Wheel of Time Why Braids are So Significant

Wheel of Time: Why Braids are So Significant

In The Wheel of Time, hair braids – such as those worn by Egwene and Nynaeve – have major cultural meaning that stems from the books themselves.

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Wheel of Time Why Braids are So Significant

One of the opening scenes in Amazon Prime Video’s The Wheel of Time shows Egwene having her hair braided in a village ceremony – but why is this significant in the show’s greater context? Nynaeve, the village Wisdom to whom she considers becoming an apprentice, also wears her hair in this style. Dana, the barkeep who Rand encounters in episode 3, braids her hair in an attempt to imitate Egwene. In the world of The Wheel of Time, braids are not just a hairstyle: they have a widespread cultural and symbolic significance.

The epic fantasy series is based on a fourteen-book series created by Robert Jordan, with the series completed by Brandon Sanderson after Jordan’s death. The books created a detailed fantasy world complete with the complex One Power magic system and multiple rich cultures. Jordan based the cultures of his universe on a combination of European and Asian traditions. The Wheel of Time books’ frequent references to braids, and women tugging braids in between lines of dialogue, were a frequent subject of jokes among readers, but suggest the broader significance of cultural signifiers like hairstyles and clothes in the Wheel of Time universe.

On one level, these braids are specifically important in the culture of the Two Rivers, the village where Egwene and the other ta’veren come from, as there braided hair represents the moment when a girl becomes a woman. It is typically done at 17 or 18, although The Wheel of Time TV show changes character ages, and must be approved by the local Women’s Circle. A woman with braided hair is officially of marriageable age, which helps to explain why Rand is so interested in Egwene’s experience at the ceremony. However, this is by no means the most important meaning behind the use of braids in The Wheel of Time.

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Braids also signify a woman’s connection to her community. Nynaeve tells Egwene that “This braid will remind you that you are a part of us and we are a part of you”, and suggests a universal bond between women. The world of The Wheel of Time is largely divided by gender. The Women’s Circle, which is depicted in episode 1, holds equal power with the male Village Council, and helps to enforce social norms and resolve disputes. Braided hair represents membership in this group and culture.

Other societies in the world of The Wheel of Time also ascribe significance to braids. In particular, the Aiel, who are introduced through a dead body at the end of The Wheel of Time episode 3, also attribute significance to braided hair, but see it as a mark of childishness. Opposite to the Two Rivers custom, coming of age in Aiel culture means untangling the braid. This is an example of how the Aiel are often set in opposition to the Westlands culture that the Wheel of Time’s protagonists hail from.

More than all of this, the braid is a symbol of how everything in the world of The Wheel of Time is connected. It suggests many of the series’ themes about fate and culture. Nynaeve’s braid is a symbol of her loyalty to the ways of the Two Rivers and its embeddedness within the Wheel of Time world’s landscape, whereas Dana’s adoption of the braid signifies her imitation of someone with Two Rivers values, obscuring her true nature. As the Wheel of Time TV series continues, expect to see the meaning and significance of the braid become more complex and important.

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Link Source : https://screenrant.com/wheel-time-braids-hair-women-meaning-significance/

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