Aiel
Today, we are going to be learning about the Aiel, and a few of their customs. There is a lot to learn about the Aiel, but I’m only going to talk about the basics. If you’d like to learn more, I’m sure there’s a class available. So, let’s get started!
The Aiel are very strict with honour and obligation. They have a specific code called ji’e’toh with many paths to honor, each with its own measure and price, and each facet of life has its own paths. All must seek their own honour through the code, and honour is valued above all else in Aiel society.
The Aiel live in the Waste, called Djevik K’Shar, “The Dying Ground” in the Trolloc tongue. The Waste is a harsh, rugged and all but waterless land that appears uninhabitable. Yet the Aiel have made it their home. The Aiel are a race of people as fierce and hardy as their rugged environment. These tall and fair-haired people are lethal fighters and skilled trackers, with both men and women serving as warriors. The Aiel call the Waste the Three-Fold Land, for they believe it is first a shaping stone to make them; second, a testing ground to prove their worth; and third, a punishment for their sin-though the sin is unknown. Only those select few on friendly terms with the Aiel dare to enter the Waste: peddlers, gleemen, and the Tuatha'an’ Tinkers. At one time the merchants of Cairhien were also welcomed, but now Cairhienin are despised, because of King Laman’s destruction of Avendoraldera.
Now, I’m not going to get into the Aiel history. For that you’ll have to take another class. I will tell you a little bit about the social structure of the Aiel. The Aiel are divided into twelve clans, and each clan is made up of many septs. In addition, the warriors themselves are divided into twelve separate societies. Each society has its own customs, and some-times it has specific duties. For example, Red Shields acts as police, and Stone Dogs are often used as rear guards during retreats, while Maidens of the Spear are often scouts. Raids and battles between clans have been commonplace since the first clans were formed, but the members of the same society will not fight each other even when their clans do so. Because of this there are always lines of contact between the clans, even during open warfare.
Each Aiel sept has its own stronghold, carved among the cliffs, hills, and canyons of the Waste. The wife of the chief, the Roofmistress, reigns supreme, having the right to welcome or turn away even her own husband from the water and shade. The dwellings are made of clay and brick, with flat roofs for growing plants, but they burrow deep into the rock to form spacious and comfortable rooms. The rooms are carpeted with rugs, hung with tapestries, and furnished with comfortable mats and cushions, shelves and tables, and other usually colourful and fine decorations.
Weaving and jewelry making are the primary crafts. Metal-smithing is also primary among the trades. Metalworking of any kind is highly valued by the Aiel, and smiths may not be made gai’shain, as that service would deprive the hold of their skills for a year and a day.
Finally, let’s mention the Aiel clothing. The code of dress has changed very little since the Age of Legends. The cadin’sor worn by all men and by the Maidens of the Spear, is an adaptation of the ancient Da’shain working clothes. The coat and breeches are colored in browns or grays that fade into rock, sand, or shadow. The Aiel have soft, laced knee-high boots, as well as a shoufa, a scarflike garment that is wrapped around the head and neck, leaving the face bare. When preparing to kill, they pull the shoufa over the nose and mouth, veiling their face. The cut of the cadin’sor coat is different for each clan, and has slight variations according to sept, but the differences are subtle and difficult for an outsider to see. All Aiel men, and women who are Maidens of the Spear, wear their hair cut short except for a tail on the nape of the neck. Women who are not Maidens wear their hair shoulder length and longer, frequently pulled away from the face by a scarf. Their long skins, blouses, and shawls are in drab desert colours, and they adorn themselves with many bracelets and necklaces. High-ranking women will show more jewelry. Maidens of the Spear often possess jewelry, but wear it rarely. Men wear no jewelry at all.
I know that this lesson is really long, but there’s one more thing I feel I should mention. The Wise Ones. You may have seen some of these women walking around the Tower occasionally. All Aiel channelers are Wise Ones, but not all Wise Ones can channel. The Wise Ones have great authority and influence with sept and clan chiefs, and carry great responsibility. They stand outside all feuds and battles, and according to ji’e’toh may not be harmed or impeded in any way.
For homework, I would like you to pick one of the following topics and do some more research on them than I did. Please pick one no one else has yet done, and be sure to read over everyone else’s presentations, to learn more about these peoples. So, here are your choices:
Aiel Clans
Clothing and Appearance
Familial relations and customs
Food
Gai’shain
Ji’e’toh, Crime and Punishment
Customs of Rhuidean
Warriors and Combat
Wise Ones
The WasteThe WoT Concordance will be VERY useful to you, as that is where I got these topics. *g*
WoT Concordance - http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Corridor/241/wotc.txt
Illustrated WoT Worldbook - http://www.fantasyalternative.org/wot/world/worldbook.html
Cairhien
Altara Tarabon
Tear
The Borderlands
Arad Doman and Murandy Illian and Mayene The Ogier
