In some villages a wilder was protected and kept secret. Villagers thought that she wasn’t Aes Sedai, but she didn’t age like everyone else, and she usually had a reputation as a sort of wise woman who could heal hurts, and so forth.
Historically, nearly all women who had made a false claim of being Aes Sedai were wilders. This fact might have been part of the reason for the feelings of contempt, admittedly in varying degrees, which many sisters had toward wilders.
Wilders were one source of feeding the genes for channeling back into humanity. They, along with women who could learn but were never found, and women who were put out of the Tower, were the total genetic sources on the female side.
Wildfire. The leader of a wolfpack. Perrin communicated with her when searching for the group of Aes Sedai who had kidnapped Rand.
Wildrose. Min’s bay that she rode when escaping from Tar Valon with Siuan and Leane and afterward; she left the horse in Caemlyn when she Traveled with Rand to Cairhien after his showdown with the rebel embassy.
Will of the Pattern. The publicly proclaimed reason why each ruler of Shara died after seven years’ rule; in fact, each was terminated covertly by the Ayyad, the channelers of Shara, who were the real power in that country.
Will Reeve. A Redarm killed by a gholam while guarding Mat’s tent in the camp near Caemlyn.
Willa Mandair. A woman who gave birth to a son, Bili, in sight of Dragonmount on the day Gitara voiced her Foretelling about the Dragon Reborn.
Willar. A small village in Ghealdan, east of the River Boern. Moiraine, Lan, Perrin and Loial passed through the town while on Rand’s trail. The spring in town had just begun flowing again, saving the town, evidence that Rand had recently been there.
Willi. A man in a bawdy song, performed at The White Ring in Maderin.
Willim. A Jenn Aiel boy, the son of Jonai, who was sent away for showing signs of channeling after the Breaking.
Willim al’Dai. A man who was once on the Emond’s Field Village Council. Master al’Dai was Bili al’Dai’s grandfather. He died of old age well before the first appearance of Trollocs in the Two Rivers.
Willim Avarhin. A poor Andoran nobleman and father of the real Lady Shiaine, both of whom were murdered by Mili Skane. His sign was the Heart and Hand.
Willin Mantear. The infirm guardian and uncle of Perival Mantear, the High Seat of House Mantear.
Willim of Maneches. A writer from ancient times who wrote The Essays of Willim of Maneches. He influenced the Saldaean philosopher Shivena Kayenzi.
Willim of Maneches, The Essays of. A popular book of a philosophical bent, written in ancient times. Rand saw a copy in Gill’s library at The Queen’s Blessing in Caemlyn. When Elayne, Nynaeve and Egwene were staying at Mother Guenna’s in Tear, Egwene tried reading a copy found there. Elayne also read from it.
willowbark. A substance used medicinally to treat pain, particularly headache.
Win Lewin. A Two Rivers boy who announced to Perrin at Jac al’Seen’s farm that Lord Luc was coming. It was the first time Perrin met Luc.
Wind. 1) Another term for Air, one of the Five Powers. 2) One of the wolves accompanying Elyas when he first met Perrin and Egwene. A raven punctured his left foreleg. 3) The leggy gray gelding that Olver rode on the trail and successfully on the racetrack in Ebou Dar.
Wind’s Favor, The. An inn located in Bandar Eban. Its innkeeper was Quillin Tasil. Cadsuane went there to get information from Quillin.
Windbiter’s Finger. A peninsula extending southwest into the Aryth Ocean from the middle of the Shadow Coast.
windborn. A term used in Bandar Eban referring to local merchants who rented space on ships to travel.
Windfinder. Among the Atha’an Miere, a woman who was almost always able to channel and was skilled in Weaving the Winds, as the Atha’an Miere called the manipulation of weather. Windfinders, especially those who could channel, traditionally avoided all contact with Aes Sedai, who were the only people who could be refused the gift of passage completely.
Part of a Windfinder’s rank was gained from the Sailmistress she served. Thus, the Windfinder to a Wavemistress had authority over all of the Windfinders of that clan. The Windfinder to the Mistress of the Ships had authority over all Windfinders. This Windfinder rated an unfringed blue parasol of three tiers and five earrings in each ear; a Windfinder to a Wavemistress rated an unfringed red parasol of one tier and four earrings in each ear. The Windfinder to a Sailmistress wore three earrings in each ear. Windfinders also wore a nose ring connected to one earring by an honor chain, which was fatter for higher ranks, from which hung medallions. The number of medallions indicated rank, among other things, and certain medallions would indicate the type of ship the Windfinder served upon. A woman chosen out to train as a Windfinder wore three earrings in her right ear, but in the beginning had only one in the left and had to earn the rest, as well as earning the nose ring and the honor chain.
Windfinders knew how to test for the ability to learn to channel, but they did not test any woman who did not ask on three occasions. Usually these women were found quite early, because they were manifesting the ability to channel, or because they wanted to try and were tested.
Occasionally an older woman who had the ability to learn would begin fumbling her way to the ability, whether consciously or unconsciously. When this happened, it was believed that the woman had been chosen out to be a Windfinder, chosen by wind and current, and, unlike those who were made to ask three times, she was made an apprentice willy-nilly. There were relatively few such among the Sea Folk, but the fact was that even a Wavemistress or Mistress of the Ships who began to manifest the ability would be forced to give up her earrings and nose ring and become a common deckhand again to begin training as a Windfinder.
In the first part of her training, the apprentice was required to serve with the other deckhands while taking her lessons with the Windfinder. This was analogous to the novice period in the White Tower and usually involved service on at least three ships, with a minimum of one year on each, though often longer. In the next portion of her training, she was more of a personal apprentice to the Windfinder of the ship she was serving on. This training also normally encompassed service on at least three ships, and corresponded to being an Accepted. Even after an apprentice was considered qualified to become a Windfinder, she seldom had the chance immediately, since there had to be a position open for her. She remained an apprentice, in a position analogous in some ways to an Accepted close to being tested for the shawl. This period also frequently covered service on several ships.
It was customary for a new Sailmistress to have a Windfinder of considerable experience assigned to her. In the same way, a new Windfinder, after she had completed her entire apprenticeship, would be assigned to some experienced captain who needed a Windfinder, or would be sent along as a supernumerary. No ship was allowed to sail with both a newly promoted Sailmistress and a new Windfinder.