Birgitte Silverbow

Author: Melina Tashir

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General

Birgitte Silverbow is a Hero of the Horn, and a hero of many gleeman’s stories and songs, in which she is always connected to Gaidal Cain, but a sudden turning of the Wheel spins her out before her time. Being made Elayne’s Warder, she tries to accept her new life guarding Elayne’s life.

The bond Birgitte and Elayne share is rare and surprising. Birgitte seems to choose when she wants to be an obedient Warder and when she wants to be an older sister or mother who lectures. Their bond also seems to reflect their emotions and physical states more strongly than a traditional Warder Bond, most likely due to the fact that both of them are female. After Elayne proclaims her the Captain General of the Queen’s Guard she becomes Lady Birgitte Trahelion.

Appearance

With her man’s coat and breeches, she appears to be Kandori. Her long, blond hair is always braided.

Relationships with Other Characters

Birgitte and Dyelin do not like each other.

She has been Gaidal Cain's lover in most of her previous lives and fears losing her memories of him.

Birgitte becomes great friend of Mat. She has certain connection with him as the Horn Sounder. They are similar in many things, including a disposition towards alcohol and having a rough tongue. Birgitte likes to visit taverns to gamble and ogle pretty men even if she prefers ugly ones. She is a woman of strong character who speaks her mind.

She feels very fearful that she cannot live up to legends about her.

Birgitte's Journey

Previous Lives

• She once led a band of thieves that robbed the Queen of Aldeshar (AMoL, Ch. 10).

• She had a life during the War of the Shadow (This passage needs a reference).

• In one life she was called Maerion (TFoH, Ch. 36).

• One life was as Jethari Moondancer (ToM, Ch. 22).

• She was involved in helping set up the White Tower (This passage needs a reference).

• She had about half a dozen lives between the forming of the White Tower and the Trolloc Wars (This passage needs a reference).

• She had at least one life during the Trolloc Wars (TFoH, Ch. 24).

• At one point Birgitte says she has never been a soldier in any of her previous lives (This passage needs a reference. However, in Towers of Midnight, she claims to have occasionally been a soldier and once a general (This passage needs a reference).

• She has forgotten many of the memories she had when she was first cast out of Tel'aran'rhiod and worries that she might lose all her memories of Gaidal (This passage needs a reference).

The Eye of the World

There is no relevant reference to Birgitte in this book.

The Great Hunt

There is no relevant reference to Birgitte in this book.

The Dragon Reborn

There is no relevant reference to Birgitte in this book.

The Shadow Rising

This section contains spoilers relating to The Shadow Rising. Please expand to view.

• Birgitte appears in the wolf dream and warns Perrin to stay away from The Tower of Ghenjei. She also tells him of the Aelfinn and the Eelfinn (TSR, Ch. 28).
• Nynaeve meets Birgitte in Tel'aran'rhiod thinking that she is some woman dreaming that she is the woman from legend (TSR, Ch. 52).
• Birgitte tells Nynaeve that Moghedien is very strong and skilled in the World of Dreams, and advises Nynaeve to be very careful (TSR, Ch. 52).

The Fires of Heaven

This section contains spoilers relating to The Fires of Heaven. Please expand to view.

• Moghedien rips Birgitte out of Tel’aran’rhiod (TFoH, Ch. 34).
• Juilin and Thom find her naked and barely alive. They take her to Nynaeve and Elayne. Nynaeve tries to Heal her but is unsuccessful. To save Birgitte’s life, Elayne bonds her as her Warder (TFoH, Ch. 35).
• When Birgitte wakes she remembers everything and suffers for loss of Gaidal. Elayne tells her that she bonded her. Birgitte accepts her duty as a Warder with honor. She chooses a name that she used in one of her previous lives – Maerion (TFoH, Ch. 36).

Lord of Chaos

This section contains spoilers relating to Lord of Chaos. Please expand to view.

• Birgitte avoids Mat in Salidar, not wanting him to recognize her (LoC, Ch. 39).

A Crown of Swords

This section contains spoilers relating to A Crown of Swords. Please expand to view.

• Mat remembers who Birgitte is (ACoS, Ch. 21).
• Birgitte tells Mat about gholam and stasis boxes (ACoS, Ch. 39).

The Path of Daggers

This section contains spoilers relating to The Path of Daggers. Please expand to view.

• Most Aes Sedai disapprove of Birgitte being a Warder (TPoD, Ch. 1).
• Brigitte tries to hold the Seanchan off and gets shot with an arrow in her thigh (TPoD, Ch. 6).
• Lan assumes that Birgitte is Kandori because of the way she is dressed (TPoD, Ch. 20).
• After coming to Caemlyn, Elayne grants an estate to Birgitte and makes her Captain General of the Queen’s Guard Lady Brigitte Trahelion (TPoD, Ch. 28).

Winter's Heart

This section contains spoilers relating to Winter's Heart. Please expand to view.

There is no relevant reference to Birgitte in this book.

Crossroads of Twilight

This section contains spoilers relating to Crossroads of Twilight. Please expand to view.

There is no relevant reference to Birgitte in this book.

Knife of Dreams

This section contains spoilers relating to Knife of Dreams. Please expand to view.

• Brigitte feels fearful that she cannot live up to the legends about her (WH, Prologue).
• Birgitte notices that the corridors begin to change, which worries her deeply (KoD, Ch. 17).
• Birgitte goes back to the Palace to gather the Windfinders and guardsmen to save Elayne. She convinces the Windfinders to help her in the battle (KoD, Ch. 32).

The Gathering Storm

This section contains spoilers relating to The Gathering Storm. Please expand to view.

There is no relevant reference to Birgitte in this book.

Towers of Midnight

This section contains spoilers relating to Towers of Midnight. Please expand to view.

• Birgitte, Elayne, and Dyelin discuss the captive nobles. Birgitte suggests executing them (ToM, Ch. 11).
• Birgitte sees the military potential of the Dragons as soon as Mat explains then (ToM, Ch. 19).
• She tries to warn Mat of the Tower of Ghenjei (ToM, Ch. 19).
• She and Elayne plan the trap for the gholam (ToM, Ch. 32).
• After Morgase returns, Birgitte stays for the reunion meeting (ToM, Ch. 45).
• She leads in the Cairhienin nobles. She does not understand the point of giving them lands in Andor (ToM, Ch. 50).
• She goes with Elayne to Cairhien, where she discovers a poisoned needle in the seat Elayne was going to use (ToM, Ch. 52).

A Memory of Light

This section contains spoilers relating to A Memory of Light. Please expand to view.

• Elayne sends her to Caemlyn following the trolloc attack (AMoL, Ch. 2).
• She is present the first time the dragons are used (AMoL, Ch. 10).
• Elayne heals her (AMoL, Ch. 37).
• The rest of her memories fade and the first thing she remember sis waking up with Elayne and Nynaeve (AMoL, Ch. 37).
• She is decapitated by Mellar (AMoL, Ch. 37).
• She is summoned when Olver blows the Horn of Valere and returns to Elayne, killing Mellar (AMoL, Ch. 39).
• She rides out with Elayne (AMoL, Ch. 40).
• She feels herself being reborn after the Last Battle (AMoL, Epilogue).

Miscellaneous

She does not like "players" (ToM, Ch. 22).

Quotes

This section contains spoilers relating to Towers of Midnight. Please expand to view.

"The world just changed, Elayne. It just changed in a very large way. I have a terrible feeling that it’s only the beginning." (On the Dragons, ToM, Ch. 29)