Semirhage
SEH-mih-RHAHG
Nationality:
Unknown
Year of Birth:
Age of Legends
Gender:
Female
Hair Color:
Black, short and wavy
Eye Color:
Dark
Other Names:
Nemene Damendar Boann, The Lady of Pain
Article Author:
Linnaelin
Page Contents
Basic Information
Actions During the Story (Spoilers)
Character Summaries (Spoilers)
Basic Information
Appearance
Semirhage is tall (6’1 ½”) and slim. She is dark-skinned and has dark eyes and dark, short, wavy hair. She has slender fingers. She is considered to be beautiful and graceful. She always dresses in black.
Personality
Semirhage delights in cruelty and is considered to be very sadistic. She enjoys the pain of others and is very proud of her own abilities. She is often described as aloof and imperious. She often projects a calm air. She enjoys doing needlework. She does not enjoy games that don’t involve live people.
Spoilers Below!!!
Actions During the Story
Actions Before the Story
As Nemene Damendar Boann, she was known as a great Healer of the body. Often she was used as a last resort, due to her penchant for causing extra pain as part of her price. When her sadism was discovered, the Hall of the Servants proposed binding her with an Oath Rod or severing. Semirhage turned to the Shadow rather than accepting either option. She was one of the first to go to the Shadow. During the War of Power, she tortured an entire city to prove she was able to do it. At one point, when she was captured, she terrorized her jailers so much that they set her free. She also was able to torture a man every day for five years. She often worked with Demandred and Mesaana in a tenuous alliance.
When Lews Therin sealed the Bore, Semirhage was trapped with the other Forsaken and the Dark One.
New Spring
Semirhage is not present in this book.
Actions Between the Books
Semirhage is still trapped within the Dark One's prison at this point.
Eye of the World
Semirhage is not present in this book.
The Great Hunt
Semirhage is not present in this book.
The Dragon Reborn
Semirhage is not present in this book.
The Shadow Rising
Semirhage is not present in this book.
Fires of Heaven
Birgitte sees Semirhage and the other Forsaken stalking Tel’aran’rhiod.
Lord of Chaos
Semirhage meets with Demandred, Mesaana, and Graendal. Demandred tells them that the Great Lord wants them to “let the Lord of Chaos rule.”
Semirhage misses a meeting with the Forsaken.
Semirhage tortures Cabriana Mecandes for information. She is disappointed that she has to rush because of Shaidar Haran’s orders, so she gives pleasure to Cabriana’s Warder which kills him. This breaks Cabriana and she is willing to talk.
A Crown of Swords
Semirhage is not present in this book.
Path of Daggers
Semirhage is not present in this book.
Winter's Heart
Semirhage misses another meeting of the Forsaken. She does however report to the Cleansing of saidin at Shadar Logoth. She battles there against those defending Rand al'Thor, but she is unsuccessful at stopping the cleansing.
Semirhage is not present in this book.
Crossroads of Twilight
Semirhage visits the High Lady Suroth disguised and tells her that she has murdered the Empress and her family in Seandar. Semirhage asks Suroth if she would want to become Empress and that she needs to kill Tuon.
Semirhage and the other Forsaken are called by Moridin to a meeting. He orders them to kill Perrin and Mat but to not harm Rand.
Semirhage, disguised as Tuon, comes to meet with Rand. Because of Cadsuane’s ter’angreal, the disguise is disrupted and Rand recognizes Semirhage. She throws a fireball at him and Rand loses his hand. Semirhage is captured by them. One of the sul’dam identifies Semirhage as Anath Dorje, the Truthspeaker of Tuon, whom she had been masquerading as. Semirhage reveals to the group that Rand does have the voice of Lews Therin in his head and that it is causing him to go mad. They find the Domination Bands that were meant to be used on Rand.
Knife of Dreams
Nynaeve, Alivia, and Cadsuane attempt to get information out of Semirhage but she resists giving them any. Rand does not allow them to torture her. Merise attempts to question her but Semirhage just tells them stories about how she would torture people by replacing their blood with other substances.
Later, the Wise One Sorilea wishes to speak with Semirhage. Semirhage derides her by speaking about how the Aiel have changed. Sorilea remarks about how human Semirhage seems and the comment annoys her.
Serene tries to goad Semirhage into answering questions but is unsuccessful. Semirhage refuses to eat the food she is given. Watching, Cadsuane decides to utterly humiliate Semirhage by spanking her. When Semirhage promises retribution, Cadsuane calls for several people, including some maids, to watch her be spanked. After this Cadsuane orders her to eat and Semirhage obeys.
Semirhage is in her cell when Shaidar Haran comes to meet her. He rebukes her for injuring and almost killing Rand. She is told she has been given one last chance. She realizes her shield is gone and she leaves her cell where Elza is waiting for her with the Domination Band.
Semirhage and Elza come into Rand’s rooms and put the Domination Band around his neck, with Min watching. Min tries to toss a knife at Semirhage but she is able to deflect it with a weave of Air, only leaving a gash on her face. She tortures him with the Domination Band. She then forces Rand to torture Min. Then Semirhage forces Rand to choke Min. Rand draws on the True Power and breaks the Domination Band off of his neck. He then balefires Semirhage out of existence.
The Gathering Storm
Semirhage is not present in this book.
Towers of Midnight
Semirhage is not present in this book.
A Memory of Light
Character Summaries
Special Abilities
Semirhage is able to channel and has a strength level of 1(+12). This puts here at near the top of the power levels it is possible for a woman to have with the Power. Semirhage is particularly gifted in Healing and any weaves dealing with body, which she uses to perfect the art of torture. She was said to be the greatest Healer of the Age of Legends, which her ability was matched only by her cruelty.
In addition to her abilities at channeling, she is skilled in the art of questioning and torture and is able to break people's wills.
Notable Possessions
As Tuon’s Truthspeaker she had some power within the Seanchan Empire and was able to speak her mind to Tuon when she liked.
She also had control of the Domination Band, a male a’dam, that she used to control Rand.
Legacy
Semirhage was and will continue to be feared as a giver of pain. Despite her death, she will forever be known as one of the most sadistic people alive. She almost broke the spirit of Rand al’Thor, the Dragon Reborn, beyond repair. Had Tam not intervened, Rand could very well have lost the Last Battle due to her treatment of him.
In Other Media
No one has been cast as Semirhage in the Wheel of Time TV show at this point.