Mazrim Taim

Mazrim Taim (pronounced MAZ-rim tah-EEM^[1]) is a fictional character in Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time fantasy series.

Description

Taim is described as having black hair, above average in height with a dark face, tilted eyes, hooked nose and high cheekbones. When introduced to Rand al'Thor he is judged to be around thirty-five, but author Robert Jordan has subsequently confirmed he is in his late twenties.^[2]

Abilities

Taim can channel saidin, the male half of the One Power. He is very strong in the power, but it is not clear up to this point exactly how strong he is. Taim is also among the most experienced male channelers in the world; only Lews Therin and the male Forsaken surpass him in experience. He has avoided the madness and sickness of the Taint longer than any living non-Forsaken.

Taim appeared initially to be approximately as powerful as Rand Al'Thor in the Power. Rand tests this in Lord of Chaos, asking Taim to hold as much of the power as he can. Al'Thor judges that Taim is holding back some of the power even then, leaving Taim's true level of power in question. Al'Thor's own power has since grown exponentially as he grew more experienced in using the One Power.

False Dragon

Taim had originally declared himself the Dragon Reborn at around the same time as Logain Ablar, the only time in history where there were two False Dragons who could channel. During the events which unfolded in The Great Hunt, when Rand al'Thor declared himself the true Dragon, Taim was thrown from his horse in battle and captured by Aes Sedai. Taim escaped and came to Rand in Caemlyn shortly after Rand announced an amnesty for men who could channel, carrying with him one of the seven seals on the Dark One's prison. He was given the task of recruiting and training men in the use of the One Power, leading what would become known as the Asha'man of the Black Tower.

M'hael

Taim is a very power-hungry individual, as evidenced by his claim to be the Dragon Reborn. He resents those more powerful than he, but is willing to become their underling in exchange for a position of his choosing. This is what led to his dissension with Rand. He appears at first very willing to be second to Rand, but with a title and power of his own choosing, which Rand is unwilling to allow. Taim first begins to resent Rand when he places him in the farm, from which the Black Tower would spring, to teach men who sought to learn to channel, instead of allowing him to stay by Rand's side. When Rand confers upon him the title of Asha'man, he is clearly unhappy about being seen as second to him. After that day he never wears the black garb of Asha'man, nor the Sword pin of the Dedicated or the Dragon pin of the Asha'man. Instead he calls himself M'hael (in the Old Tongue, something with overtones of "Divine Emperor" or a petty god) meaning leader, and electing garments adorned on the sleeves with Dragons, to make himself seem equal to Rand. The two are at silent war with each other: Rand is unable to kill him despite his treacheries because he is holding the Black Tower together for him to use at Tarmon Gai'don, while Taim cannot risk trying to kill Rand personally because Rand is more powerful than he, and any open action against him could turn Asha'man who are loyal to Rand against him.

There are suspicions that Taim is a darkfriend, in light of his connections with the renegade Asha'man Rochaid and Kisman. They have been shown to defer to him as if he was one of the chosen. There are many such instances littered throughout the series where Taim's intentions are shown to be counterproductive to Rand's.

In Knife of Dreams, Taim met with the White Tower Aes Sedai and agreed to allow the bonding of Asha'man by sisters of the Red Ajah. His justification for this was to "Let the Lord of Chaos rule," a phrase unknown outside the circle of the Forsaken and high-ranking Darkfriends (possible evidence that he may be a Darkfriend or a new Dreadlord). His house is also described as largely decorated with the colors red and black, possible evidence of ties to Moridin, who dresses his servants in the same colors. This link to Moridin is made almost certain by the Dreamspike located at the Black Tower, previously described by Moridin as being "put to good use".

Logain claims that Taim has a small sect of followers whom he personally teaches weaves that no other Asha'man know. Taim refuses to believe that Rand was responsible for the cleansing of saidin. In Towers of Midnight, a group of Asha'man loyal to Logain comes to a frightening realization: Asha'man that take personal lessons from Taim become powerful with unreasonable speed and simultaneously change drastically. Their eyes and smiles become cold and dead, and while they try to pose as former selves, their former companions sense evil. At the same time, one of the Aes Sedai from the delegation suddenly realizes that two members of her group irrationally insist on staying in the Black Tower, after which she notices the same symptoms as those affecting the Asha'man. This and the fact that channelers are unable to make gateways around the Black Tower, while Taim prohibits them to leave the premises without his knowledge, confirms him to be a Darkfriend. This is confirmed by Moridin, who hints that out of the two Dreamspikes he owns, one is placed near the Black Tower and "put to a good use".

Forsaken

In the prologue of A Memory of Light, Taim — now using the name "M'Hael" exclusively — is revealed to be the first in a new generation of the Forsaken, having been promoted for creating an army of Dreadlords among the Asha'man at the Black Tower.

References