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. The secrets involved in creating these items were believed to have been lost but during the current events in the series, at least one character, Elayne Trakand has rediscovered the ability to create facsimiles of some of these items.
As the names of almost all items are written in the Old Tongue, they are normally written in italicized lettering.
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Angreal are artifacts which enable its users to draw more of the One Power than they would normally be able to. Angreal also protect them (to some degree) from drawing enough Power to burn themselves out.
Sa'angreal are identical to angreal, except that they allow the user to draw more power than even an angreal can handle. At least one sa'angreal, usable only by men, is known to be missing the buffer that prevents the user from drawing more than the sa'angreal allows him to safely use. This is Callandor, the sword which is not a sword. The access keys—both ter'angreal – for the two most powerful sa'angreal ever created, the Choedan Kal, are in Rand al'Thor's possession. These allow him to tap into the vast power of the one buried in Cairhien designed for use by men and another designed for women which is buried on Tremalking (although the female Choedan Kal was destroyed cleansing saidin during the ninth book Winter's Heart. At the end of the 12th book the male access key is destroyed by Rand Al'Thor turning its power against the Choedan Kal).
Callandor appears to be simply a sword made of crystal, but is in fact a powerful sa'angreal that can increase the strength of a male channeler while he holds it (which is why it is sometimes referred to as "the Sword That Is Not a Sword"). Callandor was located in the Stone of Tear for thousands of years after the Breaking of the World, protected so that only the Dragon Reborn could remove it, an important sign of the Dragon's rebirth according to the Prophecies of the Dragon. Rand al'Thor uses it multiple times to perform great feats with the One Power in the novels once he draws it (therefore confirming even to himself that he is the fulfillment of prophecy, something he was unsure of.) However, he also leaves it in Tear when he leaves as a reminder to the Tairen people that he will be back.
The sword has since been removed from the Stone on Rand's orders by Jahar Narishma. The Prophecies state that he who draws it out must follow after, presumably indicating that Narishma will play an important role after Tarmon Gai'don.
Rand is told by Cadsuane Sedai that Callandor requires two women and one man to be able to use it properly, with one woman controlling the sword itself. If the sword is used by one man alone, it lacks the safety buffers that prevent him from burning himself out or killing himself, and the sword actually increases the Dark One's taint, causing temporary insanity. (Therein is a point of contention amongst readers, as to whether the sword increases the Taint or the man's susceptibility to the Taint; however, in the end, either interpretation has the same result.) Fortunately this risk may have been somewhat lessened by the Cleansing of Saidin. Alternately, since all other angreal have this buffer, and can be used together, a man could conceivably use a small angreal (e.g. Rand's long-lost fat man statuette) in addition to Callandor, and be at no risk.
Given his experiences with Aes Sedai, Rand initially rejects Cadsuane's advice. Later in the series, after his ascending Dragon Mount and discarding the Choeden Khal access key, Rand has said that Nynaeve would likely be one of the few women he could trust linking with. His second choice remains unclear, though it could be Alivia (who Min has said would "help him die"), Moiraine (who still has an important role to play in the Last Battle according to one of Min's viewings), Cadsuane herself, Elayne or Aviendha (both of whom he could trust due to his love for them and the bond they share), or perhaps Egwene (the current Amyrlin Seat, and one of his oldest friends, as well as his first love).
There is some confusion as to whether Callandor is a male-only sa'angreal or one that can be used by both sexes. Siuan Sanche tells Nynaeve that with Callandor in her hands, she could level an entire city with one blow, which was probably a metaphor. In addition, Lanfear expressed similar sentiments about the "Sword That is Not a Sword" in the Stone of Tear, but also states it would be useless for her.
The weapon is similar to the two swords of legendary King Arthur: Excalibur and "the sword in the stone", of Arthurian legend. Rand's taking of Callandor from the Heart of the Stone of Tear to declare himself is a typical 'Sword in the Stone' story; the connection becomes even more clear when he drives the sword into the stone floor of the Heart before leaving Tear for Rhuidean.
In the aftermath of the Cleansing of Saidin it is very clear that the sa'angreal was in Cadsuane's possession. From her point of view she states that the access key for the male Choedan Kal and Callandor were in her saddle bags.
As of The Gathering Storm, it becomes apparent that Rand must use Callandor at the Last Battle instead of the Choedan Kal.
In Towers of Midnight Min discovers that Callandor may lead to Rand's downfall at the Last Battle if used.
The Choedan Kal are the two most powerful sa'angreal ever made. They are huge statues, one of a woman and one of a man. They were built during the Age of Legends, as one of two possible answers to The War of Power. Linked together, a man and a woman channeling through these sa'angreal would be able to draw enough of the One Power to destroy the entire world, and some believed that only one of the statues would enable an individual to do so alone.[1]
The female statue is buried on the Sea Folk island of Tremalking,[2] and the male statue is buried near the village of Tremonsien in Cairhien.[3] The statue in Cairhien is partly uncovered, dug up by an excavation, while only the woman's hand holding an orb is visible on Tremalking. They are both hundreds of feet tall, making portability something of an issue; however, they were designed to function from a stationary position, with the wielder controlling them through ter'angreal "access keys", which themselves are miniaturized versions of the statues. These access keys allow the wielder to access the Choedan Kal from anywhere in the world. They provide a secondary safety function: each statue provides so much of the Power that anyone trying to channel through them directly would destroy themselves—and probably a large amount of the surrounding landscape—on the instant. Even the Forsaken consider any use of the Choedan Kal to be extremely dangerous, due to the unimaginable amounts of the One Power they are capable of handling. Thus, the access keys, through an unspecified process, allow the wielder to use the Choedan Kal safely.
The Choedan Kal were intended to build a secondary containment barrier around the Bore in the Dark One's prison. The competing answer, Lews Therin Telamon's Strike at Shayol Ghul, was eventually implemented when the facility making the access keys was lost to the Shadow (the Forsaken never found out what they had seized). Attempts to smuggle out the access keys were unsuccessful, and in the meantime the Light was pushed to the brink of defeat; Lews Therin, recognizing that he must end the war now or lose, led his fateful strike.
The Choedan Kal have appeared in the main series as follows:
In book 2, The Great Hunt, Rand first encounters the full-size male figure while en route to Cairhien; though he is barely in control of his channeling, he still senses the immense power of the Choedan Kal and attempts to channel through it. Lanfear, who was with him at the time in disguise, panics and berates Rand about his ignorance.
In book 4, The Shadow Rising, Rand discovers Asmodean was in Rhuidean attempting to find an access key he thought (correctly) was there. Rand battles Asmodean for control of the male access key and eventually overpowers him with the aid of an (unrelated) angreal. From this point on, Rand has two access keys, one for each gender; Lanfear later informs him that a man and woman using the Choedan Kal together could challenge the Dark One, and maybe even the Creator.
In book 5, The Fires of Heaven, Asmodean discreetly refers to the sa'angreal as the only chance Rand has of winning the Last Battle. Rand lies that he has destroyed the access keys. It is about this time that Rand begins to toy with the astounding idea of using both the sa'angreal to cleanse the taint on saidin. Originally, he had planned to use Callandor for the deed, but after Cadsuane informs him that Callandor is flawed in The Path of Daggers, he realizes the Choedan Kal are his last hope. It terrifies him.
Nynaeve and Rand link at the end of book nine, Winter's Heart, and tap the Choedan Kal through the keys; Rand is successful in cleansing the taint from saidin. In the attempt, the female key is destroyed, and the female Choedan Kal itself melts.[4] The male ter'angreal is currently still in Rand's possession, and the male Choedan Kal was undamaged by the cleansing. The statues glowed brightly during their use, and the people of the island of Tremalking saw the glowing female statue's orb as a herald to the end of the "Time of Illusion". In book 11, Knife of Dreams, the island's inhabitants are found to have committed mass suicide. This was done by slipping an extremely fast-acting poison into the drinks of the children, which the parents did willingly. When they ran out of this poison, the adults took a slower acting poison and few were alive when another Sea Folk ship comes from the large party of Windfinders and Mistresses of Ships in Tear. None were saved, and this was a crushing defeat to the rest of the Sea Folk who lived.
At the end of The Gathering Storm, Rand destroys the male Choedan Kal from the top of Dragonmount by turning the force of the male Choedan Kal against itself through his access key.[5]
It is unknown how many of the access key ter'angreal were made. A broken statue matching the description of a female access key was found in Tanchico.[6]
Ter'angreal are objects of the One Power that perform specific functions. Some ter'angreal do not require the One Power to be used for their activation, such as the spiral ring that Verin Mathwin gave to Egwene al'Vere (which she gave to Elayne Trakand and Nynaeve al'Meara), and the twisted red doorframes that lead into the realms of the Aelfinn and Eelfinn (Snakes and Foxes).
The a'dam is a ter'angreal consisting of a necklace and one or more bracelets. The a'dam allows the wearer of the bracelet to control the wearer of the necklace. It can be used only by a woman who can channel or has the ability to learn to channel, and will only control those also with the ability. When first encountered in the series, the bracelets are connected to the necklace by a cord. In later novels, an a'dam is made that does not require a cord or physical connector. Any woman wearing the bracelet part of the a'dam feels whatever emotion the woman wearing the necklace feels. The primary users of the a'dam are the Seanchan, who use women who can channel as weapons.
A'dams can be used to inflict tremendous physical agony on the victim which, along with the fact that the user cannot channel without permission from the sul'dam, are the primary means of control. Indeed, a female channeler wearing the a'dam cannot attempt to move the bracelet from its position, touch the collar, or even think of harming their sul'dam without immense agony and nausea. Eventually, the torture and abuse wears down the resistance of the woman wearing it and they begin to accept their situation; this can be rectified, but only after a considerable period. Most women from the Seanchan lands consider their collaring a good thing, believing they are monsters who must be chained. Humorously, the sul'dam are not aware of their own ability to channel, later revelations of this fact utterly terrify them and, indeed, any Seanchan who discovers it.
There seems to be some inconsistency within the books as to how saidar is chanelled and manipulated by the sul'dam/damane pair. When Egwene was collared, she had to be told by her sul'dam to possess the power and to blow up the ground, which she did on threat of torture. However, when Tuon collars Teslyn and Joline, the power is instantly accessed and woven to block the doors and to shield Edesena without a word be spoken nor any threats. This is possibly due to the difference in ability of the sul'dam in question.
A male channeler may not wear the bracelet of an a'dam without killing both himself and the woman the necklace is attached to. There is a different type of ter'angreal that acts as an a'dam for male channelers. It appears as a set of black bracelets, and permits one or two female channelers to control a male channeler. This, due to the nature of linking, does not work on a long-term basis, and will expose the controlling women to the taint on saidin.
The Bowl of the Winds is a very powerful ter'angreal that allows its users to control the weather. It draws both saidin and saidar even when used by women alone.
The Bowl's existence was found by Nynaeve al'Meara and Elayne Trakand in Tel'aran'rhiod during a drought and heat wave believed to be caused by the Dark One's touch upon the world. They tell the Salidar Aes Sedai's ruling group, the Little Tower, about it, and are easily dismissed. After telling the new Amyrlin Egwene al'Vere about it, she convinces the Sitters to send them to locate it in Ebou Dar, sending Mat Cauthon along to help.
In Ebou Dar, Nynaeve and Elayne meet and stay with Queen Tylin, making the Royal Palace their base of operations. After about 16 days of having no luck of finding the Bowl, they report back to Egwene via dreams, who tells them to stay and keep searching. Nynave, Elayne, and Birgitte Silverbow, Elayne's Warder, head to the Atha'an Miere to ask for help. They tell them that the ter'angreal is called the Bowl of the Winds, that it has been missing for centuries and even they have no idea where to find it. All of this leads to the newly raised Aes Sedai doing something they don't really want to do: ask Mat to help locate it since he is ta'veren. He agrees to help them.
During their search, Elayne and Nynaeve stumble across an organization called the Kin and taken to their base of operations. It is there that they are reprimanded by Reanne Corly for playing at being Aes Sedai and are thrown out, even as they are asking about the Bowl. This incident makes them focus their attention more on the Kin, and having Mat do the same pays off big time when Mat follows Solain, one of the Kin, to a six-story building that houses many angreal and ter'angreal the Kin have collected from runaways and such over the years. When confronted by Nynaeve, Elayne and the other Aes Sedai who accompanied them, the Kin agree to show them where the Bowl is being kept.
While at the six story building, in the Rahad section of Ebou Dar, they retrieve the Bowl of the Winds (plus all the other ter'angreal that are there). But a trap has been laid by Sammael and Moghedien and they are attacked by a gholam, the Black Ajah and their henchmen. The forces of evil lose, but not without inflicting some loses; some of the Kin and Mat's friend Nalesean died. All are agreed that the Bowl must be used somewhere safe and the Kin recommend the Farm. Mat gets the Sea Folk to travel with the others to the Farm to help use the Bowl, since they are the only ones who know how.
The odd group of Women use Traveling to reach "the Farm", a hiding place for many of the Kin while they are not in Ebou Dar. All is chaos when the Aes Sedai show up, and the Kin think they are there to punish them. Alise Tenjile, who runs the Farm, manages to get order restored and they proceed to use the Bowl. A group of thirteen women who can channel — the largest possible without a man — is needed, and it is headed by Caire din Gelyn, who knows the most about the ter'angreal. When activated, the Bowl draws on both saidar and saidin, which surprises almost everyone, and can be felt all the world over by anyone who can channel. Almost immediately after its use, the Sea Folk try to take the Bowl, claiming it is part of the Bargain. The Aes Sedai hold steadfast to it though, and say that it will be the Sea Folk's when they can actually see that the weather has changed.
A couple days later it is snowing, and the Bowl is handed over.
A Cour'souvra is a ter'angreal used to control a person who can channel. It is constructed of crystal and wire and is sometimes called a "mindtrap." When a channeler is mindtrapped, their soul is linked with the Cour'souvra. A channeler can only be mindtrapped in Shayol Ghul due to the malleability of reality there. To create the Cour'souvra, a channeler is given a small cut with a knife in order to collect blood, and has their tongue scraped with the same knife to collect saliva. The blood and saliva are then scraped into the empty Cour'souvra, and it is thrown into the Pit of Doom. The mindtrapped channeler can sense the holder of their Cour'souvra, and when it is being used. Crushing the wire cage of the Cour'souvra isolates the mindtrapped person's soul inside the gem, destroying their free will and leaving their body a mindless automaton; this threat gives the holder of the Cour'souvra effectively complete control over the victim.
Currently Cyndane and Moghedien are mindtrapped by Moridin.