Rand al'Thor

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EWoT: Rand al'Thor

Rand al'Thor Biographical information Nationality Andoran Date of birth 978 NE Current Status Alive Physical description Gender Male Height 1 span, 5 inches Weight 23 1/2 stone Hair color Red Eye color Gray Chronological and political information First mentioned NS 2 First appeared TEOTW 1 Title Dragon Reborn
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Rand al'Thor is the Dragon Reborn, the prophesied savior of the world, who will save it from the Dark One. To the Aiel he is the Car'a'carn, or He Who Comes with the Dawn. To the Atha'an Miere he is the Coramoor. Other names include Shadowkiller, Lord of the Morning, Prince of the Dawn, and True Defender of the Light.

As the books have progressed, Rand has become less involved in the narrative while remaining the central character. In The Dragon Reborn, the story was in fact told almost exclusively from the points-of-view of Mat Cauthon, Perrin Aybara and Egwene al'Vere, despite all three parties eventually following Rand to Tear to be present when he pulls the sword Callandor from the Heart of the Stone, proclaiming himself the Dragon Reborn. Subsequent books have also followed the adventures of other characters, though Rand continues to have a perspective.

Rand al'Thor is potentially the most powerful channeler ever to be born, due to the fact that he is the Dragon Reborn. He has shown without much training that he could hold Egwene and Elayne captive in shields while weaving over a dozen other flows, without breathing hard. It is also hinted that he is particularly strong in both Fire and Spirit, because he can force his dreams on others, which requires strength in Spirit, and can weave things about Fire without effort.

Contents 1 Appearance 2 Family Tree 3 Background 3.1 Prophecy 3.2 Rebirth 4 Activities 4.1 From the Two Rivers 4.2 The Dragon Reborn 4.3 To Rhuidean 4.4 The Lord Dragon 4.5 The Crown of Swords and The Seanchan 4.6 The Taint and the Forsaken 5 Madness 6 Recent events 7 Viewings 8 References and similarities 8.1 To Tiwaz, Tyr, Zeus, and Jupiter 8.2 To Wiccan archetypes 8.3 To Paul Atreides 8.4 To Jesus 8.5 To King Arthur 9 Notes

[edit] Appearance

He is very tall and broad shouldered. He has gray eyes and a reddish tinge to his hair.

[edit] Family Tree

Ishara Casalain

Mordrellen Mantear

Maighdin Trakand

Luc

Janduin

Tigraine1

Taringail2

Morgase

Rand

Galad

Gawyn

Elayne

1. Tigraine was married twice. First to Taringail then to Janduin.
2. Taringail was married twice. First to Tigraine then to Morgase.

While Moiraine is the half sister of Taringail, she and Rand share no blood relationship. Likewise, he and Elayne Trakand share no blood relationship, despite having a half-brother in common (each shares a different parent). Due to the fusing of Luc Mantear and Isam Mandragoran, he and Lan have a common relative. Slayer is Rand's uncle and also Lan's cousin.

[edit] Background

[edit] Prophecy

Rand is special in that he is the only known soul to be woven out by the Wheel of Time for a specific rebirth. Although there are other known cases of rebirth, such as Birgitte Silverbow and Gaidal Cain, only Rand al'Thor's rebirth has been predicted. Most think of his soul as being Lews Therin Telamon, a male Aes Sedai from the Age of Legends who gained prominence in the Hall of Servants as the Dragon, the leader of the Forces of Light against the Shadow during the War of Power.

In TEOTW Prologue, Ishamael claims that he and Lews Therin have battled each other countless times since the dawn of mankind, suggesting that the Dragon is a prominent figure every time the War of Power occurs. But Rand hears Lews Therin's voice in his head, something that Lews Therin himself may not have experienced during his tenure as the Dragon. It is possible that Lews Therin and Rand are more strongly connected than were any previous forms of the Dragon.

[edit] Rebirth

Rand was born on the last day of the Blood Snow, 978 NE, during the famous battle at the end of the Aiel War, on the slopes of Dragonmount as prophesized. Gitara Moroso died Foretelling his birth, apparently due to the sheer force of the prophecy. His mother was Tigraine Mantear^[1], the former Daughter-Heir of Andor who had fled to the Aiel Waste to become a Maiden of the Spear. She had been convinced to flee by none other than Gitara herself, who said the world would be doomed if she did not. Tigraine, who renamed herself Shaiel, also died moments after giving birth. Rand's father was Janduin, the youngest clan chief in memory, who led the Shaarad, Reyn, Nakai and Taardad clans to kill King Laman of Cairhien for his sin. When Janduin heard Shaiel had died, he relinquished his leadership and went off to the Great Blight to fight Trollocs, where he was apparently killed by a man with Tigraine's face, believed to be her brother Luc. Rand was found and named by Tam al'Thor, a man who had joined the Illianer army seeking adventure, and fought at the Battle of the Blood Snow. He and his new wife, Kari al'Thor, took the baby back with them to Tam's home village, Emond's Field.

[edit] Activities

[edit] From the Two Rivers

On Winternight, 998 NE, Trollocs attacked Emond's Field. Rand, Perrin, Mat, Egwene and Thom Merrilin were led out of Emond's Field by Moiraine Sedai and her Warder, Lan Mandragoran, Nynaeve al'Meara following on her own shortly thereafter ostensibly to "bring the children home." (Thom was not a resident of the village, but a gleeman who happened to be in Emond's Field just then.) It is during this journey that hints are given that Rand can channel like when he gets goose bumps on his arms when Moiraine channels near him and when the group are healed from their fatigue but Bela is perfect as Rand already healed the horse (for which he suffers a bout of reckless bravado with a trio of whitecloaks). His first big use of Saidin is when the Darkfriend Howal Gode tries to attack Rand and Mat. Rand blasts a hole in the wall, blinding Mat temporarily. He then suffers flu-like symptoms after this heavy use of the One Power.

Lan began teaching Rand the sword; Rand has since achieved a high enough level of skill to be considered a blademaster. Along with Loial, the Ogier, Moiraine led them to the Eye of the World in the Blight. Rand killed Aginor there, tapping into the Eye's pure saidin^[2]. He then defeated Ba'alzamon and was convinced he had killed the Dark One; he also helped out during the battle in Tarwin's Gap, helping the Shienarans win. On their arrival at Fal Dara, Rand was told by the Amyrlin Seat, Siuan Sanche, that he is the Dragon Reborn - an accusation which he did not believe at that time. It was also at this time that he was told about his true heritage. After the Horn of Valere was stolen, Rand, Mat, Perrin and Loial accompanied Ingtar Shinowa and the Shienarians to reclaim it^[3]. During this journey, his palms were branded with two herons^[4], two of the marks of the Dragon Reborn. At Falme Rand and Ba'alzamon fought once again, this time in the sky. Meanwhile, down below, Mat blew the horn of Valere, summoning the heroes of old to fight against the Seanchan. This is where Rand reveals the Dragon Banner. During this battle, Rand "Sheathes the Sword" which opens his defenses and allows Ba'alzamon to strike home with his staff leaving Rand with a wound in his side that has never healed. While "Sheathing the Sword" provides Rand with a malignant wound, it also allowed him to defeat Ba'alzamon in single combat.^[5]. This battle proclaimed him as the Dragon Reborn, a fact Rand finally accepts^[6].

[edit] The Dragon Reborn

That winter, he camped with Moiraine, Perrin, Min Farshaw, and the Shienarians. Concerned for the safety of his friends upon learning that Ba'alzamon still hunted him, Rand journeyed to Tear alone^[7], deciding this quest would end or begin his life. In the Stone of Tear, he took the blade Callandor, fulfilling a major prophecy and confirming his identity as Dragon Reborn in the minds of many, including himself. During this battle, he finally killed Ba'alzamon (Ishamael)^[8]. It is after this that Egwene tells Rand that she loves him only as a brother now. Rand is relieved as he feels the same, though they had been betrothed. This lets Elayne confess her feelings for Rand which Rand reciprocates and they kiss for the first time. The girls also work out that Rand can feel, via goosebumps on his arms, when a woman is touching saidar.

[edit] To Rhuidean

Using the twisted redstone doorway in the Stone's cache of ter'angreal, Rand visits the Aelfinn and obtains answers to three questions regarding his future; perhaps due to the nature of his questions, he barely escapes alive^[9]. He then set out with Mat, Egwene and Moiraine, and a thousand-plus Aiel warriors, via a Portal Stone to the Aiel Waste^[10], seeking the endorsement of the Aiel as their Car'a'carn, literally a "chief of chiefs". He was allowed to enter Rhuidean, where he learned the true origins of the Aiel; that they were once a peaceful people, sworn to do no harm, and aid the Aes Sedai^[11]. When he emerged, he was declared as He Who Comes with the Dawn with a dragon on each arm^[12]. However, his revelation to the Aiel of their past has nearly destroyed them; the bleakness continues to drive many hardened Aiel soldiers to throw down their spears every day.

He later battled the Forsaken Asmodean in Rhuidean, successfully cutting his ties to the Dark One^[13]. There he found the male and female access keys to the Choedan Kal, Lanfear then shielded Asmodean so he could only channel a trickle, and forced the male Forsaken to teach him the use of saidin. This was a desperate choice, Rand knew that if anyone discovered he was learning from the Forsaken he might lose the fragile following he had achieved so far.

[edit] The Lord Dragon

Leading the Aiel out of the Three-Fold Land, he took Cairhien and Caemlyn, killing Rahvin^[14]. During this same time, Moiraine Sedai and Lanfear were both apparently killed when they fell through a ter'angreal^[15]. After taking Caemlyn, he announced an amnesty for all male channelers. This brought Mazrim Taim, a former false Dragon, into his service^[16]. Taim has aided Rand by training the male channelers who come to him. These men become Asha'man and their training ground is called the Black Tower, which is Rand's answer to the White Tower. Taim is the M'Hael, leader of the Tower, although his true intentions have yet to be revealed; it is speculated he is a Darkfriend of some authority and power.

Rand was then approached by embassies from the Aes Sedai in the White Tower under Elaida, and from the Salidar faction. Elaida's embassy kidnapped him and shielded him. He escaped at Dumai's Wells, triggering a large and bloody battle, and has since forced many Aes Sedai on both sides to swear fealty to him^[17]. With all that was happening around him, he has found it too difficult to cope with if he allows his emotions to exist, and so he has pushed them down and turned himself into stone, feeling nothing. It is this that Cadsuane is determined to reverse.

[edit] The Crown of Swords and The Seanchan

Rand took Illian using Davram Bashere's army and a group of Asha'man. During the attack, he drove out the Forsaken Sammael and followed him to Shadar Logoth, where the Forsaken was killed by Mashadar^[18]. With the fall of Illian, the disappearance of Mattin Stepaneos, and Rand's forced sale of grain to Illian from Tear, the Council of Nine declared Rand king.

After snuffing out Sammael's Illianer followers, Rand set his focus on the Seanchan, who had conquered neighboring Altara and had set their sights on Illian. In northern Altara, Rand's forces fought the Seanchan to a stalemate, driving the Hailene back to Ebou Dar temporarily, but causing heavy losses on Rand's side as well^[19].

[edit] The Taint and the Forsaken

Later, Rand goes in disguise to Nynaeve and reveals his plan to her and asks for help to cleanse saidin. Elayne, Aviendha and Min all bond Rand as their warder. Min predicts that Elayne will get with child from Rand. Rand, Cadsuane, Nynaeve and the others of his party leave Far Madding to retrieve Callandor and Travel to Shadar Logoth. It is here that Rand puts into action his daring plan to cleanse the taint from saidin, using the evil within Shaidar Logoth to battle that of the taint. Rand and Nynaeve link, using the power of the Choedan Kal sa'angreal and, while Cadsuane and the other Aes Sedai, Asha'man, and Windfinders hold off the inevitable attack by the Forsaken, succeed in removing the Dark One's hold over the male half of the Source^[20]. Shadar Logoth is decimated by the cleansing and nothing but a crater three miles across remains.

Realizing that he can't fight the Seanchan and the Shadow at the same time, Rand later sent Loial, Logain Ablar, and Bashere to Ebou Dar to negotiate a truce with the Seanchan^[21]. They return with the news that the High Lady Suroth wants Rand to meet with the Daughter of the Nine Moons.

The meeting turns out to be a trap by the Forsaken Semirhage, who is masquerading as Anath Dorje, Tuon's Soe'feia. Semirhage lures Rand to a manor house in northern Altara, where she meets him disguised as the Daughter of the Nine Moons. Rand identifies Semirhage, but before he can react, she blasts him with a fireball, blowing off his left hand^[22]. Semirhage is captured and all the sul'dam and damane with her are sent back to Ebou Dar to inform the Daughter of the Nine Moons that the Dragon Reborn still wants to meet with her. Upon Delving, Nynaeve also finds something wrong with Rand's eyes, apparently as a result of the close explosion.

Spoilers: Information ahead comes from The Gathering Storm; please be careful if you have not read that book yet!

After moving his forces to Arad Doman, Rand was once again attacked by Semirhage, who had been freed by Shaidar Haran and Elza Penfell. With the help of Elza, she captured him with the male a'dam, and forced him to try to strangle Min. In a fit of desperation, Rand unknowingly reached out and channeled the True Power, through his connection with Moridin. With it he wove fire and destroyed the collar of the a'dam. Free from its control, he killed both Semirhage and Elza with balefire. Later, Rand met with Tuon at Falme in order to set a truce. However, despite his ta'veren nature, Tuon refused to accept his conditions. She instead demanded that he bow to her in accordance with the Prophecies, causing Rand to leave. After some deliberation, Rand was able to find Graendal's hiding place, and in an act he marked as mercy, spun balefire, destroying the entire fortress and killing everyone within, including (to his knowledge) Graendal. He returned to Tear, from where he planned to march to Shayol Ghul. He also seemed eager to attack Ebou Dar, but was delayed when he found Tam al'Thor waiting for him in his bedroom. Rand was greatly angered when Tam accidentally revealed that Cadsuane had brought him there, in his rage nearly losing all control, and almost killing Tam with the One Power. Fleeing to Ebou Dar with the Choedan Kal access key, he came close to carrying out his one-man assault on the Seanchan, but stopped short when he saw all the people of Ebou Dar's concern for him when he was gripped by the summoning sickness. He made a gateway and Skimmed to a seemingly random place, eventually ending up on the top of Dragonmount. After much inner turmoil, he starts to draw as much saidin as he is able, through heavy use of the Choedan Kal, all the while bellowing questions off the mountain. Lews Therin interjects, causing an epiphany. Rand realizes he was reborn not so he could break the world and kill everyone he loved once more, but so he could be given a second chance. He inverts the power he's drawn from the Choedan Kal, using it on itself, destroying the massive statue.

[edit] Madness

Channeling saidin has the unpleasant side-effect of causing madness in all men. The first subtle sign of madness Rand displays is when Lanfear confronts Rand in Tear, Rand shouts at her "about always loving power". Rand knows this thought as truth but doesn't know at the time where it came from.

While at Rhuidean, more thoughts that appear to come from Lews Therin Telamon start to make it into Rand's head, such as a clear picture of what Ilyena Therin Moerelle looks like and the mention of the Can Breat, even though he has no idea what that even is. At another time Mat shouts out to Rand and gets no response. When he merely says "Lews Therin", Rand responds to it immediately. At the battle of Cairhien when Rand is fighting the Shaido, he becomes exhausted from overuse of saidin. He forgets who he is and starts speaking aloud the thoughts from Lews Therin to Asmodean, about when Tel Janin became the Destroyer of Hope (Sammael). Rand now hears both his thoughts and Lews Therin's at the same time, not singularly like before.

When Rand was kidnapped by Elaida's Aes Sedai, Lews Therin gave him advice on how to break the shield that was blocking him from saidin. While fighting against Lanfear in Cairhien, Lews Therin actually tries to take control of Rand's body for the first time. Rand has to not only try and keep saidin from sweeping him away while channeling, but to try and hold on to who he is before a madman takes over.

The first time Rand meets Mazrim Taim, Lews Therin begins to rave about the Forsaken and to kill him now. Rand screams at Lews Therin to shut up, which he does, this being the first time Rand actually talks back to Lews Therin. When Rand tells Taim to seize as much saidin as he can, Rand suddenly finds himself holding saidin as well, seeming to indicate that Lews Therin has actually seized it. The greatest incident of Lews Therin seizing saidin came when trollocs attacked the manor in Tear at which Rand is staying. During the fight, Lews Therin used several weaves that none of the Asha'man with Rand, including Logain, had ever seen before.

Another type of "sickness" that Rand associates with his attempts to channel crops up following his battle with Sammael in Shadar Logoth. During the battle, a man that Rand does not recognize appears, and they accidentally cross streams of balefire. Rand did not see the man's weaves, indicating that he was using the True Power rather than saidin. Because of some not yet understood side effect of this crossing of balefire streams, Rand is now linked with the man, who is later revealed to be Moridin. Because of this link, Rand now occasionally sees Moridin's face in his mind as well. The link goes both ways, as Moridin can feel when Rand is physically injured. Rand is not yet aware of the cause of these effects. All that Rand knows for certain is that they are independent from the taint because they remained even after the cleansing.

Spoilers: Information ahead comes from The Gathering Storm; please be careful if you have not read that book yet!
It is strongly implied after his epiphany on Dragonmount that Rand will no longer hear Lews Therin's voice, after coming to the realization that they are one soul. However his problems are far from over, as he now has dreams in which Moridin speaks to him, much as Ishamael once did.

[edit] Recent events

Rand is bonded to his three lovers, Min Farshaw, Elayne Trakand, and Aviendha of the Nine Valleys sept of the Taardad Aiel; he is also unwillingly bonded to Alanna Mosvani. Elayne is pregnant with his twins. He is advised mostly by Cadsuane Sedai, and the Wise One Sorilea. They have pledged to teach him "laughter and tears". After a meeting with Semirhage he has now lost one hand, fulfilling one of Min's viewings.

Rand had changed a great deal from the boy who left Emond's Field years ago. He has gone from the stubborn boy who refused to accept he was anything more than a simple sheepherder, to an arrogant iron-willed man who sometimes seems to have lost all trace of humanity. Having grown up with the belief that men should protect women, he has memorized the name of every woman who has died for him -- at one point spending an entire night among the corpses in the aftermath of a major battle -- and often berates himself with the list and associated guilt. Many worry about his sanity, others like Cadsuane and Sorilea worry about his humanity.

Semirhage alleges that Rand hearing the voice of Lews Therin Telamon in his head is a form of incurable insanity and is likely to end in his death.^[22]

Spoilers: Information ahead comes from The Gathering Storm; please be careful if you have not read that book yet!

Sure enough, Rand continued descending deeper into madness, attempting to become ever harder and harder, especially after Semirhage escaped from captivity, bound him with the Domination Band, and almost succeeded in forcing him to kill Min. Rand was only saved by suddenly displaying the ability to channel the True Power. The full implications of this turn of events are not yet understood, and for her failure he banned Cadsuane from his sight, threatening her with execution (though this did not stop her scheming with the Wise Ones and her fellow Aes Sedai). Most recently, Rand has moved large numbers of Aiel into Arad Doman with the intent of pacifying and re-ordering the country. While he easily dominated the region in military terms, common bandits being no match for the Aiel, and reaching a deal with the Great Captain Rodel Ituralde, he experienced difficulty restoring order, the King of Arad Doman having been missing for some time, and instead attempted to place the Council of Merchants in his place, abducting and threatening them wherever necessary. He also used Sea Folk ships to supply Bandar Eban with grain to combat famine. While in Arad Doman, his search for the King caused him to come across information concernining the location of Graendal, and, when Nyneave chanced upon one of Graendal's toys operating in Bandar Eban, he took the opportunity to attack her. Discerning her likely location, he used a disloyal and manipulative Domani noble to determine her presence, and then, in a fitting display of his encroaching insanity, proceeded to destroy the entire manor complex with Balefire, to the disgust of both Min and Nyneave. Ultimately, however, Rand's plans for Arad Doman met with failure, as he was barely able to re-establish government in the region, the peace process with the Seanchan, held at Falme with the Daughter of the Nine Moons, fell flat on its face, and the grain intended to relieve the famine rotted due to the Dark One's influence. Faced with this, he abandoned the country to starvation, anarchy, and Seanchan invasion, and returned to Tear. Rand would meet with frustration once again at the meeting with the Borderlanders. Reunited with the Sniffer Hurin for the first time in years, he greeted his old friend with harsh words, and, enraged at the Borderlanders' refusal to meet with him except inside the city of Far Madding, threatened them with destruction and once again returned to the Stone. The final straw would come back in Tear, after reuniting with his foster-father, Tam al'Thor. He learned that the reunion had been engineered by Cadsuane in an attempt to manipulate him. He lost control, and in his rage nearly killed Tam. Horrified, he instead seized the Choeden Kal and Travelled to Ebou Dar, with the intention of destroying the entire city and its Seanchan rulers. Again, he found himself unable to go through with the act, and, consumed with anger, depression, frustration, and desperation, he Travelled to the peak of Dragonmount, to meditate. Atop Dragonmount, Rand nearly succumbed to his madness. Despairing at the futility of his existence, and the fact that history was doomed to repeat itself time after time, he took up the Choeden Kal, intending to use it to destroy the entire world. He nearly did so, but relented when the voice of Lews Therin in his head, surprisingly sane for once, suggested that the reason history repeated itself was so that people could have another chance and so that they could love again. Undergoing a considerable mental transformation, Rand destroys the Choeden Kal, believing that such power was dangerous, and that Callandor was all he needed. He then departed Dragonmount, having finally overcome many of his problems, and the voice of Lews Therin Telamon gone forever.

[edit] Viewings

• A sword that isn't a sword. (Refers to Callandor)
• A golden crown of laurel leaves. (He now rules Illian, accepted the Laurel Crown, and renamed it the Crown of Swords)
• A beggar's staff. (fulfilled by his visit to Ebou Dar)
• Pouring water on sand. (Possibly refers to when Rand creates rain in the Aiel Waste, or to opening an underground river at Rhuidean, or may refer to the attempted healing of the wound on his side, of which the flows of power sink into it "like water into sand", or may refer to the Prophecy of Rhuidean that mentions him spilling the blood of the Aiel "as water on sand")
• A bloody hand and a white hot iron. (Maybe Semirhage blowing his hand off)
• Three women standing over a funeral bier with Rand on it. (the three woman are Min, Aviendha and Elayne)
• Black rock wet with blood. (Clear reference to the Karaethon Cycle -"His blood on the rocks of Shayol Ghul, washing away the shadow, sacrifice for man's salvation."-)
• Rand will be hurt by Aes Sedai (White Tower Aes Sedai captured Rand, kept him in a box and beat him).

[edit] References and similarities

[edit] To Tiwaz, Tyr, Zeus, and Jupiter

• Over the course of the story, Rand has been shown to have many similarities to Tiwaz, the prototypical deity from which Tyr, Zeus and Jupiter were developed.
• Rand's love for three women (Elayne Trakand, the mother of his two children; Aviendha, an Aiel and former Maiden of the Spear; and Min Farshaw, who has the ability to see the future) is similar to Jupiter of Roman mythology, who loved three mortal women with similar traits (all of whom are now referenced among the moons of the planet Jupiter).
• Tyr's hand was bitten off by the wolf Fenrisulfr. In Knife of Dreams, Rand lost his left hand fighting the Forsaken Semirhage.
• Finally, Tyr, Jupiter and Zeus were all gods of justice. This ties in with Rand uniting most of the world under his rule, breaking some traditions and starting new ones.

[edit] To Wiccan archetypes

• Rand's "three women" also echo the Wiccan tradition of the triple goddess (Maiden-Mother-Crone). This would make Rand the equivalent of the Celtic deity Cernunnos, a point which is reinforced by a prophecy which speaks of him singing "that the fields will bring forth lambs and green things".

[edit] To Paul Atreides

• Rand is similar to Paul Atreides in Dune in that they are both men who possess powers usually wielded by women.
• The Aiel, who become Rand's most loyal fighting force, are similar in habit and style to the Fremen of Dune.
• Both Rand and Paul are seen as messiahs in their respective sagas, and they are both different messiahs for different people. Paul is the Kwisatz Haderach to most of the universe, but to the Fremen, he is the Mahdi. Rand is the Dragon Reborn to the Wetlanders, but to the Aiel, he is He Who Comes With The Dawn, and to the Atha'an Miere, he is the Coramoor.
• Rand and the Aes Sedai and Paul and the Bene Gesserit share similar relationships.

[edit] To Jesus

• Like Jesus of Nazareth in The Bible, Rand is considered to be a savior, sent by a supernatural force to save all of humanity from the forces of darkness.
• It has been suggested several times that Rand will die in the process of saving the world. Unlike Jesus, however, no one has yet forecast his resurrection (In Lord of Chaos Rand revealed one part of an answer he had from the Aelfinn: 'To live, you must die.').
• Both were seen by many of their contemporaries as being agents of chaos and disorder.
• When Rand dies, it is said that his body will be watched over by three women (his lovers, Elayne, Min and Aviendha); when Jesus died, his body was watched over by three women.
• Many of the markings on Rand's body are similar to the wounds inflicted on Jesus during the crucifixion: His hands were nailed to the cross, he was stabbed in the side by the Spear of Destiny, and wore a crown of thorns. Both of Rand's hands have been branded with the heron mark, he was stabbed in the side by Ba'alzamon's staff, and he wears the Crown of Swords.
• Jesus was born to a virgin. Rand was born to a maiden.

[edit] To King Arthur

• Just as King Arthur -- the true King -- was the only one who could take Excalibur from the stone, Rand -- the true Dragon Reborn -- was the only one who could take Callandor from the Stone of Tear. Also, al'Thor is pronounced similarly to Arthur, just as Callandor is pronounced similarly to Excalibur, or even more similarly to Caliburn, the ancient name for Excalibur in myth.
• Arthur is the son of Queen Igraine; Rand is the son of Tigraine Mantear.
• Arthur's surname was Pendragon, and his banner was a red dragon, much like Rand's.
• On his passing, Arthur was borne off to Avalon on a barge with three women. In Min's viewing noted above, Rand will be attended by three women on a boat.
• Arthur was wed to Gwenyvere; Rand was betrothed to Egwene Al'Vere.
• Arthurs magician (i.e. sorcerer) advisor was Merlin. One of Rand's mentors is Thom Merrilin a Gleeman (bard / musician / entertainer) who among other skills can perform deft slight of hand tricks (illusionist / magician).
• The real-life Arthur was a Celtic king, and many of the legends concerning him are of Celtic origin. The Two Rivers has occasionally been compared to Wales or Ireland in the British Isles, both of which are considered Celtic. Furthermore, the red Dragon is a major national Welsh symbol and features prominently on its flag.

[edit] Notes

Characters
Protagonists	Main: Rand al'Thor · Matrim Cauthon · Perrin Aybara · Egwene al'Vere · Elayne Trakand · Nynaeve al'Meara · Thomdril Merrilin Primary: Aviendha · Faile Bashere · Min Farshaw · Tuon Athaem Kore Paendrag · Moiraine Damodred · Lan Mandragoran · Loial · Birgitte Silverbow
Antagonists	Dark One · The Forsaken · Padan Fain · Couladin · Pedron Niall · Eamon Valda · Mazrim Taim · Sevanna · Galina Casban · Liandrin · Alviarin Freidhen · Suroth Sabelle Meldarath
Major Characters	Aes Sedai: Siuan Sanche · Elaida do Avriny a'Roihan · Verin Mathwin · Leane Sharif Other Allies: Morgase Trakand · Juilin Sandar · Bayle Domon · Elyas Machera · Logain Ablar · Amys · Bair · Melaine · Rhuarc · Berelain sur Paendrag Paeron · Davram Bashere · Gaul · Bain · Chiad · Sebban Balwer · Gawyn Trakand · Galad Damodred · Gareth Bryne · Martyn Tallanvor · Lini Eltring
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