Aes Sedai

Pronouncation: EYEZ seh-DEYE

"Servant to All" in the Old Tongue

Wielders of the One Power. Their organization is headquartered in the White Tower in the city of Tar Valon. Aes Sedai live much longer than ordinary people, sometimes as much as three hundred years. Among Aes Sedai, speaking of age is considered extremely rude. Aes Sedai are known for their look of agelessness. Weaker sisters defer to stronger sisters and must obey them if they are much stronger. Other factors in order of precedence are time in training and age.

Trainees, girls usually in their mid-teens, enter the White Tower as novices. After extensive training they are raised to Accepted. After even more extensive training they are raised to Aes Sedai.

Upon being raised to the shawl, Aes Sedai swear three oaths on the Oath Rod which binds them to the oaths:

  1. To speak no word that is not true.
  2. To make no weapon for one man to kill another.
  3. Never to use the One Power as a weapon except against Darkfriends or Shadowspawn, or in the last extreme of defending your own life, that of your Warder, or that of another sister.

Most Aes Sedai bond men as Warder. Warder provide physical protection and the bond provides additional mutual benefits.

All Aes Sedai except the Amrylin Seat belong to an Ajah.

Leading Positions#

Amrylin Seat#

Pronunciation: AHM-ehr-lihn SEAT

The leader of the Aes Sedai, she is elected for life by the Hall of the Tower. She has almost supreme authority among the Aes Sedai. She forsakes her Ajah and is considered to be of all Ajahs and of none. A list of all the Amyrlin Seats of the New Era, their Ajahs and years of reign can be found in the Guide, page 216.

Recent Amyrlin Seats

Events during the series (Possible Spoilers)#

Keeper of the Chronicles#

Second in authority to the Amyrlin Seat, she also acts as secretary to the Amyrlin. She is chosen by the Amyrlin, usually from the same Ajah as the Amyrlin.

Recent Keepers of the Chronicles

Events during the series (Possible Spoilers)#

Mistress of Novices#

The Aes Sedai in charge of training and discipline for novices and Accepted.

Recent Mistresses of Novices

Events during the series (Possible Spoilers)#

Hall of the Tower#

The governing body of the Aes Sedai. It comprises three Sitters from each Ajah who are elected by their Ajah.

Events during the series (Possible Spoilers)#

Since the split, the White Tower and Salidar factions each has their own Hall.

Named Aes Sedai of Undetermined Ajah#

  1. Afara
  2. Arebis
  3. Ballair
  4. Barashelle
  5. Birlen Pena
  6. Carenna
  7. Cavandra
  8. Chai Rugan
  9. Coladara
  10. Corianin Nedeal
  11. Doniella Alievin
  12. Guisin
  13. Illeisien
  14. Lusonia Cole
  15. Mara Tomanes
  16. Maralenda
  17. Marith Riven
  18. Mayam
  19. Melvara
  20. Mestra
  21. Nalaene Forrell
  22. Nianh
  23. Notori
  24. Ramola
  25. Ronaille Vevanios
  26. Rosara Medrano
  27. Serinia
  28. Shemaen
  29. Sheraine Caminelle
  30. Turanine Merdagon
  31. Zanica

Lists (Possible Spoilers)#

Aes Sedai at Fal Dara (The Great Hunt,Ch2)#

Black Ajah Who Flee with Liandrin (The Dragon Reborn,Ch13)#

Aes Sedai Who Healed Mat (The Dragon Reborn,Ch18)#

Salidar Embassy to Rand (LoC,Ch41)#

White Tower Embassy to Rand (LoC,Ch55)#

References (Possible Spoilers)#

  1. In the Guide
    1. Guide - The names, Ajahs and dates of reign for all Amyrlin Seats of the New Era are listed on page 216.
  2. In New Spring
    1. NS,Ch3 - The White Tower has rooms to house three thousand Aes Sedai, but only four hundred and twenty-three are in residence with twice that number out in the world.
    2. NS,Ch12 - Weaker sisters defer to stronger sisters and must obey them if they are much stronger.
    3. NS,Ch14 - After being raised to the shawl, one of the first things an Aes Sedai learns is the weave for bonding a Warder.
    4. NS,Ch17 - Aes Sedai live much longer than ordinary people, sometimes as much as three hundred years. Among Aes Sedai, speaking of age is considered extremely rude.
    5. NS,Epilogue - An Aes Sedai can draw on her Warder's strength at need. She can find him however far away he is.
  3. In The Eye of the World
    1. TEotW,Ch3 - Many people fear that Aes Sedai are Darkfriends because they were responsible for the Breaking of the world.
    2. TEotW,Ch9 - Aes Sedai do not lie, but the truth they tell you is not always the truth you think it is.
    3. TEotW,Ch7 - There is a saying that help from an Aes Sedai is worse than no help at all. Their gifts always have a hook in them. They are puppeteers who pull strings and make thrones and nations dance.
    4. TEotW,Ch16 - Touching the True Source offers protection from the Shadow. Aes Sedai can also spread this protection to those in close proximity. It also allows them to sense the presence of Shadowspawn.
    5. TEotW,Ch21 - The Aes Sedai search for girls who can channel both to increase *their ranks and to save the girls from channeling sickness.
    6. TEotW,Ch33 - In a dream, Thom warns Rand that if he trusts Aes Sedai he will wish he were dead. An Aes Sedai price is always smaller than you can believe and greater than you can imagine.
    7. TEotW,Ch41 - The cats in The Queen's Blessing seem fond of Moiraine.
    8. TEotW,Ch43 - The cats in The Queen's Blessing seem fond of Moiraine.
  4. In The Great Hunt
    1. TGH,Ch1 - After the War of Power, the Aes Sedai still alive swore that they would never again use the One Power to make weapons for one man to kill another. Every Aes Sedai since has kept that oath.
    2. TGH,Ch2 - In the Borderlands, Aes Sedai are well thought of and respected.
    3. TGH,Ch4 - Four of the last five Amyrlin Seats were raised from the Blue Ajah.
    4. TGH,Ch5 - Only two Amyrlin Seats were ever removed from office, both of them from the Red Ajah. Both their replacements were raised from the Blue Ajah. There has not been an Amyrlin Seat from the Red Ajah since Bonwhin during Artur Hawkwing's reign.
    5. TGH,Ch12 - Only one in four wilders survives her ability to channel without training. Almost all who do survive build up blocks that interfere with conscious control.
    6. TGH,Ch18 - There are currently only forty novices in the White Tower and only eight or nine of them will make Accepted.
    7. TGH,Ch23 - The Three Oaths are first given. Aes Sedai began swearing the Three Oaths between the Trolloc Wars and the War of the Hundred Years.
  5. In The Dragon Reborn
    1. TDR,Ch6 - There are a sayings, "Better to embrace the sun than to anger an Aes Sedai," and "To anger an Aes Sedai is to put your head in a hornet's nest."
    2. TDR,Ch6 - Aes Sedai learn to shield their dreams. Warder get something of the same protection through their bond.
    3. TDR,Ch11 - Most women spend several years as a novice and several more as Accepted before being raised to Aes Sedai.
  6. In The Fires of Heaven
    1. TFoH,Prologue - All the Ajahs except White have networks of informants known as eyes-and-ears.
  7. In Lord of Chaos
    1. LoC,Ch7 - There are two hundred ninety four Aes Sedai aligned with Elaida and the White Tower, nearly one-third of the Aes Sedai. There are slightly more aligned with the Salidar Aes Sedai.
    2. LoC,Ch30 - Aes Sedai hierarchy is determined mainly by strength in the One Power. Weaker sisters are expected to defer to stronger ones.
    3. LoC,Ch37 - In total, there are less than a thousand Aes Sedai.
    4. LoC,Ch39 - Siuan finally teaches Egwene, Elayne and Nynaeve the trick of ignoring heat and cold. It has nothing to do with the One Power at all. It is just a matter of concentrating in a certain way.
    5. LoC,Ch43 - Strength in the One Power, then time in training, then age play roles in determining the pecking order among Aes Sedai.
    6. LoC,Ch46 - Dogs and cats can sense Aes Sedai. Dogs usually growl, then slink away. Cats are friendly.
  8. In A Crown of Swords
    1. ACoS,Prologue - The Amyrlin Seat wields great power. Her word and law is absolute in theory, but the Hall can often delay or diminish implementation if they disagree.
    2. ACoS,Ch7 - The Aes Sedai Warder bond was unknown in the Age of Legends.
    3. ACoS,Ch9 - There are lots of cats, but no dogs in the Salidar Aes Sedai camp.
    4. ACoS,Ch9 - The Amyrlin Seat has nearly absolute power, but Tower Law prohibits her from putting herself in personal danger without the lesser consensus from the Hall.
  9. In The Path of Daggers
    1. TPoD,Ch4 - In questioning a prisoner, Tower Law prohibits Aes Sedai from shedding blood or allowing someone else to do it.
    2. TPoD,Ch10 - Most Aes Sedai will release their Warder from his bond if he really wants to leave.
  10. In Winter's Heart
    1. WH,Ch11 - The Sea Folk only send a few very weak women to the White Tower. There are currently only three Sea Folk Aes Sedai and they are relatively weak.
  11. In Crossroads of Twilight
    1. CoT,Ch24 - Rand is furious with Logain for bonding the captured Aes Sedai as this will only worsen the relationship between the Aes Sedai and the Asha'man.
  12. In Knife of Dreams
    1. KoD,Prologue - A faction of the Children of the Light led by Galad decides that they must fight the Seanchan (People) and Tarmon Gai'don even if it means allying with the Aes Sedai.
Categories: Special.Organizations | Category.Top Level Orgs | Category.Aes Sedai
Copyright (c) 1998 by Gary Kephart