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The Eye of the World: Chapter Summaries

Prologue: Dragonmount (c.a. Breaking of the World)

The madman Lews Therin Telamon—called the Dragon—wanders his broken house, calling for a wife and children who lay dead on the floor. His enemy, Elan Morin Tedronai, comes to kill Lews Therin, but decides to give him a moment of lucidity before the end. Lews Therin, horrified by his deeds, flees and then kills himself by drawing too much of saidin, a tainted source of magic that only men can wield. Elan Morin observes the volcano created by Lews Therin’s death and promises that their battle will continue.

Chapter 1: An Empty Road (Aine 8 N.E. 998)

Rand al’Thor and his father Tam walk from their farm to the village of Emond’s Field, intending to celebrate Bel Tine there. Along the way, a mysterious rider in black appears, then vanishes. Rand’s friend Mat has also seen the rider.

Chapter 2: Strangers (Aine 8 N.E. 998)

The village youth are excited about strangers from far away. A raven stares at Mat and Rand, but is scared off by Moiraine, a lady in fancy clothing who gives the boys each a silver mark.

Chapter 3: The Peddler (Aine 8 N.E. 998)

The peddler Padan Fain arrives with news of a man in Ghealdan proclaiming himself the Dragon Reborn. Rand and Mat discuss rumors with their friend Perrin, who has also seen the rider. They mention him to Rand’s crush, Egwene, who thinks they are making things up.

Chapter 4: The Gleeman (Aine 8 N.E. 998)

The Gleeman Thom Merrilin recruits Egwene and the boys to help him with his act, then gives them a taste of his juggling and storytelling. Egwene’s request for stories about adventures makes Rand worry that she intends to leave Emond’s Field, or maybe the Two Rivers area entirely. Moiraine returns, spooking Thom for some reason; he retreats inside the inn. Tam decides he and Rand will return to their farm for the night.

Chapter 5: Winternight (Aine 8 N.E. 998)

Tam cooks dinner and pulls out an old sword Rand didn’t know he owned; it is marked with a heron. A knock at the door reveals a dozen monstrous Trollocs—taller than a man, with the head of an animal—which try to kill them. Rand flees into the woods; Tam fights them and is wounded. Rand sneaks back into the house for bandages and water, and somehow manages to kill a lone Trolloc with Tam’s sword.

Chapter 6: The Westwood (Aine 8 N.E. 998)

Rand drags Tam through the woods toward Emond’s Field, dodging the black-cloaked rider. Tam, feverish and rambling, reveals that he found Rand as a baby, orphaned on the side of a mountain.

Chapter 7: Out of the Woods (Aine 9 N.E. 998)

Rand reaches Emond’s Field and finds half of it in ashes; they were attacked by Trollocs as well. The village Wisdom, Nynaeve, believes Tam is beyond saving. Rand learns that Moiraine is an Aes Sedai, a wielder of a magic called the One Power, and asks her if she can Heal Tam.

Chapter 8: A Place of Safety (Aine 9 N.E. 998)

Moiraine and her Warder—an armsman named Lan—tell Rand that the black rider is something called a Myrddraal. The raven was spying for it. Moiraine does what she can for Tam, then tells Rand he must leave the Two Rivers. She believes the Dark One is looking for a boy exactly Rand’s age; either Rand himself, or Mat, or Perrin.

Chapter 9: Tellings of the Wheel (Aine 9 N.E. 998)

Rand dreams of the Dark One chasing him to a beautiful white city and trapping him there. He wakes to find Tam recovering; Tam tells him that Aes Sedai cannot lie, but often bend the truth. Tam believes Moiraine is right about Rand leaving, and gives him his sword.

Outside the inn, Moiraine is confronted by villagers who believe she is a Darkfriend. Moiraine tells them the origin of their village: the place where the last king of Manetheren died defending his people from an army of Trollocs. Ashamed, the villagers leave.

Chapter 10: Leavetaking (Aine 9 N.E. 998)

Rand, Mat, Perrin, Lan, Moiraine, Egwene, and Thom set out for the Aes Sedai city of Tar Valon. They are followed by a flying creature called a Draghkar.

Chapter 11: The Road to Taren Ferry (Aine 9 N.E. 998)

Moiraine’s party rides for their lives; Rand is concerned that Egwene and her mount, Bela, will be left behind, and wills the pony to run faster. Moiraine stops to refresh the horses with the One Power, and is surprised that Bela already seems rested. The Draghkar chases the party past Watch Hill to a village called Taren Ferry, where Moiraine rousts the ferryman from his bed.

Chapter 12: Across the Taren (Aine 9 N.E. 998)

Moiraine’s party crosses the river Taren, after which the ferry sinks … mysteriously. Moiraine summons a bank of fog which covers the river in both directions, then leads them away from it. They camp in a hidden copse, where Moiraine tells Egwene she can learn to channel saidar, the female half of the One Power.

Chapter 13: Choices (Aine 9–15 N.E. 998)

As they travel north, Lan teaches Rand to use his sword, and Perrin to use the axe he got from his master, the blacksmith. Rand tries to talk Egwene out of becoming Aes Sedai, but Egwene doggedly continues her lessons.

The party arrives in Baerlon; the Children of the Light (colloquially known as Whitecloaks) have brought a small contingent to the city, hunting Darkfriends and Aes Sedai. Moiraine is unconcerned, and takes them to an inn.

Chapter 14: The Stag and Lion (Aine 15 N.E. 998)

Mat begins to tell the innkeeper about Trollocs; Lan cautions them not to tell anyone about who is chasing them. The news in Baerlon is all about the false Dragon Logain defeating an army in Ghealdan.

Rand dreams of a man whose eyes and mouth are flame; he calls himself Ba’alzamon, another name for the Dark One. Ba’alzamon tells Rand the Aes Sedai intend to use him the same way they are using Logain. He kills a rat by breaking its back.

Chapter 15: Strangers and Friends (Aine 16 N.E. 998)

Rand wakes to learn that several rats were found with their backs broken. He finds Perrin, who had the same dream, then meets a girl named Min who claims to see auras around people.

Rand sees Padan Fain in the city; the peddler runs from him, but not before Rand tells him where they’re staying. Rand runs into Mat, who plays a prank on a Whitecloak. Suddenly lightheaded, Rand draws attention to himself by laughing; the Whitecloaks are scared off by the heron mark on his sword. Rand and Mat ask Thom for advice.

Chapter 16: The Wisdom (Aine 16 N.E. 998)

Nynaeve has followed the group to Baerlon. She insists Egwene and the boys return home; Moiraine has a talk with her. Rand asks Nynaeve whether there was any truth to Tam’s feverish mumblings; Nynaeve confirms that Rand was born outside the Two Rivers.

Chapter 17: Watchers and Hunters (Aine 16–17 N.E. 998)

Rand and his friends go the the common room to listen to Thom play; a scar-faced fellow watches them dance. A Myrddraal confronts Rand in the kitchen, but Lan chases it away. Moiraine’s party, plus Nynaeve, leaves in the night. At the gate, Moiraine is forced to reveal herself as Aes Sedai to frighten off several Whitecloaks.

Chapter 18: The Caemlyn Road (Aine 19 N.E. 998)

Trollocs chase Moiraine’s party off the Caemlyn Road, then surround them. They break through, Mat shouting battle cries in the Old Tongue. Moiraine uses an angreal to delay the Trollocs and set a false trail, buying them time to reach the ruins of Shadar Logoth.

Chapter 19: Shadow’s Waiting (Aine 19 N.E. 998)

While Moiraine rests, the boys explore the ruins. They meet a man named Mordeth, who asks them to help him carry away a great treasure. Rand realizes Mordeth doesn’t have a shadow; they abandon the treasure and run. Moiraine tells the story of how Shadar Logoth died. She believes Trollocs will not enter the city, but Lan reports that someone has forced them inside.

Chapter 20: Dust on the Wind (Aine 19 N.E. 998)

Moiraine’s party is separated by Mashadar, a murderous mist drifting through Shadar Logoth. Perrin and Egwene reach the river; Perrin crosses but loses sight of Egwene. Rand, Mat, and Thom find a ship and climb aboard; a mast beam mysteriously saves Rand from a Trolloc. The captain of the Spray—an Illianer named Bayle Domon—allows them to book passage to Whitebridge.

Chapter 21: Listen to the Wind (Aine 20 N.E. 998)

Nynaeve tracks down Lan and Moiraine, and eavesdrops before they notice her. Moiraine tells Nynaeve that she can also channel, but doesn’t realize it. Moiraine tells of the sickness that comes with uncontrolled channeling; Nynaeve remembers suffering the events she describes, but continues to deny the ability.

Chapter 22: A Path Chosen (Aine 20 N.E. 998)

Perrin finds Egwene and Bela on the riverbank. They determine to cut across the wilderness and head for Caemlyn.

Chapter 23: Wolfbrother (Aine 23 N.E. 998)

Egwene admits she started a campfire with the Power. They are unable to find game along their path, but eventually stumble upon the campfire of Elyas Machera, a yellow-eyed man who claims that he—and Perrin—can talk to wolves. Elyas will escort them south.

Chapter 24: Flight Down the Arinelle (Aine 23 N.E. 998)

Rand dreams of Ba’alzamon again. Thom pretends Mat and Rand are his apprentices, and teaches them juggling and the flute, respectively. They entertain the crew and spot a metal tower with no doors or windows on the bank. Rand climbs the mast and is hit with a wave of giddiness, nearly falling before Thom snaps him out of it. Mat has taken a ruby-hilted dagger from Shadar Logoth—against Moiraine’s warning.

Chapter 25: The Traveling People (Aine 26 N.E. 998)

Elyas and his wolves lead Perrin and Egwene to a camp of the pacifist Tuatha’an, which the Emond’s Fielders know as Tinkers. Perrin learns of their Way of the Leaf from their leader, Raen; Egwene dances with Raen’s grandson, Aram.

Chapter 26: Whitebridge (Adar 4 N.E. 998)

The Spray arrives at Whitebridge, a city named for a great, Power-made bridge spanning the river Arinelle. Bayle Domon tries to convince Thom to stay aboard, but Thom believes Rand and Mat will need his help reaching Caemlyn. They learn that the false Dragon Logain can channel, but has been captured by Aes Sedai.

Thom explains that he had a nephew who died because of Aes Sedai. A Myrddraal attacks them in the streets; Thom distracts it so Rand and Mat can flee. They leave him for dead.

Chapter 27: Shelter From the Storm (Adar 5 N.E. 998)

Egwene dances with the Tuatha’an. Perrin dreams of Ba’alzamon and the wolves; Elyas decides it is time to leave the Tinkers’ camp.

Chapter 28: Footprints in Air (Adar 5 N.E. 998)

Nynaeve, Moiraine, and Lan arrive in Whitebridge and learn of the Myrddraal. Lan tries to send Nynaeve home before she gets hurt; Moiraine hints that she will take Nynaeve to the White Tower whether she wants to go or not.

Chapter 29: Eyes Without Pity (Adar 10 N.E. 998)

Elyas takes Perrin and Egwene cautiously across Caralain Grass; they barely avoid notice by a flock of ravens. Perrin can hear the wolves. The trio hides in a stedding, a place where the One Power cannot touch, and where the Shadow’s creatures fear to come.

Chapter 30: Children of Shadow (Adar 10 N.E. 998)

Riders enter the stedding—Whitecloaks sneaking their way across Andor. They spot Perrin, who goes berserk when he feels the death of the wolf called Hopper.

Perrin wakes, a prisoner; Elyas escaped, but Perrin and Egwene are interrogated by Lord Captain Bornhald. Perrin will be executed for killing two Whitecloaks.

Chapter 31: Play for Your Supper (Adar 5–10 N.E. 998)

Rand and Mat find their way east, working at farms in exchange for food or a place to sleep. At the Grinwell farm Rand pulls out his flute and plays, to much applause. They realize they can play and juggle at inns instead.

Chapter 32: Four Kings in Shadow (Adar 15 N.E. 998)

In Four Kings, all but one inn already has an entertainer. Rand and Mat reluctantly play at the last, where a greedy innkeeper eyes their belongings. A merchant has followed them from Whitebridge.

Rand and Mat are locked in a storeroom for the night. The merchant, Howal Gode, reveals himself as a Darkfriend and offers them power if they submit to the Dark One. Lightning hits the inn, blinding Mat and freeing the boys. They flee into the rain.

Chapter 33: The Dark Waits (Adar 16–18 N.E. 998)

Darkfriends chase Rand and Mat out of the next two inns. Rand falls ill, then recovers. The boys hitch a ride on a cart, then try to blend in with people going to see the false Dragon in Caemlyn.

Chapter 34: The Last Village (Adar 18–19 N.E. 998)

In Carysford, Rand and Mat see a Myrddraal looking for them. It has offered a reward for them, supposedly for stealing a heron-marked sword. The boys hitch a ride with a farmer who tells them all about Andoran royalty.

Chapter 35: Caemlyn (Adar 20 N.E. 998)

Rand and Mat arrive in Caemlyn. Rand wraps his sword in red cloth to hide the heron. The boys arrive at an inn recommended to them by Thom, who they learn was once a court bard to the city’s ruler, Queen Morgase.

Chapter 36: Web of the Pattern (Adar 20 N.E. 998)

Mat refuses to leave his room in the inn; he has been growing more and more suspicious of people since Shadar Logoth. Rand meets an Ogier named Loial in the library and mistakes him for a Trolloc. Loial mistakes Rand for an Aielman, then identifies him as ta’veren—someone who bends the Pattern into a new shape.

Chapter 37: The Long Chase (Adar 20 N.E. 998)

Nynaeve sneaks into the Whitecloak camp and cuts their picket lines. She grabs Bela and another horse while Lan searches the tents.

Chapter 38: Rescue (Adar 20 N.E. 998)

Child Byar, who believes Perrin and Egwene are slowing them down, suggests that they might be “accidentally” allowed to escape. A wolf tells Perrin help is coming. Lan incapacitates Byar and the guards; Perrin and Egwene don white cloaks and escape in the confusion as Moiraine weaves lightning among the tents. Perrin’s eyes have turned yellow.

Chapter 39: Weaving of the Web (Adar 23 N.E. 998)

Rand attempts to get a look at the false Dragon, but a filthy beggar chases him away from the main road. Rand climbs the wall for a better look at Logain, then falls over the other side.

Chapter 40: The Web Tightens (Adar 23 N.E. 998)

Rand comes to in the palace gardens, tended by the Daughter-Heir of Andor—Elayne Trakand—and her brother Gawyn. They are discovered by Elayne’s half brother Galad and taken to Queen Morgase.

Rand is interrogated by Morgase, her Aes Sedai advisor Elaida, and Captain-General Gareth Bryne. Elaida Foretells pain and division for the whole world, with Rand at the center. She tries to convince Morgase to take him prisoner, but the queen believes Rand’s story and sets him free.

Chapter 41: Old Friends and New Threats (Adar 23 N.E. 998)

Rand recounts his adventure to Loial and the innkeeper, Master Gill. Moiraine and the others arrive at last, but Mat—under the influence of the Shadar Logoth dagger—tries to kill Moiraine.

Chapter 42: Remembrance of Dreams (Adar 23 N.E. 998)

While Moiraine attempts to Heal Mat using her angreal, the others catch up. Rand introduces his friends to Loial.

Mat comes down, not fully healed but with the dagger’s power contained. Loial asks Moiraine about a story he heard from an Aielman about something called the Eye of the World. Perrin and Egwene heard the same tale from the Tinkers. Rand, Mat, and Perrin admit to hearing the phrase in their dreams. Moiraine asks whether Loial can take them to Fal Dara using the Ways.

Chapter 43: Decisions and Apparitions (Adar 23 N.E. 998)

Loial explains that the Ways are no longer safe, but Moiraine believes the world is in danger, and will use them anyway. Rand wakes from yet another dream of Ba’alzamon, this time bleeding from a wound he received during the dream.

Chapter 44: The Dark Along the Ways (Adar 24 N.E. 998)

Loial leads Moiraine’s party to the Waygate, which is hidden in a cellar. They step through into darkness, and travel along winding ramps and crumbling bridges.

Chapter 45: What Follows in Shadow (Adar 24–25 N.E. 998)

A broken bridge forces Moiraine’s party to backtrack. They camp; Lan believes someone is following them. Moiraine finds proof that Trollocs have been using the Ways.

Almost to their destination, Rand hears the sound of wind—a ghostly wind called Machin Shin, which eats people’s souls. The Waygate is locked; Moiraine cuts through it, and they escape.

Chapter 46: Fal Dara (Adar 25 N.E. 998)

Moiraine’s party exits the Ways near Fal Dara, hundreds of miles from where they started. Lan is welcomed like royalty. The pursuer from the Ways turns out to be the peddler Padan Fain, who somehow survived Machin Shin, but appears to have been driven mad.

Chapter 47: More Tales of the Wheel (Adar 25 N.E. 998)

The Emond’s Fielders learn that Lan is the uncrowned king of Malkier, a nation swallowed by the Great Blight. Moiraine interrogates Padan Fain, who admits to being worse than a Darkfriend. Fain believes the Dark One is free, or almost free, from his prison at Shayol Ghul in the Blight.

Chapter 48: The Blight (Adar 26 N.E. 998)

While Fal Daran soldiers head north to Tarwin’s Gap, Moiraine’s party slips into the Blight by another way. The plant life there is sickly and dangerous; the animals are worse. Nynaeve bares her heart to Lan, who clearly loves her back but will not admit it.

Chapter 49: The Dark One Stirs (Adar 27 N.E. 998)

The terrors of the Blight close in, despite Moiraine’s channeling. Though they are still miles from where Moiraine last found the Eye of the World, it comes to them, changing the land around it. Its guardian, the Green Man, welcomes the party.

Chapter 50: Meetings at the Eye (Adar 27 N.E. 998)

Moiraine leads the party inside a hill, to a pool of untainted saidin. Two strange men follow them down, introducing themselves as Aginor and Balthamel—two of the Forsaken, who were once bound at Shayol Ghul with the Dark One.

Even Moiraine is no match for two Forsaken. She urges the others not to fight, but they ignore her. The Green Man kills Balthamel, but is mortally wounded. Moiraine buys time for the others to flee.

Chapter 51: Against the Shadow (Adar 27 N.E. 998)

Rand runs, pursued by Aginor. They fight over the flow of saidin from the Eye of the World; Aginor cannot hold it all, and bursts into flame. Rand sees in vision the battle at Tarwin’s Gap, then finds Ba’alzamon and strikes at him with a sword made of light. Ba’alzamon is apparently defeated.

Chapter 52: There Is Neither Beginning Nor End (Adar 27 N.E. 998)

Rand finds the rest of his friends injured but alive. He realizes what he has done, and tells Moiraine that he won’t be used as a false Dragon.

Where the Eye of the World once lay, they find the Dragon’s banner, the fabled Horn of Valere, and one of the seven seals for the Dark One’s prison—broken.

Chapter 53: The Wheel Turns (Adar 28–Saven 8 N.E. 998)

The Blight is silent during their return journey, and spring—coming two months late—is making up for lost time. Rand decides to leave his friends behind before he goes mad from the taint on saidin. Moiraine believes that the true Dragon has been reborn.