Ishamael
Ishamael is one of the primary antagonists of the
Wheel of Time fantasy series by
Robert Jordan. He is one of the
Forsaken. His name is an altered version of the Biblical name "Ishmael", the illegitimate son of Abraham to one of his wife's maids, although there is no clear meaning behind using the name, other than that Ishmael was "a wild-man" whose "hand would be against every man, and every man's hand against him".
Elan Morin Tedronai was a
philosopher and
theologian during the
Age of Legends, writing many books including "Analysis of Perceived Meaning", "Reality and the Absence of Meaning" and "Disassembly of Reason". He had dark, penetrating eyes and a commanding presence; his voice had the air of both reason and command. When the hole was made in the Dark One's prison, he looked at events critically, rather than despairing. Being a theoretician, he came to believe that the struggle between the Creator and the
Dark One were not new to this world; they had, in fact, existed since the dawn of time in a
cycle, using human pawns as champions. He believed that the Dark One would be the winner and unmake the Wheel of Time, and so became one of the first
Chosen by convincing himself of the logic of such a move.
He became the Dark One's champion, as his powers were equal to
Lews Therin Telamon's. He declared his allegiance to the Shadow at a conference of
Aes Sedai, arguing that the Light was the losing side. As he was a
celebrity, his proclamation sparked riots. It was the masses who gave him his new name:
Ishamael, Betrayer of Hope. During the
War of Power he did not hold any military commands; however, he was defeated by Lews Therin at the gates of Paaren Disen.
An interesting phenomenon occurred when Ishamael was sealed with the other Forsaken inside the Dark One's prison at
Shayol Ghul. Many people theorize that he was only half sealed, (in contrast to
Aginor and
Balthamel who were merely sealed too close to the edge, and thus susceptible to the passage of time), and his soul was allowed to be released in the world from time to time. This theory is disproved for the fact that at the beginning of The Eye of the World, Ishamael came to Lews Therin Telamon in his body
after Lews had put the seal on the Dark One's prison (you know this because Ishamael speaks of it in past tense). Which shows that he was not at Shayol Gul when the other Forsaken were bound. The leading expert on this theory was Aran son of Malan, an
Ogier historian, who deduced that Ishamael was "spun out" from the prison on multiples of forty years. It is believed that Ishamael was responsible for every major crisis since the Breaking, including the Trolloc Wars and the War of the Hundred Years, as well as the founding of the
Black Ajah. In FY 973 he came to
Artur Hawkwing's court posing as Jalwin Moerad, and became his top advisor, wrecking the empire Hawkwing had built. He advised Hawkwing to dismiss all Aes Sedai from his service, lay siege to
Tar Valon, send his armies across the oceans, and to refuse
Aes Sedai healing at his deathbed. Tamika, Artur's wife, did not trust Moerad, who frequently disappeared for long periods of time. Anyone who questioned him disappeared. Also, it is said he was half mad, which Ishamael was later shown to be. Jalwin disappeared after roughly 40 years, supporting Aran's theory.
In a memory seen by
Rand al'Thor in
Rhuidean, an Aes Sedai suspects at the Breaking that Ishamael isn't fully bound, or perhaps was never bound at all.
The long years and the strain of being torn between the world and a possibly endless sleep seem to have driven Ishamael insane; in addition, he was one of the privileged few that the Dark One allowed to touch the
True Power, a raw source of energy akin to the
One Power but emanating directly from the Dark One, and in some ways more powerful. Use of this gift was even more addictive than
saidar or
saidin however, and it drove users mad before they died. In any case, Ishamael came to believe that he was part of the eternal struggle between the Dragon and the Shadow, and that he had been a part of that struggle not only in the Age of Legends, but throughout time. He may have honestly believed that he
was the Dark One somehow; in any case, he came to be known by the Trollocs and other
Shadowspawn as
Ba'alzamon, "Heart of the Dark" in the Trolloc tongue. They believed, due to his appearance and leadership when all of the Forsaken were supposed to be bound and sealed, and so through them, the world came to believe that Ba'alzamon was the Trolloc name for the Dark One as well.
After his permanent release from the Dark One's prison in NE 997, he hunted
Rand al'Thor relentlessly, wounding him at
Falme. He was finally brought to bay and defeated by the use of the
sa'angreal sword Callandor in the Heart of the Stone of
Tear; it was only at that time that Rand learned that Ba'alzamon, his sworn enemy and persecutor for the first three books, was not in fact the Dark One but Ishamael, and that his battle against the Shadow had only just truly begun.
It is believed that Ishamael was later resurrected as Moridin, which means "death" in the Old Tongue and is close to his previous name Elan Morin; he was given the title of
Nae'blis by the Dark One effectivly naming him his regent on the Day of the Return , the coveted position that sets him above the other
Forsaken. He controls
Cyndane and
Moghedien through the use of
mindtraps, and has started to consolidate the power of the Shadow under his command, as he once did as Ba'alzamon. Other Chosen say of him that now he is even madder than before, though he has much more control over himself.
