Rand’s trip through the glass columns takes him on a psychedelic trip through his family tree, and he discovers the Aiel’s biggest secret: they’re actually just Tinkers who finally lost their tempers.
Have you seen John G? I need to ask him about the history of the Aiel.
First impression: Did I just read a chapter from The Shadow Rising, or a novelization of Memento? In this chapter, Rand continues his journey through the glass columns in Rhuidean. His consciousness dives into visions of foundational events in the history of the Aiel. With each step, he becomes one of his ancestors.
First, he is Mandein, who is alive when the Jenn Aiel establish the tradition of sending clan chiefs to Rhuidean to learn the history of the Aiel. When the vision is over, he takes another step further back in time.
Now he is Rhodric, a young Aielman who lives when the Aiel have not yet crossed the Spine of the World and made a home in the Aiel Waste. His people follow and guard the Jenn Aiel, although it is not clear why.
With another step back in time, Rand becomes a young Jeordam, grandfather to Rhodric. Jeordam meets Morin, a woman from the Jenn Aiel whose daughter has been kidnapped. The Jenn Aiel are pacifists in the same vein as the Tuatha’an, so they won’t lift a finger to get the girl back. Not even her own father would help, so Morin tells him to fuck himself and turns to Jeordam for help. She takes up the spear and becomes the first Maiden of the Spear.
A final step back in time puts Rand in the mind of Lewin, Jeordam’s father. Bandits have kidnapped his sister and another girl from their tribe, and he intends to rescue her. There’s just one itty-bitty problem: his people follow the Way of the Leaf, and don’t condone violence for any reason — not even to protect their own people. I think you can see where this is headed, right? Lewin and his friends sneak into the bandit camp at night. They are discovered, and somehow manage to kill the bandits despite having no combat training. Dumb luck for the win!
Back at camp:
LEWIN: Hey everyone, we got the girls back!
EVERYONE: That’s great! How did you manage that?
LEWIN: We killed the bandits. They won’t be bothering anyone again.
EVERYONE: You’re a monster. Begone!
That’s gratitude for you. Cast out as a pariah, Lewin becomes the first “modern” Aiel. Oh, how scandalous! These tough-as-nails warriors are actually descended from a bunch of tree-hugging ninnies. No wonder the Aiel don’t let just anyone into Rhuidean. If I were them, I’d be ashamed of my ancestry too.