The Wheel of Time Companion

by Robert Jordan

  Sword of Kirukan. The sword carried by Kandori Queen Ethenielle’s Swordbearer in a jeweled scabbard; some believed that it was once carried by the legendary soldier Queen of Aramaelle, and that it was Power-wrought.

  Swordbearer. The Kandori title of the one who carried the Sword of Kirukan and commanded the Queen’s armies in the field; he was also called Swordbearer to the Throne of the Clouds. Lord Baldhere became Ethenielle’s Swordbearer following the death of her husband, Brys.

  Swordmaster. Sea Folk title for a Wavemistress’s male advisor (usually her husband and former Cargomaster) who had authority over Cargomasters of the clan and directed them in matters of trade and defense.

  Swovan Night. An Ebou Dari feast celebrated on the thirteenth day of Taisham. Pine branches were tied above the windows and people celebrating wore sprigs of evergreen in their hair.

  Sybaine Aldwyn. One of the Counsels in Far Madding who met with Cadsuane’s party when they arrived. She had slender hands and hair as gray as Cadsuane’s.

  Sylvase Caeren. The granddaughter and heir of Nasin, High Seat of House Caeren in Andor. About 5'4" tall, with big blue eyes and long black hair, she was sturdy and placid and showed no emotion. Sylvase was about age twenty-five when Elayne won Caemlyn. She was unmarried in large part because of Nasin’s doings and objections to suitors; he had managed to run off several, and in later years no one tried again because of that. She appeared to be vapid and fluttery, but occasionally showed flashes of something deeper and quieter. She was held as a “guest” of Arymilla, which was part of what helped keep Nasin as High Seat once he was demonstrably gaga. Sylvase became High Seat upon Nasin’s death from a seizure and took Jaq Lounalt as her secretary.

  Symon. A Warder killed by a Trolloc in the Last Battle; the Trolloc was then killed by Gawyn.

  T

  t’Bashere Aybara, Perrin. See Perrin t’Bashere Aybara

  t’mat. Round edible fruits from the Three-fold Land, red and shiny, that grew on low, pale-leaf bushes.

  T’zura. The eighth-largest city in Seanchan.

  ta’maral’ailen. Old Tongue for “the Web of Destiny,” a reference to major changes in the threads of the Pattern of an Age, associated with and woven around ta’veren. It could be short or long in duration, and composed of a limited geographical region or the entire Pattern itself.

  ta’veren. A person around whom the Wheel of Time wove all surrounding life-threads, perhaps all life-threads, to form a Web of Destiny. This weaving was little understood except that it seemed in many ways an alteration of chance; what might happen, but only rarely, did. The effect was at times quite localized. Someone influenced by the presence of a ta’veren might say or do what they would only have said or done one time in a million. Events of seeming impossibility occurred, such as a child falling a hundred feet from a tower unharmed. At other times the effect seemed to influence history itself, though often by means of the localized effects. That, it was believed, was the real reason that ta’veren were born, in order to shift history and restore a balance to the turning of the Wheel. It was possible for a woman to become ta’veren, as the Wheel required.

  Taardad. An Aiel clan; its chief was Rhuarc.

  tabac. A weed, widely cultivated. The leaves of it, when dried and cured, were burned in wooden holders called pipes and the fumes inhaled. Tabac was an important cash crop for many countries. The tabac from Two Rivers was considered of high quality, and Cairhienin leaf was described as sharp.

  Tabi. A pale-eyed damane who accompanied Anath/Semirhage when she attempted to capture Rand. She was Surya’s damane. Both received head injuries in the conflict. They refused to be Healed by Nynaeve, but Malian put compresses on their heads.

  Tabitha. The name by which Tabiya was mistakenly called on multiple occasions.

  Tabiya. An Andoran novice with the rebel Aes Sedai with a potential strength level of 27(15). She was born in 983 NE and went to the White Tower in 998 NE, and was taken from the Tower by the rebels. Tabiya had green eyes and freckles, and sometimes tried to assume an air of Aes Sedai mystery, at which she failed. She was timid, as when approaching Egwene as the Amyrlin. She squeaked when Sheriam snapped at her.

  Taborwin, House. A noble House in Cairhien. See Breane and Dobraine Taborwin

  Tad Barran. A stableman at The Winespring Inn, Emond’s Field; he was the brother of Hu. Lanky and taciturn, he seldom said more than three words strung together. He joined Perrin’s army at Malden.

  Tad Kandel. A dark-skinned Andoran Redarm in the Band of the Red Hand. Tad accompanied Mat to Ebou Dar; on the way there, Elayne discovered that he had a boil on his bottom. It had to be lanced, since Tad had adopted Mat’s aversion to Healing. He was killed by a gholam in Ebou Dar while trying to retrieve the Bowl of the Winds.

  Tadvishm. A Stone Dog who was killed by Seanchan in Aviendha’s viewing of the future at Rhuidean.

  Taeric Chavana. An acrobat in Luca’s circus, one of four men said to be brothers, although the four looked very different. Taeric was short and compact, with green eyes, high cheekbones and a hooked nose proclaiming his Saldaean blood.

  Taglien. A family at the Black Tower. See Frask and Lind Taglien

  Tagora, Amaline Paendrag. The first wife of Artur Hawkwing. He loved her very much, wrote many poems to her, and was devastated when she was poisoned and died.

  Tagren, Lady. An alias used by Shemerin after running away from the White Tower.

  Tai’daishar. Old Tongue for “Lord of Glory,” it was the name of a black gelding that Rand forced Kiruna to sell him for the extravagant amount of one thousand gold crowns after the unpleasantness at Dumai’s Wells.

  tai’shar. Old Tongue for “true blood,” as in Tai’shar Manetheren or Tai’shar Malkier.

  Taien. A town at the mouth of the Jangai Pass on the Aiel Waste side, the opposite end of the pass from Selean. It had been a high-walled town of moderate size. Taien was burned by Couladin and the Shaido. Bodies hung from the town walls, and the hundred survivors had been told not to touch anything; Couladin intended it for a message.

  Taijing, Stedding. A stedding located in the Spine of the World, east of Cantoine.

  Taim, Mazrim. See Mazrim Taim

  Tain Shari. An Aiel warrior society; the name was Old Tongue for “True Bloods.”

  taint. The flaw that affected saidin, the male half of the One Power, caused by a backlash from the Dark One as the Bore was sealed at Shayol Ghul by Lews Therin and the Hundred Companions. The taint caused all male channelers eventually to go mad, which induced the female Aes Sedai to hunt down and gentle as many male channelers as could be found before they could do harm. The taint was cleansed by Rand al’Thor at Shadar Logoth. See also Cleansing, the

  Tairen maze. An embroidery pattern used on coats, in carpets and in other materials.

  Taisa. A Seanchan sul’dam. She controlled Pura during a meeting with Suroth in Cantoine. Taisa had dark eyes and was very proper, in a Seanchan way; her eyes bulged indignantly when Pura tried to touch Suroth’s foot. She was ready to punish Pura for just possibly implying that Suroth had spoken untruth. Alwhin sent Taisa to Surela for punishment for not controlling Pura better.

  Taishin, Stedding. A stedding located in the forests north of the River Ivo.

  tak. A bush found in the Waste; when dead it was good for making a fire.

  Takai. A clan chief of the Miagoma Aiel after the Last Battle, as seen in Aviendha’s viewings of the future in Rhuidean.

  Takana, Clan. One of the Atha’an Miere clans.

  Takashi, Eldase. See Eldase Takashi

  Takedo, Court of. A place in Farashelle, from Mat’s memories. Artur Hawkwing crushed it in battle.

  Takima Deraighdin. An Andoran Aes Sedai of the Brown Ajah and the rebel contingent, with a strength level of 23(11). Born in the Mountains of Mist in 844 NE, she went to the White Tower in 858 NE. After spending nine years as a novice and six years as Accepted, she was raised to the shawl in 874 NE.

  About 5'1" tall, with smoot
h black hair to her waist and skin the color of aged ivory, she was not exactly plump, but neither was she at all slender; a man might have considered her a very pleasant armful. She was, by nature, quiet and observant, though she was forceful as a teacher and in the Hall. Her manner—the way she held or tilted her head, the way she moved—sometimes suggested a bird.

  Takima taught history of the White Tower and Aes Sedai, and could recognize one of her pupils at a hundred paces. She was raised a Sitter for the Brown in 991 NE. Jesse Bilal, her Ajah head, ordered her to join the sisters fleeing after Siuan was deposed to try to control and defuse the situation. Takima believed the reports concerning Logain and Red sisters, possibly including Elaida, and by implication thus had suspicions regarding the Reds and other false Dragons which put considerable strain on her purpose. Takima joined Lelaine’s clique, and apparently was very tightly under Lelaine’s thumb; she did so to help counter Romanda’s faction. At the vote for declaring war on Elaida, she explained the Law of War after the vote was taken, and wept after Egwene announced her plans to Travel to Tar Valon. Takima was against any alliance with the Black Tower and worked to delay an embassy to it; she also opposed bonding Asha’man. She was part of the group, with Faiselle, Saroiya, Magla and Varilin, who negotiated with the White Tower to try to end the split. After the Tower reunited, she kept her seat as a Sitter.

  taking price. The reward given by the Seanchan to anyone involved in capturing marath’damane. Since damane were a valuable commodity, the taking price was generous. Someone involved in capturing a large number of damane, as might be possible east of the Aryth Ocean, could receive enough money to purchase an inn, or a trained damane.

  Takisrom. A port on the Sleeping Bay in Seanchan.

  Tal Nethin. A saddlemaker who survived the Shaido massacre of Taien in the Jangai Pass, only to die by breaking his neck on level ground shortly afterward. His sister was Aril Corl.

  Talaan din Gelyn. A Sea Folk Windfinder apprentice. Too young to have earned a salt name, she was the daughter of the Windfinder Caire din Gelyn Running Wave. Her strength level was 4(9+), with a potential of 2(+11), higher than Nynaeve’s or Moghedien’s and equal to that of Graendal, Mesaana and Sharina. Her relationship with her mother was difficult, with her mother treating her more harshly than other apprentices were treated. Her mother had not, since Talaan had become an apprentice, done anything to acknowledge by word, deed, facial expression or tone of voice, that Talaan was her daughter. She had no nose chain, and only a single earring in the left ear to balance three in the right. Talaan was about 5'5" tall, and slim, with big eyes that were almost black and a straight nose. Part of the circle that used the Bowl of the Winds, she fled to Caemlyn when the Seanchan attacked the Kin farm outside Ebou Dar. She wanted Nynaeve’s help in going to Tar Valon, convinced that being a novice would be much easier than the life she had been leading. She wound up running away with Merilille. They made their way to Shayol Ghul and fought in the Last Battle there.

  Talene Minly. An Andoran Aes Sedai of the Green Ajah publicly but of the Black Ajah in truth. She was of the loyalist contingent and had a strength level of 15(3). Born in 840 NE, she went to the White Tower in 855 NE. After spending six years as a novice and six years as Accepted, she was raised to the shawl in 867 NE. She became a Sitter for the Green in 994 NE. About 5'7" tall, she was statuesque. Her face was a perfect oval, with large blue eyes and full red lips. Her hair was golden, and she was beautiful and voluptuous—full-bosomed and round of hip. Her fingers were long and her hands graceful. Seaine saw her as “beauty carved from ice,” though this thought came at a time of tension and antagonism.

  Talene was not a woman who liked to defer to anyone, under any circumstances, or to be less in any way whatsoever; she might be said to be almost prototypical of the Green Ajah arrogance in this regard, though she was quite personable and very charming in other ways. She had no Warder, which was unusual for a Green, saying that a Sitter didn’t need one. She had had them in the past, although no more than one Warder at a time; all her Warders had been Darkfriends.

  Talene held a record as perhaps the most punished novice and Accepted in the history of the Tower. It was said, facetiously, that she spent as much time in the Mistress of Novices’ study as she did in classes or lectures. It was also said that she could have passed her tests for Accepted and for Aes Sedai sooner than she was allowed to take them, but she was kept back for being such a discipline problem. Talene was friends with Seaine, but only acquaintances with Pevara. Talene was jealous of their being pillow friends; she would have liked to have been Seaine’s pillow friend. It was not really a sexual thing; she just wanted to have her friendship be that much closer. But spreading into threesomes or the like was fairly rare, and in any case, she would not have wanted Pevara to be part of it. At least part of that was because Pevara was stronger than her in the Power while Seaine was weaker. She and Seaine remained friends, although the strains between Ajahs in the White Tower forced some distance between them. Talene stood to depose Siuan Sanche. Afterward, she was given a penance by Elaida; it was a matter of scrubbing floors.

  Talene led Saerin, Doesine and Yukiri to confront Pevara and Seaine, though the others went along because of their own suspicions. Talene had been instructed by the Black Ajah to find out why the heads of the Ajahs were meeting in secret while at one another’s throats in public, and she thought Pevara and Seaine sneaking about might have something to do with it.

  She was identified as Black Ajah when she refused to reswear the Three Oaths; she was questioned in the Chair of Remorse. She forswore her Oaths to the Shadow and worked with those searching for the Black Ajah. When she was summoned to a meeting of the Black Ajah by Alviarin, she fled.

  Talentless. Men dwelling in the Town in the Blight who could not channel.

  Talents. Abilities in the use of the One Power in specific areas. The best known of these was Healing. Some, such as Traveling, the ability to shift oneself from one place to another without crossing the intervening space, were lost after the Breaking, and later rediscovered. Others, such as Foretelling, the ability to foretell future events in a general way, were prevalent in the Age of Legends but were later found only rarely if at all. Another Talent thought lost was Dreaming, which involved, among other things, interpreting the Dreamer’s dreams to foretell future events in more specific fashion than Foretelling. Other Talents were Cloud Dancing, the control of weather; Earth Singing, which involved controlling movements of the earth—for example, preventing or causing earthquakes and avalanches; and Delving, finding ores and possibly removing them from the ground.

  Minor talents, seldom given a name, included the ability to see ta’veren, the ability to see a weave for the first time and know what it would do before it was complete, or to duplicate the chance-twisting effect of a ta’veren, though in a very small and localized area rarely covering more than a few feet. See Cloud Dancing, Delving, Dreaming, Earth Singing, Healing, Foretelling and Traveling

  Talents, lost. Talents from the Age of Legends that were unknown in the subsequent Age. Among these were Aligning the Matrix, a weave used to make metals stronger. Others, whose uses were unknown, were Milking Tears and Spinning Earthfire.

  Talha. A slender, dark-haired sul’dam who accompanied Anath/Semirhage when she attempted to capture Rand. She wept after her capture.

  Talia. A woman from myth who was awakened by a kiss from the Sun King. While waiting for Birgitte to return from seeing Mat at The Wandering Woman in Ebou Dar, Nynaeve thought that she wanted to forget her worries in sleep until Lan wakened her with a kiss, as Talia was wakened by a kiss from the Sun King.

  Talidar. Site of the last of seven major battles between an aging Artur Hawkwing and invading Trollocs, which diminished Trolloc activity along the Blight for fifty years.

  Talisman of Growing. A ter’angreal triggered by Ogier Treesinging that allowed the Ogier to expand the Ways that the Aes Sedai had built.

  Talkend. A petty House of Andor; i
ts symbol was a golden Winged Hand. See Eram Talkend

  Tall Bear. A wolf in Leafhunter’s pack. Perrin spoke with the pack after encountering a scent in the wolf dream that made his hackles rise; he asked them what a wolf would hate more than the Neverborn. When he did so, they all shut him out one by one. The answer, of course, was Darkhounds.

  Tallan. A town in Altara, east of Samaha, Willar and the River Boern. Moiraine, Lan, Perrin and Loial passed through Tallan while on Rand’s trail. Everyone in the town had become embroiled in old disagreements, and it took several murders before people settled down—indications that Rand had been there recently.

  Tallanvor, Martyn. See Martyn Tallanvor

  tallowend. A plant with little pink flowers found in the gardens of the Royal Palace in Caemlyn.

  Talmanes Delovinde. A Cairhienin nobleman. His con was three yellow stars on blue, and his banner a black fox. He became a Lieutenant-General in the Band of the Red Hand and was the leader of Talmanes’ Thunderbolts, the First Banner of the Horse. The front of his head was shaved and powdered. Although he wore plain coats, he was entitled to a number of stripes. He was three years older than Mat at most and looked like a coiled whip. His eyes were expressionless, and he didn’t laugh and seldom smiled. Talmanes met Mat while battling the Shaido at Cairhien; impressed with his abilities, Talmanes swore loyalty to him and was instrumental in creating the Band of the Red Hand, becoming one of its leaders. He followed Mat at first because Mat was a winner, but his personal loyalty increased over time. After the Band went to Salidar, on orders from Rand to pick up Elayne, they split up, with Mat going off to Ebou Dar with Elayne and Nynaeve, and Talmanes keeping most of the Band near the Salidar Aes Sedai. As they traveled north, Talmanes met with King Roedran of Murandy and agreed to stay there for a time to help him consolidate his kingdom. Afterward, Talmanes took half the Band back south to find Mat, while the other half went north into Andor. Joined up with Mat again, Talmanes took part in defeating the large Seanchan force trying to take Tuon. Talmanes, Mat and the Band proceeded toward Caemlyn to rejoin Elayne, and their progress there was facilitated by Verin.