Amazon Prime Video’s adaptation of The Wheel of Time continues to dive deeper into the world’s lore, with season 3, episode 4, offering one of the most confusing sequences yet. The Wheel of Time’s season 3 story so far has been an adaptation of The Shadow Rising, one of the most beloved novels in Robert Jordan’s prolific fantasy book series. This episode, which sees Rand al’Thor, the Dragon Reborn, and Moiraine venture into Rhuidean, adapts one of the pivotal chapters from this book, showcasing some of The Wheel of Time’s defining elements.

To start off season 3, Rand al’Thor has traveled to the Aiel Waste to earn the support of the Aiel, or the People of the Dragon. The Aiel have their own prophecy of the “Car’a’carn,” a hero who will lead the Aiel back across the Spine of the World and lead them in the Last Battle. To prove that he is Car’a’carn, Rand al’Thor must enter and survive the trials of Rhuidean, a mystical city in the Aiel Waste. In it, he experiences six visions.

Rand’s Visions Of The Past, Explained

The Visions Allow Rand To View The Lives Of His Ancestors

Rand’s visions progress further into the past, with him viewing pivotal moments in Aiel history that his ancestors took part in.

First Vision: Rand’s first vision takes us back to a familiar sight, Dragonmount, where Rand’s mother gave birth to him. In this vision, Rand sees the aftermath through the eyes of his biological father, Janduin, the clan chief of the Taardad Aiel. Janduin approaches Tigraine and tells her that he’s killed the enemy king, Laman Damodred, ending the war. Realizing his wife is dead and his son is missing, Janduin screams out in anguish. Tam al’Thor had already found Tigraine and retrieved Rand, taking him back to the Two Rivers.

Second Vision: Next, Rand takes the presence of Mandein, an Aielman who lived during the construction of Rhuidean. After speaking to his wife, Sealdre, about the fate of the Aiel, Mandein ventures into Rhuidean to meet with other Aiel chiefs and the Aes Sedai. The Aes Sedai tells him that anyone who wishes to lead among the Aiel must enter Rhuidean to learn about their people’s history and to learn why they’re called “oathbreakers.”

Third Vision: The next vision takes Rand even further back to the eyes of Lewin, an ancestor who observes a sapling that will eventually become the Avendesora tree. In this vision, Lewin’s sister has been taken by bandits, so he goes on to rescue her. He kills the man, an act forbidden by the Way of the Leaf. This causes Lewin’s mom to banish him from the camp, but he and his friend decide to remain at a close distance, protecting their loved ones. This shows how the Aiel became “oathbreakers,” dividing the two peoples as the Tuatha’an and the modern Aiel.

Fourth Vision: Rand’s fourth vision follows Jonai, a man even further back in time before Lewin, after his nomadic people have suffered a wagon attack. Jonai suggests that they bury the fallen and carry on, intending to take his people across the Spine of the World to build a utopian city (Rhuidean). This sequence shows another divide between the Da’shain Aiel and the Tuatha’an.

Fifth Vision: This vision takes Rand all the way back to the Breaking of the World, where he’s a younger version of Jonai. The sequence reveals that 10,000 Chora tree saplings had been taken out in wagons to preserve them for the future. His Aes Sedai then tasks him with securing Sakarnen, the white sa’angreal orb that Moiraine finds in the present day. This is a powerful magical item that can grant Moiraine powerful enhancements. Jonai swears he will protect it with the Way of the Leaf, but we know from previous visions this isn’t true.

Sixth Vision: Rand’s final vision is of Charn, a man during the Age of Legend and an assistant to an Aes Sedai named Mierin, whom audiences will recognize as the future Forsaken, Lanfear. Mierin suggests that they tap into the True Power, the most powerful source of magic in the world. Ultimately, by attempting to access the True Power, Mierin creates a tear in the world, allowing the Dark One to surface and lead to the Breaking.

Below Charn’s floating sphere, he sees people harvesting wheat while singing the song that the Tuatha’an people have been searching for. This song has been lost to time.

Why Moiraine Enters Rhuidean With Rand

Moiraine Witnesses A Thousand Thousand Futures

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Rand is joined in Rhuidean by Moiraine, but while he is viewing the lives of his ancestors, she will witness a multitude of potential futures. This includes a number of deaths at the hands of Lanfear, Siuan Sanche killing Rand, Rand replacing Lan as her Warder, and herself as the Amyrlin Seat, killing Rand. These are all potential outcomes, but, of course, none is set in stone. In the present day, Moiraine stands at Avendesora, the Tree of Life, and channels the One Power, allowing her to obtain Sakarnen, the powerful orb shown in Rand’s visions.

What Exactly Is Rhuidean?

Rhuidean Is Entered To Understand The Aiel’s Past

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Rhuidean is a mystical city built by the Aiel after the Breaking of the World, which we see in part during Rand’s visions. At the center of this city is Avendesora, the last Chora tree, also known as the Tree of Life. Rhuidean was modeled after the great cities that existed before the Breaking when science and magic were used simultaneously to create feats far surpassing what we see in the fantasy setting of the show. However, the city isn’t populated, as the Aiel clan who built it eventually died out.

By surviving this encounter, Rand is confirmed to be He Who Comes With the Dawn, just as the prophecy foretold.

Rhuidean is only entered by those fulfilling the Car’a’carn prophecy and by future Aiel clan chiefs and Wise Ones who sought to learn of their people’s tumultuous past. By surviving this encounter, Rand is confirmed to be He Who Comes With the Dawn, just as the prophecy foretold.

How The Wheel Of Time’s Rhuidean Episode Differs From The Books

This Is One Of The Most Book Accurate Episodes Yet

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While The Wheel of Time series has received some flack for its various differences from Robert Jordan’s novels, the Rhuidean episode was a fairly straightforward interpretation of The Shadow Rising chapters 25 and 34. In the book, Rand witnesses many of these same visions, with the TV series adapting the episode succinctly. The notable difference that’s worth noting is the absence of Mat Cauthon, who is present during this sequence in The Wheel of Time books.