—Saerin Asnobar
- For others with the same surname, see al'Vere.
Egwene al'Vere is one of the protagonists of the series originally from Emond's Field and daughter of that village's mayor. She was discovered to be extremely strong in One Power and to be a Dreamer. She would later be elected Amyrlin Seat of the Rebel Aes Sedai, albeit with the intention of being a puppet of the Salidar Six.
Appearance
She is described as beautiful, with dark coloring, large brown eyes, and long dark hair.[1] She briefly wore her hair in a braid, the Two Rivers symbol that a woman has come of age, but once she began taking lessons from Moiraine she decided to take it down because "Aes Sedai don't braid their hair. At least, not unless they want to."[2] She is 5'3" (or 160 cm) in height.[3]
Personality
Egwene is described as wanting to learn everything, as fast as possible; she chafes against the restrictions her teachers put on her, even those set for her own safety.[4] Moiraine Damodred has made note of Egwene's social intuition; while she may not understand the private or secret machinations going on around her, she is often (at least) aware that they are happening.[5]
She holds a fairly unique perspective of the role of Aes Sedai in society, having spent only a short time as a Novice in the White Tower before being taken by the Seanchan and subsequently training with the Wise Ones. Her opinion of the Tower as an organization, however, remains very high, and she believes the Aes Sedai thinking that the White Tower should "guide" Rand to achieve the best outcome for the world.[verify]
After being installed as a puppet Amyrlin, she begins to gain skills in manipulation of others.[6]
Her time spent as a Seanchan damane in Falme has caused her to have a deep hatred of them and an unwillingness to make compromises with them.[7]
Channeling abilities and Talents
Egwene is one of the strongest female channelers seen in over a thousand years.[8] She has a strength in the One Power of 8(+5) and has reached her full potential.[3][9][10] Among women, the only channellers stronger than her are Nynaeve, Talaan, Sharina, Alivia, Someryn, Tamela, Viendre and the Forsaken. She is the strongest channeler the White Tower has seen in more than a thousand years.
As with many very strong channelers Egwene has the so called "fast learner" Talent, she only needs to see a weave a few times in order to memorize and reproduce it.
She is also the first Aes Sedai Dreamer to have been discovered since Corianin Nedeal, who died approximately 473 years prior to her rediscovery of this Talent; she is powerful enough to break out of an illusion orchestrated by Moghedien in the World of Dreams, which is no small feat, considering that Moghedien(excepting Ishamael/Moridin) is the most powerful Dreamer among the Forsaken (it is hinted, however, by Moghedien that she wasn't really trying to keep Egwene - just testing her strength).
Egwene has exceptional ability with weaving Earth, as shown by her talent for Delving and detecting metal ores, and decent with Fire which is a very rare trait among women, giving her the ability to create cuendillar with immense speed and ease (an ability which she incidentally was the one to rediscover). She also has strength in Spirit as evidenced by her ability to still an Aes Sedai holding the Source while she was only Accepted and her Dream-related Talents. By her own admission, she is also very strong in Air and Water, which are usually favored by female channelers. She is very well rounded when compared to others in the tower. Having great ability in all five of the Powers is rare and seen in only a handful of Aes Sedai and Asha'man.
She has no Talent with Healing, though her Healing weaves seem to favorably impress the Head of the Yellow Ajah.
Egwene is a very fast and dexterous channeler, she can split her flow fourteen ways, a feat declared unmatched by any other Aes Sedai, though some stronger than her (eg. Nynaeve) may well be capable of it.
The Aes Sedai of the White Tower have declared that there are no areas of the Power she needs training in.
Family and Background
Egwene was born in 981 NE and is the youngest daughter of Marin al'Vere and Brandelwyn al'Vere, Mayor of Emond's Field.[3] Egwene's sisters are Elisa al'Vere, Alene al'Vere, Loise al'Vere, and Berowyn al'Vere. Her sisters and mother all have ability to learn to channel, several quite strongly.[3]
Egwene grew up in Emond's Field with Rand al'Thor, Matrim Cauthon, Perrin Aybara and Nynaeve al'Meara. Though friends with all of them, she was particularly close with Rand, whom it was assumed she would marry when they both came of age. She also wished to become apprentice Wisdom to Nynaeve.
Activities
For a detailed account of the events concerning Egwene, see Egwene al'Vere/Chronology. A briefer summary follows.
When Moiraine Damodred arrived in the Two Rivers believing that the Dragon Reborn was among Egwene's friends, she left with Rand, Mat, and Perrin, seeking adventure. Moiraine informed Egwene that she was a channeler of extremely strong potential. After accompanying Rand to the Eye of the World, she would go to the White Tower to enrol as a novice. Egwene, Nynaeve, Elayne and Min were tricked by the Black Ajah into going to Falme, where she was leashed by the Seanchan and made damane, and was Forced to reach her potential sooner than she should have been able to naturally. After being freed, Egwene returned to the Tower, where she was raised to Accepted and went to hunt the Black Ajah again in Tear.
After reaching the Stone of Tear, Egwene began to manifest her abilities as a strong Dreamwalker, and was discovered by the Aiel Wise Ones in Tel'aran'rhiod. She was invited to come to the Aiel Waste to train in the manner of a Wise One apprentice, where she was instructed by Amys, Bair, and Melaine. She would stay with the Wise Ones until the Rebel Aes Sedai summoned her to Salidar, where she learned that she was to be raised to Amyrlin Seat. The Hall of the Tower had hoped to make Egwene into a puppet that they could easily control, but she proved her political aptitude, while also being trained in White Tower politics by Siuan Sanche.
Egwene convinced the Rebel Hall to officially declare war on Elaida a'Roihan and had them march to Tar Valon to claim the White Tower, as well as instituting reforms to the Aes Sedai, such as opening the novice book to women of all ages, and showing a willingness to work with channelers outside the White Tower. However, Egwene was kidnapped by the loyalists while turning the harbor chain into cuendillar during the siege, and was held in the White Tower, where she was formally reduced to a novice and drugged with forkroot tea. Egwene was still willing to firmly proclaim her claim to the Amyrlin Seat, and took all punishments in stride. She began to work with several influential Sitters and sisters to turn Elaida's supporters against one another while still a novice, and was also given a list of Black Ajah sisters by Verin Mathwin. When the Seanchan conducted a raid on the Tower, Egwene linked with the novices and used a powerful sa'angreal to nullify her forkroot consumption, before blasting Seanchan morat'to'raken out of the sky with the One Power.
Egwene returned to the rebel camps after the chaos of the raid, where she began her purge of all Black Ajah sisters among the rebels. She was then approached by the loyalists, and was informed that Elaida had been made damane in the attack, and that the loyalist Hall had decided to raise Egwene as their Amyrlin. Egwene took office in the White Tower, formally ending the schism. She bonded Gawyn Trakand as her Warder, and worked to root out Seanchan spies and Mesaana's remaining Black Ajah sisters in the Tower. With the Last Battle approaching, Egwene married Gawyn before commanding the Aes Sedai at the Field of Merrilor. Egwene was left painfully grieving after her husband and Warder was killed by Demandred, and sacrificed her life to defeat M'Hael by countering balefire with a new weave, the Flame of Tar Valon, where she drew in far too much of the One Power and was turned to crystal. She was succeded by Cadsuane Melaidhrin.
Etymology
The name Egwene al'Vere is likely derived from Guinevere, the wife of King Arthur.
In the television series
In the television series, Egwene al'Vere is played by actress Madeleine Madden .[11]
See also
Notes
- ↑ The Eye of the World, Chapter 3
- ↑ The Eye of the World, Chapter 13
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 The Wheel of Time Companion, Egwene
- ↑ The Eye of the World, Ravens
- ↑ The Eye of the World, Chapter 12
- ↑ Lord of Chaos, Chapter 37
- ↑ A Memory of Light, Chapter 26
- ↑ The Great Hunt, Chapter 13
- ↑ The Wheel of Time Companion, Elayne Trakand
- ↑ The Path of Daggers, Chapter 2
- ↑ https://twitter.com/WoTonPrime/status/1161673919436185600