Balthamel (BAHL-thah-mell), formerly known as Eval Ramman, is one of the thirteen Forsaken who was trapped at Shayol Ghul due to the Dragon's sealing. He was a historian during the Age of Legends, specializing in the study of vanished cultures.
Appearance
Balthamel from the CCG.
Being sealed close to the surface, time wore away at his body, leaving his skin so rotted that he covered all of himself in a shroud, his face a grinning mask. Further, he was no longer able to speak.
Strength
In "The Wheel of Time Companion" his strength level is described as ++3, one of the most high levels known, but still below the Dragon and some other male Forsken.
History
Eval Ramman had a bad temper. That, combined with his great strength in the One Power, almost earned him a sentence of being bound with the Power to keep him from violence. He was also fond of women and gambling, cheating in the latter to impress the former. Lured by the promise of endless life, the historian was easily swayed to join The Shadow during the middle years of the Collapse.
Balthamel portrait done by Seamas Gallagher
During his time as one of the Chosen, he ran an extensive intelligence network, bested only by that of Moghedien, and committed several great atrocities - for example, he raised and organized breeding camps for humans to be fed to the Trolloc armies.
When Lews Therin Telamon and the Hundred Companions struck at Shayol Ghul to seal the Bore, he was there along with twelve other of the most powerful Chosen, and imprisoned for three thousand years before his release in 998 NE.
Activities
Balthamel masked
Soon after his release, he and Aginor confronted the Dragon Reborn, Rand al'Thor, at the Eye of the World. After manhandling Nynaeve al'Meara, Balthamel was confronted by Someshta who would not allow them to cause destruction in his home. Balthamel burned the Green Man badly, striking a mortal blow to the all but immortal being, but he, himself started to rot as organic weeds, fungi and such grew all over him from the touch of the Green Man, subsequently killing him.[1]
Aran'gar/Halima Samarov
- For other uses of Aran'gar, see Aran'gar (disambiguation).
Being in the service of the Lord of the Grave does not stop at mere death, however. Given the new name of Aran'gar, the word originally meaning one of a set of dueling daggers used in the game of sha'je popular during the Collapse, the soul of Balthamel was resurrected into the body of an alluring Borderlander woman.
New Appearance
Aran'gar's new body is strikingly beautiful; her perfect face has big green eyes and glossy black hair. She often showed a large amount of her full, firm bosom. [2] She has an earthy, outspoken manner.
Curiously, she was still channeling saidin, which seems to show that it is the soul that determines which part of the True Source that is channeled, at least in the case of resurrection by the Dark One. That the soul has gender is a curious feature of Jordan's metaphysics, and is a concept not found in reincarnationist religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism from which Jordan drew many of his ideas.
Activities
Aran'gar by Ariel Burgess, Official Wheel of Time Artist
Hiding in Salidar
Aran'gar hides with the Salidar Aes Sedai marching on Tar Valon, using the alias Halima Saranov and working as secretary to Delana Mosalaine (a Black sister posing as Gray). She ingratiates herself with the rebel Amyrlin Seat Egwene al'Vere by providing the only relief to be found to the frequent headaches Egwene experiences via massages that sometimes left the Amyrlin "whimpering." [3] Unbeknown to Egwene, Aran'gar was causing them.
Balthamel's fondness for physical pleasures has expanded since the resurrection, and as Halima, wears quite revealing dresses which cause quite a bit of comment.
Halima danced with Matrim Cauthon while he was in Salidar. After Mat decides that Halima is too forward and leaves her, Halima channels at Mat as he's walking away. The Foxhead medallion he wears goes cold, stopping saidin this time. Mat turns around, and sees Halima looking at him with a very surprised expression on her face, but only for a very brief moment.
Aran'gar, using the alias of Halima Saranov in Salidar
Halima rescues Moghedien from the a'dam in which she is being held, which she accidentally touches. Egwene al'Vere who was wearing the bracelet at the time feels this. Halima murders Egwene's other two maids, Meri and Selame. She travels with the Salidar delegation to meet with various nobles along the border of Andor and Murandy.
Hiding spot revealed
She participated in the Battle near Shadar Logoth. She is forced to retreat when she is attacked by Nesune Bihara, Daigian Moseneillin, Beldeine Nyram and Eben Hopwil. Hopwil is killed during the exchange when he detects her channeling saidin. While in the camp she murders Anaiya and her Warder, and Kairen Stang with saidin.
She attends the meeting with the other Chosen in Tel'aran'rhiod, which is made to look like the Ansaline Gardens. There she is told that Rand is not to be harmed and that Mat and Perrin Aybara are to be killed if found. She flirts with Graendal and entertains the notion of entering an alliance with her.
When Jahar Narishma came with a proposal from the Dragon Reborn Rand al'Thor to the Salidar rebel Aes Sedai about bonding forty-seven Asha'man, Narishma detects someone channeling saidin and warns them of a female Forsaken able to channel saidin. This causes Delana and Halima to flee the rebel camp. It is finally revealed that Halima was Sheriam Bayanar's tormentor.
Graendal's Guest
Aran'gar and Delana end up hiding out with Graendal. When al'Thor sends Lord Ramshalan to Natrin's Barrow, Graendal, sensing a trap, orders Delana and Aran'gar to place compulsion on him. As Aran'gar announces that she senses a huge amount of the One Power nearby, Graendal realizes it's a trap and shields Aran'gar and Delana so they cannot escape with her. Aran'gar and Delana are burned out of existence along with Graendal's hideout, making the compulsion disappear.