Forsaken

Forsaken
Stepin's carvings of the Forsaken
Overview
Type	Legendary channelers in service of the Shadow
Membership requirements	Chosen by the Dark One
Primary purpose	See the Dark One's victory
Portrayal
Appears in	The Wheel of Time (TV series)
Seasons	1
Debut	1.02 Shadow's Waiting
Status
Status	Partially reactivated
Cause of dissolution	Defeat at the end of the Age of Legends

The Forsaken are a group of legendary, infamous channelers who serve the Shadow.

To the Shadow, they are known as the Chosen, for the honor of being selected by the Dark One. To the Aiel, they are known as the Shadowsouled.

History

Age of Legends

The Forsaken are some of the most powerful channelers to have ever lived. All of them were Aes Sedai from the Age of Legends who chose to turn to the Shadow. Each individual Forsaken swore oaths to the Dark One for their own reason, with the most enticing being the gift of immortality.

The Forsaken and the Shadow were defeated in the war against the Dark, sealed away by the Dragon Lews Therin Telamon. Lews Therin specifically chose to seal away Ishamael when he was still alive instead of killing him, since the Dragon knew that the Forsaken wanted an end to the cycle of death and rebirth. Despite the Shadow's defeat, saidin was corrupted, leading to the Breaking of the World.

Culture

The stories of the Forsaken persist throughout the Westlands.

There are some belief systems and rituals associated with the Forsaken. There are temples to the Forsaken. Some individuals have a set Forsaken carvings, to which they make offerings to ward them off. Stepin makes such an offering to ward of Ishamael, the Father of Lies, because he needs to see clearly.

Much knowledge of the Forsaken has been lost to time, but some information is known or believed to be true.

• They are said to be some of the most powerful channelers that ever lived. They knew weaves that have been long forgotten.
• They sold their souls to the Dark One for eternal life.
• Lanfear was in love with Lews Therin Telamon, and he loved her back until he met his wife. This appears to be confirmed by Lanfear herself from what she tells Rand regarding a man she was in love with.
• Lanfear, Ishamael, and Lews Therin were inseparable friends before the War of Power.
• The Forsaken fought among themselves as much as they fought the Light. Lanfear speaks of many of the other Forsaken with disdain. Moghedien later comes to warn her not to interfere with the other Forsaken and their plans for the Dragon.

Season 1

With the Dark One beginning to stir in the years after the Dragon's rebirth, Ishamael begins to touch the dreams of the youths from the Two Rivers who may be the reincarnation of Lews Therin Telamon: Rand al'Thor, Mat Cauthon, Perrin Aybara, and Egwene al'Vere.

Rand realizes he is the Dragon Reborn, and enters the Blight with Moiraine Damodred, where Ishamael can touch his dreams more directly. Rand and Moiraine still believe that the man is the Dark One, rather than one of the Forsaken. At the Eye of the World, Ishamael tempts Rand with the power of the Dark by showing him a false reality, and cuts Moiraine from the One Power, though she holds a knife to Rand's throat and threatens to kill him if he chooses the Shadow. Rand breaks free of Ishamael's reality and uses his seated man sa'angreal to banish him, and cracks a cuendillar seal. Moiraine realizes that although she had anticipated the Last Battle to be fought in that instant, it is in fact only the first battle with the Shadow.

Season 2

Instead of defeating Ishamael, the confrontation at the Eye of the World has truly set him free. He meets with several Darkfriends and a Black Ajah to anticipate the coming struggle against the Light, and also influences the Seanchan invasion of the Westlands. Ishamael is also able to free the Forsaken Lanfear from her seal. She poses as "Selene", an innkeeper in the Foregate of Cairhien, where she gets close to Rand.

Moiraine comes to realize that the man at the Eye of the World was truly Ishamael, and that she and Rand inadvertently set him loose instead of defeating him. She also comes into posession of a "poem," which turns out to be a prophecy that Lanfear is free again, and she leaves in search of Rand. Upon finding Rand again at Kinslayer's Dagger, Moiraine stabs "Selene" and tells Rand that she is Lanfear.

The Forsaken

• Graendal
• Ishamael
• Lanfear
• Moghedien
• Sammael
• One more female Forsaken
• Two more male Forsaken

There appear to be eight Forsaken in total. Stepin's set of Forsaken carvings consist of eight figures, possibly four women and four men. The ruins of a Forsaken temple also have eight statues. After Ishamael and Lanfear are released from their seals, there are six seals remaining, which would total eight Forsaken: there are six seals at the Darkfriend Social in Tel'aran'rhiod, and the same six seals are later kept in Ishamael's room in Falme.

Quotes

Lan

Not many people still make offerings to ward off the Forsaken.

Stepin

These belonged to my mother. The only thing left in her house when she died.

Lan

And who are you trying to keep away?

Stepin

Ishamael... Father of Lies. I need to see clearly now. I need to see the truth. Do you believe any of it? Think they can still touch our world?

Lan

The Forsaken sold their souls to the Dark One for eternal life. Even if the last Dragon sealed them away...

Stepin

Eternity's a very long time.

— Stepin making offerings to ward off the Forsaken, season 1 episode 5 Blood Calls Blood

Changes from the book series

The Forsaken are an adaptation of the group of the same name  (book spoilers!) from the book series.

• Number - In the books, there are 13 original Forsaken, while the television series appears to have eight.
• Seals - In the books, the Forsaken were sealed together with the Dark One. In the television series, they seem to all be sealed separately.

Trivia

• Rafe Judkins considers the fact that the Forsaken were corrupted by their desire for power, wisdom, or glory, to be more interesting than the concept of raw evil.