Abby's Fabulous
PONDERINGS, PROPHECIES, and THEORIES of
Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time series

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The future of the Atha'an Miere  The futures of Perrin and Faile  The future of Elayne Trakand and Andor  Birgitte, Gaidal Cain, and Olver  The futures of Egwene Al'Vere and Gawyn Trakand  Asha'man  The sexy mystique of Galad Trakand  Theories and current status of the Forsaken  More plots of the Dark side  Tarmon Gai'don and the Wheel of Time 
My theories are researched up to WoT Book 10: Crossroads of Twilight.
I've stopped maintaining this part of my website, but it's so huge and extensive, you might find it interesting anyway. Many of these theories are still unresolved as of WoT Book 13. Yes, I still the read the series, of course! I have to find out how it ends.
If you have additional observations or theories, please contact me.  I might not respond, but I will read your email and file it away.

WARNING:  Major spoilers contained within.
Mazrim Taim is Demandred Reborn
or THE TRINITY THEORY

Yes, I know Demandred isn't dead yet, but let me explain!

In the WoT universe, people are reborn as the Wheel turns.  However, this is not as simple as saying that each person will die and be born again in 3,000 year intervals.  The current Forsaken were sealed inside the Bore, OUTSIDE the Pattern, so they did not die in the Age they should have died in.  Being trapped inside the Bore is apparently similar to a stasis box, where time does not pass.  Aginor and Balthamel were trapped close to the surface, so they aged.  This was made clear at the end of Vol.1.  We can infer that the rest of the Forsaken who stayed young-looking did not experience the passage of time at all (with the known exception of Ishamael, who seems above and apart from the rest).

The Forsaken have literally *forsaken* their place in the Pattern of the Wheel by *choosing* to serve the Dark One.  Meanwhile, the Wheel (or the Creator) has to cover its losses, right?  I theorize that the Pattern spits out a decent replacement person for each soul when it is needed, whether or not the predecessor is dead..
  1. Souls are basic archetypes of a person, rather than the sum of an individual's personality and memories.  The soul is a thread in the Pattern, or a character role.  The same thread / soul can be reborn as hundreds of different individual people.
  2. There is more evidence that two different people can share one soul, as long as both people fulfill the same role in the Pattern.
  3. Under extremely rare circumstances--for instance, spending 3,000 years outside of the Pattern--two people sharing one soul can live concurrently.  This would result in what I have dubbed THE TRINITY THEORY.

So there is THE TRINITY THEORY.  If it's correct, then many of the current Forsaken must have a replacement waiting in the wings.  The Wheel has woven on, and the Forsaken waited outside the Pattern while their new incarnations were born.  There will have to be a "Netweaver Reborn" and a "Daughter of the Night Reborn" and so on.  These new archetypes will be separate people, just as Rand is not really Lews Therin.
A Darkfriend named Howal Gode said, "It is written that when he [Dark One] awakes, the new Dreadlords will be there to praise him." (Four Kings in Shadow, Vol. 1)

Let me spew out a few examples:
  1. MAZRIM TAIM as Demandred reborn
    1. He is the most obvious candidate for a young and reborn Forsaken.  We know all the similarities between Taim and Demandred from the (now defunct) Taimandred theories.  Robert Jordan has said that Taim is not Demandred, yet fans can see that Taim is the Demandred archetype.  Taim will probably fulfill the envious role that Demandred played against Lews Therin.
    2. Taim must be working closely with a Forsaken, because he seems to know as much as they do.  He speaks the Old Tongue.  He knows how to test male channelers, he picks up on Traveling immediately, and more (I plan to supply quotes).
    3. As the "M'Hael" of the Black Tower, Taim can easily lead a new generation of Chosen Reborn against the Dragon Reborn.

  2. ALIVIA as Lanfear reborn
    1. When Alivia was first introduced, I was sure she was Lanfear, until she battled Cyndane (Lanfear) one on one.  Now we know that Alivia is not any one of current Forsaken.  So she's a good guy, right?  Maybe not.
    2. She recovered from 400 years of Seanchan slavery awfully fast, didn't she?
    3. What kind of a Seanchan pet name is "Alivia?"  That's a four-syllable name, unlike "Pura" or "Lidya."
    4. For such an extremely powerful damane, you'd think Alivia would been owned by the Empress, or at least by the High Blood.  But she was captured in a small battle, which indicates she was not highly valued.
    5. According to a Min viewing, Alivia will help Rand die.  That sounds like what Mierin (Lanfear) did to Lews Therin, when she accidentally drilled the Bore, and when she grew jealous of his love affair with Ilyena.
    6. Rand asks, "Have you had any viewings of her [Alivia], Min?"  Min replies, "All the time, but not the kind you mean, nothing I understand." (ch22, Vol.9) Min often understands her own viewings . . . except when she views a potential Darkfriend.
    7. Later Min says, "Rand, I like Alivia.  But she is going to kill you."  Rand replies, "Helping me die isn't the same as killing me. Unless you've changed your mind about what you saw."  It seems strange that Min would change her wording like that unless Robert Jordan is giving us some foreshadowing.  The fact that Min likes Alivia sounds similar to the relationship between Egwene and Halima.

  3. MALENA AYLAR as Moghedien or Semirhage reborn
    1. Like Sharina (see below), Malena played a role in Nynaeve's Accepted test.  The vision she appeared in stood for "what is," or the present time.  Malena was a new and wicked Wisdom in Emond's Field who showed up suddenly, took over the Women's Circle, and robbed Nynaeve of all authority.  But it was just a vision, right?  Well, Sharina has recently showed up in the story as an actual character. . . .
    2. Malena is an amazingly successful Wisdom, so she can probably channel.
    3. She is conniving and wicked enough to poison children in order to Heal them and make herself seem useful.
    4. She came from nowhere and specifically usurped Nynaeve's former position of authority.
    5. After Malena, only Moghedien has ever made Nynaeve so furious.
    6. Malena is described as "tall and scrawny," which also describes Semirhage.
    7. Conclusion:  If the Forsaken are being reborn, as I suspect, then Malena perfectly fits the requirements to be Moghedien or Semirhage reborn.  Now all she has to do is show up in the story!

  4. SHARINA MELLOY as Mesaana or Graendal reborn
    1. Sharina played the role of advisor to Nynaeve during her Accepted test, for "what will be," and now "Grandmother Sharina" has suddenly appeared in the story as a mega-powerful channeler.  I would think that any extremely powerful channeler would have the potential to become a powerful enemy.  There is no evidence for her being a Darkfriend.  Yet.

  5. SHAIDAR HARAN as Ishamael reborn and remade
    1. Shaidar Haran said, "When I speak, you may consider that you hear the voice of the Great Lord of the Dark." . . . "I am his hand in this world, Graendal.  When you stand before me, you stand before him." (New Alliances, Vol. 8)  Sound like Ishamael?  And don't forget that Moridin (Ishamael) was recently named Nae'blis.
    2. Shaidar Haran never commands Moridin.  This can be explained if Moridin and Shaidar Haran are aware of being two incarnations of the same soul.  They serve the Lord of the Grave, so they would know all about souls and reincarnation.
    3. There is evidence that Shaidar Haran uses the True Power, like Moridin.  When Graendal was visited by Shaidar Haran, "a ball of . . . something . . . appeared in the air, a dead black globe, but a silver light filled the room." (New Alliances, Vol. 8)
    4. Shaidar Haran, who was the first person to hold the mindtrap in Vol.7, tells Moghedien to close her eyes, and then throws her out of her prison.  Another person tells her to look.  She opens her eyes to see that she is in front of Moridin, who now holds her mindtrap.  What was she not supposed to see?  It might have something to do with the fact that she had been kept in a vacuole, or it's about the connection between Shaidar Haran and Moridin.

  6. What about the reborn incarnations of Sammael, Rahvin, Be'lal, Aginor, Balthemal, and the others?
    I submit that their reborn counterparts have not yet appeared in any obvious way.  It is also possible that the Pattern does not need exactly thirteen replacements.  This time around, perhaps only five new Forsaken are needed.  Alviarin Friedhen might be another incarnation of a Forsaken, although she doesn't closely match any of their personalities.


Date of theory post:  October 16, 2002
Refined:  November 18, 2003
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