The Wheel of Time Companion

by Robert Jordan

  Saerin was part of the battle in Tel’aran’rhiod against some of the Black Ajah at the White Tower until she and others were taken out of the dream on Amys’ orders. She fought during the Last Battle with Egwene’s army and after the Last Battle was part of the group that pressured Cadsuane to become Amyrlin.

  Safer. One of the Ten Nations; its capital was Iman, which later became Katar. Other cities included Miereallen (later Falme) and Shainrahien. King Eawynd was its ruler at the signing of the Compact.

  Saferi. Of or from Safer.

  Sahera. A family in Kandor. See Avene and Migel Sahera

  Sahra Covenry. A novice in the White Tower, sent to Moria Elward’s farm to do penance to prevent her from talking about Min and Gawyn’s meeting in the White Tower; the Black Ajah found and killed her there.

  saidar. The female half of the One Power; it was used by female channelers.

  saidin. The male half of the One Power; it was used by male channelers.

  Saighan, House. A noble House in Cairhien. Its High Seat was Colavaere until her death; she was followed by Bertome. Its banner was a silver diamond on a field checked red and yellow. See Bertome, Colavaere and Dairaine Saighan

  Sailmistress. A commander of a Sea Folk ship and crew, equivalent to a ship’s captain. A Sailmistress wore three earrings in each ear; a medallion on the chain to her nose indicated the type of ship she commanded. A vessel was often owned by the Sailmistress who commanded him, though the vessels were always owned by women. Where a vessel sailed, and when, was purely in the hands of the Sailmistress, but what cargo was purchased or taken aboard and when, as well as all other financial matters, were in the hands of the Cargomaster.

  Saine Tarasind. Mesaana’s name before becoming Forsaken.

  Saishen, Stedding. A stedding located in Saldaea.

  Sajius. The author of Commentary on the Dragon, a book studied by Min.

  Sakarnen. The name of the sa’angreal used by Demandred in the Last Battle; in the Age of Legends, it was known as D’jedt, or the Scepter. For safety, it had been taken apart and the two pieces hidden separately. Demandred found the rod first; it was the length of his forearm, with the metal splaying out to a disc shape at the end. Demandred found the second part, which looked like a cup, in Rai’lair, the Hearttomb, in Shara. He claimed to have bound Sakarnen to himself so that it could not be used against him.

  Sakaru. A Shienaran soldier. He was one of those following Ingtar when he and Perrin pursued the Horn of Valere to Falme. He wintered in the Mountains of Mist with Perrin and Rand; after Rand left and the Shienarans were abandoned to make their own way, he died in an unpleasant manner.

  Salaking. A location in Seanchan.

  Saldaea. The largest of the Borderland nations; Maradon was its capital, Tenobia its queen. Its sigil was three silver fish, one above the other: the Silver Fish. Its banner was the Silver Fish on a field of dark blue. Many thought that sigil odd for a land with so many cliffs along the sea and such rough seas that it had few fishing villages and no port worth the name. Saldaea, Kandor, Arafel, Shienar and Malkier all were provinces of Hawkwing’s empire, with the borders between them very much as they were at the start 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. No major numbers of Saldaean troops were sent to fight in the Aiel War. For one thing, the threat never came anywhere near Saldaea, and for another, the western Blight spawned several periods of high Trolloc activity beginning a few years before the Aiel War and culminating some three years after its end. Some relatively small detachments of troops did take part, rarely numbering more than two to three thousand, but they were attached to Kandori elements and were withdrawn before the Battle of the Shining Walls because of a massive upsurge in activity along the Saldaean Blightborder which began in mid-978 NE and continued well into 979 NE. Some soldiers did remain in the fighting, but not many. One such party fought under Lan Mandragoran at the Blood Snow, along with Kandori and some Domani.

  Saldaea had one of the three false Dragons who sprang up after Logain was captured and before Rand proclaimed himself; this was Mazrim Taim, who made considerable headway before being captured.

  In Saldaea a wife took her husband’s name but retained her own also, and her family name became a part of his. Thus: Faile (Zarine) si Ghaline Bashere became Faile ni Bashere t’Aybara when she married Perrin Aybara, and he became Perrin t’Bashere Aybara.

  A child had the father’s family name and the mother’s. Thus: Zarine, the daughter of Davram t’Ghaline Bashere and Deira ni Ghaline t’Bashere was christened Zarine si Ghaline Bashere. Commoners’ children had the mother’s maiden name as a middle name and the father’s surname as surname, without the “si,” “ni,” or “t’.” Women among commoners keep their maiden name on marriage. Men proposed marriage, and women accepted or declined. A long pursuit was expected, and a woman usually made a man prove he really wanted to catch her before she let him.

  In general, Saldaean women wanted a strong husband, one strong enough to stand up to them, because they were a strong lot themselves, and despised weak men. They did not expect to be bullied or browbeaten, though they knew when to make a strategic retreat. A Saldaean woman would be contemptuous of a man who couldn’t stand toe-to-toe with her, meet her shout for shout and occasionally actually make her step back.

  Saldaean custom was for wives of nobles to go on campaign with their husbands, except into the Blight, although that prohibition was often flouted. Many officers’ wives also accompanied their husbands, and there were times when a wife led troops into battle in place of a wounded husband.

  A Borderman considered the day he was given his sword to be his nameday.

  There was a link between the Borderland and Aiel views of shame: by and large, shame was worse than guilt, the worst thing there was, though this view of shame ameliorated as one moved west. Arafellin saw shame as less important than did Shienarans, Kandori less than Arafellin, Saldaeans less than Kandori. In all of the Borderlands, though, shame was given a much heavier weight than in lands to the south.

  Saldaea could have either a king or a queen, advised by the Council of Lords. The husband or wife of a Saldaean ruler was not simply a consort, but an almost co-equal ruler. It was a hereditary monarchy; the eldest child of the reigning monarch normally succeeding. If the child was younger than fifteen, a regent was chosen from the child’s aunts and uncles of the blood, picked by a combination of age and degree of relationship.

  If the ruler died without issue, the throne passed to the eldest and nearest relative, chosen by a combination of age and degree of relationship, with the degree of relationship coming first and age second. Thus, a brother or sister would have come before an aunt or uncle, but among aunts and uncles as among brothers and sisters, the eldest would have succeeded.

  The heir apparent to Tenobia was Davram Bashere. Since no other close relatives survived, the next in line after Lord Davram was his own heir, his daughter Faile, who became queen after Tenobia’s and Bashere’s deaths in the Last Battle.

  Saldaea had no ports, and only a few tiny fishing villages, so the vast bulk of trade traditionally followed one of three routes: 1) down to Arad Doman, through
Bandar Eban; 2) down the Manetherendrelle to Illian; and 3) much less important, historically, to Kandor, and through Kandor to Tar Valon and points south.

  There was a great trade from Saldaea in timber, finished wood, furs and ice peppers. Ice peppers were a Saldaean monopoly, as they did not grow elsewhere; they were apparently very particular as to both soil and climate. There was a substantial woolen industry, but not much was exported. Saldaea exported large amounts of iron, steel and finished iron- and steel-work. There was considerable mining of diamonds, and considerable mining of silver and the manufacture of silverwork, but very little gold-mining.

  Salia Pomfrey. An Andoran widow who gave birth to a boy near Dragonmount close to the time that Rand was born. Her husband was killed on the second day of the Battle of the Shining Walls; half-mad with grief, she returned to her village in Andor.

  Salidar. A large village in Altara, a mile east of the River Eldar, near the Amadician border. It was the birthplace of Deane Aryman, and the town where the rebel Aes Sedai set up their organization. Woodland surrounded the village. Trees ran up to thatch-roofed houses made of rounded river stones, and many trees actually stood in narrow little thickets among some of the houses. The streets had a look of newly turned earth, not the hard-packed surface that came from generations of use. Siuan first learned of Salidar being the location of the rebel Aes Sedai from an eyes-and-ears in Lugard. When she, Leane, Min and Logain arrived in Salidar, they caused a stir. They spread the story about Logain having been set up as a false Dragon by the Red Ajah. Gareth Bryne arrived to hold Siuan and company to their oath to work for him, and agreed to head an army against the White Tower. Elayne, Nynaeve, Thom, Juilin, Uno and Shienaran soldiers arrived in Salidar from Samara in Ghealdan. Then Egwene was summoned to Salidar and made Amyrlin. An abandoned inn was used as a meeting place for the Hall and also housed the Amyrlin’s study; it was named the Little Tower. The rebel Aes Sedai stayed in Salidar until the decision was made to move against the White Tower.

  Salindi Casolan. An Aes Sedai Sitter who lived at the time of the formation of the White Tower.

  Salita Toranes. A Tairen Aes Sedai of the Yellow Ajah and the rebel contingent, with a strength level of 27(15). Born in 933 NE, she went to the White Tower in 950 NE. After spending nine years as a novice and seven years as Accepted, she was raised to the shawl in 966 NE. Almost as dark as one of the Sea Folk, she was round-faced, with cool level eyes, and stood about 5'4" tall. Like some other Yellows, she believed the other Ajahs were merely adjuncts to the Yellow, which had the only useful purpose. She had complaints from the Yellows who were conscripted into making cuendillar, who thought Aes Sedai should not be making things for sale. Being a lesser noblewoman, Salita had an income from an estate in Tear and was casual about money and contemptuous of trade; she never stopped to think what her own income derived from. She was a very quick learner, with an eidetic memory. She might well have been allowed to move through novice and Accepted faster had she had a stronger potential. Salita learned Nynaeve’s form of Healing and was raised a Sitter for the Yellow in Salidar in 999 NE. She sometimes supported Egwene in the Hall and sometimes not; she voted yes in the war vote and for the alliance with the Black Tower. After the White Tower reunited, Salita resigned as Sitter.

  Sallie Daera. The code name for Salidar used by the rebel Aes Sedai.

  Salmarna. The location of a battle where Bukama became a hero.

  Salt Flat. A sept of the Nakai Aiel.

  salt name. A name added to the end of an Atha’an Miere name, following the family name. It was composed of two words, such as South Star, Running Wave, or White Wing, and given when an apprentice reached a certain age or level of experience.

  Salya. From a gleeman’s tale, Lenn’s daughter, who walked among the stars.

  Samaha. A town in Altara, east of Willar and the River Boern. Moiraine, Lan, Perrin and Loial passed through while on Rand’s trail, and learned that all the wells in the town had suddenly gone dry, evidence that Rand had been there.

  Samalin Naerodan. A Murandian Aes Sedai of the Green Ajah and the rebel contingent, with a strength level of 22(10). Born in 935 NE, she went to the White Tower in 952 NE. After spending six years as a novice and five years as Accepted, she was raised to the shawl in 963 NE and raised Sitter for the Green in Salidar in 999 NE, although she was young for it. Sharp-faced, she had a surprising sense of humor and a bright, clear laugh. She had one Warder, to whom she was married, though that was not widely known. Samalin stood immediately for Egwene the second time. She was one of those who stood for war against Elaida and for an alliance with the Black Tower.

  Samara. A large, prosperous town in Ghealdan on the River Eldar, just over the Amadician border. It had a high stone wall, stone buildings, many three stories high, and more roofs made of slate and tile than thatch. The Prophet settled there for a time, and a huge tent/shanty city grew around the wall. Master Luca went there looking for space to set up his menagerie; Nynaeve spotted Uno, and he took her to see Masema, the Prophet. The latter agreed to get Nynaeve and her companions a ship downriver to Tear, to see the Dragon. Galad followed them, and said he would find them a ship instead. The Whitecloaks seized a smuggling vessel to take Nynaeve and company downriver, which caused riots in the town. The party fought their way across town and departed on the ship. Later, Asne, Chesmal, Eldrith and Temaile followed Moghedien there, but did not connect with her.

  Samared, House. Elayne’s fictional House while traveling incognito.

  Samel Crawe. A Village Councilman in Emond’s Field. Horse-faced, with a long nose, he was the father of Ban. Samel participated in the defense of Emond’s Field; he and Jon Thane had charge of the area east of The Winespring Inn.

  Samitsu Tamagowa. An Arafellin Aes Sedai of the Yellow Ajah, uncommitted to any contingent. Her strength level was 20(8). Born in 856 NE, she went to the White Tower in 870 NE. After spending nine years as a novice and four years as Accepted, she was raised to the shawl in 883 NE. Her Warder was Roshan. She was 5'5" tall, and slim, with dark hazel eyes and dark hair in which she wore silver bells. Samitsu had an overbearing, commanding manner and could be somewhat petulant at being balked, as when her Healing of Rand failed. Samitsu had no fear of getting her hands dirty or bloody in dealing with someone who was hurt; she was quite matter-of-fact about it. She had the Talent for Healing so strongly that no one, not even sisters stronger than she in the Power, could do it better. She used traditional flows of Air, Spirit and Water. Cadsuane said that she was the best living—perhaps the best ever—and that no one could perform Healing to compare with her. That buoyed Samitsu’s spirits, though she accepted it as simple truth. Samitsu was with Cadsuane in the Cairhienin rebel camp when Rand came to visit, before the fog incident. She tried Healing Rand after Padan Fain’s attack, and was distraught that she did not succeed fully. She demanded that Flinn tell her everything he could about what he had done to Heal Rand, and at the same time tried to bribe him, even offering to bear his child; she was extremely anxious to know about his way of Healing that did more than hers could. Samitsu was left behind in Cairhien when Cadsuane went to Far Madding. Cadsuane left her in charge, but Sashalle slowly took over Samitsu’s authority in the Sun Palace. Samitsu Healed Dobraine after he had been attacked. Samitsu went with Logain and others when they went to find Rand, but Cadsuane sent her back to watch Sashalle. She welcomed Elayne when Elayne arrived to take the Sun Throne.

  Saml al’Seen. A Two Rivers man at the Black Tower with the rank of soldier. He was young—little more than a child—and had dark hair. Saml was guarding the gate of the Black Tower when representatives of the Red Ajah arrived.

  Saml Hake. The innkeeper at The Dancing Cartman in Four Kings, Andor. Bony, with long stringy hair, he was the first skinny innkeeper Rand had ever seen. He planned to rob Rand and Mat; the Darkfriend Howal Gode gave Jak, Strom and Hake something to make them sleep while he tried his pitch on Rand.

  Samma N’Sei. Old Tongue for “Eyeblinders,” the term
was used for red-veiled men, some of whom could channel. Male Aiel channelers or their progeny who went to the Blight to fight Shadowspawn and were Turned by Myrddraal, they inhabited a town (“the Town”) in the Blight. The Eyeblinders were groomed as a surprise weapon in the Last Battle. Some of them had an earlier mission to find and destroy the Eye of the World before the Dragon Reborn could reach it, but that mission failed.

  Sammael. One of the Forsaken, also known as the Destroyer of Hope. His name prior to swearing to the Dark One was Tel Janin Aellinsar. His strength level was ++2. About six feet tall, with blue eyes, golden hair and a neat square-trimmed beard, he would perhaps have been above ordinary in looks except for a slanting scar on his left cheek, as if a red-hot poker had been dragged across his face from hairline to jaw. The scar was given him by Lews Therin, whom Sammael both envied and hated; he would not let the scar be restored, keeping it as a badge of hatred and vengeance. He was a lover of power, glory and conquest and a militarist rather than a diplomat. A famous sportsman in the Age of Legends, he was at that time friends with Lews Therin, although how close was not known; at the beginning of the War of Power he became one of Lews Therin’s best generals. In the fourth year of the war, he went over to the Shadow, in part because he thought that the Dark One would win, and in part because of his hatred of Lews Therin. Sammael believed that he was the better general and that he should be in command of the forces of the Light.