Bowl of the Winds

General

The Bowl of the Winds is a bowl shaped ter'angreal used to control the weather. It is a clear crystal shallow bowl, two feet across and flattish, carved deeply inside with what appear to be shifting clouds. It requires a lot of the Power to work it, Elayne feels she is not quite strong enough to do so by herself. When someone channels into it, the crystal turns blue and the clouds move (LoC, Ch. 23). It had previously been in the hands of the Sea Folk, who knew it was the Bowl of the Winds, but had lost it two thousand years earlier (ACoS, Ch. 13). In the Age of Legends, weather was regulated with ter'angreal such as the Bowl of the Winds, but on a small scale. The Talent of manipulating the weather was not well developed and the ter'angreal were necessary for what people in the third age could manage without them (TPoD, Ch. 2).

The bargain

As Elayne and Nynaeve were the ones to go and look, this set the basis for the bargain (ACoS, Ch. 14). The agreement states that:

1. The Sea Folk will get the Bowl once it has been successfully used.
2. Twenty sisters are to go among the Atha'an Miere, to teach, subject to their laws, unable to leave until they are replaced. These were to be selected by the Amyrlin Seat (CoT, Ch. 12).
3. Windfinders allowed to enter the Tower as guests whenever they wish, learn whatever they wish and leave whenever they wish.

Once the weather has changed, Renaile takes the Bowl. She also takes Merilille to teach . Over the next few days, Merilille begins to take on an almost permanently startled expression (TPoD, Ch. 20). After Adeleas' murder, the other Aes Sedai are all to busy with their own tasks to assist Merillile until Elayne unwittingly comes to an agreement with Zaida (WH, Prologue) and Nynaeve joins in the teaching (WH, Ch. 11); Adeleas refuses as she has is busy with Kirstian and Zarya (WH, Ch. 11). The Windfinders feel Nynaeve's teaching was superior to the others and insist she continue (WH, Ch. 11). The lessons are harsh for the teacher, with no respect shown, so harsh in fact, that when Talaan approaches Merilille to ask to be taken as a novice, she uses this as an opportunity to flee back to the White Tower (CoT, Ch. 14).

When Zaida leaves after Nesta's death, she agrees a second bargain with Elayne, for nine of the Windfinders to remain in exchange for a square mile of Andor under Atha'an Miere law (CoT, Ch. 12).

Use and Effect

They form a circle to use it. Caire leads, and the others in it are Nynaeve, Talaan, Aviendha, Elayne, Metarra, Garenia, Rainyn, Kirstian, Reanne, Tebreile, Naime, Ryasael (TPoD, Ch. 5).

Caire forms a complex weave, a four pointed star of all five powers and lays it on top of the Bowl, turning it bright blue and the clouds move. She changes the weave to a five pointed star, with a corresponding change in the bowl, to green sea, with heaving waves. Then a six pointed star, with a dark blue sky and purple clouds. This continues through seven, eight and nine pointed stars, at which point Elayne feels the Bowl itself start to draw saidar and a braided column of saidar, intertwined with saidin shoots up. This doesn't concern Caire, who is focussed totally on what she is doing. As she continues, spiderwebs of saidar blossom from the top of the column, in every direction, changing as they grow. She drops the source suddenly, the column and flows of saidar vanishing, though occasional flashes in the Bowl show it is still drawing the Power (TPoD, Ch. 5).

There is no immediate sign, but Caire tells them that it will take time and that having done their part, they will take the Bowl. Nynaeve replies that they will not get it until they have seen if it worked (TPoD, Ch. 5). This lace of power is visible some distance away, in Ghealdan and Asha'man, Aes Sedai and Wise Ones were all able to feel the Power in the air long after it vanished from view (TPoD, Ch. 7). Neald, who has abilities with weather (KoD, Ch. 4) claimed it made him think of wind, though he could not say why (TPoD, Ch. 7.

The Weather

Before the Bowl of the Winds was used, there was a long standing drought (TEotW, Ch. 1; LoC, Prologue). After the bowl has been used, the weather starts to change. Nearby, in Altara and Ghealdan, it snows (TPoD, Ch. 11), further away, Cairhien had rain replacing the baking drought (TPoD, Ch. 12. The light rain soon turned to torrential downpours and the temperature dropped TPoD, Ch. 13; Ch. 15).

In the rebel Aes Sedai camp, there was initial surprise at the rain, despite the Hall having been told the Bowl had been used. This quickly turned to joy, accompanied by a halt to the march and feasting and prayers (TPoD, Ch. 15). This lessened a little when the snows turned the time to cross a days worth of land, into five days worth (TPoD, Ch. 15). The snow lasts some weeks and is even seen as afar away as Arad Doman (CoT, Prologue), but eventually, at least in Altara, rain replaces it, though it is still unusually cold (CoT, Ch. 28). Over time, the weather does calm down (KoD, Ch. 27). Despite this change, a good number of people will still die of hunger (KoD, Ch. 21).

Strangeness in the Power

The flashes in the Bowl soon stop, but it still gives the impression that saidar is still there (TPoD, Ch. 5). This continues, and shortly after Elayne feels there is saidar in the air (TPoD, Ch. 6). Later, when Morr visits the area, he claims “saidin was worse there” and that he could feel it in the air around him, fighting him as though it was alive (TPoD, Ch. 14). This also affects the damane and none are used, not even for a display of sky lights following the capture of Ebou Dar (TPoD, Ch. 22) and continues throughout the battle in Altara. Rand does not notice, despite almost continuously holding the power and worries that the people who mention it might be sick (TPoD, Ch. 23). He finally realises when Dashiva insists he looks at the weaves and really feels them. It seems saidin is full of currents and surges, but Rand says that as long as things work eventually, they are to continue as normal (TPoD, Ch. 24).

It has a severe effect on the damane, and some channel lightnings onto their own men . Similarly, Adley loses control and kills men on Rand's side (TPoD, Ch. 24). Rand loses control when he draws Callandor, lightening's flashing down in all directions, until Bashere makes him realise what is happening and he lets go of the Source. Whether this is the strangeness or Callandor's flaw is unclear (TPoD, Ch. 24).

The Gateway

For more information see the article on unweaving

Immediately after the Bowl was used, the Seanchan attacked, presumably having been drawn to the site by the large amount of saidar used (TPoD, Ch. 5). The people there with the ability to channel, as well as a few others who worried that it was a Shadowspawn attack fled through a gateway to Andor . To prevent any damane with the ability to read residues from learning Traveling, Elayne tried to unweave the gateway. She was disrupted when one of the damane who followed her through shielded her, causing the gateway to collapse in on itself. The resulting explosion killed on the Seanchan in the area (TPoD, Ch. 6) and burned the ground for three hundred paces, the sand turned to glass (TPoD, Ch. 14).

Timeline

• Nynaeve and Elayne, worried that the Aes Sedai in Salidar are meeting with Tarna and that they might go back to Tar Valon, search in Tel'aran'rhiod, using “need” for something that will help Rand (LoC, Ch. 13).
• Initially, they are taken to a storeroom in the Tower. They try again and are taken to a building in what Elayne realises is Ebou Dar (LoC, Ch. 13)
• Elayne and Nynaeve ask to go to Ebou Dar to find it. Elayne lies that it need a man to make it work, but they are refused (LoC, Ch. 15).
• Elayne and Nynaeve tell Egwene about the Bowl shortly after she is raised Amyrlin (LoC, Ch. 36).
• They Travel to a spot a few days away from Ebou Dar (LoC, Ch. 44)
• Elayne, Aviendha and Nynaeve visit a Sea Folk ship to ask for help using it once they find it as Egwene has told them not to return to Salidar until she can sort out Nicola and Areina. They are forced into an arduous agreement to ensure this assistance (ACoS, Ch. 14).
• Nesta summons the Wavemistresses who hold Ebou Dar and the first twelve (ACoS, Ch. 14)
• Nynaeve and Elayne ask Reanne and the Kin about the Bowl but are not told anything (ACoS, Ch. 23).
• Nynaeve and Elayne go with the other Aes Sedai to see Reanne who agrees to take them to the storeroom. At the same time, Mat follows another member there (ACoS, Ch. 31).
• The cross to the Rahad to retrieve the Bowl, where they are confronted by Darkfriends, the gholam, Falion and Ispan (ACoS, Ch. 38).
• Mat persuades the Windfinders to go to the Kin's farm with the others to use the Bowl (ACoS, Ch. 39).
• At the farm, the form a circle, with Caire in control and use the Bowl (TPoD, Ch. 5).
• The weave is seen in Ghealdan (TPoD, Ch. 7)
• It starts to snow on the Shaido (TPoD, Ch. 11).
• The change has spread to Cairhien, where it rains (TPoD, Ch. 12).
• Morr returns from Altara to tell Rand that saidin is strange around Ebou Dar (TPoD, Ch. 14).
• Romanda calls Merilille's judgement into account for using the Bowl rather than bringing it for study (TPoD, Ch. 16).
• Merilille starts to teach (TPoD, Ch. 20).
• Nynaeve teaches shielding to Talaan, Senine, Shielyn, Rainyn, Kurin, Caire, Kurin (WH, Ch. 11).

Quotes

“Of course the bargain is on our terms. Who asks must of course pay highest” (Baroc, A Crown of Swords, Chapter 14).

“Try to break the bargain and by my father's heart, I will return to the ships at once. And claim the Bowl for redress. It was ours from the breaking” (Renaile, The Path of Daggers, Chapter 1).

“Every last one of the older sisters thought she should have found some way around making that bargain. Perhaps they really could have. Elayne did not believe that, but she was not sure” (The Path of Daggers, Chapter 3).

“I just moved the rudder on a skimmer with a beam as broad as the world! He will take time to turn, time to know he is supposed to turn. That he must turn. But when he does, not the Father of Storms himself will be able to stand in his way. I have done it, Aes Sedai, and the Bowl of the Winds is ours!” (Caire, The Path of Daggers, Chapter 5).

She still felt a little odd, herself, as though she could pluck little bits of saidar out of the air around her (Elayne The Path of Daggers, Chapter 6).

“You might say that he has decided to freeze or drown the world instead of baking it, but why? Had the heat continued through spring, the dead might well have outnumbered the living (Kumira, ((tpod2|Chapter 12}}).

"And to include Sea Folk wilders in the circle! How could she believe they know as much of working the weather as Aes Sedai? " (Lelaine, The Path of Daggers, Chapter 16).