War of Power
A war that shattered the world and sealed a god in a prison of light.
The War of Power was not merely a conflict; it was the moment the Pattern itself groaned under the strain of a god's rage. Fought between the forces of Light and the Shadow during the Age of Legends, this cataclysm tore the world apart at its seams. It began when the Bore drilled to study the Dark One allowed his corruption to seep into saidin, driving male Aes Sedai mad with violent insanity. The war concluded not with a triumphant victory, but with a desperate sacrifice: thousands of female channelers bound the prison in a web of thirteen seals, casting humanity from utopia into the Age of Legends' collapse and the long night of the Third Age.
- Primary Combatants
- Aes Sedai (Light) vs. Forsaken & Shadowspawn (Dark)
- Catalyst Event
- Tainting of Saidin
- Key Location
- The Bore / Shara / Rhuidean
- Outcome
- Sealing of the Dark One; End of the Age of Legends
- Major Casualties
- Countless channelers, entire civilizations wiped out
Lore & Background
The conflict culminated in the sealing of the Bore. While Lews Therin Telamon led the initial, suicidal strike against the Dark One's heart, the final binding required a different kind of sacrifice. The Circle of Women, led by the legendary Elanae Mandragoran (Nynaeve's distant ancestor), forged thirteen seals to trap the Shadow's influence within the Bore. This act demanded the near-total extinction of male Aes Sedai leadership to maintain the balance; Lews Therin and his followers were driven to madness by the Dark One's counterstroke, forcing the women to hunt down their own kin to save the world. The result was a stalemate that felt like defeat: the Shadow was sealed, but the Age of Legends ended in ruin.
In Their Own Story
The sky above Paaran Disen tore open with colors no eye had ever seen—a kaleidoscope of green fire and black lightning dancing against the void. Lews Therin stood atop a crumbling spire, his hands weaving the air as if it were silk, feeling the terrible pull of the taint in his blood like a physical weight. Below him, the city was already gone, swallowed by the earth itself in a maw of shadow and fire. He looked to the horizon where the Forsaken gathered, their faces masks of twisted joy and sorrow. 'It ends today,' he whispered, though his voice was lost in the roar of a thousand dragons screaming as they were unmade. The air tasted of ozone and old blood, and for a moment, the world held its breath before the great seal snapped shut.
Reader's Guide
The War of Power serves as the foundational tragedy of the Wheel of Time universe, explaining why magic is so dangerous today and why male channelers are hunted by fear. It marks the transition from the utopian Age of Legends to the current Third Age, a time defined by the loss of technology and knowledge. The war was unique because it involved the direct manipulation of reality on a planetary scale; entire continents were shifted, oceans were drained or created, and the climate was permanently altered.
Central to this history is the concept of the Bore, which was not originally intended as a weapon but became the focal point of the conflict. The turning point came when the Dark One tainted saidin, causing male Aes Sedai to go mad with violent insanity, leading them to destroy their own cities and families. This forced the female channelers into a position of power they had never held before, as they were the only ones capable of fighting back without succumbing to madness.
The war ended in a stalemate that felt like a defeat for humanity. The sealing of the Dark One required immense sacrifice, effectively wiping out the male half of the Aes Sedai leadership and leaving the world in ruins.
Did You Know?
- The conflict is often referred to as the 'War of Power' in historical records, though some texts call it the 'War of the Shadow'.
- The taint on saidin was not immediate; it took time for the madness to spread, allowing many male channelers to fight heroically before losing their minds.
- The sealing of the Dark One involved thirteen seals created by thirteen of the most powerful female Aes Sedai, led by Elanor Mandragoran.
- Entire nations were erased from existence during the war, with no records remaining other than vague myths in the current age.