Wheel of Time Discussion - Spoilers(with book spoilers)

[Mercurius]

The first age is not our world. The portal stones come from the first age, so the one power was known and used during that period, making it an alternate reality of ours. That means that the landscape doesn't have to be identical. Nor does there even have to be climate change.

This is debatable. The first age--or rather, the age before the Age of Legends, may or may not be our current age which, I'll remind you, is not over.

I decided to re-read Eye of the World and came across a few tidbits from Thom Merrillin in the early chapter, "The Gleeman," in which he mentions various personages from our era such as "Mosk the Giant" (Moscow) and "Materese the Healer" (Mother Theresa). They're summarized on this page about real-world references. I had to chuckle at "Anla the Wise Counselor" (Ann Landers).

Thom says, "Old stories, those...Stories from the Age before the Age of Legends, some say. Perhaps even older."

Meaning, all we know is that they are from before the Age of Legends, but it isn't clear to Thom--and thus perhaps to Robert Jordan himself--whether the first age is our age, or whether our age is from an earlier cycle of seven ages.

But what is clear is that it is our world, and in our future. That said, Jordan seems to emphasize the cyclical nature of time, so that past and future are not strictly linear. This is resonates with the Hindu view of time (the yugas, etc), and other variations on Eternal Return, from Eliade's study of myth to Nietszche's rather scary view of Eternal Recurrence, that we live the same life, over and over again.

Jordan says the same basic seven ages are repeated, but while the underlying patterns and nature of each age are the same, the details are different.

 

[Parmandur]

This is debatable. The first age--or rather, the age before the Age of Legends, may or may not be our current age which, I'll remind you, is not over.

I decided to re-read Eye of the World and came across a few tidbits from Thom Merrillin in the early chapter, "The Gleeman," in which he mentions various personages from our era such as "Mosk the Giant" (Moscow) and "Materese the Healer" (Mother Theresa). They're summarized on this page about real-world references. I had to chuckle at "Anla the Wise Counselor" (Ann Landers).

Thom says, "Old stories, those...Stories from the Age before the Age of Legends, some say. Perhaps even older."

Meaning, all we know is that they are from before the Age of Legends, but it isn't clear to Thom--and thus perhaps to Robert Jordan himself--whether the first age is our age, or whether our age is from an earlier cycle of seven ages.

But what is clear is that it is our world, and in our future. That said, Jordan seems to emphasize the cyclical nature of time, so that past and future are not strictly linear. This is resonates with the Hindu view of time (the yugas, etc), and other variations on Eternal Return, from Eliade's study of myth to Nietszche's rather scary view of Eternal Recurrence, that we live the same life, over and over again.

Jordan says the same basic seven ages are repeated, but while the underlying patterns and nature of each age are the same, the details are different.

It's best not to get too caught up in the metaphysics as understood by the inhabitants of the book world since

Spoiler: MAJOR SPOILERS, DO NOT READ

one of the main points of the climax is that a lot of it is Dark One propaganda and misdirection.

 

[Bolares]

It's best not to get too caught up in the metaphysics as understood by the inhabitants of the book world since

Spoiler: MAJOR SPOILERS, DO NOT READ

one of the main points of the climax is that a lot of it is Dark One propaganda and misdirection.

OH C'MON! That huge spoiler tag just makes me curious.

 

[Mort]

OH C'MON! That huge spoiler tag just makes me curious.

It's really Terry Pratchett's Discworld a few millennia later!

No, not really. Would be fun though.

 

[Parmandur]

OH C'MON! That huge spoiler tag just makes me curious.

It's really sort of a metaphysical spoiler and not detailed, go for it if you want and don't mind thematic spoilerage (science shows spoilers actually enhance enjoyment of stories, bit I find people don't usually like being told that).

 

[Mordhau]

It's really Terry Pratchett's Discworld a few millennia later!

During his last incarnation the Dragon was called 'Rincewind'.

 

[Dioltach]

During his last incarnation the Dragon was called 'Rincewind'.

He took out the Dark One with half a brick stuffed in a sock.

 

[Mercurius]

It's best not to get too caught up in the metaphysics as understood by the inhabitants of the book world since

Spoiler: MAJOR SPOILERS, DO NOT READ

one of the main points of the climax is that a lot of it is Dark One propaganda and misdirection.

Sure, but that doesn't mean it is all propaganda. And "Materese" clearly refers to Mother Theresa...although, I suppose with an open-ended cosmology, we could play with the idea that maybe the Dark One is a mega-billionaire from our world who traveled to another world, bringing a few humans with them, and tried to rule over them.

(And of course you don't need to use spoilers tags, this being a spoiler-friendly thread)

 

[Mort]

He took out the Dark One with half a brick stuffed in a sock.

Well that or the luggage at him (the dark one) no one knows for sure.

 

[Parmandur]

Sure, but that doesn't mean it is all propaganda. And "Materese" clearly refers to Mother Theresa...although, I suppose with an open-ended cosmology, we could play with the idea that maybe the Dark One is a mega-billionaire from our world who traveled to another world, bringing a few humans with them, and tried to rule over them.

(And of course you don't need to use spoilers tags, this being a spoiler-friendly thread)

Well, I figured giving away one of the central theses of the series might be a bit far even for the plot spoiler friendly reader.

Those Easter Eggs are definitely real...but for Jordan are a bit besides the point, which is why they stay Easter Eggs in the text.