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Callandor the sa'angreal as depicted on the cover of the book Memory of Light.

Callandor the sa'angreal as depicted on the cover of the book Memory of Light.

Sa'angreal (pronounced: SAH-ahn-GREE-ahl; /ˌsɑː.ʔɑŋˈgɹiː.aɫ/) are objects similar to angreal in that they allow channelers to use more of the One Power safely than they could unaided, but they are much stronger and rarer.

The amount of Power that could be wielded with the aid of a sa'angreal in comparison to the power with the aid of an angreal is analogous to what a channeler can wield unaided versus with an angreal.[1] Sa'angreal vary in strength, but they are similar to angreal in that they multiply the power of the channeler using them; the stronger the channeler, the more power they will be able to draw through a sa'angreal.[2] Also like angreal, sa'angreal are either attuned to saidar or saidin[3]; no examples have been found that can magnify both. For unknown reasons, sa'angreal are generally larger than angreal, and any crystal in their construction glows while the objects are in use.

By the Third Age, they are much rarer than the already rare angreal. In the Age of Legends, they were more common. During the Breaking of the World, Aes Sedai gave wagons of objects to the Da'shain Aiel in Paaran Disen with orders to take them to a safe place.

"Thousands of wagons in ten lines stretching nearly two leagues, wagons loaded with food and water barrels, wagons loaded with the crated things the Aes Sedai had given into Aiel charge, angreal and sa'angreal and ter'angreal, all the things that had to be kept from the hands of men going mad while they wielded the One Power"[4]

Lack of buffer[]

Like angreal, sa'angreal are supposed to be constructed with a buffer to protect the channeler from drawing too much of the One Power, which would burn out their ability to channel. However, there are objects which, for unknown reasons, do not have this buffer.

One male sa'angreal in particular, Callandor, is known to lack this buffer. However, it is safe to use when two women are linked to the man and one of the women is guiding the flows, suggesting that it was meant for such use.[5] This is supported by the fact that the greatest achievements in the Age of Legends were often made by men and women working together. Another possible explanation for the lack of buffer is a manufacturing defect, as there was an urgent demand for sa'angreal during the War of Power that prompted the Aes Sedai of the time to create as many of them as they could as quickly as possible.[6] Vora's sa'angreal also lacks this buffer.

Creation of sa'angreal[]

The knowledge of creating both angreal and sa'angreal was lost after the Age of Legends. Before the Last Battle, Rand gives a Seed to Elayne as a gift and tells her how to create an angreal with it. It is possible that sa'angreal could be created with a somewhat similar method.[7]

List of known sa'angreal[]

Female sa'angreal[]

  • Vora's sa'angreal: A white, fluted wand the length of a woman's forearm, made from an unknown material that resembles ivory. It lacks the buffer that protects the channeler from drawing too much of the One Power through it. During the Third Age, it was kept in the White Tower; it was possibly the strongest sa'angreal in the Aes Sedai's possession. It was used by Siuan Sanche with a circle to Heal Mat Cauthon from the effects of the Shadar Logoth dagger and sever his bond with it.[2] It was later used by Egwene al'Vere in the Battle of Tar Valon to repel the Seanchan raid against the White Tower. It was on this occasion that it was first referred to as Vora's sa'angreal by Adelorna Bastine[8]. Egwene used it again while fighting in Tarmon Gai'don, first on the Kandori front and later at the Field of Merrilor. During the latter battle, she personally engaged M'hael and defeated him with her Flame of Tar Valon weave, but overdrew through the sa'angreal in doing so. Her final act was to release all the remaining Power she held into a burst of the Flame of Tar Valon, killing most of the Sharan Ayyad and sealing the cracks in reality created by the Dreadlords' overuse of balefire. The wand has since been buried under a mountain of crystals.
Vora's sa'angreal used by Egwene Al'Vere.

Vora's sa'angreal used by Egwene Al'Vere.

  • The Choedan Kal: A massive statue of a woman holding a crystal ball, mostly buried on the island of Tremalking. It is the most powerful sa'angreal for saidar ever made, matched only by its male counterpart. A ter'angreal called an access key, which allows a woman to use the sa'angreal from anywhere in the world, is needed to safely control the massive amounts of Power available through the statue. The female Choedan Kal was destroyed in the cleansing of saidin.

Male sa'angreal[]

  • Callandor: A crystal sword of immense strength, it is the only known object capable of magnifying the True Power in addition to the One Power. Unlike most sa'angreal, it lacks the buffer necessary to prevent its wielder from drawing beyond capacity and burning out. It also magnified the taint on saidin, inducing wild behavior in its wielder prior to the cleansing.[5] It was only safe to use if the man channeling through the sword did so as part of a circle with two women with one of the women melding the flows. It rested behind powerful wards in the Heart of the Stone of Tear for 3000 years until it was taken by Rand al'Thor, a prophesized event that confirmed to the world his status as the Dragon Reborn. He eventually used it in a circle with Nynaeve al'Meara and Moiraine Damodred to permanently seal the Bore in the Last Battle. It was lost in the subsequent collapse of Shayol Ghul.
  • The Choedan Kal: A massive statue of a man holding a crystal ball, half buried near the village of Tremonsien in Cairhien. It is the most powerful sa'angreal for saidin ever made, matched only by its female counterpart. A ter'angreal called an access key, which allows a man to use the sa'angreal from anywhere in the world, is needed to safely control the massive amounts of Power available through the statue. The male Choedan Kal was used by Rand al'Thor in the cleansing of saidin. He later destroyed it after recognizing and overcoming his madness.
  • Sakarnen: An extremely powerful gold scepter capped by an hourglass-shaped cup. The rod and cup were separated and hidden in Shara for most of the Third Age until Demandred recovered them while fulfilling the prophecies of the Wyld. He used the completed scepter to devastating effect in the Last Battle until he gave it to M'Hael to use against Egwene al'Vere. It was lost following M'Hael's death at Egwene's hands, buried under a collapsing mountain of crystal.
    The male part of Choedan Kal near the village Tremonsien in the Third Age.

    The male part of Choedan Kal near the village Tremonsien in the Third Age.

Unknown sa'angreal[]

In the Third Age the White Tower possesses a few sa'angreal other than Vora's sa'angreal, but none of them are ever described.[2] All of them were used during the Last Battle, but it is unknown what became of them after.

See also[]

External links[]

Etymology[]

The name sa'angreal may have been inspired by the nearly identical-sounding French phrase san greal, which means "holy grail". This apparent Arthurian reference is particularly significant when considering other names in the series that are based on Arthurian legend, such as Artur Paendrag (Arthur Pendragon), Egwene al'Vere (Guinevere), Gawyn (Gawain), and Galad (Galahad).

Notes

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