Who she is[]
We know that some-if not all-the Forsaken were released by Book 2. So...the question is, who is Mesaana. I don't know whether anyone will agree but I think it might actually be Laras. She is the only person in the White Tower who seems to be doing good and bad at the same time, think of it, as an outsider looking in Laras might think that Eqwene being 'broken' a bad thing, but in knowing that she is destablising the 'Darkfriend rule' on the White Tower as she was, it would be better to get her out and to make her again a unifying threat. Anyway...it's just a thought. Lightningbarer 20:43, January 19, 2010 (UTC)
Holy moly i went looking for this page to write this exact same thing. I'm reading TGS 16 and here Laras is this huge fatty who seems to walk unnaturally quiet. There seems to be something very odd with her and the other thing is that at the end of TGS all Aes Sedai have had to swear on the oath rod in the White Tower. Mesaana wasn't found but Laras as a cook wouldn't have to swear on the rod any way--GuanYu79 08:15, February 4, 2010 (UTC)
I like this theory; Laras is certainly a loose thread that needs to be revealed. If she turns out to be Mesaana, then it was a long running ruse. Ronmamita 13:09, July 4, 2010 (UTC)
I originally thought Laras as well - especially because Suian's memory of the woman seems off (as if it was disturbed, somehow[compulsion?]). The way she is described in New Spring, and Suian's thoughts about her, do not match the way she is described elsewhere in the series. If I recall, she is quite thin in New Spring, but Suian thinks in the main series that she has always been a large woman - despite having known her for 20 years and interacting with her in New Spring). However, on my current read-through (I am at Path of Daggers) I have a new suspect. Juilaine Madome. She is one of the Too Young Sitters, for the Brown Ajah. Her Ajah would explain the dress, and she has been a Sitter for less than a year (as of PoD) which matches the Forsaken M.O. of worming their way into councils of power out of nowhere. Additionally, she is described as tall and has black hair, both of which match Mesaana. Finally, as the Too Young Sitters were appointed by the Ajah Heads instead of elected (an oddity for the Brown), it would be a simple matter to use Compulsion on the First Chair (Brown Ajah head) to have herself selected. Just a few thoughts. Trandyr 08:10, July 17, 2010 (UTC)
- I now think it may a big letdown when Mesaana's identity is revealed. I mean she failed in the White Tower after making the boldest of claims! I originally thought that we could figure out her secret disguise and thought great hints were given the reader in book 10 (COT) chapter 21 "A Mark".
- Elaida called Alviarin a traitor! Alviarin fearing her Black Ajah identity is uncovered uses the emergency ter'angreal that summons Mesaana; and behold these revealing details about Mesaana:
- NOTE: Talene was Black Ajah in the office with Elaida, Yukiri, and Doesine (also Andaya, Shevan, Rina, Rubinde, Ferane, and Suana) when Alviarin returned to Elaida's office.
1. Mesaana already was aware that Alviarin had been stripped of the "keepers stole" (Mesaana may have been present).
2. Mesaana Already knows Alviarin will be doing penances with the mistress of novices.
3. Mesaana is wearing a green silk skirt embroidered with elaborate bands of bronze. 4. Alviarin could not sense the weaves (meaning theTP was being woven to cast the illusion). 5. Before Mesaana could finish the weave to harshly punish Alviarin the myrddraal intervened and broke the weaves, revealing Mesaana's true voice and appearance! Mesaana is a blue-eyed woman in bronze-embroidered green garb. Has "a tantalizingly familiar" look of a woman just short of her middle years. 6. Mesaana was trying to hide her fear!
- This suggests that Mesaana is masquarading as a young green sister in the tower... but this is the obvious assumption and could be misleading. Yet it is the most we have to deduce Mesaana's true identity, so let us find a blue-eyed, middle aged, green ajah sister!
- I think the likely suspect is Rina Hafden.
LOL
Or so I thought at that time. If Mesaana is revealed to have been a green then the hints were straight forward, if she is in another Ajah then it has all been a ruse to trick the readers and she could be anyone; even Laras or Juilaine.
I like your guess that Mesaana could be Brown because isn't it true she was Brown in the Age of Legend? Graendal said Mesaana was easy to figure out, and described her almost a twin to Verin "gone over to the Shadow because it offered a more interesting opportunity for research." *Ronmamita 13:37, August 19, 2010 (UTC)
Name[]
Apparently the Strait of Messina is where the sea monster Charybdis was said to live, who was a beautiful naiad before being turned into a monster by Zeus. Do you think Mesaana's name could come from that? Rahien☯ 17:24, March 12, 2010 (UTC)
Done for?[]
In Towers of Midnight, Chapter 3, page 74, Egwene has the following prophetic dream:
- All was dust around [Egwene], and thirteen black towers rose in the distance beneath a tarlike sky.
- One fell, and then another, crashing to the ground. As they did, the ones that remained grew taller and taller. The ground shook as several more towers fell. Another tower shook and cracked, collapsing most of the way to the ground—but then, it recovered and grew tallest of all.
- At the end of the quake, six towers remained, looming above her. Egwene had fallen to the ground, which had become soft earth covered in withered leaves.
It seems obvious to me that the towers are the Forsaken. (I say obvious, but it only occurred to me on second reading because I was in such a hurry to get to the meeting with Rand promised by the title "The Amyrlin's Anger" the first time through.) There were originally 13, but after ToM there are, to the best of our knowledge, six: Ishydin, Cyndi Lane (Cyndane/Lanfear), Moggy, Demandred, Graendal, and Mesaana. Aginor/Osan'gar/Dashiva is dead, but I don't recall whether it is possible for him to return, but he's been gone for some time. The prophesy could refer to Ishydin dying and being, uh, reincorporated, but what good is that prophesy? What is the point of it now? It could also apply to Mesaana, who is essentially dead now. She could be healed with black magic of the sort Ishamael used on Lews in the EoTW prologue and end up being important again. I'm not advocating a position; rather, I wonder whether the possibility that this prophesy refers to her should be included. -Rrius 05:20, November 10, 2010 (UTC)
- I don't know why, but I personally don't see Mesaana being healed. Ishamael healed Lews Therin's madness, but Mesaana doesn't have anything left to heal in the first place. She's not mad, her mind's gone completely. She's a vegetable. Rahien☯ 05:30, November 10, 2010 (UTC)
- Well first gotta say I was WAY off above/\/\/\ but think about it, something big is on the horizon for the world of the wheel, we know it from the book. Egwene's dream wasn't about Mesaana, it was about the Seanchan. The Towers of Midnight are thirteen black towers in Seanchan, where-prophecy states-that the Seanchan royal family(imperial) must go to 'right what's wrong'. Which I take as getting the Seanchan army to Tarmon Gai'don.Lightningbarer 19:39, December 2, 2010 (UTC)
- The title of the book has multiple meanings. The literal one is the towers in Seanchan, but there are other meanings. If Eg's dream is about the Seanchan, why did it go into such detail about the number of towers falling and the order in which they fell? Why make it clear that six towers remained? What does that number have to do the Seanchan fortress? -Rrius 08:51, April 21, 2011 (UTC)
- I'd say it's most likely in reference to the amount of support Tuon(I really never think of her as Fortuona) has or whoever her rival(s) have, the state of the falling, crumbling towers is the state of the Seanchan nation and remember this is a prophectic dream Egwene is having, they have never been really clear cut before.Lightningbarer 19:04, June 20, 2011 (UTC)
- The quote is too detailed about numbers for that. It follows the pattern of what has happened with the F/S far too closely to be somehow about six something (what exactly?) supporting Tuon -Rrius 01:25, August 11, 2011 (UTC)
- I'd say it's most likely in reference to the amount of support Tuon(I really never think of her as Fortuona) has or whoever her rival(s) have, the state of the falling, crumbling towers is the state of the Seanchan nation and remember this is a prophectic dream Egwene is having, they have never been really clear cut before.Lightningbarer 19:04, June 20, 2011 (UTC)
- The title of the book has multiple meanings. The literal one is the towers in Seanchan, but there are other meanings. If Eg's dream is about the Seanchan, why did it go into such detail about the number of towers falling and the order in which they fell? Why make it clear that six towers remained? What does that number have to do the Seanchan fortress? -Rrius 08:51, April 21, 2011 (UTC)
- Well first gotta say I was WAY off above/\/\/\ but think about it, something big is on the horizon for the world of the wheel, we know it from the book. Egwene's dream wasn't about Mesaana, it was about the Seanchan. The Towers of Midnight are thirteen black towers in Seanchan, where-prophecy states-that the Seanchan royal family(imperial) must go to 'right what's wrong'. Which I take as getting the Seanchan army to Tarmon Gai'don.Lightningbarer 19:39, December 2, 2010 (UTC)
Alive?[]
If she is in fact a vegatable, then shouldn't her status be changed to dead? They're bodies might be "alive", but people in such states are as good as dead.
- If she were truly dead, she'd be reincarnatable unless she'd died by balefire. The fact that she is living but useless means something. -Rrius 01:31, August 11, 2011 (UTC)