Summary
- Egwene al'Vere faces the Seanchan and their sul'dam in The Wheel of Time.
- The Seanchan are cruel and believe in torturing and enslaving women.
- Egwene's torture at the hand of the Seanchan will shape her future in the series.
The following contains spoilers for The Wheel of Time Season 2, Episode 6 "Eyes Without Pity," which is now streaming on Prime Video.
Egwene al'Vere is one of the most important characters in The Wheel of Time saga. She carries on some essential storylines throughout the books and the show is starting to open up her story more. As the season has progressed, The Wheel of Time has started to explore one of the first major defining moments in Egwene's life. Having been captured by the Seanchan when Liandrin Sedai betrayed them, Egwene is facing her biggest challenge and her spirit is breaking for the first time. This transformation will change everything for Egwene.
In The Wheel of Time series, Egwene was one of the people that Moiraine took from the Two Rivers after the Trolloc attack. Moiraine and Lan even suspected that Egwene was going to be the Dragon Reborn. She is one of the most powerful channelers who have been found in centuries and the Aes Sedai want her at the White Tower. Liandrin of the Red Ajah became friendly with Nynaeve al'Meara in hopes to turn her to the Black Ajah. Yet, in the end Liandrin turned Egwene, Nynaeve, and Elayne, the Daughter Heir of Andor, over to the Seanchan. Only Egwene ended up being captured, and she is forced into become a slave to the Seanchan, a damane.
What is a Seanchan Damane?
The Seanchan are a race of people who come from across the ocean. They believe that they are descendants of Artur Hawkwing, who was a powerful king who almost conquered the known world, including the Aes Sedai. He is one of the heroes of the world, yet some consider him to be a villain. The Seanchan believe themselves to be the only true descendants of him and that they need to come back to complete his conquest. They also think that all women who channel, regardless of strength or affiliation, should be chained and controlled. The women who aren't chained are called marath'damane, which means Those Who Must Be Leashed. Once they are collared and chained, they are called damane, which means Leashed One. These are the slaves and the backbone of the Seanchan power.
The last piece of this awful arrangement is the sul'dam or Leash Holder. This is the women who control the damane. She can inflict pain, pleasure, and works to break their spirit, mind and wield their power for themselves. This is what Egwene finds herself facing, aa century old system that works to enslave, control, and beat down women of power. Egwene is collared and thrown in prison, where her sul'dam begins to process of breaking her down. Egwene is as strong in the One Power as she is in will power and will not break easily. This all comes to a head when Egwene wants to kill her controller with a clay pot. Yet, the a'dam, the collar and leash, prevent any damane from touching something they consider a weapon. Egwene is hit with intense pain, and it will only end once she can pour her sul'dam a glass of water.
The Seanchan leash holder tries to befriend Egwene, she talks about creating a symbiotic relationship, a lie they tell themselves to feel better about enslaving people. When that doesn't work, she beats Egwene. She starves her, dehydrates her, and tortures her. She even leaves Egwene hanging from her neck until she is grasping for breath. This is all part of their process of breaking the minds of their damane's so that they will listen without argument to the Seanchan's every command. While Egwene lasts a long time under these harsh conditions, she eventually pours her sul'dam a glass of water, and it horrifies her.
What Egwene's Breaking Means for the Rest of Wheel of Time Season 2
Egwene is destined for great things in The Wheel of Time, but all of that beginngs after her traumatic time with the Seanchan. In the series, Egwene is the only one of her friends to be collared. While Elayne develops a fascination with the a'dam and its role as an ancient artifact or ter'angreal, Egwene will harbor a hatred and fear for these collars. The memories of this time as a damane, can push her to become even more powerful and strong in the One Power. It may also make her dangerous to the Forsaken and a strong ally of Rand in his quest to be the Dragon Reborn.
Pouring the water does not only mean that Egwene is ready to serve her master, but it also shows that she has lost a huge piece of herself. The women in the cell next to her offers her comfort, saying she lasted longer than her. That woman was a Sitter of the Blue Ajah, and still she broke under the yoke of the Seanchan. Egwene put up a massive fight, but her losing is one of the first times she has been unable to conqueor something. She learned to use the One Power, she survived Trollocs and dark cities, she even brought Nynaeve back from being burnt out by channeling. She accomplished a massive amount of things, yet the Seanchan broke her. She has now lost an essential piece of her psych. It will take time for her to truly recover.
The Seanchan are a dispicable people who believe that they have the divine right to do whatever they please. They see women who can channel as property that needs to be brought under their thumb. Egwene is now caught in this horrific system. She was tortured and cruelly treated until she utterly broke. Her mind breaking also breaks Egwene's ego. She is no longer the person she thought she was and has become something different entirely. The Seanchan broke her, and it will take facing her fears to come back from it.
The Wheel of Time Season 2 streams new episodes every Friday on Prime Video.