Tear
Our lesson today is about Tear, a nation that lies just east of Illian, and contains the greatest port on the Sea of Storms. The port is in the capital city, also called Tear, and is located well above the mouth of the River Erinin, and is guarded by the ancient fortress known as the Stone of Tear. The Stone was built sometime during or shortly after the Breakin of the World, and was made using the One Power. Deep within the centre lie the vast gathered treasury of Angreal and Ter’angreal. The collection is so grand that it rivals that of the White Tower and many question the purpose behind the cache. Is it to preserve them, or hide them, as Tairens hate and fear anything related to the One Power or Aes Sedai. As a result, all channelling has been outlawed in Tear. Aes Sedai are tolerated, but only as long as they don’t actually channel.
Tear is a rich nation, though only the nobles profit from its wealth. Its main exports are olive oil, rivalling Illian in that trade, and fine horses that are renowned the world over. It grows a great deal of grain, most of which is traded to Cairhien. Fishing is another common occupation because of the wealth of in the Fingers of the Dragon, waterways leading from the River Erinin to the Sea that are in complete Tairen control. No ship may pass in or out through them without a Tairen pilot aboard.
The city of Tear is a giant fortress. The inner city is protected by high walls of grey stone. The finer houses and palaces are found inside the walls, and all the streets are paved with stones. Outside the walls is the port district called the Maule, and the warehouse district called the Chalm. Both contain inns and shops that cater to the sailors. The streets are unpaved, and always deep with mud. To deal with the mud, anyone wishing to walk through the outer city must go barefoot or wear a special raised-platform wooden shoe called a clog.
Tairen fashion is a little unique compared to other nations, because unlike the other nations, the dress of the nobles is very different from that of commoners, no doubt in an attempt to further the unique Tairen belief that commoners are actually lesser beings.
Tairen lords wear colourful coats of padded silks and brocades with puffy sleeves, sometimes coloured in stripes. Their breeches are tight to show a well-muscled leg to best advantage, and are often brightly coloured. In contrast, common men wear baggy breeches, usually tied at the ankle, and held up by a brightly coloured sash. Some wear coats, but unlike the lords, theirs are long and dark, fitting tightly to the wearer’s arms and chest, and then becoming wider below the waist. Sometimes shoes or boots are worn, but more often bare feet or clogs, the elevated shoes are preferred. Most common men wear cloth caps that hang to one side of their face, or wide straw hats.Noble ladies of Tear wear long dresses with necklines cut to bare shoulders and even considerable bosom. Silk is, of course, the material of preference and the dresses often have lace ruffs and a tiny matching cap. Tairen widows wear white, though some have been known to don the colour while their dying husband is still alive. No lady is ever without her tiny porcelain bottle of smelling salts.
Common women cannot afford silk, or the long dresses that would be ruined in the mud of the Maule. Their dresses have chin-high collars, and ankle-high hems. The dresses often have pale-coloured aprons, usually in a combination of two or three of progressively larger size. Each smaller than the one beneath! Hats are dyed to match the aprons, with wide brims.And that is Tairen fashion! As homework I’d like you to please make a list of differences between the Tairen Nobles and Commoners. Please be sure to use the sources provided, as well as any others of your own!
Again, here are the links:
WoT Concordance - http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Corridor/2451/wotc.txt
Illustrated WoT Worldbook - http://www.fantasyalternative.org/wot/world/worldbook.html
Cairhien
Altara Tarabon
The Borderlands
Arad Doman and Murandy Illian and Mayene The Atha'an Miere The Ogier
