Byar, Jaret (BY-ahr, JAH-ret): An officer of the Children of the Light.
Caemlyn (KAYM-lihn): The capital city of Andor.
Cairhien (KEYE-ree-EHN): Both a nation along the Spine of the World and the capital city of that nation. The city was burned and looted during the Aiel War (976–978 NE). The sign of Cairhien is a many-rayed golden sun rising from the bottom of a field of sky blue.
Caralain (KAH-rah-layn): One of the nations wrung from Artur Hawkwing’s empire during the War of the Hundred Years. It weakened thereafter, and the last traces vanished about 500 NE.
Cauthon, Mat (CAW-thon, MAT): A young man from the Two Rivers. Full name: Matrim (MAT-rihm) Cauthon.
channel: (verb) To control the flow of the One Power. See also One Power.
Children of the Light: A society holding strict ascetic beliefs, dedicated to the defeat of the Dark One and the destruction of all Darkfriends. Founded during the War of the Hundred Years by Lothair Mantelar (LOH-thayr MAHN-tee-LAHR) to proselytize against the increasing numbers of Darkfriends, they evolved during the war into a completely military organization, extremely rigid in their beliefs, and completely certain that only they know the truth and the right. They hate Aes Sedai, considering them, and any who support or befriend them, Darkfriends. They are known disparagingly as Whitecloaks. Their sign is a golden sunburst on a field of white.
Chronicles, Keeper of the: Second in authority to the Amyrlin Seat among the Aes Sedai, she also acts as secretary to the Amyrlin. Chosen for life by the Hall of the Tower, and usually of the same Ajah as the Amyrlin. See also Amyrlin Seat; Ajah.
Corenne (koh-REEN-neh): In the Old Tongue, “Return,” or “the Return.”
Covenant of the Ten Nations: A union formed in the centuries after the Breaking of the World when nations were first recreated (circa 300 AB). Dedicated to the defeat of the Dark One. Broken apart by the Trolloc Wars. See also Trolloc Wars.
cuendillar (CWAIN-der-yar): Also known as heartstone. See heartstone.
Daes Dae’mar (DAH-ess day-MAR): The Great Game, also known as the Game of Houses. Name given the scheming, plots, and manipulations for advantage by the noble Houses. Great value is given to subtlety, to aiming at one thing while seeming to aim at another, and to achieving ends with the least visible effort.
Dai Shan (DYE SHAN): A title in the Borderlands meaning Diademed Battle Lord. See also Borderlands.
damane (dah-MAHN-ee): In the Old Tongue, “Leashed Ones.” Women who can channel who are held prisoner by a’dam and used by the Seanchan for many purposes, chiefest of these being as weapons in battle. See also Seanchan; a’dam; sul’dam.
Damodred, Lord Galadedrid (DAHM-oh-drehd, gah-LAHD-eh-drihd): Half-brother to Elayne and Gawyn. His sign is a winged silver sword, point down.
Darkfriends: Those who follow the Dark One and believe they will gain great power and rewards, and even immortality, when he is freed from his prison.
Dark One: Most common name, used in every land, for Shai’tan. The source of evil, antithesis of the Creator. Imprisoned by the Creator at the moment of Creation in a prison at Shayol Ghul. An attempt to free him from that prison brought about the War of the Shadow, the tainting of saidin, the Breaking of the World, and the end of the Age of Legends.
Dark One, naming the: Saying the true name of the Dark One (Shai’tan) draws his attention, inevitably bringing ill fortune at best, disaster at worst. For that reason, many euphemisms are used, among them the Dark One, Father of Lies, Sightblinder, Lord of the Grave, Shepherd of the Night, Heartsbane, Heartfang, Grassburner, and Leafblighter. Someone who seems to be inviting ill fortune is often said to be “naming the Dark One.”
Daughter-Heir: Title of the heir to the throne of Andor. The eldest daughter of the queen succeeds her mother on the throne. Without a surviving daughter, the throne goes to the nearest female blood relation of the queen.
Daughter of the Night: See Lanfear.
Dome of Truth: Great audience hall of the Children of the Light, located in Amador (AH-mah-door), the capital of Amadicia (AH-mah-DEE-cee-ah). There is a King of Amadicia, but the Children rule in all but name. See also Children of the Light.
Do Miere A’vron (DOH me-EHR a-VRAWN): See Watchers Over the Waves.
Domon, Bayle (DOH-mon, BAIL): The captain of the Spray, who collects old things.
Draghkar (DRAGH-kahr): A creature of the Dark One, made originally by twisting human stock. A Draghkar appears to be a large man with bat-like wings, whose skin is too pale and whose eyes are too large. The Draghkar’s song can draw its prey to it, suppressing the victim’s will. There is a saying: “The kiss of the Draghkar is death.” It does not bite, but its kiss will consume first the soul of its victim, and then its life.
Dragon, false: Occasionally men claim to be the Dragon Reborn, and sometimes one of them gains following enough to require an army to put it down. Some have begun wars that involved many nations. Over the centuries most of these have been men unable to channel the One Power, but a few could do so. All, however, either disappeared or were captured or killed without fulfilling any of the Prophecies concerning the Rebirth of the Dragon. These men are called false Dragons. Among those who could channel, the most powerful were Raolin Darksbane (335–36AB), Yurian Stonebow (circa 1300–1308 AB), Davian (FY 351), Guaire Amalasan (FY 939–43), and Logain (997 NE). See also Dragon Reborn.
Dragon, Prophecies of the: Little known and seldom spoken of, the Prophecies, given in The Karaethon Cycle, foretell that the Dark One will be freed again to touch the world. And that Lews Therin Telamon, the Dragon, Breaker of the World, will be reborn to fight Tarmon Gai’don, the Last Battle against the Shadow. See also Dragon, the.
Dragon, the: The name by which Lews Therin Telamon was known during the War of the Shadow. In the madness that overtook all male Aes Sedai, Lews Therin killed every living person who carried any of his blood, as well as everyone he loved, thus earning the name Kinslayer. See also Dragon Reborn; Dragon, Prophecies of the.
Dragon Reborn: According to prophecy and legend the Dragon will be born again at mankind’s greatest hour of need to save the world. This is not something people look forward to, both because the Prophecies say the Dragon Reborn will bring a new Breaking to the world and because Lews Therin Kinslayer, the Dragon, is a name to make men shudder, even more than three thousand years after his death. See also Dragon, the; Dragon, false; Dragon, Prophecies of the.
Dragon’s Fang, the: A stylized mark in the shape of a teardrop balanced on its point. Scrawled on a door or a house, it is an accusation of evil against the people inside, or an attempt to bring the Dark One’s attention, and thus harm, to them.
Dreadlords: Those men and women who, able to channel the One Power, went over to the Shadow during the Trolloc Wars, acting as commanders of the Trolloc forces.
Elaida (eh-LY-da): An Aes Sedai of the Red Ajah who advises Queen Morgase of Andor. She sometimes has the Foretelling. See also Foretelling.
Elayne (ee-LAIN): Queen Morgase’s daughter, the Daughter-Heir to the Throne of Andor. Her sign is a golden lily.
Fain, Padan (FAIN, PAHD-ahn): A man imprisoned as a Darkfriend in Fal Dara keep.
Far Dareis Mai (FAHR DAH-rize MY): Literally “Maidens of the Spear.” A warrior society of the Aiel, which, unlike any of the others, admits women and only women. A Maiden may not marry and remain in the society, nor may she fight while carrying a child. Any child born to a Maiden is given to another woman to raise, in such a way that no one knows who the child’s mother was. (“You may belong to no man, nor may any man belong to you, nor any child. The spear is your lover, your child, and your life.”) These children are treasured, for it is prophesied that a child born of a Maiden will unite the clans and return the Aiel to the greatness they knew during the Age of Legends. See also Aiel; Aiel warrior societies.
Five Powers, the: There are threads to the One Power, and each person who can channel can usually grasp some threads better than others. These threads are named accordin
g to the sorts of things that can be done using them—Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit—and are called the Five Powers. Any wielder of the Power will have a greater degree of strength with one, or possibly two, of these, and lesser strength in the others. Some few may have great strength with three, but since the Age of Legends no one has had great strength with all five. Even then this was extremely rare. The degree of strength can vary greatly between individuals, so that some who can channel are much stronger than others. Performing certain acts with the One Power requires ability in one or more of the Five Powers. For example, starting or controlling a fire requires Fire, and affecting the weather requires Air and Water, while Healing requires Water and Spirit. While Spirit was found equally in men and in women, great ability with Earth and/or Fire was found much more often among men; with Water and/or Air among women. There were exceptions, but it was so often so that Earth and Fire came to be regarded as male Powers, Air and Water as female. Generally, no ability is considered stronger than any other, though there is a saying among Aes Sedai: “There is no rock so strong that water and wind cannot wear it away, no fire so fierce that water cannot quench it or wind snuff it out.” It should be noted this saying came into use long after the last male Aes Sedai was dead. Any equivalent saying among male Aes Sedai is long lost.
Flame of Tar Valon: The symbol of Tar Valon, the Amyrlin Seat, and the Aes Sedai. A stylized representation of a flame; a white teardrop with the point upward.
Forsaken, the: Name given to thirteen of the most powerful Aes Sedai ever known, who went over to the Dark One during the War of the Shadow in return for the promise of immortality. According to both legend and fragmentary records, they were imprisoned along with the Dark One when his prison was resealed. Their names are still used to frighten children.
Gaidin (GYE-deen): Literally, “Brother to Battles.” A title used by Aes Sedai for the Warders. See also Warder.
Galad (gah-LAHD): See Damodred, Lord Galadedrid.
Galldrian su Riatin Rie (GAHL-dree-ahn soo REYE-ah-tin REE): Literally, Galldrian of House Riatin, King. King of Cairhien. See also Cairhien.
Game of Houses, the: See Daes Dae’mar.
Gawyn (GAH-wihn): Queen Morgase’s son, and Elayne’s brother. His sign is a white boar.
gentling: The act, performed by Aes Sedai, of shutting off a male who can channel from the One Power. This is necessary because any man who learns to channel will go insane from the taint on saidin and will almost certainly do horrible things with the Power in his madness. A man who has been gentled can still sense the True Source, but he cannot touch it. Whatever madness has come before gentling is arrested by the act of gentling, but not cured by it, and if it is done soon enough death can be averted. See also One Power, the; stilling.
gleeman: A traveling storyteller, musician, juggler, tumbler, and all-around entertainer. Known by their trademark cloaks of many-colored patches, they perform mainly in the villages and smaller towns.
Goaban (GO-ah-banh): One of the nations wrung from Artur Hawkwing’s empire during the War of the Hundred Years. It weakened, and faded away approximately 500 NE. See also Artur Hawkwing; War of the Hundred Years.
Great Blight, the: A region in the far north, entirely corrupted by the Dark One. A haunt of Trollocs, Myrddraal, and other creatures of the Shadow.
Great Game, the: See Daes Dae’mar.
Great Hunt of the Horn, The: A cycle of stories concerning the legendary search for the Horn of Valere, in the years between the end of the Trolloc Wars and the beginning of the War of the Hundred Years. If told in its entirety, the cycle would take many days.
Great Lord of the Dark: The name by which Darkfriends refer to the Dark One, claiming that to use his true name would be blasphemous.
Great Serpent: A symbol for time and eternity, ancient before the Age of Legends began, consisting of a serpent eating its own tail. A ring in the shape of the Great Serpent is awarded to women who have been raised to the Accepted among the Aes Sedai.
Hailene (heye-LEE-neh): In the Old Tongue, “Those Who Come Before,” or “Forerunners.”
Halfman: See Myrddraal.
Hardan: One of the nations wrung from Artur Hawkwing’s empire, now long forgotten. It lay between Cairhien and Shienar.
Hawkwing, Artur: A legendary king (ruled FY 943–994) who united all the lands west of the Spine of the World. He even sent armies across the Aryth Ocean (FY 992), but all contact with these was lost at his death, which set off the War of the Hundred Years. His sign was a golden hawk in flight. See also War of the Hundred Years.
heartstone: An indestructible substance created during the Age of Legends. Any force used in an attempt to break it is absorbed, making heartstone stronger. See also cuendillar.
hide: A unit of area for measuring land, equal to 100 paces by 100 paces.
Horn of Valere (vah-LEER): The legendary object of the Great Hunt of the Horn. The Horn supposedly can call back dead heroes from the grave to fight against the Shadow.
Hundred Companions, the: One hundred male Aes Sedai, among the most powerful of the Age of Legends, who, led by Lews Therin Telamon, launched the final stroke that ended the War of the Shadow by sealing the Dark One back into his prison. The Dark One’s counterstroke tainted saidin; the Hundred Companions went mad and began the Breaking of the World. See also Time of Madness; Breaking of the World; True Source; One Power.
Hurin (HEW-rhin): A Shienaran who has the ability to smell where violence has been done, and to follow the scent of those who did it. Called a “sniffer,” he serves the King’s justice in Fal Dara, in Shienar.
Illian (IHL-lee-ahn): A great port on the Sea of Storms, capital city of the nation of the same name.
Ingtar, Lord, of House Shinowa (IHNG-tahr); (shih-NOH-wah): A Shienaran warrior. His sign is the Gray Owl.
Ishamael (ih-SHAH-may-EHL): In the Old Tongue, “Betrayer of Hope.” One of the Forsaken. Name given to the leader of the Aes Sedai who went over to the Dark One in the War of the Shadow. It is said that even he forgot his true name. See also Forsaken.
Karaethon Cycle, The (ka-REE-ah-thon): See Dragon, Prophecies of the.
kith: Close friends and acquaintances.
Laman (LAY-mahn): A king of Cairhien, of House Damodred, who lost his throne and life in the Aiel War.
Lan; al’Lan Mandragoran (AHL-LAN man-DRAG-or-an): A Warder, bonded to Moiraine. Uncrowned King of Malkier, Dai Shan, and the last surviving Malkieri lord. See also Warder; Moiraine; Malkier; Dai Shan.
Lanfear (LAN-fear): In the Old Tongue, “Daughter of the Night.” One of the Forsaken, perhaps the most powerful next to Ishamael. Unlike the other Forsaken, she chose this name herself. She is said to have been in love with Lews Therin Telamon. See also Forsaken; Dragon, the.
league: See Length, units of.
Leane (lee-AHN-eh): An Aes Sedai of the Blue Ajah, and Keeper of the Chronicles. See also Ajah; Chronicles, Keeper of the.
Leashed Ones: See damane.
Length, units of: 10 inches = 3 hands = 1 foot; 3 feet = 1 pace; 2 paces = 1 span; 1000 spans = 1 mile; 4 miles = 1 league.
Lews Therin Telamon; Lews Therin Kinslayer: See Dragon, the.
Liandrin (lee-AHN-drihn): An Aes Sedai of the Red Ajah, from Tarabon.
Logain (loh-GAYN): A false Dragon, gentled by the Aes Sedai.
Loial (LOY-ahl): An Ogier from Stedding Shangtai.
Luc; Lord Luc of House Mantear (LUKE; MAN-tee-ahr): Tigraine’s brother. His disappearance in the Great Blight (971 NE) is believed to be connected to Tigraine’s later disappearance. His sign was an acorn.
Luthair: See Mondwin, Luthair Paendrag.
Malkier (mahl-KEER): A nation, once one of the Borderlands, now consumed by the Blight. The sign of Malkier was a golden crane in flight.
Manetheren (mahn-EHTH-ehr-ehn): One of the Ten Nations that made the Second Covenant, and also the capital city of that nation. Both city and nation were utterly destroyed in the Trolloc Wars.
marath’damane (
MAH-rahth’dah-MAHN-ee): In the Old Tongue, “Those Who Must Be Leashed.” Term used by the Seanchan for women who can channel, but who have not yet been captured and collared. See also damane; a’dam; Seanchan.
Masema (mah-SEE-mah): A Shienaran soldier who hates Aiel.
mashiara (mah-shee-AH-rah): In the Old Tongue, “beloved,” but meaning a love that is lost beyond redeeming.
Merrilin, Thom (MER-rih-lihn, TOM): A gleeman.
mile: See Length, units of.
Min (MIN): A young woman with the ability to read the auras she sometimes sees surrounding people.
Moiraine (mwah-RAIN): An Aes Sedai of the Blue Ajah.
Mondwin, Luthair Paendrag (LEW-thair PAY-ehn-DRAG MON-dwihn): Son of Artur Hawkwing, he commanded the armies Hawkwing sent across the Aryth Ocean. His banner was a golden, spread-winged hawk clutching lightning bolts. See also Hawkwing, Artur.
Mordeth (MOOR-death): Councilor who turned the city of Aridhol to use Darkfriends’ ways against the Darkfriends, thus bringing its destruction and earning it a new name, Shadar Logoth (“Where the Shadow Waits”). Only one thing survives in Shadar Logoth beside the hate that killed it, and that is Mordeth himself, bound in the ruins for two thousand years, waiting for someone to come whose soul he can consume and so take on new flesh.
Morgase (moor-GAYZ): Queen of Andor, High Seat of House Trakand (TRAHK-ahnd).
Myrddraal (MUHRD-draal): Creatures of the Dark One, commanders of the Trollocs. Twisted offspring of Trollocs in which the human stock used to create the Trollocs has resurfaced, but tainted by the evil that made the Trollocs. Physically they are like men except they have no eyes, but can see like eagles in light or dark. They have certain powers stemming from the Dark One, including the ability to cause paralyzing fear with a look and the ability to vanish wherever there are shadows. One of their few known weaknesses is that they are reluctant to cross running water. In different lands they are known by many names, among them Halfmen, the Eyeless, Shadowmen, Lurks, and Fades.