7
Jiana: 2005-05-03
I don't remember which book it was in, and also, at least two of my books have fallen completely apart due to overuse :), so I can't find quotes or remember exactly when Moridin appeared. Has Moridin made any direct references to encourage belief that he is Ishamael transmigrated? If he has not, what about: Moridin is a new Forsaken, i.e., NOT one of the original thirteen... and Shaidar Haran? Hand of the Dark? Ishamael, originally a.k.a. Baalzamon, or Heart of the Dark, demoted after his failure at Falme, transmigrated into the body of a Myrddraal. Demoted from Heart to Hand in other words. All of the Forsaken who have failed the DO have been demoted... they are not as strong as they used to be, nor do they stand as high as they once did. Why not the same for Ishamael?
8
Callandor: 2005-05-03
**Has Moridin made any direct references to encourage belief that he is Ishamael transmigrated? If he has not, what about: Moridin is a new Forsaken, i.e., NOT one of the original thirteen... and Shaidar Haran? Hand of the Dark? Ishamael, originally a.k.a. Baalzamon, or Heart of the Dark, demoted after his failure at Falme, transmigrated into the body of a Myrddraal. Demoted from Heart to Hand in other words. All of the Forsaken who have failed the DO have been demoted... they are not as strong as they used to be, nor do they stand as high as they once did. Why not the same for Ishamael?**
Moridin is Ishamael transmigrated.
WoT FAQ:
**Why are we sure that Moridin is Ishamael returned from the grave?
[John Novak]
Evidence from ACOS:
It is fairly obvious from multiple references that Moridin is a reincarnated Forsaken. He makes many references to the Age of Legends as though he were there. He has personal knowledge of the other Forsaken. His sobriquet translates to 'Death.'
Aginor and Balthamel, though reincarnated, are accounted for as Osan'gar and Aran'gar respectively. Be'lal and Rahvin were balefired, and as such are beyond the Dark One's ability to restore. Asmodean, in Robert Jordan's own words, is roadkill. Sammael, though apparently dead, did not die until well after the introduction of Moridin in the narrative. No other male Forsaken have been killed in action. (And from [TPOD: 2, Unweaving, 81], we know that Moridin is and was male, since he remarks that he would be able to use an angreal tuned to saidin.)
The Toxic Twins (Aginor and Balthamel) were recycled, and all they did to merit it was getting killed at the Eye of the World. Ishy kept the faith alive for 3000+ years, AND kept the other Forsaken somewhat in line before he died. Surely, that merits some consideration in the "bring back from the dead" competition; Ishy was overdue for a reappearance. Ishamael had been a particularly loyal servant of the Dark One, as well as the most effective. If any of the thirteen would deserve reincarnation, it would be Ishamael, for he seemed not only to serve the Dark One, but to serve him faithfully. It is likely that Ishamael knew that the Dark One's plans were not for conquest but for total destruction, and still he served. (In the AOL, he "called for the complete destruction of the old order-- indeed, the complete destruction of everything" [Guide: 5, The Dark One and the Male Forsaken, 51].)
Moridin uses the True Power to the exclusion of the One Power. In fact, he uses it for "routine" things for which the OP would be fine: like picking up chess pieces, balefire, and Traveling. The True Power, according to Moghedien, is used only extremely rarely, even by the Forsaken. Of the original Forsaken, Ishamael is the only one who we've seen use the TP.
Both Moridin and Ishamael display strange visual effects about their eyes. Moridin has the saa, while Ishamael had those odd bursts of flame. It has been speculated that the flames are an advanced version of the saa, or that the flames were a method to disguise the saa.
Evidence from TPOD:
The Prologue of TPOD is particularly revealing.
1. Moridin's blank-faced servants are identical to Ishamael's servants from the prologue of TGH. Similarly, the chamber in which he sits contains a fire that gives no heat and consumes no logs. It has no physical means of egress. This is identical in tone to the description given of Ishamael's chambers through TEOTW and TGH.
2. (Also in the Prologue) while Moridin is musing over his re-creation of an historical game of sha'rah, it becomes extremely clear that the game is a metaphor for the struggle between the Dark One and the rest of the world, with Rand (or the Dragon) embodied in the Fisher piece. One can win either by controlling and moving the Fisher piece to a particular location, or by allowing your opponent to hold the Fisher and leaving him only legal moves which similarly result in victory for you. The style of the game parallels Ishamael's actions through the first three volumes very well, always manipulating Rand even though he was in the hands of other powers. The final method of victory is simply to be the last man standing. Moridin muses that he had only attempted that strategy once, with very painful results. This is almost certainly a metaphorical reference to his desperate assault on Rand at the end of TDR, the painful results being his own physical death.
3. The final observation from the prologue of TPOD is that Moridin becomes angry as he muses over the fact that he does not understand the origins of the name or the traditional shape of the Fisher piece on the game board. He becomes angry because he regards that knowledge, likely lost from some previous turning of the Wheel, as his right. Ishamael is the only other villain to worry seriously over events from other cycles, as he asserts in the prologue of TEOTW that he and Lews Therin have fought again and again since the beginning of time. According to [Guide: 5, The Dark One and the Male Forsaken, 50], Ishamael believed "the war between the Shadow and the soul of Lews Therin had gone on since the Creation, an endless war between the Great Lord of the Dark and the Creator using human surrogates."
4. In [TPOD: 2, Unweaving, 81], Moridin notes several modern developments of the Aes Sedai and other channelers which had been unknown and/or considered impossible in the Age of Legends. Among them, he lists the Warder bond and notes that he had known about that for a long, long time. Of all the Forsaken, only Ishamael could possibly have known about the Warder bonds for more than a few years, since only Ishamael had been active at all since the Strike at Shayol Ghul. ~This piece of evidence alone proves that Moridin is Ishamael.~
Objections to the Moridin/Ishamael theory from before TPOD included the suggestion that Ishamael did not work well behind the scenes and that Ishamael might be expected to exert more influence on the remaining Forsaken. However, since we now know the general shape of Ishamael's activities during his rare periods of activity (as hinted at throughout the series and almost spelled out in the Guide) as well as his care in creating a cell structure for the Black Ajah, it is clear that Ishamael excels at behind the scenes manipulations.
Furthermore, in TPOD, it becomes clear that Moridin is indeed exerting more direct control over the remaining Forsaken. In ACOS, he takes direct control of Moghedien through one mindtrap, and is known to control another. In TPOD, it is revealed that 'Cyndane' (Lanfear reincarnated) is the other mindtrap victim.
It is also clear that Moridin and Shaidar Haran are cooperating. In [ACOS: 25, Mindtrap, 417], it is Shaidar Haran who delivers Moghedien to Moridin, and Moridin who controls her mindtrap. In [TPOD: 12, New Alliances], it is Moghedien and Cyndane (both under Moridin's control) who visit Graendal to tell her to accept Moridin as Nae'blis. Shaidar Haran later appears to convince her.
So we have three Forsaken under Moridin's control, which alone is significant. Extrapolating this pattern, we also note that when Aginor and Balthamel return as Osan'gar and Aran'gar in LOC, it is Shaidar Haran who first greets them. It is not at all unlikely that they also encountered Moridin offstage sometime thereafter. If true, this would place five Forsaken directly under his control.
Evidence from WH:
By WH, Moridin appears to have most or all of the remaining Forsaken leashed. Though Mesaana and Semirhage were not present at the Coffee Hour, it's clear that Mesaana, at least, has seen Cyndane. Moridin also expected Mesaana to be present, all of which implies that Mesaana was "gathered in" much the same way Graendal and, we presume, Demandred and the 'gars were. (Mesaana's encounter with Shaidar Haran in COT confirms this.)
Demandred certainly seems to think Moridin is Ishamael:
"'The Great Lord is sure you are all faithful,' Moridin announced, striding in as though he were the Great Lord himself. He had often seemed to believe he was, and the boy's face he wore now had not changed that." [13, Wonderful News, 316]
Who played at being Ba'alzamon for the first three books? That's right, Ishy did.
Moridin also likes to torture rats. Who else liked to kill rats? That's right, Ishy did. [Billy Todd]
Demandred also wonders about how to make sure Moridin doesn't get a new body ~the next time around.~**
Moridin's identity as Ishamael is just an open secret.
