In the fictional world of Robert Jordan's fantasy series The Wheel of Time, Seanchan ( /ˈʃɑːntʃæn/[1]) is the name of a continent, the empire that occupies it, and the people that live in the empire. The capital is called Seandar (/ˈʃɑːndɑr/).[1]
The continent, empire and culture are described in The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time, Chapter 17.
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During the time of the Trolloc Wars, the people of Seanchan used Portal Stones to reach alternate worlds and return with such creatures as grolm, torm, lopar, corlm, raken, s'redit, and to'raken. Integrating these creatures into their armies, the people of Seanchan were able to drive back the Trollocs. The Blight in the north of Seanchan is slightly less dangerous and much smaller than (about two-fifths) the one on the "main continent," and thus thanks to the use of these introduced alien creatures in eradication measures, Trollocs and Myrddraal are unknown in Seanchan (though Draghkar and other shadowspawn still exist).
A thousand years later, after unifying the southwest corner of his own continent, Artur Hawkwing sent a vast fleet led by his son, Luthair Paendrag Mondwin, across the Aryth Ocean. Luthair's fleet never returned to the continent from which it came, and so it was presumed lost. In actuality, the fleet had successfully made it across the ocean and arrived in Seanchan. Furthermore, by playing the native nations against each other, Luthair and his descendants eventually subjugated and unified the continent into the Seanchan Empire, a process called the Consolidation. Luthair's heirs continue to rule the Empire.
Recently, the Seanchan Empire has engaged in a concerted effort to retake the continent from which the Empire's rulers' ancestors hailed. This campaign is known as the Corenne (/koʊˈriːnə/) in the Old Tongue or simply the Return. The Seanchan made their first attempt in The Great Hunt, when the Hailene ("forerunners" in the Old Tongue) seized the city of Falme and surrounding lands, but were driven back. Later, the Seanchan were successful in taking Tarabon. In A Crown of Swords, the Seanchan continued their advance, taking Amadicia and Altara. They were then halted in The Path of Daggers when the forces of Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, fought the Seanchan invasion of Illian to a standstill.
With the arrival of the main Seanchan fleet and Tuon, the Daughter of the Nine Moons, the Seanchan are poised to make further advances. Locked in an uneasy stalemate, Rand al'Thor sought to make a truce with the Seanchan in Crossroads of Twilight. In the next book in the series, Knife of Dreams, it is revealed by the Forsaken Semirhage that the Seanchan Imperial Court and Empress Radhannan back in Seanchan have been murdered, leaving the entire empire in chaos—as fighting breaks out for succession of the throne. The High Lady Suroth plots to take the throne for herself by having Tuon killed. However, thanks to Mat and the Band of the Red Hand, Tuon made her way back to Ebou Dar and exposed Suroth as a traitor, proclaiming her da'covale.
In the latest released book of the series, The Towers of Midnight, Aviendha using the ter'angreal columns in Rhuidean sees a dark glimpse of the future. Much like the ter'angreal that show the past through the eyes of your direct ancestor, the columns of Rhuidean show the future through the eyes of your descendants starting with the far future and working backwards towards the present. Over the course of two chapters, the utter destruction of the Aiel people is shown to Aviendha.
After Tarmon Gai'don, tensions remain between the Aiel and the Seanchan because Wise Ones were taken captive, and collared but are never released. Aiel customs allow for indentured servitude (gai'shain), but with a set release date a year and one day after being taken captive. The inability to convince the Seanchan to release them or come to a compromise leads to raids on the Seanchan and open hostility without an official declaration of war. It is revealed that Rand tasked the monarchs of the main continent to 'keep the peace' after the last battle as his price to fight the Dark One. However, the Aiel were excluded from being made to partake in this agreement.
Further glimpses of the future reveal to Aviendha that this catastrophe is the direct result of her granddaughter lying to the Queen of Andor and forcing the main continent into a war they were trying to avoid due to Rand's demand for peace. After they commit to war the Black Tower is overwhelmed and eventually the White Tower falls as well with all people able to channel collared with a'dam and made damane. It is stated that the Black Tower members are still trying to resist with an underground guerilla movement.
Shara, a kingdom to the far east, submitted to the Seanchan begins hunting the Aiel people as well. Having now lived for a few generations outside of the Three-Fold Land, the Aiel have forgotten how to survive in their deadly ancestral home. Eventually the Aiel people are hunted and destroyed, if not directly by the Seanchan then by the perils of the Aiel waste. We last see Aviendha pondering what she has seen and trying to think through a course of action to save her people and way of life.
Seanchan is a large continent, stretching from the northern ice cap nearly all the way to the southern cap (World, 146). Though much longer than the eastern (or "main") continent on which most of the action of The Wheel of Time takes place, it is narrower and is split by many fissures and fjords; consequently, its landmass is less than one and a half times that of the eastern continent. It is divided into two landmasses separated by a wide dividing channel, and is approximately four thousand leagues north-to-south and sixteen hundred east-to-west at the widest point.
The Great Blight and the Mountains of Dhoom separate the Seanchan continent from the northern ice caps, though it is unknown if the Seanchan know these areas by the names used in the Westlands. Although the Blight exists in Seanchan, there are no Shadowspawn living in it, as most Seanchan dismiss tales of Trollocs and Myrddraal as being nothing more than superstition.
Being a continent of such vast size, Seanchan has a great diversity of terrain and climate. There are many striking creatures on Seanchan not found elsewhere in the world, animals that seem to belong only in children's fairy tales. Because the Seanchan use many of these animals in war, the peoples of the eastern continent are now coming into contact with them through the Seanchan invasion.
In Chapter 18 of World, Jordan describes torm, corlm, lopar, grolm, raken and to'raken.
A torm is approximately the size of a horse, and looks like a cross between a cat and a lizard. It has bronze scales, six-clawed feet that can grip stones in a road, and three eyes. The Seanchan consider it the most intelligent of their creatures, being well above that of a very bright dog, and can come close to human levels in certain areas of problem solving, such as maze tests.
Torm bear live young, and nurse them. Most torm do not reach adulthood, however, as fights for dominance between torm typically result in the death of one of the animals. Training by animal handlers prevents these fights for dominance.
Finding a rider for a torm is no easy task. Torm will turn and attack rider after rider, until it accepts one for no apparent reason. Once a torm has accepted a rider, no other may mount that torm. It is very difficult to get a torm to accept another rider after its own has died.
Early morat’torm sought to use these intelligent animals as trackers. But each torm quickly made it clear that it hunted only what it wanted to, and nothing else. A torm is primarily carnivorous; it can survive on only plants for several days, but becomes increasingly difficult to control as it attempts to hunt for food.
A torm's primary function is that of conveyance for scouting, rather than in protracted combat. It is faster than a horse, with better endurance as well. However, if in battle for too long, a torm will suffer from fighting frenzy. It rarely will turn on its rider during one of these frenzies, but will strike at anyone else within reach. Regardless of the length of combat, a torm will immediately attack any corlm within reach. Because of these factors, the risk of losing a torm in combat is too high considering their rarity and value.
Corlm look somewhat like a large flightless bird, covered with hair instead of feathers. They have proven to be faster than a man in short sprints, and can equal a man over long distances.
The corlm are extremely efficient predators that use their beaks to kill. They are able to track prey over long distances, using both scent and hearing to lead them to their prey. As such, the corlm are unmatched as trackers.
The Seanchan always use corlm singly. They appear to be solitary animals in the wild, and do not tolerate each other well except when it is time to mate. Like the other Seanchan exotics, corlm have trouble reproducing; females lay only a single egg at a time, an egg which often does not hatch.
The short forepaws are seldom used, except in the building of nests and feeding. The corlm also use their tails for stability, flattening them out when running.
Weighing three hundred to five hundred pounds, grolm are the size of large bears, only with the gray green coloration and skin texture of very tough frogs. Like the torm, they have three eyes. They are predatory, violent, and known to eat their own dead.
When walking, grolm appear awkward, moving with a waddling motion. All traces of awkwardness vanish when they run. They make a sound that is surprisingly high-pitched, like a baying call to one another. They will make it upon seeing enemies.
Grolm are used in battle, though normally only against lightly armored opponents to break holes in an enemy line which will then be quickly exploited by human soldiers. They are very useful against cavalry, as horses often panic in their presence unless specifically trained to tolerate the grolm.
They are extremely difficult to kill, given that non-fatal wounds seldom incapacitate them, and they heal rapidly. With traditional weaponry (without channeling), grolm can only be killed by a strike to one of its small eyes. They have very good vision, a keen sense of smell, and are extremely territorial.
Lopar are the premier fighters of the Seanchan exotics. They are very large, weighing between fifteen hundred and two thousand pounds. Lopar have a tough, leathery hide, and the Seanchan further this protection by fitting them with a set of overlapping metal plates to protect the animals' spines and chests.
Lopar are able to sprint faster than a horse for short distances, but tire relatively quickly when forced to run for any length of time. Lopar are also intelligent, almost as intelligent as a torm. Like the other exotics, the mortality rate is high for the young. The lopar young are always born in pairs, though they seldom both survive.
In addition to fighting in battle, lopar are often used as guard animals. Members of the royal family use them to guard their children. Lopar used in this way become extremely loyal and often prove difficult to separate from those under their protection. When this happens, they often refuse to eat for some time afterwards.
Raken are the small, nimble flyers used as scouts by the Seanchan army. They are not very strong, only able to carry one or two people (usually women or small men, lightly armored), and are quite ungainly on the ground.
The to’raken are probably related to the raken, and look a great deal like their smaller relatives. To’raken are larger, though, and are brown in color. Like the raken, it is roughly equal to a horse in intelligence.
To’raken are unable to simply throw themselves into flight, instead requiring a running start. The to’raken are also not particularly agile fliers. Their value instead comes from their strength and endurance. They have been known to fly up to a thousand miles with only a single morat’to’raken in the saddle.
To’raken are typically used to carry valuable cargo or people who need to be transported quickly. With only a single morat aboard, a to’raken is able to carry an additional thousand pounds up to two hundred miles.
When injured, to’raken frequently refuse to fly farther than the safest landing area. But there is often a difference in opinion between the to’raken and the morat as to what constitutes a safe landing area.
Morat capable of handling a raken are able to handle a to'raken as well. However, Seanchan consider morat’raken superior to morat’to’raken. Ordering a morat’raken to fly a to’raken would cause the flier to lose a great deal of face (known to the Seanchan as 'lowering their eyes').
To'raken are often used as troop transports for a specialized division of soldiers known as The Fists of Heaven. The Fists of Heaven are considered some of the toughest and bravest soldiers in the Seanchan army. They are the lightest armored troops of the Ever Victorious Army and are often used to assault fortified enemy positions and as a quick response to threats. The Fists of Heaven can be compared to modern day paratroopers.
The Seanchan Empire is led by an Empress who has absolute power. She reigns from the Crystal Throne at the Court of the Nine Moons; the throne itself is a ter'angreal, inspiring awe and wonder of the person who sits on it. There has not been an Emperor in Seanchan for 900 years. According to the Seanchan version of the Prophecies of the Dragon, the Dragon Reborn must kneel to the Crystal Throne before Tarmon Gai'don. Below the Empress and those of her immediate family are the Blood, the noble class of the Empire. The elite guard around the throne is provided by the Deathwatch Guards, while the Seekers for Truth hunt Darkfriends and act as a secret police.
The power of the Seanchan Empire is based around the enslavement of damane (literally "Leashed Ones" in the Old Tongue), women who can channel the One Power, through the use of collars called a'dam (in actuality, a type of ter'angreal). The handlers of damane are called sul'dam, or "Leash Holders".
The nation of Seanchan is ruled by a rigid class structure. The lowest class of people are the da'covale, "those who are property." However, not all servants hold low rank in Seanchan society. The hereditary servants of the Imperial family hold higher rank than free men and women. So'jhin, literally "a height among lowness" in the Old Tongue, are the upper servants who may hold positions of power.
The highest tier of Seanchan society is held by those who are of the Blood. Initially, it was only the descendants of Luthair and his armies who were of the Blood, but over time others have been raised to the Blood. Being raised to the Blood, while exceptionally rare, is the greatest honor possible for one who was born a commoner.
At the center of Seanchan culture is the concept of honor or sei'taer, literally "straight eyes" or "level eyes" in the Old Tongue. This is similar to the Chinese mianzi and lian (see Face (social concept)).
Seanchan coins have the image of the Empress on one side and the Crystal Throne on the other.
Damane, "leashed ones," are controlled by using a ter'angreal called an a'dam, a silver collar and silver bracelet connected by a leash. The a'dam gives the sul'dam ("leash holder") the ability to direct the damane's channeling as well as deal reward or punishment. Damane are treated as animals and property, a weapon in the hands of their sul'dam, to be used and abused as the sul'dam sees fit; Seanchan are quite good at propaganda and psychological subversion, and those in their service tend to embrace their slavery. The Seanchan as a whole remain unaware that sul'dam are women who can channel but do not have the spark.
It has been argued that Seanchan's culture and people show many correspondences to the culture and people of Asia—especially China—as well as the Ottoman Empire. However, reason exists to complicate the idea that Seanchan are Asians masquerading as something else. It is true that Seanchan nobility adopt the shaven heads and long fingernails of traditional Qing mandarins and display a fascination with the Seanchan drink "Kaf", a beverage obviously modelled upon coffee. But they also clearly contain elements of other cultural histories.
For one thing, the Seanchan's most famous symbol (the box-shaped ship) was a well-noted Chinese description of Western European ships during the seventeenth century. In terms of geography, the Seanchan continent (two large masses linked by a thin tail in the middle) speaks more of the Americas than Asia. The Seanchan military forces are called the Ever Victorious Army, which was an appellation for the British and Chinese armed forces of Chinese Gordon. The vast system of slaves, especially their use as dancers and acrobats for entertainment, their transparent clothing or nakedness, their being chosen for their physical attributes and appeal, their use as attendants to the nobility, their use almost as decorative furniture, etc., resembles that of Ancient Egypt, perhaps with a seasoning of references the America's own dubious history with chattel slavery. Finally, Jordan himself mentioned that the Seanchan's slurring method of speech was supposed to sound like a "Texas drawl".
All of this points to the idea that Jordan presents the Seanchan as a more pan-cultural projection of an exterior lurking threat of incredible power, exotic characteristics, and clearly imperial ambitions.
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