Questions of Time and Temporality in Christianity and Robert Jordan's "The Wheel of Time"
Both Christian theology and Jordan's epic fantasy grapple with some of the most fundamental questions humans confront when faced with the nature of time, temporality, and history.
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Hello, everyone, and welcome to a special Christmas edition of Wheel of Time Wednesday! I’m taking a bit of a break from my usual chapter analyses of The Dragon Reborn to talk about some of the broader issues that the series engages in, particularly when it comes to the question of time and how humans engage with this fundamental aspect of being in the world. In particular, I want to think through (and offer some initial thoughts on) the similarities and differences between our beloved Rand al’Thor and one his most obvious real-world analogues: Jesus Christ.
Now, I have to state at the outset that, while I was raised a Christian and while I know a good deal about theology–part of my dissertation dealt with the way that biblical epic films contended with the various understandings of time and temporality, including those embedded in mid-20th century Christianity–I now consider myself spiritual but not doctrinal. In other words: I have a complicated relationship to Christianity, and that to some degree colors my engagement with its central tenets.
Anyway. Back to Wheel of Time and Christianity and time.
Obviously Robert Jordan wasn’t particularly subtle in the various parallels he draws between Rand and Christ. They’re both born to women who exist in some way in a liminal state: Mary as a married woman who is still virginal, Tigraine Mantear as a former Daughter-Heir of Andor who left her home behind to pursue a life among the Aiel. And, of course, both Rand (as the Dragon) and Christ were beings whose births were foretold in numerous prophecies.
Rand, like Christ, is forced to bear wounds that mark him out as the chosen one of prophecy. Indeed, the wound on his side is a perpetual reminder of just how much the young al’Thor has given up in order to become the Dragon Reborn, his body bearing the mark of his submission to his destiny and the fact that, in many ways, he is the grand figure of time itself rendered into corporeal form.
At the same time, there are some notable differences between Jesus and Rand, particularly when it comes to their relationship with time and the unfolding of history. In much Christian theology, Christ is thought to have been the fulfillment of time itself, with all of history leading inexorably to the moment when he was born, had his ministry, and died. In other words, Christ was an epochal figure, one who was both of and outside of history. Moreover, much Christian thought is premised on the idea that time itself will eventually come to an end, to be replaced (as with so many other elements of doctrine it’s all very complicated and sometimes contradictory) with something that we might call the eternal.
Rand, likewise, serves an important function when it comes to the unfolding of history within Jordan’s imaginary world. He has the (mis)fortune to be brought into the world at the exact time that an Age is ending, and it’s his additional fate (or burden) to be the one to bring about its ending and the birth of a new Age. He is, like Christ, a bit of a contradiction when it comes to just how much agency he possesses, for just as his Christian counterpart has a destiny that he must meet in order for him to fulfill his purpose in saving humanity from sin–even as he is also God made flesh, with all of the power that that entails–so Rand often finds himself a figure of tremendous influence in numerous ways. He can wield the One Power, he is ta’veren (meaning that the Wheel of Time often bends around his very presence) and, as the series goes on, he becomes a person of tremendous political influence which, considering that he started life as a farmboy, albeit one with royal blood running through his veins, isn’t bad. At the same time, however, Rand is also repeatedly shown to have remarkably little power
Furthermore, it’s worth pointing out that in The Wheel of Time the savior figure’s relationship with time is far less teleological. Yes, the series ends with the defeat of the Dark One and the sealing of his prison and yes, it obviously ends with Rand’s death, at least in a sense. He has exchanged bodies with Morridin, who ends up dying, his body burned on a pyre while Rand gets to walk away, this time with a stronger, more innate relationship to the Pattern that isn’t beholden to the use of the One Power. At the same time, however, the entire series is premised on the notion that the Wheel of Time will continue to turn, Lews Therin Telamon will one day be born and play a key role in destroying the world and saving it from the ever-growing of the Dark One. In The Wheel of Time there is no ultimate finality, no defeat of the Dark One that is permanent, though whether one thinks that this is a good or a bad thing is very much dependent on how one views a cyclical as opposed to a teleological understanding of time and history.
Both Rand and Christ, in their different ways, remind us of the power of time and our collective efforts to work through its limitations and problems. The central ethos of The Wheel of Time is both optimistic and pessimistic. It’s optimistic in that it proposes that it is always possible to fight back against the forces of evil and darkness, that the Wheel continues to turn and that it will always bring forth those who can fight back against the Shadow. However, it is pessimistic for exactly the same reason: no triumph over evil can ever be complete, for it will always find a new way of coming back to haunt the world. The Seals on the Dark One’s prison will weaken, and the Dragon will once again be born in order to push him back. Thus is humanity locked in an eternal conflict which can never be totally resolved. The terror of history, indeed.
Ultimately, though, both The Wheel of Time and Christianity, in their different ways, give us some measure of hope and reason for believing in the power of human agency. Like Rand, we have the choice of doing the best that we can to bring about a better world, no matter how much it costs and what it takes. Like Christ, we can take the cup that is given to us, no matter how bitter the draft.