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Where did Artur Hawkwing come from?

Contributed by: Emma Pease, John Novak

Artur Hawkwing might have originated in Tear. (Or at least in the area presently known as Tear.) Why?

• The symbol of Tear is three crescent moons. A symbol of the Seanchan (descendents of Hawkwing's armies) is nine moons.
• Artur hated Aes Sedai. The rulers of Tear hate Aes Sedai. Not much as a fair number of people do but Tear has a law against channeling which is more than any country except Amadicia.
• Tear had a king before Artur but doesn't after. Perhaps they chose no king because no king could live up to what Artur did.
• The Mayene firsts claim to be descendants of Artur. Perhaps a bit of a stretch but Mayene may have been part of Artur's original lands and after his death his surviving heirs retreated to it (as a place where they had many supporters) and split off from Tear. Hence one of the reasons the Tairen high lords are so intent on regaining Mayene is that they consider it part of Tear. We know that Mayene did not exist as a separate country before the 100 years war.
• Tear has never fallen yet Artur ruled all the land between the sea and the spine. One way would be if he ruled Tear not by conquest but by right of birth or election if the Tairen high lords elected a king from among their numbers just as lords of the land were raised to be high lords when a high lord died. Note also that Seanchan were also promoted to being lords without necessarily a blood right.
• Tear and Seanchan are the only countries who use the title "High Lord."