Wilder (Wheel of Time)

A wilder is a collective term in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series of novels for women who have learned to channel "saidar" on their own, without formal education or (usually) particular skill (though throughout the books Aes Sedai use it to describe any woman who learned to channel outside of the White Tower, regardless of whether they had been taught by others or not, most notability Sea Folk Windfinders, Aiel Wise Ones, and members of the Kin). It can be a derogatory term, especially when used by certain Aes Sedai who went to the White Tower to train, although at other times it is simply used as a descriptor. The term has not been used for men in living memory, as all men who can channel have been doomed to go insane from the taint on "saidin", obviating any need for a formal instruction program.

Women who can channel fall into two categories; women who can be taught, and a far smaller group of women who will start to touch the Source instinctively, whether they want to or not. Those of the latter group who survive this learning curve -- approximately one in four -- are called "wilders", if they do not seek out training once they discover what is happening.

Even those wilders who learn how to manage their abilities tend to do so at a price; they almost invariably have some sort of 'block' against using the One Power effectively, and without training, they are usually limited to one or two Talents they have discovered on their own. Most commonly, these women have learned how to listen in on the conversations of others through a long-distance form of eavesdropping, or they have learned how to get what they want through a type of Compulsion. Some, however, learn to Heal, or predict the weather, or a number of other specialized skills, depending on their everyday occupation. They may not even realize that they are channelling when they do so, as was the case with Nynaeve al'Meara.

ee also

* Aes Sedai
* One Power