Rand al'Thor
Rand al'Thor is the protagonist and main character of
The Wheel of Time, a series of fantasy
novels by
Robert Jordan. Jordan has stated that Rand is based on
Tyr, the Norse god of justice.
Rand has gray or blue (interchanging)eyes and a reddish tint to his hair. He is about 6'5" or 6'6" and about 235 pounds (as described by
Robert Jordan). As a result of events at the end of the
Knife of Dreams Rand has lost his left hand just above the wrist and can only wield his sword one-handed.
Birth
On the
continent he is known as the Dragon Reborn. To the
Aiel, he is
He Who Comes with the Dawn, the
Car'a'carn (Chief of Chiefs). To the
Atha'an Miere, the Sea Folk, he is the
Coramoor. His main titles are Shadowkiller, Lord of the Morning, Prince of the Dawn, True Defender of the Light. His birth was heralded by
Gitara Moroso,
Aes Sedai and
Keeper of the Chronicles. Her Foretelling of his birth is: "He is born again! I feel him! The Dragon takes his first breath on the slope of Dragonmount! He is coming! He is coming! Light help us! Light help the world! He lies in the snow and cries like the thunder! He burns like the sun!" Gitara Sedai then died.
Rand was born on the last day of the Battle of the Blood Snow in 978 NE, on the slopes of
Dragonmount as prophesied. He was born to
Tigraine Mantear, the former Daughter-heir of
Andor who had fled to the
Aiel Waste to become a
Maiden of the Spear, a woman warrior of the Aiel race. She had been convinced to flee by an Aes Sedai named Gitara Moroso, who said the world would be doomed if she did not. Tigraine, who renamed herself Shaiel, died shortly after giving birth. His father was
Janduin, an Aiel clan chief (the youngest in memory), who led the Shaarad, Reyn, Nakai and Taardad clans to kill King Laman Damodred of
Cairhien for his sin. When he heard Shaiel had died, he relinquished his leadership and went off to the
Great Blight to fight Trollocs. Rand was found by
Tam al'Thor, an Andoran man who had joined the Illianer army and fought at the Blood Snow. He and his new wife,
Kari al'Thor, took Rand back to Tam's home village,
Emond's Field.
Winternight
On Winternight, 998 NE,
Trollocs attacked Emond's Field. Rand, his two friends (
Perrin Aybara and
Mat Cauthon), his childhood sweetheart
Egwene al'Vere, and the gleeman
Thom Merrilin were led out of Emond's Field by
Moiraine Damodred and her Warder,
Lan Mandragoran. Lan began teaching Rand the sword; he has since achieved a blademaster's level of skill, though not officially recognized. Along with
Loial the
Ogier and
Nynaeve al'Meara, Moiraine led them to the
Eye of the World in the Blight. Rand killed Aginor there, tapping into the Eye's pure
saidin. Rand was told he was the
Dragon Reborn following these events, which ended the first book. He did not believe this, but after the
Horn of Valere was stolen, Rand, Mat, Perrin and Loial accompanied Lord Ingtar and the Shienarians to reclaim it. At the battle of Falme, Rand and
Ba'alzamon fought in the sky, and he was proclaimed Dragon Reborn after his victory.
Prophecy
That winter, he camped with Moiraine, Perrin,
Min Farshaw, and the Shienarians. Rand did not accept his fate. He journeyed to
Tear alone, deciding this quest would end or begin his life. In the
Stone of Tear, he took the blade
Callandor, the Sword That Cannot Be Touched, and fulfilled a major prophecy, affirming his identity as Dragon Reborn in the minds of many, not least of all his own. He then set out with Mat, Egwene and Moiraine to the Waste, seeking the endorsement of the Aiel as their
Car'a'carn, literally a "chief of chiefs". He and
Lanfear trapped
Asmodean while there, and forced the male
Forsaken to teach him to use
saidin. He travelled to
Rhuidean, where he learned the true origins of the Aiel. Leading the Aiel out of the Waste, he took
Cairhien and
Caemlyn, killing
Rahvin.
Black Tower
He was then approached by embassies from
Elaida and from the Salidar faction. Elaida's embassy kidnapped and shielded him from using his powers. He escaped at the horrific battle at
Dumai's Wells. He has since forced or persuaded many Aes Sedai on both sides to swear fealty to him. He captured Illian with the help of
Davram Bashere, and was crowned its king, re-naming Illian's Laurel Crown the Crown of Swords.
Mazrim Taim, a former false Dragon, has aided Rand by establishing the Black Tower, which trains men to channel, becoming
Asha'man. It is Rand's answer to the White Tower. Taim is the
M'Hael, leader of the Tower, although his true intentions have yet to be revealed; it is speculated he is a Darkfriend, although it has been stated by the author that he is not Demandred (a favorite theory among many readers).
Lovers
Rand is bonded (like a Warder) to his three lovers,
Min Farshaw,
Elayne Trakand, and
Aviendha of the Nine Valleys sept of the Taardad
Aiel. Elayne is pregnant with his twins. He is advised mostly by
Cadsuane Melaidhrin of the Green Ajah, and
Sorilea, an Aiel Wise One. They have pledged to teach him "laughter and tears", as Rand has conditioned himself not to feel emotion, by reciting the names of all the women that have died directly because of his actions, over and over to himself. He believes he must be hard; others think he is becoming cruel and brittle.
Changes and appearances
Rand had changed a great deal from the boy who left Emond's Field two years ago. He has gone from the stubborn boy who refused to accept he was anything more than a simple sheepherder, to an arrogant iron-willed man who sometimes seems to have lost all trace of humanity. Having grown up with the belief that men should protect women, he has memorized the name of every woman who has died for him (at one point spending an entire night among the corpses in the aftermath of a major battle) and often berates himself with the list and the associated guilt. Many worry about his sanity; others (most notably the aforementioned Cadsuane and Sorilea) worry about his humanity. Finally, it is interesting to note that as the books have progressed, he has become less involved in the narrative, though he remains the central character. Book 3,
The Dragon Reborn, was in fact told almost exclusively from the points-of-view of Mat Cauthon, Perrin Aybara and Egwene al'Vere, despite the fact that it is undoubtedly
about Rand (all three parties eventually follow him to Tear and are present when he pulls the sword
Callandor from the Stone and proclaims himself the Dragon Reborn), and the following books have continued in following the adventures of other characters besides Rand, to such a degree at times that in the tenth book,
Crossroads of Twilight, Rand only appears in two chapters and the epilogue.
Rand al'Thor is special in that he is the only known soul to be woven out by the Wheel of Time for a specific Rebirth. Although there are other known cases of rebirth (such as
Birgitte Silverbow and
Gaidal Cain), only Rand al'Thor's rebirth has been predicted. Most think of his soul as being
Lews Therin Telamon, a male Aes Sedai from the Age of Legends who gained prominence in the Hall of Servants as the
Dragon, the leader of the Forces of Light against the Shadow during the War of Power. This is why al'Thor is generally known as the Dragon Reborn.
Other evidence is showcased in the prologue to
The Eye of the World:
Ishamael comments that he and Lews Therin have battled each other since the dawn of mankind countless times, suggesting that the Dragon is a prominent figure every time the War of Power occurs. Rand, however, hears Lews Therin's voice in his head, something that Lews Therin himself may not have experienced during his tenure as the Dragon; it is possible that Lews Therin and Rand are more strongly connected than were any previous forms of the Dragon. In fact, at the end of the 11th novel, Semirhage informs him and those present that Rand is insane, and that his condition was beyond repair. The Forsaken, including both Semirhage and Ishamael, however, are known to lie.
To Paul Atreides
* Rand al'Thor is similar to
Paul Atreides in
Frank Herbert's Dune in that they are both men who possess powers usually wielded by women.
* The
Aiel, who become Rand's most loyal fighting force, are similar in habit and style to the
Fremen of Dune.
*Both Rand and Paul are seen as messiahs in their respective sagas, and they are both different messiahs for people other than those they grew up with. Paul is the
Kwisatz Haderach to most of the universe, but to the Fremen, he is the
Mahdi. Rand is the Dragon Reborn to the Wetlanders, but to the Aiel, he is He Who Comes With The Dawn (i.e. the Car'a'carn), and to the Atha'an Miere or Sea Folk, he is the Coramoor.
* Rand and the
Aes Sedai and Paul and the
Bene Gesserit share similar relationships, in that each organization knows the destined birth of the man with special powers, yet fear and distrust his coming.
To mythology
* Over the course of the story, Rand has been shown to have many similarities to Tiwaz, the prototypical deity from which was developed
Tyr,
Zeus and
Jupiter.
* Tyr's hand was bitten off by the wolf
Fenrisulfr. In
Knife of Dreams, Rand lost his left hand fighting the Forsaken
Semirhage.
* Rand's love for three women (
Elayne Trakand, the mother of his two children;
Aviendha, an
Aiel and former Maiden of the Spear; and
Min Farshaw, who has the ability to see the future) is similar to
Jupiter of Roman mythology, who loved three mortal women with similar traits (all of whom are now referenced among the moons of the planet
Jupiter).
* Rand's "three women" also echo the
Wiccan tradition of the triple goddess (Maiden-Mother-Crone). This would make Rand the equivalent of the Celtic deity
Cernunnos, a point which is reinforced by a prophecy which speaks of him singing "that the fields will bring forth lambs and green things".
* Finally, Tyr, Jupiter and Zeus were all gods of justice. This ties in with Rand uniting most of the world under his rule, breaking some traditions and starting new ones.
To Jesus
* Rand al'Thor, like
Jesus Christ, is considered to be as a savior, sent by a supernatural force to save all of humanity from the forces of darkness.
* It has been suggested, several times, that Rand will die in the process of saving the world. Unlike Jesus, however, no one has yet forecast his resurrection (In
Lord of Chaos Rand revealed one part of an answer he had from the Aelfinn: 'To live, you must die.').
* Rand, like Jesus, has a habit of striking down unfair laws and reforming societies to benefit all, instead of only the powerful few. Both were seen by many of their contemporaries as being agents of chaos and change.
* When Rand dies, it is said that his body will be watched over by three women (his lovers, Elayne, Min and Aviendha); when Jesus died, his body was watched over by three women (generally reported as
Mary Magdalene,
Salome, and Mary the mother of
James the Less).
* Many of the markings on Rand's body are similar to the wounds inflicted on Jesus during the
crucifixion: Jesus' hands were nailed to the cross, he was stabbed in the side by the
Spear of Destiny, and he wore a crown of thorns. Both of Rand's hands have been branded with the heron mark, he was injured twice in the side (by
Ba'alzamon's staff and Padan Fain's dagger from Shadar Logoth), and he wears the Crown of Swords, which pricks his scalp.
