One of the things I’ve seldom seen explained or discussed is the hierarchy of the Atha’an Miere. I have come up with my own hierarchy based on what we know from the books. There is some speculation, but most of it is good logic. I hope. Although this theory uses info from KoD, the hierarchy is mostly discernable from the first 10 books alone. Enjoy!

Different Ways of Displaying Status

There are a number of ways of displaying status within the Sea Folk. Earrings, nose rings, chains, various necklaces and even tattoos all mean something to the trained eye. The first, and most universal, of the rankings are the earrings that they wear in both ears.

Sea Folk Earrings

Almost every member of the Atha’an Miere we know of has at least one pair of earrings. There is, however, a strict hierarchy based on the number of earrings a man or woman wears in each ear. This hierarchy is universal, reaching from the lowliest deckhand who is yet to earn any rings to the Mistress of Ships herself. The design of these earrings seems to have little importance, but the number and thickness do. The hierarchy runs as follows:

Six Pairs

Mistress of Ships, Master of Blades.

Evidence found in Nesta Din Reas Two Moons, Zaida din Parede Blackwing and Baroc. Windfinders cannot earn six rings in each ear, no matter what their level. Nesta Din Reas also wore a chain that connected each of her six rings

Five Pairs

Clan Wavemistress, Clan Swordmaster, Windfinder to the Mistress of Ships.

Evidence found in Harine din Togara Two Winds, her Swordmaster Moad and Renaile din Calon Blue Star when she was still Windfinder to the Mistress of Ships.

Four Pairs

Windfinders to a clan Wavemistress. All Sailmistresses and Cargomasters

Evidence can be seen in Caire din Gelyn Running Wave and Tebrielle din Gelyn South Wind, who are both Windfinders to Wavemistresses. Only two Sailmistresses have been seen in the series. The first is Coine din Jubai Wild Winds, who commands a raker and has greying hair. The second is Derah din Selaan Rising Wave, who commands a soarer and is considerably younger. Cadsuane remarks that there is a large gap between Harine, a Wavemistress, and Derah in terms of the hierarchy.

The only cargomaster we know of is Toram. He is the Cargomaster on the Coine's ship.

Three Pairs

Veteran crewmembers of either sex. All other Windfinders.

All Windfinders we have seen sport at least three rings in each ear. Proof of this is apparent in Renaile and Senine who both used to be Windfinders to the Mistress of Ships. When the Mistress of Ships dies, her Windfinder is demoted to the very bottom of the hierarchy again, yet these two still retained three of earrings in each ear when this happened, thus indicating that this is the minimum level for a Windfinder.

In Knife of Dreams, we also learn that there is a rank known as deckmistress/deckmaster that falls just below that of Sailmistress and Cargomaster. It is uncertain how many rings this rank entails.

With regard to other crewmembers, Elayne makes some observations:

Most wore gold or silver chains abound their necks, and rings in their ears, sometimes two or three in each, and some with polished stones.

-The Shadow Rising, Wavedancer

This quote seems to indicate that one pair is the norm on this particular ship, though two are three are not uncommon. It is logical that there be several levels of crewmembers beneath that of Sailmistress or Cargomaster.

Two Pairs

Middling level crewmembers of either sex.

One Pair

Basic level crewmembers of either sex.

None

There are very few Sea Folk known to us that have no earrings. These are likely to be people who do not work on ships or very lowly deckhands. In Valan Luca's circus there was a Sea Folk man who wore no earrings. We haven't met any deckhands.

Ring Thickness

Another aspect of the earrings that is often emphasized is that of the thickness of the earrings at each rank. It is unclear how many different levels of thickness there are and even if it is a formal identification of rank, though the frequency with which it is mentioned indicates that it is. There are several different options for how these thicknesses are measured, but the most likely and appealing is that each thickness corresponds to the size of vessel the wearer serves on. The four sizes of vessels from smallest to largest are as follows: darter, soarer, skimmer, raker. Anything smaller deemed a boat and not a ship.

This would allow for a total of nineteen different levels in the hierarchy i.e. there would be four different levels for the levels between deckhand and Wavemistress, each corresponding to the four sizes of ship. This seems complicated, but it is always stressed that Sea Folk hierarchy was enough to ‘make a king or an Aes Sedai seem like a sloven.’ We already know that this differentiation exists for Sailmistresses, Cargomasters and Windfinders with the same number of rings, why not for the other levels?

This doesn’t necessarily indicate that a low level sailor on a raker outranks a higher-ranking sailor on a soarer, however, though it may be possible in some extreme cases. Instead it is mainly used as comparison between peers.

The First Twelve

It can also be demonstrated that the First Twelve of each clan do not wear any more rings than other Sailmistresses. We know that all Wavemistresses have five rings in each ear, regardless of whether they are one of the First Twelve of the Atha’an Miere or not, so it is logical that all Sailmistresses have four whether or not they are one of the First Twelve of their clan. As a consequence, this means that Windfinders are consistently one level below the Sailmistress with which they serve. It is true that the First Twelve are more important, but this is not reflected by them having more or thicker earrings than any other Sailmistress that captains a raker.

Windfinders’ Apprentices

One oddity that is instantly recognisable is that of Windfinders’ apprentices.

Windfinders’ apprentices are the only section of the Atha’an Miere to have different numbers of rings in each ear.

… two wore bright blouses of plain wool above the dark oily breeches of deckhands, each with a single thin ring in her left ear. A second and third ring in the right indicated they were being trained as Windfinders, but with two more to earn, not to mention the nose ring.

-A Crown of Swords, Promises To Keep

Presumably they start with no rings in the left ear and three in the right. When they are fully trained, they will have gained three rings in each ear, the basic level for a Windfinder. This is consistent with what has been said above.

Other Methods of Ranking

The Nose Ring

Nose rings are always worn in the left nostril and are only worn by women. The Guide also mentions that ‘women often wear a ring on the left side of their nose’ but that the honour chain is worn by ‘women of rank’. This implies that both have an independent meaning and that nose rings can be worn of women who are not ‘of rank’. In this case, ‘women of rank’ applies to anyone who is a Sailmistress or a Windfinder and all ranks above that. The difference between the nose ring alone and the nose ring with an honour chain is further illustrated in The Path of Daggers.

The two apprentices, boyishly slim Talaan and big-eyed Metarra, scurried at the very tail with harried expressions. They had not earned the nose ring yet, much less the chain, and only a single thin gold earring in the left ear balanced the three in the right.

-The Path of Daggers, Unweaving

It is clear from this quote that the nose ring and the honour chain are two separate and distinct achievements, but what makes them different? One interesting observation is that Elayne notes that some women on the Wavedancer have nose rings, but less than four earrings in each ear. This might be a mark of a particular position on the ship, or it might be sign of a half-rank between three rings in each ear and Sailmistress – potential Sailmistresses, as it were. With regard to Windfinders, it is stated that Renaile was reduced to ‘having no more rank than a woman raised from apprentice on the day she herself had put off her honors’, yet Renaile still retains her nose ring and honor chain. Therefore a Windfinder’s apprentice must earn this half-rank before becoming a full Windfinder. Her placement would then allow her to wear the clan medallion of the clan she is Windfinder to. All of this, however, is only speculation.

The Honour Chain and Medallions

The honour chain is attached from the nose ring to one of the rings in the left ear. Since no men wear the nose ring, they cannot wear the honour chain by implication. According to the Guide, only women of rank wear the honour chain.

The purpose of this chain is to display a vast range of medallions that can be earned as a woman of rank. This applies equally to Windfinders and Sailmistresses, though there are doubtless differences in the types of honours they can attain. In all cases, the higher the ranking of the woman, the more medallions she will wear – though it is possible that the higher rank is defined by the number of medallions. These medallions fulfil several purposes, much like military medals and other decorations do.

The first thing that is added immediately once earning the honour chain is a single medallion indicating the clan of the wearer. When Renaile is demoted to the lowest level, this is all she is left with:

...the gold honor chain crossing her dark left cheek looked stark supporting only the medallion that named her clan.

-Knife of Dreams, Wet Things

In terms of the number of other medallions worn on the honour chain, we get several examples in the series. Rainyn, a relatively low level Windfinder on a soarer, is described as wearing only half a dozen. Elayne used Illusion on Nynaeve to give her six rings in each ear and two dozen golden medallions shortly after they had visited the Mistress of Ships. Malin din Toral Breaking Wave, a Wavemistress, is described as having half as many as the Mistress of Ships, a dozen if Elayne’s estimation is correct. Malin’s Windfinder is described as wearing fewer medallions than the Wavemistress. Zaida, another Wavemistress, is described as wearing half as many medallions as the Windfinder to the Mistress of Ships, though they both wear ten earrings in total, yet Chanelle, Caire and Tebraille are described as having almost as many as Zaida. Caire and Tebraille are both Windfinders to Wavemistreses and Chanelle is only a Windfinder to a Sailmistress.

So why do they gain medallions? Aside from identifying clan, the medallions also have marks on them to tell an observer what rank and what size of ship a woman serves on.

The fine gold chain linking her nose ring to one of her multitude of earrings held tiny medallions that identified her as Wavemistress of Clan Shodein.

-Lord of Chaos, A Different Dance

Windfinders to Wavemistresses rubbing shoulders with Windfinders from soarers, by their medallions

-A Crown of Swords, Promises To Keep

By the number of their medallions, Naime and Rysael were higher in rank than Rainyn.

-The Path of Daggers, The Breaking Storm

But this still seems insufficient to explain why they have so many, and also why women who have the same number of rings in their ears have different numbers of medallions. It would be conceivable that they get one for each type of vessel they served on, yet Rainyn still has half a dozen and she only serves on a soarer. There certainly aren’t enough levels to account for Nesta din Reas having two dozen of them.

One other reason for being awarded a medallion that might account for the extra medallions is for acts of courage:

Her honor chain held only a handful of medallions, as befitted her youth, yet Harine could see that no fewer than three commended acts of great courage.

"I am Cemeille din Selaan Long Eyes, Shipmistress," she said hoarsely, "Sailmistress of the darter Wind Racer.

-Knife of Dreams, To Make an Anchor Weep

Note also that Cemeille only commands a darter, the smallest of the Sea Folk ships. Finally, Harine’s thoughts on Cemaille’s youth coupled with standard military practice would indicate that medallions are also awarded for years of service. This would explain the quantity of Nesta’s medallions. Nesta is described as an ‘old woman with white hair’ and so she might have fifty, sixty, or more years of experience at sea.

It is also this collection of medallions that likely determines the First Twelve of a clan. They are described as the ‘most senior’ Sailmistresses in a clan, but this is probably just a way of saying they are the twelve most decorated and experienced, not the eldest. In Knife of Dreams, Harine notes that the First Twelve of every clan all command rakers, which goes some way to confirming this hypothesis.

When these twelve vote in the Wavemistress of their clan, it is usually from one of their number, but not always. The reason why they might choose from outside their number is that there might by a Sailmistress who shows great potential, or who is notably well decorated for her relative youth. Her potential for the future will also have an effect on her eligibility for becoming one of the First Twelve of the Atha’an Miere and later the Mistress of Ships. The strategy for picking a Wavemistress is echoed somewhat when picking a Mistress of Ships, though much more faintly. Harine notes in Knife of Dreams that the First Twelve have only picked a Mistress of Ships from outside their number five times in over three thousand years.

Necklaces and Chains

Cargomasters also have a display of rank beyond that of the earrings they wear. This is indicated by the number of chains they wear around their neck and is likely a substitute for the honour chain and nose rings worn by Sea Folk women. A Cargomaster is in charge of both the trade and defence of his ship, so it might be no coincidence that silver chains are also used to indicate status among the Kandori merchants guild.

The grading of this ranking is not known, though the following observations have been made. Firstly, the Master of Blades wears ‘number thick gold chains’. In the Kandori merchants’ guild, three silver chains are the sign of a master merchant and lesser merchants wear thinner and fewer chains. The comparison between the two seems valid – the Master of Blades is a very influential position. Elayne’s observation on the Sea Folk men and women on the Wavedancer is that ‘most of them wore gold or silver chains around their necks.’ Not all, though. This might indicate a ranking system based on the thickness and type of necklaces and chains worn. The Cargomaster of the Wavedancer wore three thick golden chains round his neck, indicating his high status as Cargomaster of a raker.

Nevertheless, it is also possible that women used necklaces for ranking. On several occasions it has been mentioned that the women wore as many necklaces as the men and that higher-ranking women wear more than average crewmembers. It is only on the men, however, that the number and thickness of chains is stressed and their role as merchants and traders would indicate a connection with the Kandori chains.

The Atha’an Miere Attitude to Channelers

One aspect of this hierarchy that is interesting is that it reveals a system that inherently prevents channelers from getting too powerful.

First of all, Windfinders are consistently one level behind in the hierarchy with regard to the number of earrings they wear. This is because Windfinders are only seen as advisors. They also rarely have power over anything else than other Windfinders, except when advising their Sailmistress.

Secondly, there is the peculiar tradition that all Windfinders are demoted to the lowest level when the woman they serve with dies. This is not restricted to the Windfinder to the Mistress of Ships, as Chanelle’s comments prove:

“Every Windfinder knows she will rise and fall many times before her body is given back to the salt. She [Ronaile] fell from a greater height than most.”

-Knife of Dreams, Wet Things

If Ronaile fell from a greater height than most and a Windfinder can expect to rise and fall many times, this would imply it happens at any level and that any Windfinder should expect it to happen. In the Guide it states that Windfinders can be non-channelers too, though we haven’t seen any yet. Conversely, all channelers must be Windfinders – they have no choice in the matter. To a non-channeling Windfinder, this demotion would happen rarely in comparison to a woman who has several times the lifespan. Furthermore, if Windfinders were not demoted in this way, those who could channel would need several honour chains to provide enough room for their medallions. The system would become top-heavy with women who could channel if they were allowed to retain so many honours.

Thirdly, this might explain their attitude to the White Tower. The Atha’an Miere have kept the secret of how many channelers they have in their number for millennia – but why? For a culture that disapproves of the dominance of people who can channel, the White Tower would be completely distasteful to them. This is why only women who are very weak in the Power are sent to be trained as Aes Sedai. These women are perhaps judged to be too weak to be useful as Windfinders, though that is at odds with having non-channelling Windfinders.

Fouthly, the pattern is that Windfinders can only rise in rank if the Sailmistress they serve rises in rank. There are always possible deviations from this, but the vast majority of the time this is what happens. What this effectively means is that Windfinder’s career advancement is not in her own hands. The Sailmistress they start with usually determines how far they will rise – and it is not even certain how this is allocated, though the clan Windfinder may have a hand in that. It should, however, be borne in mind that an ambitious Windfinder would be able to aid the rise of her Sailmistress, especially if she or strong or very skilled in the Power. This partially arbitrary promotion process also accounts for why strength in the Power matters little to Windfinder status.

Lastly, there is the case of Talaan din Gelyn.

"My grandmother is Windfinder to the Wavemistress of Clan Rossaine, my great grandmother is Windfinder to Clan Dacan, and her sister to Clan Takana. My family is honored that five of us have risen so high. And everyone watches for signs that Gelyn abuses its influence. Rightly so, I know— favor cannot be allowed—but my sister was kept an apprentice five years longer than normal, and my cousin six! Just so no one can claim they were favored. When I cast the stars and give our position correctly, I am punished for being slow even when I have the answer as fast as Windfinder Ehvon!

-Winter’s Heart, Ideas of Importance

Why would the Sea Folk fear the influence of Gelyn? When the Wavemistress any one of them serves dies, surely that woman will be demoted as any other Windfinder would be? A good explanation would be that the Sea Folk dislike seeing channelers being seen to rise to prominence, especially when those women have a bond in blood. Talaan say it is ‘rightly so’ that their family be treated as it is, though there is no explanation why any of them should be regarded with suspicion. There is no proof collaboration going on between family members at all.

All of these factors combine to make the Sea Folk one of the most egalitarian cultures in the WoT world, especially with regard to those who can channel. No section of society is given dominance. At first glance, women seem to have the upper hand, but men are completely in charge of all trade so there is a balance incolved.

Conclusions

- The hierarchy of the Sea Folk is based on both the number of rings in each ear and the thickness of the rings. The levels of the hierarchy are as described above. In this sense, there is no difference between the First Twelve of a clan and any other Sailmistress

- The female hierarchy is further defined by the number and type of medallions on their honour chain. This is a useful indicator of rank among peers.

- The male hierarchy is defined by the number and type of chains around their necks, thick golden chains being the sign of influence.

- The Atha’an Miere hierarchy has an inbuilt mechanism to prevent channelers from rising too high which reflects the attitude of their society towards channelers.