Far Dareis Mai

From A Wheel of Time Wiki

Far Dareis Mai, the Maidens of the Spear, are an Aiel warrior society that only accepts women, as opposed to the other male societies.

[edit] History

Morin became the first Maiden when she gave up the Way of the Leaf to help rescue her daughter Kirin.

[edit] Customs

Maidens are not permitted to marry, but may give up the spear to do so. They still have children, though, which at birth are immediately given to the care of the Wise Ones. Occasionally male lovers, who cannot persuade their Maiden to give up the spear, arrange for themselves to be taken as gai'shain - of course the Maiden would not look at a man in white, and the first thing she will do is teach him to sing for her sister Maidens.

Maidens have their own 'handtalk' or sign language which consists of finger spelling as well as complete words and phrases. It is known only to other Maidens, though Faile was taught some by Bain and Chiad.

[edit] Current events

Maidens accompany Rand as his honor guard. When he first comes to the Waste he tells the Maidens that they "carry his honor", a task they take very seriously. Though he has no society or sept, he was born of a Maiden and is regarded by them as "the first son of a Maiden to come back to us." They will not allow his honor to be represented by any other group, and feel gravely slighted when left behind by Rand - they cannot comprehend his reluctance to commit them to battle (due to his aversion to any harm coming to women).

The Maidens have a variety of attitudes toward Rand. Like other Aiel, the Maidens definitely do not take his commands as law; but they, more than most, readily disobey his commands that they consider "foolish". They listen to Rand's instructions in battle, but they find it unacceptable when he leaves them out of the battle - and they are willing to show their anger at his treating of them as somehow less than the other male, societies. At one point he gets severely beaten while in his private chamber with Min. Many of the Far Dareis Mai treat him as a brother or a son - irrespective of their relative age. Maidens twice his age may joke with him like a brother, and Maidens younger than him may just as easily pester after him to make sure he's not too cold at night.