Welcome back to my re-read, recap, and reaction to Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series. This post will only have spoilers through the current chapter.
You can find my previous chapter recaps HERE.
Chapter 36: The Amyrlin is Raised
NOTE: The following chapter summary comes from wot.fandom.com
Point of view: Egwene al’Vere
Egwene wakes as the new Amyrlin and a maid, Chesa, comes to serve her. The night before Sheriam and the other sisters updated her on the status in Salidar, mostly ignoring any questions Egwene had. Romanda and Lelaine came by, separately of course, to give her suggestions, each different from all the other advice she has received. After breakfast and getting dressed, Egwene goes downstairs where Sheriam, her other advisers, and all of the Sitters await so they can make the announcement. Egwene has a speech to give from Sheriam, with suggestions from Lelaine and Romanda, again all different from each other.
She simplifies and shortens the speech to the essentials, then names Sheriam as her Keeper of the Chronicles. She also cancels all punishments, which is traditional. Theodrin, Faolain, Nynaeve, and Elayne are raised to Aes Sedai by her decree. Objections to raising the four start right away with Sheriam, then continue with Romanda and Lelaine.
Egwene has Sheriam tell Nynaeve and Elayne to come to her study. Egwene asks about all the discoveries they’ve been making and they talk about Healing Logain and making ter’angreal, but avoid discussing other things they’ve learned from Moghedien. Elayne describes the ter’angreal they found in Tel’aran’rhiod that may be able to fix the weather. It is in Ebou Dar, though, and they could not get permission to go find it. Egwene will try to help them, but she is constrained by being newly raised as Amylin and everyone still thinks of her as a Novice. Sheriam’s group, Romanda, and Lelaine may be planning to guide her every step, but Egwene plans to work free of being their puppet as soon as she can.
REACTION:
This chapter introduces the political factions Egwene must now navigate. 1) Siuan and Leane, 2) Sheriam (who thinks Siuan is under her thumb), 3) Lelaine, 4) Romanda. All four groups – except maybe Siuan – intend to “guide” her, while they also intend to pull her away from the guidance of the others.
Jordan does a lot of good with continuity in this chapter, having Egwene remember that in her Accepted Testing, she was Amyrlin AND that she had been raised there without the Aes Sedai testing, too. It makes sense that she’d think of that and I’m glad he wrote about it. She doesn’t think there’s any connection between that reality and this one, but it’s a remarkable coincidence. He also reminds us that despite this being Book #6, only two years have passed since Book #1 and Eggy is only just barely 18 years old. That’s a good reminder. A lot of her behavior that sometimes rubs the wrong way, should be viewed through that prism of her age. Jordan always remembered that when writing her, even as I the reader often forget.
Eggy names Sheriam as her Keeper. If we’re keeping track of things, that means it appears both Amyrlins have potentially Black Ajah Keepers (we know about Alviarin and only suspect about Sheriam.) Both are unusual in that they don’t share an Ajah with their Keeper.
Egwene is given a prepared speech, but just to make clear to her handlers and to us as Readers that she’s going to be her own woman, she changes it on her own and makes significant additions (raising Nynaeve, Elayne, Faolain, and Theodrin to FULL Aes Sedai status.) This was gutsy and smart on her part. She used her one window where she was speaking publicly to do something big, and she did it before any of her handlers would consider that she has a spine. As she says, this also makes her less of an oddity being Aes Sedai without being properly raised. They can’t go on just not raising Accepted, anyway, so it’s not as though there didn’t need to be a plan. They can’t undo her decree without immediately undermining her authority – something they cannot afford to do. They’re mad but they’re stuck with it.
Elayne’s reaction to Egwene being raised is great. She seems almost relieved to finally be on more equal footing with her friend. I wonder if her position as royalty, and with Egwene as her subject, was a quiet stressor to her. It probably was. Elayne takes her position *very* seriously and does not care at all that Andorans haven’t so much as collected taxes from the Two Rivers in hundreds of years. She thinks it’s hers, though, and that means she thinks of Egwene as hers. Jordan probably gets the question of what royalty act like correct, with how he characterizes Elayne… but she *really* needs a moment to be great at some point in this series.
Egwene sees IMMEDIATELY for herself what she has completely failed to see for Rand. She tells Elayne and Nynaeve that she needs friends and support, and for some people to see her and not just her office. Why can’t she see that Rand needs that? Even in the conversation with her friends, asking for their friendship, she thinks about how Rand needs guidance and how he’s “wading into waters deeper than he knew.” The difference is that she doesn’t think of herself as a woolhead and reflexively can’t let herself see Rand as more than he used to be. That’s kind of true of human nature. People tend to remain in our minds the way that they were when we first knew them. I have a friend that is pretty famous, but I remember that friend’s high school version. It’s natural but it’s annoying with Egwene’s relationship and Rand.
Speaking of being annoying… (the aforementioned) Elayne – who hasn’t shown up to claim the thrones to which she feels entitled – bristles angrily at the idea of Rand holding them for her / giving them to her. It’s beyond absurd. Even Egwene is taken aback. I understand the tradition and Andoran pride and all of that, but she’s spent enough time in Royal Courts and talking the Game of Houses with Thom to know that she’d have neither throne without Rand. She (and the Aes Sedai who want a Sister on the throne of Andor) should be borderline frantic about sending her there, not holding her away indefinitely. She *needs* Rand to give her the throne. Elayne should be even more so, considering her aversion to having them handed to her.
“When I put my hands on him again, I will teach him to speak the right language. Give me!”
Jordan has never given me a good reason to really *like* Elayne.
Nyn and Elayne tell Eggy about the Bowl of the Winds. Eggy is how they’ll be able to leave Salidar and travel to Ebou Dar. Eggy explains to them, though, that she’s kind of a puppet. Again… Nyn understands reality way before Elayne does. Elayne is supposed to be smart, particularly in politics. She frequently fails to come across that way. Unless of course not understanding reality is some kind of facade. But what would be the point?
We don’t get the revelation about Moggy’s capture, given to Egwene, in this chapter, but the glances between Nyn and Elayne indicate it’s on their mind. I’d guess that comes up next, and with its own chapter / introduction / etc. I feel reasonably confident that the Aiel-hardened Eggy will be more strict with Moggy than the other two were. On the other hand, that probably makes her more of a target for Halima / Aran’gar at some point. I don’t envy Egwene at all.
Things are getting very tangled! And Jordan still hasn’t given away who the boss fight(s) are going to be in this book. Who will it be? It’s a mystery.