Moiraine

WARNING: SPOILERS!

I just finished making the fifth episode of “Wheel Talk.” It’s been exciting to restart The Wheel of Time. I find myself looking ahead to the moments I’m dying to talk about. This blog gives me the opportunity to skip ahead of my reread, and dive into all of the topics I can’t wait years to discuss.

Of all the Wheel of Time characters, places, and events I could write about now, one sings to me above the rest. Rereading The Eye of the World brings me back to the awe I felt when I first picked up this series. The awe I felt for her.

Moiraine Damodred is one of my favorite characters in fantasy. There are plenty of Wheel of Time females who fall into this category, but she’s high on the list. She has the magic of Gandalf, the wisdom of Aslan, the goodness of Dumbledore, and more mystery than all three combined. I’d also be lying if I didn’t say: I love that she’s a woman.

I said in my last post that I would write these entries as Recappa Sedai. As I sat down to write today, that felt wrong. I love being Recappa and making Wheel Talk, but in this blog, I prefer to be Brian. The Wheel of Time means a lot to me, as does the upcoming show. Not all of what I have to say is funny. What I do have to say comes from the perspective of a gay male—one who felt left out when he first read this series—and I prefer not to play a character while writing this blog.

I identify with the women in fantasy. My favorite character in Lord of the Rings? Eowyn. Avatar: the Last Airbender? Kitara, Toph, and even Azula. Narnia? It’s all about Lucy and the White Witch. And I’ve always been 50% Hermione, 50% Luna Lovegood. You see the pattern.

If I do fall for a male character, it’s usually someone in the Gandalf archetype. I love a wise old man who shakes things up. Who doesn’t? But when a female steps into this role, I fall head-over-heels.

I can think of a few other females who occupy this role in fantasy. The Disreputable Dog from Garth Nix’s Abhorsen series comes to mind, as does Tsukoku from Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus. I love those characters more than I can say, but Moiraine takes the cake.

For me, Moiraine’s mystery is what elevates her above the rest. I want to trust her because she falls into that Gandalf archetype. She’s our greatest hope. Part of me needs to trust her. And yet, she is the ultimate Aes Sedai: secretive, manipulative, and dangerous. Can I trust her? I asked over and over when I first read The Eye of the World. The question haunted me. If she’d turned out to be Black Ajah, I’d have been devastated. I give the first book credit for keeping that question alive in my head.

It wasn’t until the end of The Eye of the World that I trusted Moiraine completely. I remember what a good feeling that was. An epic battle lay ahead, and we were going to need her. I counted on Moiraine the way Rand did. She was going to carry us through this. Thank the Light.

I remember lying in bed when I read that fatal chapter in The Fires of Heaven. I remember Moiraine taking down Lanfear, and how “white light swallowed everything.” She couldn’t be gone. She couldn’t. But when Egwene heard the news and started crying, I cried along with her. Moiraine was, at least for the moment, gone. The Wheel of Time had changed forever.

I swore to myself in that moment: I will finish this series. Whatever happens, I will finish these books and make it to the Last Battle. I owed it to myself. In a way, I owed it to Moiraine.

I could (and perhaps I will) write another piece on Moiraine’s role in the Last Battle. I had hoped her role would be more specific—something only she could do. Nynaeve got that payoff when she healed Alanna, but I never felt like Moiraine got her moment in Tarmon Gai’don.

Still, the fact that she was there meant everything. Moiraine’s return puts Gandalf’s to shame. She’s back, I thought. She’s back, and the Last Battle is starting. We’re here.

I love The Eye of the World for introducing me to Randland, but more than that, I love the book for introducing me to Moiraine. She is the character who brought me back into the world of fantasy. She reminded me what it feels like to be in awe of magic. She reminded me what it means to put your faith in a character as a fantastic journey begins. I’ll always love her for it.

Please share any Moiraine thoughts you have, and thank you for reading! Walk in the Light, and keep it Wheel.

Brian Adam Davis