Andor (Wheel of Time)
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Andor is a country set in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series of fantasy fiction novels.
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[edit] Overview
A large and powerful nation in the middle of the Westlands. Andor's ruler is traditionally a Queen. After the death of the High King Artur Hawkwing, Ishara, the first Queen of Andor, persuaded her husband Souran Maravaile (one of Hawkwing's generals) to lift his siege of Tar Valon. Ishara believed in holding on to a relatively small section of Hawkwing's empire, instead of fighting for the whole. Morgase of House Trakand was the last Queen of Andor. Her current whereabouts are (to the Dragon Reborn and the Daughter-Heir Elayne, at least) unknown. The capital of Andor is Caemlyn.
Andor is the largest nation in the Westlands, and also one of the oldest. It was founded during the War of the Hundred Years. Many of Andor's traditions were established during these early years. Unlike many nobles of the time, Queen Ishara, Andor's first ruler, knew that no one ruler would be able to take control of Hawkwing's entire empire. Instead, she focused on controlling only what she could. As a result, Andor began only with the capital city of Caemlyn and the small surrounding villages. Cautious expansion marked the reigns of the early queens of Andor.
The oldest tradition of Andor is that only a queen may sit on the Lion Throne of Andor, and wear the Rose Crown. However it wasn't intended that a queen would always rule- it just so happened that the first two Queens of Andor's sons were killed and so their daughters became queens. After this it became tradition that a queen would rule. The eldest daughter is known as the Daughter-Heir, and is always sent to Tar Valon to study. The eldest brother of the Daughter-Heir is sworn to protect her with his life, and is prepared from an early age to take control of Andor's army.
Andor is a powerful nation, with a substantial army consisting primarily of the Queen's Guards. Through history, Andor has been under almost constant pressure from neighboring countries. Andor and Cairhien have been to war more times than any two countries except for Tear and Illian. Often-lawless Murandy, south of Andor, is the source of many border incursions which the Queen's Guards must fend off; conversely, the Andoran forces at the Murandian border have resulted in Andor having a strong hand in Murandian politics. The Children of the Light have always had a reason to dislike Andor, as the Daughter-Heir always studies in the White Tower.
Andor's strength comes from its wealth. Much of this is generated in the Mountains of Mist, far to the west of central Andor. Gold, silver, iron, and copper are extracted from the rich mines in these mountains. Most of this metal is refined in the smelters near the mines.
The strength which must be expended to retain the valuable mines in the Mountains of Mist means that other outlying regions of Andor have been virtually forgotten. A good example of this is the Two Rivers, where few even realize they are part of a larger kingdom. One well-known town in the far west of Andor is Whitebridge, so named for the large bridge which crosses the River Arinelle into the town.
Andor is thought by many to be based in part on England during the Middle Ages, and the author has confirmed that Andorans speak with a (modern) English accent.
[edit] Andor West of Whitebridge
[edit] Baerlon
Baerlon is the primary city of western Andor, though far smaller than huge Caemlyn in the east. Primarily a mining town, it serves as a resting point for merchants bringing metals from the mines in the Mountains of Mist or tabac and wool from the Two Rivers to the more populous eastern half of Andor. Baerlon is also the home of Min Farshaw, a major character of the Wheel of Time series.
[edit] The Two Rivers
The Two Rivers is a region of Andor south of Baerlon, located between the upper reaches of the River Manetherendrelle, or the White River as it is called in the Two Rivers, and the River Taren, a smaller tributary. It contains four villages, from north to south, Taren Ferry, Watch Hill, Emond's Field, and Deven Ride. To the west are the Sand Hills and the Mountains of Mist, and to the east lies the Waterwood, a dangerous swamp. These obstacles, along with the two rivers, the Taren only crossable at Taren Ferry and the White River impassable at any point, make the Two Rivers a highly isolated region of Andor. Andoran soldiers and tax collectors have not been seen in the Two Rivers for many generations.
After Rand al'Thor proclaimed himself the Dragon Reborn, however, the isolation of the Two Rivers ended. The collapse of the nations of Tarabon and Arad Doman, due mostly to his presence, brought huge numbers of refugees across the Mountains of Mist and into the Two Rivers, disturbing the local culture and quickly "modernizing" the agricultural backwater. Even worse, Padan Fain brought Whitecloaks and Trollocs to the region, attempting to draw al'Thor out. Instead, Perrin Aybara returned, and, in light of his defense and leadership, was unanimously (and unwillingly) elected Lord of the Two Rivers, the region's first noble in hundreds of years. Because his wife, Faile ni'Bashere t'Aybara, is second in line to the throne of Saldaea (currently held by her cousin, Queen Tenobia Kazadi), the Lord of the Two Rivers may soon rise from obscurity to political importance.
The Two Rivers is home to many of the major characters of the Wheel of Time series:
- Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn
- Matrim "Mat" Cauthon, General of the Band of the Red Hand
- Lord Perrin "Goldeneyes" t'Bashere Aybara of the Two Rivers
- Egwene al'Vere Sedai, Amyrlin of the Salidar Aes Sedai
- Nynaeve al'Meara Sedai, an Aes Sedai of the Yellow Ajah
The many, striking resemblances to The Shire (also an area located between two rivers) in The Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit (notably, famous tobacco from an obscure place) suggest that this is Jordan's nod to J.R.R. Tolkien.
[edit] Andor East of Whitebridge
[edit] Caemlyn
Caemlyn is the capital city of Andor, second in beauty only to Tar Valon. The city of Caemlyn is actually made up of two cities, the New City and the Inner City. The New City is less than two thousand years old, constructed exclusively by humans. The ancient Inner City, on the other hand, was constructed by Ogier. The entire city is encircled by a fifty-foot wall; the Inner City itself is also surrounded by a wall. Certainly the most impressive building in the Inner City is the Royal Palace, which serves as the seat of government for Andor.
In many ways Caemlyn is reminiscent of King Arthur's Camelot.
[edit] Black Tower
The Black Tower is a partially-walled fortress less than a day's walk from the city of Caemlyn. Established in the very recent past by Rand al'Thor, its purpose is to train men who can channel, as well, it seems, to house and nurture certain inventors, engineers, and scientists. With the removal of the taint on saidin by Rand al'Thor and Nynaeve al'Meara, the Black Tower may gain a more permanent existence.
[edit] Signs and symbols
Andor's sign is a white lion rampant on red. The Queen of Andor sits on the Lion Throne, and wears the Rose Crown.
[edit] See also
- Major Characters in the Wheel of Time series
- Minor Wheel of Time characters
- Events in the Wheel of Time series
- Concepts in the Wheel of Time series
- Places in the Wheel of Time series
