“The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend
fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again."
With these words begins Robert Jordan’s magnum opus. Welcome to the first video in our new
series, dedicated to the universe of the Wheel of Time. Sit back and let yourself be carried away by
the history of the world, which takes place in a time that is centuries away from ours.
When a new age is born, it does not begin from scratch but comes carrying with it the legacy
of the previous era. It is no different in the world of the Wheel of Time. Before discussing the
most important events described in the series created by Robert Jordan, we must bring you
closer to the events happening centuries earlier, starting with the Second Age, the Age of Legends.
During the Second Age, humanity experienced tremendous development in every way, reaching the
peak of progress. The development of technology contributed to the development of known devices
such as cars, which were called Jo-cars during the Age of Legends, leading to the creation of their
flying version and planes called Sho-wings. There were also completely new inventions,
such as Glowbulbs, which were able to emit light without needing to be charged or replaced.
Moreover, new ways of travelling were discovered, such as skimming, using which people were moved
into a void, only to moments later appear in a completely different place in the world.
All this was made possible by the use of the One Power – the source of magical force, coming
from the True Source, created by the Creator at the time of the creation of the universe.
The One Power had two halves: the female one, called Saidar, and the male one, called Saidin,
and not everyone could use the One Power. The ability to draw from the source and create weaves
was possessed by a small part of society, which formed an organization to guard their abilities
so that no one would use the One Power for any purpose other than the help and development
of humanity. The members of this organization called themselves Aes Sedai, which in the Old
Tongue means "Servants of All." The Aes Sedai were the most prominent humans of the Age of Legends.
They were the guardians of world peace. Being the de facto global parliament, they were engaged in
combating diseases and delving into philosophy, trying to discover the secrets of the universe.
During the Second Age, the philosophy of the Wheel of Time appeared, representing
the passing and coming centuries. The Wheel had seven spokes, representing seven eras,
and was powered by the One Power. It was believed that when one era passes into the next, great
changes take place in the world, although the transition itself is not felt in any special way.
In addition, the concept of Pattern of the Ages has appeared,
which is created on an ongoing basis based on decisions made by people. However,
the pattern was not created uncontrollably. When there was a threat to the Pattern, The Wheel would
send personalities to the Pattern to influence people's behaviour to preserve the Pattern.
Such people were referred to as Ta'veren – Pattern-Changers. Ta'veren, unlike the
rest of humanity, had limited free will because they were born with a specific task to fulfill.
At the end of the Second Age, Aes Sedai was headed by one of the most prominent members of this
association. His name was Lews Therin Telamon. Three names evidence his uniqueness because,
during the Age of Legends, the second and third name was given for dedication to
the development of humanity. Sitting on the High Seat and wearing the Ring of Tamyrlin,
he was the most important man in the world and one of the strongest channelers of the One Power. Only
the philosopher and theologian Elan Morin Tedronai could compare with him in magical abilities.
Lews Therin Telamon led a community that might seem utopian at first glance. Throughout
the Second Age, problems such as hunger, poverty, war, and disease were eliminated,
allowing ordinary people to live to the age of 120, while Aes Sedai, aided somewhat by the
One Power, were able to live for 700 years. Human nature, however, remained unchanged,
which caused certain problems to smoulder beneath the surface of this paradise. There were still
cases of discrimination and humiliation of others, despite all people being equal before the law,
and even murder was not entirely eliminated. However, there was no prison in the Second Age
because when the accused was proven guilty, he vowed never to commit the crime again.
This promise was binding because it was made using the One Power and a powerful magical object,
a ter'angreal, later called the Oath Rod. Another human trait the Age of Legends hadn't eliminated
was the lust for power, which individuals still pursued under the guise of a desire
to help society. While Lews Therin Telamon was in charge of Aes Sedai, a new source of magical
power was discovered, distinct from the One Power, which was not divided into male and female parts.
Two scientists from the Colaam Daan University – Beidomon and Mierin Eronaile, who was Lews
Therin's mistress, made this discovery. To present the world with their discovery, the researchers
invited many people to the university, where they planned to show what a new kind of magic,
called True Power, is capable of. They targeted a great sphere levitating over the university,
called the Sharom, whose original purpose, like many things that happened or existed in the First
Age, was unknown to scientists at the end of the Second Age. Using their new power, Beidomon
and Mierin Eronaile opened a rift in the Pattern of the Ages to get to the source of True Power.
Unfortunately, the experiment failed, leading to a gigantic explosion that destroyed Sharom and
killed many people at the university, including Beidomon. Soon after, it was revealed that,
in addition to destroying the sphere, this experiment also created a breach in reality,
allowing an extremely powerful entity, later called Shai'tan, to enter the world.
Shai'tan, or the Dark One, was the nemesis of the Creator that arose with the beginning of the Wheel
of Time. His goal was to destroy the Wheel and recreate the universe according to his own design.
Through the Bore, created as a result of the explosion, he began to impact the world directly.
The first visible effect was a change around the experimental site.
The island where Colaam Daan was located became a mountain called Shayol Ghul, protecting the Bore.
Additionally, the area around the mountain became a barren wasteland.
Over the next 100 years, more social problems began to come to light, plaguing society,
compounded by people's bad qualities. At some point, people began to swear allegiance to the
Dark One, wanting to obtain certain benefits from him, such as wealth or power. The situation got
worse when the members of Aes Sedai began to go to Shayol Ghul to join Shai'tan. Among the most
powerful channelers was Ishar Morrad Chuain, later known as Aginor. He was responsible
for creating the army for the Dark One. Experimenting with the One Power over humans,
he created Trollocs, a terrifying hybrid of humans and animals. From that moment on,
the Trollocs were the main armed force with which Shayol Ghul would conquer the world.
Apart from Ishar, other powerful Aes Sedai joined Dark One, such as Mierin Eronaile, later known as
Lanfear, motivated by the desire to recover Lews Therin, who married another member of Aes Sedai,
and Barid Bel Medar, who took the name Demandred, hoping to become more powerful than Telamon.
The biggest blow to Aes Sedai was when, in the Hall of the Servants in the city of Paaran Disen,
the center of Aes Sedai's power, Elan Morin Tedronai announced that he was
joining Shai'tan by taking the name Ishamael, which in Old Tongue means Betrayer of Hope.
Tedronai’s motives were different from those of the other Aes Sedai. Being a theologian and
delving into the latest discoveries about the Wheel of Time, the creator and The Dark One,
he decided that humanity had no chance to defend itself and the world from Shai'tan's evil.
Every era, Shai’tan appears in the world to conquer it, and humanity somehow overcomes it
every time, but one day humanity would not succeed, so they should save the suffering
for future generations and surrender now. In addition, Tedronai decided that, contrary to
popular belief about the seven eras, the Wheel would rotate endlessly until it was destroyed.
Being the most powerful channeler who joined The Dark One, he became the leader of the
Forsaken – the sect of Aes Sedai who supported Shai'tan. The period of those 100 years during
which society was undone was called the Years of Collapse, but this was only a
prelude to something much worse: the War of the Shadow, better known as the War of Power.
The War of Power began when armies of Trollocs and those who had joined the Dark One moved
under the leadership of the Forsaken into the world, doing unimaginably cruel things. Entire
cities disappeared, and hundreds of thousands of people died in countless battles and sieges.
The early years of the war were tragic for the forces fighting against the Dark One,
known as the Forces of the Light, because those who remained loyal to the Creator didn’t know
war or weapons, having only ever lived in a period of world peace. Over the years,
they created weapons to help them win against the Trolocs and their allies. New weaves of
the One Power were also created. One of them was the Balefire, which contributed to the complete
removal of man, his soul and achievements from the Pattern of the Ages. It began to be used on
a massive scale by both sides of the conflict and was used almost until the end of the war.
After 10 years of war, Ishamael wanted to bring the conflict to its imminent end. To that end,
he attacked Paraan Disen but was defeated there by troops fighting under the command of Lews Therin
Telamon, who gained the nickname "Dragon" during the war. Planning a counterattack,
Lews Therin wanted to gather as much force as possible and attack Shayol Ghul itself. He planned
to gather the most powerful Aes Sedai, both men and women, in a concerted effort to close the Bore
and remove the influence of the Dark One from the world, weakening the shadow troops in the process.
Lews Therin wanted to use seals made of indestructible stone called cuendillar.
Dragon presented his plan, saying it would succeed if six male and seven female Aes Sedai,
forming the so-called Circle, were involved in its execution. The Saidin channelers supported
this plan, but the women of Aes Sedai, under the leadership of Latra Posae Decume, opposed it,
wanting to use two powerful sa'angreal to create a new prison for the Dark One.
As a result of constant attacks from the Trollocs and Shai'tan's other allies, the women's plan
had no chance of success, but they still refused to support the Dragon in his venture.
Left to his own devices, Lews Therin Telamon gathered 113 male Aes Sedai,
later called the Hundred Companions, and an army of 10,000 soldiers and advanced on Shayol Ghul.
When the battle began on the mountain's slopes, the Dragon and the Hundred Companions
broke through to The Bore itself and placed seals, locking the Dark One in a new prison.
Along with Shai'tan, 13 of the most powerful Forsaken were imprisoned, but Ishamael was not
fully constrained, left in a state where he could leave prison once every 1,000 years for 40 years.
The victory over the Dark One was an extremely costly one. All of
Lews Therins’ 10,000 soldiers lay dead, and several dozen Aes Sedai were also killed.
The moment that decided the future of the world was the Dragon's decision to use the One Power
directly on Shai'tan to close his prison completely. The dark entity used this to
contaminate Saidin. This taint led every member of Aes Sedai who used this part of the power to fall
into madness and wreak havoc all around him. The first victims of this Taint were the 68 Companions
who survived the attack on Shayol Ghul and Lews Therin Telamon himself, who, in a madness, killed
his wife, Ilyena and his children, as well as all the servants who were in their home. The Dragon
realized what had happened only when Ishamael, using True Power, healed his mind. Immersed in
grief and anger at himself, the hero of the War of Power moved to a place far from his home and drew
so much of the One Power that it led to a great magical explosion, which killed him and created
a great volcanic mountain in this place, which in later centuries received the name Dragonmount.
The remainder of the Hundred Companions spread throughout the world and, along with the other
male Aes Sedai, began to use the One Power to such an extent that over the years, they brought about
a complete change of the world, destroying one land and creating another, as well as turning
deserts into seas and vice versa. The women of the Aes Sedai who survived the War of Power
tracked down and killed the Saidin channelers or "tamed" them, cutting them off from their
ability to weave, which in consequence, sooner or later, led to the death of the unfortunate.
When the last male Aes Sedai were neutralized and the geographical change of the world,
called the Breaking of the World, ended, humanity entered another era, called the Third Age.
In our upcoming videos on the Wheel of Time franchise, we will discuss the events of the
two initial periods of the Third Age. We plan to cover the battles of many other fantasy,
sci-fi, and space opera universes, so make sure you have subscribed and
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