Aiel familial terms

Aiel familial terms are those terms used by the Aiel to describe relationships with family. Many of the terms are confusing to wetlanders. Among the Aiel, there is a closer connection to the mother's side of the family than the father's side.

There are rules about talking of an Aiel's family. One example would be mentioning a man's second-father (father-in-law) or a woman's second-mother (mother-in-law) unless they have done so first. Doing this is considered a hostile act, so much so that if you are touched, it is the same as if you held a weapon.

First-sister

First-sister is a type of kinship between Aiel women. It means you have the same mother. People who have been near-sisters for a time can become first-sisters by asking a Wise One who then use a form of Bonding on the two women. It is similar to becoming sister-wives, a requirement for sharing a husband.

1. Alice has two daughters named Beth and Carla.
2. Beth and Carla are first-sisters.

First-brother

First-brother is a type of kinship between Aiel men. It means you have the same mother. You may have the same father or different fathers. Two near-brothers can also bond each other as first-brothers using the same, or similar, ritual near-sisters do, though the success rate is lower.

1. Alice has two sons named David and Eli.
2. David and Eli are first-brothers.

Second-sister

Second-sister is a type of kinship between Aiel women. It means your mothers are sisters. For a real-world perspective, your second-sister would be your maternal aunt's daughter. This is considered a closer relationship than father-sisters, but not as close as first-sisters or sister-wives.

1. Alice and Mary are sisters.
   1. Alice's daughter is Beth.
   2. Mary's daughter is Nora.
   3. Beth and Nora are second-sisters.

Second-brother

Second-brother is a type of a kinship between Aiel men. It means your mothers are sisters. For a real-world perspective, your second-brother would be your maternal cousin.

1. Alice and Mary are sisters.
   1. Alice's son is David.
   2. Mary's son is Owen.
   3. David and Owen are second-brothers.

Father-sister

Father-sister is a type of a kinship between Aiel women. It means your fathers are brothers. For a real-world perspective, your father-sister would be your paternal cousin. Father-sisters aren't considered as closely related as second-sisters.

1. Adam and Mark are brothers.
   1. Adam's daughter is Bridget.
   2. Mark's daughter is Nicole.
   3. Bridget and Nicole are father-sisters.

Near-sister

Near-sister is a type of kinship between Aiel women. It means being best friends, and considered as close as being first-sisters. Near-sisters can perform a bonding ceremony in front of Wise Ones to become first-sisters, which in the eyes of the Aiel means they are actual sisters.

Near-brother

Near-brother is a type of kinship between Aiel men. It means being best friends, and considered as close as being first-brothers. Near-brothers bonding as first-brothers is less common than near-sisters bonding as first-sisters.

Sister-wife

Sister-wife is a type of kinship between Aiel women. It means they have the same husband.

Known sister-wives:

• Amys and Lian (married to Rhuarc)
• Melaine and Dorindha (married to Bael)

Sister-mother

Sister-mother is a type of kinship between an Aiel and another woman. It means the sister of your mother. For a real-world perspective, your sister-mother would be your maternal aunt. (E.g. Lian is Aviendha's sister mother)

1. Alice and Mary are sisters.
   1. Alice's daughter is Beth.
   2. Beth's sister-mother is Mary.

Sister-father

Sister-father is a type of kinship between an Aiel and another man. It means the brother of your mother. For a real-world perspective, your sister-father would be your maternal uncle.

1. Alice (sister) and Jacob (brother) are siblings.
   1. Alice's children are Beth and David.
   2. Beth and David's sister-father is Jacob.

Second-mother

Second-mother is a type of kinship between an Aiel and another woman. It means the mother of your spouse. For a real-world perspective, your second-mother would be your mother-in-law.

1. Alice is married to Steven.
   1. Steven's mother is Tara.
   2. Alice's second-mother is Tara.
2. Steven is married to Alice.
   1. Alice's mother is Beatrice.
   2. Steven's second-mother is Beatrice.

Second-father

Second-father is a type of kinship between an Aiel and another man. It means the father of your spouse. For a real-world perspective, your second-father would be your father-in-law.

1. Alice is married to Steven.
   1. Steven's father is Tim.
   2. Alice's second-father is Tim.
2. Steven is married to Alice.
   1. Alice's father is Ben.
   2. Steven's second-father is Ben.

Greatfather

Greatfather is a type of kinship between an Aiel and another man. It means the father of your mother. For a real-world perspective, your greatfather would be your maternal grandfather.

Greatmother

Greatmother is a type of kinship between an Aiel and another woman. It means the mother of your mother. For a real-world perspective, your greatmother would be your maternal grandmother.

Second-greatfather

Second-greatfather is a type of kinship between an Aiel and another man. It means the father of your spouse's mother. For a real-world perspective, your second-greatfather would be your grandfather-in-law.

Second-greatmother

Second-greatmother is a type of kinship between an Aiel and another woman. It means the mother of your spouse's mother. For a real-world perspective, your second-greatmother would be your grandmother-in-law.