Bowl of the Winds

For the chapter in A Crown of Swords called "The Bowl of the Winds", see A Crown of Swords/Chapter 13.

Elayne, Aviendha and Nynaeve around the Bowl of the Winds.

The Bowl of the Winds is a ''ter'angreal'' recovered from the Kin's Store Room in Ebou Dar.

A powerful bowl-shaped ter'angreal which allows its users to control the weather. It draws both saidin and saidar, no matter which is being channeled at it.

History

During the Age of Legends, the weather was carefully regulated by Aes Sedai using various weather ter'angreal. None of the ter'angreal were strong enough on their own to affect the weather of the entire planet, yet through the use of several, the Aes Sedai of the Age of Legends were able to keep close control over the weather.

One of these ter'angreal was held by the ancestors of the Atha'an Miere. They used the bowl to survive the seas during the Breaking of the World. Somehow the bowl was lost and for 2000 years sat in a store room of the Kin in Ebou Dar. The bowl became a legend among the Atha'an Miere and was thought lost or destroyed. During this time the Atha'an Miere learned to control the weather to a degree that according to Ishamael should have required a weather ter'angreal.

Use

The bowl is activated by channeling a complex weave of all five powers to form a four pointed star, which turns the bowl blue as a summer sky with clouds floating through it. Then the number of points on the star is increased to five, six, seven, eight, and nine. At each stage the bowl changes colors and reflects a different part of the sky or the sea. After the nine point star is channeled the bowl begins to draw saidar and saidin on its own in far greater quantities than what was originally channeled into it.

The bowl then shoots a column of power into the sky, a complex mix of saidar and saidin. A new weave is then laid on the bowl to alter the column of power. Eventually the column branches at the top, fanning spiderwebs of power out in all directions. When finished the column evaporates and the bowl turns clear.

Controlling the weather with the Bowl is like using the rudder of a ship. The weather is not changed instantly, rather the course of the weather is nudged in the desired direction to produce lasting effects.

Discovery

The bowl was located again by Elayne Trakand and Nynaeve al'Meara in Tel'aran'rhiod using Need. They were sent by the Amyrlin Egwene al'Vere with Matrim Cauthon and several more experienced Aes Sedai to retrieve the bowl. However because the streets of Ebou Dar, particularly in the Rahad, all look the same, they could not easily return to the same spot. Through the use of Mat's ta'veren qualities they were led to the Kin by Setalle Anan, roughly the same time Mat discovered the Bowl's location independently. They retrieved the bowl through a confrontation with the Black Ajah, darkfriends, and a gholam sent by Moghedien and Sammael. During this confrontation, about a quarter of the relics from the Kin's hoard were stolen, and Ispan Shefar was captured.

Bargain

Because the Sea Folk had the knowledge to use the bowl that the Aes Sedai lacked, Elayne and Nynaeve bargained with Renaile din Calon Blue Star of the Atha'an Miere for their help in using the bowl. This was a spectacularly bad bargain for the Aes Sedai, and would have been even worse if Matrim Cauthon had not bullied the Atha'an Miere into agreeing to the final details, including the location of the Kin's farm.

The Aes Sedai Received:

• Sea Folk Knowledge to use the bowl and control the circle
• Windfinders of strength to be part of the circle
• Use of the most powerful Windfinders instead of the Windfinders with the highest rank

The Atha'an Miere Received:

• Windfinders could learn anything that Aes Sedai could teach, including traveling and forming a link.
• The Bowl after the weather was fixed
• Twenty sisters going to the Atha'an Miere subject to their laws, required to teach anything the Windfinders wanted to learn and unable to leave until others came to replace them.
• Windfinders allowed to enter the Tower as guests, allowed to learn whatever they wished, leave whenever they wished.

Use to fix the weather

After fleeing Ebou Dar to the Kin's farm, Aviendha unwove the gateway after seeing Ishamael watching her so that no one could follow. They chose the top of a hill as the best place to form the circle. The circle was lead by Caire din Gelyn Running Wave who knew more of the Bowl of Winds than anyone else. She lead the circle like the captain of a ship, expecting full obedience.

The circle involved women who could channel from all major societies in the Westlands, and was probably the most powerful circle since the Breaking of the World.

The full circle of 13 consisted of:

Atha'an Miere:

• Caire din Gelyn Running Wave—In command
• Tebreille din Gelyn South Wind
• Naime
• Rysael
• Rainyn
• Metarra din Junalle
• Talaan din Gelyn—Using the amber turtle angreal

Aes Sedai:

• Elayne Trakand
• Nynaeve al'Meara—Using the gold bracelet and rings angreal

Kin:

• Kirstian Chalwin
• Garenia Rosoinde
• Reanne Corly

Wise Ones:

• Aviendha—Using the Ivory carving of a woman covered by her hair angreal

Effects

Within days the weather changed and winter began to set in. Because of this, the Bowl was given to the Sea Folk. The aftereffects of using this bowl have caused saidin and saidar to become strange and lifelike, causing many weaves of the two halves to be distorted and jumpy. This is most noticeable near Ebou Dar. This effect is most likely caused by a form of "precipitation" of the Power due to the immense strength of the flows through the Bowl. It is likely that, in the Age of Legends, the Bowls were a) controlled by a circle of both men and women, and b) used with less of the Power since more Bowls were in existence, giving each Bowl a smaller area to cover rather than requiring weather manipulation across a continent.

The huge use of power also alerted the Seanchan. Sul'dam's and their damane were dispatched to collar the women wielding the power. However, they were all destroyed when Elayne Trakand failed to unweave her gateway properly and caused the weave to blow up, creating destruction of both sides of the gateway, and completely destroying the farm.