‘The Wheel Of Time’: Why Did Liandrin Join The Black Ajah?

Liandrin was introduced to viewers as the harsh Red Ajah, whose mission in life is to track male channellers who claim to be the Dragon Reborn. Her aim was clear: take away their power, or in the series’ jargon, “gentle” them. She is a warrior who doesn’t back down, whether on the battlefield or back in the White Tower when she is speaking her mind. This puts her at a crossroads with Moiraine, one of the most prominent Aes Sedai. Liandrin also has a sparring of words with the Amyrlin Seat. Her motives at the time seemed murky.

Then, she tries to sway Nynaeve al’Meara to her side once she sees the young girl’s ability to channel the One Power. She is stronger than what the Aes Sedai have seen in a thousand years. Nynaeve remains a broken soul at the end of Liandrin’s manipulations.

Alongside Nynaeve, Egwene and Elayne, who are training to be Aes Sedai, also become the casualties in Liandrin’s dark schemes. The woman doesn’t bat an eye while putting their lives at risk and handing them over to the brutal Seanchan. It’s clear she damages everyone along the way.

Her one weak moment is when she loses her elderly and ailing son, Aludran. Lanfear takes his life in what she deems an act of mercy. This is where Liandrin’s Black Ajah status is revealed. But when and how did this happen? Didn’t Liandrin despise the Dark One to the core? Well, it was all an act.

Once that act is out in the open, she unleashes an explosive war in the White Tower. The Black Ajah stand by her and they manage to hurt the current Amyrlin Seat, Siuan Sanche, too. While some get caught, Liandrin escapes. The path takes her to where her story began – Tanchico.

Liandrin’s Tragic Backstory In ‘The Wheel of Time’ Explained

It’s easy to blame Liandrin for her choices. She has no remorse in the present day. But when we think of where she came from, it’s clear how her circumstances played a part in her greed for power and her ascension in the dark world. 

Liandrin was raised in the hopeless town of Tanchico, where nothing moral ever happens, and no one has any kindness. Even little kids are marked for a life of hardship. As Liandrin became a teenager, she was married off and was abused by her husband, who was a rich old man.

In ‘The Wheel of time’ Season 3, we see a young Liandrin trying to shush her baby in a dungeon, pleading with the newborn to stay quiet so as not to awaken the wrath of her husband. The terror intensifies when he arrives and orders for the noisy child to be drowned. Liandrin wails, and this triggers her burst of One Power, which kills the man and his guards. But if you think fleeing from captivity would offer some respite, it doesn’t. No one helps; in fact, she is all but invisible, till the time Ishamael arrives. Yes, one of the Forsaken.

How Ishamael Made Young Liandrin Swear The Dark Oath

Liandrin was desperately trying to find refuge for herself and her baby when Ishamael arrived. In her mind, he seemed like a saviour. For Ishamael, Liandrin was the girl with immense potential for the One Power, so he took complete advantage of her vulnerability, promising to rescue her from her horrible situation.