Tel'aran'rhiod
Encyclopedia
Tel'aran'rhiod or the World of Dreams is a fictional reality where the reality is mutable, mentioned in the fiction
al world of Robert Jordan
's fantasy
series The Wheel of Time
. The word itself is from the in-universe language known as the Old Tongue
, and literally means 'the unseen world'. Tel'aran'rhiod was created by Robert Jordan based largely on real lucid dreams in which dreamers are self-aware, and environments are malleable, depending on the awareness of the dreamers. Additionally, the perception of time in Tel'aran'rhiod is different from the awaking world.
, and it takes a certain amount of concentration to control or prevent them. Skilled Dreamwalkers, those who can enter Tel'aran'rhiod unaided, can also impose their creations upon other people, often with frightening and, if desired, lethal results. Injuries taken in Tel'aran'rhiod, including death, are reflected in the waking world. Wild animals and humans can enter Tel'aran'rhiod, while domesticated animals have lost this ability. Normal people occasionally visit Tel'aran'rhiod through their dreams, generally flitting in and out for a few seconds without ever realizing it. Most come to no harm, but rarely some are fatally injured and never wake up.
Despite its idiosyncrasies
, Tel'aran'rhiod has proved a vital source of intelligence for the series' characters. Visits to allied settlements and enemy headquarters (specifically the Amyrlin's office in the White Tower) have yielded important intelligence, and Egwene
, Nynaeve
, Elayne
and the Aiel Wise Ones use it to share news, formulate plans, and sometimes just to socialize.
have members who are adept at Dreamwalking without the ability to touch the True Source
, most notably Bair. A related talent, usually referred to simply as Dreaming, is the ability to have precognitive
dreams, though they are often difficult to interpret. Currently, the most notable Dreamer in the Tower is Egwene al'Vere
; the last one before her was Corianin Nedeal, almost 500 years ago. Two other experts in the dream are known to exist: the Forsaken
Moghedien
and Lanfear
, though Lanfear's Dreamwalking capabilities are uncertain in her current form, known as Cyndane.
The White Tower has a number of ter'angreal that allow access to Tel'aran'rhiod, but some require channeling
to function and create a strange, sickly feeling while being used. Their use is also limited by the fact that a channelers strength is drastically restricted while dreaming; while the ter'angreal require relatively small amounts of the One Power, even that much may be out of reach while in Tel'aran'rhiod. Most of the known ter'angreal with this ability are in the possession of the Salidar rebels or were stolen by the Black Ajah
.
Wolfbrothers, like Dreamwalkers, can also enter Tel'aran'rhiod, as can all wolves. Tel'aran'rhiod is where wolves go when they die.
entered Tel'aran'rhiod in the flesh in The Dragon Reborn
, he was capable of extraordinary feats, such as gravity manipulation and even unravelling reality.
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
al world of Robert Jordan
Robert Jordan
Robert Jordan was the pen name of James Oliver Rigney, Jr. , under which he was best known as the author of the bestselling The Wheel of Time fantasy series. He also wrote under the pseudonyms Reagan O'Neal and Jackson O'Reilly.-Biography:Jordan was born in Charleston, South Carolina...
's fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
series The Wheel of Time
The Wheel of Time
The Wheel of Time is a series of epic fantasy novels written by American author James Oliver Rigney, Jr., under the pen name Robert Jordan. Originally planned as a six-book series, the length was increased by increments; at the time of Rigney's death, he expected it to be 12, but it will actually...
. The word itself is from the in-universe language known as the Old Tongue
Old Tongue
The Old Tongue is a fictional language from Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time fantasy series. It is depicted as a now-dead language, spoken only by scholars and certain nobles, but still plays a role in the plot of the books.-History:...
, and literally means 'the unseen world'. Tel'aran'rhiod was created by Robert Jordan based largely on real lucid dreams in which dreamers are self-aware, and environments are malleable, depending on the awareness of the dreamers. Additionally, the perception of time in Tel'aran'rhiod is different from the awaking world.
Characteristics
Though normally accessible only through dreams, Tel'aran'rhiod is in fact a real place. Its geographical reality is dependent on the waking world, but its contents can be and are altered by the works of non-sleeping people. Those things which are sedentary in the waking world—buildings, furniture, mountains, forests—tend to stay put in the Dream, but things that move or see use—utensils, personal correspondence, clothes, even tent or wagon settlements—are much harder to find, and may disappear once discovered. All reality is mutable in Tel'aran'rhiod; those inside it can alter themselves and the world around them, including abilities such as instant wardrobe changes, the creation of scenery (or once, a horse), flight and levitation, instant travel across huge distances, and so forth. These tweaks are often subconsciousSubconscious
The term subconscious is used in many different contexts and has no single or precise definition. This greatly limits its significance as a definition-bearing concept, and in consequence the word tends to be avoided in academic and scientific settings....
, and it takes a certain amount of concentration to control or prevent them. Skilled Dreamwalkers, those who can enter Tel'aran'rhiod unaided, can also impose their creations upon other people, often with frightening and, if desired, lethal results. Injuries taken in Tel'aran'rhiod, including death, are reflected in the waking world. Wild animals and humans can enter Tel'aran'rhiod, while domesticated animals have lost this ability. Normal people occasionally visit Tel'aran'rhiod through their dreams, generally flitting in and out for a few seconds without ever realizing it. Most come to no harm, but rarely some are fatally injured and never wake up.
Despite its idiosyncrasies
Idiosyncrasy
An idiosyncrasy is an unusual feature of a person . The term is often used to express eccentricity or peculiarity. A synonym may be .-Etymology:...
, Tel'aran'rhiod has proved a vital source of intelligence for the series' characters. Visits to allied settlements and enemy headquarters (specifically the Amyrlin's office in the White Tower) have yielded important intelligence, and Egwene
Egwene al'Vere
Egwene al'Vere is one of the main characters of the Wheel of Time fantasy series by Robert Jordan.-Description:She is described as beautiful, with large brown eyes and long dark hair. Like all adult women in her home village of Emond's Field, she initially wore her hair in a long braid, but as soon...
, Nynaeve
Nynaeve al'Meara
Nynaeve al'Meara is one of the main characters of The Wheel of Time fantasy series by Robert Jordan.-Personality:Nynaeve's personality often runs a gamut of emotions, meek at times before more experienced women but also able to stand up and run down others. While she will deny it, Nynaeve is...
, Elayne
Elayne Trakand
Elayne Trakand is one of the main characters of the Wheel of Time fantasy series by Robert Jordan. She bears a resemblance both in name and appearance to Ilyena, the doomed wife of Lews Therin Telamon from the Age of Legends.-Description:...
and the Aiel Wise Ones use it to share news, formulate plans, and sometimes just to socialize.
Dreamwalking
The ability to enter Tel'aran'rhiod at will is known as Dreamwalking, and those who possess it are usually far more adept at manipulating the nature of the dream. The White Tower was under the impression that this was a skill that only those who could channel might possess, however the Wise Ones of the AielAiel
In Robert Jordan's fantasy series The Wheel of Time, the Aiel are a race of people. They live between the "wetlanders" in the west and the Sharans in the east, in a desert which the Aiel call The Three-fold Land and which everyone else calls the Aiel Waste. They have earned a reputation as skilled...
have members who are adept at Dreamwalking without the ability to touch the True Source
One Power
In The Wheel of Time fantasy series by Robert Jordan, the One Power is the force that maintains the continuous motion of the Wheel of Time. It comes from the True Source, and it is separated into two halves: saidin , the male half, and saidar , the female half. It is used in the series by people...
, most notably Bair. A related talent, usually referred to simply as Dreaming, is the ability to have precognitive
Precognition
In parapsychology, precognition , also called future sight, and second sight, is a type of extrasensory perception that would involve the acquisition or effect of future information that cannot be deduced from presently available and normally acquired sense-based information or laws of physics...
dreams, though they are often difficult to interpret. Currently, the most notable Dreamer in the Tower is Egwene al'Vere
Egwene al'Vere
Egwene al'Vere is one of the main characters of the Wheel of Time fantasy series by Robert Jordan.-Description:She is described as beautiful, with large brown eyes and long dark hair. Like all adult women in her home village of Emond's Field, she initially wore her hair in a long braid, but as soon...
; the last one before her was Corianin Nedeal, almost 500 years ago. Two other experts in the dream are known to exist: the Forsaken
Forsaken (Wheel of Time)
In the fictional world of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time fantasy series, the Forsaken are the most powerful and favored servants of the Dark One. They were formerly Aes Sedai, but became corrupted by the desire for power and immortality...
Moghedien
Moghedien
Moghedien is one of the primary antagonists of the Wheel of Time fantasy series by Robert Jordan. She is one of the Forsaken.- Origin :...
and Lanfear
Lanfear
Lanfear is one of the primary antagonists of the Wheel of Time fantasy series by Robert Jordan. She is one of the Forsaken.-Age of Legends:...
, though Lanfear's Dreamwalking capabilities are uncertain in her current form, known as Cyndane.
The White Tower has a number of ter'angreal that allow access to Tel'aran'rhiod, but some require channeling
Channeling
Channeling, or channelling, can refer toscience*Channelling , the process that constrains the path of a charged particle in a crystalline solid.*metabolite or substrate channeling in biochemistry and cell physiology.law...
to function and create a strange, sickly feeling while being used. Their use is also limited by the fact that a channelers strength is drastically restricted while dreaming; while the ter'angreal require relatively small amounts of the One Power, even that much may be out of reach while in Tel'aran'rhiod. Most of the known ter'angreal with this ability are in the possession of the Salidar rebels or were stolen by the Black Ajah
Black Ajah
An Ajah is a sub-organization within the Aes Sedai of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time series. The Black Ajah is a secret society of Aes Sedai who have forsaken the Three Oaths. This Ajah supports the Dark One, and its members are also active members of the other seven Ajahs to keep their...
.
Wolfbrothers, like Dreamwalkers, can also enter Tel'aran'rhiod, as can all wolves. Tel'aran'rhiod is where wolves go when they die.
Traveling
It is also possible to enter Tel'aran'rhiod "in the flesh," by Travelling there. This is considered an abomination by the Aiel, as those who enter in the flesh lose some unknown part of their humanity. Contrarily, those fully in Tel'aran'rhiod appear to experience a massive increase in control over the dream. The thought of opposing one who had entered in the flesh was enough even to frighten Moghedien, whose power in the Unseen World was greatest among the Forsaken. When IshamaelIshamael
Ishamael is one of the primary antagonists of the Wheel of Time fantasy series by Robert Jordan. He is one of the Forsaken...
entered Tel'aran'rhiod in the flesh in The Dragon Reborn
The Dragon Reborn
The Dragon Reborn is the third book of American author Robert Jordan's fantasy series The Wheel of Time. It was published by Tor Books and released on September 15, 1991. The unabridged audio book is read by Michael Kramer and Kate Reading...
, he was capable of extraordinary feats, such as gravity manipulation and even unravelling reality.