Sammael

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This article is about Sammael, the fictional character. For the angel in Jewish mythology, see Samael.

Sammael (SAHM-mah-EHL) is one of the primary antagonists of The Wheel of Time fantasy series by Robert Jordan. He is one of the Forsaken.

[edit] Origins

Tel Janin Aellinsar had blue eyes and blond hair with a neat square trimmed beard. Compact, solid and seemingly large he was above average in looks except for a large poker like scar down his face from hair to jaw. A scar that was given to him by Lews Therin.

A livid scar that slanted across his otherwise attractive face, as if a red-hot poker had been dragged from hairline to jaw - the Fires of Heaven, Prologue

He had a quick stride and an abrupt manner. He liked to dupe his enemies into thinking they can catch him by surprise. A very good military man, he preferred to defend his ground rather than attack. If he did attack, he liked to do it with large armies and a certainty of victory. Some considered him stronger in the One Power than Lanfear, and almost as strong as Rand al'Thor. He always resented that the Power couldn't make him taller, believing that people judged him on his height instead of his abilities. He found it difficult to think in other ways than straight lines.

[edit] In the Age of Legends

During the Age of Legends he was a world-renowned sportsman, with archery and swords. He was second in that discipline only to his friend Lews Therin (the two essentially rediscovered bladework as a martial art, roughly the same as two sportsmen today taking fencing from watered-down sport to lethal combat), "He had always liked the most violent games" (quote by Graendal). When the War of Power broke out, the two proved to be excellent generals, fighting together in support of the Light, but when Lews Therin became Commander of the Light, Sammael hated him. He turned to the Shadow in the fourth year of the War of Power so that he could personally destroy Lews. However, his hate was a small thing next to Demandred's.

Graendal herself escorted him to Shayol Ghul, and he received the name Sammael, The Destroyer of Hope. His betrayal is chronicled as follows: "After Sammael betrayed the Gates of Heaven he carried the Shadow down into the Rorn M'doi and the heart of Satelle. Hope seemed to die that day. Culan Cuhan wept" (The Fires of Heaven).

He himself had outlived the great Lews Therin Telamon, handing out praise for victories he could not have won himself and expecting others to lap it up. His only regret was that the man had not left a grave for him to spit on.

[edit] The Third Age

After being released from his 3000-year imprisonment, he took on the pseudonym Lord Brend, raising himself to the Council of Nine in Illian. From there he was able to hunt angreal and sa'angreal, as whichever Forsaken could control any of those would be incredibly more powerful than the others, and likely able to claim the title Nae'blis. He also disguised himself as Caddar, a man who approached Sevanna and the Shaido and tricked them into being dispersed across the continent, causing damage to Rand's reputation. Finally, however, Rand came to Illian to root him out, and he was last seen in Shadar Logoth, with Mashadar almost upon him on one side and Rand's balefire on the other. Though Sammael was not described as escaping, neither was his death directly narrated, and readers continued to suspect he was lurking in the shadows until author Robert Jordan announced him unequivocally dead. He was killed by Mashadar. "Sammael is toast". This is perhaps the most emblematic example of Jordan's (and readers') almost obsessive attention to detail. Finally, in a Knife of Dreams one of the Forsaken impersonate Sammael in order to send a massive army of Trollocs and Myrddraal against Rand Al'Thor. This would violate the Dark One's order to not interfere with the Dragon Reborn, and to allow him to spread chaos throughout the world.