How Did Moiraine Lose Her Powers in ‘The Wheel of Time’?

Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Wheel of Time Season 2.

After waiting two years to discover our heroes’ fate, Season 2 of Prime Video’s, The Wheel of Time, has finally premiered. In Season 2, Episode 1, fans watch as the once-powerful Moiraine is forced to live her life without being able to tap into the One Power. Separating herself from her Warder, Lan Mandragoran, Moiraine is guarded and eventually flees from the Aes Sedai castle.

Moiraine doesn’t get far and is knocked off of her horse by a Fade, also known as a Myrddraal. The Fade attempts to kill Moiraine who is no longer able to tap into the One Power to defend herself. Luckily, Lan shows up to fight off the Fade’s attack but he too is no match for the powerful being. When all hope seems lost, Verin and Adeleas arrive and kill the Fade.

So, how did Moiraine lose her powers?

In the Season 1 finale of The Wheel of Time, Moiraine faces off against the Dark One, but her power is no match for him. The Dark One cuts off Moiraine’s connection to the True Source, known as “stilling,” which means she can no longer access her One Power. In the finale, Moiraine tells Lan that the Dark One did something and that she can no longer channel or feel the connection.

Though it has not been explained what the Dark One exactly did to Moiraine, the character’s power loss will seemingly be a big storyline in Season 2.

In the Season 2 premiere, fans watch as Moiraine struggles to cope with the loss of her powers. With the connection being severed, it’s Lan is told to not take her actions “too personally.”

“When a woman who can channel is cut off from the One Power, it feels like the most brutal form of assault,” he is told. “Your body no longer feels like your own. Your mind is reliving the trauma again and again, reminding you of what you once were and what you will never be again.”

Though most women never recover from the loss of the connection, Moiraine continues to fight “every single day.”

Though some theorize Moiraine has been stilled, other fans suggest she has been shielded — a block that is created between an Aes Sedai and her connection to the One Power. Unlike stilling, which completely severs the connection, a shield can be removed.

In a Reddit thread discussing Moiraine’s lack of power, one person wrote, “I am one of the people who believes she has been shielded based not only on the shape of the weave but on the stark contrast to the scene where Logain is gentled.”

In Season 1, Logain is gentled which is the same as stilling but is used to refer to a man’s connection being severed from the One Power. When Logain is gentled, fans may remember the emotional reaction he had to the process.

Overall, if Moiraine has been shielded, there is a chance she can get her powers back in Season 2.

Watch The Wheel of Time Season 2 on Prime Video.