Janya Frende

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Author: Kyria d'Oreyn

General

Janya Frende is an Aes Sedai of the Brown Ajah and a Sitter for the Hall. After the Tower Split she joined the rebel Aes Sedai and was elected Sitter there again (LoC, Ch. 12).

She is a quite pretty, slender woman with short dark hair and despite her age not a hint of gray is showing in it (LoC, Prologue; LoC, Ch. 35). She is described as "bird-like" (LoC, Ch. 12).

She is the oldest Sitter after Romanda and Lelaine (LoC, Ch. 35).

Several facts suggest that she joined Salidar of her own volition. they are:

  • The Heads of Ajah only sent one Sitter each (TGS, Ch. 43).
  • Of the two replacement Sitters the Browns raised, one, Shevan was not too young and fell outside the pattern of sisters who could easily be pushed aside afterwards (CoT, Prologue).
  • She is the only Sitter from before Siuan's deposing who has not attached herself to either Lelaine or Romanda (ACoS, Ch. 11).
  • She was the only original sitter to stand for Egwene being raised Amyrlin on the first vote (LoC, Ch. 35).
  • She was the only original sitter to vote for declaring war on Elaida (TPoD, Ch. 19).
  • She was the only original sitter not to be involved in the discussions to end the siege (CoT, Ch. 30).

Timeline

  • She is one of the dozen sisters that crowd into the small room after Nynaeve Heals Logain (LoC, Ch. 30).
  • She wants to talk to Nynaeve about lost Talents (LoC, Ch. 39).
  • When Egwene says that a question of war cannot be shelved, Janya turns to Takima, who has read about the Law of War, and wants to know what it states. She then votes for the war against Elaida and encourages other Sitters to stand as well (TPoD, Ch. 19).
  • When Akarrin and her group report their discoveries at Shadar Logoth, she arrives late. At the question of who stands for an agreement with the Black Tower, she is the first to rise (CoT, Ch. 19).
  • When Merise Haindehl and Jahar Narishma lay Rand's proposal of bonding Asha'man before the Hall, Janya is the first to stand for it. After the Hall accepts, she asks Narishma how they came to the number of forty-seven Aes Sedai being allowed to bond Asha'man (KoD, Ch. 23).
  • She keeps her seat after the reunification. She and Saerin arrive late for the meeting Romanda calls but she does not stand for Egwene's proposal about how to run the war. She does stand for the proposal to give the Amyrlin and all Sitters time to attend any meeting of the Hall (ToM, Ch. 27).

Miscellaneous

  • She is overjoyed by the discoveries Elayne and Nynaeve have made (LoC, Prologue) and she wants to know how they are done. She even tries to make ter'angreal, but she cannot learn the technique. This disappoints her a great deal, because she always wants to know everything, how it is done and why it happens that way (CoT, Ch. 17).
  • She has no doubt that Elayne will be tested immediately when they get back into the Tower (LoC, Prologue).
  • Janya cares more about speed than neatness when her notes are copied (LoC, Ch. 12).
  • For her, tea is comforting, but honey in it ruins the flavor (LoC, Ch. 12).
  • When Egwene sees Morvrin and Takima talking together, she thinks Janya or Escaralde to be a more likely a choice than Takima if Morvrin is to seek out a Sitter for her Ajah (TPoD, Ch. 16).
  • To the meeting with the Murandians and Andorans, Egwene wears precious gifts from the Sitters. Janya has given her moonstones for her hair (TPoD, Ch. 17).
  • She does not bother to hide her curiosity behind a mask of serenity (CoT, Ch. 17).
  • She has accepted that Egwene wears the stole of the Amyrlin Seat now and deserves proper respect from everyone (CoT, Ch. 17).
  • Romanda thinks that Janya maybe has bad eyes, which would explain her squinting (KoD, Ch. 23).

Quotes

"Unlike most Brown sisters, often absentminded beyond their books and studies, Janya Sedai was quite neat, every short dark hair tidy around the ageless face that marked Aes Sedai who had worked long with the Power. But the slender woman's appearance did hint at her Ajah. Her dress was plain gray, and stout wool -- Browns seldom thought of clothes as more than decent covering -- and even when she was talking to you, she wore a little frown, as though squinting in thought about something else entirely. She would have been pretty without that frown." (Elayne; Lord of Chaos, Prologue)

"Anaiya touched her arm again; it seemed a set signal, because once more Janya stopped and blinked." (Elayne; Lord of Chaos, Prologue)

"'Nonsense, nonsense,' Janya exclaimed, waving a slender hand as if to brush away the very idea. 'Every girl who's been chosen can already make three balls of fire at once, and this requires very little more of the Power. There's no danger at all, so long as they're under a sister's supervision, and they always are. I've seen the roster. Besides, what we make in a day will bring enough to pay the army for a week or more, but the sisters alone can't produce near that much.'" (Janya to Tiana about novices making cuendillar; Crossroads of Twilight, Chapter 17)

"'Even a slim branch is better than no branch when you're drowning,' Janya said. 'I'd rather try than trust to hope until I go under.'" (Janya; CoT, Ch. 19).

"Excepting Janya, every Sitter who had held a chair before the Tower divided had insinuated herself into the negotiations." (Egwene; Crossroads of Twilight, Chapter 30)

"'If you disapprove of what we do,' Janya went on, as if she had a right to speak before Romanda. 'why do you bring us any sort of proposal?'
'Because the Dragon Reborn, he asked Cadsuane, and Cadsuane, she asked me,' Merise replied. The Dragon Reborn? The tension in the Hall was suddenly palpable, but the woman continued as if she were senseless to it. 'Properly, it is not my proposal. Jahar, speak to them.'"
(Janya and Merise in the Hall; Knife of Dreams, Chapter 23)