Mordeth

Mordeth is a minor antagonist of The Wheel of Time fantasy series by Robert Jordan.

Background

During the Trolloc Wars, Mordeth was a councilor to the ruler of Aridhol, a magnificent Ogier-built city. Because of his influence, Aridhol's methods at fighting the Shadow became as malevolent as the Shadow itself, only in a different way. The culmination was the destruction of the city. No enemy entered it, but every living creature in Aridhol, which later became known as "Shadar Logoth" ('the Place where the Shadow waits'), was killed by the hate and evil that Mordeth spread. The evil councilor himself was spared, but he became a spirit, haunting the ruins of the city and waiting for a host to deceive and possess.

Role as an Antagonist

In the series, Mordeth first appeared in The Eye of the World when the main characters go to Shadar Logoth. He lures Rand al'Thor, Matrim Cauthon, and Perrin Aybara into an underground chamber full of cursed treasure. After a brief scuffle between them, the three boys flee, but Mat steals a ruby hilted dagger and doesn't reveal it until it is too late.^[1]

Mat takes the dagger out of Shadar Logoth, thus releasing its evil into the world. The dagger is tainted, as is every item and pebble in Shadar Logoth. Before Moiraine realizes this, it is too late and the dagger has bound itself to Mat, effectively tainting him. The bond will eventually kill him if he does not reach Tar Valon in time for the Aes Sedai to heal him.

Later, when Padan Fain follows Rand, Mat, and Perrin into Shadar Logoth, he encounters Mordeth who attempts to possess him. Due to Fain's 'reforming' by Ba'alzamon, Mordeth is only partially successful, merging with Fain's personality rather than replacing it. Later, he steals the dagger and carries it with him, for even a single successful strike infects the victim with Shadar Logoth's evil and kills almost instantly. Fain creates a new alias for himself when attaching to the Children of the Light: "Ordeith", 'Wormwood' in the Old Tongue. Later, he goes with the name "Jeraal Mordeth", indicating that the Mordeth personality is taking over.

References