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Origins of The Wheel of Time: The Legends and Mythologies that Inspired Robert Jordan
“Jordan has come to dominate the world Tolkien began to reveal.” ― The New York Times on The Wheel of Time® series
Explore never-before-seen insights into the Wheel of Time,
- A brand-new, redrawn world map by Ellisa Mitchell using change requests discovered in Robert Jordan's unpublished notes
- An alternate scene from an early draft of The Eye of the World
- The long-awaited backstory of Nakomi
- 8 page, full color photo insert
Take a deep dive into the real-world history and mythology that inspired the world of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time®. Origins of The Wheel of Time is written by Michael Livingston, Secretary-General of the United States Commission on Military History and professor of medieval literature at The Citadel, with a Foreword by Harriet McDougal, Robert Jordan's editor, widow, and executor of his estate.
This companion to the internationally bestselling series delves into the creation of Robert Jordan’s masterpiece, drawing from interviews and an unprecedented examination of his unpublished notes. Michael Livingston tells the behind-the-scenes story of who Jordan was, how he worked, and why he holds such an important place in modern literature.
The second part of the book is a glossary to the “real world” in The Wheel of Time. King Arthur is in The Wheel of Time. Merlin, too. But so are Alexander the Great and the Apollo Space Program, the Norse gods and Napoleon’s greatest defeat―and so much more.
Origins of The Wheel of Time provides exciting knowledge and insights to both new and longtime fans looking to either expand their understanding of the series or unearth the real-life influences that Jordan utilized in his world building―all in one, accessible text.
Explore never-before-seen insights into the Wheel of Time,
- A brand-new, redrawn world map by Ellisa Mitchell using change requests discovered in Robert Jordan's unpublished notes
- An alternate scene from an early draft of The Eye of the World
- The long-awaited backstory of Nakomi
- 8 page, full color photo insert
Take a deep dive into the real-world history and mythology that inspired the world of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time®. Origins of The Wheel of Time is written by Michael Livingston, Secretary-General of the United States Commission on Military History and professor of medieval literature at The Citadel, with a Foreword by Harriet McDougal, Robert Jordan's editor, widow, and executor of his estate.
This companion to the internationally bestselling series delves into the creation of Robert Jordan’s masterpiece, drawing from interviews and an unprecedented examination of his unpublished notes. Michael Livingston tells the behind-the-scenes story of who Jordan was, how he worked, and why he holds such an important place in modern literature.
The second part of the book is a glossary to the “real world” in The Wheel of Time. King Arthur is in The Wheel of Time. Merlin, too. But so are Alexander the Great and the Apollo Space Program, the Norse gods and Napoleon’s greatest defeat―and so much more.
Origins of The Wheel of Time provides exciting knowledge and insights to both new and longtime fans looking to either expand their understanding of the series or unearth the real-life influences that Jordan utilized in his world building―all in one, accessible text.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published November 8, 2022
230 people are currently reading
4914 people want to read
About the author
Michael Livingston
55 books235 followersA native of Colorado, Michael Livingston holds degrees in History, Medieval Studies, and English. He lives today in Charleston, South Carolina, where he teaches at The Citadel.
In his author life, he is a winner of the prestigious international Writers of the Future Contest (in 2005), and his novel SHARDS OF HEAVEN, the first in a trilogy of historical fantasies, will be published by Tor Books in November 2015. He has also published in a variety of other genres and venues, from a historical retelling of BEOWULF to a brief story about quantum physics in the world-renowned journal of science, NATURE.
In his academic life, he has published more than a dozen articles on subjects as varied as early Christianity, BEOWULF, Chaucer, James Joyce, J.R.R. Tolkien, and digital and practical pedagogies (though never all of them at once!). He has investigated European maps of America that pre-date Columbus, found unrecorded Anasazi ruins and artifacts, and written about the handwriting of fourteenth-century scribes. He is the general editor of the Liverpool Historical Casebooks Series, for which he has edited casebooks on the Battle of Brunanburh (Exeter, 2011), the Welsh rebel hero Owain Glyndwr (co-edited with John Bollard; Liverpool, 2013), and, coming soon, the Battle of Crécy (co-edited with Kelly DeVries; 2015).
In his author life, he is a winner of the prestigious international Writers of the Future Contest (in 2005), and his novel SHARDS OF HEAVEN, the first in a trilogy of historical fantasies, will be published by Tor Books in November 2015. He has also published in a variety of other genres and venues, from a historical retelling of BEOWULF to a brief story about quantum physics in the world-renowned journal of science, NATURE.
In his academic life, he has published more than a dozen articles on subjects as varied as early Christianity, BEOWULF, Chaucer, James Joyce, J.R.R. Tolkien, and digital and practical pedagogies (though never all of them at once!). He has investigated European maps of America that pre-date Columbus, found unrecorded Anasazi ruins and artifacts, and written about the handwriting of fourteenth-century scribes. He is the general editor of the Liverpool Historical Casebooks Series, for which he has edited casebooks on the Battle of Brunanburh (Exeter, 2011), the Welsh rebel hero Owain Glyndwr (co-edited with John Bollard; Liverpool, 2013), and, coming soon, the Battle of Crécy (co-edited with Kelly DeVries; 2015).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 191 reviews
January 3, 2023
An important addition to WoT universe and its fans. Beside the look behind the curtains, the author have included also a mini-biography of Robert Jordan, and the events in his life (like Vietnam war) which influenced his work - mostly battles and character development.
There are three major literary works which served as a major influence creating the series, and these are: Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien, Le Morte d'Arthur, by Thomas Mallory, and The White Goddess: A Historical Grammar of Poetic Myth, by Robert Graves.
Of course these are not the only sources - numerous myth, legends, and even historical figures found their way into the books; I was especially entranced by the names chosen for the characters, which deciphered right can tell the whole story of that particular character.
I was impressed when I first read the books by how rich and detailed the worldbuilding was, amount of characters (it has 2787 distinct named characters *), and I was even more amazed now learning how many notes he left behind, and how many drafts just even for a single character name.
This book is a must read for all fans of WoT. I would have liked to be longer.
* https://hammondkd.github.io/WoT-compe...
There are three major literary works which served as a major influence creating the series, and these are: Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien, Le Morte d'Arthur, by Thomas Mallory, and The White Goddess: A Historical Grammar of Poetic Myth, by Robert Graves.
Of course these are not the only sources - numerous myth, legends, and even historical figures found their way into the books; I was especially entranced by the names chosen for the characters, which deciphered right can tell the whole story of that particular character.
I was impressed when I first read the books by how rich and detailed the worldbuilding was, amount of characters (it has 2787 distinct named characters *), and I was even more amazed now learning how many notes he left behind, and how many drafts just even for a single character name.
This book is a must read for all fans of WoT. I would have liked to be longer.
* https://hammondkd.github.io/WoT-compe...
December 2, 2022
Let me start by saying that I love the Wheel of Time. I am not the same level of fan as some readers--I've only read the entire series once, after all--but I have enjoyed the tv show, listen to several weekly podcasts about the world, and own all of the official books and related materials. As a teenager, I spent countless hours discussing the books with my best friend, and what seemed at the time to be the world's most important question: Who killed Asmodean? We even agreed that the worst insult you could level at someone was "Elaida!"
I eagerly awaited this book because I wanted to learn more about the world Robert Jordan had created. Admittedly, aside from the Artur Hawking link to Arthurian Legend, that bit completely escaped me. I enjoyed learning more about Jordan's past and his writing process. I like languages so seeing so much about how Jordan's characters, events, and places evolved over time was interesting.
However, I believe this author took a lot of liberties. He made a good faith effort to indicate he was speculating on most of the writing and that he had only included those elements he could be very confident were correct...but the rub here is, without a direct citation, he can't be sure. Many of the entries in the glossary (which takes up most of the book and is rather dry reading) are based on educated speculation. Further complicating matters is the assertion that sometimes Jordan just went with slightly altered spellings of obvious phrases (e.g. Else Grinwell = Else Grins Well) while at other points it was complex mergers of obscure historical and mythological references. This makes it challenging for me to accept these because it feels as if the author is saying...well, I couldn't find anything in the existing history of Earth so it must be this modern English word, and then the explanation was back-filled to fit the reasoning. The Arthurian bits I'm content to accept (e.g. Egwene al'Vere = Guinevere, or Amyrlin = A Merlin), but all the other assertions, absent an actual citation from his notes, leave me very skeptical.
I think the book would have been better if the author had focused on bringing the notes to light given the difficulty for the average person to access them.
I eagerly awaited this book because I wanted to learn more about the world Robert Jordan had created. Admittedly, aside from the Artur Hawking link to Arthurian Legend, that bit completely escaped me. I enjoyed learning more about Jordan's past and his writing process. I like languages so seeing so much about how Jordan's characters, events, and places evolved over time was interesting.
However, I believe this author took a lot of liberties. He made a good faith effort to indicate he was speculating on most of the writing and that he had only included those elements he could be very confident were correct...but the rub here is, without a direct citation, he can't be sure. Many of the entries in the glossary (which takes up most of the book and is rather dry reading) are based on educated speculation. Further complicating matters is the assertion that sometimes Jordan just went with slightly altered spellings of obvious phrases (e.g. Else Grinwell = Else Grins Well) while at other points it was complex mergers of obscure historical and mythological references. This makes it challenging for me to accept these because it feels as if the author is saying...well, I couldn't find anything in the existing history of Earth so it must be this modern English word, and then the explanation was back-filled to fit the reasoning. The Arthurian bits I'm content to accept (e.g. Egwene al'Vere = Guinevere, or Amyrlin = A Merlin), but all the other assertions, absent an actual citation from his notes, leave me very skeptical.
I think the book would have been better if the author had focused on bringing the notes to light given the difficulty for the average person to access them.
December 4, 2023
Bouffé en 24h
Avis Lecture 🧐📖 "Origins of The Wheel of Time : The Legends and Mythologies that inspired Robert Jordan", par Michael Livingston ☯️📜@thebrokennbinding
Voilà un cadeau d'anniversaire qui n'aura pas traîné, d'autant plus que je l'ai bouffé en 24h 😅!
Michael Livingston est un grand fan de l'oeuvre de Jordan. Historien et auteur lui même, Livingston est connu pour ses articles autour de Tolkien et Jordan. Il participe à de nombreuses convention et est souvent cité comme étant "LE" spécialiste de ces univers.
Avant toute chose, sachez que ce livre est FULL SPOILERS ! Donc ne vous y aventurez pas si vous n'avez pas terminé la série. Ça serait bête de vous gâcher la fin de l'oeuvre et le destin de certains personnages.
On est ici sur un objet livresque à la croisée de la biographie et de l'analyse de l'oeuvre de Jordan. Livingston fait des rapprochements entre les écrits du maître de la Roue du Temps et ses inspirations dont les origines sont multiples : Mythologies nordique, indienne, mais aussi inspiré par les légendes arthuriennes et le culte de la Déesse. C'est assez intéressant pour qui n'a pas vu ses rapprochements, mais si vous êtes déjà fan de la série, la plupart de ces éléments vous sont connus - pour peu que vous connaissiez déjà quelques unes des mythologies et légendes citées plus haut. Ainsi chaque personnage porte en lui un espèce de code ADN inspiré de dieux et héros légendaires. Pour certains, la relation est tellement proche qu'on peut facilement se projeter sur la destinée finale du héros ; pour d'autres l'inspiration est plus légère et tiens plus dans l'étymologie de son nom.
J'ai beaucoup aimé l'analyse de Livingston concernant la triple Déesse et son impact dans l'oeuvre et chacun des personnages. C'est quelque chose dont je n'avais pas conscience.
On y retrouve un arbre généalogique, très important, nous montrant combien certains personnages sont liés et surtout... Surtout... Cet ouvrage nous livre des passages du MANUSCRIT 😱😱😱 (oui oui!!!) que Jordan avait envoyé chez Torbooks ! Et pour un fan c'est juste PÉPITE 😱💗
Et vous alors? Où en êtes vous dans votre lecture de la série?
Avis Lecture 🧐📖 "Origins of The Wheel of Time : The Legends and Mythologies that inspired Robert Jordan", par Michael Livingston ☯️📜@thebrokennbinding
Voilà un cadeau d'anniversaire qui n'aura pas traîné, d'autant plus que je l'ai bouffé en 24h 😅!
Michael Livingston est un grand fan de l'oeuvre de Jordan. Historien et auteur lui même, Livingston est connu pour ses articles autour de Tolkien et Jordan. Il participe à de nombreuses convention et est souvent cité comme étant "LE" spécialiste de ces univers.
Avant toute chose, sachez que ce livre est FULL SPOILERS ! Donc ne vous y aventurez pas si vous n'avez pas terminé la série. Ça serait bête de vous gâcher la fin de l'oeuvre et le destin de certains personnages.
On est ici sur un objet livresque à la croisée de la biographie et de l'analyse de l'oeuvre de Jordan. Livingston fait des rapprochements entre les écrits du maître de la Roue du Temps et ses inspirations dont les origines sont multiples : Mythologies nordique, indienne, mais aussi inspiré par les légendes arthuriennes et le culte de la Déesse. C'est assez intéressant pour qui n'a pas vu ses rapprochements, mais si vous êtes déjà fan de la série, la plupart de ces éléments vous sont connus - pour peu que vous connaissiez déjà quelques unes des mythologies et légendes citées plus haut. Ainsi chaque personnage porte en lui un espèce de code ADN inspiré de dieux et héros légendaires. Pour certains, la relation est tellement proche qu'on peut facilement se projeter sur la destinée finale du héros ; pour d'autres l'inspiration est plus légère et tiens plus dans l'étymologie de son nom.
J'ai beaucoup aimé l'analyse de Livingston concernant la triple Déesse et son impact dans l'oeuvre et chacun des personnages. C'est quelque chose dont je n'avais pas conscience.
On y retrouve un arbre généalogique, très important, nous montrant combien certains personnages sont liés et surtout... Surtout... Cet ouvrage nous livre des passages du MANUSCRIT 😱😱😱 (oui oui!!!) que Jordan avait envoyé chez Torbooks ! Et pour un fan c'est juste PÉPITE 😱💗
Et vous alors? Où en êtes vous dans votre lecture de la série?
November 2, 2022
A wonderful book for brains that want to know all the nitty-gritty details of where Jordan began his myths. I loved it.
It makes me want a full fledged biography of Jim’s life.
It makes me want a full fledged biography of Jim’s life.
January 21, 2024
Having finished my 2-year read of Robert Jordan’s “Wheel of Time” series, I immediately followed it up by taking on this behind-the-scenes book of the series by college professor and uber-fan, Michael Livingston, who has spent years studying Robert Jordan’s work.
Be forewarned - this is a short book. Coming in at 235 pages. It includes a Foreword by Jordan’s wife, Harriet, and chapters on Jordan’s life, Tolkien’s influence on him, his writing process, and the use of our world’s history and cultures in his work. It’s also important to note that this book is written in academic style, which includes an academic approach to analysis and presentation. Some readers may adopt easier than others to this approach.
What’s interesting to me is that Livingston specifically explains that this is not a companion book to the series. His focus was primarily on (1) studying how Jordan incorporated various historical legends and mythologies into his WOT series, and (2) analyzing Jordan’s unique plotting style that was constantly developing and evolving as each book went along. I was especially interested to see examples of how he would change and adjust storylines throughout the series to tell the best story he could.
Livingston’s access to Jordan’s unpublished writing notes and inside knowledge from working closely with Team Jordan made this an interesting read for me. I enjoyed reading through the glossary listing the sources of character names and terms from the series. Some of them I recognized and others I didn’t; however, learning about each was fun and enlightening.
I was also thinking that this was a book targeted towards the hardcore fans of this series, but after reading through the reviews on Goodreads, I am not so sure. It seemed like comments were pretty split on whether readers liked this book. Some of the hardcore fans appreciated Livingston’s research and analysis, while others didn’t feel like it added anything that they didn’t already generally know. That may be true for some but I was rather caught off-guard by the either love it or leave it responses. Everyone has the right to their own opinion, but I find myself a both surprised and disappointed by some of the more critical reactions.
Did I have my own constructive comments? Yes. I wish Langston had written a longer book. I wanted more meat than what I got with my rhetorical dinner. I wish he had spent more time exploring Jordan’s plotting style and how things changed from book to book. I found that very compelling. I also wish that he had referenced more of Jordan’s unpublished notes because that was insightful to readers who have invested so much time and energy in this awesome series.
At the same time, for me, Livingston did a nice job pulling back the curtain on Robert Jordan’s work, providing a front seat view of Jordan’s creative process and internal storytelling style. I appreciated learning about that, as well as Jordan’s use of real-world legends and mythologies in his work. But what I most enjoyed, was sewing how Jordan’s notes from the very beginning were focused on exploring the themes of equality between men and women and that free agency (the choice to choose between good and evil) is absolutely crucial for mankind’s development and growth.
Thank you, Mr. Livingston for trying to share additional knowledge and insights for both short-term and longtime fans of the Wheel of Time. For me, there was beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Be forewarned - this is a short book. Coming in at 235 pages. It includes a Foreword by Jordan’s wife, Harriet, and chapters on Jordan’s life, Tolkien’s influence on him, his writing process, and the use of our world’s history and cultures in his work. It’s also important to note that this book is written in academic style, which includes an academic approach to analysis and presentation. Some readers may adopt easier than others to this approach.
What’s interesting to me is that Livingston specifically explains that this is not a companion book to the series. His focus was primarily on (1) studying how Jordan incorporated various historical legends and mythologies into his WOT series, and (2) analyzing Jordan’s unique plotting style that was constantly developing and evolving as each book went along. I was especially interested to see examples of how he would change and adjust storylines throughout the series to tell the best story he could.
Livingston’s access to Jordan’s unpublished writing notes and inside knowledge from working closely with Team Jordan made this an interesting read for me. I enjoyed reading through the glossary listing the sources of character names and terms from the series. Some of them I recognized and others I didn’t; however, learning about each was fun and enlightening.
I was also thinking that this was a book targeted towards the hardcore fans of this series, but after reading through the reviews on Goodreads, I am not so sure. It seemed like comments were pretty split on whether readers liked this book. Some of the hardcore fans appreciated Livingston’s research and analysis, while others didn’t feel like it added anything that they didn’t already generally know. That may be true for some but I was rather caught off-guard by the either love it or leave it responses. Everyone has the right to their own opinion, but I find myself a both surprised and disappointed by some of the more critical reactions.
Did I have my own constructive comments? Yes. I wish Langston had written a longer book. I wanted more meat than what I got with my rhetorical dinner. I wish he had spent more time exploring Jordan’s plotting style and how things changed from book to book. I found that very compelling. I also wish that he had referenced more of Jordan’s unpublished notes because that was insightful to readers who have invested so much time and energy in this awesome series.
At the same time, for me, Livingston did a nice job pulling back the curtain on Robert Jordan’s work, providing a front seat view of Jordan’s creative process and internal storytelling style. I appreciated learning about that, as well as Jordan’s use of real-world legends and mythologies in his work. But what I most enjoyed, was sewing how Jordan’s notes from the very beginning were focused on exploring the themes of equality between men and women and that free agency (the choice to choose between good and evil) is absolutely crucial for mankind’s development and growth.
Thank you, Mr. Livingston for trying to share additional knowledge and insights for both short-term and longtime fans of the Wheel of Time. For me, there was beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
December 1, 2023
An inspiring and interesting deep-dive into how Jordan created the amazing Wheel of Time series and world, which is my favourite fantasy world so far. This book just solidified to me how clever Randland is and the magic behind it all. Also, Robert Jordan's relationship with his wife Harriet is actually marriage goals, holy shit they're soulmates
March 3, 2025
(No Spoilers) I know it’s odd to say I’m not going to “spoil” a work of nonfiction, but this book is so full of interesting revelations that I wouldn’t want to take any surprises away from a potential reader.
A little over a half of this book is a fascinating biography of the author, and where he took his inspirations from. I found his Vietnam experiences and how they affected his writing to be particularly interesting.
I had no idea how exhaustively researched the Wheel of Time themes and characters were by Robert Jordan. Clearly a scholar himself, his world is filled with references to real world and mythological people and places. Of course I picked up on a few here and there while reading Wheel of Time, but it wasn’t until this book that I realized the depth and breadth of what was accomplished.
The comparisons to Tolkien are educational, as well as the sure-to-be-inflammatory claims that Jordan outstripped Tolkien by making his world even larger. No doubt there will be a Tolkien fan or two that may well suffer apoplexy upon reading those passages.
The latter half of the book is more a reference material than a biography, and as such is less of a narrative and more topic-by-topic deep dive of Jordan’s inspirations.
The first part worked wonderfully as an audiobook, the second, not so much.
I’ve ordered a physical copy and can’t wait to put this on my shelf next to my WoT hardcovers.
Highly recommended for Wheel of Time fans, and possibly Tolkien fans who like to be faux outraged. A great book!
A little over a half of this book is a fascinating biography of the author, and where he took his inspirations from. I found his Vietnam experiences and how they affected his writing to be particularly interesting.
I had no idea how exhaustively researched the Wheel of Time themes and characters were by Robert Jordan. Clearly a scholar himself, his world is filled with references to real world and mythological people and places. Of course I picked up on a few here and there while reading Wheel of Time, but it wasn’t until this book that I realized the depth and breadth of what was accomplished.
The comparisons to Tolkien are educational, as well as the sure-to-be-inflammatory claims that Jordan outstripped Tolkien by making his world even larger. No doubt there will be a Tolkien fan or two that may well suffer apoplexy upon reading those passages.
The latter half of the book is more a reference material than a biography, and as such is less of a narrative and more topic-by-topic deep dive of Jordan’s inspirations.
The first part worked wonderfully as an audiobook, the second, not so much.
I’ve ordered a physical copy and can’t wait to put this on my shelf next to my WoT hardcovers.
Highly recommended for Wheel of Time fans, and possibly Tolkien fans who like to be faux outraged. A great book!
September 6, 2023
Rating: 5 stars
Woah this was awesome. I read it on audio, but now I want to order a physical copy so I can refer back to it. Actually, hold that thought...
Yeah, so after writing that I just started browsing around for where I could obtain a physical copy... and I found one on sale, so I just went ahead and ordered it. Right there, on the spot. And then experienced the first "one day shipping" in my lifetime. I swear, I ordered it at 10:00 am one morning, and received it at 3:00 pm the next day. Wowie. I suppose it pays to order local, huh.
Now I'm going to go on a little ramble about one line - yes, one line out of this entire 348-page book - that .... The line was worded in two different ways in the physical and audio copies respectfully (don't really know why) so I will quote both here because why not. Here was the audiobook's version:
And here is the same line found in the physical copy, under the title of "Sea Folk":
Three things impressed me about this:
1. The fact that the Māori are mentioned specifically out of all Polynesian peoples, rather than just lumped in with all the rest. (There are about nine or ten groups of ethnic peoples native to Polynesia, Māori being one. You can call two people both European despite one coming from France and another from Germany.)
2. The fact that Kate Reading actually did her research and pronounced "Māori" correctly on the audio, instead of just defaulting to the "May-orrr-ree" that most people say. (Just google how to say it properly, it's too hard to write phonetically.)
3. The fact that the "a" was given an accent (ā) which is how it is supposed to be written (denotes emphasis on the letter), something that when I was in school, even some textbooks got wrong.
I am not Māori, but living in New Zealand this just made me so proud. I can only imagine how someone of that heritage might feel if they read this. This level of respect from so many different people restored my faith in humanity just that little bit more (not that it was all that lacking in the first place).
Now something that surprised me about Origins of The Wheel of Time: how many Bible/Christian things inspired RJ when writing Wheel of Time. I suppose I'm not too surprised given Jordan's religion, but still. From this, he seems to go more down the C.S. Lewis route when it comes to crafting a fantasy world than Tolkien, who didn't pull much directly from his own personal religion for Middle-earth. That being said, Jordan is closer to Tolkien when it comes to his blending of inspirations. I don't know, that's just my little scholarly take on this.
Michael Livingston may not be Jordan, but he sure did his best with what he was given. And the results are a testament to his effort. Origins of The Wheel of Time was so awesome, and a welcome addition to the non-fiction Wheel of Time canon.
Woah this was awesome. I read it on audio, but now I want to order a physical copy so I can refer back to it. Actually, hold that thought...
Yeah, so after writing that I just started browsing around for where I could obtain a physical copy... and I found one on sale, so I just went ahead and ordered it. Right there, on the spot. And then experienced the first "one day shipping" in my lifetime. I swear, I ordered it at 10:00 am one morning, and received it at 3:00 pm the next day. Wowie. I suppose it pays to order local, huh.
Now I'm going to go on a little ramble about one line - yes, one line out of this entire 348-page book - that .... The line was worded in two different ways in the physical and audio copies respectfully (don't really know why) so I will quote both here because why not. Here was the audiobook's version:
And we have among Jordans papers, notes that the Sea Folk were based on Polynesians and the Māori.
And here is the same line found in the physical copy, under the title of "Sea Folk":
In his early notes, Jordan likens them to Polynesian people and, specifically, to the Māori.
Three things impressed me about this:
1. The fact that the Māori are mentioned specifically out of all Polynesian peoples, rather than just lumped in with all the rest. (There are about nine or ten groups of ethnic peoples native to Polynesia, Māori being one. You can call two people both European despite one coming from France and another from Germany.)
2. The fact that Kate Reading actually did her research and pronounced "Māori" correctly on the audio, instead of just defaulting to the "May-orrr-ree" that most people say. (Just google how to say it properly, it's too hard to write phonetically.)
3. The fact that the "a" was given an accent (ā) which is how it is supposed to be written (denotes emphasis on the letter), something that when I was in school, even some textbooks got wrong.
I am not Māori, but living in New Zealand this just made me so proud. I can only imagine how someone of that heritage might feel if they read this. This level of respect from so many different people restored my faith in humanity just that little bit more (not that it was all that lacking in the first place).
Now something that surprised me about Origins of The Wheel of Time: how many Bible/Christian things inspired RJ when writing Wheel of Time. I suppose I'm not too surprised given Jordan's religion, but still. From this, he seems to go more down the C.S. Lewis route when it comes to crafting a fantasy world than Tolkien, who didn't pull much directly from his own personal religion for Middle-earth. That being said, Jordan is closer to Tolkien when it comes to his blending of inspirations. I don't know, that's just my little scholarly take on this.
Michael Livingston may not be Jordan, but he sure did his best with what he was given. And the results are a testament to his effort. Origins of The Wheel of Time was so awesome, and a welcome addition to the non-fiction Wheel of Time canon.
November 9, 2022
I love this book. It discusses many things that are not my interest, but it still warms my Brown Ajah heart.
Chapter 1 is a beautiful eulogy to Robert Jordan.
- We learn that Livingston wrote this book at the same desk Jim/Jordan wrote WOT. And he explains how he became a fan and then a friend.
- It explains what piqued Harriett’s interest in Sanderson’s writing.
Chapter 2 is a beautiful bag of comparisons.
- How Jordan warped common tropes, some of which were founded on LotR, and became a new foundation
- WoT is a response not to WHAT Tolkein created, but HOW. This rolls into chapter 3 with how many cultures, religions, and themes Jordan wove together. Both chapters also delve into both etymology and philology. If I was into such origins, I would love to read White Goddess by Grave
- The comparisons of Old English and Middle English and modern English were very interesting
- The similarities and differences in how Middle-earth and Randland connect to real world legends, including those steeped in English tradition and the melting pot of traditions throughout the United States
Chapter 3 provides beautiful insight on so many things.
- How Jordan worked to address the imbalance between genders with his worldview at the time
- The dominant books in his works, especially Authurian legend
- We see just how much of the story changed, even from the publication of one novel to a later one (such as the Taimandred Theory)
Chapter 4 explains how the variations of real world names demonstrate a Turning of the Wheel.
The Glossary contains many words/phrases/etc. from the series that both Livingston and Team Jordan are confident in relating to things from the real world. The following interested me the most:
- Abell
- a’dam
- Aludra
- Aran’gar
- Band of the Red Hand
- Berelain
- Colavere
- Moghedien
- Samma N’Sei
- Seanchan
- Stepin
- Tel’aran’rhiod
Additional thoughts:
- Jordan was not the greatest speller, oh my goodness
- I want to read Arthurian legends (particularly Malory’s) even more now. Some of what I found most interesting throughout the entire book wouldn’t feel so surprising if I knew Arthurian stories.
Chapter 1 is a beautiful eulogy to Robert Jordan.
- We learn that Livingston wrote this book at the same desk Jim/Jordan wrote WOT. And he explains how he became a fan and then a friend.
- It explains what piqued Harriett’s interest in Sanderson’s writing.
Chapter 2 is a beautiful bag of comparisons.
- How Jordan warped common tropes, some of which were founded on LotR, and became a new foundation
- WoT is a response not to WHAT Tolkein created, but HOW. This rolls into chapter 3 with how many cultures, religions, and themes Jordan wove together. Both chapters also delve into both etymology and philology. If I was into such origins, I would love to read White Goddess by Grave
- The comparisons of Old English and Middle English and modern English were very interesting
- The similarities and differences in how Middle-earth and Randland connect to real world legends, including those steeped in English tradition and the melting pot of traditions throughout the United States
Chapter 3 provides beautiful insight on so many things.
- How Jordan worked to address the imbalance between genders with his worldview at the time
- The dominant books in his works, especially Authurian legend
- We see just how much of the story changed, even from the publication of one novel to a later one (such as the Taimandred Theory)
Chapter 4 explains how the variations of real world names demonstrate a Turning of the Wheel.
The Glossary contains many words/phrases/etc. from the series that both Livingston and Team Jordan are confident in relating to things from the real world. The following interested me the most:
- Abell
- a’dam
- Aludra
- Aran’gar
- Band of the Red Hand
- Berelain
- Colavere
- Moghedien
- Samma N’Sei
- Seanchan
- Stepin
- Tel’aran’rhiod
Additional thoughts:
- Jordan was not the greatest speller, oh my goodness
- I want to read Arthurian legends (particularly Malory’s) even more now. Some of what I found most interesting throughout the entire book wouldn’t feel so surprising if I knew Arthurian stories.
September 8, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed this. I'm a bit young to have started reading WoT as it was initially released, but once I got hold of it from the library I was obsessed. I can still remember the group of friends I was sitting with in high school discussing when he Jordan passed. I can remember wondering who the hell this virtual unknown was who Harriet had chosen to complete the series. Reading the first WoT readalong from Leigh Butler on Tor.com before the final 3 books were released, and then going back through all of it again with the knowledge of the ending. All of which is to say, I love WoT. I can fully acknowledge how it hasn't aged particularly well, while also knowing it was formative for my reading tastes.
And it's abundantly clear that Livingston is WAY more into it than I am, plus has the network and research connections to actually get to write the thing. He handles it well - there's a certain amount of reverence and awe evident in how he talks about Jordan, his life and his influences, but it's well tempered by factually giving explanations rather than excuses for some of Jordan's more outdated choices.
I definitely learned a lot, it's approachable in both layout and scale (unlike the other existing WoT guides). It gave me a new appreciation for what Jordan accomplished and how he did so (his writing process sounds just bonkers, I'm not sure it can really be called a process at all, and I definitely don't see it being an approach that would be tolerated in today's publishing environment). It made me want to read the whole series again.
There was one rather surprising error in the 'glossary' (The Real World in the Wheel of Time) section, at least in my first printing copy. The societies of the Aiel are mislabeled as the clans of the Aiel. How this made it past the editors I'm honestly not sure, since there are definitely references in the rest of the section to the actual clans, though interestingly, not to the societies.
And it's abundantly clear that Livingston is WAY more into it than I am, plus has the network and research connections to actually get to write the thing. He handles it well - there's a certain amount of reverence and awe evident in how he talks about Jordan, his life and his influences, but it's well tempered by factually giving explanations rather than excuses for some of Jordan's more outdated choices.
I definitely learned a lot, it's approachable in both layout and scale (unlike the other existing WoT guides). It gave me a new appreciation for what Jordan accomplished and how he did so (his writing process sounds just bonkers, I'm not sure it can really be called a process at all, and I definitely don't see it being an approach that would be tolerated in today's publishing environment). It made me want to read the whole series again.
There was one rather surprising error in the 'glossary' (The Real World in the Wheel of Time) section, at least in my first printing copy. The societies of the Aiel are mislabeled as the clans of the Aiel. How this made it past the editors I'm honestly not sure, since there are definitely references in the rest of the section to the actual clans, though interestingly, not to the societies.
December 1, 2022
I thought this was fascinating and a very valid addition to my "books about the Wheel of Time" collection. The author (true fan) has access to the very inner circle of WoT materials and personalities, including Jordan's own notes, and has created an inside look at the inspirations and creation of the seminal fantasy series. Plus it was well written, fun and engaging.
We see Jordon's upbringing and background, his personal fandoms, his brainstorming, his muses both human and literary. Parts I found particularly facinating are the glimpses into his thought patterns and the path from what he thought the story might be to where it ended up. Also there is a section on the inspirations for allllll those names, covering basically all of myth and legend from a very heavy Arthurian angle to Persian, Irish/Celtic, Greek, Welsh, Romany, Christianity, Muslim, Buddism, on and on, so much depth and breadth! And I am totally kicking myself for not making the connection between Tarman Gai'dan and Armageddon. DOH.
My only complaints are the places where the author guessed the name connections (not many, but I want TRUEFACTS) and the big font and large margins. There is no shame in a small book, especially not one as packed with goodness as this one. Save a tree, people!
We see Jordon's upbringing and background, his personal fandoms, his brainstorming, his muses both human and literary. Parts I found particularly facinating are the glimpses into his thought patterns and the path from what he thought the story might be to where it ended up. Also there is a section on the inspirations for allllll those names, covering basically all of myth and legend from a very heavy Arthurian angle to Persian, Irish/Celtic, Greek, Welsh, Romany, Christianity, Muslim, Buddism, on and on, so much depth and breadth! And I am totally kicking myself for not making the connection between Tarman Gai'dan and Armageddon. DOH.
My only complaints are the places where the author guessed the name connections (not many, but I want TRUEFACTS) and the big font and large margins. There is no shame in a small book, especially not one as packed with goodness as this one. Save a tree, people!
January 18, 2024
Una chicca per i fan della Ruota del Tempo, da leggere assolutamente solo dopo aver letto tutta la saga almeno una volta.
dnf
January 30, 2024Great book, the first half was supper interesting, but I couldn't really listen to it when it got to the glossary of stuff. Will for sure get as print and try again.
April 28, 2024
There is a lot of fantastic information packed into this tiny book.
October 19, 2024
A really impressive synthesis of Robert Jordan's notes and writing. I loved the detail that he had 14,000 books in his library when he died. What an incredible wealth of knowledge to have drawn upon! I enjoyed the view into Jordan's writing process.
November 23, 2022
Being a huge WoT fan since about 1996, I have to buy any peripheral materials and especially a book pertaining to the origins of the series. I’ve been to Robert Jordan’s house and in Charleston, and so to tie in all the details and tidbits of information that I’ve heard along the last 25 years is great to give me some semblance of closure. This book does deal with a few unanswered questions, although it unnecessarily leaves still more to be desired that it could easily have resolved, which is a bit silly. Why is it so hard to make a definitive answer about some of the things Jordan left unanswered? Why did some things have to be changed when it was clear from the text that Jordan was headed in a certain direction? And why are we trying to make excuses for the fact that Jordan was a man of faith, and saw issues such as gender according to Biblical principles? These issues tarnish this literary analysis of the Wheel of Time.
I’m glad to see the backstory revealed in more detail, and for the origins of certain places and names, but most of this book is taken up with a glossary and footnotes that we really didn’t need. It detracts from the series as a whole to overly analyze every name and from which mythology it derived. Obviously every great work builds upon the foundations of others, but in my opinion the series as a whole is so much more than a derivative of various legends. Somehow this book doesn’t quite do it justice.
Just like the map, where the author made some changes yet declines to make other obvious ones, this book feels far too conservative in its attempts to set the record straight, and in its attempt to please everyone in the woke universe of 2022, ends up alienating the very fans who have been with the series since the beginning.
I’m glad to see the backstory revealed in more detail, and for the origins of certain places and names, but most of this book is taken up with a glossary and footnotes that we really didn’t need. It detracts from the series as a whole to overly analyze every name and from which mythology it derived. Obviously every great work builds upon the foundations of others, but in my opinion the series as a whole is so much more than a derivative of various legends. Somehow this book doesn’t quite do it justice.
Just like the map, where the author made some changes yet declines to make other obvious ones, this book feels far too conservative in its attempts to set the record straight, and in its attempt to please everyone in the woke universe of 2022, ends up alienating the very fans who have been with the series since the beginning.
April 3, 2024
This was the perfect moment for me to read this book after finishing the series but still craving more WoT content. I found this a very interesting read and I felt that I learned quite a few things I hadn't considered while reading WoT. If you are a WoT fan and you are interested in the inspirations and the working process of an author, then I think this book will be interesting for you.
January 8, 2023
As a long-time fan of the series, I rather enjoyed this book, which is authorized by Jordan's estate. The book is organized into 4 chapters: (1) a brief biography of James Oliver Rigney, Jr. aka Robert Jordan; (2) a brief discussion of the influence of Tolkien on the Wheel of Time; (3) a discussion of Jordan's process of creating the Wheel of Time based on a detailed study of Rigney's papers held in the special collections at the College of Charleston; (4) a glossary of people, places, and things in the books and an explanation of the mythic and historical sources that they reference or allude to.
The most interesting chapters of the book are (1) the biography and (2) the discussion of process. It is really interesting to see how certain things evolved from the earlier drafts, and to understand the things in Jordan's life that influenced him as well as his process. The chapter on Tolkien is a little too brief to be entirely satisfying, to be honest, but that may just be a matter of the amount of material Livingston had to work with. It is clear that the legend of King Arthur (especially Malory's version) were as much if not more of an influence as Tolkien, but it gets less explicit treatment, perhaps because it doesn't fit as much into the core argument. I did not read through the entire glossary, which goes on for almost 100 pages, but it was fun to flip through and see some interesting connections.
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1/5/2023: Christmas gift from Sabrina Starnaman. Enjoying so far.
The most interesting chapters of the book are (1) the biography and (2) the discussion of process. It is really interesting to see how certain things evolved from the earlier drafts, and to understand the things in Jordan's life that influenced him as well as his process. The chapter on Tolkien is a little too brief to be entirely satisfying, to be honest, but that may just be a matter of the amount of material Livingston had to work with. It is clear that the legend of King Arthur (especially Malory's version) were as much if not more of an influence as Tolkien, but it gets less explicit treatment, perhaps because it doesn't fit as much into the core argument. I did not read through the entire glossary, which goes on for almost 100 pages, but it was fun to flip through and see some interesting connections.
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1/5/2023: Christmas gift from Sabrina Starnaman. Enjoying so far.
December 31, 2022
I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway.
Much like the author, I picked up The Eye Of The World in the mid 90s based on the heft of the paperback and the evocative cover art. This led to many hours spent reading and rereading the volumes of Jordan’s epic achievement.
Fans of the series are well aware of Jordan’s depth of world building. The sheer amount of research by Jordan and the connections to seemingly every mythology flew well under my radar. This book highlights these many connections in the fourth section which was, in my opinion, the least interesting. Those of us without a doctorate level literary degree will recognize the Arthurian and Tolkien foundation that Jordan builds upon but likely shrug at the more esoteric legends that many names/places/events were inspired by.
The focused biography of Jim Rigney, the comparison and contrast with Tolkien’s work, and the deep look into the process of writing the Wheel Of Time were fascinating and enough to earn my full star rating. The author writes in a clear and entertaining manner. His reverence for Jordan is made abundantly clear without fawning. I appreciate the countless hours of research that he has distilled down to a very readable reference for the dedicated WOT fan.
The magical feeling of reading Jordan’s masterwork has never really faded for me. Learning more about the man and his process adds depth to my understanding and appreciation for this accomplishment. Sometimes, however, knowing every detail behind the magic is subtractive instead of insightful.
Much like the author, I picked up The Eye Of The World in the mid 90s based on the heft of the paperback and the evocative cover art. This led to many hours spent reading and rereading the volumes of Jordan’s epic achievement.
Fans of the series are well aware of Jordan’s depth of world building. The sheer amount of research by Jordan and the connections to seemingly every mythology flew well under my radar. This book highlights these many connections in the fourth section which was, in my opinion, the least interesting. Those of us without a doctorate level literary degree will recognize the Arthurian and Tolkien foundation that Jordan builds upon but likely shrug at the more esoteric legends that many names/places/events were inspired by.
The focused biography of Jim Rigney, the comparison and contrast with Tolkien’s work, and the deep look into the process of writing the Wheel Of Time were fascinating and enough to earn my full star rating. The author writes in a clear and entertaining manner. His reverence for Jordan is made abundantly clear without fawning. I appreciate the countless hours of research that he has distilled down to a very readable reference for the dedicated WOT fan.
The magical feeling of reading Jordan’s masterwork has never really faded for me. Learning more about the man and his process adds depth to my understanding and appreciation for this accomplishment. Sometimes, however, knowing every detail behind the magic is subtractive instead of insightful.
January 8, 2024
Five stars because Livingston kept everything quite engaging, from Jordan’s life to his writing methods. This book made me love the series even more, and it’s actually mind blowing how much research and creativity Jordan put into his work. I can’t believe how many mythological references went over my head when reading the books, so it was really fascinating to connect a lot of dots. It was also really cool to be able to read snippets of manuscripts that didn’t make the final cut in the series as we know it. Wild to think about where some of the characters were originally going to go. Would recommend to anyone who’s finished the entire series and wants to be more wowed by Jordan’s work.
October 30, 2025
I have always loved the Wheel of Time. It is a series that got me back into reading and it will forever be one of my favorite series of all time. This book was absolutely incredible. Michael Livingston's take on the world that Robert Jordan built was astonishing. Michael showed everything from how Robert's wife was able to choose what author to take up the mantle to finish writing the Wheel of Time. To the myths, legends, lore behind the names and behind how Robert built the world is so amazing. I've never realized how big the world was that Robert created and how he was able to seamlessly mesh together all these different cultures and religions into what we know as the Wheel of Time.
May 31, 2023
This book is really two books in one. The first part is the first authorized biography of Robert Jordan and there story of The Wheel of Time. The second part is a directory of places and characters and the inspirations that that Robert Jordan took in creating them and crafting his story.
They are both very interesting and well written. There’s a lot more to both the author and the story than is apparent on the surface. This is a great addition for anyone who is a fan of The Wheel of Time or is an aspiring author.
They are both very interesting and well written. There’s a lot more to both the author and the story than is apparent on the surface. This is a great addition for anyone who is a fan of The Wheel of Time or is an aspiring author.
December 29, 2022
I loved this look into the world of James Oliver Rigney Jr. and the background of The Wheel Of Time. Interesting, I enjoyed the glossary the most, which gave the background of naming conventions for characters/events/entities in Randland. I was amazed at the incredible amount of history that was used as names and labels.
Thank you Michael Livingston for this terrific book! I’m in the second read through of WoT and this will certainly enrich it!
Thank you Michael Livingston for this terrific book! I’m in the second read through of WoT and this will certainly enrich it!
April 4, 2023
4.5
This was so illuminating! There were some thing that I knew, and some that I didn't. The naming conventions he used go much deeper than I thought. I just wish there was more explanation of in-world characters/events as they relate to the real-world analogues. Very informative, and I loved the first several chapters biographing Jordan and digging into his writing process. I just wish there was a little more, but honestly even that feels selfish.
This was so illuminating! There were some thing that I knew, and some that I didn't. The naming conventions he used go much deeper than I thought. I just wish there was more explanation of in-world characters/events as they relate to the real-world analogues. Very informative, and I loved the first several chapters biographing Jordan and digging into his writing process. I just wish there was a little more, but honestly even that feels selfish.
April 17, 2024
There's a lot of really interesting stuff in here, but it's definitely only for people who have finished the entire series, perhaps didn't immediately read 90% of the Wheel of Time wiki (admittedly, I did, but there was still a lot in here I didn't know), and are also obsessed with mythology/history. If you fall into these categories, this is super fun! If you don't fall into these categories, you still might get a lot out of it, but the first requirement is a must. So many spoilers, so many.
Read
November 21, 2022This book was wonderful. It gave a lot of insight into The Wheel of Time and made me appreciate the work put in to build that story just that bit more. I think it’s a must read for anyone to read after finishing the series to understand how everything was put together to create such an incredible series
February 28, 2024
Om man är ett super fan av the wheel of time så kommer man nog gilla det. Jag har vara läst the eye of the world och jag tycker väl mjaä , helt ok men ingen wow
I orgins of the wheel of time får man veta lite fakta om robert jordan och hans bakgrund.
Hur han började skriva böckerna ,hans kärlek till tolkieen och hur brandon sandersson fick i uppgift att slutföra serien.
I orgins of the wheel of time får man veta lite fakta om robert jordan och hans bakgrund.
Hur han började skriva böckerna ,hans kärlek till tolkieen och hur brandon sandersson fick i uppgift att slutföra serien.
May 21, 2025
I think the book is more of a straight Robert Jordan tribute than an origin study. Of course I have no objection to this, on the contrary it was certainly enjoyable to learn something about Mr. Jordan's personal life, but it must be said that the book is a bit stingy in delivering on the promise made by its title.
November 15, 2022
I loved this book. Some wonderful insights. I had picked up some of the more obvious Arthurian references the first time reading such as the link between Sa'angreal and the San Greal “Holy Grail” but little did I know how deep the Arthurian rabbit hole went!
December 24, 2022
A beautiful addition to the broader perspective of the Wheel of Time. Seeing the creative process Jordan used (and some wonderful final revelations) was a joy for me this time of year. This series has stuck with me for a long time and I'm so glad to finally get a small glimpse inside the crafting of this magnificent work of literature.
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