Who Are The Aes Sedai In 'The Wheel Of Time?'
Within the world of The Wheel of Time, the Aes Sedai are kind of like the Papacy in that they are the oldest surviving institution from a time long ago, and they exert indirect power that is feared throughout the medieval world they live in.
Back during the Age of Legends, the Aes Sedai were powerful users of the One Power, and their name meant “servants of all.” They were people, men, and women, who used their powers to help others and advance society. Science and magic were both tools to make things better. There was no poverty, but there was hierarchy, and the Aes Sedai were at the zenith.
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At some point in the Age of Legends, a group of Aes Sedai created what is called the Bore. In their search for more wisdom and power, they identified a potential source called the True Power. It was thought that it would be an untapped and limitless source of power that both men and women could use, since the One Power was divided between male and female users. They “drilled” through the veil of reality at a point they identified as the best, but it turned out to be a horrible mistake.
The White Tower and the seven ajahs
Image Source: Wheel of Time
What they did was create a crack in the seal that held the Dark One in his prison, put there by the Creator at what some Aes Sedai think was the beginning of time. From that point on, the peaceful, thriving world devolved further and further into chaos and death. It took Lews Therin Telamon, a male Aes Sedai known as the Dragon, and a team of Aes Sedai to seal the Bore. The damage was done though, and as a last act (or a reaction to the action of sealing), the Dark One corrupted the male branch of the One Power. This eventually drove every surviving male user of the One Power insane, and in their insanity, they nearly destroy the world. It takes the efforts of the female Aes Sedai to hunt them down and either kill or gentle them (take their power) to save the world.
In the millennia that follow what is called the Breaking, the surviving female Aes Sedai reform their order into one of protection and vigilance. They know there is a prophecy that says the Dragon will be reincarnated, so they devote their time to advising kings, queens, and the people of the world while also searching for male channelers. If they find a male channeler, they gentle them, and if they suspect them of being the Dragon Reborn, they have protocols in place to train him for the time when the final battle between the Dark One and the Dragon Reborn is to take place.
There’s just one problem: female Aes Sedai can’t see or use the male side of the One Power, so it’s unclear how they expect to do that.
In the reformation of their order, the Aes Sedai divided their ranks into seven “ajahs,” all based on color. The Red Ajah are the largest, and they are specifically devoted to policing the use of the One Power. They’re often portrayed as being anti-men, as they mostly hunt male channelers, and they’re the only ajah that doesn’t take a warder, or a warrior that acts as a bodyguard. The Green Ajah is the battle ajah and they specifically focus on the martial use of the One Power, and they also are the only ajah that takes more than one warder.
The next largest is the Gray Ajah, and they are masters of politics and mediation. They often act as mediators and negotiators. After them are the Brown Ajah, and they are the seekers of knowledge and preserving it. The next Ajah, the Yellows, are focused on healing arts of the One Power. The Blue Ajah is the ajah of justice and noble causes, they are often seen as being preoccupied with saving the world. They do have the largest spy network of the White Tower. Finally, there is the White Ajah, and they eschew worldly concerns for the pursuit of philosophical knowledge. Their judgement is seen as the most objective in a matter.
The Children of the Light, also known as White Cloaks
Image Source: Collider
Many people fear the Aes Sedai, mostly from a position of ignorance, but there is some truth to it as well. They often see themselves as above the common folk, and people fear their power, so they defer to them and their judgment, which only adds to their power and influence. There are some who oppose them, like the Children of the Light, a fanatical anti-One Power militant group that seek out Aes Sedai and kill them. There’s also the Seanchan, who abduct Aes Sedai and female channelers to enslave them for war.
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Source(s): Fandom
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