Bowl of the Winds

The Bowl of the Winds is an item in the Wheel of Time fantasy series of books by Robert Jordan.

The Bowl of the Winds is a very powerful "ter'angreal" that allows its users to control the weather. It draws both "saidin" and "saidar" even when used by women alone.

Discovery in Dream

The Bowl's existence was found by Nynaeve al'Meara and Elayne Trakand in Tel'aran'rhiod during a drought and heat wave believed to be caused by the Dark One's touch upon the world. They tell the Salidar Aes Sedai's ruling group, the Little Tower, about it, and are easily dismissed. After telling the new Amyrlin Egwene about it, she convinces the Sitters to send them to locate it in Ebou Dar, sending Mat Cauthon along to help.

In Ebou Dar, Nynaeve and Elayne meet and stay with Queen Tylin, making the Royal Palace their base of operations. After about 16 days of having no luck of finding the Bowl, they report back to Egwene via dreams, who tells them to stay and keep searching. Nynave, Elayne, and Birgitte Silverbow, Elayne's Warder, head to the Sea Folk to ask for help. They tell them that the ter'angreal is called the Bowl of the Winds, that it has been missing for centuries and even they have no idea where to find it. All of this leads to the newly raised Aes Sedai doing something they don't really want to do: ask Mat to help locate it since he is "ta'veren". He agrees to help them.

Discovery in Truth

During their search, Elayne and Nynave stumble across an organization called the Kin and taken to their base of operations. It is there that they are reprimanded by Reanne Corly for playing at being Aes Sedai and are thrown out, even as they are asking about the Bowl. This incident makes them focus their attention more on the Kin, and having Mat do the same pays off big time when Mat follows one them to a six-story building that houses many "angreal" and "ter'angreal" the Kin have collected from runaways and such over the years. When confronted by Nynaeve, Elayne and the other Aes Sedai who accompanied them, the Kin agree to show them where the Bowl is being kept.

While at the six story building, in the Rahad section of Ebou Dar, they retrieve the Bowl of the Winds (plus all the other ter'angreal that are there). But a trap has been laid by Sammael and Moghedien and they are attacked by a gholam, the Black Ajah and their henchmen. The good guys win but not without loses, some of the Kin have died and Mat's friend Nalesean too. All are agreed that the Bowl must be used somewhere safe and the Kin recommend the Farm. Mat gets the Sea Folk to travel with the others to the Farm to help use the Bowl, since they are the only ones who know how.

Use of the Bowl

The odd group of Women use Traveling to reach "the Farm", a hiding place for many of the Kin while they are not in Ebou Dar. All is chaos when the Aes Sedai show up, and the Kinswomen think they are there to punish them. Alise Tenjile, who runs the Farm, manages to get order restored and they proceed to use the Bowl. A group of thirteen women who can channel — the largest possible without a man — is needed, and it is headed by Caire din Gelyn, who knows the most about the "ter'angreal". When activated, the Bowl draws on both "saidar" and "saidin", which surprises almost everyone, and can be felt all the world over by anyone who can channel. Almost immediately after its use, the Sea Folk try to take the Bowl, claiming it is part of the Bargain. The Aes Sedai hold steadfast to it though, and say that it will be the Sea Folk's when they can actually see that the weather has changed.

A couple days later it is snowing, and the Bowl is handed over.