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Callandor the sa'angreal as depicted on the cover of the book Memory of Light.

Callandor the sa'angreal as depicted on the cover of the book Memory of Light.

Sa'angreal (pronounced: SAH-ahn-GREE-ahl; /ˌsɑː.ʔɑŋˈgɹiː.aɫ/) are objects similar to angreal in that they allow channelers to use more of the One Power safely than they could unaided, but sa'angreal were made to multiply exponentially the amount of the Power upon which the channeler may draw.

The amount of Power that could be wielded with the aid of a sa'angreal in comparison to the power with the aid of an angreal is analogous to what a channeler can wield unaided versus with the aid of an angreal.[1] Sa'angreal vary in strength and their strength can only multiply the strength of the channeler.[2]

By the Third Age they are much rarer than the already-rare angreal. In the Age of Legends they were not rare. Aes Sedai gave wagons of objects to Da'shain Aiel in Paaran Disen to take them to a safe place.

"Thousands of wagons in ten lines stretching nearly two leagues, wagons loaded with food and water barrels, wagons loaded with the crated things the Aes Sedai had given into Aiel charge, angreal and sa'angreal and ter'angreal, all the things that had to be kept from the hands of men going mad while they wielded the One Power"[3]

Lack of buffer[]

Angreal and sa'angreal supposed to be constructed with a buffer to protect the channeler from drawing too much of the One Power, thus burning out their ability to Channel. However, there are known objects which for some reason do not have this buffer.

One male sa'angreal in particular, Callandor, is known to lack this buffer; but the fact, that it is safe to use when two women are linked to the man and one of the women is guiding the flows indicates that it was meant to be for such use. [4] The greatest things in the Age of Legends were created by men and women working together.

Vora's sa'angreal is also known not to have this buffer, although its similar use of linked men and women is not known.

Angreal and Sa'angreal are either attuned to saidar or saidin[5]; no examples have been found that can be used by both.

Creation of sa'angreal[]

The knowledge of creating both angreal and sa'angreal got lost after the Age of Legends. Before the Last Battle Rand gives a Seed to Elaye as a gift and tells her how to create an angreal with it. It is possible that sa'angreal could be created with a somewhat similar method too.[6]

List of known sa'angreal[]

Female sa'angreal[]

Vora's sa'angreal used by Egwene Al'Vere.

Vora's sa'angreal used by Egwene Al'Vere.

Egwene used it again during the Last Battle both in Kandor's border and later in the Field of Merrilor. With that in her hand she defeated M'Hael and most of the Ayyad, but she overused it to the point of summoning too much power, beyond what is safe to summon. By the end of the Third Age it is buried under a mountain of crystals.

  • The Choedan Kal: A very large statue of a woman holding a crystal ball, half buried on the island of Tremalking. It is the most powerful sa'angreal ever made, along with its corresponding male counterpart. It is controlled with a ter'angreal called an access key, which is needed so that the channeler may survive the massive amount of the Power available by the Choedan Kal. The female Choedan Kal was destroyed in the cleansing of saidin.

Male sa'angreal[]

  • Callandor: a sword that appears to be made from glass, but can cut like any other. Sometimes called the "Sword That Cannot Be Touched" or the "Sword That Is Not a Sword." It is capable of magnifying the True Power in addition to the One Power. It has no buffer to make it safe to use for a man alone and it magnifies the taint too, including the wildness of the mind.[4]
  • The Choedan Kal: A very large statue of a man holding a crystal ball, half buried in a village of Tremonsien in Cairhien.
    The male part of Choedan Kal near the village Tremonsien in the Third Age.

    The male part of Choedan Kal near the village Tremonsien in the Third Age.

    It is the most powerful sa'angreal ever made, along with its female counterpart. It is controlled with a ter'angreal called an access key, which is needed so that the channeler may survive the massive amount of the Power available through the Choedan Kal. The male Choedan Kal was destroyed by Rand atop Dragonmount.

Unknown sa'angreal[]

In the Third Age the White Tower possesses a few sa'angreal but except Vora's sa'angreal none of them is described in more detail and it is assumed that Vora is possibly the most powerful they have.[2]

See also[]

External links[]

Etymology[]

The name sa'angreal may have been inspired by the nearly identical-sounding French phrase san greal, which means "holy grail". This apparent Arthurian reference is particularly significant when considering other names in the series that are based on Arthurian legend, such as Artur Paendrag (Arthur Pendragon), Egwene al'Vere (Guinevere), Gawyn (Gawain), and Galad (Galahad).

Notes








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