The seven Ages of the Wheel of Time

[Caelan Arendor]

I hope I haven’t simply overlooked it, but I cannot recall any specific names for the seven Ages of the Wheel of Time. The First Age seems to correspond to our own technological era, with machines, nuclear weapons, and modern communication. The Second Age, the Age of Legends, is the time when male and female Aes Sedai largely work together; it ends with the Breaking of the World. The Third Age appears to be the one in which Robert Jordan’s narrative takes place. So far, so clear.

 

But what, then, are the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Ages?
Does anyone have an answer?

[HeavyHalfMoonBlade]

Not in the books as far as I know. Obviously there is the implication that the Seventh Age ends with something so apocalyptic that it sends us back to the Stone Age with no trace whatsoever of the preceding Ages. 

 

I don't know if any companion literature or answers from Jordan deals with this, I haven't read all of that. 

Edited Saturday at 10:26 PM by HeavyHalfMoonBlade

[Tenobia si bashere kazadi]

I have never seen anything really talking much about any of the ages except the AoL and the thidr age, with hints of the first. 

[Caelan Arendor]

Hi friends, thanks for your comment. 

 

I am seized by a deeply unsettling feeling whenever the thought arises that we might already be living in that fateful seventh age.

 

Is it possible that we are truly facing an apocalypse—not in a religious sense of course, but in a real and tangible one? Climate change, increasing global militarization, countless geopolitical flashpoints, and unpredictable, at times erraticaly acting  political leaders across the world all contribute to this concern. Has anyone ever calculated the probability of such a scenario?

 

My thoughts:
While no calculation can capture the full complexity of global risks, many researchers study these dynamics seriously. Awareness, international cooperation, and responsible leadership remain our most effective tools for preventing catastrophic outcomes. But where are they?

[Tenobia si bashere kazadi]

Isn't it implied our time is the first age with some of there old stories mentioned by Thom in the first books seem to be from our time. Through according to the wiki, RJ's notes said the first ended in what sounds like an apocalyspe so your point could still be true

[Figs and Mice]

RJ really didn't say much about the remaining Ages (except for some foreshadowing re the Fourth) . And to be honest it doesn't bear much scrutiny as the expected advance from this pre-industrial world would surely see things into a replica of our own age sooner rather than later , no ?  Unless perhaps some magical nonsense upended everything quickly and sent the world back to primitive times , shorn of magical abilities for Fifth Age...but that still leaves us two Ages short 🙂

 

Probably best to just enjoy the story without trying to make some of the background principles concrete...