Hero Profile: Moiraine Damodred

Be vewy, vewy quite. She's hunting dwagons, hahahaha

Okay, so we’ve covered the first few episodes of The Wheel of Time, and Lan this month, let’s move onto Moiraine. Moiraine Damodred is the Gandalf of this series, though she does make a few more mistakes than the Maia in human form did. An Aes Sedai of the Blue Ajah from the royal family of Cairhien, she’s pretty much the most Aes Sedai in terms of obfuscating. But more on that later. Let’s get to it, shall we?

 

Hail the Queen, baby.

Moiraine Damodred was born and spent most of her formative years in the royal palace of Cairhien. Her father, Dalresin, was a scholar at heart and was something of the odd one out of the Damodred family. She is the youngest child of her family, having two elder full sisters Anvaere and Innloine, and an eldest half-brother, Taringail. Things changed when she was sixteen and discovered that she had the power to channel. She was taken to the White Tower and trained as an Aes Sedai. She met and formed a strong relationship with Siuan Sanche, daughter of a fishing family from Tear. When I say “strong” I mean the books imply they were BFFs that used to “comfort” each other during difficult times at the tower, but nearly everyone I’ve ever spoken to has read them as lovers up to and beyond their times as Novices and Accepted. But what are you going to do?

 

Moiraine spend the next six years in training, advancing to Accepted in three years and then again to Aes Sedai in the second three years. She and Siuan were notorious for pulling pranks on their fellow Novices and Accepted, with Siuan being the “leader” between the two of them, something that was weird for Moiraine at first, but she learned to roll with it. Things took a turn for her about a week before her advancement. She and Siuan were chosen to attend on the Amyrlin Seat and the Keeper of the Chronicle. They had a bit of trouble focusing, as the Battle of the Blood Snow, the final battle of the Aiel War, was raging outside the tower. Things were calm in the office, until the Keeper, Gitara Moroso, was struck with a foretelling, a prediction the near future. She predicted the rebirth of the Dragon, the man that broke the world 3000 years ago, the shock of which killed her. Moiraine and Siuan were sworn to secrecy and sent on their way.

 

If you like Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, you can't
complain that Rosemund Pike is taller than the 
character she portrays.

The two spent the next week practicing for their final test and compiling names for the potential Dragon Reborn. The Amyrlin Seat sent all the Accepted to collect the names supposedly to celebrate the end of the war and reward the soldiers and their families, but really to find the Dragon. They initially collected names directly, but were swapped over to recopying all the names when the higher ups thought she needed to grieve for her uncles whom had been killed. She really didn’t, though, as Laman and the other Damodreds were pretty terrible people.

 

Ten days, or a Third Age week, later, she and Siuan were assessed and then raised to the full Aes Sedai sisters. They did the final ceremony in lock step, which was almost unheard of. Almost at once, Siuan was pulled in to be the apprentice spymaster for the Blue Ajah, and Moiraine was put in charge of distributing the bounty the old Amyrlin wanted to issue for the births. This was actually busy work, though, as the Sisters were planning to force Moiraine to put her name forward to inherit the Sun Throne of Cairhien. When she realized this was inevitable, she took her copy of the list of possible Dragons and ran for it.

 

She was dead set against becoming the Queen of Cairhien, as the last Queen Damodred was more… Bloody Mary than Elizabeth the second, if you know what I mean. The Aes Sedai had been really pushing for it, though, as there hadn’t been a full Sister as a Queen in several thousand years and they really wanted to break that streak.

 

On a road trip with her BBF for 20 years.

She spent the next few months searching for The Dragon but coming up short. Eventually she crossed paths with Lan Mandragoran, traveled with him to Candor, reunited with Siuan there only to find out that all of the sisters sent to secretly search for the Dragon were dead, discovered the existence of the Black Ajah, and ultimately bond Lan as her Warder. I know, heavy summary, but I covered this at length in my history post.

 

Eventually, she and Lan got a tip to search the isolated village of Emond’s Field in the Two Rivers. There she found not one, not two, but three Ta’Veren, all born within a week of Gitara’s prediction. While in town, she pretended to be some sort of visiting noble, and gave the three boys Tar Valon coins and insist they keep them safe. Unfortunately, she was only about twelve hours ahead of the Myrddraal and Trollocs that were sent to get the boys as well. Using her power, Lan’s sword and seer Two Rivers stubbornness, the Trollocs were driven off and she convinced the boys to seek shelter at the Tower. They also pick up the gleeman Thom Merrilin, and Rand’s sort-of Girlfriend Egwene al’Vere, who insisted on coming due to her own desire to have an adventure. There was a SLIGHT hick up were a mob formed outside the inn to try to force Moiraine away, but she got them to back off by telling them of their ancient history and the fall of Manetharan.

 

The group set out, riding all night and resting only briefly. Moiraine used her Channeling to “wash away the fatigue” of the animals and people, all save Rand’s mare Bella, whom Egwene was riding. She said the shaggy mare must have spirit. Odd. They cross the Tarren Ferry using the Ferry at the Tarren, Moiraine ultimately sinking the ferry to slow the Trollocs, and also creating a heavy mist up and down the river to confuse their pursuers. Over the following days, she takes Egwene away from their camp when it’s time to rest, giving her the basics of what it means to be a channeler. Two halves of the source, Gender Binary (I’ll talk about this someday), Female half Saidar is safe and good, Male half Saidin was tainted and kind of sucks now. She shows Egwene the she has the potential to be an Aes Sedai, and Ms. al’Vere jumps at the idea.

 

She embraces Saidar and F's S up!

They ride to the city of Baerlon, where they rest for a day, with the Wisdom of Emond’s Field, Nynaeve, catching up to them in the city. She and Moiraine fight over what’s best for the young people but come to a stalemate. Moiraine, ever sifting for information, asks probing questions about where the boys were born, but Nynaeve refuses to play ball. That night, there’s a dance where Moiraine blows all the boys minds by participating in it, but that’s ruined when a Fade attacks Rand. They beat a hasty retreat, exiting the city. Moiraine has to scare off a few Whitecloaks by using her powers to appear to grow to giant size. They spend the next few days running, the Trolloc chases getting closer and closer until there is a small skirmish with them. They kill the group, and Moiraine is forced to follow Lan’s suggestion to take them to Shadar Logoth to hide. She uses her Channeling to make a fake trail to distract the Fades and Trollocs for a while.

 

They arrive at the city, and Moiraine is so exhausted from using so much of the power, she passes out. This gives the boys enough time to slip off and get into trouble. When they get back, she explains the whole, evil history of how Aredhal fell and became Shadar Logoth. The story ends with Lan running in to tell them that Trollocs are in the city. They all run but are separated by Trollocs and by the killing mist Mashadar.

 

Moiraine and Lan regroup near the river, where Nynaeve finds them. When Lan goes off to fetch Nynaeve’s horse, she and Nynaeve have another confrontation, this time with Moiraine revealing that Nynaeve has the power to channel. And furthermore, that she could potentially be the strongest channeler in living memory. Keep in mind, channelers live centuries, so that is a LONG time. Moiraine reveals that she can track one of the boys, using the coin she gave them. The other two she can’t track as they gave up their coins for passage on a boat. She chooses to follow the two who she lost down river, as, ya know, it’s much harder to change course on a river boat on a river without tributaries.

 

So awkward to talk to your wife when your 
coworkers are watching.

They travel after the boys for several days, coming to the city of Whitebridge just behind the two that had been through there. Not having any more to go on, she takes her small party towards the one she can still track, hoping to get him and meet up with the other two at Caemlyn or Tar Valon. They track the boy, Perrin and bonus points find Egwene, held hostage by Whitecloaks. They’re able to free them and massively inconvenience the Whitecloaks, so win-win.

 

They make it to Caemlyn, meeting up with Rand and Mat. Seeing that one of her charges had been possessed by pure evil and uses her power and an Angreal to temporarily reduce Mat’s evil sickness symptoms, hopefully giving him enough time to get to Tar Valon and get him fully healed. She also hears from Mat, Rand, Perrin and their new friend Loial that the Eye of the World is in danger. They use Loial’s knowledge of the mysterious Ways to travel to the Borderland nation of Fal Dara to get to the Eye. They meet with an old friend of Lan and Moiraine’s, Lord Agelmar, at Fal Dara. He’s hopeful that they’re there to help stop a Trolloc offensive, but that obviously isn’t the case. They also find out someone followed them through the ways, the peddler Padan Fain. Moiraine interrogated him and found that he was a Darkfriend, and he’d been hunting the boys for the last few years. She asks Agelmar to hold him, and they set out.

 

Do. Not. Touch. The. Dagger.

They travel to the Blight and through Lan’s homeland of Malkier. They eventually find their way to the Greenman’s Grove, the hidden pocket dimension that the Eye was hidden in. The Grove’s Greenman shows them to the titular Eye, just before two of the Forsaken, Aginor and Balthamel attack. Lan hesitates between protecting Moiraine, his Aes Sedai, or Nynaeve, his love, and gets blasted for it. The Greenman sacrifices himself to kill Balthamel. Moiraine battles Aginor, but the power scale between her and the Forsaken is too great for her to overcome. The kids run off, which draws Aginor away, probably saving Moiraine’s life. When Rand returns, having defeated Aginor, his boss Ba’alzamon, and revealing himself to be the Dragon Reborn, Moiraine is using her powers to heal up Nynaeve. They return to Fal Dara, and Moiraine uses a trick to eavesdrop on Rand and Egwene resigning themselves to their futures and proclaims him the Dragon Reborn.

 

Moiraine Damodred is an Aes Sedai of the Blue Ajah. This means that she believes in championing causes, in justice, and is a fairly talented gatherer of information. She is an incredibly strong channeler, being considered one of the three strongest Aes Sedai active in the Tower at the Time. Along with her strength, she has Talents (basically specialization) in Sky Dancing (an affinity for manipulating the weather) and Healing, if she wasn’t talented before she gets plenty of practice in the next few years. She isn’t said to have a talent for illusions, but she does use them with enough skill that I think it counts. Like all modern Aes Sedai, she is bound by the three Oaths. A ter’Angreal called the Oath Rod is used to bind the oaths into an Aes Sedai’s flesh and bone, making them unable to break them. She can speak no word that is untrue, use the Power to make a weapon for one person to kill another, or use the One Power as a weapon unless in the last extreme of defending her life, her warder’s life or the life of another Sister. While she can’t say an outright lie, she did grow up in the palace of Cairhien, a country known for it’s love of Daes Dae’mar, the great game, or game of Houses. Stop right there, Jordan had 7 books published in his series before Martin published Game of Thrones, if anyone was copying homework, it was Martin. Regardless, Moiraine’s upbring ensured she’d be a master of the half truth and obfuscation regardless of if she went to the tower or not. She is more or less obsessed with finding the Dragon Reborn and seeing the Prophecies fulfilled.

 

Moiraine is being portrayed by Rosamund Pike for the Amazon Wheel of Time adaptation. Rosamund Pike is known for her roles in Gone Girl, Wrath of the Titans, Die Another Day, and Pride and Prejudice, amongst others. As far as I’m aware, she’s the biggest actor attached to this project. Her version of Moiraine, while significantly taller than her book counterpart, has been spot on with her ability to lie without lying, manipulate situations, and use her power to great effect. She’s also been shown to have a stupidly high pain tolerance, as she took a Trolloc dagger to her shoulder during Winternight and didn’t hit “too sick to move” territory until days later.

 

Moiraine is an amazing wizard to draw our Emond’s Fielders out of their sleepy village to go on a grand adventure. Mysterious, intelligent, able to lie without lying, powerful, and more than willing to sacrifice just about anything to make sure her goals were met. She has been obsessed with finding the Dragon Reborn for literally her entire adult life and seeing the world saved from impending doom. She goes so far as to tell the boys that if she thinks they’ll turn to the Shadow, she’ll kill them immediately, and I have no doubts on her ability to follow through on that threat. She’s a brilliant strategist, pretty much effortlessly using Nynaeve’s obvious hatred for her to her advantage on more than one occasion. Her power is great, her goal set, and her cause is literally saving all of creation, so the best cause one can have honestly. That’s Moiraine Damodred for ya. Next time, I’ll finally talk about the Eternals. 

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