Waygate
Encyclopedia
The Ways are an alternate dimension
in Robert Jordan
's fictional Wheel of Time
series. The Ways are accessed through Waygates, introduced in the first book in the series, The Eye of the World
. A Waygate is a doorway carved out of stone; when the correct leaf (a leaf from Avendesora, the Tree of Life) in the intricate carving of a Chora tree is removed, it opens up, allowing access to the Ways. This alternate dimension leads to other Waygates, which makes travelling through this dimension useful since distances are shorter in the Ways. Thus, traveling a few miles in the dimension of the Ways and exiting into the real word will put the user hundreds of miles from one's starting point. In the contemporary era of the Wheel of Time series, Waygates and the Ways are distinctly less useful as they have (since their creation) become corrupted, and are positively dangerous. Machin Shin roams the ways, causing all to fear traveling the Ways. Thus, while the characters are sometimes forced to use them, it is at the peril of their lives.
steddings block access to the One Power
; and during the Breaking of the World (the Age of Legends was ended in a terrible war between the Dark One and the human race; Lews Therin Telamon
and his One Hundred Companions sealed the Dark One's bore into the world, but the Dark One reached through the seal and corrupted the male half of the One Power, resulting in a taint which slowly drove the male Aes Sedai insane; in their death throes, they lost all control of their powers, causing an apocalyptic disaster which destroyed their civilization), male Aes Sedai
took shelter in Ogier steddings. This allowed them to not go insane due to the taint on saidin
. However, most channelers could not long stand being unable to touch the One Power, so they eventually left to see if the taint was gone; unfortunately, it never was.
One group of male Aes Sedai studied Portal Stone worlds and created the Ways as a gift to the Ogier. Grown from the One Power
in a world outside of reality, it connected all the Ogier steddings and was always safe to travel, unaffected by the destruction of the land; Ogier would not have to hazard the dangerous outside world or spend much time traveling. Once the last of the male Aes Sedai left the steddings, they gave the Ogier the Talisman of Growing, which allows the Ogier to create new Waygates and thus expand the Ways. As new steddings were rediscovered after the Breaking of the World, new Waygates were created and connected to the steddings.
leaves on it, one on the outside and one on the inside. This makes it possible to lock Waygates by putting both leaves on one side. When one moves the Avendesora leaf, the Waygate turns to living plants and two doors swing open to reveal a smoky mirror-like barrier. The Ogier planted many of these Great Trees in groves across the world to comfort the Ogier stonemasons. Most of these groves have since disappeared, but almost nothing can destroy a Waygate.
that responds to Ogier treesinging. They sing the "flower" of the Waygate, the only part that exists in this world. They can only branch off an existing pathway and cannot create Ways or Waygates from two separate points.
and are called Guidings. The Ways used to be well lit, with trees on the islands for food, and it was always daytime. There was grass on every pathway and all the paths were beautiful in the manner that Ogier loved. The Ways also has had traps laid in it for Shadowspawn
, although their effectiveness is questionable.
- is a force that hunts the Ways for anything that is alive. Many travellers feel a breeze on them, but there is no wind in the Ways. Such people almost always die, and those that don't, go mad, and often go into terror at the mere sound of wind blowing. Machin Shin is easily identified by the screaming of souls from those who were caught by it. It doesn't seem to think or be sapient in any meaningful way. Machin Shin absorbs souls, and even Aes Sedai who use Delving are unable to feel anything inside a person taken by it.
How Machin Shin came about is unknown, but at sometime between the Breaking and current day, the Ways began to grow dark, and people started to disappear. Whether Machin Shin is some mutated shadowfiend, or a product of the taint on Saidin that was used to grow the Ways is unknown, but it has made travelling very dangerous.
The only person to survive direct contact with Machin Shin is Padan Fain
. He was so twisted with evil that Machin Shin itself fled from him.
From the information gathered in the Wheel of Time series, it appears that Machin Shin was formed by the Dark One's taint, which corrupted the Saidin-formed Ways, but changed and is now a separate evil.
In The Eye of the World
Moiraine Damodred
says that whoever passes into the Ways is never seen again, or else comes out the other side mad. Machin Shin is encountered again later in the series when it tries to escape via the Waygate outside an Ogier
stedding. The only time Machin Shin has retreated from a living being and not have killed it was when Padan Fain followed Rand al'Thor, Perrin Aybarra and Matrim "Mat" Cauthon into the Ways on their way to Shienar.
cannot use a Waygate due to Fain's hatred for him imprinting on the Black Wind: every time he attempts to even open a Waygate, Machin Shin waits for him. It even once tried to force itself out of the Ways to absorb Rand in Cairhien
.
No human or Ogier is allowed to use the Ways anymore as they are far too dangerous to be used, except in the most dire and desperate circumstances; in the later novels, they have largely been superseded by the vastly safer and quicker method of Traveling. It seems that some Waygates have been absorbed by the Great Blight and that they are used to move massive amounts of troops very quickly around the world.
By Knife of Dreams
, Rand has convinced Elder Haman, an Ogier, to begin a campaign to find and permanently close the Waygates.
Parallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
in Robert Jordan
Robert Jordan
Robert Jordan was the pen name of James Oliver Rigney, Jr. , under which he was best known as the author of the bestselling The Wheel of Time fantasy series. He also wrote under the pseudonyms Reagan O'Neal and Jackson O'Reilly.-Biography:Jordan was born in Charleston, South Carolina...
's fictional Wheel of Time
The Wheel of Time
The Wheel of Time is a series of epic fantasy novels written by American author James Oliver Rigney, Jr., under the pen name Robert Jordan. Originally planned as a six-book series, the length was increased by increments; at the time of Rigney's death, he expected it to be 12, but it will actually...
series. The Ways are accessed through Waygates, introduced in the first book in the series, The Eye of the World
The Eye of the World
The Eye of the World is the first book of The Wheel of Time fantasy series written by American author Robert Jordan. It was published by Tor Books and released on January 15, 1990. The unabridged audio book is read by Michael Kramer and Kate Reading...
. A Waygate is a doorway carved out of stone; when the correct leaf (a leaf from Avendesora, the Tree of Life) in the intricate carving of a Chora tree is removed, it opens up, allowing access to the Ways. This alternate dimension leads to other Waygates, which makes travelling through this dimension useful since distances are shorter in the Ways. Thus, traveling a few miles in the dimension of the Ways and exiting into the real word will put the user hundreds of miles from one's starting point. In the contemporary era of the Wheel of Time series, Waygates and the Ways are distinctly less useful as they have (since their creation) become corrupted, and are positively dangerous. Machin Shin roams the ways, causing all to fear traveling the Ways. Thus, while the characters are sometimes forced to use them, it is at the peril of their lives.
Origins
OgierOgier (Wheel of Time)
The Ogier are a race of non-human creatures who have an intense love of knowledge. They are also great architects and stonemasons, responsible for many of the most impressive structures and cities of the world. Ogier stonework is known for its organic nature, often appearing to have been grown...
steddings block access to the One Power
One Power
In The Wheel of Time fantasy series by Robert Jordan, the One Power is the force that maintains the continuous motion of the Wheel of Time. It comes from the True Source, and it is separated into two halves: saidin , the male half, and saidar , the female half. It is used in the series by people...
; and during the Breaking of the World (the Age of Legends was ended in a terrible war between the Dark One and the human race; Lews Therin Telamon
Lews Therin Telamon
Lews Therin Telamon is a fictional character in Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time fantasy series. He was the Dragon of the Age of Legends. He is the most powerful, most hated, and most feared man in history, for his part in the Breaking of the World and killing his loved ones, earning him the...
and his One Hundred Companions sealed the Dark One's bore into the world, but the Dark One reached through the seal and corrupted the male half of the One Power, resulting in a taint which slowly drove the male Aes Sedai insane; in their death throes, they lost all control of their powers, causing an apocalyptic disaster which destroyed their civilization), male Aes Sedai
Aes Sedai
The Aes Sedai are a special society in the fictional universe of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time book series. Aes Sedai means "Servant to All" in the Old Tongue. They are the wielders of the One Power...
took shelter in Ogier steddings. This allowed them to not go insane due to the taint on saidin
One Power
In The Wheel of Time fantasy series by Robert Jordan, the One Power is the force that maintains the continuous motion of the Wheel of Time. It comes from the True Source, and it is separated into two halves: saidin , the male half, and saidar , the female half. It is used in the series by people...
. However, most channelers could not long stand being unable to touch the One Power, so they eventually left to see if the taint was gone; unfortunately, it never was.
One group of male Aes Sedai studied Portal Stone worlds and created the Ways as a gift to the Ogier. Grown from the One Power
One Power
In The Wheel of Time fantasy series by Robert Jordan, the One Power is the force that maintains the continuous motion of the Wheel of Time. It comes from the True Source, and it is separated into two halves: saidin , the male half, and saidar , the female half. It is used in the series by people...
in a world outside of reality, it connected all the Ogier steddings and was always safe to travel, unaffected by the destruction of the land; Ogier would not have to hazard the dangerous outside world or spend much time traveling. Once the last of the male Aes Sedai left the steddings, they gave the Ogier the Talisman of Growing, which allows the Ogier to create new Waygates and thus expand the Ways. As new steddings were rediscovered after the Breaking of the World, new Waygates were created and connected to the steddings.
Waygates
A Waygate is always located near an Ogier stedding because the Ogier possess the Talisman, and just outside because the True Source is not accessible inside, and the One Power is required to create a Waygate. Each Waygate has two AvendesoraAvendesora
Avendesora, or The Tree Of Life, is a recurring object in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series.Avendesora is the last cutting remaining from the chora trees that lined the streets of Paaren Disen, in the Age of Legends. Chora trees are distinguished by their tri-foil leaves and the feeling of...
leaves on it, one on the outside and one on the inside. This makes it possible to lock Waygates by putting both leaves on one side. When one moves the Avendesora leaf, the Waygate turns to living plants and two doors swing open to reveal a smoky mirror-like barrier. The Ogier planted many of these Great Trees in groves across the world to comfort the Ogier stonemasons. Most of these groves have since disappeared, but almost nothing can destroy a Waygate.
The Talisman of Growing
This is a ter'angrealItems of the One Power
In the fictional world of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time series, several items of the One Power are known to exist. These are items that were created during the time of the Age of Legends and vary in use, function, ability, and power...
that responds to Ogier treesinging. They sing the "flower" of the Waygate, the only part that exists in this world. They can only branch off an existing pathway and cannot create Ways or Waygates from two separate points.
Inside the Ways
The Ways are actually alive, although no one understands or remembers how. They are grown of the One Power and do not have our rules of space and time. The pathways of the Ways are suspended platforms, bridges and islands, some go right over top of each other seemingly with no support. You may walk for a day and emerge from a Waygate that is 400 miles from the Waygate you started from, all depending on the paths you take. Paths are marked with large slabs of stone labeled with Ogier ScriptOgier (Wheel of Time)
The Ogier are a race of non-human creatures who have an intense love of knowledge. They are also great architects and stonemasons, responsible for many of the most impressive structures and cities of the world. Ogier stonework is known for its organic nature, often appearing to have been grown...
and are called Guidings. The Ways used to be well lit, with trees on the islands for food, and it was always daytime. There was grass on every pathway and all the paths were beautiful in the manner that Ogier loved. The Ways also has had traps laid in it for Shadowspawn
Shadowspawn
In the world of the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan, Shadowspawn include a number of species, with varying levels of sentience, that have been created by the Dark One or other agents of the Shadow.-Trollocs:...
, although their effectiveness is questionable.
The Corruption of the Ways
Almost 2000 years had passed in which the Ways were an excellent means of transportation for the Ogier. But during the War of the Hundred Years the Ways began to grow dim. Once the bridges began to grow dark, people started to not come out, and some that did return came back mad, raving and screaming about Machin Shin, the Black Wind. The stone of the pathways is now pitted and rotting, and some of the Ways have collapsed completely. It is theorised that because the Ways were made with tainted saidin that the Ways were corrupted by it; some think it may be natural to the Ways although still evil. After all, no one knows how deep and long they run (except presumably the Aes Sedai who made them).Machin Shin
Machin Shin - which means black wind in the Old TongueOld Tongue
The Old Tongue is a fictional language from Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time fantasy series. It is depicted as a now-dead language, spoken only by scholars and certain nobles, but still plays a role in the plot of the books.-History:...
- is a force that hunts the Ways for anything that is alive. Many travellers feel a breeze on them, but there is no wind in the Ways. Such people almost always die, and those that don't, go mad, and often go into terror at the mere sound of wind blowing. Machin Shin is easily identified by the screaming of souls from those who were caught by it. It doesn't seem to think or be sapient in any meaningful way. Machin Shin absorbs souls, and even Aes Sedai who use Delving are unable to feel anything inside a person taken by it.
How Machin Shin came about is unknown, but at sometime between the Breaking and current day, the Ways began to grow dark, and people started to disappear. Whether Machin Shin is some mutated shadowfiend, or a product of the taint on Saidin that was used to grow the Ways is unknown, but it has made travelling very dangerous.
The only person to survive direct contact with Machin Shin is Padan Fain
Padan Fain
Padan Fain is one of the primary antagonists of The Wheel of Time fantasy series by Robert Jordan.-Peddler and Darkfriend:Padan Fain was a peddler, who became a Darkfriend in his twenties, for the promise of immortality...
. He was so twisted with evil that Machin Shin itself fled from him.
From the information gathered in the Wheel of Time series, it appears that Machin Shin was formed by the Dark One's taint, which corrupted the Saidin-formed Ways, but changed and is now a separate evil.
In The Eye of the World
The Eye of the World
The Eye of the World is the first book of The Wheel of Time fantasy series written by American author Robert Jordan. It was published by Tor Books and released on January 15, 1990. The unabridged audio book is read by Michael Kramer and Kate Reading...
Moiraine Damodred
Moiraine Damodred
Moiraine Damodred is one of the main characters of the Wheel of Time fantasy series by Robert Jordan. She is an Aes Sedai of the Blue Ajah and is the niece of King Laman Damodred of Cairhien.-Description:...
says that whoever passes into the Ways is never seen again, or else comes out the other side mad. Machin Shin is encountered again later in the series when it tries to escape via the Waygate outside an Ogier
Ogier (Wheel of Time)
The Ogier are a race of non-human creatures who have an intense love of knowledge. They are also great architects and stonemasons, responsible for many of the most impressive structures and cities of the world. Ogier stonework is known for its organic nature, often appearing to have been grown...
stedding. The only time Machin Shin has retreated from a living being and not have killed it was when Padan Fain followed Rand al'Thor, Perrin Aybarra and Matrim "Mat" Cauthon into the Ways on their way to Shienar.
Use of the Ways Now
Rand al'ThorRand al'Thor
Rand al'Thor, also known as the Dragon Reborn, is the fictional main character and protagonist of The Wheel of Time, a series of fantasy novels by Robert Jordan.Rand al'Thor has many other titles within the series:...
cannot use a Waygate due to Fain's hatred for him imprinting on the Black Wind: every time he attempts to even open a Waygate, Machin Shin waits for him. It even once tried to force itself out of the Ways to absorb Rand in Cairhien
Cairhien
Cairhien is a country set in Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time series of fantasy fiction novels. Cairhien is located in the east central part of The Westlands, on the east it borders with the Spine of the World. The sign of Cairhien is a golden sun rising on a field of deep blue...
.
No human or Ogier is allowed to use the Ways anymore as they are far too dangerous to be used, except in the most dire and desperate circumstances; in the later novels, they have largely been superseded by the vastly safer and quicker method of Traveling. It seems that some Waygates have been absorbed by the Great Blight and that they are used to move massive amounts of troops very quickly around the world.
By Knife of Dreams
Knife of Dreams
Knife of Dreams is the 11th novel in the fantasy series The Wheel of Time by American author Robert Jordan. It was published by Tor Books in the U.S. and Orbit in the UK and released on October 11, 2005...
, Rand has convinced Elder Haman, an Ogier, to begin a campaign to find and permanently close the Waygates.
External links
- Article on the Waygates from the A Wheel of Time wikiWikiA wiki is a website that allows the creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor. Wikis are typically powered by wiki software and are often used collaboratively by multiple users. Examples include...
; this article is primarily derived from their article