul.

  Malari, Jarna. See Jarna Malari

  Malden. A city in northern Altara where Faile was held in a Shaido camp. Malden’s largest wall was less than four hundred paces long, and shorter on the other sides, but the northern stone wall stood thirty feet high with towers and a fortress. Scattered farmhouses dotted the landscape, and rail fences marked out fields. There was a road leading roughly south through the farms and another leading roughly north. A stone aqueduct ran west into the city on high stone arches from a lake, over ridges topped with windmills.

  Maldine lace. A lace characterized by a distinct golden pattern.

  Malena Aylar. A Watch Hill woman who appeared in Nynaeve’s Accepted test. In that scenario, she had become the Wisdom of Emond’s Field. A bully, she beat Alsbet Luhhan, had Cenn elected Mayor and poisoned Bran al’Vere and Haral Luhhan.

  Malenarin Rai. The commander of Heeth Tower on the Kandori Blightborder. His sign was the oak set aflame. As well as spending ten years commanding Heeth Tower, he was a master merchant. Heeth Tower received a flash from Rena Tower, indication that there might be a problem; Rai sent three messengers south. His son Keemlin, a few days shy of his fourteenth nameday, was supposed to be one of the messengers, but he let Tian, who was lighter and was the only son left of his family, go in his place. As Trollocs approached, Rai performed the ceremony that named his son a man. Father and son fought and died together.

  Malenry, Aledrin. See Aledrin Malenry

  Malevin, Arel. See Arel Malevin

  Malhavish. The author of The Prophecies of the Dragon, Essanik Cycle, Malhavish’s Official Translation, Imperial Record House of Seandar, Fourth Circle of Elevation.

  Malian. A young sul’dam, slender and dark-haired, who accompanied Anath/Semirhage when she attempted to capture Rand. After Semirhage was captured, Malian put compresses on Surya and Tabi’s head wounds.

  Maliandred, Bassane. See Bassane Maliandred

  Malidra. A young woman who was a descendant of the Aiel in the distant future as seen in Aviendha’s visions in Rhuidean. At age eighteen, Malidra was a scavenger, following Lightmakers and sometimes killing people in order to survive. She was caught while going through Flern’s trash heap and killed.

  Malien. An Altaran noblewoman who was at the Kin’s farm outside Ebou Dar. She became part of Elayne’s entourage with the Kin into Andor. She brought all of her dresses, a bundle nearly as big as herself. The bundle nearly bent her double since there was no horse for her; later she discarded most of it. Slim with a thin scar on one cheek and a stern face, she complained loudly about being forced to carry her bundle on the trek and other indignities; Alise made her wash dishes for being one of the last ten ready to leave. Malien tried to stir up the other non-Kin in the group, but Reanne and Alise kiboshed that. She was still not a happy camper when last seen, but was kept in line by Reanne and Alise.

  Malin din Toral Breaking Wave. An Atha’an Miere woman who was Wavemistress of Clan Somarin and Sailmistress of Windrunner. Gray streaked her hair heavily, and she had a grave face. Five small fat golden rings decorated each of her ears, and a fine chain with tiny medallions connected one to a similar ring in her nose. She was one of the First Twelve of the Atha’an Miere, the twelve senior-most Wavemistresses of all the clans. Her Windfinder was Dorile din Eiran Long Feather. Malin was present when Nynaeve, Aviendha and Elayne went to ask for help in using the Bowl of the Winds. She escaped from Ebou Dar when the Seanchan attacked.

  Malind Nachenin. A Kandori Aes Sedai of the Green Ajah and the rebel contingent, with a strength level of 25(13). Born in 941 NE, she went to the White Tower in 957 NE. After spending twelve years as a novice and eleven years as Accepted, she was raised to the shawl in 980 NE. She had two Warders. Slightly plump with round face, full lips that looked ready to smile and dark eyes that could be fierce, she was raised Sitter for the Green in Salidar; she had been Aes Sedai for the least time of any of the new Sitters. Malind stood with the first nine when Egwene was chosen as the rebel Amyrlin, and was one of those who stood for war with Elaida. She was also in favor of a group going to the Black Tower to bond forty-seven Asha’man.

  Malindare. An Aiel woman of Far Dareis Mai. She was rounder than most Maidens, and had the darkest hair Rand had seen on any Aiel. Malindare helped bathe Rand before he met with the Sea Folk in Cairhien. She thought Rand was very modest.

  Malindhe. An Aiel Wise One who did not like having the Shaido among t
he other Aiel near Cairhien. She was with Amys and Cosain when Sevanna visited.

  Malkier. A nation in the north that was overrun by Shadowspawn in 953 NE and absorbed by the Blight completely by 957 NE. It was Lan’s homeland. The sign of Malkier was a golden crane in flight. The oath of Malkieri kings was “To stand against the Shadow so long as iron is hard and stone abides. To defend the Malkieri while one drop of blood remains. To avenge what cannot be defended.”

  Saldaea, Kandor, Arafel, Shienar and Malkier were all provinces of Hawkwing’s empire, with the borders between them very much as they stood at the time of the Last Battle, though not stretching so far south in most cases. With the Blight to contend with, the governors of those provinces—Lord Rylen t’Boriden Rashad for Saldaea, Lord Jarel Soukovni for Kandor, Lady Mahira Svetanya for Arafel, Lady Merean Tihomar for Shienar and Lord Shevar Jamelle for Malkier—met soon after Hawkwing’s death in FY 994 to reaffirm measures for cooperation against the Blight and to make agreements for mutual defense against attack from the south. Before the end of FY 995, when it became clear that the rest of the empire was splintering, each of the governors took the title of King or Queen of his or her former province, now a nation. None of these nations would take part in any of the wider fighting of the War of the Hundred Years, as nations, except for defending themselves against attacks and punishing same, though individuals and groups did sometimes become involved, sometimes for political reasons or family connections or friendships.

  The last king of Malkier was al’Akir Mandragoran. On a dare, his brother Lain led his army through the Blight to the Blasted Lands, perhaps to Shayol Ghul itself. Lain’s wife, Breyan, made the dare because she was envious that al’Akir was raised to the throne instead of her husband. Lain was acclaimed for his deeds, but he could not outshine al’Akir. Lain died in the Blasted Lands with most of those who followed him, and Breyan blamed the King, saying that Shayol Ghul itself would have fallen if al’Akir had led the rest of the Malkieri north with her husband. She plotted with Cowin Gemallan, called Cowin Fairheart, to seize the throne for her son, Isam. Cowin and Breyan moved soldiers back from the Blight to seize the Seven Towers, leaving the Borderforts stripped to bare garrisons. But Fairheart was a Darkfriend, and with the Borderforts weakened, Trollocs poured into Malkier. Overwhelming numbers pushed the Malkieri back into the heartland. Breyan fled with her infant son Isam, and was run down by Trollocs as she rode south with him. When Cowin Fairheart’s treachery was revealed and he was taken by young Jain Charin and brought to the Seven Towers, the Great Lords called for his execution. Because he had been loved by the people, the King faced him in single combat and killed him.

  There was no time to summon aid from Shienar or Arafel, and no hope that Malkier could stand alone. Al’Akir and his queen, el’Leanna, had their infant son Lan brought to them in his cradle and placed the sword of Malkieri kings in his hands, anointed his head with oil and consecrated him as the next King of the Malkieri. He was given into the care of twenty of the best soldiers from the King’s Bodyguard, and they took him to Fal Moran. The King and Queen led the Malkieri out to fight the Shadow one last time; they died at Herot’s Crossing, and Malkier died with them.

  In many ways, the Malkieri could be considered the ur-Borderlanders. Many of the customs found in other Borderlands were also found among the Malkieri, but frequently interpreted more strictly. Respect for women was highly regarded. A Malkieri considered it impolite to stare at a woman; a polite man did not look directly at a woman, or meet her eyes, unless she opened the exchange with him, and even then, at the highest level of politeness, he avoided looking directly at her, lowering his eyes instead. To a Malkieri, forcing his company on a woman was exceedingly rude, very crude behavior. Malkieri found the way men of other countries initiated conversations with women strange. While there were exceptions, of course, normally a Malkieri man would not initiate a conversation with a woman unless she gave indication that she wished to speak to him.

  The Malkieri were not dour people, taking great delight in parties and dances and festivals. The ability to play a musical instrument and/or sing was highly prized, and if one could not compose poetry, one was expected at least to be able to recite it, love poems included. By strong custom, such poems never named their object, but were oblique.

  The Malkieri were, however, very much a warrior people by necessity, for their land was surrounded on three sides by the Blight, instead of merely having a border with it. While law in the Borderlands prohibited hiding one’s face inside any city, town or village, among Malkieri it was considered rude not to show one’s face when meeting strangers, no matter the circumstances or location.

  While adulthood was marked by the ki’sain for women and the hadori for men, both men and women needed the permission of their mother to marry at whatever age, and if she no longer lived, of an adult female relative decided by blood relationship and age. One’s mother’s sisters came first, then one’s father’s sisters. If none of them survived, one’s own sisters came into play, followed then by the adult daughters of one’s mother’s sisters, then adult sisters of one’s father’s sister. In the unlikely event that none of these survived, the net spread wider. Arranged marriages were common among nobles, though not commoners, and sometimes neither bride nor groom were aware that any arrangements had been made until all was signed and sealed. The Malkieri wedding ring, a plain gold band, was worn on the forefinger of the left hand.

  The age at which the ki’sain and the hadori were granted was not fixed. They could be given as young as fifteen, and usually were granted by seventeen or eighteen, but could be withheld longer, though this rarely meant more than another year or two. The decision to grant for boys was made by the boy’s father, his uncles and usually a circle of their friends. Being included in this deciding group was an honor and a sign of trust, respect and friendship. Their decision was not entirely final, however, as the boy’s mother had to approve the decision, if she was alive. If she vetoed it, custom demanded waiting a year. By custom she was allowed to veto the decision three times, but doing so even once was considered shaming to the boy, and very few women ever did it more than once. Relatively few did it even once. The decision to grant the right for a girl to put the ki’sain on her forehead was traditionally made by her mother, her aunts and a circle of their friends. As with men, inclusion in this group was a sign of friendship, respect and trust. There was no provision in custom for the girl’s father to veto.

  It was generally expected that young men and women would take a lover (called a carneira) before settling down to court and wed. Customarily this lover was someone older and more experienced. In this, women were the aggressors, so to speak, no matter their age. Young women chose out the man they wanted for this first lover, while young men were pursued by older women. By custom, there was no way out once one was chosen except in the case of a married man. A young woman who attempted to choose a married man as her lover would face considerable disapproval, and could expect a very strong talking to by other women at the very least. While these relationships might seem casual, they were not. One had one carneira and only one, and the sexual part of the relationship was expected to be of limited duration, a year, or two at most. By custom, certain lifelong rights, responsibilities and obligations were assumed by both on entering into it. While the nature of these differed depending on whether the relationship was between an older man and a younger woman or an older woman and a younger man, in keeping with the sometimes almost matriarchal relations between the sexes in Malkier, the rights, responsibilities and obligations favored the woman. Thereafter the man had a number of obligations and duties toward her and she had the right to require certain things of him, but he had no right to make any demands of her at all.

  Malkieri girls wore their hair cut at the shoulder until they put on the ki’sain, after which they grew it to the waist or often longer. A woman who wished to retire from the world would cut her hair short. This retirement did not mean rustication
or any equivalent of entering a nunnery, but merely that she was simplifying her life and giving over involvement in most affairs of the world. She certainly would not be expected to engage in politics, for example, with her hair short.

  A Malkieri boy’s hair was allowed to grow to the waist, but it was not cut at the shoulder when he was given the right to tie it back with the hadori. The older woman who took him as a lover, his first lover, would cut it at his shoulders, whether she took him before or after he attained the hadori. Afterward he would weave the hair into a cord called a daori which he presented to her as a token of his obligations and ties to her. Thereafter, no Malkieri man would cut his hair shorter than his shoulders, or let it grow much longer.

  Malkieri. From or of Malkier.

  Mallard’s Hill. A geographical feature near Renald Fanwar’s home in the Borderlands.

  Mallard’s Road. A road crossing Mallard’s Hill.

  Mallen, Mavra. See Mavra Mallen

  Mallia, Huan. See Huan Mallia

  Mallone. A member of the Children of the Light. During the Last Battle, when Galad was ordered to take a dozen of his best men to Hawal Ford, Golever suggested Mallone, among others, to go with him.

  Malvide Narrows. A pass in the Damora Mountains, northeast of Maderin in Altara, that led into Murandy. The road from Ebou Dar to Lugard went through it.

  Malvin. A man serving under Steler in the Tower Guard right after the Battle of the Shining Walls. He accompanied Moiraine and Siuan to the Murandian camp to collect the names of babies. When they returned to the stable, Steler told his men that he wanted the horses rubbed down and the tack oiled before anyone thought of supper, and added that Malvin knew why Steler was looking at him.

  Mameris. Mameris was a city that was the center of a pacifistic movement, unfortunately coupled with a belief in bluntly saying what one thought. Birgitte knew of it; when commenting that she thought Mat more dangerous than Nalesean, she added “A N’Shar in Mameris.” A N’Shar was someone from the land on the Shadow Coast who had taken a blood oath of revenge; he or she was a walking time bomb, ready to kill in a twitch, ready to die, until the oath was fulfilled.