High fantasy has a long-standing tradition of borrowing from myth and religion, and anyone with even a surface knowledge of world mythology will see that right away reading Wheel of Time. I think I noticed some of this even when I read the books as a kid, but my current re-read coincides with a deep dive on world mythologies, making the familiar names and concepts stand out even more vividly than on my past reads through the series.

(Note: Thar be Wheel of Time book spoilers ahead—if you haven’t read the whole series and care about such things, probably best to stop reading now)

I’ve found myself particularly intrigued by the Forsaken and decided to take a deep dive down the rabbit hole to identify where Jordan may have found inspiration for these characters. Here’s what I found for the original 13 Forsaken, listed in order of their first appearance in the series.

Ishamael

In the books

Ishamael is the first Forsaken the reader meets, though back in the Age of Legends, visiting Lews Therin Telamon in the moment before he creates Dragonmount. He was only partially sealed in the Dark One’s prison, emerging from time to time to fuck with the world under the name Ba’alzamon and going gradually insane in the process. Rand fights him three times thinking he’s the actual Dark One (which Ishamael might believe himself, by this point), finally realizing he was just one of the Forsaken when killing him leaves a body. He becomes a different kind of crazy when he’s resurrected as Moridin.

It's convenient that Ishamael sees himself as the champion for the dark and the antithesis of the Dragon Reborn, because that’s exactly the function he serves in the plot. In his first body, he’s kind of a Dark One Lite, strong enough it takes a few books to kill him and he does some damage along the way. As Moridin, he’s in turns foil and antagonist.

Age of Legends backstory

As Elan Morin Tedronai, Ishamael was a theologian, turning to the Dark One after developing a theory that his victory was inevitable. He was top dog among the Forsaken, serving as Chief Captain-General of the Shadow’s entire force. He was also a powerful channeler, the only Forsaken equal to the Dragon in the One Power and one of the few male Dreamwalkers.

Any Earth mythology connections?

Name-wise, there are a few similar figures. Ishamael is very similar to Samael, the archangel of death in Talmudic and Jewish lore who was said to have orchestrated the downfall of Adam and Eve. Interestingly, in some Gnostic writings, Samael is identified with the Demiurge, or the figure responsible for creating and maintaining the physical world, a dark creative force in opposition to God, the creator of light. This plays into the idea of Ishamael picturing himself as an incarnation of the Dark One.

Ishamael’s nickname Ba’alzamon (“Heart of the Dark” in the Trolloc tongue) is an even closer port from history, a quick modification from Baalzebub, which was a Christian corruption of Ba’al Zabul, a Philistine god. The Christian spelling change made a pun, essentially translating to “Lord of Flies,” which eventually morped into this god being associated with death and Satan. The title “Ba’al” most likely just meant “Lord” or “God” and was used as a title for many high-ranking gods in ancient near east pantheons.

Names aside, there are some clear Prince of Darkness vibes to Ishamael throughout the books, both in his original form and his reincarnation as Moridin, a name said to just mean “Death” in the Old Tongue. His names, symbolism, and character attributes all seem deeply rooted in Middle Eastern and Abrahamic mythology.

Aginor

In the books

Aginor is one of the two “hardly knew ya” forsaken who shows up at the titular eye in The Eye of the World and is prompty dispatched, though luckily for him before Rand learned balefire, allowing him to be resurrected as Osan’gar.

In his first form, Aginor’s role in the narrative is mostly as the big baddie Rand vanquishes in his first boss fight. He also shows the reader that a) the Forsaken are free and b) not all of them were unscathed by time’s passage. The resurrection of both Aginor and Balthamel reinforces a different message: that the Dark One’s reach extends beyond the grave.

Age of Legends backstory

Aginor (Ishar Morrad Chuain) was the second-strongest Forsaken in terms of the power, but wasn’t a great fighter and didn’t garner much respect from his fellow Dreadlords. His main skill was genetic engineering, and he was the one who created Trollocs, Myrddraal, and other Shadowspawn.

Any Earth mythology connections?

The name Aginor may have been lifted from The Iliad. The similarly-named Agenor was the first Trojan to turn and fight Achilles when the rest of the army was fleeing from his attack. Agenor throws a spear, Achilles is uninjured (natch), and Agenor is spared only by Apollo swooping to the rescue. Agenor doesn’t survive the war entirely, killed when the Achaeans sack Troy after emerging from the Trojan Horse.

There are enough potential parallels in this to cite it as a likely inspiration. Aginor is the first to attack the hero, though unsuccessfully, and is only spared death through the intervention of a god (or, in Forsaken Aginor’s case, the Dark One). Also like Agenor, he still doesn’t survive the war, dying in his Osan’gar form outside Shadar Logoth.

Balthamel

In the books

Like Aginor, Balthamel was sealed close to the surface of the Bore, and his physical form fared even worse. His face was so destroyed he covered it with a mask and he’d lost the ability to speak when he appeared at the Eye of the World. After he’s planted to death by the Green Man, he’s resurreced as the female Aran’gar, and while she’s pissed off at first soon realizes this gives her a unique advantage: she still channels saidin, which Aes Sedai and other female channelers can’t detect.

As Balthamel, he’s a bit of a throwaway—he’s the “zinger” danger that shows up at the Eye of the World just when the good guys think they’ve won. Aran’gar is a much more interesting and impactful character, though. Several of the Forsaken attempt to hide in plain sight (with varying degrees of success), but none are able to get so close to the main heroes as Aran’gar, nor remain as close as long without being detected.

Age of Legends backstory

A historian, Eval Ramman was lured to the Dark One by the promise of immortality, but from the sounds of things he was just looking for an excuse. A lecherous gambler with a bad temper, he’d nearly been bound with the One Power even before he went to the shadow. His main role was running an intelligence network, though he also attended to everyday atrocities like organizing the breeding camps that produced human food for the Trollocs.

Earth mythology connections

Linguistically, Balthamel seems to come from similar ancient near east and Abrahamic roots as Ishamael/Ba’alzamon. That same prefix of Ba’al might be present, if Jordan modified this name out of something like Ba’al Tammuz, an agricultural god of the Akkadians and Sumerians.

There’s also an obscure angel named Balthioul in the Testament of Solomon, a non-canonical Abrahamic scripture ascribed to the legendary King Solomon. In this Testament, Balthioul is one of the seven demonic heavenly bodies and the creator of jealousy. Considering most of the Forsaken are shown as jealous of Lews Therin in some way, this could have been an inspiration.

Lanfear

In the books

Lanfear pops up throughout the first 5 books on a single-minded mission to convince Rand to join her so they can rule together for all eternity. She’s known mostly for her stunning beauty and her expertise in the World of Dreams, favors white and silver, and is the only of the Forsaken with enough ruthless ambition to concoct a plot to overthrow the Dark One and the Creator.

While all of the Forsaken are antagonists, Lanfear’s role in books is a bit more complex. She serves often as a device to introduce knowledge from the Age of Legends, like when she shows Rand the Portal Stones or even the way she pursues him, reinforcing his identity as the reincarnated Lews Therin. Because her goal is to turn rather than kill him, she sometimes becomes an unlikely ally, thwarting attacks made by her fellow Forsaken so she can reach her goals of keeping Lews Therin for herself.

Age of Legends backstory

Lanfear was Mierin Eronaile, one of the researchers who bored a hole in the Dark One’s prison seeking a unified source of power. She’d also been Lews Therin’s lover once and apparently never got over him, making several attempts to win him back even after he’d married Ilyena. She was the first Forsaken to declare herself for the Shadow, and the only to choose her own name, which means Daughter of the Night.

Any Earth mythology connections?

The French word for hell is l’enfer, which is close enough to be worth noting. It’s also likely Lanfear’s common alias Selene is a direct reference to the Greek goddess of the moon, especially given all of the lunar imagery associated with Lanfear throughout the books.

While the name’s not a direct match, Lanfear also seems built at least partially off of a Lilith archetype. Lilith is a demon in Abrahamic myth, the first wife of Adam who’s banished from Eden for disobedience and called a “hot fiery female” in the Zohar because she refuses to be subservient. After her eviction, she hooks up with the archangel Samael instead and becomes the mother of demons.

Another fun fact: in the Latin Bible, Lilith is referred to by the name Lamia. In Greek mythology, Lamia is a Libyan queen and one of Zeus’ many sexual conquests. Zeus gives her the power of prophecy, but she’s also cursed by Hera, who steals her children and gives her insomnia, leading her to eternally haunt the night. Like Lilith, Lamia is then shown as a seducer, who uses her beauty to lure and devour unsuspecting men. Nocturnal and seductive can definitely describe Lanfear, too, and as a Dreamwalker she’s also got a prophetic side.

Rahvin

In the books

Rahvin first appears in book 3 as Lord Gaebril, Queen Morgase’s mysterious new lover, then is promptly ignored by everyone important despite having ordered Elayne’s murder. That’s okay, though, because Rahvin’s plans fail on their own thanks to Morgase’s moxy. Morgase runs away, Rahvin seizes the throne, and Rand balefires him as vengeance for a murder that never happened (and three more that did happen, but are undone by the balefire).

In a series with this many characters not all of them are going to be be well-rounded, and Rahvin is a walkin’ talkin’ plot device. In books 3 and 5, his function is to move other characters to where they need to be, like sending Matt to Tear to rescue Elayne, or starting Morgase off on her journey in exile. Once that purpose has been served, he thread is promptly snipped from the pattern and neatly cauterized to prevent future resurrections.

Age of Legends backstory

It’s pretty thin. Not much of Ared Mosinel is known before he turned to the Shadow. As Rahvin, he was known for preferring politics and manipulation to shows of force, though he was strong in the One Power, according to some as strong as Lews Therin. He may just be the least noteworthy of the Foresaken, with no knowledge of his motivations for turning to the Shadow besides “power” and a track record as a competent but sometimes careless governor and general during the War of Power.

Any Earth mythology connections?

There’s a demon in Hindu named Ravana. A Demon King, Ravana started as an angel named Hiranyakashipu but was banished from heaven. As a demon, Ravana is a shape-shifter and immune from death, battling all of the gods before Vishnu incarnates himself as Rama to finally defeat him. Heroic reincarnation is a common trope in Hindu myth and the Wheel of Time books both, so it would be logical if this was an inspiration (even if Rahvin doesn’t have quite so many heads or arms as his Demon King analog).

This is a bit more of a stretch, but there’s also a Shinto god of lightning named Raijin, a fierce and aggressive god who sends his thunder beast Raiju to attack enemies in the form of a giant fireball. Obviously lightning wasn’t only Rahvin’s weapon, but he did notably use a lightning attack to kill Aviendha and Mat just before his death.

Be’lal

In the books

Epithets like Netweaver and The Envious give a pretty good picture of Be’lal’s character. He’s a politician, and he leans into that when he’s released from the Dark One’s prison, taking the name Lord Samon and netweaving his way into the role of Highest High Lord in Tear. He plans to lure Rand into taking Callandor then killing him to take it but instead gets balefired by Moiraine.

Be’lal’s presence in Tear adds an extra level of danger for Rand when he takes Callandor, and shows that some of the Forsaken have taken on political power since their awakening, but ultimately he’s one of the least important Forsaken in terms of his impact on the narrative (and we can only imagine how it would make him feel to hear it).

Age of Legends backstory

Be’lal and Lews Therin were buddies back when he was Duram Laddel Cham. Together, they revived the art of swordfighting, both becoming master swordsmen. But then Be’lal got jealous of Lews Therin always winning and went to the Shadow, instead, where he became known both for his shrewd manipulation and his skill on the battlefield.

Any Earth mythology connections?

I don’t think Jordan worked too hard to hide his influences on this one. The term Belial means wicked or worthless in Hebrew. The word appears as a name in the Dead Sea scrolls, where Belial is a fallen angel called the leader of the Sons of Darkness. In other texts he’s equivalent with Satan, ruling the underworld and controlling an army of demons.

Asmodean

In the books

Asmodean is first introduced as the gleeman Jasin Natael, traveling with a caravan of Darkfriends in the Waste. He causes his fair share of chaos but is ultimately helpful once he’s safely shielded and cowed, teaching Rand how to use the One Power.

This is, ultimately, his function in the books: he trains Rand in aspects of the One Power that no one living save the Forsaken has knowledge of. This does create an interesting setup, where Rand must ally with lesser evils in order to defeat the ultimate evil. Asmodean’s death also provides a nice little mystery for a few books.

Age of Legends backstory

Asmodean was the composer Joar Addam Nessosin during the Age of Legends. He turned to the Shadow for the promise of immortality, which would give him time to achieve musical perfection (and get the respect he deserved for his talents).

Earth mythology connections

Here again, it seems Jordan pulled from Abrahamic and near east mythology. Asmoedus is the Prince of Demons and the primary antagonist in the Book of Tobit. His associations vary depending on the source. The Renaissance scholar Peter Binsfeld classified Asmodeus as a demon of lust, while in Zoroastrianism he’s a demon of wrath.

Maybe the most intriguing parallel for a WoT comparison, though, is the figure of Ashmedai in the Talmud. While still a demon, he’s not as staunchly evil as other depictions. Instead, he’s a humorous and good-natured character, and even helps construct the Temple of Jerusalem in one legend, although he’s tricked into doing it. It’s this version of the demon that seems to have most inspired Asmodean: a figure that’s on the dark side but who can be tricked into serving the good.

Moghedien

In the books

Called The Spider, Moghedien lives up to her nickname in her brief scenes in The Shadow Rising. She prefers to manipulate events from the shadows, working separately from the other Forsaken even after Rand’s early successes drive the others to collaborate. It works for a while, but eventually she finds herself no match for Nynaeve and is captured by an a’dam, becoming a captive of a different kind when she’s freed and reclaimed by the Dark One’s minions.

Moghedien is the first Forsaken Nynaeve faces on her own—she was there at the Eye of the World, but she didn’t even know she could channel, yet. Their fights demonstrate just how strong Nynaeve is, setting her up for her later role in the story. She also briefly serves in a similar role as Asmodean, providing knowledge and information from the Age of Legends that the characters would have no way of accessing otherwise. Once she’s fulfilled this function sufficiently, she’s whisked back to the dark side and takes a more background role in the narrative, which, to be fair, is probably what she’d prefer.

Age of Legends backstory

Holding to the trend of the Forsaken having dreadfully boring previous careers, Lillen Moiral was an investment advisor before turning to the Shadow. Unlike many other Forsaken she didn’t declare her allegiance right away, instead conspiring behind the scenes, earning her the nickname Moghedien—in the Age of Legends, a species of small but deadly spider. She turned her talents to espionage during the War of Power, running a massive intelligence network and working as an employee of Lews Therin to sabotage the Light from within.

Earth mythology connections

This seems maybe a bit obscure for Jordan, but then he was also influenced by Australian Aborigian Dreamtime, so maybe not. The Visayan people of the Philippines have a god named Magdan-durunoon who is the Lord of Hidden Lakes. The nearby Bicolano people have a similarly-named figure, Magindang, though he’s a mostly-benevolent fish god, so probably not related in any way save slight name similarlities. Interestingly, there’s also a god among the T’Boli people named Muhen, a bird god whose song is said to be an omen of misfortune.

Equally slant but better-known is the Morgen, a water spirit from Welsh and Britonic folklore, said to lure people to drown by appearing along riverbanks. Moghedien’s frequent alias of Marigan may point to this as an inspiration source. In Celtic legend, there’s a similarly-named figure, The Morrigan, who’s a warrior queen portrayed as a harbinger of death, especially in battle. This is the same figure that likely inspired Morgan le Fay from Arthurian legend, who could feature as either an ally or enemy of Arthur depending on the legend.

Mesaana

In the books

It makes sense that Mesaana sometimes wears a shadow as a disguise because she’s even better at lurking than Moghedien, worming her way into the White Tower and using the Black Ajah as her agents. She successfully keeps her identity a secret longer than any of the other Forsaken, and even her location in the White Tower isn’t known until fairly late in the series, though it’s implied that she’s been there for a while, potentially since being released from the Dark One’s prison.

Mesaana has a huge impact on the plot, though a lot of it isn’t revealed to have been her doing until much after the fact. She is a lurking evil for much of the series, and the mystery of who she’s been posing as adds energy to the later-series scenes in the White Tower.

Age of Legends backstory

As Saine Tarasind, Mesaana worked as a teacher and was mad about it. Being turned down as “unsuitable for research” made her so bitter she turned to the shadow, where she ironically decided to keep teaching, opening Dark One schools that unleashed indoctrinated mobs of terrifying children on all the areas where she ruled.

Earth mythology connections

In the book Origins of the Wheel of Time, Mesaana’s inspiration was said to be Messalina, the third wife of Roman Emperor Tiberius Claudius Drusus Nero Germanicus. She had a distinguished ancestry in her own right, a cousin of Caligula and great-grandniece of Augustus. History remembers Messalina as a ruthless, predatory woman with an insatiable sexual appetite, and she was ultimately executed for plotting against her husband.

Interestingly, there was also a city named Messana, located on the site of the present-day city of Messina in Sicily. In 264BC it was the location of the first battle between Rome and Carthage that started the First Punic War. Given that Jordan demonstrates extensive knowledge of Mediterranean ancient history, it seems likely he merged this place name with elements of Messalina to form the character of Mesaana.

Sammael

In the books

Sammael posted up in Illian after his release, posing as Lord Brend, a member of the nation’s 9-member ruling council. From there, he planned with the other Forsaken and caused trouble, though arguably less effectively than many of his cohorts. When he does eventually confront Rand it doesn’t go well for him, though it’s not Rand who kills him but Mashadar, the evil that lurks in Shadar Logoth.

For most of his time in the series, Sammael is basically a roadblock. He renders Illian off-limits to Rand until he figures out how to deal with him, which Rand will have to eventually, if he hopes to unite the world’s armies to fight the last battle. But he doesn’t make many overt attacks, rendering him less immediately dangerous than some of the others. Still, his approach is successful in the sense that he stays alive a lot longer than the more aggressive Forsaken.

Age of Legends backstory

Sammael is another Forsaken who turned to the Dark One out of bitterness. He was a master athlete in his life as Tel Janin Aellinsar, emerging as an exceptional defensive military mind for the Light during the War of Power. Then Lews Therin was given supreme command over him and Sammael got jealous enough he went to the Shadow over it, which kind of proves that maybe Lews Therin was the better choice after all. He proved one of the Shadow’s best generals, though according to Lanfear he never defeated Lews Therin directly in battle.

Earth mythology connections

I mentioned the archangel Samael in reference to Ishamael above. While Samael’s character seems more of an inspiration for Ishamael, there’s no denying the name similarity here. Like Forsaken Sammael, Abrahamic angel Samael leads the forces of destruction and is generally shown as evil and having forsaken the light.

Graendal

In the books

Graendal is hedonism incarnate (fun fact: her name means “vessel of pleasure” in the Old Tongue). She is an expert in Compulsion, a Talent she used to turn people into pets who lived only to serve her, often choosing those of great beauty, power, or prestige. She seems to be the least concerned with Rand, scheming as much against her fellow Forsaken as she does to subvert the forces of the Light, though she’s outwardly friendly with all of them, on the guest list often when the others call a group chat.

Most of the seven deadly sins are broadly represented across the Forsaken but Graendal’s got the monopoly on gluttony. Her ongoing quest for new pleasures was also a mask, however, leading many to underestimate her and obscuring her true aims and schemes. Her strategy seems to pay off, briefly putting her in line to be #2 to Ishamael/Moridin, though she ultimately fails to deliver and is fittingly punished.

Age of Legends backstory

The transformation from Kamarile Maradim Nindar to Graendal was more dramatic than many of the Forsaken. As Kamarile, she was a famous ascetic and healer, with a particular talent for healing mental disorders. Eventually, she became disillusioned that no one else could live up to her high standards and rebelled against them with a vengeance, swearing vows to the Dark One and embarking on a life of pleasure and excess.

Earth mythology connections

Name-wise, Graendal is pretty unique, though it’s not terribly far from Chandra, a Hindu moon god. It’s also similar to the monster Grendel from Beowulf, and there could have been an element of inspiration from Grendel’s mother. Like Graendal, Grendel’s mother is seductive and deceptive (though these both still feel like a pretty far stretch).

While the name is different, you could definitely draw a parallel between Graendal and the classical goddess Hedone (Greek) or Voluptas (Roman). Sharing roots with English words like hedonism and voluptuous respectively, this goddess was the daughter of Eros (love) and Psyche (soul), and was the personification of sensual pleasure.

Demandred

In the books

Demandred is mentioend as early as the Eye of the World but doesn’t make his on-page debut until Lord of Chaos. His main personality trait is his complete lack of humor, which might explain why he doesn’t seem to get an invite to most of the Forsaken’s planning parties. He spends most of the books far away from the main action in Shara, and even after he’s officially introduced to the reader his plans stay hidden until basically the start of the Last Battle.

The question of just where in the world Demandred was hiding generated a lot of fan theories when the books were just being released, and like Mesaana this lets Demandred function as a source of both intrigue and threat. Even the other Forsaken don’t know what Demandred’s up to most of the time. The one time he comes out into the open and attacks Rand he nearly gets himself killed, but he learns his lesson and goes back to the shadows, and is one of the few Forsaken to survive to the Last Battle in his original body as a result.

Age of Legends backstory

Barid Bel Medar was just a step behind Lews Therin his entire life, born a day later and almost as strong in the One Power. The spite of being always second-best drove him to the Shadow, where his main goal was defeat his arch-nemesis. Ironically this was also part of his rivalry with Sammael, since they saw each other as competing to be the one who’d finally defeat their shared rival.

Earth mythology connections

Daramulum or Dharramalan is a figure in Australian Aboriginal myths, a shapeshifting sky hero who controls the weather—a benevolent god, so this is a bit of a stretch, but I think possible given Jordan was inspired Australian mythology in other ways.

Interestingly, there’s a Nubian/Egyptian god named Mandulis, a solar deity associated with falcons. Mostly throwing this in the ring given the avian descriptors and imagery often used with Demandred.

It’s an equally short skip from Demandred to Mordred, the bastard son of King Arthur who betrays him and ultimately leads to his death. Not a complete parallel, but Demandred was always a would-be usurper of Lews Therin’s power and prestige, so it’s a plausible inspiration.

Semirhage

In the books

Of all the Forsaken, Semirhage just might be the most naturally evil. She takes as much joy in pain as Graendal takes in pleasure, putting her at a special level of terrifying even compared to the rest. She establishes herself with the Seanchan when she’s released from the Dark One’s prison, keeping her out of the main storyline until fairly late in the series.

Semirhage is the third member of the “second wave” of Forsaken with Demandred and Mesaana. Like her allies, she quietly builds power while Rand knocks off the less patient Forsaken, then becomes a more present danger as the last battle approaches. Her main distinctive features are her height, taller than most men, and the fact that she always wears black, which feels fitting given the whole sadism thing.

Age of Legends backstory

When she was Nemene Damendar Boann, Semirhage was one of the best healers in her age. She was known for her sadism even before turning to the shadow, causing a little bit of pain when she healed, just for funsies. Once she turned to the Dark One the gloves really came off. She was an expert torturer and liked finding creative ways to kill people, like replacing their blood with other things.

Earth mythology connections

The name Semirhage is similar to Semiramis, or Shammuramat in its original Akkadian form. She’s a semi-historical, semi-legendary figure who ruled Assyria during the 800s BC. Though her story lacks the kind of sadism that would make her a clear inspiration, she did rule in disguise, leading the armies in the guise of her son after his death.

Another similarly-named figure is Semargl, a vegetation god in Slavic myth. Semargl’s name is likely derived from Persian influences, specifically the mythological creature called a Simurgh. These are ancient, giant birds with the head of a dog and lion claws. While they’re benevolent (unlike Semirhage) they are explicitly female and incredibly old, said to have seen the world’s descruction three times already (which kind of is like Semirhage). They’re also antagonists of snakes, which are mythologically often connected to dragons, so there’s another potential link.

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Obviously this is all speculation. I’m very curious to read The Origins of the Wheel of Time Series and get some deeper insights into Robert Jordan’s thought process and where he sought inspiration as he was building this incredible world.

One thing I do find intriguing, though, are the ways in which Jordan chose to either mask or reveal his sources of inspiration. He had to know many readers would feel a sense of familiarity reading names like Sammael, Be’lal, or Ba’alzamon. Others, like Semirhage and Moghedien, feel more foreign and exotic, even if they ultimately had a similar underpinning in existing myth. This impacts how readers interpret these various characters, too. I think it was likely intentional that the Forsaken with the most recognizable names and influences are the first ones introduced to the reader, by and large. The more uniquely-named in the group become forces later in the book, and their identity and motives are more difficult to ferret out for both the reader and the other characters.

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