‘The Wheel of Time’: All 3 Rand Al’Thor’s Wives Explained
Rand and Egwene were the perfect couple in the first season of The Wheel of Time, but his revelation as the Dragon Reborn totally changed that. The innocent lover boy from the Two Rivers died at the Eye of The World. In Robert Jordan’s book series, Rand Al’Thor’s complicated journey to save the world is matched by an even more complicated love life. Many fans would love to know how Rand Al’Thor falls in love with three women in The Wheel of Time.
Rand Al’Thor’s marriage to the three women in The Wheel of Time books is similar to an Aes Sedai having multiple warders, except, in Rand’s case, he is also romantically involved with them. The marriage is, therefore, polyamorous since all the women consent to it. However, a fourth woman, Alanna Mosvani, bonds herself to Rand without his consent, making the union even more complicated. Rand also bonds with Egwene at the end, but it only increases his power against the Dark One.
All five women also appear in the Wheel Of Time TV Show, with Elayne and Aviendha being introduced in the second season. Unfortunately, for TV-only fans, Rand’s whirlwind romance with the innkeeper, Selene, doesn’t lead to marriage as she is a disguise of Lanfear, one of the 13 Forsaken. Still, Rand getting married to three women is controversial enough, so let’s delve into how each woman ends up with the Dragon Reborn.
What happens to Rand in The Wheel Of Time books?
In Book 14, A Memory Of Light, Rand leads his forces against the Dark One and sacrifices himself to save the world. However, Moridin dies in Rand’s body because they agreed to switch consciousness since Moridin wanted to die, so Rand took Moridin’s body. Rand’s three lovers still feel he is alive after his sacrifice, so they don’t mourn his death.
The ultimate battle with the dark one comes after Rand leads his people in a series of battles against the Forsaken. It all starts after Rand discovers that he is the Dragon reborn in the first book, Eye Of The World, and sets out to fulfill his destiny. Just as it happens in the show, Rand also meets Lanfear disguised as Selene in Book 2 (The Great Hunt), but he doesn’t fall in love with her.
Rand’s journey as a leader starts in Book 3 (The Dragon Reborn) after he makes Min one of his advisers and starts making powerful allies. He embraces his Aielan roots and bonds with the people in The Shadow Rising. While allying with the Aiel clans, he meets and becomes romantically interested in Aviendha, who was one of the Wise Ones.
However, he falls in love with Princess Elayne (Daughter-Heir of Andor) in Book 5 (The Shadow Rising) before declaring his feelings to Aviendha. His complicated alliance/romance with Princess Elayne coincides with his victory and capture of Cairhien, which cements his position as a strong leader.
As Rand’s influence as a leader spreads throughout the continent, his struggles with leadership also increase. Through the betrayal and increasing strength of the Forsaken forces, Rands relies more on Min and Elayne and, eventually, Avendha for advice and support, with each lover bringing something different to aid in his fight.
Min is the lover who stays with him most of the time and keeps him attached to his humanity throughout the battles. Alayne and Avendha still play a big role in preparing Rand for the battle against the Dark One. However, navigating the three relationships becomes difficult over time, especially during the battle with The Dark One’s second in Command, Shamael, while Rand is teetering on the edge of madness.
However, in Book 13 (Towers of Midnight), with his lovers’ help, Rand defeats the effect of the Taint and gets clarity of purpose. He regains control of his forces and unites the people for the final battle while preparing to sacrifice himself when facing the Dark One.
Who are Rand Al’Thor’s three wives?
Rand Al’Thor’s three wives are Min, Alayne Trankand, and Avienndha, with whom he bonds after they agree to share him. The women also agree to respect each other’s love for Rand Al’Thor.
In the marriage, each woman represents a different aspect of Rand’s personality as the Dragon Reborn. Elayne and Avendha are part of the prophecized aspects of his destiny. On the other hand, Min falls in love with Rand as she interacts with him over the years.
Elayne Trakand
Elayne Trankand is the daughter of Queen Morgase and Prince Damodred Tangail. As the Daughter-Heir to the throne of Andor, in line with Andoran tradition, Elayne is sent to the White Tower to train as an Aes Sedai, where she meets Egwene, and the two become close friends.
In the book, Elayne meets Rand before going to the White Tower, although in the show, she meets Egwene at the White Tower before meeting Rand. She is interested in Rand from Egwene’s stories at the Tower, and when she finally meets him at the battle in Falme, she falls for him instantly.
Although she declares her love for Rand, their relationship is complicated as Rand doesn’t instantly reciprocate her feelings. She is one of the women prophesized to marry Rand, so their relationship is destined to happen.
While Elayne goes back to her country to claim her throne, she fears Rand will fall for another woman. She, therefore, entrusts her friend Aviendha to keep an eye on him, not knowing that she also has feelings for the Dragon Reborn.
Elayne eventually bonds with Aviendha as a first-sister, an Aielan tradition that allows them to share a husband. They agree to respect each other’s love for Rand and get married to him. According to her visions, Elayne gets pregnant with Rand’s twins, and Min says they are a boy and a girl.
Aviendha
Aviendha (played by Ayoola Smart in the TV show) is a Wise One from the Nine Valleys sept of the Aiel. She is a warrior and an honorable woman who respects Aiel traditions to the core. She meets Rand during his campaign to unite the Aiel people and the battle to conquer Cairhien. She is already friends with Egwene and Alayne by the time she meets Rand and also knows about his relationship with Elayne.
Aviendha promises to watch Rand for her when Elayne leaves to claim her throne. However, she realizes she will fall in love with him. She tries to block her love for him by becoming hostile towards him, but eventually, Rand saves her life, and they two become intimate.
Aviendha is revealed as the Aiel woman who was prophesized to become Rand’s wife, bringing him closer to the Aiel people. Aviendha’s skills as a Wise one help Rand in his battles against The Forsaken and also in defeating the rebel Aiel clans.
When Rand becomes Car’a’carn (chief of chiefs for the Aiel), Avendha, being the most powerful channeler among the wise ones, agrees to become his woman. She bonds with Alayne as first-sisters, allowing them to share Rand as a husband. She eventually becomes pregnant with him, and Min prophesizes that she will give birth to four babies all at once.
Min Farshaw
Min (Kae Alexander) is a seer from Baelor who meets Rand when Moraine brings the boys from the Two Rivers to her. Moraine wanted to find out if Min could use her visions to tell which of them was the Dragon Reborn.
The seer falls in love with him at first sight, but he doesn’t reciprocate it, so they remain friends. Min becomes his adviser through his battles while trying to get Rand to love her as a woman, not a friend.
Min saw a vision of herself in love with Rand at their first meeting, but she also saw the other two women, although she didn’t tell him about it. After Rand and Elayne fall in love, Rand also realizes that he loves Min, a feeling that Min immediately admits to.
Min meets Elayne at the White Tower, and they become good friends over the years. Alayne doesn’t protest when she discovers that Min also loves Rand. They remain friends and agree to share him between the three of them.
During their bond with Rand, Min also agrees to respect Elayne and Aviendha’s love for him. All three women are eventually bonded to Rand in a secret ceremony, and Min is the lover who stays close to Rand most of the time, even at his worst moments when he is losing his mind.
Does Rand marry Alanna Mosvani?
Alanna Mosvani forcefully bonded herself to Rand under the pretense of checking his health while Rand was recovering from battle injuries at an inn. She was trying to find a warder and lover to replace one of hers who had been killed during a battle.
She took advantage of the sick Rand and raped him, making her entire bond with him abominable. When Rand bonded to his three lovers without telling Alanna, she became sick and nearly died. Rand refused to tell Alanna the names of the three people he had bonded with because he never trusted him after the rape.
Alanna didn’t respect bonding like other Aes Sedai and treated it as a tool to control people. Unfortunately for her, she couldn’t control Rand after forcefully bonding with him and only got hurt further when he went on to bond with his three other lovers.
Does Rand marry Egwene?
Rand doesn’t marry Egwene in the books, but she bonds with him before the battle with the Dark One to increase his powers. The two were childhood friends and lovers initially, but their paths diverged when Rand became the Dragon Reborn while Egewen became an Aes Sedai.
As the leader of Aes Sedai, Egwene plays a big role in supporting Rand’s mission to save the world. The two also remain good friends throughout the series, but they don’t get romantically involved again. Egwene is also friends with all of Rand’s three lovers throughout the series.
