#BWB Companion Lore

[amys-the-wise-1]

#WoTBookSpoilers

@havocthecat

Under the cut because of book spoilers (not spoiling everything - promise!) but discussing some literary aspects of how RJ established such from the first pages:

So Egwene is the one character who jumped her fate with the first major decision - to leave with Rand et al - when she wasn't fated to go - but Moiraine says it best when confronted with the situation -

"She's now part of the pattern, for good or bad I do not know yet."

If you look at almost everything that does happen, Egwene is thrust/pushed forward, either by her ambition, her pride, her trauma, or her insatiable thirst for knowledge. At each step, she's racing head-first into whatever she can achieve, without necessary concern for the consequences.

But it all starts with the story of Manetheren but also her reading of the Adventures of Jain Charin - aka Jain Farstrider.

It's the tales that the townsfolk of Emons Field ask Thom Merillin, of Materese the Healer (cough Nynaeve cough) but also Elsbet the Queen of All, and Anyla the Wise Counselor, as well as Tell us about Lenn. How he flew to the moon in the belly of an eagle made of fire. Tell us about his daughter Salya walking among the stars.

History turning to legend turning to Myth - and yet some history is still oral history, depending on who knows the stories and wisdom to share.

When she hears about Amon Al'Caar Al'Thorin and the queen Eldrene, that is the biggest spark - to her imagination and the start of her quest.

Everywhere you read, it mentions that she chafes at any restrictions on her thirst for learning, even when it's for her own safety. That unbridled ambition gets her into so much trouble, and also eventually cuts off quite a bit of learning she did need - even if she was called by the Hall. She pushes beyond all restraint, beyond all limits of safety, and like boys who aren't told to temper their ambitions, there comes a time when her actions write cheques that her arse can't cash - or the cost is entirely too high.

Admittedly, when I was younger, I identified with Egwene and Nynaeve - but now, being Amys age (hence the avatar!) I can also see where ambition needs to burn, having the discipline to self-restraint, to hold to self-discipline, is vital for living a long life - by knowing when to push the limits and blow past boundaries - but also knowing when safety is the smart course.

It's almost befitting in the narrative that those who ran well past the boundaries have the consequences of [spoilers I promised not to speak of ] but it's also a narrative aspect of agency, too.

Queen Eldrene burned with the rage of a million souls and depths of sorrow for the death of her husband and warder and enacted vengeance for what happened - which resulted in the almost complete annihilation of the Shadow's forces - but also immolation of Manetheren - like a nuclear blast had gone off, with the remnants of the balefire and the One Power burning down the mountain home to the living stones of the Mountains of Mist.

And the story lives on via oral tales told to the Aes Sedai thousands of years later - in the resultant tales of Tetsuan and the consequences of her jealousy of Eldrene's beauty but also sheer power in the Saidar.

Tetsuan, when it became known what happened to Manetheren (a major military force for the Light) and the annihilation of the country itself, was brought before the Hall and her treason and treachery came to light. Because of Tetsuan and her jealousy, she hindered any aid to come to the rescue of Manetheren.

Manetheren fell because one Amyrlin was jealous of another's power and beauty.

So, Tetsuan, raised from the Red Ajah, was stripped of stole and staff and was the first Amyrlin to be sentenced to be stilled for her betrayal of Manetheren.

She lived and worked as a scullery maid for 3 years after her stilling.

Even 2000 years later, her lessons of betrayal are still taught to tower initiates - that no one is above the law of the Tower of Aes Sedai.

Egwene knew the consequences for racing forward - and knew the lessons of what happened to those who were either severed, stilled, or burned out.

Some fires burn for a thousand years before failing. Others burn for a blink and are extinguished. Both are living lessons on ambition - but also knowing restraint.

Given what happens, I can posit that Egwene Al'Vere's name will be a teaching lesson for thousands of years - of being like the myths of Icarus, who moulded wings of wax and flew to the sun, like Lenn who flew to the moon in the belly of a Dragon, and his daughter Salyia who walks among the stars. It's Mosk and Merk throwing fire.

Some legends live past the turnings of the Wheel.

And her story will be told as well.

Rather to live in immortality than failing and becoming the scullery maid that no one wants to remember.

Glory vs Mundane existence.

alright time for me to scream incoherently about Egwene and how much I love her and how much justice the show is doing by her already. Heavy, heavy book spoilers below the cut.

So, first, the boring context of my relationship with her as a character: I read Wheel of Time first as a teenager, and being part of the generation that grew up with HP and identified most with Hermione (and who was identified with Hermione by others, bookish girls who always seem to have the right answers in class ftw), Egwene stood out to me as part of that mold almost immediately. Because Egwene is part of that character archetype, the smart girl who picks things up quickly and further proves her mettle and courage by using her brain and wits. My first and most cherished memory of reading the Wheel of Time books is when Moiraine helps Egwene touch the Source on purpose for the first time, and Egwene turns to Rand with excitement shining out of her eyes and says "I'm going to be an Aes Sedai!" I understand why they scrambled that scene like they did and lost that particular line, but that wide-eyed innocent joy Egwene shows is one of her most powerful traits because of where she goes in the series.

In episode 5 of the Wheel of Time show, Nynaeve tells the story of Egwene catching breakbone fever and pushing through, calls her "unbreakable." That's Egwene in a nutshell. The scene with Eamon Valda is delicious in many ways (okay an entire standing ovation to Abdul Salis for delivering to us an Eamon Valda that makes my skin crawl off my body, holy hell), giving excellent Perrin characterization (PERRIN GOLDENEYES MY BELOVED) and showcasing some of the theology of the Children of the Light, but along with all of that, it shows us Egwene as she is under pressure and how she ALWAYS will be under pressure: clever as a fox, quick as a whip, and unbreakable as cuendillar. Egwene is a sponge for other cultures and walks of life, and she's incredibly talented and intelligent, not just in channeling but in talking to people. It's so gratifying to see her staring down Eamon Valda the same way she'll one day stare down the Seanchan who try to leash her, and the Aiel who train her, and the White Tower under Elaida who try to break her, and one day, an entire HECKING army at the Last Battle. This is the future true Amyrlin Seat, this is the girl who will become the most powerful woman on the battlefield, not because of her channeling ability, but because of how empathetic and knowledgeable she is.

Madeleine Madden is understanding the assignment beautifully and bringing such a strong performance to the role of Egwene; from the very first time we see her, floating down the river, I burst into tears, because SHE GETS IT. The writers GET IT. The showrunners GET IT. Nynaeve and even Elayne and Aviendha are powerhouses, but the true meaning of what it means to channel saidar is embodied by Egwene, because she fully understands the first lesson: she submits to the flow, and through her acceptance, she gains power and understanding.

(I mean, also a fair bit of pride and a heaping helping of PTSD but this is a fantasy series peopled by an enormous cast of complex and textured folks, of course one of the main characters is going to have her foibles, too. Let me just gush forever about her good qualities for a bit. And entirely skirt around what happens to her on that battlefield at Tarmon Gai'don, even though it is unbelievably badass, bc it is also sad.)

[amys-the-wise-1]

#WoTShowSpoilers

Full agreement with @egwenegirl that you can easily tell that it's a woman director. The casualness of the scene, and here using shadows and lights to make it seem so natural that women take baths, and are there to exist, and that women who are larger than a size 4 have *gasp* breasts that aren't age 22 perky perfect.\

There is a feeling of how it's normalized that you can have non-sexual nudity and it make sense in the plot, and not for sexualized gaze reasons. But the best part? The modesty for the actual focus in the scenes, where you're in close-ups for the important bits, not zoomed out so you're looking/ogling breasts but listening to the women's discussion.

It's like the director made the conscious effort to focus on the women and what they are saying, giving it weight and importance, than making her body the focus and not paying attention to some serious foreshadowing to come.

Second, let's talk about the one Moiraine is having the discussion with. Those who read the books, like I have, were wondering Who She is - until you get the tidbit of dialogue post-scene and she tells [spoilers] that Maigan has ordered her home, to come in from the cold (so to speak) and hence why events happened the way they did.

This bit of throwaway has Sarah Nakamura's fingers all over it. Why do I say such?

Maigan, who has no listed last name in the BWB / WoT Companion, seems like she's just another random sister - but far from it.

Spoilers below the cut for serious book lore reasons - ones you have to dig very, very deep into it.

#WoTBookSpoilers

Maigan is listed as an influential Blue sister and one who plays an important plot point later on. Here they have her as the First Selector, which is the head of the Ajah - who the sitters defer to. In NS, that was Edyth and later, it's Lelaine Akashi. But here we have Maigan acting as First Selector which is a big role.

Why is she vital? Book Spoilers below

Spoiler

Maigan is the primary one who forces Siuan to [enormous spoilers] after [enormous spoilers redacted].

So I hope that that scene is in the show, given what we saw in S1ep6.

Can I just say how much I appreciate that the first shot we have of exposed breasts was so casual?

The framing wasn’t remotely sexual, and the camera didn’t even focus on it at all. It was just a simple element in the background of a steam bath scene, a place where it makes perfect sense to be topless. Topless characters were mostly in shadows, and their chests were natural and not at all highlighted. They pass in and out of the scene quietly with absolutely no fanfare whatsoever- it’s so understated that its easy to miss if you aren’t paying rapt attention.

It’s such a simple thing, but honestly I don’t think I’ve ever seen it done so well. Breasts are virtually never allowed to just exist, casually and without the medium commenting on them somehow. So, simple as it is, I’m deeply grateful for that.