Be she warrior, healer, hunter, negotiator, advocate, knowledge-seeker, philosopher, or spy, the women of the Aes Sedai come in all different types. Which one fits you best? Find out by reading these brief descriptions from The Wheel of Time Companion, and let us know where you’d belong if you were raised to the shawl!
Blue Ajah
Righteousness rallies you to its cause, whether it is standing up against a bully, advocating for the underdog, or leading a protest movement. You wave your banner high against the injustices you see in the world and consider your beliefs the core of your identity. Helping others takes priority over anything else and sometimes it’s hard not to be too selfless. While people may think you can be stubborn and arrogant, you’re an ethical person who always strives for the greater good.
About the Blue Ajah according to the Companion:
“The main thrust of the Blue Ajah was involvement in causes. Along with the Green Ajah, considered the most passionate of Aes Sedai in their beliefs, the Blue Ajah were most open to being swayed by emotion. No Blue sisters remained loyal to Elaida, though some Blues stayed away from the main body of the rebels because of the distances involved. They were adamant in their belief that Siuan was deposed illegally and stilled illegally, and for that alone Elaida deserved to be pulled down.”
Brown Ajah
Keeping your head between the covers of a book, tucked away in a corner of the library, is your ideal way to spend a rainy afternoon. Or perhaps you enjoy tinkering with mechanics in your garage, or coming up with some (not so) mad science at the lab. Some may think you’re a space-case (and maybe a bit frumpy), but that’s only because you’re too busy thinking about the important ideas and histories that fascinate you. Knowledge is power, after all.
About the Brown Ajah according to the Companion:
“The main thrust of the Brown Ajah was gathering knowledge; they were librarians, historians and natural historians, doing nothing in the physical sciences or toward invention. The Brown Ajah had a ruling council. Its number of members varied from five to thirteen, though always an odd number… The head of the council was sometimes referred to as the First Chair; most often, she was simply called “the head of the council,” reflecting the supposed egalitarian nature and the rather loose structure of the Brown, where sisters often lost themselves in one sort of research or another.”
Gray Ajah
The Gray Ajah are best described as the “middle child” of the Aes Sedai: the compromisers who make sure that everyone gets along. You’re great at debates because your intelligence enables you to see all sides and to ultimately be fair in your judgment. Some who identify with the Gray can appear to others to be quiet or aloof, but that’s only because you like to think before you speak. You can also be quite tactful and are able to get along with anyone, as well as being adept with words and avoiding—and helping others avoid awkward social situations.
About the Gray Ajah according to the Companion:
“The main thrust of the Gray Ajah was mediation and negotiation. The Ajah was ruled by a council of varying number, but always an odd number. The leader of the council was considered by Gray sisters to be the head of their Ajah and was known as the Head Clerk, but in fact she had less authority than most Ajah heads and had to depend on gaining consensus among the council members.”
Green Ajah
You are the life of the party! Frequently identifying as social butterflies, people of the Green Ajah are known for their boisterous and flirty attitude. Fashion may also be important to you, and you never leave the house without properly coordinating your outfit and checking your hair in the mirror twice. The amount of care you put into your appearance, however, doesn’t undercut how seriously you take your responsibilities, and as easygoing as you may be, you can also sometimes act too bluntly.
About the Green Ajah according to the Companion:
“The main thrust of the Green Ajah was to hold itself ready for Tarmon Gai’don. It became known as the Battle Ajah during the Trolloc Wars. The hierarchy in the Ajah was rather military. The authority of the Captain-General, the head of the Ajah, was quite thorough and far-reaching. She was assisted by her seconds, the First Strategist and the First Tactician. Green Ajah members were permitted to bond multiple Warders.”
Red Ajah
The Red Ajah are hardcore, determined to reach their goals. You can be competitive and when it comes to any project, whether it’s business or pleasure, your attitude is, “Go big or go home.” While others may see your aggressiveness as a turn-off, you don’t care about what they think, generally hanging out with like-minded people. Team sports are one of your big passions, though you are also into activities that physically challenge you, like Wildness Adventure trips, rock-climbing, or running marathons.
About the Red Ajah according to the Companion:
“The main thrust of the Red Ajah was hunting down men who could channel. The head of the Red Ajah was called the Highest, or simply Highest, and considered the equal of the Amyrlin Seat by most Reds, unless a Red was the Amyrlin Seat, and sometimes even then. The Highest had autocratic powers of command, more so than in any other Ajah. At the time of the Last Battle, there were approximately two hundred members of the Red Ajah, making it the largest.”
Yellow Ajah
“Do No Harm” is what the Yellow Ajah live by. You identify with the caregivers and the nurturers of the world and instinctively seek to mend whatever (or whoever) is broken. You are quite a caring person, but no one should underestimate you or think you are weak. People who identify with the Yellow Ajah are champions for the injured and the sick, and will go to great lengths to protect them. Doctors, ambulance drivers, life guards, and field medics all stand under the yellow banner.
About the Yellow Ajah according to the Companion:
“The main thrust of the Yellow Ajah was the study of Healing, though what they knew, prior to the revelations of Nynaeve, was actually just a form of rough-and-ready battlefield first aid from the War of the Shadow. There were a number of ways to apply the weaves for different results, but in the main, they really were variations on one set of weaves. The First Weaver, the head of the Yellow Ajah, had, in many ways, as autocratic powers as those of the Green or Red. There were approximately 120 members just prior to the Last Battle.”
White Ajah
White Ajahs are the cold logicians of the Aes Sedai, and you may be seen as the ice queen by your peers. No matter—while everyone else spends way too much time and energy worrying over their mundane affairs, you dedicate yourself to higher thought. Religion or spiritualism isn’t your thing, and your bedside reading might include texts from thinkers like Martin Heidegger, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Graham Harman. While you distance yourself from the secular, ultimately, you see objective, unbiased truth as the solution to changing the world.
About the White Ajah according to the Companion:
“Sisters of this Ajah abstained from matters of the world and worldly knowledge, and instead devoted themselves to questions of philosophy and truth. Aside from the First Weaver, the head of the Ajah, there was no internal structure whatsoever… It was believed by many sisters in other Ajahs that the White Ajah was the only one without an Ajah set of eyes-and-ears and that they had no real interest in the world. This was not true, though their Ajah network was indeed small. Even the Whites—as a group, anyway—wanted to try to manipulate world events, along strictly logical lines, of course.”
Black Ajah
You may think of yourself as the black sheep of the group, the outcast. This doesn’t necessarily mean you are ostracized or even lonely—it’s just that you see the world in a unique way and choose to align yourself with the darker side of things. The world sees the mask you put on, not your secret self. Others may describe you as two-faced, but they’re the real fools. Instead, you remain true to your cause, even if it’s something others don’t agree with.
About the Black Ajah according to the Companion:
“A covert organization within the White Tower composed of sisters who gave their allegiance to the Dark One. The Black Ajah was about the same size as the Red Ajah, i.e., over two hundred members. They renounced the oaths sworn on the Oath Rod, and replaced them with three others (see Black Oaths). The Black Ajah had a cell organization of threes, called hearts; most members typically knew only two other members plus one outside their heart.”
This post originally appeared November 2, 2015 on the Tor/Forge blog.
The Wheel of Time Companion is available now from Tor Books.
Explore the Companion further with excerpts and other analysis here on Tor.com!
Diana Pho (or in other speculative lights, Ay-leen the Peacemaker ) works at Tor Books, runs the multicultural steampunk blog Beyond Victoriana, pens academic things, and tweets. Oh she has a tumblr too.
