By Hoai-Tran Bui/Feb. 21, 2019 3:30 pm EST
The Wheel of Time is based off the books by the late Robert Jordan, who died in 2007 (the series was finished by fantasy writer Brandon Sanderson). The bestselling series of books center around a sprawling fantasy world where only women can use magic. Per Deadline, “The story follows Moiraine, a member of the shadowy and influential all-female organization called the ‘Aes Sedai’ as she embarks on a dangerous, world-spanning journey with five young men and women. Moiraine believes one of them might be the reincarnation of an incredibly powerful individual, whom prophecies say will either save humanity or destroy it.”
The series reportedly draws on elements of European and Asian mythology, especially the cyclical nature of time found in Buddhism and Hinduism. Those aren’t the only religions playing a part in this series — its creation story apparently has similarities to Christianity’s “Creator” (Light) and Shai’tan, “The Dark One” Shaytan is an Arabic word that in religious contexts is the name of the Devil. It was also partly inspired by Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace.
