Ajah
From A Wheel of Time Wiki
“Browns seek knowledge, Blues meddle in causes, and Whites consider the questions of truth with implacable logic. We all do some of it all, of course. But to be a Green means to stand ready. In the Trolloc Wars, we were often called the Battle Ajah. ”
— Alanna Mosvani of the Green Ajah
[edit] The Early Tower
In the Age of Legends, ajah meant a temporary group of people banded together for a specific purpose. During the founding of the present White Tower, there were more ajah than exist now. The first Amyrlin, Elisane Tishar, was the head of one of twelve groups of women who represented a particular viewpoint or purpose at that time. Sometime between AB 48 and AB 98, the number of Ajahs decreased from this twelve to the current seven, though it is not known if these seven had any purpose that was close to the purposes of the current seven Ajahs, nor what the purposes of the lost Ajahs were.
These ajah and the early Tower were particularly competitive and vicious. Mesaana notes that the machinations of the current Ajahs almost matched the ajah at times and it is stated in The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time that the assassination of the early Amyrlins was not unusual.
[edit] The Modern Ajah
Presently the Aes Sedai divide themselves into seven Ajahs. Each of these sub-societies has representation on the administrative councils of , its own ideology and purpose for its members, own ruling head or heads, and its own spy network. They also have secret weaves that are only taught to initiates, and own traditions governing things ranging from conduct in everyday life to what one might wear inside the White Tower.
Each Ajah is dedicated particular tasks, though they all do some of everything. They are (from largest to smallest):
| Ajah | Focus | Head | Relative Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red | Gentling male channelers | Highest | Largest |
| Green | Battling the Shadow | Captain-General | 2nd Largest |
| Gray | Diplomacy and mediation | Head Clerk | 3rd Largest |
| Brown | Gathering and preserving knowledge | First Chair | 4th Largest |
| Yellow | Healing | First Weaver | 5th Largest |
| Blue | Causes and justice | First Selector | 6th Largest |
| White | Logic and philosophy | First Reasoner | Smallest |
Every Accepted requests acceptance into an Ajah when she becomes Aes Sedai. No woman is ever refused entry into the Ajah of her choice. The Amyrlin Seat is the only Aes Sedai who does not belong to a particular Ajah -- formally she is of all ajahs, and none. The Ajah she was raised from is often significant, however, since that Ajah often enjoys the prestige of having a sister of their Ajah as Amyrlin and key roles such as Keeper of the Chronicles and Mistress of Novices are commonly given to women from the Amyrlin's former Ajah.
The existence of an eighth "Black Ajah" whose members are Darkfriends has been vehemently denied and remained unconfirmed until recently. Black sisters keep their allegiance a secret and belong to one of the seven main Ajahs as well.
