Aiel - History

History

Modern Aiel are descended from the Da'shain Aiel, servants of the Aes Sedai during the Age of Legends, and sworn never to do harm in their passing, known as the Way of the Leaf. During the Breaking of the World, however, the Da'shain Aiel turned from one people into three: today's Aiel (which means "dedicated" in the Old Tongue), the Tuatha'an (also known as Traveling People or Tinkers), and the Jenn Aiel (literally, True Dedicated). The split between the Aiel and Tuatha'an was acrimonious; certain members of the Aiel refused to continue the task of transporting a cache of angreal, ter'angreal, sa'angreal, and themselves to a place of safety. This led to them leaving the main group in order to search for the 'Song', since before the Breaking the Aiel had sung with the Ogier to raise crops, and many believed finding this song would restore the peace they had enjoyed during the Age of Legends. The remaining group of Aiel themselves split when some members of their group killed in self-defense, (though in doing so, they used only instruments which had practical uses, namely a cookpot, a spear, knives—and refused to use a sword) while retrieving kidnapped women. Over time, more and more Aiel joined those who would kill in self-defense, leaving only the Jenn Aiel who would still hold to the Way of the Leaf. The two groups remained together, the violent Aiel following at a distance and defending the Jenn Aiel, and this compound group made their way across the Spine of the World into the Aiel Waste. They were helped, during their journey, by members of the people who would later become the nation of Cairhien. In the waste, the Aiel prospered while the Jenn Aiel dwindled; the last Jenn died hundreds of years ago, leaving only a holy city, Rhuidean.

Today, the Aiel have all but forgotten their ancient ways; only their leaders remember that they once served the Aes Sedai, and few traces of the Way of the Leaf remain in their culture other than a total unwillingness to touch a sword, and the forced pacificism of gai'shain. The Aiel tradition of veiling their faces before "dancing the spears" may also indicate the Way of the Leaf has not been completely forgotten. When the Aiel were parted from the Jenn Aiel, the climate was dry and dusty, and all Aiel wore dustveils. As the Aiel who had committed violence were being ejected, one boy's mother commanded him to "hide his face," as she did not want to see her son's face "on a killer."