Lanfear
From A Wheel of Time Wiki
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| Lanfear | |
|---|---|
| Race | |
| Nationality | |
| Rank | Chosen |
| Title | |
| Position | |
| Occupation | |
| Affiliation | |
| Gender | Female |
| Born | |
| Died | |
| Height | |
| Build | |
| Hair | Black |
| Eyes | Black |
| First Mentioned | |
| First Appeared | TGH 16 |
Lanfear (Old Tongue: Daughter of the Night), formerly known as Mierin Eronaile, was one of the thirteen Forsaken trapped at Shayol Ghul due to the Dragon's sealing. She died in 999 NE when Moiraine pushed her into the doorway ter'angreal of the Eelfinn. Lately, however, a new Forsaken known as Cyndane (Old Tongue: Last Chance), has appeared. It is strongly implied that she is Lanfear reborn, though strangely she is somewhat weaker than Lanfear at her prime.
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[edit] Appearance
Lanfear was quite tall (a little more than a hand shorter than Rand al'Thor), and had smooth, ivory-pale skin with long black hair and black eyes. She wore a white dress, divided for riding, with a silver belt. Her boots also had silver worked onto them.[1]
She usually disguised her true face and age with the One Power. When masked, she looked about the age of Nynaeve al'Meara. In actuality she looked older, but not so much aged as more mature and riper.[2]
Her beauty was unparalleled, especially without her disguise.
She rode a tall white mare, with a white saddle that was silver mounted.
[edit] History
In the Age of Legends, Mierin Eronaile was a researcher at the Collam Daan, the huge floating university-sphere. When they were both young learners of the One Power, she was Lews Therin Telamon's lover. She was one of the strongest channelers of the time, as strong as a woman could be without aid.
But even though she was as strong in the Power as a woman could be, Mierin did not distinguish herself enough to earn the coveted third name. This presumably irked her, as she was quite power-hungry. Lews Therin himself eventually left her because she loved the prestige of being his lover more than she loved Lews Therin himself.
She was quite bitter over this, and made several blatant and public attempts to get him back from his wife Ilyena Therin Moerelle. Lews Therin, however, always rebuffed her advances, as he loved his wife and knew Mierin's character too well.
All changed when, in her research at the Collam Daan, she discovered an energy source, seemingly outside the Pattern, which could be tapped by both men and women equally, without the restrictions associated in the gender split of the True Source. Her Da'shain Aiel at the time was Charn.
The feats of the Age may have seemed legendary today, but the Aes Sedai of the time felt held back by the limits of saidar and saidin. With this new energy source, which could seemingly be tapped by both men and women equally, new and innovative things could be done, which could never have been done before.
However, it was sealed away, beyond reach from channelers of both sexes. With her research associate Beidomon, Mierin bored through the Pattern, and into the energy source so tantalizing - and straight through into the Dark One's prison.
The resulting release destroyed the Collam Daan in an explosion of black fire. The Bore had been created, and the effects the Dark One had on the world would affect society at its basest level, and cause the Collapse.
Somehow, though, Mierin survived. Sometime later, during either the collapse of society that followed, or the War of Power, she pledged her soul to the dark entity that she had released. She pledged partly due to the power she would receive from the Shadow, and partly because she wished to have Lews Therin once again.
Mierin proclaimed her loyalty to the Shadow in the Hall of Servants itself, and chose her own new name, the only Chosen to ever do so; Lanfear, the Daughter of the Night. During the War of Power, she was responsible for tormenting many through their dreams, using her mastery of Tel'aran'rhiod. Like Ishamael, she was responsible for many plots to convert Lews Therin to the Shadow. Never a general, she contributed much to the Shadow nonetheless.
When Lews Therin sealed the Bore, she was sealed too, into a dreamless sleep.
[edit] Release
After being released, Lanfear began hunting for Rand al'Thor, Lews Therin reborn. She tracked him by tracing the effects of his being ta'veren on the Pattern.
Lanfear spied on Rand al'Thor's party as they hunted for the Horn of Valere, and was responsible for sending him, Hurin, and Loial into another world via a Portal Stone. There, she appeared to him in her younger form, a woman in distress named Selene,[3] and was "rescued" by him from a herd of grolm. She led his party to another Portal Stone, and made him channel his way back to his world.
[edit] World of Dreams
Despite Moghedien's prowess in Tel'aran'rhiod, Lanfear has always claimed it as her own domain.
[edit] Mistress of Disguises
When she awoke from the seal, she immediately sought Rand al'Thor out as the Dragon Reborn, the reincarnation of her former lover. She came to him under the guise of Selene, a beautiful young woman, and sought to snare him by appealing to his strong desire to protect women who seem helpless. She often used her beauty to try and seduce Rand; she would constantly urge him to grasp glory and power, although he refused. She disappeared near Cairhien, where she claimed to be from, but re-appeared to both Perrin and Mat to try to seduce them with power and glory.
She also seems to have appeared to Rand several times in his dreams and confronts him in Tear telling him that he will be hers again.
She masqueraded as Else Grinwell in the White Tower, rebuffing Mat and providing information to Nynaeve, Elayne and Egwene about the belongings of the thirteen Black Ajah sisters. She also appeared as a haggard old woman named Silvie to Egwene in Tel'aran'rhiod in the Heart of the Stone and gave her information about Callandor.
She returned again, posing as a peddler in the Waste named Keille Shaogi, along with the Chosen Asmodean, who was posing as the gleeman named Jasin Natael. Shielding Asmodean after his battle with Rand at Rhuidean, she allowed him only to channel a trickle of saidin, enough to teach Rand to use the One Power. Later she teams up with Graendal, Sammael and Rahvin to try and turn Rand al'Thor to the Shadow. She confronts Rand at the end of The Fires of Heaven, meaning to kill him after his betrayal (discovering from Hadnan Kadere that he had slept with Aviendha). Moiraine tackled her while she was focusing on Rand, who, because he could not kill a woman, did not try to attack back, and they fell into the twisted redstone doorframe, which subsequently melted, apparently killing them both.
[edit] As Cyndane
Reincarnated by the Dark One, she is now Cyndane, which in the Old Tongue means "last chance". She was mind-trapped by Moridin and now travels with him and Moghedien, who is also trapped. Cyndane is the polar opposite of her former self. Whereas Lanfear was tall and beautiful with dark eyes and pitch black hair, Cyndane is short, if still pretty, with silver hair and blue eyes. Cyndane is not as strong in the One Power as Lanfear was.
This lack of strength is noted by Graendal when she and Moghedien bring Moridin's summons. Aran'gar also expresses doubt as to whether she is really Lanfear during an audience in Knife of Dreams.
Cyndane expresses the same hatred for Rand that Lanfear did at the time of her death. She also thinks to herself about previously offering to challenge the Dark One, and the Creator with him,[4] both things only Lanfear has done. She then thinks about how he has betrayed her by letting another woman use the Choedan Kal[4]. Finally she thinks to herself that Alivia is stronger that she herself was before the Aelfinn and Eelfinn held her, which means Alivia must have an An'greal because it isn't possible for a woman to be that strong without one,[4] and Lanfear is the only character described as "as strong as a woman can be".
[edit] Notes
