Here Are 26 Easter Eggs We Spotted In "The Wheel Of Time" TV Show

    With a fandom this large and source material this vast, it's no wonder the wildly successful Prime Video series is packed with hidden Easter eggs.

    taylablaire
    by taylablaire

    BuzzFeed Contributor

    There’s no shortage of material for the showrunners of The Wheel of Time to draw upon, and not everything in the books makes it into the show when it comes to an adaptation. However, tasty little Easter eggs are often included for super-fans. Robert Jordan’s gargantuan 15-book series (including the prequel) takes place in a well-developed and immersive world, meaning that there are bound to be tons of hints that fans of the books can pick up on when watching Amazon Prime’s visual feast. 

    Be forewarned, this article will definitely contain spoilers for both the original Wheel of Time book series and the new Amazon Prime adaptation, including major plotlines of all the leading characters, so read at your own risk!

    1. Listen closely for Fain's whistle to track his movements throughout the show.

    A low-angle shot of a bearded Padan Fain (Johann Myers), in a brown coat, holding the reins to a team of horses and with his lips pursed, as if whistling
    Prime Video / Via primevideo.com

    This one is a subtle motif. When we first meet the traveling peddler, Padan Fain, we first hear his whistling overlaid on a shot of the Fade riding into Emond’s Field. Once we see Fain calmly walk away during the attack later that episode, we know he’s bad news. But despite only speaking in one episode until Episode 8, you can track Fain’s movements by keeping an ear out for his distinctive whistle, following the Two Rivers folk to Shadar Logoth, Tar Valon (keep an eye on the background to spot him), and into the Ways.  

    2. Look for the Dragon's Fang, a symbol indicating evil and danger.

    On top, a shot of dead lambs spread into the Dragon’s Fang. Bottom left shows a red, painted version of the Fang on a patch of burned wood. Bottom right is an overhead shot of the sacred pool with the Dragon’s Fang.
    Prime Video / Via primevideo.com

    The Dragon’s Fang, shaped like an upside-down teardrop, is notorious in the books. A symbol of curses, evil, and madness, the Dragon’s Fang being carved into a doorway was a portent of hatred and suspicion. In the show, we can see the Dragon’s Fang appear when Lan discovers sheep corpses, after Nynaeve kills her captor trolloc, and when Siuan and her father return home. Each instance signals danger to the characters.   

    3. Tam uses matches to light lanterns for Bel Tine, but book readers know Aludra only invents them in The Dragon Reborn (book three).

    A close-up shot of Tam (Michael McElhatton) and Rand’s (Josha Stradowski) hands as they light a candle within a paper lantern. In Tam’s left hand is a shiny metal book of matches.
    Prime Video / Via primevideo.com

    True nerds noticed this one. Lighting the lanterns at Bel Tine must have been much easier than the last time the Third Age came around, because matches exist in this turning of the Wheel! A memorable section of book three, The Dragon Reborn, has Thom and Mat puzzled by Aludra (who hasn’t appeared in the show… yet) being able to light a lantern in a dark barn, and she hints that she has invented matches.  

    4. Listen for Moiraine uttering the catchphrase from the opening of every book: "It was a beginning..."

    5. A long-shot from behind the burned-out Winespring Inn. Moiraine (Rosamund Pike) is on horseback, as is Rand, Egwene (Madeleine Madden), Mat (Barney Harris), and Perrin (Marcus Rutherford) as they leave the Two Rivers.
    Prime Video / Via primevideo.com

    Astute book readers will recognize Moiraine’s voiceover during the closing passages of Episode 1. Her speech, “The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass,” is the first sentence in each of the books Robert Jordan wrote, opening each installment in the series with a wind rising in a different location. As Moiraine says at the end of Episode 1, "The wind is neither the beginning nor the ending, but it was a beginning," and it is an excellent beginning to welcome in old friends and new viewers alike!  

    5. Child Valda's disdain for life and goodness is exemplified by eating something that resembles ortolan.

    6. A close-up shot of an elaborately-worked metal plate, with a small cooked bird in the centre of it on a leaf.
    Prime Video / Via primevideo.com

    Connoisseurs of French cuisine will notice the infamous dish of what is assumed to be ortolan being eaten by Child Valda in the opening of Episode 2. The eating of the bird whole, the beak, bones, organs, and everything else, is now illegal in France, and has been noted as shameful, evil, and disgraceful. The reference seems to indicate that Valda, and the other Children of the Light, are unashamed of their evil actions. The reference also may be another clue that The Wheel of Time takes place on our planet, just far into the future, with the recipe for ortolan somehow remembered past the Breaking!  

    6. The opening credits reveal the weaving of the Pattern of Ages, and the threads (and lives) that compose it.

    A shot of the circular tapestry woven in the opening credits, with the threads meeting in the middle in an intricate pattern. The words “Executive Producer – Rafe Lee Judkins” are visible on the right.
    Prime Video / Via primevideo.com

    The opening credits of The Wheel of Time show a massive tapestry of Aes Sedai from all seven Ajahs being woven. Although it seems like a cool, creative way to roll the credits, book readers understand the deeper meaning in the metaphysics of the Wheel. In the books, the Wheel of Time weaves the Pattern of Ages with people’s lives being the threads that make up the pattern.   

    7. Moiraine heals the horses but stops short of Rand's horse.

    Moiraine looks over her shoulder as she stands beside a black horse.
    Prime Video / Via primevideo.com

    In a scene that some may just see as Lan protecting his Aes Sedai from becoming too worn out, Moiraine stops healing the horses after Lan tells her to. However, when looking at all the horses, Moiraine stopped short of healing Rand’s horse specifically. Readers of the first book, The Eye of the World, will remember that this was Moiraine’s first clue as to who the Dragon Reborn is.   

    8. In Shadar Logoth, we see the distinctive ruby dagger tucked into the belt of a statue, presumably depicting Mordeth.

    A shot focusing on a weathered statue in Shadar Logoth. It depicts a man with a stern face, his left arm pulled across his chest. Visible in the carved belt is a dagger with a stone in the hilt, and two prongs.
    Prime Video / Via primevideo.com

    If you look closely at the scene in Shadar Logoth where Rand leaves the temple and heads into another building, you’ll notice the camera lingers momentarily over a statue. If you look closely, tucked into the belt of that statue is a dagger, replete with the forked hilt that looks suspiciously like the cursed one that takes such a heavy toll on Mat for the next few episodes. This could be a statue of Mordeth, the advisor of the last King of Aridhol, whose lust of power and paranoia doomed the city to its fate.   

    9. Perrin dreams of the wolves, and in his dream, they eat Laila's innards. If wolves defend the Light, what does that make Laila?

    An unfocused, dark shot of a wolf chewing on the intestines of Laila Aybara (Helena Westerman) as she sits on the floor of Perrin and Laila’s forge.
    Prime Video / Via primevideo.com

    While Tel’aran’rhiod has not been explicitly mentioned in the show yet (it took until book three for it to be mentioned), we know that dreams in The Wheel of Time are extremely significant. Some people can even access the World of Dreams, Tel’aran’rhiod, including Perrin and Egwene in the books, although Perrin calls it "the Wolf Dream." In Episode 3, we see a dream in which a wolf is ripping open the mortal wound that Perrin gave to Laila. While this may feel like horror to regular viewers, book readers know that the wolves are Perrin’s friends, and a wolf that is attacking Laila may indicate that she could have been a darkfriend the whole time... Speculation, of course. But still.  

    10. A caged Aielman is a vital part of Perrin's arc in the books.

    A man in beige clothing and a headscarf is in a cage hanging from a gibbet. He is pierced with many arrows through his torso, which has a stylised leather jerkin on it. He has been dead for a while.
    Prime Video / Via primevideo.com

    While in an AMA on Reddit, showrunner Rafe Judkins explicitly denied that the dead Aielman was Gaul. Readers will notice this little shoutout to an early part in book three, The Dragon Reborn. In a small town, Perrin finds a living Aielman in a cage, Gaul, and sets him free in the night, a pivotal moment in Perrin’s development as a character. The caged Aielman was also a viewing that Min had seen around Perrin, indicating that the event was of great importance to him.   

    11. Mat wonders "why we never had one of these in the Two Rivers” when they've had an Aielman living amongst them for 20 years.

    A shot of Rand and Mat as they look upon the caged dead man. Rand, in a long sheepskin coat and carrying an arrow and quiver, is muttering something to Mat, who is wearing colourless, threadbare clothes.
    Prime Video / Via primevideo.com

    While this line, said by Mat to Rand as they look at the caged Aielman, seems to be referring to a human-sized cage at the entrance to the town, some readers have interpreted it as working another way: why they never had an Aielman in the Two Rivers. Of course, the Two Rivers has had an Aielman for the past 20 years in the form of Rand al'Thor, daughter of Shaiel, the Maiden of the Spear we see fighting in the cold open for Episode 7.

    12. The Four Kings is a town visited in the first book. In the show, we see statues of Four Kings outside a bar in Breen's Spring.

    Rand and Mat head towards a dingy-looking building, complete with four carved wooden posts. The carvings depict men with beards, crowns, and weapons.
    Prime Video / Via primevideo.com

    While it isn’t overtly stated, eagle-eyed viewers of the show would have noticed four posts in front of the tavern in Breen’s Spring carved in the shape of bearded men with swords, shields, and crowns. This is definitely an Easter egg referencing Four Kings, a large town that Mat and Rand visit in book one after being separated from the group at Shadar Logoth. Similar to the show, Four Kings is where a darkfriend recognizes Rand and Mat from their dreams and tries to capture them, only for them to escape thanks to some very lucky lightning. In the show, Thom saves them.  

    13. Keep a (Rogosh) eagle-eye out for the patchwork lining of Thom's cloak. The Gleeman has indeed changed... But some elements remain!

    A shot of Thom Merrilin’s (Alexandre Willaume) lower body as he picks up a wooden guitar and sits on a propped-up barrel. On the inside of his coat are a number of colourful patches.
    Prime Video / Via primevideo.com

    Many book readers said that Thom Merrilin’s characterization was not quite as book-accurate as the other leads, but even though Thom got a sexy makeover (we have yet to see what we hope are his well-turned calves) for the show, the writers still added in one of the more iconic elements. In the books, Gleemen are identified by their garish, patch-covered cloaks. While show-Thom doesn’t have the colorful cloak, the inner lining of his coat seems to be in that same patchwork pattern, but you have to look out for it.   

    14. A stone dog is tucked into the dead Aielman's clothing, potentially indicating his allegiance.

    A close-up of Mat’s hands, holding a carved figure in the shape of a canine.
    Prime Video / Via primevideo.com

    While Episode 3 and Thom’s explanation of the Aiel to Mat gives us our first taste of this culture, book readers know how integral the Aiel are to the overall story of The Wheel of Time. The small trinket that Mat pulls from the dead Aielman’s pocket looks like a small, carved dog, which could be an indication of his warrior society. The Stone Dogs, or Shae’en M’taal, are a group of warriors that exist in Aiel culture, like the Maidens of the Spear.   

    15. Helga Grinwell named her doll Birgitte, possibly after the iconic Hero of the Horn of Valere, Birgitte Silverbow.

    A shot of Mat kneeling down and speaking to Helga Grinwell (Robyn Betteridge), who is offering Mat a crudely-constructed doll.
    Prime Video / Via primevideo.com

    Show-watchers will almost certainly learn more about Birgitte as the seasons roll on, especially if The Great Hunt storyline continues into the second season. Book readers will realize that the doll that the adorable Helga Grinwell offers to Mat is named after one of the most famous heroes of legend in the world of The Wheel of Time — Birgitte Silverbow, an archer of supernatural accuracy, companion of Gaidal Cain, and Hero of the Horn of Valere.   

    16. “A man who knows the past” could refer to Thom – or possibly, to Mat once he gains memories of his past lives.

    A shot of Rand and Thom speaking – Thom is lit by both moonlight and lantern light, with his brow furrowed and looking very serious.
    Prime Video / Via primevideo.com

    In a memorable scene in Episode 4, Rand and Thom discuss Mat’s weird behavior and start speculating that Mat might be a channeller or even the Dragon Reborn. In it, Thom has an iconic line, referring to himself, that "nothing is more dangerous than a man who knows the past." This could be some subtle foreshadowing, as book readers will understand that Mat, who becomes a well of memories from past lives after going through the stone doorway in Rhuidean, becomes one of the most dangerous men in the Westlands.

    17. Rand's dream of Mat's bloodied hand could foreshadow Mat and the Band of the Red Hand.

    A blurred shot with Mat’s midsection in the foreground. He is holding out his right hand in front of him, which is covered in dark blood.
    Prime Video / Via primevideo.com

    This may be less of an Easter egg and more very early foreshadowing, but a lot of readers have noticed that in Rand’s dream in Episode 5, Mat is walking listlessly forward with a bloody hand. This could be a reference to The Band of the Red Hand, a mercenary group and army that follows where Mat leads in later books.   

    18. Jain Farstrider's famous stories make an appearance, but it looks like Jain is a woman in this turning of the Wheel of Time.

    Rand looks down at a large, leatherbound book while standing in a sunlit library. He is looking down at the book, fingers resting against the spine of it, as if reading the title.
    Prime Video / Via primevideo.com

    This reference, when Rand picks up the first class adventure book in the Light’s Blessing library with Loial, straddles the line between Easter egg and foreshadowing. The Travels of Jain Farstrider is a famous in-world text that documents the eponymous traveller as he explores the Westlands and beyond. Book readers will know that Jain ends up playing a more important part than anyone realized, and is quite the excellent Snakes & Foxes player. In the show, Rand says Egwene thought she was “Jain herself reincarnated,” which implies that our hero is female. And why not?  

    19. Tolkien inspired Robert Jordan, and the show contains lots of shoutouts to The Lord of the Rings.

    An extreme close-up of a pool of molten gold – an Aes Sedai ring with the gemstone removed, has been dropped into it, and is melting into the pool.
    Prime Video / Via primevideo.com

    Talking about Easter eggs in The Wheel of Time would be incomplete without mentioning all of the Easter eggs that Robert Jordan wrote as an homage to The Lord of the Rings. Jordan was never shy about admitting that his series took influence from Tolkien’s genre-defining classic, and you can see a few tips of the cap to it in Season 1 — from losing black-clad monsters at a ferry crossing, to children chasing a wagon coming to town, to Lan and Nynaeve’s forest encounter, to a golden ring melting before our eyes.  

    20. We get a glimpse of the Stone of Tear, the renowned fortress that proves integral to later books.

    A shot of young Siuan and her father in a fishing skiff on the river. In the background, nearly blending into the mountain peaks, is what appears to be a large fortress.
    Prime Video / Via primevideo.com

    Anyone who’s read the books recognizes this description: “yet no place was half so tall as the massive bulk, almost a mountain, that stretched from the city’s heart to the water’s edge. The Stone of Tear, fortress of legend…” Book readers know that the huge, impregnable fortress of the Stone of Tear is mountain-like in its size, and if you look closely at the mountainous background in Episode 6's opening in Tear with young Siuan and her father, you can spot one mountain that looks much more like a building. Is this our first glimpse of the Stone of Tear?  

    21. Moiraine may not use the Avendesora leaf to open the ways, but her weaves sure resemble it!

    A shot of Moiraine’s back, weaving flows of the one power into the Waygate. The flows appear to be looping into a triangular shape, reminiscent of the trefoil Avendesora leaf.
    Prime Video / Via primevideo.com

    The Waygate looks a lot different in the books: an elaborately carved stone door sitting in a forgotten Caemlyn cellar rather than a large, rather obvious structure on a hilltop. In the books, opening the Waygate could be done by anyone who knew sufficient botany — the Ways could only be opened by placing a stone Avendesora leaf in the right spot. As a subtle Easter egg, we see Moiraine weaving the One Power in the shape of the trefoil leaf.  

    22. Shaiel suffers a stab to the side, and a similar wound will haunt her son in the years to come.

    A close-up shot of an Aiel woman (Magdalena SIttova) with a white-beige shoufa wrapped around her head. She is spattered in blood, and a man in a yellow cape is holding her from behind. Her face is a mask of shock.
    Prime Video / Via primevideo.com

    The cold open in Episode 7, with the pregnant Tigraine/Shaiel fighting off the Illianer Companions, is something we never got to see onscreen in the books, but it’s easily one of the most popular scenes of Season 1. In a shocking moment, one of the Illianers finally gets the drop on her, and stabs her in the side. This could be an Easter egg considering Rand’s future with his half-healed wound in his side.   

    23. Min's viewing of "rainbows, carnivals, and three beautiful women" is at least partially aligned with the books.

    A close-up shot of Rand, grinning at Min’s joke, in spite of his red-eyes brimming with tears.
    Prime Video / Via primevideo.com

    Min’s comment to Rand after he asks what she sees in his future seems flippant: "Rainbows, carnivals, and three beautiful women." While this may feel like a throwaway funny line to show-watchers, book readers will know that it is anything but. The "three beautiful women" prediction strays more into the territory of foreshadowing than Easter egg, but the carnival comment could be referring to fan-favorite/fan-least-favorite Valan Luca’s Traveling Show. As for the rainbow — seven Ajah colors? Who knows?  

    24. Listen for the Old Tongue! While translated onscreen as "power," we clearly hear the word "saidin."

    A close-up shot of Lews Therin Telamon (Alexander Karim), the Dragon in the Age of Legends, in a black uniform. The subtitles, translated from the Old Tongue, reads “You expose the very source of the One Power to Him”, words spoken by Latra.
    Prime Video / Via primevideo.com

    If you follow the translation from the Old Tongue in the opening sequence, "saidin" appears translated as "power." Readers of the series will know that saidin is the male half of the One Power, and the fact that it gets mentioned in conversation with Lews Therin Telamon matters… Seeing as, you know, he tainted the entire thing with evil when trying to imprison the Dark One.   

    25. The skyscrapers of the Age of Legends, seen in the cold open for Episode 8, match up with the ruins we saw in Episode 1.

    Two shots combined – on top is a large, futuristic city with towering skyscrapers, glistening domes, and flying vehicles in the sky. On the bottom is the same city, but in the present Age – all the buildings have been overgrown by plant life.
    Prime Video / Via primevideo.com

    When Lews Therin broodily stares out his window at the landscape of the Age of Legends, we get to see what his Age looked like — in all its futuristic majesty. This Age, some 3,000 years past, makes the present Age look primitive by contrast. Match up the decayed ruins we saw in Episode 1 with the shot out the window, and they align perfectly. A good excuse to go back and rewatch from the beginning, don’t you think?  

    26. Finally, Rand is given a sa'angreal that seems to resemble the Choedan Kal.

    A close-up shot of Moiraine holding a fist-sized figurine of stone – it is in the shape of a man sitting cross-legged with one hand pointing up, the other down.
    Prime Video / Via primevideo.com

    When asked for her game plan to take on the Dark One, Moiraine hands Rand a sa’angreal that can be used as a conduit for the One Power, an amplifier that will enhance the male half of the source tenfold. While not confirmed, this looks (and sounds) like the smaller vessels that help the bearer tap into the Choedan Kal, giant statues from the Age of Legends that offer the channeler unprecedented levels of access to the One Power. They’re even powerful enough to cleanse saidin… 

    So there you have it! Easter eggs from the first season of The Wheel of Time. Undoubtedly, there will be more in the seasons to come, and perhaps a few that we missed here too. What was your favorite Easter egg?