Stole of the Amyrlin Seat

The Stole of the Amyrlin Seat is one of the symbolic items of regalia worn by the Amyrlin Seat. It is a long strip of silk, about "a hand wide" that the Amyrlin wears over her dress, that traditionally contains seven bands of color, one for each Ajah. Robert Jordan confirmed the order of these colors for the New Spring graphic novel:

• Blue
• Green
• Yellow
• Red
• White
• Gray
• Brown

These colors are also repeated on the hems of the dresses of Accepted in the White Tower.

The size of the stole is a mystery. It is generally described as "broad," in contrast to the "narrow" stole of the Keeper of the Chronicles. Egwene al'Vere can store the stole in her belt pouch. Elaida do Avriny a'Roihan's stole is "wide enough to cover her shoulders." Perhaps, like the width of the Keeper's stole, the width of the Amyrlin's is based at least partly on personal preference.

Variants

Just after the coup, Elaida is seen wearing the traditional seven-striped stole. However, she clearly resented the Blue Ajah and appeared in dreams wearing a six-striped stole with no blue stripe on three occasions. It is not clear when she made this a reality, but she is noted as wearing the six-striped version by Alviarin Freidhen on her return from Tremalking and by Tarna Feir after Alviarin's replacement. Around the same time, the disbanding of the Blue Ajah was first mentioned. It's possible that the declaration of war by Egwene al'Vere in Murandy towards the end of The Path of Daggers was a precipitating event that caused such an irrevocable rift that Elaida could make her dreams a reality.

In contrast, Egwene and the rebel faction continued to represent all seven Ajahs by using the original seven-striped version, despite having no Red sisters supporting their cause. It is part of a running theme of Egwene pursuing unity and inclusion rather that Elaida's division and exclusion, and she potentially makes it a symbol of that difference.

Notes