Hi, it's me again😅 I got another headcanon for you!
So I was rewatching 1x08, the scene Moiraine tells Rand how she learned to channel when a mentor Aes Sedai beat her with the One Power until she channeled and this time I recalled how Liandrin used the same method to force Nynaeve to channel and it occured to me Liandrin was breaking the third oath: "Never to use the One Power as a weapon, except in the last extreme defense of her own life, or the life of her Warder, or another Aes Sedai." She could do this because she was a Black Ajah but so did Moiraine's mentor!!
This to me can only mean 2 things! Either the person Moiraine looked up to was another Black Ajah OR that person was in fact Liandrin!
On the other hand, I never understood why Liandrin holds so much contempt against Moiraine, it feels really personal honestly and it really makes me think perhapse Liandrin was that Aes Sedai Moiraine admired so much and I wonder exactly why they had such a big fallout.
What are your thoughts on this? Sorry if this has already been discussed in the fandom, I couldn't find anything in the tags but it really fascinates me!
Ayyyy another amazing headcanon from themoonfortress! Thanks so much for sharing!
I am totally intrigued and I never set Moiraine's traumatic memory against the Aes Sedai oaths, but indeed you are right, it is perfectly reasonable to assume that Moiraine's mentor was Black Ajah, which a) explains Moiraine "Everyone is a Darkfriend Unless Otherwise Proven" Damodred and b) explains why her search for the Dragon is so urgent/secretive. She literally encountered a member of the Black Ajah during her training (and ostensibly it was someone she admired and trusted). So she is well aware of the threat that they pose.
As for Liandrin being her mentor, that is very juicy and I would give my left arm for a fic of that, especially because the power dynamic between them now seems to tip in Moiraine's favour. I personally headcanon them as being of similar ages (cause I love the idea of them having a love-hate relationship as novices and being weirdly drawn to one another, but then of course Moiraine grows up and Liandrin...continues to be weirdly drawn to her). But that's not to say I disagree. It could add a very fascinating dimension to their relationship to explore that.













