Who Is The Dark One In 'The Wheel Of Time'?
Image Source: IGN Africa
Season two of Prime Video’s The Wheel of Time adaptation of the lengthy Robert Jordan book series is done, with season three filming already started. It was surely set back by the actor and writer strikes of the summer and early fall, but it is surely underway. As it was revealed in season two, the man Rand and Moiraine released at the end of season one was not, in fact, the Dark One, but his main lieutenant, Ishamael.
That being the case, the question then remains, who is this supposed “Dark One” and why did the characters think he was the one they released?
Let’s dive into the lore of the great Robert Jordan to figure that out.
RELATED:
Image Source: Wotmud.info
First, we should cover, briefly, an understanding of the reason why this is called the Wheel of Time. Jordan, like Tolkien, imagined a fantasy world based on our world. To Jordan, time was cyclical, visualized as a seven-spoked wheel, and each spoke was an “age.” The time of the books occurs during what is called the Third Age, though because of the cyclical nature of time, it has come before and will go as well. Since they called it the Third Age, there were two ages before it, the First Age, which is implied to be our own period of history, and then the Second Age, which is referred to and depicted in the show as the Age of Legends. For this explainer, we will focus on the Age of Legends, as that is the age in which the Dark One is discovered.
The Age of Legends is a long and prosperous age in which science and magic become sort of blended. The world has advanced to such a point that there are vehicles that operate on a form of anti-gravity. There was no poverty, little to no crime, and material possessions and gain were no longer a drive. Scientific and technological advancement was done by a group of men and women who could touch and channel the One Power, and they were collectively known as Aes Sedai, which meant “Servants of All.”
Image Source: Fandom
Some of these Aes Sedai were frustrated by the limitations of the One Power. Men and women could not access the other’s source of the One Power. This group found a place in the Pattern of the Wheel that was thinner than the rest, and it emanated power they believed would unify the two halves of the One Power. They developed a technology called the Bore, and they thought that using it could open just a small hole and allow them to access this potential untapped source of the One Power.
It turned out to be a grave mistake and led to the near destruction of the world.
That area of the pattern turned out to be the prison of the Dark One, the enemy of the Creator that was sealed away because of his evil influence. They were successful in opening a small bit of the seal, but that was enough. Though the Dark One could not escape, his power leaked through and corrupted everything the world had created and built. A peaceful, united world, where people didn’t feel greed or jealousy or anger at their station now felt all of these things as a result of the influence pouring out of the hole. This led to several crises that continued to spiral out of control.
Image Source: Fandom
Not even Aes Sedai were immune from the Dark One’s influence, and many of these former Servants of All felt drawn to the Dark One’s power, and supposed promises of incredible power and wealth in the world the Dark One wanted to create. In time, this led to war, and evil deeds done in the Dark One’s name, such as the creation of abominations that mixed humans and animals and knew nothing but violence and a lust for slaughter. They were known as Trollocs. Those who still held to what is good, or the Light, fought back, but everywhere they found they were ultimately on a losing path against the Dark, and the Dark One’s sworn faithful, the Forsaken, looked forward to opening the Seal completely and releasing their new master.
One of the leaders of the Aes Sedai, Lews Therin Telamon, came up with an idea: reseal the hole. If they could do that, they could let the world heal. Some doubted his plan, fearing it could have the opposite effect and fully release the Dark One. They had another idea, but it fell apart. Lews Therin and his group were the only hope left. Using seven objects of indestructible material, they channeled everything they had into these discs to seal the hole, and it worked, but either as a result of their work or a last act by the Dark One, the male source of the One Power was corrupted. It led to the madness of every male channeler in the world, and over several hundred years, until the last male channeler died, they tore the world apart, killing millions and reshaping even the landscape of the planet.
Image Source: CBR
The interesting thing is the Aes Sedai and followers of the Dark One didn’t really know what they were releasing. It was referred to in the male gender, but they didn’t know if he was male or female. In reality, the Dark One is suspected to have been around since the beginning, possibly at the same time as the Creator, like his polar opposite, but slightly less powerful, given that the Creator sealed the Dark One away. He is outside the Pattern and seeks to break free of his prison to corrupt and reshape the world in his design.
His influence, which seeps through the hole, amplifies the worst in humans. Greed, jealousy, anger, and a lust for power and wealth increased after the Bore opened a part of his prison. Those who followed him believed he spoke to them and promised them everything they wanted if he should be freed. There were only a few of his Forsaken that could speak to him anywhere, but if any of his followers wanted to “hear” him, they had to be at Shayol Ghul, or the Pit of Doom, the place where the hole could be detected easiest.
The Dark One’s power is a source of Power that people could use, but it came from him. It’s known as the True Power, and while some of his followers could use it, it ultimately destroys them, and only those he has granted immortality to survive. It destroys the user's eyes and leaves a firey chasm in its place. We see this depicted in season one when Rand is visited by Ishamael as he and Moiraine make their way through the Blight.
Image Source: Screen Rant
While the goal of the Dark One seems to be to reshape the world to his design, he cannot actually touch and come into the physical world because he exists outside of the Pattern, unless he is brought into it. If this happens, though, he could be killed. Also, he will always fail in his goals as long as there are people who resist and fight against his influence. Therefore, his goal is to corrupt all he can, eliminate those who are opposed to him, and convert the Dragon Reborn to his cause. Should he do so, the showdown between him and the Dragon Reborn, where the Dark One would try to convert him, is known as Tarmon Gai’don, or the Last Battle.
In time, it will be rather interesting to see how Amazon depicts the Dark One when the Last Battle inevitably comes to the screen.
READ NEXT:
Source(s): Fandom, Jordan, Robert, Patterson, Teresa, (1997) The World of Robert Jordan’s ‘The Wheel of Time’. Tor Books
Latest News
Featured
