Jason Denzel joined a “WOT You Feeling?” panel on mental health focusing on the effects of loss and grief within The Wheel of Time series.  The “WOT You Feeling,” made up of members Ryan, Miki, and Christine, delves into sensitive issues on mental health and how they relate to the world Robert Jordan created.

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Identifying grief within the series is pretty easy.  Jason points out that Robert Jordan considered the world dangerous and not an ideal place to live.  Many of the characters experience grief throughout the series—Tam never loving another after the death of his wife, Kari, or even Lanfear holding on to the grief of a breakup over a thousand years ago.  In fact, the Forsaken seem to be knee-deep in unprocessed trauma.  On the other hand, Rand’s “Veins of Gold” moment shows a great moment of expressing and releasing those emotions.

Jason also reflects on his own writing experiences and how mourning, or not mourning, plays a role in a character's story arc.

You can watch the whole video below.

This show was a fascinating look at the mental health issues our beloved characters face.  Like what you see here?  You can support “WOT You Feeling” and The Way of the Leaf on Patreon here!