Wheel Of Time’s Ancient Aiel City, Glass Columns, & History Fully Explained
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Warning: Spoilers for The Wheel of Time season 3, episode 4
The Wheel of Time season 3 has introduced Rhuidean, a scarce – yet extremely significant – location in the world of Robert Jordan’s books. Rhuidean served as a key destination for Rand al’Thor and his allies in The Shadow Rising, the fourth installment in Jordan’s Wheel of Time series. Recognized as a sacred site for the Aiel, Rhuidean was where Rand needed to go to prove that he was the Car’a’carn, the Aiel’s Chief of Chiefs.
It didn’t take long at all for the TV version of Rand to reach Rhuidean in season 3’s take on The Shadow Rising. In fact, the show notably devoted an entire episode, “Road to the Spear,” to Rand’s brief exploration of the Aiel city. The episode sheds light on what makes Rhuidean so special, its history, and its importance to “The People of the Dragon.” Naturally, the books provide an even deeper understanding of this particular corner of The Wheel of Time’s world.
Rhuidean Was Created After The Breaking of the World
Its Founding Was A Consequence Of Lews Therin’s Actions
Rhuidean was founded in the aftermath of the Breaking of the World, the cataclysmic event where Wheel of Time’s previous Dragon and his male Aes Sedai wrought havoc on the planet with the One Power. As a result, numerous groups of people were in need of new places to rebuild their lives. Among them was the pacifistic Jenn Aiel. They had allies in the surviving Aes Sedai, thanks to an existing partnership. After all, the Aiel had been known as the “People of the Dragon” because they fought beside the Dragon’s forces. They had also safeguarded One Power artifacts for them centuries prior when they were the Dai’shan Aiel.
The relationship between the ancient Aes Sedai and the Aiel was on display in the memories Rand experienced in “Road to the Spear.”
After rediscovering their ties to the Aes Sedai, the Aiel journeyed alongside them to the area of The Wheel of Time map now recognized as the Aiel Waste. The Aes Sedai helped them settle there by moving forward with the construction of the great city
who formed an alliance with the surviving Aes Sedai and made a long journey to the place now referred to as the Aiel Waste. The Aes Sedai constructed the grand city of Rhuidean to give the Jenn Aiel a place to live.
Why No One Lives In Rhuidean
The Aiel Live Outside Rhuidean
Image via Prime Video
Despite the great plans for Rhuidean, it never truly became the perfect sanctuary for the Aiel it was once meant to be. This was due to several contributing factors, one of which being the evolving culture of the Aiel. While the Aes Sedai were building Rhuidean, the Jenn Aiel took to the mountains, finding temporary homes there. They adapted to life in the desert, and began to live more like warriors than pacifists. Those that didn’t change struggled to survive, as evidenced by Rand’s memory of Lewin and his exile from the Jenn Aiel in episode 4.
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Consequently, the Aes Sedai recognized the problems of the Jenn Aiel, and the reality that they were better off in the desert and mountains. Attempts to build Rhuidean ceased, and the settlement of the city never reached completion. The Aes Sedai left the region, and Rhudiean grew to become a relic of the Aiel’s past, rather than a home, as a city no longer suited the goals and lifestyles of their society.
What The Glass Columns Are In The Rhuidean
They Work Differently For Men And Women
Complete or not, Rhuidean stands out as an important landmark in the Aiel Waste, given the unique nature of the city. Found in Rhuidean are a multitude of mysterious glass columns. Much like the silver arches found in the White Tower that the Aes Sedai use as Accepted tests, the glass columns of Rhuidean are ter’angreal, objects imbued with the One Power in The Wheel of Time. Ter’angreal possess a wide range of functions, such as the Arches’ ability to show people visions of their greatest fears. The glass columns offer visions as well, but these are actually real events that took place in history.
As for what kills them, the books have established that it’s the shame of what they learn from the memories that’s too much to handle.
As Rand discovered for himself in the episode, passing by the glass columns allows the Aiel to witness the memories of their ancestors. As the son of an Aiel, his walk through the glass columns provided him with a rich overview of Aiel history, via the memories of several of his ancestors across many generations. But not everyone is able to survive the onslaught of memories; the dead bodies scattered around the glass columns demonstrate the risk one takes by entering Rhuidean. As for what kills them, the books have established that it’s the shame of what they learn from the memories that’s too much to handle.
It’s likely that Rand endured the memories because he didn’t grow up as Aiel, and therefore doesn’t feel shame at finding about his people’s roots.
What happens to people when they travel through the glass columns depends largely on their sex. If a man successfully gets past the columns, the ter’angreal will mark one of their arms with a golden dragon tattoo. But the person destined to become the Car’a’carn is meant to be marked on both arms – which is exactly what happens to Rand both in The Shadow Rising and episode 4. A woman, on the other hand, bears no physical marks from the experience.
The Aiel’s Rules For Visiting Rhuidean Explained
The Aiel Have Various Rules For People Traveling To Rhuidean
Image via Prime Video
Although the Aiel don’t live within Rhuidean, they’ve made it a cornerstone of their culture, having made several rules regarding entry to the city. Aiel customs dictate that only men planning to be chiefs and women planning to be Wise Ones can enter. Women can enter Rhuidean twice in their lifetimes, with their first visit being to the ter’angreal rings that Moiraine and Aviendha encountered, and the second being to the glass columns. Meanwhile, men only go through the glass columns and aren’t allowed to return afterward.
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When it comes to outsiders, it’s understood that people who aren’t Aiel shouldn’t be privy to what goes on in Rhuidean. Discussion of the city with them is forbidden in The Wheel of Time. Their entry into the city is likewise against Aiel tradition. But the events of The Shadow Rising prove that exceptions can be made. Moiraine entered Rhuidean in the show and the book, and Mat Cauthon was permitted entry in the book version of the story.
The Wheel of Time
6/10
- Release Date
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November 18, 2021
- Network
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Prime Video
- Showrunner
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Rafe Judkins
- Directors
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Sanaa Hamri, Ciaran Donnelly, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Thomas Napper, Maja Vrvilo, Wayne Che Yip
- Writers
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Amanda Kate Shuman, Dave Hill, Rohit Kumar, Justine Juel Gillmer, Celine Song, Rammy Park, The Clarksons Twins, Katherine B. McKenna
