The Great Power

The Great Power is the first of the nine powers of chantment, the greatest power of all, that which moves everything that is, and everything that is not. The Great Power is unknown and unknowable, the mystery that lies beyond understanding. It is the power behind the gods and chantment.

The Singer of All Songs was said to be the only mortal who could possess this power. In The Singer of All Songs, when Samis attempted to become the Singer of All Songs, he was thwarted before he could complete his invocation of the Great Power. Although he failed because of Trout, Darrow and Halasaa hypothesized that he would have failed regardless, because the Great Power would have consumed him, as he thought that he was greater than the Ancient Ones or the gods, and that he had conquered the powers of chantment. In The Tenth Power, after Calwyn has learned the other eight powers of chantment, Samis tells her that 'power flows through [her].' As she learned new chantments and strengthened her knowledge of the eight powers, she began to shine, and when she is finally recognized as the Singer of All Songs, Samis tells her that he can hardly look at her. On her journey back to Tremaris, people she passes believe her to be a falling star, an good omen for the future. When she reaches Tremaris, she is mistaken for the Goddess, Taris, who watches over the priestesses of ice. The High Priestess of Tremaris, who had known Calwyn before she became the Singer, recognized that she was not the Goddess, but she was also more than Calwyn. Therefore, Calwyn was able to use the Great Power, without realizing it, and the effects of the Great Power on her, as a mortal, were visible to others.