Rand al'Thor

* Tigraine Mantear (biological mother)
* His biological father

**Rand al'Thor** is one of the main characters in *The Wheel of Time*. He is portrayed by Dutch actor Josha Stradowski.

Rand is a shepherd from the Two Rivers. After Trollocs attack his village, Rand leaves with Moiraine Damodred when she tells him and his friends that one of them could be the Dragon Reborn.

## History

### Early life

 *This section contains major spoilers for season 1.*
Rand was born on Dragonmount during the Battle of the Shining Walls at the end of the Aiel War. His biological mother was Tigraine Mantear, a Maiden of the Spear who had been mortally wounded in battle. While in labor, an enemy soldier, Tam al'Thor, found Tigraine, but instead of fighting her he helped her through her delivery. Just after birth, while Tam was holding the newborn, Tigraine passed away from her injuries. Tam and his wife, Kari, adopted Rand as their own. His biological father is unknown, but according to The Man, he has been dead "for a long time" by 998 NE.

Soon after the end of the war, Rand came to live in the Two Rivers, where Tam had grown up. Not long after, Kari passed away, and he was raised by his widowed father. Father and son raised sheep on the slopes of the Mountains of Mist together. He has been friends with Mat Cauthon and Perrin Aybara since childhood, and has loved Egwene al'Vere since he was young, and used to pick berries to take her when he was a child. He has also known Nynaeve al'Meara for a very long time.

### Season 1

Rand and Tam take the wool and brandy from the farm to the Winespring Inn on Winternight. Rand joins Mat, Perrin, and Danya in a game of dice, and later talks to Perrin about Egwene joining the Women's Circle. They are interrupted when they see two strangers enter the inn, Lan Mandragoran, and Moiraine Damodred, an Aes Sedai, and all fall silent. The al'Thor family stays at the inn for the night, and Rand and Egwene are left to do the dishes. They kiss and spend an intimate time together, but Egwene then reveals that Nynaeve has asked her to apprentice as a Wisdom. Rand is heartbroken that she would choose a life with no marriage or children over him, and leaves.

The following morning, Egwene finds him looking over the village, and tearfully tells him she is apprenticing to Nynaeve, which he already knows, and both are pained by the choice. He returns to the inn for a time, where he and Perrin lend some money to Mat for lanterns for his sisters. Rand and Tam then return to the farm for Bel Tine, and light a lantern for Kari. However, the farm is attacked by Trollocs, and while Tam holds off one of the Shadowspawn creatures, he is wounded. Rand helps to defeat the creatures, and while Tam tells him to leave, Rand is determined to bring him to Nynaeve to be healed. On the way to the village, Rand is left deeply confused when his fevered father begins talking about finding a child and taking him in. When Rand reaches Emond's Field, the village has been greatly scarred by the attack, and Nynaeve is believed dead. Moiraine Heals Tam with the One Power, and questions Moiraine showing up when the Trollocs do. She tells him they are here for the same reason, and that she has come for the Dragon Reborn, which is one of the four youths from Emond's Field. She tells them that if they do not follow her, an even greater army of Trollocs will completely destroy the village. Rand and the others mount up, and Tam gives him an encouraging nod as he leaves the Two Rivers. The group makes it to Taren Ferry in time to cross over before the Shadowspawn can catch up to them, though the ferryman drowns.

On the road to Whitebridge, Rand mistrusts Moiraine, and he begins to avoid Egwene, and glimpses Moiraine teaching channeling to her. Rand begins to have nightmares that involve him coughing up a dead bat, and sees a mysterious figure. He questions Moiraine about tampering with their dreams, and says he will stay behind if she does not answer his questions, but she has lost her patience, and presses on, with Rand following her. He insults Moiraine and Lan, as well as Egwene for trusting her so quickly. As they ride on, Rand and Egwene begin to reconcile along the road, with Egwene telling him that leaving home and Nynaeve's death has changed everything. Moiraine tells them of the history of Manetheren after they sing an old song about home. When Moiraine does not wake during a Trolloc attack, Lan ushers the group into Shadar Logoth, where even Shadowspawn will not enter, telling them of the dangers of the abandoned city. Rand and Egwene look over the city together, with their relationship beginning to heal. However, when Mashadar encroaches on the city, Rand and Mat are separated from the others, and are forced to leave the city via an underground gate. Rand calls for Egwene, but there is no answer from the other four who entered the city.

After leaving Shadar Logoth, Rand chooses to continue to the White Tower in search of Perrin and Egwene, rather than returning home as Mat wishes. They walk alongside the Andoran countryside until they reach the grimy mining village of Breen's Spring, entering the Four Kings Inn and watching the performance of the gleeman Thom Merrilin, and Mat is robbed by the performer. Rand and Mat approach the innkeeper, Dana, and ask her for a room for the night, offering to either work for the room or pay with Rand's remaining money. Rand starts chopping wood, though Mat quickly gives up and turns sour, blaming Mat for being in town and turning skeptical of their journey, saying that Perrin and Egwene are probably dead, offending Rand, who is frustrated at Mat's laziness. After he is done chopping an excessive amount of wood, Dana shows him to his room, and begins to befriend Rand. Later, Dana enters the room again and strikes up conversation, and tries to kiss Rand, although he pulls away. She then asks if she tried too hard to resemble Egwene, revealing her sinister motivations when she disarms Rand and keeps him locked inside the room. Despite the extremely secure door, Rand manages to break it down when he manages to channel for the first time, and runs across town, being joined with Mat. Dana reveals that she is a Darkfriend, and she has called a Fade to come after them, though Thom kills her with a throwing knife and offers to take the boys east.

After leaving town, Rand is still skeptical whether he can trust Thom. They plan to rest at a farm in Braem Wood, though are threatened by the farmer; however, Rand manages to talk him down and agree to staying there in exchange for chores, with Rand and Mat mucking out the stables. Thom and Rand discuss Mat's strange demeanor, with the gleeman theorizing that Mat is likely a channeler, with the madness beginning to develop, relating the story of his nephew Owyn, and Rand begins to trust and respect Thom. After going to bed, Rand wakes in the night to notice that Mat is gone, and he and Thom find Mat standing over the dead bodies with a dagger, but realize it was in fact a Fade that killed them. Thom tells Rand to get Mat out of the house, and they flee the farm as Thom holds off the Fade.

Over the following month, Rand and Mat make it to Tar Valon, overwhelmed by the enormous city. They stay in the Light's Blessing Inn where Thom's friend is innkeeper, in spite of the price, and Rand reassures Mat that he did not kill the little girl at the farm. In the inn's private library, Rand meets an Ogier, Loial, and is at first afraid, though realizes Loial's kind and gentle nature. Loial mistakes him for an Aielman, but Rand tells Loial he is from the Two Rivers, and speaks to how he misses a girl from home. He is interrupted when the procession of Logain Ablar through the city begins, and looks quizzically at Mat when he appears intimidated. Loial later returns from the White Tower with Nynaeve, who Rand is surprised to see alive, and embraces. She looks at Mat, telling him to rest, and she and Rand reminisce about Egwene outside, hoping she will return soon. Moiraine and Lan eventually find them in the inn, and tell them that they are looking out for Perrin and Egwene. When they find Mat, Rand attempts to hold him off, believing they are about to gentle Mat, but Lan easily disarms him and holds him down when he tries to threaten them; however, he discovers that Mat's true affliction was a link to his dagger from Shadar Logoth, and sees him Healed of it. Later, Lan takes Rand, Mat, and Nynaeve to the Waygate outside the city, where Moiraine explains that they must take the Ways to the Eye of the World, or risk the Dark One being unstoppable. Rand and the others agree to enter the Ways, but he realizes that Mat has not entered when the Waygate closes.

Rand and the others want to go back for Mat, but they are warned by Loial of the dangers of an evil entity known as Machin Shin being attracted by channeling. Continuing along the Ways, they reach a defaced Guiding Stone, and camp while Loial investigates. As they rest, Rand and Egwene spot a Trolloc in the Ways, and channel to defeat it (though only Egwene admits it to the group). Knowing that Machin Shin will be attracted to them, the group rushes to the exit, but the malevolent entity catches up to them, and tells Rand that Egwene will never love him, and that he knows he is the Dragon. Nynaeve holds off the Black Wind with a surge of channeling long enough for Moiraine to open the Waygate to Fal Dara, and they emerge outside the Shienaran fortress-city. The group continues to the keep, where they are welcomed by Lord Agelmar and Lady Amalisa Jagad. Moiraine soon brings them to a bar in the city, where they laugh and drink together for a time, though they notice the Aes Sedai speaking to the barkeep, Min, for a long amount of time.

When they return to their rooms, Moiraine admits that Min has the ability to see the Pattern, but that she does not know who the Dragon is, and that she will therefore take all of them to the Eye knowing that three will die, leaving them to discuss the plans. Rand does not want to lose any of his friends, and gets into an argument with Egwene about her doubts over Mat possibly being the Dragon, telling her that she is the only person who ever truly left him. Perrin comes to her defense, and Nynaeve attempts to stop the argument, and Rand begins to insinuate that Perrin loved Egwene. He leaves for the training yard, where he struggles at first, but manages to hit bullseye with all his arrows. Egwene asks him to apologize, and Rand does for his insinuations about her and Perrin, though Egwene is more hurt about him thinking she doesn't care about Mat. He tells Egwene he doesn't want to lose her, and Egwene says that he will not. He tells her he should fulfil her destiny at the White Tower, promising to come and be her Warder. They spend the night together, but in his sleep, Rand begins thinking about the events that mean that he is likely the Dragon, and goes to Min's bar. After a somewhat sardonic response from Min, she warms to him and admits that Rand is the Dragon, and that she sees him going to the Eye of the World. Rand comes to Moiraine's rooms and tells her that he is the Dragon, and they set off into the Blight together at once.

Rand and Moiraine navigate the treacherous Blight, glimpsing Malkier from afar. As they move closer to the Eye, The Man (believed to be the Dark One) infiltrates his dreams more directly, revealing his human form and taunting "Lews Therin," offering to teach him the One Power. Rand stabs his dream self to wake up, and he and Moiraine continue to the Eye. He asks Moiraine what her plan is, and she hands him a *sa'angreal* in the shape of a seated man, telling him to channel into it and thus imprison the Dark One forever. Rand begins to wonder if Moiraine thought Egwene was the true Dragon. As they continue, he asks her if she can teach him to channel, but she refuses to take him closer to the madness, telling him that the Power will come to him when he requires it. After witnessing Shadowspawn pouring out of Tarwin's Gap and threatening Fal Dara, they reach the Eye of the World at last. Rand begins to recall memories from his previous life, and steps on a mysterious symbol, and is taken to an imaginary future where he is married to Egwene and has a daughter with her. Rand begins to believe that the experience is real, but The Man appears, threatening the imaginary Egwene. He offers to make the experience real if Rand focuses on the child and lets the Power flow through him, but Rand realizes that Egwene would not truly want such a life, and reaches for the *sa'angreal*, defeating The Man. After the encounter, Rand refuses to return to Fal Dara with Moiraine, as he felt the madness. He asks her to tell the others that he died, and resolves to leave the Eye at once.

### Season 2

Rand's friends continue to believe that he died at the Eye of the World. However, he in fact survived, and has started a new life in Cairhien. He lives in the Foregate with Selene, an innkeeper with whom he has formed a "no strings attached" relationship. He also has found work in a sanitarium in the city as an orderly. On Bel Tine, Rand crafts a lantern and hangs it in the Foregate to celebrate the holiday in the Two Rivers custom.

## Personality

Rand's family and friends are of utmost importance to him. He is impossibly stubborn, and impulsively driven by his love and compassion for others. He is content with the old ways of the Two Rivers, and is a rather unambitious man, content with his lot in life.

## Relationships

### Egwene al'Vere

Rand is promised to marry Egwene, and he is impulsively driven by his love and compassion for her. Their relationship becomes very tense after Egwene reveals she is becoming Nynaeve's apprentice, which means they cannot marry. After they leave the Two Rivers, their relationship is still strained, but Egwene says that everything has changed with leaving the Two Rivers, and the two begin to truly reconcile in Shadar Logoth. When they are separated, Rand and Egwene miss each other deeply, and embrace when they reunite outside Tar Valon.

## Physical appearance

Rand's tall, lanky frame and bright red hair makes him easy to find in a crowd, and he stands out from other Two Rivers folk. His appearance is a result of his Aiel heritage, although Rand is initially unaware of this.

## Abilities

As the Dragon Reborn, Rand is a channeler of the strongest possible level. However, due to the Dark One's corruption of the One Power, his channeling abilities will eventually cause him to become corrupted by madness. He is also *ta'veren*, a focal point of the Wheel of Time.

## Visions and prophecies

Rand is the reincarnation of the Dragon, Lews Therin Telamon. The birth of the Dragon Reborn had been prophesized since the beginning of the Third Age. Prior to his birth, Min Farshaw had a vision of his birth when she saw Tam al'Thor on the streets of Tar Valon during the Aiel War. At about the time of his birth, the Aes Sedai Gitara Moroso had a Foretelling of his birth that was so powerful that she immediately died. Gitara's prophecy was heard only by Moiraine and Siuan Sanche, and Moiraine began her quest to find the Dragon Reborn the following year.

## Quotes

> **Egwene**Thought you might be here.**Rand**When I come up here... you know what I wonder about? I wonder about my life here. In the Two Rivers. About the house I'll build. The wife I'll have. About my kids running through these woods, just like I did.**Egwene**I'm going to...**Rand**I know. I already know.— Episode 1 *Leavetaking*

> **Rand**You know what's funny? I... I never gave much thought to the Wheel before all this. I just always done what I thought was right, then moved on to the next thing and tried to do right again. [chuckles softly] But now... I don't know. I don't know what's right. I don't know what to do. I don't know shit, really.— Episode 3 *A Place of Safety*

> **The Man**What are you doing? No. You can remake the world in your image, boy. Make it what you want.**Rand**What about what she wants? And as much as I love her, as much as I want this, I know that she doesn't. That woman... who doesn't care about being a Wisdom... being an Aes Sedai... that's not the woman I love.— Episode 8 *The Eye of the World*

## Behind the scenes

In the audition scripts, Rand was named "Ridhaan".

## Gallery

Main article: Rand al'Thor/Gallery
Rand, *Nerdist*, November 9, 2021Rand and Mat in Tar Valon, December 2, 2021Rand training, November 15, 2021
## Changes from the book series

Rand is an adaptation of the character of the same name  (*book spoilers!*) from the book series.

## Navigation

Padan Fain •
Liandrin Guirale •
Alanna Mosvani •
Logain Ablar •
Maksim •
Ihvon •
Min Farshaw •
Loial •
Siuan Sanche •
Leane Sharif •
Ishamael •
Verin Mathwin •
Selene •
Anvaere Damodred •
Dain Bornhald •
Aviendha •
Gitara Moroso •
Moghedien •
Season 1 characters •
Season 2 characters •
***see all***

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 *The Wheel of Time*, season 1 episode 7: *The Dark Along the Ways*.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 *The Wheel of Time*, season 1 episode 8: *The Eye of the World*.
3. ↑ Official X-Ray for Prime Video: *The Wheel of Time*, under the "Characters" section (login required), section labeled "Tam al'Thor". Retrieved November 19, 2021.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Official X-Ray for Prime Video: *The Wheel of Time*, under the "Characters" section (login required), section labeled "Rand al'Thor". Retrieved November 19, 2021.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 *The Wheel of Time*, season 1 episode 1: *Leavetaking*.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 *The Wheel of Time*, season 1 episode 6: *The Flame of Tar Valon*.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 *The Wheel of Time*, season 1 episode 2: *Shadow's Waiting*.
8. ↑ *The Wheel of Time*, season 1 episode 3: *A Place of Safety*.
9. ↑ *The Wheel of Time*, season 1 episode 4: *The Dragon Reborn*.
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 *The Wheel of Time*, season 1 episode 6: *The Flame of Tar Valon*.
11. ↑ *The Wheel of Time*, season 2 episode 2: *Strangers and Friends*.
12. ↑ *The Wheel of Time*, season 2 episode 1: *A Taste of Solitude*.
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Who is the Dragon Reborn? From Prime Video's official page for *The Wheel of Time*.
14. ↑ Trivia for *The Wheel of Time*, season 1 episode 6: *The Flame of Tar Valon*.
15. ↑ WotSeries.com: Rand Audition Script Uncovered. January 2, 2020.