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Yrael is the eighth of the Nine Bright Shiners. In The Beginning, Yrael chose neither to take a stance against Orannis nor to work with him, fearing some part of him would be lost either way, and went into hiding instead. The Seven, who would bind Orannis, first found and bound Yrael in the form of Mogget to forever serve the Abhorsen: both as punishment for his neutrality, and perhaps also to protect Life as they had already done to so many other dangerous Free Magic creatures, as Yrael would be the only Bright Shiner remaining at full strength and he had already expressed his indifference to the welfare of living things.[1]

Yrael, though bound for most of the books, still has the ability to shapeshift into many different forms: one, his usual appearance, a small white cat. Others are a small albino man with sharp teeth, a taste for fish, and incredible strength; and, in a seeming merging of the first two, a dwarf-creature with fine white fur all over his body.

Collar2

Mogget's collar with tremendously strong binding Charter Marks, complete with a miniature Free Magic necromantic bell.

When in the form of Mogget the cat, he wears a binding red leather collar with a miniature Saraneth bell in Sabriel, Terciel & Elinor, and Clariel: The Lost Abhorsen; Ranna in Lirael and Abhorsen; and is unbound by any collar or bell in Goldenhand.

When in the form of the albino, who has a name (Moregrim) not revealed in the trilogy, he wears a white robe capable of cleaning itself (in Abhorsen, the robe had blood spilled on it, which then disappeared as he walked away) and a red sash about his waist, which also has a miniature bell hanging from it. The albino has hands, and Mogget used his hands to stop the bell from sounding in order to catch up with the journeying Lirael, Sameth ,and Disreputable Dog, and to use the "second chance" Astarael had given him.

Yrael was released at Orannis's second binding by Sameth, to allow him to choose again with whom he would side. He chose to join the binders, as he had come to value many aspects of Life, and stood against Orannis to bind him anew.

After the binding of the Destroyer, Yrael was released from his servitude and had all his powers and memories fully restored using the bell Belgaer, the Thinker. He chose to go north.

Bell Sound[]

As Yrael has no bell named after him which has a fragment of his power, he sings at the second Binding of Orannis instead, as all the Seven sang during the first binding.

Trivia/Theories[]

  • Yrael is both freed by the advocate for Belgaer (Sam) and by its bell counterpart.
  • As Orannis, the Ninth Bright Shiner, was also the most powerful, it's possible the other Shiners are listed in terms of power. That would make Yrael the second-most-powerful Shiner and give more meaning to both his previous neutrality and ultimate opposition to Orannis.
  • Yrael is currently the strongest unbound Free Magic entity in the world. It is unknown if he's chosen a mission or purpose beyond his own enjoyment; in Goldenhand, Sabriel seemed concerned of this and whether she might have to rebind him. However, his friendship with Sameth seems true, allying him with Life, for now.
  • Yrael and Orannis are the only two Shiners confirmed to be male.


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