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Shaidar Haran, SuperFade

Contributed By: Bryon Wasserman, J. R. Feehan, Korda

What do we know about Shadar Haran?

1. The DO holds him in high regard (see the prologue).
2. He has considerable amount of power in his own right. The DO's favor can be capricious and the forsaken sometimes to not obey him absolutely (Graendal believes she can get Sammael to kill Rand even though it is forbidden). Since Shaidar Haran taunts and insults the forsaken he probably can take care of himself.
3. He may or may not have the ability to keep people, or maybe just people sworn the the Shadow from channeling. (If the DO had a great ability do it to other male channelers or bestow the ability on someone else, he would not have let them seal the bore. Then again, maybe he CAN keep a few channelers from channelling, but not 101.) (RE: the prologue of LOC where Aran'gar & Osan'gar cannot channel. Both channel Saidin.) Moggy seems to think the ability is SH's (ACOS: 25, Mindtrap, 416).
4. The DO trusts him to give directions to the Forsaken and manage things.
5. He apparently has knowledge of the world to organize Halima's scheme in Salidar.
6. He has not been visibly active until recently, yet he seems to act as the DOs major domo, keeping the Forsaken in line, etc.
7. Unlike the Forsaken he is apparently absolutely secure in his position, whatever that is.
8. He is fundamentally different from other Fades. Apart from size, he has abilities other Myrddral do not (see #3), and has a sense of pleasure, however twisted: "Far more cruel than Trollocs ... Myrddraal were cold and dispassionate in it. SH often showed amusement, though." (ACOS: 25, Mindtrap, 416) He can tell the difference between saidin and saidar (ACOS: 41, Spears, 636).
9. He wants to be have more freedom of movement than the DO allows him (ACOS 40, Spears, 637):
   "A faint weaknes washed along its limbs. Too long away from Shayol Ghul. That tie had to be severed somehow." So, SH clearly has some independent thought, apart from the will of the DO.

One possibility that has been brought up is that he is Ishamael re-incarnated. This would fit criteria 1,2,4,5,6,7 and possibly 3 (we know from the end of TDR that Ishy has a number of abilities from the DO). Furthermore, assuming Aran'gar and Osan'gar are Aginor and Balthamel, this makes us wonder, "If the DO reincarnated those two yutzes, why didn't he reincarnate his greatest servant, Ishy?" Assuming he _did_ reincarnate Ish, then SH is the only new Evil Dude in LOC, besides Osan'gar and Aran'gar. Ishamael's old Trolloc nickname was Ba'alzamon, "Heart of the Dark"; while Shaidar Haran means "Hand of the Dark/Shadow." Pretty similar, although it could very easily be a coincidence. However, Shadar Haran has neither done nor said anything to indicate that he has had a previous existence, and isn't just a new model of Fade. All of SH's attributes can be explained by assuming that he was specially created by the DO to have those attributes.

Yet Another SH theory is that SH is a physical/corporeal manifestation of the DO. This is supported by the fact that the DO refers to SH as "MY HAND." (ACOS: 25, Mindtrap, 414). This theory would satisfy the above criteria, although it raises some quesitons about how the DO can be in two places at once, i.e. in the Pit of Doom and in Shaidar Haran.

Also, SH seems to have an independent will, as evidenced by his desire to free himself of his bond to SG (ACOS 40, Spears, 637):
"A faint weaknes washed along its limbs. Too long away from Shayol Ghul. That tie had to be severed somehow." If SH is simply a manifestation of the DO, then why would it desire to be free to move around as it wished?