Islam and WOT

📁 Miscellaneous 👤 tynant 📅 2003-03-23 💬 4 replies

This is my first posting. This isn't really a theory, just a note. I was scanning the quran and noticed a passage: Surah 113. The Daybreak, Dawn 1. Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of the Dawn I thought it was interesting that some of the imagery of the quran is used in the WOT world. I was wondering if any other theories have examined this part of Jordans WOT. I know the arthurian legends, and Norse myths and buddhist/hindu myuthologies have been used by Jordan to weave his version of the history of the world, but I haven't read anything about Islamic beliefs being intertwined into Jordans story. Maybe we should look more into this.... 2. From the mischief of created things; 3. From the mischief of Darkness as it overspreads; 4. From the mischief of those who practise secret arts; 5. And from the mischief of the envious one as he practises envy.

Anything written here will not be posted.

Replies (4)

Tamyrlin #1

2003-03-31

Actually, I haven't seen anything that discusses Islamic beliefs and WoT. But the use of such imagery wouldn't surprise me because Jordan seems to pull from many cultures, religions, etc. Let me know if you would like to do a larger, more in-depth examination of Islamic beliefs/traditions compared to WoT and I could place it in the studies section.

Weird Harold #2

2003-03-31

On WOTMania a few weeks go, there was a thread alleging that many of the names in WOT have Arabic roots -- especially those from the Two Rivers. One obvious Arabic connection is the DO's true name. Personally, I believe that any Quranic parallels come from the common roots of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. There have been several mentions around the Web about the Bedouin influence on the Aiel culture, and Middle Eastern and Mediteranean influences on various other cultures in the WOT. I think an exploration of possible Islamic influences on the WoT would be interest and useful in understanding the overall mix of influences.

Anubis #3

2003-03-31

shai tan is satan in the dune series. also leto when he becomes the god emperor and then dies setting humanity on his golden path is later refered to as shai tan instead of... um... they had a nice name for him...

TheNetweaver #4

2003-04-01

Dune has a huge number of Islamic connotations, everything from the hajj to the sharia. In WoT the Aiel would most resemble some type of Middle Eastern, Islmaic society, but I haven't noticed much. Some in depth study could reveal stuff that no one would notice off hand. The Seanchan definitely have a variety of influences. In either Japan or China, before they were opened, their empress used to grow her fingernails over a foot long, just as Seanchan nobility do. It's interesting to find these aspects of foreign culture that RJ includes.