This is a The Wheel of Time History and Lore video. We are going to review the origin of
the Ways as well as what has happened to them since then without getting into any specific
plot points related to the current story. Let’s start with a high-level look at the
Age of Legends. The current story is the Third Age, which began around 3,000 years ago. The
Second Age is also known as the Age of Legends. During that time, the world was advanced.
There were skyscrapers for instance. Both women and men channeled the One Power. And
they were very powerful. They created the magical devices known as angreal, sa’angreal,
and ter’angreal. The Second Age or the Age of Legends is the time Lews Therin Telamon
AKA the Dragon. At the end of the Second Age was the War of
the Shadow, which we will dive deeper into in another video. The short version is that
Lewis Therin Telamon came up with a plan to seal the Dark One away in a magical prison.
But his female Aes Sedai allies had a different plan. They wanted to keep fighting. So Lews
Therin Telamon went to Shayol Ghul with a group known as the Hundred Companions – 113
male channelers. There, they sealed the Dark One away in a magical prison. 45 of the men
died in the process, but 68 men survived. Great news! However, in the process of sealing
the Dark One away, the Dark One corrupted the male half of the One Power. So the 68
survivors and eventually all male channelers began to go mad.
That began the Breaking of the World. Due to his madness, Lews Therin Telamon unfortunately
killed his family. That is why some refer to him as Kinslayer. However, one of the Forsaken
healed the Dragon of the madness so that Lews could see what he had done. Once he realized
that he killed his family, he took in way too much of the One Power. More than he could
handle. And he died. The Dragon’s death created an enormous mountain
known as Dragonmount. His death also impacted the nearby river. The river split and created
an island. That island is now Tar Valon. That is where female Aes Sedai raised the White
Tower. They raised it in sight of Dragonmount. So the Aes Sedai at the White Tower can see
Dragonmount, and it is a reminder of the danger of men channeling saidin - the male half of
the One Power. Now, let’s talk about the Time of Madness.
The Dragon’s death wasn’t the Breaking of the World. It was just the beginning of
the Breaking of the World. The Breaking actually lasted around 300 years, or 100 years in the
show adaptation. So the Breaking of the World is also referred to as the Time of Madness.
Ogier live in forests known as Steddings. Steddings are magical in their own ways. One
way is that you cannot channel the One Power in a Stedding. So men went there to escape
the madness. And it worked. While the men stayed in the Steddings, they were protected
from the taint of the Dark One. But, it was not just that they could not wield the One
Power or touch the Source, they could no longer even sense that the Source existed. In the
end, none could accept that isolation. So one by one, the men left the Steddings, hoping
that the Taint was gone. Unfortunately, it was not. Over the next 300 years, every man
who channeled eventually went mad and caused devastating destruction. That is why the Breaking
of the World is also called the Time of Madness. During this time, the world was set back thousands
of years. In the current time period, the Red Ajah tend
to believe that the Ogier sanctuary prolonged the Breaking and made it worse. On the other
hand, the Blue Ajah tend to believe that the sanctuary helped to spread out the destruction
over time. The Blue Ajah believe that this helped the female Aes Sedai save what could
be saved. Of course, it’s all hypothetical. No one knows what would have happened if all
the male Aes Sedai had gone mad at the same time as opposed to over a 300 year long period.
Okay. Now, we will finally discuss the point of this video. The Ways.
The male Aes Sedai were thankful for the sanctuary in the Steddings. So when they left, they
gave the Ogier a gift. The male Aes Sedai created gateways outside of the Steddings.
Those gateways allowed the Ogier to travel between Steddings in an alternate dimension
for lack of better words. A dimension where time and space work different. A dimension
where you could travel far and fast. It was a nice gift. And the gift was called The Ways.
Inside the ways are a number of ramps, bridges, and islands. And the maps within are written
in Ogier script. That is why Moiraine asked Loial to help guide them.
But, there is a problem with the Ways. The Ways are a living thing in some fashion. So
the Ways can change over time. And keep in mind, the Ways were created by male Aes Sedai
using saidin – the male half of the One Power. So the Ways were created by power that
was tainted by the Dark One. Long story short, according to Loial son of Arent son of Halan,
the Ways began to change about a thousand years prior to the current story.
The Ways grew dim and dark. Bridges within the Ways began to collapse. Over time, more
and more people went missing in the Ways. And those who came out spoke of being watched
from the Dark. Some of those who came out of the Ways were mad. They raved about a Black
Wind called Machin Shin. As a result, the Elders among the Ogier now prohibit anyone
from traveling in the Ways. So that’s the Ways. They were created as
a gift to the Ogier by male Aes Sedai around three thousand years ago. But they were created
with saidin, which is tainted by the Dark One. Around a thousand years ago, the Ways
began to change. Now the Ways are falling apart and the space is haunted by an evil
Black Wind called Machin Sin. Nevertheless, the Last Battle is coming. And
Moiraine has to get to the Eye of the World fast. So Loial has agreed to break the prohibition
by leading his new friends into, through, and hopefully out of the Ways.