In the last video, we went over an event known as The Drilling of the Bore.
The bore was not large enough to allow the Dark One to escape, but it was large enough
to allow him to touch the world.
His touch subtly altered everything that came within its influence.
The period of around one hundred years after the drilling of the Bore is known as the Collapse.
During the Collapse, some people began to side with the Dark One.
Channelers that joined the Dark One were called Dreadlords or the Forsaken.
Over time, the term Forsaken has come to be used specifically for the 13 most powerful
of the Dreadlords.
Today, we are going to take a look at Lanfear.
Lanfear was not always her name.
Lanfear used to go by the name Mierin Eronaile.
According to the World of the Wheel of Time, Mierin was in a relationship with Lews Therin
Telamon, the Dragon.
According Graendal, Lanfear was so obsessed with Lews Therin Telamon that she would do
whatever he asked of her.
Moiraine believes that Lanfear loved Lews Therin, but Lews Therin would disagree.
Lews Therin believes that Lanfear did not have the ability to love another because her
heart was claimed already by the desire for power.
So basically, Lews Therin and Mierin were in a relationship, but eventually, Lews broke
it off since she appeared to love the association with him more than she loved him as a person.
But Mierin did not give up on him.
Mierin drilled the Bore, which allowed the Dark One’s influence to touch the world.
A period of around 100 years known as the Collapse.
Meanwhile, Lews Therin had met, fell in love with, and got married to Ilyena.
Mierin attempted to disrupt their wedding ceremony.
And over the following year, she made several blatant public approaches to Lews Therin,
blaming Ilyena for her loss of him.
Shortly after this, Mierin embraced the Shadow.
According to the World of The Wheel of Time, Mierin went to the Shadow and claimed her
own name – Lanfear – which means “Daughter of the Night” in the Old Tongue.
Lanfear is the only Forsaken to have Chosen her own name.
And fun fact, the Forsaken do not refer to themselves as Forsaken.
They think of themselves as the Chosen.
Chosen to rule the world forever.
Lanfear was tall and slender with pale skin.
She had dark eyes that were bottomless pools.
Her hair fell in perfect black waves to her shoulders, and it was often decorated by silver
stars and crescents that go along with her name – Lanfear – Daughter of the Night.
According to Rahvin, she was as beautiful as he was handsome.
When seeing her, most men would have felt their mouths go dry with desire.
So basically, Lanfear is considered the most beautiful woman of her Age or any other Age.
According to Rahvin, Lanfear was untrustworthy.
And her temper was uncertain at best.
And in terms of tactics, Lanfear was never one for attacking openly.
She preferred the flanks and the rear.
She liked to do her work in the Shadows so to say.
So she was never a field commander, but she was still very useful to the Dark One both
before and during the War of the Shadow.
One of her best tactics was to use dreams.
Using dreams, Lanfear guided a number of operations that turned people against established authority,
creating massive riots.
She is credited with winning several battles for the Shadow by the same means.
Lanfear is also credited with driving a number of people mad and driving others to suicide,
as well as performing outright assassinations in Tel’aran’rhiod – the Dream World.
Lanfear also served as a governor of conquered territory at least once.
During that time, she was involved in many atrocities, perhaps more than most of the
Forsaken, but the people she governed had more than the usual horrors of the Shadow
to face; they feared sleep itself.
Suicide rates were extremely high in her territory.
And last but not least, Lanfear was a key asset to the Shadow because he had an intimate
knowledge of the Dragon – Lews Therin Telamon.
So that’s Lanfear.
She was incredibly beautiful.
She once dated Lews Therin, but he broke that off.
She was so obsessed with him that she tried to disrupt his wedding and never gave up on
pursuing him.
Lanfear was one of the researchers who drilled into the Bore, causing the Collapse.
When she joined the Shadow, she chose her own name – Lanfear.
She is the only Forsaken to have chosen her own name.
Lanfear is untrustworthy, she has a temper, and she does a lot of her work in the shadows
and in the dream world.
And most notably, Lanfear loves nothing as much as she loves power.
Not Lews Therin Telamon.
And net even the Dark One himself.
So love her or hate her, Lanfear is a major player in the turning of the Wheel of Time.