Sharina Melloy

Sharina Melloy
Biographical Information
Nationality	Murandian
Date of birth	933 NE
Current status	Alive
Physical description
Gender	Female
Hair	Gray, tied in bun
Chronological and political information
First mentioned	TGH 23
First appeared	COT 17
Last appeared	TGS 18
Affiliation	White Tower
Rank	Novice

Sharina Melloy is an elderly woman who joins the Aes Sedai in Salidar as a Novice. She is noticed as having even more potential with the One Power than Nynaeve al'Meara.

Strength and Abilities

Sharina is described with a potential strength superior even to the one of Nynaeve, in fact it is classified at the level 2(+11) - just one level below the maximum for women.

Sharina has a very good Talent in the new Healing methods introduced by Nynaeve among the Aes Sedai, and this was regretted by Romanda who was not so good with the new weaves. That skill made Romanda consider changing her position on keeping the older novices in the Tower.

Appearance

She is a dignified, gray-haired grandmother, with a tight bun on the back of her head. Her face is creased from age. She is about 5'5 tall, with broad hips.

File:Sharina.png

Sharina dressed as a novice

Sharina is much older than her fellow novices, and though she follows the rules of the White Tower to the letter and helps out many of her fellow novices, she is still rather intimidating, even to the young-looking Rebel Mistress of Novices Tiana Noselle.

A short time after joining the Rebel Aes Sedai as a Novice, her face begins to show less wrinkles than when she joined. This is in line with the fact that women who start channeling in their later years can obtain a younger appearance appropriate for the lengthened lifespan of channelers. (A channeler may live up to six to seven hundred years which would indicate Sharina may will obtain a thirty year-old look taking into consideration women stop aging around twenty-five.)

"History"

Sharina is mentioned during Nynaeve's testing as Accepted. In the third of the three arches, Lan Mandragoran comments that Nynaeve appears to be unwell and offers to send for Sharina Sedai, Lan's Aes Sedai Counselor. When Egwene later tells Nynaeve of the real Sharina's existence, Nynaeve reacts in shock as she recognizes the name. In the Companion, it is revealed that this was supposed to be the same Sharina.

In real life, Sharina had already had great-grandchildren before becoming a Novice. She had always thought of going to the White Tower, and wanted to see the world - particularly the Borderlands and Malkier, countries of which she had a romanticized opinion.

As a widow, she ruled her family with a strong hand. Her eldest was born in 958 NE, her youngest in 977 NE.

Because of her age, her strength and the forcefulness of her character, some Accepted and even Aes Sedai found themselves asking her to do things instead of telling her; others come down even more harshly on her especially because of her forceful personality and disturbingly direct looks.

Activities

Sharina joins the rebel Aes Sedai after the new Amyrlin is raised. Egwene al'Vere silently credits Sharina's impressive strength in the power with the Hall continuing to accept women of all ages into the novice books.

Sharina is mentioned again by Egwene in Tel'aran'rhiod. Egwene mentions how she would like for Nynaeve and Sharina to meet, surprising Nynaeve due to the recognition of the name.

Sharina and Tiana Noselle, Aes Sedai of the Gray Ajah, supervise the making of cuendillar. Sharina has a surprising, almost out-of-line amount of power and respect among the novices, considering that she herself is one, giving Tiana advice and ideas, and being treated almost as an equal by the Mistress of Novices.

She is the one who reorganizes the whole novice structure into tiny families, strengthening the mentality of the novices, enchancing group cohesiveness and lowering the rate of runaways. Although she proposed this to Tiana, she presented it as a done deal - already thought of and mapped out. Sharina was also the one who came up with the idea of using a gong to signal class times for the novices. She would become a great stabilizing influence among the novices.

She reports to Siuan Sanche about Lelaine Akashi reaching for more power now that Egwene al'Vere has been imprisoned by the White Tower. Sharina would greatly prefer Egwene remain in power, in part because Lelaine was opposed to the enrollment of older women as novices.