Who Is the Dragon Reborn on Amazon's 'Wheel of Time'?
It's the question at the heart of the first season.
[Warning: Spoilers ahead for the first four episodes of The Wheel of Time.]
It’s the question at the heart of these early episodes in Amazon’s new series, The Wheel of Time. Who is the Dragon Reborn? So much of what comes next hinges on the answer to that question. It’s the Maltese Falcon of Andor. The Dark One wants to find the Dragon and so do the Aes Sedai. And they’re far from the only players in the game.
If you’ve read the book, you know the answer to this question. (Pipe down in the back.) Though, it’s worth noting that Amazon isn't exactly following Robert Jordan’s version, as any book reader will tell you if you're unlucky enough to get cornered by one after a couple of beers. There have been significant changes, not only to the story so far, but to the lore of the Dragon Reborn as well. So, even readers of the book might feel the tension of the question despite reasonable confidence that the answer hasn't changed. (Right? Right!?)
We will deal with the question with the additional knowledge of what happens in the books later. For now, let’s look at what the show has provided for clues as to the identity of the Dragon Reborn.
What is the Dragon Reborn?
There's a lot to that question. The Dragon is the name given to Lews Therin Telamon or Lews Therin Kinslayer, as he is also known, during the War of the Shadow more than 3,000 years before the show's present. He was a man who could channel the One Power to an extent that even the Dark One feared him. He is said to be the reason behind the Breaking of the World.
"According to prophecy and legend, the Dragon will be born again at mankind's greatest hour of need to save the world," it says in Eye of the World, the first book of the Wheel of Time series. Logain says in Episode 4 that the Dragon Reborn is as likely to break the world as to save it. He also adds that the last Dragon broke the world -- he believes at that point that he is the Dragon Reborn -- and he means to bind it. Some, like Logain, believe the Dragon will save the world. Alanna Sedai indicates that she too believes the Dragon could save the world during the "Last Battle." Others believe the Dragon will again break the world, as Lews Therin did. Whoever it might be is a significant person to both the Dark One and the Aes Sedai. (And not all Aes Sedai feel the same about the Dragon Reborn.)
Who is the Dragon Reborn?
The show doesn’t specifically dictate how many people could potentially be the Dragon Reborn. We only know that one person will don the title. In Episode 1, Moiraine is tracking a man who was "gentled" by other Aes Sedai (meaning they stripped his ability to use the One Power). It would appear she believed there was a possibility this man was the Dragon Reborn. So, Moiraine isn’t really sure who it is. Though, she’s fairly certain by the end of that episode that the Dragon Reborn was living in the Two Rivers.
At the end of the episode, she has gathered Rand al’Thor, Perrin Aybara, Mat Cauthon, and Egwene al’Vere to join her riding toward the White Tower of the Aes Sedai. She believes that one of them is the Dragon. That theory is aided by the fact that the Trollocs and Fades are pursuing them. The Dark One seems to believe that it’s one of them as well. So, it seems there are four people who could be the Dragon Reborn.
Wait a second. In Episode 3, Dana, the innkeeper later revealed to be a Darkfriend, says that there are five candidates—they’ve been floating through her dreams. That wasn't in error. Mat brings it up to Rand in the next episode, questioning who the fifth person might be. (The show cuts to Logain Albar's imprisonment immediately after Mat asks the question. Dun dun dun.) So, the Dark One believes there’s at least one other person who could be the Dragon Reborn. The most likely candidates are: Nynaeve al'Meara, Wisdom of the Two Rivers; and Logain Ablar, a man who can channel the One Power and has already proclaimed himself the Dragon Reborn.
Here's the case for each of these people to be the Dragon Reborn.
Rand al’Thor
Being one of the four from the Two Rivers, Rand has a chance. Along with Egwene, Mat, and Perrin, he had dreams in which the Dark One appears. Both the Dark One and Moiraine believe he could be the Dragon Reborn. (And the same can be said of the other three who left the Two Rivers with Moiraine.)
The biggest indicator so far takes place when Dana reveals to Rand that she's a Darkfriend. In one key scene, the door to his room gets locked and Dana tells him that no man can break that door. But much to her surprise, he does. Now, this could certainly be just a red herring. After all, Rand is a very strapping young lad. But it seems just as likely that this is a touch of foreshadowing. He’s able to do things others can’t and may have accidentally used the One Power to aid in his escape. (Would weaves of air do the trick?)
VERDICT: He could be the Dragon Reborn.
Egwene al’Vere
Egwene appears to be a candidate in the eyes of Moiraine and the Dark One. Nynaeve clearly sees the One Power in her as well as and asks her to train to become a Wisdom. Moiraine is taking her own special care with Egwene, giving her lessons when the others are sleeping, and we have seen her wield the One Power, even if it was just a tiny trifle compared to the brick-throwing might of Moiraine and the Florence Nightingale healing powers of Nynaeve.
There's also an important moment at the Aes Sedai camp when Moiraine returns from meeting Logain. Lan asks Moiraine if Logain is as powerful as Egwene. They're already using her potential as a sort of high-water mark. Moiraine doesn't think Logain is as powerful, but she's not entirely sure. The show is definitely using some sleight of hand to keep viewers off the scent of the true Dragon Reborn. Egwene has only shown small displays of power so far, but she has potential.
VERDICT: Maybe. But she may just as likely be getting set up to become a powerful Aes Sedai.
Mat Cauthon
Mat has many of the same indicators as Rand. Importantly, at the end of Episode 4, there’s a scene that, at a minimum, foreshadows something strange taking place with Mat. It briefly appears that Mat has murdered the family that was letting him, Rand, and Thom Merrilin spend the night. But then he takes the ruby dagger he stole from Shadar Logoth -- he shouldn’t have done that -- and points to a loft space before saying, "I see you." Then a Myrddraal appears. Mat seems to have some potent ability to see what others can’t at that moment. That’s the biggest indication so far that Mat may be the Dragon Reborn. (Yeah, yeah, pipe down book readers.)
If we’re leaving out anything from the books, it’s just simply worth noting that Mat hasn’t been the same since he left Shadar Logoth. We really have no indication why. He's irritable, threw up at the farm, and his horse seems to be scared of him. Additionally, Thom seems to believe that his sickness is an indication that he has been touching the One Power.
VERDICT: Maybe. His case is as good, if not a little stronger, than that of Perrin and Rand.
Perrin Aybara
Same thing here: he’s had the dream, Moiraine thinks it might be him, the Dark One thinks it might be him. The biggest tip we’ve got with Perrin is that he seems to be communing with wolves. One comes and licks the wound on his leg that was acquired during a Trolloc attack. After that, it doesn't seem to bother him anymore. Also, Egwene believes that the wolves were corralling the two of them toward the Tuatha'an who took them in on their way toward Tar Valon. Wolves are not part of any lore around the Dragon Reborn that has been shared so far, but it definitely has a mystical vibe to it.
VERDICT: Ooooooooo. (Wolf for maybe.)
Nynaeve al'Meara
There’s a path to adding a fifth to the original group of four because of Dana. While that detail feels important, there’s so much that indicates that it’s four people: from their dreams, to the Dark One chasing them, to Moiraine believing it’s indeed between those four. Nynaeve being the Dragon -- or anyone outside of the Rand, Mat, Perrin, and Egwene -- feels unlikely, but still possible.
Dana's assertion combined with Moiraine's conviction that the Dragon Reborn comes from the Two Rivers makes Nynaeve a logical fifth. But Moiraine also seems to have dismissed the possibility when she found out that Nynaeve was older than the others at the pool in the Two Rivers. Nonetheless, Nynaeve puts on an incredible display of strength in the One Power at the end of Episode 4, healing many Warders and Aes Sedai at once. This is beyond any power that we’ve seen so far. Is it Dragon-like? Maybe. Logain seems to think so. Her power is so awe-inspiring that it appears Logain even stops believing that he’s the Dragon Reborn. Still, she doesn’t seem to fit the criteria, despite the heavy hinting that it may be her in Episode 4. She may just be ready to become an Aes Sedai.
VERDICT: A grouchy “not likely.”
Logain
If Nynaeve is a candidate to be the fifth from Dana’s dream, then Logain could be that fifth as well. Logain calls himself the Dragon Reborn. The Aes Sedai fear him. They even talk about how powerful he is for a man who can channel. So, maybe he’s the fifth. Still, clever editing aside, it feels like a long shot. He's powerful for a man, but Moiraine also says that his power is "a pinprick of candlelight against the raging sun." He seems to doubt it himself after seeing Nynaeve’s power. Before that, Lan points out that he's at least ten years too old to be the Dragon Reborn.
Moreover, by the end of Episode 4, the Aes Sedai gentle him in the cave. They also have the ability to gentle the Dragon Reborn, so that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s out of the running, but it seems narratively implausible since we haven’t seen the Dark One in pursuit of him. He’s barely been in the show, and it would be a weird plot trajectory to make it him, especially after he was stripped of his power.
VERDICT: Magic 8-Ball says, "Outlook not so good."
An Addendum for the Initiated
[Warning: This final section has spoilers for the first Wheel of Time book, The Eye of the World.]
The question almost feels silly if you’ve read the books, of course. Though, the show has changed many things from the story in a significant fashion from sidelining Thom Merilin to giving Perrin a wife, the appearance of Ogiers (in an upcoming episode) to the absence of characters like Mordeth and Min. (And Elyas Machera erasure!)
Even the lore of the Dragon Reborn has been tweaked since they have made it clear that a woman could also carry the title, where that’s not possible in the books. Moiraine even notes that there have been women who have claimed to be a false Dragon. It would seem somewhat unwise to assume that anything is so sacred that the show could not change it.
Still, changing the identity of the Dragon Reborn would change, well, everything. That would easily be the most significant change possible. Far more significant than an early appearance of Liandrin Sedai or putting an Aiel on this side of the Spine of the World so early. So, you know who the Dragon Reborn is, most likely. Nonetheless, the show has managed to make the question interesting even for those who have read the books, and that's impressive in itself.