Sa'angreal (pronounced: SAH-ahn-GREE-ahl; /ˌsɑː.ʔɑŋˈgɹiː.aɫ/) are similar to angreal in that they allow channelers to use more of the One Power than they could otherwise safely access—much more. All sa'angreal multiply exponentially the amount of the Power upon which the channeler may draw; likewise, they are much rarer than the already-rare ordinary angreal.
Most angreal and sa'angreal are constructed with a buffer to protect the user from drawing too much of the Power. One male sa'angreal in particular, Callandor, is known to lack this buffer; why is not yet fully understood.[1] In order to overcome the danger of drawing too much Power with Callandor, two women must be linked to one man, with one of the women guiding the flows of saidin.
All known sa'angreal are either usable by a woman for channeling saidar or a man for channeling saidin; no examples have been found that can be used by both. Callandor is known to be capable of amplifying the True Power as well.
List of sa'angreal
Female sa'angreal
- Vora's sa'angreal: a wand made out of a bone-like material, housed in the White Tower; it was used by Siuan with a circle to Heal Mat Cauthon from holding the Shadar Logoth dagger[2] and later by Egwene al'Vere in the Battle of Tar Valon and in Tarmon Gai'don. In particular was used by Egwene to repel the Seanchan raid against the White Tower and in this occasion is referred to as Vora's sa'angreal by Adelorna Bastine.[3]. Egwene used it again during the Last Battle both in Kandor's border and later in the Field of Merrilor. With that in her hand she defeated M'Hael and most of the Ayyad, but she overused it to the point of summon too much power than it is safe. In fact Vora's wand is described to not possess the buffer that makes most sa'angreal and angreal safe to the user. Now it is buried under a mountain of crystals
- The Choedan Kal: A very large statue of a woman holding a crystal ball, half buried on the island of Tremalking. It is the most powerful sa'angreal ever made, along with its corresponding male counterpart. It is controlled with a ter'angreal called an access key, which is needed so that the channeler may survive the massive amount of the Power available by the Choedan Kal. The female Choedan Kal was destroyed in the cleansing of saidin.
Male sa'angreal
- Callandor: a sword that appears to be made from glass, but can cut like any other. Sometimes called the "Sword That Cannot Be Touched" or the "Sword That Is Not a Sword." It has a number of flaws and quirks that other sa'angreal apparently lack, as mentioned above: It has no buffer to make it safe to use and it is capable of magnifying the True Power in addition to the One Power.
- The Choedan Kal: A very large statue of a man holding a crystal ball, half buried in a village of Tremonsien in Cairhien. It is the most powerful sa'angreal ever made, along with its female counterpart. It is controlled with a ter'angreal called an access key, which is needed so that the channeler may survive the massive amount of the Power available through the Choedan Kal. The male Choedan Kal was destroyed by Rand atop Dragonmount.
- Sakarnen: A scepter ending in a golden goblet. Borne by Demandred into the Last Battle and lost upon the death of M'Hael.
See also
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).