From TheBestLinks.com
In Robert Jordan's fantasy series The Wheel of Time, the Aiel are a race of people. They live in an area towards the middle of the continent(although many believe it to be the eastern part), known as the Aiel Waste, which is an extremely dry, harsh area. They have earned a reputation as skilled warriors; little else is known about them in the wider world. Physically, Aiel can be recognized through their height and characteristic pale eyes(a common misconception is that they have black eyes); also, many of them have red or blond hair. They are descended from the Dai'shan Aiel who gave up the Way of the Leaf for a warriors life(the people to kept that peaceful life were known as the Tua'thon(Traveling People)).
Aiel customs
The Aiel have a number of cultural practices that are quite distinct from those of outsiders. For example, women frequently become soldiers and fight alongside men. In addition, the taboo against nudity is much weaker amongst the Aiel than in some cultures. The Aiel moral code is called ji'e'toh, a word from the book's "old tongue" which roughly translates to "honor and duty"; it is seen by outsiders as quite labyrinthine.
Aiel society
The Aiel are organized on several different levels. They live together in groups called tribes and subgroups called clans, but also associate in many different warrior societies. Only one of these, the Maidens of the Spear, accepts women. The lines of loyalty amongst tribe, clan and society are tangled, and appear counterintuitive to non-Aiel.
Aiel Tribes
The Aiel are separated into Twelve Tribes, an reference to the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Yet, there is a thirteenth tribe, not counted among them, known as the Jenn Aiel who built the city Rhuidean. The Jenn are the Wheel of Time's version of the Levites.
Related links
Top visited
0 of
0 links
[no links posted yet]
>> place link >>
Discussion
Last posted
0 of
0 messages
[no messages posted yet]
>> post message >>
Watch
You can
add this article to your own "watchlist" and receive e-mail notification about all changes in this page.
