All 13 Forsaken in ‘The Wheel of Time,’ Ranked by Power
The Wheel of Time is the hit Amazon Prime original series based on the bestselling novels of the same name by Robert Jordan, later finished by Brandon Sanderson following Jordan’s untimely death. The show takes place in the distant future, in an altered version of Earth, where a sorceress known as an Aes Sedai travels to the remote region known as the Two Rivers in search of the Dragon Reborn, a magical individual who is destined to either save the world or destroy it.
Hindering the Dragon Reborn’s fight against the Dark One are the Forsaken, a group of 13 individuals from the Age of Legends who were immensely powerful with magic and serve the Dark One, intent on destroying the Earth. However, the Forsaken are often at odds with each other and vary in terms of power. Even though only a select few have appeared in the show so far, the companion book for the novels explicitly outlines how they stack up against each other when it comes to magical prowess. This list will rank all thirteen Forsaken based on their power and role in the story.
13
Moghedien
Power Level: 4(+9)
Moghedien (Laia Costa) takes the title for the weakest of the Forsaken, but even then, she is much stronger than any Aes Sedai. She is rivalled only by Nynaeve (Zoë Robins), though this means little at the moment, seeing as Nynaeve cannot Channel unless she’s angry or terrified. Moghedien is known as “the Spider,” striking from the shadows and often conspiring against her fellow Forsaken since she’s not strong enough to take them head-on.
In Season 2, Lanfear (Natasha O’Keeffe) describes Moghedien as “insane,” which is maybe a bit harsh but warranted. Moghedien first appears at the very end of Season 2 but has a much larger role in the third season. In the show, she is responsible for creating the Grey Men, assassins who consistently try to kill the main characters and a further example of Moghedien’s style of fighting. She isn’t always strong enough to fight up close and personal, so she uses the elements of stealth and surprise to her advantage.
12
Graendal
Power Level: 3(+10)
Graendal is described by Lanfear in Season 2 as “a vain idiot,” which isn’t that far from the truth. Graendal is indeed very vain and often emphasizes her body, dressing scantily and putting a heavy focus on her appearance. She’s also a big fan of sex, often trying to seduce her fellow Forsaken or other unsuspecting fools. On top of that, Graendal loves living lavishly, taking residence in a hidden castle and using innocent people as servants who do her bidding while under the weave known as Compulsion.
However, an idiot she is not, as in the books, Graendal outsmarts the Dragon Reborn on more than one occasion. Despite her cunning and conniving demeanour, she is most definitely one of the weaker Forsaken in terms of sheer power. The only reason Graendal eludes death as long as she does in the series is that she’s really good at getting out of Dodge while she plots from the shadows. It’s unclear whether she’ll ever appear in the TV series, but the fact that she was mentioned implies that she will show her face at some point.
11
Mesaana
Power Level: 2(+11)
Mesaana is the Forsaken that more or less controls the deeds of the Black Ajah, pulling their strings from behind the scenes whilst undercover somewhere in the White Tower. Mesaana is known for having a really scary physical form. Instead of looking human, as the others do, Mesaana appears as a shadowy phantom, one whose very presence drains the room of all light, filling the area up with darkness.
Although not the most powerful of the Forsaken by a mile, Mesaana is a darn sight more powerful than any currently-living Aes Sedai, which is enough for her to overpower and intimidate her agents in the Tower. She is bound to appear in the show at some point, especially as the series evolves and more is revealed about the Black Ajah, but it’s questionable whether she’ll actually reveal her ghastly true form until the very end, if at all.
10
Semirhage
Power Level: 1(+12)
Semirhage isn’t the most physically intimidating of the Forsaken, but she is definitely one of the scariest because of her love of pain and torture. In fact, she is known amongst pretty much everyone as “The Lady of Pain” and takes pleasure in torturing people until they cannot take any more without dying, after which she heals them and starts the torture all over again. In short, Semirhage is probably one of the worst Forsaken to ever run into — not that any of them would be good, though.
Semirhage is known amongst pretty much everyone as “The Lady of Pain” and takes pleasure in torturing people.
Another thing Semirhage enjoys is using Compulsion to have people do her bidding, only to force them to kill or seriously harm their loved ones. She doesn’t just revel in physical agony, but in emotional agony, too. Sermirhage is one of the most powerful beings in the Third Age and is not to be taken lightly. As for whether she’ll appear in the show, she has to at some point because she has a huge part to play in the days before the Last Battle.
9
Lanfear
Power Level: 1(+12)
Out of all the female Forsaken, Lanfear is the absolute strongest. At first, she poses as “Selene,” Rand’s love interest, though her profession varies depending on the medium. Over time, however, this cunning woman shows her true colors, revealing herself as one of the Forsaken. Fortunately for Rand, Lanfear doesn’t actually mean him any ill will because she was initially a lover of Lews Therin Telamon (Alexander Karim), the original Dragon, and is just as enthusiastic about loving his reincarnation.
Lanfear is sort of a morally gray character. On the one hand, she is intent on turning Rand to the Shadow, seducing him into accepting the darker parts of him and encouraging him to lose himself to the madness growing in him as a result of the taint on the male half of the Source. On the other hand, she tries not to hurt Rand’s friends directly and even provides crucial information about which Forsaken might be trying to kill him, with the intention to save Rand. Lanfear is someone who is not to be trusted in spite of her appearance and who Rand must overcome on his quest to serve the Light.
8
Be’lal
Power Level: ++4
It is outlined in Robert Jordan’s works that male Channelers are generally much stronger than female Channelers and are able to attain heights that are impossible for women. On the flipside, women are more likely to Channel, while men are cursed to lose their minds eventually because the male half of the Source has been tainted. Though Be’lal isn’t the weakest of the Forsaken as a whole, he is the weakest of the male Forsaken. For that reason, he often envies his male colleagues, which is why he earned his name — “Be’lal” actually means “the envious” in the Old Tongue.
In the novels, Be’lal poses as Lord Samon, the ruler of Tear, a nation far to the South. However, he really doesn’t last long. He appears in the third Wheel of Time book only, fighting Rand in the Stone of Tear and ultimately dying in the process. As for whether he’ll ever show up in the show, it’s more than likely a “no,” seeing as he only appears once, and the show has skipped over the third book entirely. Plus, Be’lal’s role in the series is fairly inconsequential when compared to the others, so if he were left out entirely, it wouldn’t make that much of a difference.
7
Asmodean
Power Level: ++3
Asmodean is a Forsaken known for his love of music. In the Age of Legends, he was a famous composer, writing many songs on his lyre, which he carried everywhere. Asmodean first appears at Rhuidean, following Rand to the mysterious city to find a ter’angreal of immense power. Here, he and Rand do battle, but Rand is much more powerful, and Asmodean is promptly defeated and cut off from the Source, rendering him basically helpless.
Asmodean then becomes an unlikely ally of Rand and joins his group, posing as a bard named Jasin Natael. Though he was considered weak among the Forsaken, he is still one of the strongest Channelers the world has ever known. Whether or not Asmodean will ever appear in the show is questionable, as Rand has already been to Rhuidean without encountering this musical monster. As of yet, Asmodean’s status is up in the air, and it’s about a fifty-fifty chance he’ll ever show up at all.
6
Balthamel
Power Level: ++3
Balthamel is known for his terrifying appearance. He cannot speak and is always clad in a black robe, with a freaky-deaky black mask to accompany it. Balthamel is the first of the Forsaken released, which means he was imprisoned closest to the surface. As a result, his body began to decompose, leading him to cover himself with the smiling black mask. In the novels, it is Balthamel, along with his partner, who confronts Rand (Josha Stradowski) at the Eye of the World, whereas in the TV show, it is Ishamael (Fares Fares).
Balthamel was a historian prior to his life as a Forsaken, specifically studying societies and cultures lost to the sands of time. Somehow, his path led him to the Dark One, causing his monstrous transformation. It’s unclear why he was imprisoned so close to the surface because he most certainly isn’t the weakest one. As for whether or not he’ll appear in The Wheel of Time, it is doubtful at this point because he dies at the end of the first book, a point that the show has long surpassed. He may appear at some point, though, albeit in a much different form.
5
Aginor
Power Level: ++2
Aginor is Balthamel’s partner, who also fights Rand at the Eye of the World. Since both Balthamel and Aginor were imprisoned so close to the surface together, Aginor’s flesh also began to decompose, though not as heavily as Balthamel’s. Aginor can still speak, and he doesn’t make an effort to cover himself up, so all of his rotting, mottled flesh is on full display, along with his patchy scalp and reeking odour.
As with Balthamel, it’s unlikely he’ll ever show up in the show at this point, or at least, not in his basic form. There is a chance he may show up in another form, but as for the decomposing body he has in the first book, that gets destroyed right along with Balthamel, so it’s a little late for him to appear like that. Even though he looks frail, Aginor is a very powerful being indeed, though no match for the Dragon Reborn, of course.
4
Demandred
Power Level: ++2
Demandred is said to be from the land of Shara, a continent far to the East of the Aiel Waste, of which little is known. In life, he was quite skilled with the sword but later discovered he had the capability to Channel, joining the forces of the Dark One. He likely did it because he had always lived in the shadow of the original Dragon, born one day later, yet not quite as powerful in the One Power.
If Demandred ever appears in the show, it likely won’t be until the very end, when he actually steps into the limelight and makes his power known in the books.
Demandred often felt he was superior to the rest of the Forsaken, but his ability in the One Power says otherwise, as he falls behind a few of his colleagues. If he ever appears in the show, it likely won’t be until the very end, when he actually steps into the limelight and makes his power known in the books. Apart from that, he only makes smaller appearances in the Wheel of Time novels. Considering that many powerful Forsaken are appearing in the show, though, it’s probable that Demandred will show his face at some point, too.
3
Sammael
Power Level: ++2
Sammael (Cameron Jack) has only made a minor appearance so far, at an assembly of a few of the Forsaken members. Currently, he is posing as the King of Illian, a nation to the south known for its shipping industry and its people’s unique accents and speech patterns. Because of this unique way of speaking, any Illianer could easily see that Sammael isn’t from around there, but somehow, whether through the use of Compulsion or otherwise, he has risen to rule over the entirety of the nation.
Sammael frequently collaborates and argues with Graendal, with the implication that the two may have been intimate before. However, Sammael is a man who knows what he wants and how to get it, so he doesn’t always reciprocate Graendal’s feelings towards him. The fight against Sammael likely won’t come until much later, but when it does, it is not going to be pretty, as Sammael is extremely strong in the One Power and is not to be underestimated.
2
Rahvin
Power Level: ++1
Rahvin (Nuno Lopes) is the second strongest Forsaken and is currently posing as Lord Gaebril, the suitor of Queen Morgase of Andor (Olivia Williams), the mother of Elayne Trakand (Ceara Coveney). Gaebril claims that he is madly in love with Morgase, and it seems that her children believe this lie, as they are familiar with him and seem to trust him as a pseudo-stepfather of sorts. But in the third episode of Season 3, Rahvin’s true intentions are revealed as he arrives at an assembly of the Forsaken.
His nature raises questions about whether Morgase truly loves him back, or if Rahvin is just using Compulsion on her, pulling Andor’s political strings to gain power over one of the largest sovereign nations in the world of The Wheel of Time. Even when he is with his fellow Forsaken, he has a polite demeanor, but one can easily tell that the gears are turning underneath that calm visage and that whatever they’re working towards, it isn’t good. It’s only a matter of time before Rahvin reveals the destructive power he is capable of, causing widespread death and entropy in Andor.
1
Ishamael
Power Level: ++1
Ishamael is the right-hand man of the Dark One and is the chief of the Forsaken. He is the first one revealed to audiences in The Wheel of Time and fights Rand multiple times over the first two seasons. However, Ishamael eventually meets his end at the top of Falme Tower in the Season 2 finale, embracing the release of death for the first time in millennia. He is most certainly the most dangerous of the Forsaken, but he often lets his hubris get to him.
He seems intent on letting the Dragon Reborn join him at first, but his efforts prove futile. Ishamael is responsible for a whole lot of chaos throughout the books and the show. His quiet, conniving behaviour establishes him as one of the more clever villains in the series, always appearing wherever Rand least expects him, both in the real world and Tel’aran’rhiod, the world of dreams. There was just no escaping Ishamael, and though he is dead now, there is no doubt he is the most powerful Forsaken of the 13 and one of the most powerful characters in The Wheel of Time.
