A surprising development inThe Wheel of Timeseason 3 is a sign that the strongest weapon in the lore doesn’t exist in the universe of the TV adaptation. All sorts of powerful objects occupyThe Wheel of Time’sworld, with many divided up into certain categories, such as ter’angreal and sa’angreal. Whereas ter’angreal have specific functions, sa’angreal are more like actual weapons, in that they greatly increase the channeler’s One Power output. Sa’angreal are rare, though, asRobert Jordan’sWheel of Timebooksonly dealt with a few of them.
Clearly, sa’angreal will be vital toThe Wheel of Timeseason 3’s story. After all, the show has already discussed two of them. Sakarnen made its live-action debut in the fourth episode, and repeated mentions of Callandor indicate it too is on the horizon. As for the Choedan Kal, a sa’angreal with power that surprasses both Sakarnen and Callandor, it may not have a place in the TV show. If that turns out to be true, that could have significant implications on its interpretation ofThe Shadow Rising, and perhaps what comes next as well.
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InThe Wheel of Timeseason 3 episode 4, Latra explains that Sakarnen is the strongest sa’angreal in existence, and adds that it’s the female counterpart to Callandor. What that means is that because men and women channel from different halves of the Source, they don’t use the same sa’angreal. For a man, the most powerful sa’ngreal he could get his hands on would be Callandor, which is found inthe Stone of Tear. And for a woman, that would be Sakarnen, which is said to be the most powerful of them all. According to Latra,Callandor and Sakarnen are the two most powerful sa’angrealaround.
There were originally two versions of the Choedan Kal in the books, one for men and one for women. But the female Choeden Kal was destroyed at the end of the Age of Legends.
Interestingly, what the show just explained about Sakarnen and Callandor doesn’t match the lore laid out by Robert Jordan in the source material. In the books, it’s understood that neither Callandor nor Sakarnen is the supreme sa’angreal. Rather, this distinction belongs to the Choedan Kal. Another fact it changed is Sakarnen’s status as a “female counterpart” to Callandor.The book version of Sakarnen is actually a male sa’angreal, just like Callandor.
Latra’s line about Sakarnen and Callandor being the strongest sa’angreal demonstrates that at best, the Choeden Kal is the third strongest sa’angreal inThe Wheel of Time.
Oddly, the show doesn’t mention Choeden Kal at all, which indicates that - at the very least - it’s been drastically weakened. Latra’s line about Sakarnen and Callandor being the strongest sa’angreal demonstrates that at best, the Choeden Kal is the third strongest sa’angreal inThe Wheel of Time. However, even that shouldn’t be taken for granted, especially since the show hasn’t shied away from significant lore changes in the past.
The Wheel Of Time May Have Merged Sakarnen With The Choedan Kal
With the show declining to include any reference to the Choedan Kal in the discussion of sa’angreal, it’s worth wondering if the series has removed it entirely. That would make sense of the series taking the other two to the top of the power structure when it comes to sa’angreal. What’s more, it would help explain why the series is using Sakarnen here in the first place. It’s important to note that the book version of Sakarnen has no relevance tothe history of the Aielor Avendesora, nor was it included inThe Shadow Rising’snarrative.
The Wheel of Timeseason 3 is pulling from multiple entries in the series, but the season is primarily an adaptation of the fourth book,The Shadow Rising.
In fact, Sakarnen wasn’t introduced until the series' final installment,A Memory of Light. It was sought out by Demandred, one of the 13 Forsaken inThe Wheel of Time. Demandred gave it to Mazrim Taim to advance his goal of killing Egwene al’Vere. Obviously, that story doesn’t relate at all to what’s currently transpiring in the show. Moiraine Damodred, who obtained it in episode 4, never had possession of Sakarnen inThe Wheel of Timebooks. That demonstrates that the series is completely reworking Sakarnen’s purpose in the story.
There’s also the matter of Sakarnen’s design in the TV show. The book version of Sakarnen resembled a scepter, whereas the one from Prime Video’s adaptation is a crystal ball. That could signal the show’s intention to merge elements of the Choedan Kal with Sakarnen, as the former was described as a statue of a man clutching a crystal ball.
What The Wheel Of Time’s Changes To The Choedan Kal Could Mean For Season 3’s Story
The Wheel Of Time May Not Include Rand & Asmodean’s Rhuidean Fight
The Wheel of Time’schanges to the Sakarnenand possible omission of the Choedan Kal would naturally have a massive impact on season 3’s story going forward.The Shadow Risingfocused heavily on the search for the access keys to Choedan Kal, which would allow channelers to control the sa’angreal remotely. This culminated in a fight between Rand and Asmodean over the access key in Rhuidean at the end of the novel.
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There’s still some confusion over the sudden introduction of Sakarnen, but on one hand, cutting out Choedan Kal does feel like a logical move, in that it would streamline the narratives. Since season 3 skipped overThe Dragon Reborn, the show may be tasked with covering both its ending andThe Shadow Rising’s. After all,it’s been strongly implied that Rand’s acquisition of Callandor has been moved, not cut.If so, season 3 may need room for that development.
With that in mind, it’s possible that instead of ending season 3 with a fight over the access keys in Rhuidean,The Wheel of Timemay bring Rand to Tear. In such a scenario, Callandor could be the prize that Rand winds up fighting over. That could explain why Asmodean has been absent from season 3’s story thus far.
The Wheel of Time
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The Wheel of Time follows Moiraine, a member of the powerful all-female organization Aes Sedai, as she leads a perilous quest with five young individuals. Moiraine suspects one among them could be the prophesized reincarnation of a mighty figure destined to either save or doom humanity.
