Foxhead Medallion

General

The foxhead medallion is a ter'angreal that melts the flows of the One Power; the bearer won't be touched by them directly (TFoH, Ch. 6). As the name indicates, the form of the silver ter'angreal resembles the head of a fox, its one pupil bearing the ancient symbol of the Aes Sedai, a tiny circle split by a sinuous line, one side polished bright, the other shaded in some way (TSR, Ch. 37).

The medallion grows cold when someone holds or channels the Power close by, colder than ice in the immediate vicinity (TFoH, Ch. 6) and merely cool some distance away (ACoS, Ch. 39). It detects both saidin and saidar (LoC, Ch. 44).

Direct weaves like Healing or Compulsion don't affect the wearer as long as his skin touches the medallion (TFoH, Ch. 22); flows of the One Power will simply vanish (LoC, Ch. 38). Indirect channeling like lightning or throwing a stick at the wearer works, however (TFoH, Ch. 54; LoC, Ch. 47).

The medallion also burns a gholam’s skin: "Smoke rose around the edges of the foxhead, and a sizzle like bacon frying (...) A raw red brand marked where the foxhead had fallen." The medallion does not heat up during the process (ACoS, Ch. 38). A theory on how that is working can be found here.

An unintentional side effect of the foxhead is warding the bearer's dreams (Question of the Week, Week 7).

Appearances and Uses

• Mat requests being free of the One Power and Aes Sedai (TSR, Ch. 24) and the Eelfinn give him the medallion (TSR, Ch. 26).

• Moiraine tries to Heal Mat after he was bitten by a Darkhound, but her weaves can't touch him, until he takes off the foxhead medallion (TFoH, Ch. 6).

• Melindhra tries to kill Mat with a knife, but the blade hits the medallion at a bad angle and snaps, possibly due to Mat's ta'veren influence (TFoH, Ch. 51).

• When Mat wants Egwene to stop "playing" at being Amyrlin, she channels Air, but the flows simply disappear before they touch him (LoC, Ch. 38).

• Halima tries to touch Mat with the Power, proving that saidin can neither affect the wearer of the medallion (LoC, Ch. 44).

• On their way toward Ebou Dar, Elayne assures Mat that she will not take away his ter'angreal even though they are rightfully property of the White Tower. However, she requests he give her the medallion every evening for study, which he doesn't. The Aes Sedai in his company try to study the ter'angreal from a distance the following days and Adeleas is often seen taking notes (LoC, Ch. 47).

• Mat offers Elayne his medallion before they enter the Rahad to get the Bowl of the Winds, because he knows of Moghedien and tells her she and Nynaeve should decide who is to wear it. Elayne declines, as she does not want to have protection while Nynaeve and Aviendha don't (ACoS, Ch. 38).

• In the six story building, Mat has his first encounter with a gholam and fends it off with the foxhead (ACoS, Ch. 38). He does the same when the gholam attacks him later again (WH, Ch. 16).

• When asked, Mat allows Setalle Anan to take a look at the medallion and even touch it (KoD, Ch. 9).

Miscellaneous

• Mat muses that his medallion will protect him from the Black Ajah and the Forsaken, if it comes to confrontation (TFoH, Ch. 22).

• Mat wonders whether his ter'angreal protects him from a man's channeling too (TFoH, Ch. 45), which it does (LoC, Ch. 44).

• Betse Silvin asks whether Mat was hanged for stealing the medallion (LoC, Ch. 5).

• Mat sometimes laughs so hard over the medallion that his ribs hurt (LoC, Ch. 5).

• Mat often fingers the medallion when he sees or thinks of Aes Sedai (LoC, Ch. 33).

• Elayne wants to study Mat's ter'angreal (LoC, Ch. 39) and she itches to find out how it can absorb the One Power (ACoS, Ch. 22).

• Mat never takes the foxhead off, not even to bathe (ACoS, Ch. 14).

• Mat would rather confront Moghedien than Tylin, because his foxhead medallion protects him from the Forsaken but not from the Queen of Altara (ACoS, Ch. 37).

• Mat thinks the protection the foxhead provided against the Power has "as many holes as his own memories" (WH, Ch. 29).

Quotes

"'That medallion of yours makes you impudent, Matrim Cauthon,' Joline said coldly. 'My mouth makes me impudent, Joline,' Mat replied with a sigh, fingering the medallion hidden beneath his loosely tied shirt. 'The medallion just makes me truthful.'" (Mat talking with Joline Sedai about his medallion; The Gathering Storm, Chapter 20)