With its newly-premiered second season,The Wheel of Timewill dive further into the fantasy world. Given that the series is being adapted fromfourteen novels of world-building, that is a daunting task. But like any fantasy realm, one of the most important elements is the magic system. The series focuses on the powerful Aes Sedai, Moiraine Damodred (Rosamund Pike), as she takes several young people under her wing — among them, Egwene al’Vere (Madeleine Madden), Nynaeve al’Meara (Zoë Robins), and Rand al’Thor (Josha Stradowski) are capable of channeling magic, but the details are complex.Though minor changes have been made to the One Power fromRobert Jordan’s book series, it remains largely the same and equally vital to the plot.
The Wheel of Time’s Aes Sedai get their abilities from the enigmatic One Power, which results from a connection to the True Source that turns the Wheel of Time itself. But not everyone can wield the power. Those who can are called channelers, as they access the power rather than create it. Yet channelers have vastly different levels of strength. Those who can use the One Power can perform great feats and receive extra benefits from their power. Although the ability to channel the One Power is born into an individual, it can be dangerous and takes years of training to perfect. Yet a powerful few can use it instinctively before they fully learn. There are limits to the One Power, determined by each channeler’s capabilities. Perhaps more importantly, a channeler can be severed from the power, but it takes a toll. The One Power negatively affects users in other ways. Men who channel are eventually driven mad by it due to the ancient corruption from the Breaking of the World. Though it is a mystery even to the characters, a basic understanding of the One Power is essential to the story.
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Who Can Use the One Power in ‘The Wheel of Time’?
The One Power comes from the cosmic True Source, which creates the weaving of time’s pattern. Essentially, it controls the universe. But a select few have the ability to manipulate that power into their own weaves. They can use this power for anything from healing to attacking. Based in one of five elements (air, water, earth, fire, and spirit), the One Power is versatile. When an Aes Sedai (or others, for that matter), use the One Power, weaves of light can be seen, but only by other channelers. Beyond simply the power they can wield, channelers enjoy longevity from the One Power — as it slows their aging significantly, sometimes allowing them to live for centuries. But some channelers are more equipped to use the One Power than others. While many are born with the ability to learn, a few possess the “spark” which destines them to channel no matter their choices. But that kind of power is not without cost, as many with the spark who are not trained properly face dire consequences.
There is one place women can go to learn to use their abilities. The White Tower trains channelers to be Aes Sedai. The Aes Sedai include women from all over the world, but they expect a certain level of talent from their trainees. Others who can touch the One Power without any kind of formal education are called Wilders. This often includes village healers, or Wisdoms, like Nynaeve. In the Two Rivers, this is often referred to as “listening to the wind;” these women use the One Power in small ways, like predicting the weather — but they don’t accomplish anything as grand as Aes Sedai’s practiced magic. Moiraine tells Egwene that there are many names for it in different parts of the world, but they are all the One Power. This includes the Seanchan’sdamane, who are forced to use their magic for others' purposes. While there are many women channelers, men are in a much more precarious situation if they possess the same ability.
Can Men Channel in ‘The Wheel of Time’?
As Moiraine searches for the Dragon Reborn, she understands the potential that he is a male channeler, which creates a dangerous situation. Once, both men and women could become powerful Aes Sedai, but they connected to different sides of the One Power. Women connect tosaidar, while only men usesaidin. While these are opposites, they also complement each other, or they did. During the Breaking of the World, the Dark One touchedsaidin, corrupting the male half of the One Power. As a result, any man who channels is doomed to madness.
Few male channelers have been seen, yet Rand, as the Dragon Reborn, is the prime example. Though men need to train their powers too, no one manages to do so before going mad, and becausesaidarandsaidinare innately different, a female channeler cannot teach a male. Due to the madness that inevitably corrupts male channelers, the Aes Sedai are vigilant in their search for male channelers, but not necessarily out of mercy. The Red Ajah, in particular, works tirelessly to find and “gentle” their powers before they can cause destruction.
How Can a Channeler Be Severed from the One Power in ‘The Wheel of Time’?
The ability to channel the One Power is born into individuals, but they are not guaranteed to keep it forever. Other channelers, usually the most powerful and highly trained, can separate someone from the One Power. For men, this is called gentling, as it’s seen as a mercy to take away the power that will inevitably drive them mad. But it comes with consequences. One false Dragon, Logain Ablar (Álvaro Morte), is caught and gentled by the Red Ajah in Season 1, but the madness already reached him. Withoutsaidin, he is powerless and depressed. The sudden lack of power is just as madness-inducing assaidin,and often, the gentled channelers lose their will to live, as explained by Thom Merrilin’s (Alexandre Willaume) story to Rand about his nephew.
Women can also be severed from the One Power, but it is rare. Stilling, as it is called, is a punishment for only the worst offenses, but usually has the same effect. Stilling and gentling are permanent, cutting off the subject from the One Power entirely. At the end ofSeason 1, Moiraine believes herself to have been stilled by the Dark One during the confrontation at the Eye of the World, suggesting that the now-free enemy has the ability to easily cut off those who oppose him from the source. This plotline and the training of Rand, Nynaeve, and Egwene will demonstrate the significance of the One Power in Season 2 and beyond as it continues to be a driving force in the story.
Season 2 ofThe Wheel of Timepremieres new episodes Friday on Prime Video.
