Theorypost archives from wotmania.com

In the words of the immortal Dr. Evil, "Can someone throw me a friggin’ bone here?" Am I missing out on some basic common knowledge of the location of Semirhage? If not, why hasn’t anybody brought this up before? I can’t seem to piece together where in the world or Randland I should say Semirhage has made a nest for herself. I was scanning through Lord of Chaos and we get a small scrap of what Semirhage is up to from her point of view. Here’s what I’ve been able to piece together so far:

On the bottom of page 143 of Lord of Chaos it is mentioned that if Semirhage killed the Aes Sedai she held captive before she could drain all useful knowledge out of her, she could just wait at her same location until another was captured.
At the end of another chapter in Lord of Chaos from Nynaeve’s point of view, it is noted that there is a mysterious woman watching her from a second story window at Salidar. Note that this is before Aran’gar shows up at Salidar.

From the first clue it is reasonable to believe that wherever Semirhage is, it is either with Aes Sedai (i.e. The White Tower or Salidar) or at a very powerful position with any given nation that would have ambassadors from either the Tower or Salidar. That does not help much at all. But if we look at who the Aes Sedai that was captured is; more specifically what Ajah she is from; that seems to eliminate one of the options at least. On the bottom of page 433 in Lord of Chaos it is mentioned by Aran’gar that Cabriana Mecandes is or was a Blue Aes Sedai. That she is Blue should eliminate the idea that Semirhage is hiding in the Tower simply because there are no Blues there at all. From all of this all I could possibly scrounge up is that Semirhage is either posing as a powerful noble from some country that has Aes Sedai advisors, or more likely is somehow manipulating the Salidar Aes Sedai - the reference of the mysterious woman watching from a window seems to back this up. Semirhage could be the one who beats up Sheriam in The Path of Daggers or could be posing as a major player in the Hall of Sitters, someone like Lelaine Sedai or Romanda Sedai perhaps. Tell me what you think.

wotmania says: I have never put too much thought into this puzzle. There are a lot of puzzles I have not been putting much thought into... I took that to mean she would hide in her lair until another Aes Sedai was delivered to her - possibly by Mesaana or Aran’gar or whoever. I do not want to assume Semirhage is anywhere near any Aes Sedai. It is certainly possible, though...

Comments

In WH, Tuon was looking at her soe'feia in one of the first chapters and the description of the Truth Speaker leaves little doubt in my mind that she is Semiraghe. First point, she is described as wearing all black all the time (something we know that Semiraghe does), doesn't sweat ( something that only Aes Sedai, Asha'man and the Forsaken know how to do), and enjoys punishing Tuon when she feels that the DotNM is doing something foolish ( Tuon remembers her punishment as being one of the most physically painful thing she had ever experienced). Also, the soe'feia has just barely the accents of Seanchan in her speech as if just acquiring them. All this evidence brings me to believe the Semiraghe is now posing as Tuon's soe'feia and is withTuon, Mat and his companions.

I agree with the post by Someshta, Semirhage is Anath, Tuon's truthspeaker.

When Semirhage is torturing Cabriana and her Warder, Semirhage notes to herself that if she loses her patient before getting useful information from her, she will be forced to remain wherever she is at the moment, until another Aes Sedai is caught. This just after a summons to Shayol Ghul, and IIRC, she believes that the place she is working in isn't far from S.G.

The conclusion from this is: Cabriana is captured, Shaidar Haran summons Semi, puts her to work doing what she does best, and then passes the briefing to Aran'gar for her trip to Salidar. As long as Semirhage's work is satisfactory, she will be allowed to return to her normal location immediately.

None of this precludes her from being Anath, and the description of both Anath's appearance and behavior are beyond coincidental with Semirhage.

Besides, after nine books her location has to have been given by now, and this is all we have.

Call_me_Tim

Call me Tim

I'm totally in agreement of the Anath is Semirhage theory and I think I have another reason that hasn't been mentioned yet. In Lord of Chaos, Semirhage kills the Aes Sedei, Cabriana Mercandes, before getting all/any of the information from her. But she doesn't care since she knows she could get another soon. If she was anywhere in Randland a disappearence of an Aes Sedei would probably be noticed by the commoners (or royalty). Plus, many Aes Sedei have friends in the tower. I haven't ever read the Guide yet but I know that they rarely go into the Aiel Waste, board Sea Folk ships, enter Shara, and I doubt they have ever been on Tremalking or that giant female sa'angreal would be carted of to the tower. Anyway, the only land I think of that an Aes Sedei would be fairly easy to come by would be Seanchan. I know that the Seanchan got a couple Aes Sedei on Toman Head and I can't remember if they had continued their invasion of Randland by book 6. If so they probably got some more. Anyway thats just what I think.

Eben Hopwil

Now, it is fairly obvious that Semirhage is in Salidar. Demandred, Mesaana and Semirhage was working on a plot together, and most likely the other two are in the two other towers. Now, someone once said that Semirhage has a willful charge. This could of course be Sevanna, but I think it is Egwene. We know she is willfull enough. By the way, Semirhage is described as being quite motherly, and what better description to apply to Chesa.

Magnus Alexander corpore parvus erat

Dissenting voice of wotmania

Frightfully stubborn pacifist

Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent

I just have a few things that I want to point out.

First, it is very feasible that Semirhage could survive in Seanchan, despite her ability to channel. Many of you seem to have forgotten that at some point in the series it is made known that people in the Age of Legends had the knowledge of masking one's ability to channel. Moghedian was held captive among so many Aes Sedai in Salidar using this technique, and no one even SUSPECTED that she could channel, let alone who she really was.

Second, women who can channel are not called Aes Sedai in Seanchan, so the theory that there are several Aes Sedai available for torturing over there is entirely untrue. And besides, any channelers found on the other side of the Aryth Ocean would have no useful information for Semirhage anyway.. OK, I know this seems like I am contradicting myself, but bear with me. The only way that Semirhage could obtain more Aes Sedai (if she is indeed disguised as a Seanchan) would be for the Seanchan to leash another as damane (and we all know that they would NEVER dream of doing this...

).

OK, now for the third. Semirhage's "willful charge". It is fairly obvious, since the release of Winter's Heart, that Suroth, the current leader of the Seanchan's preparatory mission, is a Darkfriend. Semirhage being with the Seanchan, and a Darkfriend who holds a prominent position in Seanchan hierarchy says, to me, that it is more than simply coincidence. I offer that Suroth is Semirhage's willful charge. Draw your own conclusions as you will.

Alright, enough of my ramblings for now. Just wanted to give you folks some food for thought.
Peace.

It's unlikely that Semirhage killed Cabriana Mercandes before extracting the necessary information from her, she's not even dead by the end of the chapter and when Asan'gar shows up in Salidar, she is posing as a travelling companion of Mercandes before she was killed, using the information gathered by Semirhage to flesh out her cover story. Quite obviously, that's why Semirhage was requested by Shaidar Haran to question an Aes Sedai in the first place : so that Asan'gar could infiltrate Salidar safely, have a motive to go there and a reason to know that the AS were gathered there. The reference to waiting for another AS to be captured if Sem killed CM was just a clue for us to understand that any AS would do (not one from Salidar, though!), Semirhage wasn't looking for specific knowledge, just for personal information from one sister.

The mysterious woman is Salidar I always believed to be the Tower envoy who seeks to see Elayne and Nynaeve shortly after.

I agree that Semirhage is most likely Anath. It must have been to her that Ishamael/Mesaana intended to send Egwene and Nynaeve in TGH (when Liandrin delivered them to Suroth to bring with her to Seanchan, etc.). I think that Ishamael as leader with Demandred, Mesaana and Semirhage had a rather coordinated plan since their release and part of it was for the Seanchans to invade the Westlands. Mesaana, I think, was to assume control of the BA/WT in Ishy's place and to weaken the Tower and dirty it's reputation (which certainly worked). My guess is that Semirhage is watching over the Seanchan and Demandred was busy creating chaos using multiple proxies to weaken the South and the West (Saldaea, Arad Doman, Tarabon, Amadicia, Altara, Ghealdan) to facilitate the invasion.

Where is Semirhage?

Comments

Semiraghe and the Seanchan

Anath

Hmmmmmm.....

More Proof of Anath=Semirhage

Semirhage is the Amyrlin's Maid

Interesting, but...

Probably not with Seanchan

Semirhage as Anath

Well...

errr...

Salidar