They Call the Wind the Dragon | Rand Al'Thor | Origins of The Wheel of Time | Robert Jordan

A wind rose in the Mountains of Mist. They call the wind the Dragon, a video essay on the mythological origins of Rand Al' Thor, from Hindu Devas (gods) Agni and Vayu.
#thewheeloftime #robertjordan #originsofthewheeloftime

[Negu]

This video was super cool I love when religions, stories and history blend, making connections meaningful in a deeper way and giving that "greater than life" feel, WOT is one of those stories that manage to make me feel like that and videos like this one are for sure the best way to extend that feeling between rereads thanks 😊

[michaellewis]

I learned something today neat. Have a nice day.

[Jerome]

This was awesome, Jordan was into a bit of everything so who knows, you might be right in drawing these comparisons.

[GeorgeWrightau]

Thanks for another interesting compare and contrast between mythologies and world religions. I like how you've brought your academic background to the fore. More please. Something that I've been pondering for years that explains one of the least enjoyable parts of the series - the miscommunication (especially gendered) and makes it an integeral part of the plot. When the Dark One tainted the male half of the power he also created a fundamental breaking in communication - a Babel-like rift between the sexes, between cultures and social statuses. We face palm at all the "men don't know better" or the "women are difficult to understand" in the books but what if that is exactly part of the outcome of the taint. As time goes on the fear of a male channeler just gets encultured to be a latent mistrust of all men, and men a fear that the women can turn on them. In this light the Forsaken's job is to increase division "let the Lord of Chaos rule". All of Ishamael's actions throughout time when he was free were to increase tension between the genders, nations, classes etc. so they coudn't come together and agree on how to fight the Dark One. The "Original Sin" of the whole books isn't that the male channelers are tainted for their actions, its actually that they couldn't agree (by gender lines) on a solution, and that seed became the source of the taint, the Dark One just needed to push the mistrust to the extreme and then let it reverberate as the wheel turned. Every few centuries Ishy would stir the pot and communication and trust would further degrade and then be built in to the stories and rituals of the next generation as further proof why they can't work together and each gender/state/class knows best how to be. Just food for thought that the taint is actually more than on male channelers but rather a curse in the style of Babel. From wiki - "According to the story, a united human race in the generations following the Great Flood, speaking a single language and migrating eastward, comes to the land of Shinar (שִׁנְעָר‎). There they agree to build a city and a tower tall enough to reach heaven." I don't think the use of Shinar by Jordan to be the place where the blight neighbours is accidental.

[smaug]

"There goes the challenger being chased
by the blue blue meanies on wheels
The vicious traffic squad cars are after
our lone driver
The last American hero
The-the electric sintar
The demi-God,
the super driver of the Golden West!
Two nasty Nazi cars are close behind
the beautiful lone driver
The police cars are getting closer-closer...
Closer to our soul hero in his soul mobile,
yeah baby!
They about to strike, they gonna get him,
smash! rape!
The last beautiful free soul on this planet
But... it is written if the evil spirit arms
the tiger with claws
Brahman provided wings for the dove
Thus spake the super guru"*
"Did you hear that"

I think like Axl Rose, Jordan just gave a hint to a modern legend or belief to say that it actually started in his world. What I find interesting about that is that something from our world influenced something from his that pretends to be the influence to the real world thing. The cyclical nature of that just feels right for this series. I guess it really does not have much to do with Axl Rose to be honest, but I always likes that ending :)

[emilioi.valdez]

Religions mixing, clashing, and interacting? I'm now reminded of my fantasy on some of the themes I want to use.

[emilioi.valdez]

Your mike didn't work for a bit there. Just letting you know.