Myrelle Berengari

Author: Estyrien al'Halien

General

Myrelle Berengari is Aes Sedai of the Green Ajah (TDR, Ch. 3), and has sided with the Salidar Aes Sedai (TFoH, Ch. 27). Not only is she one of the most influential of the Salidar sisters (LoC, Ch. 12), she is Captain-General of the Green Ajah for the rebels (LoC, Ch. 40). It is surprising that she is Head of the Green Ajah since she has only worn the shawl for less than fifteen years (LoC, Ch. 40). This is probably part of the pattern that Siuan is trying to uncover; why so many younger sisters are being given positions of authority.

Myrelle is Altaran and from Ebou Dar (ACoS, Ch. 12), and has the famous Ebou Dari temper (CoT, Ch. 19). She has a beautiful oval face (TFoH, Ch. 26), large dark eyes and hair (TFoH, Ch. 27), and the olive skin so typical of Altarans (ACoS, Ch. 11). When she appears in Tel'aran'rhiod, her clothes are in the Ebou Dari style (LoC, Ch. 7).

Timeline

• 975 NE: Myrelle is raised to the ring (NS, Ch. 3).
• Circa 985-6 NE: Myrelle is raised to the shawl (LoC, Ch. 40).
• 999 NE: Myrelle flees from the White Tower and becomes a leading sister of the Salidar Aes Sedai (TFoH, Ch. 27).
• 999 NE: Lan's bond is passed to Myrelle when Moiraine dies (TFoH, Ch. 53).
• 1000 NE: Myrelle pledges for Egwene to be raised to Amyrlin Seat (LoC, Ch. 35).
• 1000 NE: Myrelle swears fealty to Egwene to keep the passing of Lan's bond secret (ACoS, Ch. 12).
• 1000 NE: Myrelle goes with Egwene and Gareth Bryne to look at the lands around the White Tower (CoT, Ch. 16).
• 1000 NE: After Egwene's capture, she gathers with the other sisters sworn to Egwene (KoD, Ch. 1).
• 1000 NE: She is one of the women sent to the Black Tower. She still has not returned weeks later when Egwene is freed (TGS, Ch. 45).
• 1000 NE: Nynaeve travels to the Black Tower to receive her bond from Myrelle. Myrelle doesn't want to give it to her and tells her to come back tomorrow. Nynaeve talks her into transferring the bond though and she does.(ToM, Ch. 20)
• 1000 NE: She enters the Black Tower to find someone to bond (AMoL, Ch. 21).
• 1000 NE: She rejoins the Aes Sedai and fights with the Greens in the Last Battle (AMoL, Ch. 31).

Strengths and Talents

Myrelle is relatively strong in the One Power; she is the second strongest of the original leaders of the Salidar Aes Sedai. She is stronger than Morvrin, Beonin, Carlinya and Anaiya but weaker than Sheriam (LoC, Ch. 34). Although rank upon which Aes Sedai adhere usually depends on strength, Myrelle's position as Captain General means that she stands higher than stronger Green sisters (LoC, Ch. 40).

It can be assumed that Myrelle knows nearly all the ins and outs of bonding a Warder and what the bond entails (ACoS, Ch. 12). Myrelle is not very good at Healing (ACoS, Ch. 12), though her Talent is adequate enough for minor wounds (LoC, Ch. 52). Myrelle has been taught by Nynaeve and Elayne about Tel'aran'rhiod, though sometimes with very bad results (LoC, Ch. 7).

Relationships

Myrelle has three Warders: Croi Makin, Nuhel Dromand and Avar Hachami. Despite the law, there is a strong rumor that Myrelle has not only bonded the three of them, she has also married them. Two of her Warders, Avar and Nuhel, have previously been bonded to Aes Sedai who have died and Myrelle has managed to save both of them. No sister has been able to achieve this in over a century (ACoS, Ch. 12).

Myrelle is also bonded to another man, al'Lan Mandragoran. Before Moiraine died, she changed her bond with Lan so that when she died, it would be passed to Myrelle. Myrelle would keep him alive long enough to pass his bond onto someone more suitable (TGH, Ch. 22). However, the passing of a bond without a Warder's permission is frowned upon and Myrelle had to keep the bond a secret (LoC, Ch. 52). Myrelle learnt enough to determine that she should pass Lan's bond to Nynaeve, though she did not intend for this to happen until Nynaeve's block was broken. However, the choice was taken out of her hands when Egwene and Siuan discovered the passing of the bond. Egwene sent Lan to Ebou Dar to protect Nynaeve, though the bond between Myrelle and Lan remained (ACoS, Ch. 12).

Nynaeve does not like Myrelle because she holds Lan's bond. She intended to bond Lan after his bond with Moiraine was broken; it chafes her that Myrelle holds his bond. She is determined to gain control of the bond from Myrelle; she doesn't know that Myrelle was going to pass the bond at a time she thought suitable (ACoS, Ch. 31). In fact, Myrelle was the one who ordered for efforts to break Nynaeve's block to be doubled (LoC, Ch. 8), and she started to prepare Nynaeve for the bond, even though she did not know it (ACoS, Ch. 12).

Myrelle has sworn an oath of fealty to Egwene al'Vere, the Amyrlin Seat of the rebel Aes Sedai. This is in return for Egwene keeping Lan's bond a secret (ACoS, Ch. 12). Myrelle is not completely happy about this and is still uncomfortable around Egwene (TPoD, Ch. 16).

As a Green, there have been many mentions of Myrelle bonding someone. She has offered to bond Mat (LoC, Ch. 44), and it has been suggested that she should take Llyw's bond; he was previously bonded to Kairen who was killed (CoT, Ch. 30).

Myrelle and Moiraine were close enough to trust Myrelle with Lan's bond (ACoS, Ch. 12).

Miscellaneous

• Myrelle was a novice during the Aiel War, 976 NE, though raised to the ring later that year. She wanted to see the Aiel but since the war was raging Myrelle was not allowed out of the Tower (TFoH, Ch. 27). When she was allowed out of the Tower in 978 NE the Aiel had left Tar Valon (NS, Ch. 3).
• Myrelle played many pranks when she was in the Tower, nearly as many as Siuan and Moiraine (NS, Ch. 3). As a prank during her novice days, Myrelle put a fish in Saroiya Sedai's bath (TFoH, Ch. 26).
• Myrelle helped Siuan and Moiraine practice for the test to become Aes Sedai (NS, Ch. 3). She brought ointment to them after they 'practiced' with Elaida and Moiraine suspected that it was she who told Merean about it (NS, Ch. 8).
• Myrelle once found a novice who had been sent from the Tower posing as a sister from the Green Ajah. She came down very hard on the girl for it (LoC, Ch. 15).
• If Egwene had not been accepted as Amyrlin Seat, it is very likely that Myrelle would have been sent into exile as she stood for Egwene (LoC, Ch. 35).
• Myrelle asked Nisao, a sister of the Yellow Ajah, for help with Lan's bond. This was because Nisao studies illnesses of the mind and the effects of a broken bond could be classed as such (LoC, Ch. 52).
• Myrelle was being blackmailed by Nicola Treehill and Areina Nermasiv, presumably about the passing of Lan's bond. In return, Myrelle had to give Nicola extra lessons; at least until Egwene found out and halted them (ACoS, Ch. 12).
• Myrelle is good with horses, far better than even Gareth Bryne (ACoS, Ch. 12).
• Myrelle, Beonin and Anaiya are secretly sent to see the Andoran and Murandian nobles to seek a meeting between the army and the Aes Sedai (TPoD, Ch. 15).
• Myrelle doesn't believe that Egwene is a Dreamer. (CoT, Ch. 30)

Quotes

"The door also let in Myrelle Berengari, an Accepted from Altara who had earned the ring in the same year as they. Olive-skinned and beautiful, and almost as tall as Siuan, Myrelle was gregarious and also mercurial, with a boisterous sense of humour and a temper even worse than Moiraine's when she let it go." (Moiraine about Myrelle; New Spring, Chapter 3)

"Has Myrelle ever told you about the woman she caught claiming to be a Green in Chachin? A former novice who failed her test for Accepted? The fool girl probably wished she had been stilled before Myrelle was done" (Siuan to Elayne and Nynaeve about Myrelle; Lord of Chaos, Chapter 15)

"Myrelle was one of Sheriam's lot and apparently with a secret all her own. 'Moiraine asked, not just because she was my friend. I hate letting them die. I hate it! The bargain we make is hard on us, sometimes, but harder on them. You must understand. You must'" (Myrelle to Egwene about Lan's bond; A Crown of Swords, Chapter 12)

"Myrelle would, if she had to drag the woman to Tar Valon and back by the hair. For that matter she might drag her just for the principle of it" (Nynaeve about Myrelle releasing Lan's bond; A Crown of Swords, Chapter 31)

"As usual, Myrelle was anything but constrained. Mercurial and fiery described her best. She would not know patience if it bit her on the nose" (Egwene about Myrelle; Crossroads of Twilight, Chapter 19)

"Of course - they say she marries her Warders. All of them. Perhaps poor Llyw won't do for a husband" (Lelaine about Myrelle; (Crossroads of Twilight, Chapter 30)