Is Randland on Earth?

[Mr. Micawber]

I wonder where Australia fits into Randland. I hope it didn't sink.

I think sinking might be an improvement.

 

I thought the average denizen of Oz is already sinking, into a warm puddle of beer.

[Blackhoof]

That is racist and mean.  :( But, unfortunately, true.  ;)

[rabbittmaster]

when they go to Rhuidean they see the ruins of the statue of libertyand airplanes so we are the first age

[Nae Bliss]

when they go to Rhuidean they see the ruins of the statue of libertyand airplanes so we are the first age

? the statue of liberty... really? I don't remember that far back, can someone remind me... please?

[Hallow]

That is racist and mean.  :( But, unfortunately, true.  ;)

 

No its not racist, your nationality is not your race, hence its not racist. Is this some sort of epidemic going across the forums today?  :P

[Mr. Micawber]

when they go to Rhuidean they see the ruins of the statue of libertyand airplanes so we are the first age

? the statue of liberty... really? I don't remember that far back, can someone remind me... please?

 

Asmodean walked among the ruins, wondering if Al'Thor was following behind, trying desperately to reach the access key before the other man even knew it existed.

 

Then, suddenly, he stopped. This hesitation would destroy him, for it gave Al'Thor time to reach the link to the Choedan Kal.

 

He fell to his knees in front of the male statuette holding a crystal globe aloft. But his eyes were not on it, they looked forward to a hand, a massive hand beyond in the mist.

 

"No!" he screamed in his mind. "We finally really did it. You maniacs! You blew it up! Damn you. Shai'tan damn you all to the Pit of Doom!"

 

He did not even notice Al'Thor come up beside him as he reached towards the Choedan Kal to obliterate everything.

 

Edit: Hehehe, now I even know who should have played Asmodean in the movie!  :P

[Blackhoof]

Heh.  :D But, seriously, did he see the statue of liberty?

[MierinWru]

No, that was "Planet of the Apes".

[GrandpaG]

Since the ages recycle every revolution, whatever age we are in now has happened many, many, many times before now.  Each of our "ancestral" ages was similar to ours but different in details based on the choices made by the people living in those ages.  Perhaps in some of them Merc lost the cold war to Mosc?  Perhaps in some of those other ages the polio vaccine was never discovered?  Could Hitler's counterpart actually have conquered the entire world in some of those other ages?

 

Since we are experiencing our age at the present, from our point of view the future turnings of the wheel have not happened yet.  Therefore, the actual story that we are reading about either already took place in one of the past ages of one of the past revolutions of the Wheel of Time, or it is parallel somehow.  Or, it could just be very good fiction.  ;)

[Blackhoof]

I dont think that the details of the wheels turnings are exactly the same; they change, we make different decisions, but the base of it is still the same, just the details are different.

[CowboyNinjaD]

I think saying the series takes place in the past AND the future is kind of a cop out. Maybe the wheel will get back to out age eventually, but Ishamael mentions thousands and thousands of ages, so it's probably going to be a while.

 

On the other hand, our age is close enough in the past that the WoT characters know "legends" about things we view as historical fact. Examples are the Cold War and the moon landing. If our age was too many ages in the past, it's doubtful if even the legends would still exist.

[ed2funy]

I know RJ said it, but we are not the "past and future".

 

Yes, time loops and turns back onto itself later....

But from Randland being the Third Age, we are the First Age.

 

In the future, the next First Age will be a little different from our Age.

Anyways, sorry for my rant....

We are the Past, they the Future.

It will not be us in the next turning.

 

;D

Sorry if it was mentioned.....just used quick reply.

[Agitel]

Randland is Earth. Aside from a number of references to 20th century people, and even a token Mercedes-Benz hood ornament in the Panarch's Palace in Tanchico, the geography bears too many resemblances for it to be more than coincidence. The continent Randland is on is about like this:

 

 

While our Age lies in both the past and the future of the Third Age, I believe that our current turning of this particular Age lies in the past. The names being similar and the Mercedes-Benz hood ornament cinch it. While the Ages are similar as they repeat themselves, they wouldn't be that exact.

 

And for a previous comment that I noticed, channeling isn't a Talent in every Age of the Wheel. The Ring of Tamyrlin that Lews Therin wore was considered to be an artifact of the first channeler.

[GrandpaG]

Is Australia the "Isle of Madmen?"

 

 

Seanchan is on the American continent?

 

 

Or...

 

Perhaps...

 

Randland is going through it's "Wheel of Time" cycle in some other reality.

 

Maybe the reality that we live in is linear and does not cycle.

 

Maybe the two "bumped into each other" and RJ got caught where the two realities touched and thus was able to see the Randland reality which is actually taking place at this very instant?

 

The Ogier were not native to Randland...maybe a similar collision allowed them to physically cross over?

 

In that case, the answer to the poll would be NO...Randland is not on "earth".

 

Every option is possible in the world of fantasy.  ;)

[Agitel]

Is Australia the "Isle of Madmen?"

 

 

Seanchan is on the American continent?

 

 

Or...

 

Perhaps...

 

Randland is going through it's "Wheel of Time" cycle in some other reality.

 

Maybe the reality that we live in is linear and does not cycle.

 

Maybe the two "bumped into each other" and RJ got caught where the two realities touched and thus was able to see the Randland reality which is actually taking place at this very instant?

 

The Ogier were not native to Randland...maybe a similar collision allowed them to physically cross over?

 

In that case, the answer to the poll would be NO...Randland is not on "earth".

 

Every option is possible in the world of fantasy.  ;)

 

Well, yes, but the most parsimonious answer is just that it is Earth. Jordan obviously intended it to be Earth. He referenced Mother Theresa, Queen Elizabeth, Mercedes-Benz, John Glenn, Sally Ride, Anne Landers, Gautama Buddha, and America and Moscow. Of course you're probably going off the whole 'every possible choice creates a split-universe scenario', but that's just an exercise in futility. The planet itself is still Earth, obviously.

 

And yes, Seanchan would be what happened to the Americas. My guess is that the Land of Madmen is related to Australia and New Zealand. As for the Ogier, they seem to have the means of crossing world's themselves, they don't have to wait for worlds to touch (which hasn't been hinted at as a possibility within it). I just noticed that you were being funny in your post, but I'll leave the rest anyway.

[Impressive Bosom]

Randland is Earth. Aside from a number of references to 20th century people, and even a token Mercedes-Benz hood ornament in the Panarch's Palace in Tanchico, the geography bears too many resemblances for it to be more than coincidence. The continent Randland is on is about like this:

 

 

While our Age lies in both the past and the future of the Third Age, I believe that our current turning of this particular Age lies in the past. The names being similar and the Mercedes-Benz hood ornament cinch it. While the Ages are similar as they repeat themselves, they wouldn't be that exact.

 

And for a previous comment that I noticed, channeling isn't a Talent in every Age of the Wheel. The Ring of Tamyrlin that Lews Therin wore was considered to be an artifact of the first channeler.

 

Thats an awesome visual there. I really like the geographic overlay.

 

Why is it, I'm curious, that everyone assumes that the symbol/ornament alludes to Mercedes Benz of the past? Is it something that was actually acknolwedged by RJ/BS?

 

In our own known world history you can find any number of cultures who have used that symbol, as you can the one known by some as the swastika, or the circumpunct or any number of other basic symbols. There is no reason to think that such a simple symbol might not have been imagined by a great many people independently, and not necessarily some left-over of German engineering from another age.

[SheaththeSword]

Technically speaking, peaches ARE poinsonous.  The pits contain cyanide.  We're talking very small amounts.  You'd have to eat a whole bunch of them in order for it to have a bad effect on you.  They have been known to effect animals, like cows, which eat them.

 

I'm guessing either someone did a horrible job of breeding their peach trees and Randland ended up with super toxic peaches, or its simply one of those things that people traditionally assume to be true.

I remeber in one of the later books, Nynaeve explicately says(thinks) it is the pit/stone of the peach which is poisonous. Hmm, not so alternate reality. I bet with 5 generations of careful breeding you could make the pits (of our peaches) instantly deadly on their own.

 

Though i'm no Mendel xD

 

[looper]

If it indeed is our world/planet that is supposed to be the First Age and it has been ages before us, shouldn't there be some traces we would've found with the technology we have? Especially since we can actually date the age of our planet.

 

Does this mean that at the initiation of every new Age there undergoes some major changes on universal level? An actual reforming of (at least) our planet, making it a clean slate? And I'm referring to changes coming from the Wheel and/or Creator itself. Not like during the Breaking where mankind did all the job.

 

This also makes me wonder why people in the Third (and presumably also the Second) Age has access to artefacts like the Mercedes Benz logo. Is there some major "reset" every whole turn between the Seventh and First age (explaining the lack of any traces in our time)?

[SheaththeSword]

If it indeed is our world/planet that is supposed to be the First Age and it has been ages before us, shouldn't there be some traces we would've found with the technology we have? Especially since we can actually date the age of our planet.

 

Does this mean that at the initiation of every new Age there undergoes some major changes on universal level? An actual reforming of (at least) our planet, making it a clean slate? And I'm referring to changes coming from the Wheel and/or Creator itself. Not like during the Breaking where mankind did all the job.

 

This also makes me wonder why people in the Third (and presumably also the Second) Age has access to artefacts like the Mercedes Benz logo. Is there some major "reset" every whole turn between the Seventh and First age (explaining the lack of any traces in our time)?

The world in the 3rd age is supposedly sometime after ours. No 1 here actually believes this is the case....right guys? XD

 

It's a work of fiction, supposedly with some direct connections to this time/reality. That's why there are inconsistencies.

 

 

[Agitel]

If it indeed is our world/planet that is supposed to be the First Age and it has been ages before us, shouldn't there be some traces we would've found with the technology we have? Especially since we can actually date the age of our planet.

 

Does this mean that at the initiation of every new Age there undergoes some major changes on universal level? An actual reforming of (at least) our planet, making it a clean slate? And I'm referring to changes coming from the Wheel and/or Creator itself. Not like during the Breaking where mankind did all the job.

 

This also makes me wonder why people in the Third (and presumably also the Second) Age has access to artefacts like the Mercedes Benz logo. Is there some major "reset" every whole turn between the Seventh and First age (explaining the lack of any traces in our time)?

 

I don't believe every Age undergoes a geological shift. I believe the Second Age was pretty similar to our own. I've nothing to go over other than looking at the geography, though. Shayol Ghul being an island in an idyllic sea could match an island above Russia, while Shomelle (where Asmodean lived when young)would lie on either the Caspian or Aral Sea, which also fits his description. As for Comelle, which lies west of the newly formed coast, it would fit perfectly in either Portugal or Morocco.

 

I don't believe there's a major reset, either. Within Jordan's universe, our legends and myths would be based on the events of previous ages. For example, Norse mythology would match in some ways with some events in the Third Age, particularly the characters of Rand, Mat and Perrin. The same could be said of most mythologies. Legends of Ogres, Trolls, Orcs, and elfs would come from Ogier, Trollocs, and Aelfinn/Eelfinn. Not to offend anybody, but I'm guessing Judeo-Christian stories such as the Tower of Babel and such would supposedly come from previous Ages. I suspect that the snake in the Garden of Eden would, within Jordan's universe, have some 'historical' connection to the Aelfinn (the Snake people who answer three questions (give knowledge, ahem) truthfully). Within the universe, I think you have to suspend some scientific knowledge about the history of the world. I don't think you're supposed to be reading it with that entirely in mind,  or at least, not with what we currently understand about the science.

[Dagon Thyne]

It could be earth.  We could all be living in the final days of one of the turnings of the wheel.  Maybe the world will break soon and be remade. 

[alligator]

If it indeed is our world/planet that is supposed to be the First Age and it has been ages before us, shouldn't there be some traces we would've found with the technology we have? Especially since we can actually date the age of our planet.

 

It's a work of fiction, supposedly with some direct connections to this time/reality. That's why there are inconsistencies.

 

Um, I have to agree, the Wheel of Time is fiction. We wouldn't be able to find relics of a past age, because, uhm, they don't exist. I'm pretty sure RJ didn't have access to some secret fountain of knowledge.

 

 

..... ?

[Agitel]

If it indeed is our world/planet that is supposed to be the First Age and it has been ages before us, shouldn't there be some traces we would've found with the technology we have? Especially since we can actually date the age of our planet.

 

It's a work of fiction, supposedly with some direct connections to this time/reality. That's why there are inconsistencies.

 

Um, I have to agree, the Wheel of Time is fiction. We wouldn't be able to find relics of a past age, because, uhm, they don't exist. I'm pretty sure RJ didn't have access to some secret fountain of knowledge.

 

 

..... ?

 

I'd like to expand on this. Within the context of the way the WoTverse works, that is, that our legends are inspired by events of past Ages and their legends may be somewhat inspired by ours, we can infer why this may be. All around the world, in many different cultures, there is a legend of a Great Flood (or floods). Could this have been the ending of an Age? Was it a real flood? Or is that just how the 'real' events got interpreted? Could whatever inspired this story have wiped away much of the remnants of previous Ages? We can't be sure every Age needs to end with a massive catastrophic event, or a geological one, but perhaps this was how a previous Age ended. What about the Tower of Babel? Everyone in Randland speaks a similar language, but perhaps that story hints about another catastrophe that destroys much of humanity and leaves them scattered to develop separate languages. I don't know. Not everything needs to be the ending of an Age, and more stories outside of the Judeo-Christian tradition are also supposed to be remnants of Ages, but I'm not sure what they contain.

 

As for how this Age ends, well, maybe the Large Hadron Collider will rip a hole in the Pattern and release the Dark One! Or maybe it's a nuclear war between America and Russia (Merk and Mosc), or maybe that just happened during the Age but didn't end it. But maybe the newly found One Power was used to cleanse the radiation. Maybe the game of sha'rah represents this war between the USA and Russia and a struggle to control the Dragon? Or maybe it references a battle with the Shadow? I mean, sha'rah would most likely have to be based on something that happened between our Age and the Age of Legends, given that we know nothing of it and the game seems to talk of this struggle and point towards the emergence of the Dragon.

 

*shrugs*

 

You never know!

[Ephemeral]

This topic seems to continually be over analyzed when it really doesn't need to be over complicated.

 

The themes and mythology of the WoT world are pretty well established by RJ in the books. Time is a cyclical thing and the seven ages "repeat" themselves. Things that happen in one age trickle down through the next few as legend and myth. "Repeat" doesn't mean that every same age is identical. It means that similar themes and things happen in each age acted out by recycled souls in new bodies and personalities.

 

So knowing what we know about the world in which the story is written it isn't hard to take the very obvious clues and apply them. Merc and Mosk, Anla the Wise Counseler, Elsbet the Queen of All, Lenn and the Eagle, the Mercedes Benz hood ornament, etc. The story takes place on our Earth and our current age serves as a source for myths and legends in the third age. When the first age comes again it won't be our age. It will likely just have a few of the same things with totally different events and resulting stories.

 

No need to add complexities like alternate realities. It's far more simple than that. Occam's razor.

[GrandpaG]

RJ created the Wheel of Time universe.  If he meant it to take place on earth future and past, then so be it.  So long as that is what he intended.  It's commonly assumed, but was that his intention?  I don't know.  Makes for some interesting discussion when there is not one definitive, positively, for-certain, correct answer.  For me, it adds a little something to the story to imagine that it is happening today.  And, yes...I was being silly about RJ touching a parallel universe.  ;)