Moiraine Damodred

:This article is about the character. For the track, see Moiraine Sedai (theme).
Moiraine Damodred is one of the main characters in The Wheel of Time. She is portrayed by English actress Rosamund Pike.
Moiraine is a Cairhienin Aes Sedai of the Blue Ajah. She arrives in the Two Rivers with the knowledge that a young person living there is prophesied as the Dragon Reborn, with the capacity to either be the savior or the destroyer of humanity. 
== History ==
=== Early life ===
Moiraine was born to House Damodred in Cairhien, the nation's royal family. She was the niece of the king.Official X-Ray for Prime Video: The Wheel of Time, under the "Characters" section (login required), section labeled "Moiraine Damodred". Retrieved November 19, 2021.Trivia for The Wheel of Time, season 1 episode 7: The Dark Along the Ways. She was close to her younger sister, Anvaere, as they grew up together. They both loved their father very much, and he loved them in return. Anvaere implies that she was their parents favorite, as their father asked for Moiraine on his deathbed, even though Anvaere was right there.
Moiraine showed a talent for channeling, and was sent for training at the White Tower. During her days as novice and Accepted, she was close friends with Siuan Sanche and Alanna Mosvani, and regularly played with and cared for a dog named Jenny, although she technically could not own a pet as an initiate. She became Siuan's lover during this time. She would choose the Blue Ajah when she was eventually raised to the shawl.
While she was in the Tower, her uncle inadvertently started the Aiel War after he violated the centuries-old truce between Cairhien and the Aiel. On 2 Danu 978 NE, Moiraine and Siuan bore witness to Gitara Moroso's Foretelling that the Dragon had been reborn while the Battle of the Shining Walls raged on Dragonmount outside the city, and bore witness to her immediately die from the shock and power.TVline. The Wheel of Time: Rosamund Pike Talks Moiraine's High-Stakes Romance, New Worlds About to Be Visited. December 10, 2021. Moiraine did not know where or to whom they had been born, but she and Siuan knew that her mission was to find them before the Dark One began to wake.(October 22, 2021). "Moiraine's Quest". The Wheel of Time. Season 1. Prime Video.Timeline on the official Prime Video page for The Wheel of Time.
During the battle outside the city, her uncle was killed by the Aiel. House Damodred lost favor in Cairhien due to his actions in starting the war, and her family fell from grace. Moiraine chose to abandon the cutthroat politics of Cairhien and devoted herself to her life as an Aes Sedai. Soon after the end of the Aiel War, she met Lan Mandragoran in Chachin, and did not like him at first. He tossed her into a pond, and she made ants attack him in the night in revenge. Yet they grew close enough to trust each other deeply, and she bonded him as her Warder, and invited him to join her secret quest for the Dragon Reborn. She began to spend more and more time away from the White Tower, arousing the suspicion of her sisters, and it was publicly believed that she and Siuan were adversaries instead of lovers.
===Season 1===
Moiraine sets out on her quest for the Dragon Reborn with her companion Lan Mandragoran, traveling across the Westlands to find them. After seeing Liandrin illegally gentle a male channeler by ruins from the Age of Legends, she decides that she and Lan will next visit the Two Rivers, having heard rumors of four ta'veren in the area from her eyes and ears network.Rafe Judkins on Reddit, I’m Rafe Judkins, showrunner and executive producer of the new Amazon Original series, The Wheel of Time, here to answer your questions. AMA. November 24, 2021. When she enters the Winespring Inn in Emond's Field, the locals are very surprised to see an Aes Sedai in the region, and she scans the room for candidates for the Dragon Reborn. The innkeeper, Marin al'Vere, takes Moiraine to her rooms, and she and Lan bathe before retiring for the night.
The next morning, the locals are celebrating Bel Tine, and Moiraine and Lan discuss the possibility of a Fade already in the Two Rivers. Moiraine speaks to Nynaeve al'Meara, the local Wisdom, though discovering she is slightly too old to be the Dragon from the prophecy she knows about. She observes the people lighting lanterns for the festival, where she makes eye contact with Egwene al'Vere. During the festivities outside the inn, Trollocs begin to attack the region. Moiraine channels to defeat the Trolloc threatening Nynaeve and Egwene, and unleashes the One Power to defeat the Shadowspawn. Another horde of Trollocs arrives in the village, and Moiraine is wounded by a poisoned blade, but manages to defeat them all with the One Power before she collapses, causing great damage to the inn behind her. At daybreak, she has recovered enough to Heal Tam al'Thor with the One Power. Moiraine tells Rand, Mat, Perrin and Egwene that one of them is the Dragon Reborn, and that the Shadowspawn will follow them whenever they go, insisting that they must leave or the village will be attacked again. The youths reluctantly begin to flee Emond's Field with Lan and Moiraine. The group makes it to Taren Ferry and cross the river just before the Trolloc army catches up to them, ensuring that they will not follow by having Lan cut the ferry rope and sinking the vessel with the One Power, though the ferryman wants to go back for his son, and drowns in the Taren River.
On the road to Whitebridge, Moiraine begins to instruct Egwene in the One Power, telling her that she is a channeler, and could become an Aes Sedai. In the morning, the youths tell Moiraine about their nightmares, which Moiraine takes very seriously. When Rand snaps at her, she calls his bluff, and she and the rest of the group moves on. As they continue, they encounter Whitecloaks on the road, and Moiraine is questioned by Geofram Bornhald and Eamon Valda. She navigates the Three Oaths well enough to avoid suspicion for the time being, and they are let go, though Valda remains interested in the group. Further along the journey, the youths begin to sing an old song, and she explains their heritage and the proud history of Manetheren. Growing weaker and weaker from her poisoned wound, Moiraine does not wake during a Trolloc attack at night, and he takes an unconscious Moiraine and the others into Shadar Logoth. She awakes just as Mashadar begins to separate the group, and she tells Lan that he has killed them all. They are forced to separate from the Two Rivers youths, but immediately after they escape, Nynaeve catches up to Moiraine and Lan. Lan eventually has Nynaeve agree to make a poultice for Moiraine, which does give her some strength, but she remains in a daze. The group heads southwest, with Moiraine barely conscious until they encounter the Aes Sedai guarding the imprisoned False Dragon, Logain Ablar.
At the Aes Sedai camp, Moiraine is Healed by Kerene Nagashi, and is intrigued by the False Dragon. She is taken to the cave where Alanna and Liandrin are guarding Logain, and notices Liandrin propose that they gentle him at once, though Kerene in particular wishes to follow the proper procedure. Moiraine offers to take over Liandrin's shift, and is surprised to discover just how powerful he is. She and Alanna take some time to catch up to one another, with Moiraine noticing Alanna's attempts to gain information. Kerene proceeds to take over from Alanna, and she and Moiraine guard Logain in silence. When Moiraine can properly return to Lan, they are regretful of losing the Two Rivers youths, but wonder if Logain may in fact be the true Dragon Reborn. Later, Logain's army approaches while Liandrin and Kerene are guarding him. Moiraine enters after the male channeler has broken free and attacked the other women, leaving them unconscious, and asks Logain why she should believe he is the Dragon. Logain begins to tell her that there are a thousand Dragons whispering to him, and the Wheel wishes him to succeed, but just as the other Aes Sedai begin to regain consciousness, she determines that Logain is suffering from madness, and that his power is nothing compared to that of the Dragon. The three women shield Logain, though he strikes out, and Kerene diverts her shield to protect the others, and is killed when Logain impales her with a weave. Moiraine warns Liandrin against burning up in her rage when they try to restrain Logain, and Kerene's Warder Stepin enters the room, attacking the channeler in his fury. However, Logain shields himself and turns Stepin's axes into shrapnel, grievously wounding many, and Moiraine is impaled by an axe handle. Lan's throat is slit, but Nynaeve comes over to him and unleashes a great surge of Healing, which mends Moiraine's injuries and those of all others still alive. Regaining their strength, Liandrin has Moiraine and the other sisters link with her, and they gentle Logain on the spot.
After attending the mass funeral of Kerene and Logain's men, Moiraine and the rest of the Aes Sedai party make their way to Tar Valon over the following month. On the road, Moiraine and Lan ponder what will come of Nynaeve in the city, as well as Stepin's state of depression. Upon arriving in Tar Valon, Moiraine puts Nynaeve in the Warder's Quarters, away from those who wish to enrol her as a novice at once, warning her of the political machinations in the White Tower. Liandrin confronts Moiraine over hiding Nynaeve away, and hopes that she will become a novice at once and join the Red Ajah, though Moiraine is dismissive of her. She returns to her room, where she is joined by Alanna, who informs her that Siuan is summoning them to the Hall to answer for Logain, and warns her of the changing politics in the Tower, with many believing that she could unseat the Amyrlin. After learning of Stepin's suicide due to his grief for Kerene, Moiraine attends his funeral, and starts to cry due to the great emotion felt through the bond, due to Lan acting as the lead mourner.
When Siuan returns from Caemlyn, Moiraine and the others go to their trial in the Hall. After Siuan sentences Logain to life imprisonment, she turns her attention to the sisters, reminding them of the necessity of a trial for gentling. Moiraine speaks to the necessity of the gentling given the situation, and Siuan finds Liandrin to chiefly be at fault. Liandrin then speaks of Moiraine traveling with a powerful channeler such as Nynaeve, and begins to query what Moiraine has been doing for twenty years. Maigan attempts to shut Liandrin down, but Siuan is forced to ask Moiraine for an answer. Due to not wishing to reveal her mission, and her inability to lie, Moiraine says she cannot answer, and is made to kneel before Siuan, who promises to punish her for her disobedience. After leaving, Liandrin confronts her, informing Moiraine that she knows that defending her position was only due to its political convenience.
Moiraine now knows that all of the Two Rivers youths are in the city, and first goes to the Light's Blessing Inn where she sees Rand with Nynaeve and an Ogier, Loial. She and Lan discover Mat's strange affliction, which Rand believes to be channeling, but is in fact his connection to a ruby-hilted dagger he took from Shadar Logoth. She channels to Heal him and sever their connection, warning that he must never touch it again, and berates Mat for taking it and Nynaeve for not telling her about Mat's sickness. She next takes a bath in the White Tower, where she is confronted by Maigan, who speaks of the strange political situation. Noting the tensions against Siuan, Maigan orders her to stay in the Tower, and begins to query Moiraine's absences. Moiraine proceeds to visit Egwene and Perrin, where the latter is being Healed by Yellow sisters, and tells Egwene that Mat and Rand are alive and well. She also learns of Perrin's mysterious feral state where his eyes turns gold, which she considers very shocking.
At night, Moiraine meets with Siuan privately for the first time, and they kiss and spend the night together, lamenting their need to hide their relationship. She tells Siuan of her progress with the potential candidates for the Dragon and her frustrations about the prophecies, and resolves to go to the Eye of the World after Siuan informs her of mysterious dreams that involve the location. She also asks her lover for exile, due to Maigan's orders for her to stay in the Tower After reluctantly saying goodbye to Siuan, she is confronted by Liandrin, who seems to have deduced Nynaeve's connection to the others from the Two Rivers, but Moiraine tells her that she will go to the Red Ajah with information about Liandrin and a man if she says anything. She then makes preparations with Loial for what they are to do when they leave the city, before gathering Egwene and Nynaeve to the Hall, where they have a private meeting with Siuan, who speaks of the destiny that the Wheel has set before them.
Moiraine returns to the Hall, and is formally exiled, which surprises many. She swears to obey the judgement on the Oath Rod itself, and tearfully alters the oath somewhat to reflect her deep love for the Amyrlin. At once, she leaves the city for the Tar Valon Waygate, where Loial and Lan gather all the Two Rivers youths, who reunite. Moiraine explains that they must traverse the Ways to get to the Eye of the World as soon as they can in order to defeat the Dark One, and manages to convince them all to follow her. The party enters the Waygate, but it closes before Mat can enter. The others beg Moiraine to open the gate to go back for him, but Loial explains the dangers of Machin Shin, and Moiraine is sure that if he is the Dragon, he ought to be far away from the Dark One. Continuing along the Ways, the group comes across a defaced Guiding Stone, and rests while Loial investigates. However, Egwene (as well as Rand) channels when she sees a Trolloc, and they realize that Shadowspawn have entered the Ways. The group rushes to the exit, but the Black Wind catches up to them, and tells Moiraine that she is wrong about everything, and will lead the youths to their deaths. Nynaeve manages to hold off Machin Shin long enough for Moiraine to open the Fal Dara Waygate, and they exit the Ways and come before the Shienaran city.
Arriving at the city's keep, Moiraine and the others are somewhat gruffly greeted by Lord Agelmar Jagad, but he agrees to wall up the Waygate at once when Moiraine warns him of Shadowspawn. She privately meets with Lady Amalisa Jagad, and asks her to send a letter to the Red Ajah to find Mat, and confirms that Min Farshaw is still in Fal Dara. She takes the Two Rivers youths to Min's bar, and has the barkeep try and determine who is the Dragon, but she does not tell Moiraine anything definitive. Returning to their rooms, Moiraine admits Min's abilities to the others, and that she still does not know who the Dragon is. She resolves to take them all into the Blight, knowing three will die, in order to save the world, and leaves them to discuss what they will do. In her rooms, she encourages Lan to meet with Zahir's family of Malkieri refugees, feeling she has taken so much from him. Rand comes to her room, and confirms that he is the Dragon Reborn. At once, Moiraine masks her bond with Lan, and sets off into the Blight with the Dragon.
Moiraine tells Rand to avoid the dangers of the Blight as they make their way to the Eye, and is told of his dreams of the Dark One. Rand asks her what her plan is, and she presents him with her male seated man sa'angreal, and informs him that he will have to use it at the right moment to seal away the Dark One for another Age. She refuses to let him channel any more before they reach the Eye, but reassures him that he will begin to channel when the moment is right. Arriving at the Eye, Rand questions if she will die if she enters, but she follows regardless. When Rand begins to remember aspects of his previous life, he steps on a symbol, and falls unconscious, entering an imaginary experience. The Man approaches Moiraine, and she is ready to attack, but he cuts her from the One Power. However, she unsheathes her knife and holds it against Rand's throat, threatening to kill him if he chooses the Shadow. Rand eventually regains consciousness and takes the sa'angreal from his pocket and defeats The Man, though refuses to return to Fal Dara, fearing the madness that will consume him, and leaves Moiraine. Afterwards, Moiraine notices a broken piece of cuendillar at the symbol, and Lan arrives at the Eye after tracking her. She admits that she cannot unmask their bond due to losing the One Power, and realizes that the confrontation at the Eye was not the Last Battle, but only their first encounter with the Shadow.
===Season 2===
After the encounter at the Eye of the World, Moiraine let Lan, Perrin, Egwene Nynaeve, and Loial believe that Rand was dead. Perrin, Loial, and the Shienarans left to track Padan Fain in the wake of his attack on the city and theft of the Horn of Valere, while Egwene and Nynaeve went to train at the White Tower. Meanwhile, Moiraine and Lan made their way to Tifan's Well to stay with Verin Mathwin, Adeleas, and Tomas. Nineteen people have already come to visit her in the rural Arafellin town.
Moiraine remains dedicated to her mission despite being cut off from the One Power, keeping herself going by fetching water for her bath. Bayle Domon comes to visit Moiraine, but she refuses to discuss the matter with Lan other than asking him to let the trader into the room. After an initial game of haggling, she moves to inspect a broken piece of cuendillar he has to sell. Moiraine verifies some of the details from Domon, discovering he found the heartstone from Cairhien when the old moon dial shattered there. She inspects the writing beneath the piece of cuendillar, discovering that there was a poem there written in blood. She uses her own haggling skills to get Domon to lower the price of the poem, and then buys it without the heartstone. However, she deduces that Domon had been followed by Fades, and gives him ten marks for provisions before he departs, and she starts reading the poem. She refuses to say anything more about it to Lan when he comes to ask about it. Moiraine tries to depart Tifan's Well alone, but is caught up in a Fade attack. She is able to kill one herself with a blade, but is grievously injured. Lan cuts down several more, but is wounded himself, and they are saved by Verin, Tomas, and Adeleas. They are later Healed by the Aes Sedai at Tifan's Well.
== Relationships ==
=== Lan Mandragoran ===
Moiraine and Lan have an extremely close relationship as Aes Sedai as Warder. Their relationship is made especially intimate by their bond, but their relationship is neither romantic nor sexual. They work together as a pair to fulfil the quest they have dedicated their lives to, and view one another's accomplishments and losses as their own.
=== Siuan Sanche ===
Moiraine and Siuan share a deep romantic relationship, and have loved one another since they were novices. However, due to political reasons of Siuan wishing to remain neutral, and having to distance herself from Moiraine's quest for the Dragon, they are forced to hide their relationship. Due to Moiraine's quest for the Dragon, they can only meet one another infrequently. They long for one another while they are apart, and act very warm and happily to each other whenever they are in private.
=== Damodred Household ===
Moiraine is the older of the sisters, the much younger being Anvaere. Both adored their father, who was the heart of the house. Moiraine described him as brilliant and kind, but absent-minded and a bit vague. Anvaere implies that Moiraine was their father's favorite, as their father asked for Moiraine on his deathbed, even though Anvaere was right there. 
When Moiraine tries to pressure Anvaere by stating that she was heir of the house because she was the older sister, Anvaere accuses Moiraine of having enherited nothing of their father's heart, but was like their mother through and through. This implies that their mother was a cold, selfish, maybe manipulative woman.
Anvaere's son and Moiraine's nephew, Barthanes, looks up to his aunt more than he does to his mother.
== Physical appearance ==
Moiraine is a woman with brown hair to her shoulders, blue eyes, and fair skin. She wears jewelry, such as earrings.
== Appearances ==
Moiraine appears in the following episodes:
== Quotes ==
"Do not underestimate the women of this tower." - Moiraine in her first-look video
== Behind the scenes ==
In the audition scripts, Moiraine was named "Myara".Redanian Intelligence: Leaked audition scripts for Amazon’s Wheel Of Time reveal a glimpse at Aes Sedai rivalries by Yslyven. September 22, 2020.Winter is Coming: Leaked audition tapes for The Wheel of Time hint at season 1 events by Corey Smith. October 2020.
On March 17, 2021, the actress Rosamund Pike released a first-look video of Moiraine on Instagram.Rosamund Pike's Instagram: first-look video. March 17, 2021. It was then also released on the official social media accounts for the series.Twitter: Moiraine Damodred with first-look video. "Golden Globe winner Rosamund Pike is Moiraine in The Wheel of Time, an upcoming Amazon Original series." March 17, 2021. It was also released on the Amazon Prime Video Twitter account, which is the first time any of The Wheel of Time first looks were released on the Prime Account.
== Trivia ==
* Moiraine is one of the confirmed LGBT+ characters in The Wheel of Time.
== Changes from the book series ==
Moiraine is an adaptation of the from the book series.
* Staff - In the first book The Eye of the World, Moiraine carries a staff. On December 2, 2020, showrunner Rafe Judkins answered a fan question on if Moiraine would have her staff, and Judkins confirmed that she would not. "We're approaching this as an adaptation of the entire series, not just each book individually, so hopefully Season One will feel more like the entire book series of Wheel of Time than it does like Eye of the World. With that in mind -- no Moiraine staff. Let chaos ensue, ha."Twitter Q&A with Rafe Judkins: on Twitter, see also Rafe Judkins/Quotes. December 2, 2020.
* Appearance - In the books, Moiraine has dark eyes, but in the show, Moiraine retains Rosamund Pike's blue eyes. However, Moiraine is still dark-haired in the show, while Rosamund Pike is a natural blonde. Moreover, Moiraine is described as being relatively short and petite, but Rosamund Pike is fairly tall for a woman.
* Age - Moiraine is still in her forties in the book series, but in the television series, she is old enough to have an elderly younger sister.
* Relationships - Moiraine is not in a romantic relationship with Siuan in the books, the two of them rather being pillow friends (sexual, non romantic relationship with fellow Novice or Accepted) during the time of their training to become Aes Sedai.
== Gallery ==
See Moiraine Damodred/Gallery.
=== Promotional stills ===
Moiraine Twitter 2021-10-06.jpg|Moiraine, Twitter, October 6, 2021
Moiraine The Telegraph 9 Nov 2021.png|The Telegraph, November 9, 2021
WOT 101 Promo Moiraine.JPG|November 10, 2021
=== Videos ===
Moiraine First Look|First look video, March 17, 2021
The Wheel Of Time – Moiraine’s Quest - Prime Video|October 22, 2021
== Navigation ==
== References ==
Category:Aes Sedai
Category:Blue Ajah
Category:Cairhienin characters
Category:Channelers
Category:LGBT+ characters
Category:Main characters
Category:Nobility
Category:Season 1 characters
Category:Season 2 characters