The Wheel of Time's Dragon Reborn, Explained (2024)

The Wheel of Time's Dragon Reborn prophecy contains a dense history spanning centuries and cataclysmic events and wars. As Rand begins to come into his own to harness responsibility and control his powers to properly fight the darkness, he is constantly met with the challenge of the great shadow of expectation that follows his every step. Being The Dragon Reborn is not just a title, but an actual state of being, since that person must channel the powers of their reincarnated soul into the raw energy that it is inherently imbued within them.

Although the idea of Western fantasy dragons has always led us to the idea of scaley and winged fire-breathing beasts of terror, the reasoning behind The Dragon Reborn in The Wheel of Time is far from that association. Although the show remains subtle in its flashbacks and naming conventions of what this world is. The world of The Wheel of Time is meant to be Earth thousands of years in the future after a great and destructive era collapsed society into a medieval downfall. After the flashback in season 1 showing the past as a hyper-futuristic and arcane-tech society, it's easy enough to see that the legend of The Dragon is mainly a title for the rebirth of a powerful being who can continue its lifespan through generations to keep the balance between the dark forces that were unlocked so long ago.

Who Is The Dragon?

• The War of Shadow, also known as The War of Power, was a global conflict that heralded the beginning of the Age Of Legends' end.
• The War of Power finally happened after years of thriving societies tapping into an alternative source of magic began corrupting society and led it into darkness and greed.

At its base, The Dragon is a legendary hero that appears in the timeline of events and prophecies known as The Pattern, he is reborn and reincarnated into a man and every age must fulfill a prophecy for that period. They are champions of the light and are destined to fight whatever manifestation of The Dark One appears. They are the counterpoint to the darkness that constantly tries to throw the world into chaos and ruin. In the age in which The Wheel of Time show takes place, the Dragon is revealed as Rand Al'Thor. Even upon realizing their power, it is not an assurance that they will have immediate control or ultimate power in harnessing it. This is why Rand needed to receive a lot of guidance and training so he would not be deceived and tempted by the seduction of The Dark One's influence. Rand was very lucky to have the Aes Sedai Moiraine looking out for him, even when they were apart.

The original Dragon was Lews Therin Telamon, who was the Dragon during the Age of Legends, he was one of the highest-ranking members of the Aes Sedai who led the armies of the light against the darkness during The War of Power. Unfortunately, Lews himself would come into his power and ambition to seal off the connection with the Dark Power too much, leading to dissension among the Aes Sedai that would hamper his plans. Although well-intentioned, this dissolving of control led him to pursue his plans anyway with a smaller force of those loyal to him. This eventually led to him being driven mad by The Darkness, and ultimately creating a magical madness that would easily infect all those connected to the threads. It is this dangerous and near-fatal mistake, that assured all future Aes Sedai would only be female, and they would contain or destroy any men who deemed themselves a Dragon, in fear that they may abuse the power again.

The Dragon Reborn is a Threat and a Danger

• The Wheel of Time's cultures believe in a degree of reincarnation, especially when it comes to The Dragon Reborn.
• Reincarnation can either happen through the natural designs of The Pattern or be induced by The Dark One.

Time works mysteriously with its prophecies in The Wheel of Time, especially when reincarnation is concerned. It is said that every age will have a Dragon Reborn who will inhabit the body of someone from that generation with all of its concentrated and collective power. The souls of heroes can also be reincarnated. But it is left to the mercy of The Pattern when they are brought back into the Wheel of Time. The only exception to this is when the Horn of Valere is sounded, which can summon them immediately.

Despite these cycles, being a man capable of wielding magic does not inherently make them a Dragon Reborn. To fulfill the truth behind this claim, they must fulfill the prophecies of the dragon in their time. This may seem like a double-edged sword, and people aware of the prophecies will try to simulate or recreate the actions that seem to fulfill the prophecies, but even then it cannot be forced, and The Pattern will often fight against those who side with the darkness to try and earn the title of The Dragon Reborn.

The Emergence of "False Dragons"

• Logain Ablar is a Flase Dragon.
• Even though Logain was a False Dragon, the Aes Sedai still had an extremely difficult time capturing him and shackling his maddened powers.

With the passing of another age and the mystery around who The Dragon Reborn will be in the air, there comes the inevitable risk of False Dragons trying to flex their power to gain control or conquest over the land. Each Dragon Reborn's prophecy has a specific task. If the task is yet to be fulfilled, it is quite easy for powerful pretenders who have given in to the darkness to use it as an opportunity to strike or act as a block to the read Dragon Reborn's growth into a capable wielder of the thread.

In the case of Logain Ablar, he was twenty-two when he began tapping into the source but the taint affected him greatly as his power grew, eventually maddening him. His powers gave him the gift of seeing ta'veren, or the ability to see the weave that The Pattern bestows upon others. This is why he laughs at Rand when he first sees him, since he knew from that point on that Rand would be the one to shake the world. Although False Dragons are not The Pattern's intended prophetic heroes, they can still be capable of wielding deadly and powerful magic.

The Wheel of Time

TV-14

Action

Adventure

Drama

Set in a high fantasy world where magic exists, but only some can access it, a woman named Moiraine crosses paths with five young men and women. This sparks a dangerous, world-spanning journey. Based on the book series by Robert Jordan.

Release Date

November 19, 2021

Creator(s)

Rafe Judkins

Cast

Rosamund Pike , Daniel Henney , Madeleine Madden , Zoe Robins , Josha Stradowski

Main Genre

Adventure

Seasons

3

Characters By

Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson

Network

Amazon Prime Video

Streaming Service(s)

Prime Video

Franchise(s)

The Wheel of Time