Something I realized while thinking about Rand, Rhuidean, and the Car’a’carn prophecy that states “only a remnant of a remnant shall he save” is that Rand, the Aiel, and Avendesora all remnants of a remnant:
Avendesora is the last surviving chora tree, born from the branches the Da’shain Aiel (and later the Jenn Aiel) carried to a place of safety. It represents hope and peace preserved through long periods of suffering.
The current Aiel are remnants too, survivors of the splintering of the Da’shain Aiel. They now carry the seeds of Rhuidean, and Avendesora, forward. But prophecy says they must be culled once more for hope to endure. They are the seeds of what will be, just as the remaining few Chora branches became Avendesora.
And Rand himself is a remnant of a remnant. His ancestors destroyed themselves to carry peace forward, and Rand must open himself to destruction, too. He is the Dragon that unites the world, not just the Aiel. His journey through Rhuidean is the perfect mirror of his greater purpose: to carry the seed of hope amidst war and ruin. That’s why he is creator and destroyer.
What was is, and will be once more. The wheel turns, and the seeds endure. From endings come new beginnings….Jordan cooked here.
