The Wheel of Time Companion

by Robert Jordan

  weaves. See Aligning the Matrix, Arrows of Fire, Blossom of Fire, Caressing the Child, Cloud Dancing, Compulsion, Deathgates, Delving, Earth Singing, Finder, Folded Light, Illusion, Keeping, Listening to the Wind, Mask of Mirrors, Milking Tears, Mirror of Mists, the, Skimming, Spinning Earthfire and Traveling

  weave the flows. The process by which a channeler manipulated one or more of the Five Powers to produce a given effect. In general, it was believed that there were line-of-sight limits, i.e., it was necessary to see the flows one was weaving. Even so, one could work on the unseen when very close, as in Healing. It was possible to work at even the atomic or molecular level on something very close. Even making weather over a large area was more a matter of working with what one could see to produce a larger effect. There was a fall-off of strength with distance, but it was hardly noticeable with the stronger channelers. The weakest channelers could not weave as far as they could see.

  Aes Sedai believed that it was impossible, for all practical purposes, to unmake a weave; that is, to unweave it once woven (as distinct from untying a knot). They believed that weaves had to be released and allowed to dissipate. Even on those rare occasions when possible, with a weave that wasn’t too complex, one slip during an attempt, and the weave could coalesce once more in a form that was both impossible to know beforehand and unpredictable in its results. This could kill, burn out or otherwise seriously injure the channeler and others nearby, as well as the physical surroundings. On the other hand, Aiel Wise Ones were taught routinely to unweave. Aviendha showed the Aes Sedai it could be done when she picked apart the weave for a gateway at the Kin farm. See also flows and knot

  Weaving of the Winds. The Sea Folk term for manipulating the weather.

  Web. See ta’maral’ailen

  web. An Age of Legends word used for a weave of the Power. See net

  Web, Great. See Great Pattern

  Web of Destiny. See ta’maral’ailen

  Weesin. A flyspeck village made up of a little cluster of thatch-roofed houses on the Great North Road north of Ebou Dar in Altara. Luca’s circus passed through Weesin. While camped there, Mat saw the three Aes Sedai and three sul’dam sneak back into camp, and he confronted them for putting everyone at risk.

  Weikin Rebellion. A war of which Egwene knew nothing when quizzed by Bennae, after Egwene had been captured by the Tower and put back in novice white.

  Weilin Aldragoran. A plump Malkieri merchant who lived in Saldaea. His wife, Alida, was Saldaean. He traded in many things, but most of his profit came from gems. When Malkier was destroyed, he was only a toddler, but he chose to wear the hadori; he found that few people argued with a man who wore one. Nynaeve found him trading jewels at The Queen’s Lance in Kayacun and persuaded him to ride to Tarwin’s Gap with Lan for the Last Battle; he also agreed to send a message to every merchant he traded with that Lan was riding for the Gap. He caught up with Lan in Kandor, almost at the Arafellin border, and fought in his army in the Last Battle.

  Weiramon Saniago. A High Lord of Tear and a Darkfriend. His sigil was the silver Crescent-and-Stars. Iron-spined straight, with a perfectly trimmed and oiled gray-streaked beard, he was about 5'10" to 5'11" tall. He reminded Rand of a banty rooster, his chest all puffed out and strutting. One of four High Lords at Rand’s meeting with the commanders of the Illian invasion army, he had contempt for the Aiel “savages.” Weiramon and Semaradrid had a touchy relationship; Weiramon pretended to give the Cairhienin equality while slighting him almost unconsciously. Semaradrid was fully aware of the slights, and of his weaker position, and hated both.

  Weiramon was the Tairen seen by Carridin at the Darkfriend gathering with Ba’alzamon. His actions were a function not only of his inherent stupidity, but also his status as a Darkfriend. Though he had an unctuous manner toward Rand, he had plotted against him for so long that he probably did so in his sleep. He had command of a Tairen relief force for Cairhien, but Rand sent him back to Tear, ostensibly to fight bandits and pirates. He had a command in the Illian invasion army; he rushed the cavalry and the Aiel, leaving the foot soldiers, whom he despised, behind, arriving at the hillforts earlier than planned. Weiramon was part of the campaign against the Seanchan; at one point he left his post to chase Seanchan, leaving Rand exposed. Rand took Weiramon and other nobles he distrusted back to Cairhien and gave them trustworthy servants. When Rand returned to Tear and found Weiramon and Anaiyella there, he was enraged that the two had left Cairhien without permission. Rand ordered them to go with Darlin to Arad Doman to help restore order. When Rand returned from Dragonmount before the Last Battle, he exposed Weiramon as a Darkfriend and exiled him.

  Welcome. A Shienaran ritualized ceremony; it was used during the arrival of the Amyrlin Seat in Fal Dara.

  Wellin, Mistress. A clerk in the White Tower. She was miffed when Tamra assigned clerical work to two Accepted, Moiraine and Siuan.

  Well. A ter’angreal used to store the One Power.

  Welyn Kajima. An Arafellin Dedicated Asha’man. About 5'9" tall, with a pale, square face, dark eyes and black hair worn in two braids with bells fastened to the ends, he had the manners and mannerisms of a clerk, which he had been. When he went to the Black Tower, he was about thirty-five years old. He bonded Jenare Balmaen of the Red Ajah; against all expectations, they dealt well with each other. Toveine thought he smiled too much; Kajima brought word of a new deserters list to Logain in her hearing. Kajima and Jenare accompanied Rand to his meeting with the Daughter of the Nine Moons. He was later Turned to the Shadow by Taim, and told Androl that he had been demoted. He and Leems entered the room where Androl and Pevara had captured Dobser, and Androl knocked them out with a cudgel. Kajima and Mezar took Evin to be Turned.

  Wenchen, Stedding. A stedding located in the mountains north of the River Dhagon.

  Westpoint Lighttower. A tower located at the end of Bay Road in Ebou Dar with beacons to guide ships entering the bay.

  Westwood, The. An area just west of Emond’s Field and the site of Tam’s farm.

  wetlander. The Aiel word for those who lived west of the Spine of the World, i.e., non-Aiel.

  Whatley Eldin. A Two Rivers man who painted his wagon in a way pleasing to Rand.

  Wheel of Time, the. Time is a wheel with seven spokes, each spoke an Age. As the Wheel turns, Ages come and go, each leaving memories that fade to legend, then to myth, and are forgotten by the time that Age comes again. The Pattern of an Age is slightly different each time a specific Age comes, and each time it is subject to greater change, but each time it is the same Age. It is not a repeat exactly of what went before, when that Age last came, but close enough in its general outline that it might seem the same at a glance.

  Wheel of Time, The. A historical book about the Dragon Reborn and the Aiel, written by Sulamein so Bhagad, Chief Historian at the Court of the Sun, the Fourth Age.

  Whelborn. A member of Ituralde’s forces who died defending his flank in the battle against Trollocs at Maradon; Ituralde thought that he was one of the best.

  Whisperer. A wolf who hunted with Perrin and Hopper in the wolf dream. Whisperer was caught inside the purple dome of a dreamspike, and Slayer killed her.

  White Ajah. One of the seven legitimate Aes Sedai Ajahs. Sisters of this Ajah abstained from matters of the world and worldly knowledge, and instead devoted themselves to questions of philosophy and truth. Aside from the First Weaver, the head of the Ajah, there was no internal structure whatsoever. Her authority was very high, not much less than that of the Red Ajah head and roughly equal to the authority of the Green or Yellow Ajah heads. In choosing Sitters, the support of ten sisters was required to become a candidate. It was considered unseemly to campaign in any way, either to become a candidate or to win selection as a Sitter. Voting was not by secret ballot, but by open show of hands.

  It was believed by many sisters in other Ajahs that the White Ajah was the only one without an Ajah set of eyes-and-ears and that they had no real interest in the world. This was not true,
though their Ajah network was indeed small. Even the Whites—as a group, anyway—wanted to try to manipulate world events, along strictly logical lines, of course.

  Among Whites, being sent off from the Tower on a mission of some sort, even as part of an embassy, was looked upon as drudgery at best, and at worst, punishment. Most Whites never bonded a Warder.

  Just prior to the Last Battle, there were approximately eighty members in the White Ajah, making it the smallest.

  White Boar, The. An inn located in Watch Hill, Andor. When Mat, Rand and Perrin fled through Watch Hill with Moiraine and Lan, they wanted to go to The White Boar and have mutton pie there, even though Mat said that it was not nearly as good as The Winespring Inn’s.

  White Bridge. A beautiful, large structure that spanned the River Arinelle in Whitebridge, giving the town its name. Built with the Power during the Age of Legends, it looked as if it were made of glass.

  White Cliff. A sept of the Shaido Aiel.

  White Crescent, The. An inn located in Tear. Master Cavan Lopar was its innkeeper. Mat and Thom lodged there while trying to find Egwene, Nynaeve and Elayne, and to head off Comar, who had been sent by Gaebril to kill the women.

  White Crescents. The symbol of Tear, three white crescents on a field of red and gold.

  White Eyes. A wolf that Perrin met in the wolf dream while looking for Slayer. He told Perrin that the wolves needed Perrin to lead them in the Last Hunt.

  White Hart of Shienar. The symbol of Shienar.

  white henpepper. A plant that could soothe a toothache or dye hair black.

  White Lion. The symbol of Andor, a white lion on a field of red.

  White Lions. The unit of men within the Queen’s Guards of Caemlyn that was formed by and loyal to Gaebril, who was in fact the Forsaken Rahvin. They fled east and became brigands after Rand balefired Rahvin. Daved Hanlon commanded them as mercenaries to serve the rebels against Rand in Cairhien until most of them were destroyed by a bubble of evil there.

  White Mountain. A mountain found in the Aiel Waste.

  White Mountain Sept. A sept of the Chareen Aiel.

  White Ribbon. A symbol used during war in Arad Doman to indicate a desire for a temporary truce to enable a conference between the warring parties.

  White Ring, The. An inn located in Maderin, Altara. When Tuon wanted to visit a “hell,” Thom suggested The White Ring, realizing that Tuon would not know what a real hell was like. Its innkeeper was Mistress Heilin; Jera was a serving woman, and a young woman was singing a salacious song.

  White River. The southernmost of the two rivers that flanked Emond’s Field in Andor and joined to become the River Manetherendrelle.

  white shakes. A disease causing fever, coughing and the loss of one’s senses. It could be fatal if not treated.

  White Shark, Chanelle din Seran. See Chanelle din Seran White Shark

  White Spray. A Sea Folk soarer with two raked masts, commanded by Sailmistress Derah din Selaan Rising Wave. Its Windfinder was Taval din Chanai Nine Gulls. The Windfinder was reluctant to let Aes Sedai board the ship, and dumped Egwene into the water when she tried to visit. Rand boarded White Spray to bargain with the Sea Folk; he left in the middle of negotiations, but Merana and Rafela completed the Bargain for him.

  White Swan, The. An inn found in Forel Market, Andor. Elayne and the group that left Ebou Dar, following use of the Bowl of the Winds at the Kin’s farm and the subsequent Seanchan attack, stayed there on their way to Caemlyn. Snow began falling while the group was in Forel Market, and they had no warm clothing. Aviendha solved the dilemma by producing a bag of gems, some of which were used to buy warm clothes.

  White Tail. One of the wolves in Leafhunter’s pack. Perrin spoke with this pack after encountering a scent in the wolf dream (from Darkhounds, he later found out) that made his hackles rise. When he asked the pack about it, they all refused to answer him, one by one; Leafhunter was the last, saying simply, “The Last Battle is coming.”

  White Tower. Both the central structure that housed the Aes Sedai in Tar Valon and the organization of Aes Sedai itself. The organization by necessity changed after the Age of Legends, as did the topography of the world as a result of the Breaking. The Aes Sedai resolved to create a new city in 47 AB, and, after considerable discussion, Ogier stonemasons began building on the island of Tar Valon in 98 AB. The Tower was a collaboration between Aes Sedai designers and Ogier builders, with the One Power being employed to aid construction. The establishment of the Amyrlin Seat also took place at this time. By the time the Tower was completed, a hundred years later, the formal system of Ajahs and Sitters representing those Ajahs in the Hall of the Tower was in place.

  The central portion of the White Tower had forty levels, and was close to six hundred feet tall. Ceilings ranged from fifteen feet on the lower levels to twelve feet on the upper. It was about two hundred feet in diameter at the top, and slightly larger at the base; the roof of the central portion was flat.

  Wings of the building extended to either side. These were about 150 feet tall, with lower ceilings and fifteen levels in each, and extended three hundred feet from the central tower. These wings also had towers with conical tiled roofs. One of these wings contained the well (approximately sixty to seventy-five feet across) of the novice quarters, plus a second well in a part of the novice quarters that came to be unused. Accepted quarters, surrounding a garden, were in the other wing, along with a well for them, also.

  The Tower was built to house three thousand Aes Sedai all the time, and far more at need if they were all called in, plus hundreds of girls in training.

  The Library, standing apart from the White Tower, was made of pale stone heavily streaked with blue, looking like crashing waves frozen at their climax, and contained as many rooms as a palace.

  The front of the Tower faced a great public square, emphasizing the deep broad steps and massive doors of the main entrance. A stone wall, punctuated with columns and rails, enclosed the perimeter of the grounds.

  The square was bordered by public buildings, many of which were Ogier-designed and Ogier-built.

  The practice field for Warders and students was a large expanse of beaten earth, fifty by a hundred paces; it was converted to the construction site for Elaida’s palace.

  White Tower, The. An inn under construction in Ravinda, Kandor. Its owner, Avene Sahera, was on Moiraine’s list of women who had given birth near Tar Valon at the end of the Aiel War. Avene used the bounty she received from the White Tower to build the inn. Moiraine warned her that Aes Sedai might find the name objectionable.

  Whitebridge. A town on the River Arinelle on the Caemlyn Road in Andor, halfway between Baerlon and Caemlyn. Whitebridge was named after its spectacular bridge built in the Age of Legends, which was made of an unknown, superstrong material. The bridge arched high over the river, and from end to end it gleamed milky white in the sunlight, looking like glass. Spidery piers of the same stuff appeared too frail to support the weight and width of the bridge. Looking all of one piece, it had an airy grace, and dwarfed the walled town that sprawled about its foot on the east bank, with houses of stone and brick as tall as those in Taren Ferry and wooden docks like thin fingers sticking out into the river.

  Whitebridge was as big as Baerlon, but not as crowded. Shops of every description lined the streets, and many of the tradesmen worked in front of their establishments. Where the bridge came down in the center of the town lay a big square, paved with worn stones, flanked by inns, shops and tall, redbrick houses. Thom, Rand and Mat arrived there on Domon’s boat after being chased by Trollocs. They inquired after Moiraine and the others at a local inn and found that a man and a Fade had both been asking about them. As they were leaving town, a Fade came at them. Thom attacked it while Mat and Rand fled, at his urging. Moiraine, Lan and Nynaeve arrived to find half a dozen buildings burned down on the square, and discovered that the boys had been there but had left.

  Perrin’s army and the Whitecloaks camped near there on th
e way back from Altara, and Perrin’s Power-wrought sword was forged in the camp. Refugees were sent to Whitebridge before and during the Last Battle.

  Whitecap. A Sea Folk ship that took food to Bandar Eban. Its Sailmistress was Milis din Shalada Three Stars. The food was thought to be spoiled—every bag opened was—but when Rand visited the ship, each bag opened was good.

  Whitecloak War. A conflict, called the Troubles by the Whitecloaks, which started in NE 957, when the Whitecloaks tried to push their borders from Amadicia into Altara. Pedron Niall led the Whitecloak army in the war. A coalition of Altarans, Murandians and Illianers forced the Whitecloaks to cease their expansionist activities.

  Whitecloaks. See Children of the Light

  whitefennel. A medicinal herb used to ease childbirth.

  whitestar bush. Plants growing in the gardens of the Royal Palace in Caemlyn.

  whiteworm. A pest in western Andor that attacked cabbages in the field.

  Widow al’Thone. A woman of Emond’s Field. Tam thought that a sound swat on the behind and a week carrying water for her might make Perrin act more reasonably, after he had named Tam a lord and steward of the Two Rivers.

  Widow Aynal. The annual sheep shearing in Emond’s Field took place in a space called “Widow Aynal’s meadow,” even though no one remembered who she was.

  Widow Jorath. A woman in Jarra, Ghealdan, who dragged old Banas through the wedding arches after Rand passed through the town.

  Widow Teran. A woman in Mardecin, Amadicia. Noy Torvald scraped out a living by doing odd jobs for her.

  Wil. 1) A man in a rooster joke that Rand told to Aiel Maidens. 2) Perrin’s cousin. When they were young, he dropped a bucket of wet feathers on Perrin.

  Wil al’Caar. A Two Rivers boy who was the son of Paet and Nela. His leg was broken during the Winternight attack on Emond’s Field, and Moiraine Healed him.

  Wil al’Seen. A young Deven Ride man known to have women chase him. A year older than Perrin, he was good-looking and had big eyes. He was Ban’s cousin and Jac’s nephew. Wil was one of the original band hunting Trollocs with Perrin; he led ten or so of the group. He survived the ambush. At first Wil was unwilling to carry Perrin’s banner, but by the final attack of the Trollocs he was proud to do so. Sharmad Zeffar and Rhea Avin went to Faile, hoping that she would tell them which was entitled to Wil; she sent them to the Women’s Circle for a decision.