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''The Wheel of Time'' (abbreviated '''WoT''' or less commonly, '''tWoT''') is a bestselling , both individually and collectively. There are 11 books in the series so far. Books 8-11 have each reached #1 on the New York Times Bestseller List , and many of the books have been on the list at one time or another. The online game "The Wheel of Time MUD" WoTMUD is the oldest authorized game based on the series (started 1993), and various commercial game adaptations have also been spawned, including a Video Game , released by Atari for the personal computer, and a Tabletop Role-playing Game , released by Wizards Of The Coast and based on D20 Rules . Robert Jordan has repeatedly said that the main sequence will conclude with the twelfth book, working title '' A Memory Of Light ''. Numerous times he has said he will hold to this statement even if it has to be 2000 pages long. At some point in the future Jordan plans to write two more short prequel novels, an encyclopedia, and possibly two or three other side-plot novels. {Link without Title} THE PREMISE In the beginning, The Creator made The Wheel Of Time , which spins the Pattern of the Ages using the lives of men as its threads. The Wheel has seven spokes, each representing an age, and it is rotated by the One Power or the True Source, a source of magic. The One Power is divided into male and female halves, '' Saidin '' and '' Saidar '', which work in opposition and in unison to drive the Wheel; those who can use this power are known as ''channelers''. The Creator imprisoned Shai'tan, known as the Dark One , a powerful, evil being, at the moment of creation, sealing him away from the Wheel. At some point, however, the Dark One was given purchase in the world through the machinations of well-meaning people and began his efforts to conquer the world, creation, even the Wheel itself. To counter this threat, the Wheel caused the Dragon , the champion of the Light and a channeler of immense power, to be born. Due to the cyclical nature of the Wheel of Time, there can be no definitive victory for the forces of the Light; the war has been fought innumerable times since the dawn of Creation. The Dragon would defeat Shai'tan and seal him from the Wheel, only to have his work undone millennia later, necessitating his occasional rebirth to counter the continuing threat. Robert Jordan's novels concern themselves with one incarnation of the Dragon in particular. Three thousand years have passed since the last war between Shai'tan and the Light, which the Dragon (known as Lews Therin Telamon in that life) ended by patching the hole in the Dark One's prison with the help of a group of other male channelers known as the Hundred Companions. Unfortunately, the Dark One managed to taint ''saidin'', the male half of the One Power, with a counterstroke which brought madness and a wasting sickness to any man who channeled it. The taint quickly overcame Lews Therin and his companions and eventually drove every male channeler to insanity, with catastrophic results that changed the face of the world. The rebirth of the Dragon, then, is viewed with hope and fear. On the one hand, the Dragon Reborn will be a channeler of ''saidin'', vulnerable to the taint which Broke the World once before, and the prophecies promise that his rebirth will bring similar upheavals. On the other hand, he is the only one capable of defeating Shai'tan, who is once again reaching beyond his prison. REFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES To Ancient Places (almost entirely Europe and Asia, mainly Europe) Perhaps the most obvious borrowing is the Aes Sedai symbol, which is a modified . There are also similarities to various and Samurai ). Finally, perhaps most tellingly, the Sword Masters' Swords are very similar to a Katana . Mat Cauthon's weapon, a sword-tipped pole named an "Ashandarei", is also very similar to one particular weapon used in Ancient Japan - the deadly and graceful Naginata . When creating names in the series, Jordan used names and words of foreign languages, religions, mythologies, and even English, such as with Shai'tan (the prime evil force of the series, also known as the Dark One), and especially visible in names of Trolloc clans (Dha'vol, Kho'bol, etc). To other literature Jordan includes several references to J. R. R. Tolkien 's '' The Lord Of The Rings '', such as an inn named "The Nine Rings" (chapter 21, The Great Hunt ) and "The Nine Horse Hitch" (chapter 11, The Fires Of Heaven ), hinting at the rings that enslaved The Nine Riders who sought the One Ring at the Prancing Pony inn. A minor character, Karldin Manfor, uses the pseudonym "Underhill" (prologue, CoT ), which is Frodo 's traveling name in '' The Fellowship Of The Ring ''. Perrin 's name can be seen as an amalgam of the names of Merry and Pippin , two of Frodo's Hobbit companions. Also, Andor is a reference to Númenor in Tolkien's works; the original name of Númenor was Andor, meaning "Land of Gift" in Sindarin . And the book Eye Of The World starts out in the town Emond's Field, near the Mountains of Mist, a reference to the Misty Mountains. The Aes Sedai have some similarities with the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood of the Dune Series ; both are orders of women with special powers, both seek to influence politics and powerful individuals, and both are sometimes referred to by other characters as "witches" (however Jordan modeled the Aes Sedai after nuns, and Herbert modeled the Bene Gesserit after the Jesuit Order ). The Dragon Reborn, like the Kwisatz Haderach , is a male with powers normally reserved for the women of those organizations. Men could and still channel, though because of the taint on the ''saidin'', they are often "gentled" before the talent blooms and they begin to go mad. The Aiel bear many similarities to the Fremen of "Dune", the most obvious being the environment that shaped them into the most formidable warriors in the known world. The Aiel Wise Ones are similar to the Fremen Sayaddina in that they serve the same function as Aes Sedai or Bene Gesserits, but forsake the connection to the sisterhood. Aes Sedai also show some minor similarities to robots in Isaac Asimov's Robot Series , in that the Three Oaths protect ordinary people from their otherwise overwhelming power, similar to the Three Laws Of Robotics in Asimov's series. To myth and legend The series also borrows from various myths and legends, most notably Arthurian Legend , Irish Mythology , Hindu and Norse mythic cycles, and even Christian imagery (the Dragon Reborn, principal hero of the piece, has over the course of the story received wounds similar to Stigmata ). Noticeably, many of the borrowed names are nearly the same as Arthurian legend:
Shai'tan is a modification of Shaitan , the Jinn thrown out of paradise for refusing to bow to Adam in the Islamic tradition. Shayol Ghul, the gateway to Shai'tan's prison, is borrowed from Sheol , the abode of the dead in the Hebrew Bible . Sa'angreal is clearly borrowed from Sangreal , the Holy Grail, while al'Thor proving that he is the Dragon Reborn by pulling the sword (Callandor) out of the Stone (of Tear) is highly reminiscent of Arthurian legend. Tarmon Gai'don, the term used throughout the books to refer to the Last Battle or culminative struggle between good and evil, is clearly borrowed from Armageddon , the Biblical term for the location of the last great battle at the end of time. The three central ''ta'veren'' of the story also draw from religious mythology. Rand Al'Thor , the Dragon Reborn, is confirmed by author Robert Jordan as sharing traits with the Norse god Tyr , Mat Cauthon is clearly based on Odin , and Perrin Aybara draws inspiration from the Slavic god Perun . The three also embody aspects of the Hindu "Creator-Preserver-Destroyer" Trimurti . There are also several indications that the central character, Rand al'Thor, is patterned after Jesus Christ. He has several Stigmata (namely, marks in his hands/wrists and a spear wound in his side). Prophecy says he will give his life to save the world. And he will fight in the final battle, Tarmon Gai'don. There is also refrence to his rebirth (to live, he must die), another parallel with Christ. The Hindu gods is also referenced in the same passage: "Amarasu, riding out of the sun with a sword of fire". And again in ''Knife of Dreams'', Chapter 24: "Amaresu herself, carrying the Sword of the Sun into battle." Rand is in love with three women, Elayne (who can channel), Aviendha (who can channel), and Min (who has visions). In Arthurian legend, when Arthur was wounded by Mordred , three witches came and bore him away to the Avalon . The invasion of the Seanchan could be correlated to the invasion of the Saxons to the English continent, putting them at war with the Celtic tribes there, one of which may have been led by King Arthur. Alternately, the Seanchan could refer to Asiatic peoples - this is supported by the idea that the Seanchan shave portions of their head, have a deeply entrenched honor system and bureaucracy, and that they have tilted eyes. In '' Knife Of Dreams '', Perrin calls on two Two Rivers men to show off their archery abilities. One of them is called Tell, probably inspired by William Tell . In addition, the founder of the Whitecloaks is Lothair Mantelar, likely inspired by Martin Luther . Robert Jordan himself once said: "The characters in the books are the source of many of our myths and legends, and we are the source of many of theirs. You can look two ways along a wheel." Online chat, June 28, 1996 To our world A number of references occur in '' The Eye Of The World '', Chapter 4:
And several more in '' The Shadow Rising '':
The intended impression is that the world in which the series is set might be our own world at some — probably later — point on The Wheel of Time. A list of more real-world inspirations can be found in The Wheel of Time FAQ, section 3 . BOOKS IN THE SERIES All page totals given are for the most widely available Paperback editions, except for ''Knife of Dreams''. There is also a prequel Novella , ''New Spring'' in the ''Legends'' anthology edited by Robert Silverberg . Jordan expanded this into a standalone 400 page novel, '' New Spring '', that was published in January 2004 . In 2002 the first book, ''. In 2004 the same was done with '' The Great Hunt '', with the two parts being ''The Hunt Begins'' and ''New Threads in the Pattern''. There is a 1998 . Prologue Ebooks
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