So, I know I’m rather late to the party here, but why the heck doesn’t the world of The Wheel of Time have a name?
Randland, which (I have recently learned) is what WoT fans call the continent on which our story takes place, consists of many nations bordered by named seas and named mountain ranges. There are also areas of the continent that are distinguished by their geographic features–the Blight, the Aiel Waste, Almoth Plain–and get their own names, but the continent as a whole has no designation. Nor does the area where all the kingdoms are all located, unless you count the slightly derogatory term “the wetlands,” used by the Aiel. (The Aiel are just better at naming things, really, like with “the Three Fold Land.” Each nation has a name, but that’s as far as it goes.
The people of WoT do have a concept of their world as being a distinct entity within the larger part of Creation, although I’m not sure (as of Chapter 39 of The Shadow Rising) whether they understand their world to be a planet that exists in space with other celestial bodies. It does seem likely that they do–most ancient cultures of our world were able to use astronomy and math to figure out that the Earth is round, and even estimate its circumference, and the curvature of the planet would be observable to WoT sea faring cultures, tradesmen, etc.
And of course the Aes Sedai also have the awareness of the existence of parallel worlds or planes that are distinct from their own. Not just tel’aran’rhiod, but also the mirror reality that Rand, Hurin, Loial traveled, and probably other universes or realities that one can access via Portal Stone. Plus there are the redstone doorways that lead to very strange dimensions that are nothing like those of Randland, which are populated by strange beings and where the laws of physics seem to work very differently. Even the Ways appear to work more like a Portal Stone universe–perhaps the Ancient Aes Sedai even knew how to create their own pocket realities.
All of that is to say that the people of Randland have an understanding that I think justifies the use of the capital W that they like to employ now and again.
And the Shadow fell upon the Land, and the World was riven stone from stone. The oceans fled, and the mountains were swallowed up, and the nations were scattered to the eight corners of the World.
–From Aleth nin Taerin alta Camora, The Breaking of the World (from the beginning of The Eye of the World)
We have also seen people use the term “earth” to mean more than just “dirt”, usually when folks are talking about who will have dominion over the world–the Light or the Shadow, the Dragon or the Dark One–as Thom Merrilin puts it in his first gleeman’s speech.
“I will tell of the Time of Madness, when Aes Sedai shattered the world; of the Trolloc Wars, when men battled Trollocs for rule of the earth; of the War of the Hundred Years, when men battled men and the nations of our day were wrought.” — The Eye of The World ch. 4
There is, however no capitalization used here, as there is when we refer to the Earth, so Tom’s use of the word doesn’t necessarily indicate that it’s considered a proper name. We do know, though, that this world is supposed to be our world, albeit in a far future/far past Age. So perhaps it really is called Earth, and that name just never came up in anyone’s conversation. At all. Over the course of fourteen books.
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Maybe Jordan didn’t want to have anyone actually call the planet Earth, because that would be a bit too on the nose, a bit too close to breaking the fourth wall. Personally, I’m thinking he should have called it Earth, but given us the Old Tongue name for the first several books. And then sometime in The Shadow Rising, in a moment of comedy gold, Matt could tiredly observe how strange it is that the name for the world is just “dirt.”
Upon consulting the English-to-Old-Tongue Dictionary, I have discovered that there is no stated word for dirt. There is, however, a word for earth: zhoub. So as much as I admire and respect Robert Jordan as a writer, I must officially declare that he has dropped the ball in missing the opportunity to call his world Zhoub.
Yet one shall be born to face the Shadow, born once more as he was born before and shall be born again, time without end. The Dragon shall be Reborn, and there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth at his rebirth. In sackcloth and ashes shall he clothe the people, and he shall break the world again by his coming, tearing apart all ties that bind. Like the unfettered dawn shall he blind us, and burn us, yet shall the Dragon Reborn confront the Shadow at the Last Battle, and his blood shall give us the Light. Let tears flow, O ye people of Zhoub. Weep for your salvation. —section of The Karaethon Cycle (from the beginning of The Great Hunt)
Sylas K Barrett would like to make a note for all future authors of fantasy worlds: give your worlds a name, xe’s tired of having to write “the world of The Wheel of Time” over and over. Kthnxbai!
The Westlands is the name of that (sub)continent
I think it has more to do with the political atmosphere. Never since Hawking has someone tried to rule all of the Westlands. Each nation does not see themselves as part of the whole and there is constant warring between nation’s for dominance. It is the purpose of the Dragon to unify these nation’s under one banner to fight the dark one.
Side note (spoilers): It would have been cool for Rand to name the unified lands before the last battle.
Continents aren’t named in Randland other than the Blight, Waste, Land of Madman is because they see those places as other lands, not as a congregation of united countries. The countries in Randland don’t see themselves as a congregation of countries either and they didn’t know that Seanchan used to be a group of lands that were then united. Seanchan and the Land of Madmen are really the only true continents named accordingly.
And really, considering that Jordan wasn’t an expect in geography and topography it’s not really a surprise
The continent is called the Westlands, because it’s the westernmost part of the landmass, and most people don’t know of stuff beyond that (they discover when the Seanchan invade).
To me westlands makes sense, since people here on Earth do that. There’s finisterre (end of land) in Brittany and then you have the Japanese and th3 Chinese. Japan means land where the sun rises. They didn’t know of any people east of them. China means the Kingdom of the Middle, because they thought they were ar the center of the earth (and thought the earth was flat, one of the last civilizations to realize the Earth was spherical).
In relation to the planet, to name a planet you have to differentiate it from others. Ancient astronomers did that, thinking the other planets and the sun revolved around the Earth. But nobody seems interested in astronomy in Randland. Moghedien tries to distract Nynaeve in Tanchico telling her that stars are their own suns and some of thrm have planets with life on it, but Nynaeve isn’t interested in any of that.
So we have the bias of whose povs we follow. A bunch of farmers, smiths, horse traders, healers and witches, with very few of the Brown and White Ajah who would care about this stuff.
“perhaps the Ancient Aes Sedai even knew how to create their own pocket realities.”
RAFO!
Thinking about it, but
BIG SPOILER HERE
the people who should have had a name for Randland, the world, were the Ogier, becuase they didn’t come originally from it. They’re immigrants from another dimension or world, and when they have their discussion about the Book of Translation, Loial should’ve said “We can’t abandon [Randland’s name]!”. This would be written by Sanderson though, due to how late it happens, and people could be angry over the name he chose.
Randland does have a nice ring to it though :)
But it’s kind of like how GFFA has become the term for the Star Wars galaxy which also isn’t really named, which then ended up canonized in the EU to stand for ‘Galactic Federation of Free Alliances’, which is amusing to me :)
Taco Dan and Ryamano, as far as I understand, “Westlands” is another name that fans have come up with. It doesn’t occur in-world. If you have other information, then please show your source.
Rombobjörn I’m failrly certain that “Westlands” is how the Sharans refer to it, though I can’t direct you to a specific chapter off the top of my head.
Either way, it’s the unofficially official name of the subcontinent.
@8: The Westlands is the name that Robert Jordan came up with when he was asked to provide one by the creators of the Wheel of Time RPG in 2001. He’d needed one for a while so that was what he rolled with. He used it in articles related to the RPG and also in a couple of other interviews at the time. I don’t think he was 100% happy with it, but it’s what he came up with in a fix and is the only canonical name ever used for the continent (unless you want to go Full Aiel and call it “the wetlands”). He didn’t use it in the books because it would have been a bit weird to have not had a name for nine books by that point and then suddenly start using (it was a bit incongruous when GRRM spent 14 years calling the eastern continent in ASoIaF “the eastern continent” and then abruptly started calling it “Essos” in 2010 which is when he came up with that name, but again they haven’t used it in the books yet).
If we want an in-universe name, say for the TV show, Alidhol makes the most sense, as it is literally West-Land in the Old Tongue.
Hey Rhuarc, let’s leave this arid hole, and visit Aridhol in Alidhol.
There’s never a need for such a name.
“Twotwot” = The World of The Wheel Of Time :-)
That would be why they don’t say it much.
“Thank you for keeping the discussion civil and respectful” – oops.
Since they are speaking a different language, their word for world will be translated to “world” or “Earth” when presented in English.
It looks like Brooklyn.
Europe wasn’t named until the 19th century. By that point countries had possessed territory multiple continents for centuries.
It’s entirely plausible that there was no need or desire for a name.
@15- Europe in it’s modern sense wasn’t defined as such until relatively recently, but ‘Europe’ as a distinct part of the world goes back at least as far as Herodotus (he names it as one of three- the others being Asia and Libya). Amusingly, Herodotus doesn’t entirely buy into this division himself, and can’t see why “…the earth, which is one, has three names, all women’s…”
@8, @10:
The term “Westlands” was also used in the BBoBA, which came out in 2001, The World of Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time, which came out in Nov 2001 and is written from the perspective of late-3rd age scholars, most likely of the Brown Ajah. My understanding is that this book is canonical in the sense that members of the Brown Ajah, at some point after the story ends, “compiled” this book. So, it exists as a real in-world document. But as such, any contradictions it contains to the story as presented in the novels is the error of the historians who assembled it, so it’s not “reliable” as canon.
They do, however, refer to the sub-continent as “the Westlands” in that book. So, in-world, at least scholars of the Brown Ajah had a name for the sub-continent.
I think it’s because untill the Seanchan came along there was no ‘other’ place and so no need for an ‘us’ name.
But the World is capitalised in those quotes so that’s its name!?
I’ve seen some speculate that the Aryth in Aryth Ocean may be a remnant of the word Earth (and perhaps indicative that entire conttinents were sunk in the Breaking).
@15: No, Europe was named as such by the ancient Greeks, as were Africa and Asia.
@17: The Big White Book/Big Book of Bad Art came out in October 1997 and the term “Westlands” is not used in that volume. The term “The Land” seems to be preferred in that one. The term “Westlands” was introduced in The Wheel of Time Roleplaying Game, which came out from Wizards of the Coast in 2001, and was used by Robert Jordan in his introduction to the book and the accompanying article he wrote for Dragon Magazine at the same time.
@19: That’s possible. The Aryth Ocean seems to be the modern equivalent of the World Ocean of the Age of Legends, which in turn seems to be a future version of the Pacific.
In-world, you would have to think that there was a name among geography scholars, at least. It wasn’t a big secret that Shara existed beyond the Aiel Waste. So there were known divisions of land on the continent.
Minor Spoilers
The story takes place in a shattered world that has been recovering. Essentially people don’t have a driving reason to name the world.
It might have had a name in a previous age, but was lost to time when the wheel turned. In the 3rd age or when the story takes place there isn’t much scientific knowledge. Sextants are known only to the Atha’an Miere. IIRC telescopes are invented in Rands school. The people will likely come up with a name later on after the story ends.
Aes Sedai are very specialized in their study and don’t always share information. The blues and browns are the only groups likely that would have an interest in the name and they would have to convince others to care about their interest. Few have knowledge of multiple worlds and planes even among Aes Sedai.
People in the book generally only care about their own lands or rival lands. Most folk don’t seem interested in the big picture. The big exception being Jain Farstrider. If he got the chance to travel to other worlds or plains he probably would have came up with the name.
Interesting discussion! I’m not the WoT scholar that many of you are nor shall I quote other comments, but I think it safe to assume that in the setting of our beloved story there are no reliable sources for a ‘name’ still in common existence. Brown’s would only have fragments of history to draw conclusions from, much the same as modern anthropology and archaeology can only make ‘educated guesses’ on OUR history.
As we know from the narrative, some 3k years have passed and we, collectively, can’t really say what transpired in OUR own past accurately in that same amount of time.. and we didn’t have a Breaking!
Or did we?!?
In that 2nd paragraph I’d like to de-emphasize the our in favor of the following word OWN
@24 Some would say our Breaking was the Great Flood, about 3500 years ago, so the previous Age in our own history would have been pre-Flood times, about which we know nearly nothing. It’s a good parallel.
I love this. You may be “late to the party” as you say, but you have definitely earned your place amongst WoT fandom.
I haven’t been following your reread, unfortunately, so I don’t know how far you are, but there are hints (at least as I interpret) that the Age of Legends folks did know about other planets, but that knowledge may have been lost by the current Age.
I have three comments to make:
1. The author of this article spelled Mat’s name incorrectly. It could just be autocorrect, and I acknowledge that the author spelled other in universe names correctly, like tel’aran’rhiod, nevertheless, this kind of lapse bugs me. Like the author didn’t proofread the article.
2. “Earth,” even when referring to the planet, and not dirt, does not need to be capitalized. Typically this rule applies when the word “earth” is followed by “the,” as it is in the example the author provides. So, the lack of a capital E doesn’t really tell us anything about Jordan’s intended meaning.
3. Given my second point, what are we even talking about here? Why doesn’t Randland have a name? I mean, the actual answer is pretty straightforward: It DOES have a name, just not one that is acknowledged in the text of the books. “The Westlands” comes from an external course, albeit one that is acknowledged to be canon. Good enough. So again, I’m not sure what the point of this article is? The author wants to have something to call the continent? Call it Randland. Or call it the Westlands. Take your pick. You absolutely do not HAVE to call it “the world of the Wheel of Time.”
Maybe I’m just being a pedantic asshole here, and I’m happy for an excuse to discuss WoT, but I just feel like the premise of this particular discussion is pointless.
What bothers me the most about the geography of Randland are the major port cities at the end of peninsulas.
I always thought of “Randland” as a bunch of different countries and not one defined area, outside of physical barriers, like rivers and mountain ranges. Each country has very defined leaders and political structure that is separate from other countries as opposed to the USA having one central government and states beyond that. Europe wasn’t defined as a separate continent until recently and the lines from one country to another was blurred from war and the tribal nature of the people at that time.
The unification of “Randland” was attempted and almost created with Artur Hawkwing, but it was fleeting and lasted only as long as he was alive. As opposed to Seanchan, it is separate country/continent that has one ruler and subsequent political steps extending throughout the country. “Randland’s” individual countries politics and control ends at it’s boarders. Even the Boarderlands doesn’t agree from one country to the next politcally or structurally. The only thing that brings them together as a unit is the fear of The Blight overrunning them, so they know the combined effort is better than one. But it ends there even when the leaders traveled a a group in the latter half of the story, they were bickering about who was in charge and who would talk to Rand or which way to go. No established hierarchy of power.
To be honest the differences from one country to the next and the general animosity of one country for the other is one of the main plot points driving the story, everyone had trouble with Rand and fought him about it. He was looked at as an outsider by everyone and not fit to be part of their culture because he was an Aiel or Andorman or he represented Cairhien. Give the continent a name and it creates unity and one central figure for Rand to convince to gain control for the final battle.
“Europe wasn’t defined as a separate continent until recently”
I note you’re not the first person to post this bit of nonsense, which was corrected above. Who is spreading it?
Westland(s) makes the most sense given our world’s history.
Earth started out referring to the ground as opposed to the sky. The lights in the sky were not worlds so our world didn’t need a name; it just was.
Parts of the world began to be named when peoples realized they existed and tended to be referred to by direction. Assyria labeled Europe as Ereb, meaning the land of sunrise, and Asia as Asu, meaning the land of sunset.
Thus Westland makes perfect sense as does the lack of a term for or even a concept of the world as a whole.
There are a couple issues with why we have never heard the characters self identify the name of their world.
1) This is a society that after the breaking had no concept of a globe.
2) Based on the Age of Legends technology the powerful people of that time should and probably did travel all around the planet. But post breaking it was almost like flat earthers ruled as when the group set sail going west is was assumed they would not hit anything anyway.
3) the level of self isolation of the main continent is so ground in (this should probably be #1) and so pervasive that it is taught at a cultural level. The North is a no mans zone cause of the dark one. The East is a desert and then a Sharan empire, who cares what is East of it. The West is a vast ocean. The South has some islands but no one is traveling farther than that. While the people had ocean vessels and magic users to influence the weather there was no will to find other lands. Neither politically ( weird but cultural ) or capitol based.
4) it was not necessary for the advancement of the story. Now go back to other world spanning series and think if every single one of them mentioned the planet they were on in the abstract. This series took place on one continent and did not even use all of it, here’s looking at you Shara. Words advance the story in book. Which conversation should have had it? where does it fit. The series is sixteen books long and they managed to write around needing to use it. <clap><clap> that is a feat.
At least in the Age of Legends, they knew they were on a planet…in TFoH, either Asmodean or Lanfear (I’m too lazy to go back and ck who) says in passing that they traveled even to other planets in the sky. I know that’s kinda vague, but there’s lots to remember from these stories.
The Forsaken, at least, know it’s a planet, and that it’s called Earth with a capital “E.”
From The Path of Daggers, Chapter 12, “New Alliances.” Moghedien and Cyndane are trying to recruit Graendal to serve Moridin as Nae’blis. Greandal says:
I attended a DragonCon where Robert Jordan was a guest. During a Q&A, he was asked what the name of the world was. His answer was “Dirt”, adding that he found it very unrealistic that many fantasy lands had clear cut names for the world, when people inhabiting those worlds wouldn’t be aware of any other to think it needed a name to distinguish it from.
I was really looking forward to exploring the Seanchan Empire through Mat Cauthon’s eye. Sadly that will never happen now. Decades on, and I still feel sad about it.
That doesn’t make sense. It should be the other way around. Japan also means land of the rising sun (seen from China).
In Villains by Necessity, by Eve Forward, the elves learned to travel to other worlds, and named them. All but one of them left the world on which it takes place, and sealed the path behind them. The one remaining elf uses the name they’d come up with for that world in conversation, and a human character has no idea what he’s talking about. After the elf explains, he asks why the world even needs a name.
I wish the Field of Merrilor was shown on the map of Randland.
It isn’t even accurate for RJ to refer to the “kingdoms” of western Randland as “kingdoms”. There’s no clearly established feudal economic system with contracts and titles. No sense of the “kingdoms” being divided into viceroyalties, principalities, or duchies under the king, or subdivided into counties, baronies, diocese, merchant republics, etc. there doesn’t seem to be any kind of established system for raising a levy either. All major armies are professional soldiers either in the employ of mercenary organizations (like the white cloaks or the red hands) or employee by lords. Everything that’s written in the books describes autonomous City-States. Maybe the reason the two rivers haven’t seen tax collectors in 200 years is because Andor is not really a kingdom. What do you call this shattered landmass? It’s called “the wetlands”. (Though how it manages to rain on a continent that lacks any major gulfs or seas is never explained).