Gawyn Trakand

Atarah al'Norahn

General

Gawyn is a Prince of Andor, the son of Queen Morgase of Andor and Taringail Damodred of Cairhien. He is sworn to one day be First Prince of the Sword for his sister, the Daughter-Heir Elayne. He also has a half-brother, Galadedrid, of whom he thinks very highly. (The Eye of the World, Chapter 40.)

Gawyn is older than Elayne by several years. The two of them look very much alike, sharing the same oval face and reddish-gold hair. He is approximately a head taller than his sister. (The Eye of the World, Chapter 40.)

Though not as set on and concerned with always doing the right thing, Gawyn seems to admire this in Galad, and also seems to try to do his best to follow this example; that he chooses to side with Elaida when the Tower splits clearly shows this. (Lord of Chaos, Chapter 25.)

Gawyn's sign is a charging white boar on a field of red. (The Eye of the World, Glossary.)

Timeline

-Gawyn, along with Elayne, comes across Rand in the palace garden after he falls from the wall. Both Elayne and Gawyn accompany him to see Morgase. (The Eye of the World, Chapter 40.)

-Gawyn goes to Tar Valon with his sister, Elayne. (The Great Hunt, Chapter 4.)

-Gawyn meets Egwene. (The Great Hunt, Chapter 24.)

-Gawyn, along with Galad, visits Elayne, Egwene and Nynaeve after they return to the White Tower. (The Dragon Reborn, Chapter 16.)

-Mat defeats Gawyn and Galad in the practice yard using only a staff. (The Dragon Reborn, Chapter 24.)

-Gawyn spends time with Min. (The Shadow Rising, Chapter 1; The Shadow Rising, Chapter 17.)

-Gawyn fights on Elaida's side on the day that Siuan Sanche is deposed. He kills Hammar and Coulin. (The Shadow Rising, Chapter 47.)

-Gawyn helps Min, Siuan and Leane escape from the White Tower. (The Shadow Rising, Chapter 47.)

-Gawyn accompanies the White Tower Aes Sedai embassy to Rand. (Lord of Chaos, Prologue.)

-Egwene and Gawyn meet in Cairhien. They profess their love to each other. (Lord of Chaos, Chapter 25.)

-Gawyn and Egwene meet several times to spend time together. (Lord of Chaos, Chapter 27; Lord of Chaos, Chapter 32.)

-Gawyn accompanies the White Tower Aes Sedai when they leave Cairhien. (Lord of Chaos, Chapter 53.)

-Gawyn participates in the battle at Dumai's Wells, on the White Tower Aes Sedai's side. (Lord of Chaos, Chapter 55.)

-Gawyn, the Younglings and the surviving White Tower Aes Sedai plan to return to Tar Valon. (A Crown of Swords, Prologue.)

-Gawyn arrives in Dorlan. (Crossroads of Twilight, Prologue.)

Relationships with other Characters

Gawyn is very loyal to his sister, Elayne. From the time when they were young, he is sworn to protect her with his life, and takes that oath seriously. He is very affectionate of her, and when she disappears from the White Tower on one of her many adventures, he is always greatly concerned about her. He is to one day be her First Prince of the Sword. He swears to Egwene that if Rand has killed Elayne, that he will hunt Rand down and kill him.

Gawyn is also close to his mother, Queen Morgase of Andor. Though he of course respects her, it is clear that he loves her very much, even if he is afraid of her sharp tongue and temper.

From almost the time they met, Gawyn has been besotted with Egwene. He seems to love her with all his heart, though at first he refuses to follow his heart, as he was unwilling to interfere with Galad and Egwene's romance. After the tower split, when they meet up, he professes his love to her, and tells her that he will promise her anything, so long as it does not harm Elayne or Andor.

When Gawyn and Rand first meet, Gawyn shows an interest in Rand, and expresses a wish to get to know him better. (The Eye of the World, Chapter 40.) After the 'death' of Queen Morgase, his like turns to a passionate hatred; he has sworn to kill Rand, and at the moment, the only thing staying his hand is his promise to Egwene that he will not harm Rand until she can prove whether he is innocent or not. (Lord of Chaos, Chapter 25.)

Gawyn was not close to his father, Taringail, at all; he barely knew him. He recalls that when he was younger, his father spent all of his time with Galad, leaving no time for him. (The Fires of Heaven, Chapter 16.)

Gawyn holds a deep respect for Galad, despite Elayne's dislike of him. Galad has saved Gawyn's life two times, for which Gawyn obviously feels grateful. (The Eye of the World, Chapter 40.)

It is safe to say that Gawyn and Elaida do not have the best of relationships. He didn't necessarily support Elaida out of like for the woman, but because he thought it was the right thing for him to do, and also because he blamed Siuan Sanche for the disappearance of Elayne and Egwene. Elaida certainly returns the dislike, and has even ordered for Gawyn and the Younglings to be disposed of.

Miscellaneous Information

-Throughout the series, Min has a couple of viewings of Gawyn.

"Streaks of dried blood has made his face a grim mask. He was going to be wounded on the day the Aes Sedai died. He was going to be hurt more than the blood told, hurt somehow deeper than wounds to his flesh. That bloody mask again. More: a sword floated above his head, and a banner waved behind it. The long-hilted sword, like those most Warders used, had a heron engraved on its slightly curved blade, symbol of a blademaster, and Min could not say whether it belonged to Gawyn or threatened him. The banner board Gawyn's sigil of a charging White Boar, but on a field of green rather than the red of Andor." (The Shadow Rising, Chapter 1.)

"Gawyn kneeling at Egwene's feet with his head bowed, and Gawyn breaking Egwene's neck, first one then the other, as if either could be the future. She had never seen that fluttering back and forth, as though not even the viewing could tell which would be the true future. Worse, she had a feeling near to certainty that it was what she had done this day that had turned Gawyn toward those two possibilities." (The Shadow Rising, Chapter 47.)

-Aside from Min's viewings, Egwene also has several dreams of him.

In 'The Shadow Rising, Chapter 1,' Egwene has a dream of Gawyn, his eyes full of pain and hatred.

"Given everything, it was no surprise that Gawyn filled her dreams. Sometimes she repeated one of his, though not exactly, of course; in her versions, certain embarrassing events just did not occur, or at least they were glossed over. Gawyn spent a good deal more time reciting poetry, and holding her while they watched sunrises and sunsets. He did not stumble over saying he loved her, either. And he looked as handsome as he really was. Others were all her own. Tender kisses that lasted forever. Him kneeling while she cupped his head in her hands. Some made no sense. Twice, right on top one another, she dreamed of taking Gawyn by the shoulders and trying to turn him to face the other way against his will. Once he brushed her hands away roughly; the other time, she was somehow stronger than he. The two blended together hazily. In another he began swinging a door closed on her, and she knew if that narrowing gap of light vanished, she was dead." (Lord of Chaos, Chapter 15.)

-In Chapter 25 of 'Lord of Chaos,' Egwene interprets her dream of him kneeling before her as being that she will bond him.

Quotes

"We'll never hear the end of this, Elayne, if mother finds out. She told us to stay in our rooms, but you just had to get a look at Logain, didn't you? Now look what it has got us. (The Eye of the World, Chapter 40.)

"I don't know why that always surprises you. Even you don't try telling Gareth what to do. He's served three Queens and been Captain-General, and First Prince Regent, for two. I daresay there are some think he's more a symbol of the Throne of Andor than the Queen is." (The Eye of the World, Chapter 40.)

"I do not know about that. Not from the way he was looking at Egwene, here." He caught her look, and his sister's, and held up his hands as if to fend them off with his sheathed sword. "Besides, he has the best hand with a sword I've ever seen. The Warders only need show him something once, and he's learned it. They sweat me nearly to death to learn half what Galad does without trying." (The Great Hunt, Chapter 24.)

Gawyn scratched his head, then shook it. "Well, if it has anything to do with Rand al'Thor, be sure you don't let Elaida hear of it. She has been at me like a Whitecloak Questioner three times since we arrived. I do not think she means him any -" He gave a start; there was a woman crossing the garden, a woman in a red-fringed shawl. "'Name the Dark One,'" he quoted, "'and she appears.' I do not need another lecture about wearing my shirt when I'm out of the practice yards. Good morning to you all." (The Great Hunt, Chapter 24.)

"If you want company," Gawyn told Elayne with a smile, "we can do as well as any. And after what we went through, we deserve some explanation of where you've been. I would rather let Galad thump me all over the practice yard all day than face Mother again for a single minute. I'd rather have Coulin mad at me." (The Dragon Reborn, Chapter 16.)

"You did not kill him - I heard him groaning - so he should be on his feet by now, but they are not going to let this chance pass, now they have their hands on him. Light, four of them are Green Ajah!" Mat gave him a confused look - Green Ajah? What does that have to do with anything? - and Gawyn shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Just rest assured that the worst Galad has to worry about is finding himself Warder to a Green Aes Sedai before his head clears." He laughed. "No, they would not do that. But I will wager you those two marks of mine in your hand that some of them wish they could." (The Dragon Reborn, Chapter 24.)

"Calm yourself," he said, gently undoing her grip on his coat. "Light! I didn't mean to frighten you so! They arrived safely. And would not say a word of where they had been, or why. Not to me. I suppose there's scant hope you will?" She thought she kept her face straight, but he took one look and said, "I thought not. This place has more secrets than...They've vanished again. And Nynaeve, too." Nynaeve was almost an offhand addition; she might be one of Min's friends, but she meant nothing to him. His voice began to roughen once more, growing tighter by the second. "Again without a word. Not a word! Supposedly they're on a farm somewhere as penance for running away, but I cannot find out where. The Amyrlin won't give me a straight answer." (The Shadow Rising, Chapter 1.)

"That has been my duty since the day she was born. My blood shed before hers; my life given before hers. I took that oath when I could barely see over the side of her cradle; Gareth Bryne had to explain to me what it meant. I won't break it now. Andor needs her more than it needs me." (The Shadow Rising, Chapter 1.)

"The Younglings serve the Tower," he replied stiffly, but his head swung uneasily. "We do as long as...Siuan Sanche...." For a moment, his eyes went icy cold. Just for an instand. "Egwene, my mother always used to say, 'Even a queen must obey the law she makes, or there is no law.'" He shook his head angrily. "I shouldn't be surprised to find you here. I should have know you would be where al'Thor is." (Lord of Chaos, Chapter 25.)

"I will give over everything, betray everything, for you. Come away with me, Egwene. We will both leave it all behind. I have a small estate south of Whitebridge, with a vineyard and a village, so far into the country that the sun rises two days late. The world will hardly touch us there. We can be married on the way. I don't know how much time we will have - al'Thor; Tarmon Gai'don - I do not know, but we will have it together." (The Shadow Rising, Chapter 25.)

"Al'Thor, one day I will see you die." (Lord of Chaos, Chapter 55.)