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Wild Power was a religious informational manual written by Mother Talzin of the Nightsister coven of the Witches of Dathomir, detailing their magic, mythology, culture, history, and role in the galaxy. Published sometime between 22 BBY and 20 BBY, it consisted of at least 31 pages split up into a total of 12 sections. The book would eventually come into the hands of the Dathomirian Asajj Ventress, a Sith assassin and former member of the Nightsisters who was taken at birth. After rising to power, the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Sidious would obtain several pages of the manual in 18 BBY and include it in his own book, the Book of Sith, a collection of historical writings relating to the use and history of the dark side of the Force. In 24 ABY, the book would come into the possession of Jedi Luke Skywalker who just like Asajj, would write comments in the collection's various books, including Wild Power.

Publication

Sometime between 22 BBY and 20 BBY,^[2] Wild Power was written by Talzin, the Mother and shaman of the Nightsisters coven of the Witches of Dathomir, on the planet Dathomir. It contained at least 31 pages and twelve sections. Sometime between 21 BBY and 20 BBY,^[3] the Nightsister and former Sith assassin Asajj Ventress wrote comments in the book, comparing Talzin's teachings with those of her old master, Count Dooku.^[1] In 18 BBY,^[4] the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Sidious sent one of his Inquisitors to Dathomir to capture Force-sensitive slaves. The Inquisitor discovered several of the manual's pages and brought them back to Sidious who included the pages in his Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side, a collection of writings dealing with the dark side of the Force. Upon the addition of Talzin's manual, Sidious made his own set of commentaries on his views of the Force and its similarities and differences to the Nightsisters' mythology. In 24 ABY, Jedi Master Luke Skywalker found the Book of Sith in the Emperor's storehouse in Mount Tantiss on the^[1] planet^[5] Wayland. Skywalker included a final set of comments, relating Talzin's writing with his own experiences with the Nightsisters. In Sidious' introduction to the book, Luke wrote that he was unable to date the writing of the book to any specific year, knowing only that it was written during the Clone Wars,^[1] which took place from 22 BBY to 19 BBY.^[6]

Overview

The Writings of the Nightsisters

The first section, titled "The Writings of the Nightsisters," served as an introduction for the book. Talzin started by ensuring her fellow sisters that although they may be provided to the powerful for service throughout the galaxy, they would always remain Nightsisters. She urged them not to forget what Dathomir had given them. She stated that of all the religions of the galaxy, the only correct one was the mythology preached by Allya, an exiled Jedi and founder of the Witches of Dathomir. In one paragraph, Talzin explained her role as the Shaman of the Nightsisters and as Clan Mother. She commented on a shaman's ability to witness the world of the Spirits, supernatural beings in Nightsister mythology. This was accompanied with an illustration of a Nightsister Shaman, with the caption "A Shaman Possesses Sight That Perceives Two Worlds At Once." Talzin wrote her testimony as written below:^[1]

Source: Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side

The spirits first called upon me as I lay cold and trembling, struck with a fatal affliction while birthing my first daughter. It was at that moment, suspended between life and death and bathed in the light of Dathomir's four moons, that I saw clearly the matching landscapes of both realms. It was then that I grasped how living beings are but fleshy physical shadows of their spirits and that spirits live on after their flesh has been cast aside. I passed the challenge. The spirits restored my health, and I willingly became their conduit.

Another illustration was provided showcasing the Spirits bestowing their blessings onto a Nightsister. The section included several notes, Asajj Ventress wrote a note stating that her former Jedi Knight Ky Narec, Count Dooku, and the people of the planet Rattatak where she grew up, did not believe in the Spirits. She wrote: "In my eagerness to become something other than I am, I fear I have forgotten the truth of my childhood." Luke Skywalker mentioned that throughout all his time on Dathomir, he had never gotten an in-depth view on the religion of the witches. He spoke on the Nightsister's devotion to their beliefs even during their servitude.^[1]

The Living Force and the Dark Side

In the second section, titled "The Living Force and the Dark Side," Talzin discussed and stated her views on the use of certain terms related to what she referred to as the "work of the spirits," and known to other groups as "The Force." She zoned in on the use of two sets of terms used by the Jedi and Sith. The first being the "Unifying Force" and "Living Force," and the second being the "Light side of the Force" and "Dark side of the Force." She stated that the terms were not necessary because they were all spiritual manifestations of the Twin Deities, two powerful beings in Nightsister mythology. Talzin used the comparisons of nature and survival to express her beliefs. Luke Skywalker commented that balance and nature could coexist in nature, and that the issue with the dark side was that it lead to a lust for power. Talzin briefly elaborated on the power gifted to the Nightsisters by The Twins, who she identifies as the Winged Goddess and Fanged God. His first comment in the book, Darth Sidious stated his belief that the Nightsisters never reached their full galactic potential because they were devoted to various paths through their refusal to name the dark side of the Force.^[1]

The History of Dathomir

The third section of the book, titled "The History of Dathomir," acted as the first of two historical sections. Talzin focused on several civilizations and empires that were drawn to Dathomir in order to prove that the planet was the greatest in the galaxy. She began with the ancient Kwa,^[1] a species of blue humanoids who established a great empire.^[7] Talzin believed that the Kwa held the favor of the Spirits, but neglected it once they built their Infinity Gates,^[1] devices which allowed them to transport across the galaxy.^[1] Because of this, Talzin believed that the Spirits called upon the Rakatan Empire to demolish them and return them to a more primitive and animal state as shown through the Rhoa Kwi. Accompanying this paragraph was an illustration of the ruins of an Infinity Gate on the^[1] Dathomirian moon^[8] Korotas. In response, Sidious noted that while dormant, the Infinity Gates were still active. He recalled an event,^[1] in 31 BBY,^[9] when the Nightsisters led by Mother Zalem^[10] tried to reactivate them. He stated that he had plans to utilize the devices for his Galactic Empire. Talzin continued with the Paecian Empire and Sith, noting that the Paecians settled and had children, and that the Sith established various Sith academies on the planet.^[1]

Writing about the story of her people, Talzin told the story of the exiling Allya, and how she trained the women of the planet in magicks. She provided an illustration of Allya's arrival of Dathomir. Speaking further of the Jedi, she mentioned the crashing of the Jedi praxeum ship Chu'unthor on Dathomir, claiming that the Jedi Master Yoda fled. Luke wrote that he was told the story differently, stating that the clan Yoda encountered was the Singing Mountain Clan, not the Nightsisters, and that Yoda negotiated with Mother Rell and left in peace. Talzin then closed with a mention of when she unified the Nightsisters into one clan after Zalem was defeated. Ventress made a small comment, explaining how she was given by the Nightsisters to the pirate Hal'Sted, and questioned if that was truly the "will of the Spirits."^[1]

The History of the Nightsisters

The fourth section of the book, titled "The History of the Nightsisters," was the second of two historical sections as Talzin zeroed in on the specific history of the Nightsisters. Talzin states her belief that the Nightsisters are favored people of the Spirits, stating that they must respect the members of their clan and must not be burdened by technology. Talzin wrote her disappointment with other witches:^[1]

Source: Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side

The writings of Allya teach that those who choose ignorance will never know greatness, and those who fear death will never achieve power. But after Allya's death, some of her daughters—perhaps weakened by the Jedi blood in their veins—added to Allya's words by introducing "good" and "evil." They claimed Allya had espoused this blasphemy during the last moments of her life. These witches called this altered text the Book of Law.

According to Talzin, the Nightsisters were formed from a group of witches who rejected the altered text and were banished as a result. The Nightsisters restored the text to its original form and renamed it from the Book of Law to the Book of Shadows. She continued by stating that previously, there had been several Nightsister clans, until she united the sisters into one singular clan. On the same page, Sidious wrote a comment stating his plans to build an orbital base above Dathomir for use in his Galactic Empire. On the next page, a Clan Mother was illustrated receiving the wisdom of the Book of Shadows through the Spirits. Talzin continued by stating that the males of the planet lacked the ability to harness the abilities of the Winged Goddess and Fanged God. She believed that the males were simple and more beast-like, but deserved honor. Talzin wrote that while previous clans had integrated their males as servants or slaves, the Nightbrothers were kept as warriors who spent their lives training within their village. Ventress believed that the Nightbrothers were adequate fighters, but could learn much more under the tutelage of the Nightsisters instead of in isolation.^[1]

The Winged Goddess

Following was the fifth section of the book, titled "The Winged Goddess."

The Fanged God

Talismans and Totems

Beasts of Dathomir

Nature's Vigor

Training a Warrior

Instruction and Transformation

Competing Dark Side Traditions

Behind the scenes

Sources

• Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side (First mentioned)

Notes and references

External links

• Daniel Wallace's Geekosity — Endnotes for Star Wars: Book of Sith (part 4) on Blogspot (backup link)

[[Category:Nightsister culture]] [[Category:Religious codes and documents]]