Aes Sedai: Wielders of the One Power. Since the Time of Madness,
all surviving Aes Sedai are women. Widely distrusted and feared,
even hated, they are blamed by many for the Breaking of the World,
and are thought to meddle in the affairs of nations. At the same time,
few rulers will be without an Aes Sedai adviser, even in lands where the
existence of such a connection must be kept secret. After some years of
channelling the One Power, Aes Sedai take on an ageless quality, so that
an Aes Sedai who is old enough to be a grandmother may show no signs of age
except perhaps a few gray hairs.
Yes, an Aes Sedai can release her Warder voluntarily with no harm, although this is almost never done. A bond can only be forcibly dissolved by the Severing of the Aes Sedai, or the death of either party.
Before the Breaking the male Aes Sedai were just as big a part of the Aes Sedai order as the females were. If they followed the same tradition of wearing the great serpent ring in the Age of Legends, there is no reason to think they would not have worn it. But when saidin was tainted there were no more male Aes Sedai, and male channelers no longer had a valid claim to wear the ring. However, the ring is such a strong symbol of modern female Aes Sedai, that it is doubtful any male channeler would even think of wearing it.
An Aes Sedai uses a special weave of the Power to link another person to herself. This link is referred to as the Warder Bond and is used to provide a protector (Warder) for the Aes Sedai. The bond allows the Aes Sedai to know information about the Warder such as mood, health and general location and vice-versa. The Aes Sedai can also draw strength from her Warder using the bond, and can use it to force the Warder to obey if necessary. The bond provides the Warder with extra stamina and endurance, allowing them to continue on under harsh conditions much longer than a normal person.
Aes Sedai are women who can channel the One Power using the female half of the true source, saidar. In the Age of Legends, there were also male Aes Sedai. The male half of the true source, saidin, was tainted by the Dark One when he was locked away in Shayol Ghul and Lews Therin and his hundred compainions, who performed the act, went mad instantly. Since then the Red Ajah of the modern female Aes Sedai devote their lives to finding men who can channel before they go mad.
No. The Windfinders can channel, but were never trained and raised in the tower.
Yes, although it is almost unheard of. The Aes Sedai can bond him separately or at the same time using a combined weave. This combined weave can also include non channelers.
The bonds in the Wheel of Time series include the Warder bond, Aes Sedai's bond, and the Sul'dam/Damane bond. The Warder bond is a magical connection between an Aes Sedai and her Warder for increased strength and awareness. The Aes Sedai bond is a link between an Aes Sedai and another person, allowing the Aes Sedai to sense the other's location and emotions. The Sul'dam/Damane bond is a form of control used by the Seanchan to bind female channelers to their will.
If you don't mind, I'll give you the blurb-that's basically setting the plot (unless you want me to copy out the whole prologue of each book) 'The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and go, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again. But one truth yet remains, and what mortal men forget, the Aes Sedai do not... What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.' Just in case you don't know, the Aes Sedai are kind of like witches who can channel magic. There used to be male Aes Sedai but they all went mad with the taint of the Dark One during the Breaking of the World. Becoming an Aes Sedai causes you to age slower. There is a special White Tower in Tar Valon for all girls found with the 'spark' inside them which allows them to channel.
The symbol of the Aes Sedai during the age of legends was two curved tear drop shapes, one white, one black, joined together to form a circle. The white half represented Women and Saidar, the black, Men and Saidin. in shape and color, it is basically the same as the real life symbol for Yin and Yang, but without the inner two dots. In the modern times of WOT's internal time line, the symbol for Aes Sedai is just the white teardrop, called The Flame of Tar Valon. The black half, called The Dragon's Fang, was dropped after the Breaking and it's meaning was eventually confused, and became a symbol of Darkfriends and evil.
The taint of a shadar logoth dagger can be removed through the power of at least six strong Aes Sedai. An angreal can be used to channel much One Power from the True Source.
The male half of the One Power was tainted by the Dark One as a result of the backlash from Lews Therin Telamon's attempt to seal the Bore, which allowed the Dark One's influence to touch the male half of the True Source. This caused all male channelers to eventually go mad and led to the Breaking of the World.
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