Twice and twice shall he be marked, twice to live, and twice to die. Once the heron, to set his path. Twice the heron, to name him true. Once the Dragon, for remembrance lost. Twice the Dragon, for the price he must pay.
They did In fact in the book. It's specifically said both of these things. It is said that the reason Amazon is doing wheel of time is they felt that there is something they could mess with without having so much backlash from the fans. If this is true, I feel a little bit of pity for these poor unfortunate fools
Where were the burnished full breastplates, and chain mail? Why were they all wearing crappy cavalry sabers? When, if I remember correctly, they wore the swords of their homelands? Tents in orderly rows, horse picket lines? They were not portrayed as the military order they were. So disappointing.
Shad - your criticism is very much warranted and while it would be impossible for the "movie"-makers to exactly match the images in your head, I completely agree that just going for a katana is kinda like the people in question looking at one another and going ".... the kids like those, right?"
Its almost like studios hire people who don't give a damn about a story, even one loved by millions, to make the shows and things in them. They make more changes to fit their narratives than they pay attention to the detail of the story created in the first place. This doesn't really feel like WoT to me outside of it saying that there are women who do magic and its kinda set in a middle ages looking setting. They have the budget and tech to make it amazing (and honestly the CGI is cool), but they fail because they don't get someone who cares about the actual story, I'm not sure if its better or worse that Jordan isn't alive to see this.
_"We need a sword for this show, its a very specific weapon and plays a big part in the plot. We need to get this right people."_ *"Hey boss! I have an old katana at home that my kid brother bought at a yard sale last year."* _"PERFECT! someone glue a heron on there and lets go."_
Now I'm wondering where all the funding for the show went. Smh! Someone pocketed a shit ton of cash and stached it somewhere. It comes over lazy, cheap and nonchalant with all these mishaps to the show, where is the attention to detail to the show these people supposed to care about?
Another option could be the karabela, a late, ornate model of the Polish sabre, with the handle in the shape of a bird, usually an eagle. How awesome would it be, if they made Tam's sword a karabela with a handle of stylized heron head (and then a whole heron on the blade).
@@robertpruitt5704 I think we are thinking of the same thing. The design has a lot of history of being used throughout the Northern European area. It it flow very nicely with the “Hey I can still use this!” In later times.
The critical point is that the heron marked swords are supposed to be a masters weapon. That description of looking "more fragile" then the common weapons around it has always struck in my memory. The sword in the show looks like a sword made by an apprentice and relegated to the practice pile to be beaten to death
@@daltosmithman269 it's not the aesthetic details that I'm thinking of. The big one in my mind is the blade itself, it looks like a steel cut out that has been given an edge. Shad pointed out the lack of details like a fuller or a proper cross guard. Those are mechanical details that change the way a blade works. It looks like a sword that was mass produced for an untrained soldier
@@BouncingTribbles thags fair for a power wrought blade it should definetly be better then it is in terms of functionality, aesteticly it just needs the heron on the hilt and it would have been good but the blade is trash i can agree Im a blacksmith and was like who made this weapon a aorentice?
I concur. Lan even says very early on that heron-mark blades are magical, so they never need to be sharpened or cleaned. Despite years of neglect, that blade should be in pristine condition, but in the show it looks dull, rusty, almost.
well I think that when rand took it for the first time it was dusty and a bit dirty, but he ends up cleaning it up and then gets eventually told sharpening it wont do anything. it just feels like they took the very first impression of the sword and completely forgot about the whole "oh btw, this sword is frikin magic and it cant get rusty"
Ever since I saw the Heron Sword from a fantasy website for swords recreated from fantasy books, it's been what visually stood out for the Wheel of Time. The show didn't just make it a boring substandard katana, they also robbed it of color, which fantasy series seemed addicted to. They also really make themselves look like substandard artists to the fans who previously made reproductions. Fable Blades have done some of the most beautiful fantasy blades ever, and their Wheel of Time inspired swords are no exception.
Every time I see a version of the heron sword that doesn’t have the heron on the handle in a way that could line up with the palm of the hand I am pure confusion. Like… that’s one of the only absolute deal breakers for imagining it, and so many still whiff. Sadness.
Further, the herons on each side of the hilt need to be offset/staggered so that a heron is under each palm when gripped. Having a heron on each side directly opposite each other is not enough.
@@CaptainStinkyVonPoopberg That isn't really the case. The brands aren't made at the same time and changing the grip on a sword isn't that hard to explain, especially when you use a bunch of different stances/styles.
I always imagined the heron marked sword being a two handed messer. That just seems to fit the length, cross guard style, and the general feeling of weight I always associated with it. Good video!
@@Spartan1337noob I could see that, too. Just not katana. Though, one of my friends said he always read it as a katana. Pretty sure I gave him a weird look when he said that, but there ARE people who interpreted it that way, even if I can't see it. Lol
They were was always was depicted as a long sword hilt with a kriegsmesser type blade in the art. I could understand the ones the seanchan use being katana, but not the one that Tam got from Illian, or any of the other ones we read about.
True. Also on a more technical not, it is missing a few key elements that any real katana should have, like a habaki, the copper or brass ring around the base of the blade above the tsuba, that is there to hold the blade steady in the scabbard and prevent it from rattling around.
Agreed one should not cheapen the beauty of a true katana. I love that he covers the quality of weapons and armor. I have updated my dnd PC s and NPCs accordingly. I love collecting edged weapons (who doesn't?) So i love the reviews do keep them coming!
It really reminds me more of a wodao a Chinese sword inspired by Japanese swords Wich were generally of less aesthetic value for the sake of ease of production
Agreed. The sword was a real letdown. There was so much reference to the sword being noticed and being special and looking very valuable, yet the one in the show seems so plain.
Wasn't the main thing people noticed on his original sword the heron mark? Like that was what people cared about the most in the book from what I remember. It also has been a bit since I read the book so I might not be remembering it right.
@@troperhghar9898 fun fact "scimitars" aren't real swords, it's a made up European word to describe Middle Eastern and South Asian, allegedly it stems from a Greek word meaning "barbarian sword" but there's no traceable etymology for the word.
About Lan's sword...we do not need a book description, we have actual art of it from the original cover of Eye of the World approved by the Jordan himself, cross guards all around.
Which is interesting because he appears to be wearing samurai inspired armor but carries what looks to be an an arming sword/ short longsword and a short great sword/bastard sword/longer longsword
Yeah those covers... aren't great. As someone below pointed out, Lan is wearing armour which he doesn't do, and I'm pretty sure moraine is riding side saddle which she also doesn't do.
@@Lttlemoi I noticed that at least some of the Whitecloaks in the show had katana-like swords on their belts as well. They may or may not be planning on having that be a general standard for human swords in the show.
Thanks for that, but with how great some of the designs that are already out there, and shown in this video, I don't think mine would have been any better.
@@shadiversity Aye, but it would have been nice to see. Even if it was just a few tweaks and combinations of the designs out there already. Even if they aren't "better", it would still be nice to see all the right elements together. Your sword design vids are some of my fave and you do the so rarely.
That was my first thought, wenn I saw Tam al Thors heron sword. "Where is the heron on the hilt? How will that be able to hold true to the prophecy?" And it has been years, since I read the books.
Bedside the prophecy, half the reason he had to buy a "red or white" wrap for his sword before he met Elaine is because he wanted to cover the heron-mark HANDLE on his sword because it was drawing attention. No visible heron, no wrap, no in with the princess. The heron is noticed by many people throughout the book and if it's always tucked into a scabbard that can't happen.
They didn't even put Elaine in the first season. So that whole important part with major character introductions of Elaine and Elaida are completely cut out.
@@gaberielpendragon Rand meets Elaine in the first book, if they ran into the White Cloaks (specifically the old grandfatherly man) Rand should be in Camilon at around that point if I recall correctly. Haven't gone past first episode though. Pretty disappointed.
I'll warn you now, it's an epic. It takes forever to read through and I read fast, it's just not written to be easy to read fast. Lots of constant detail. The full Riftwar Cycle of 30 books I read in a month, the 14 books of the Wheel of Time took over two months, and that's reading a good 8 hours a day, sometimes 12 or more. WoT is an absolute beast of a read, and in the middle - book 9 or so - not a lot happens for a couple of books worth of reading. It is worth persisting because it's a great story, but it could have done with leaving a little more on the cutting room floor, possibly the first time I've ever said such a thing! It's just super dense, and I'm impatient lol. I'll wait to watch the TV series until I'm sure it won't be cancelled. I enjoyed the first series of Shannara and then they cancelled it after the second season, so I'm a little wary of getting emotionally involved in a TV conversion unless it's going to go all the way.
Yeah they did not do the Blademaster’s sword justice. Hopefully, when Callandor pops up it’s done better since that’s my favourite sword in all of fantasy. Wheel of Time is my favourite novel series and so far the tv series is disappointing, but I do think it has the potential to improve and maybe even live up to the source material some day
Oh god it needs so much work. The first episode left me sorely disappointed with the general feel. Felt like I was watching GoT lite. I do love their choice for Moiraine (spelling?) she fits the graceful intensity, and mature beauty I’ve always imagined from her. Otherwise… magical effects, adding in characters for almost no real reason, honestly I’m scared to watch more.
@@mytotim8978 from what i recall its stability was more of a design feature than a pure fault, it had no defined limits and drew from the two least stable powers, so yeah its gonna be a lot wilder than a normal artifact should be, but as you say, it definitely is seen as defective because of that
Definitely agree the sword is underwhelming, I love that falchion you showed and think that would be a much better sword than the one we got. I wonder if they're planning to cut down on some of the prophesies and this is the first indication of that. Makes some sense with how much would need to be condensed but I can see fans being disappointed by it. I wonder what you think of the defense of the show that it is "another turning of the wheel" aka not meant to be the same story as in the books but a different third age playing out. So far imo the episodes have improved since the first and I'm enjoying them for what they are, but there are definitely some lines that if crossed will lose me entirely like "we don't know if the dragon will be a girl or a boy" or if they drop saidin and saidar (I've seen strong hints that they aren't doing that but it isn't cemented yet).
I really liked the witcher tv show actually. But im not a huge witcher fan having only played witcher 3 and not having played it that much. I definitly feel this for the wot though so i understand how you feel about the witcher show. Maybe people who havent read the books enjoy this show the way i enjoyed the witcher.
@@shadowgear7032 Yeah. About Witcher. That might be true people enjoy this show and I don't know if the people who don't know books would enjoy even better the series when they kept to the source material. I think the show would be better. For example I still didn't play the game by myself. And if you would play it a lot and then know that netflix killed some character from the game beforehead you might be feel betrayed or something. I think netflix series is great improvement from that old polish series. The curse of the monsters are still in power (monsters weren't great). I loved Henry Cavill as Geralt. About The Whell of the Time it is the same. I've heard a lot opinions and still want to read this series but the show has terrifyingly bad reviews in comparrasion to what I've heard about books. If there is a potential that I could enjoy a show even more if the creators only would keep the source intact and follow it, and that potential are wasted because some unknown reasons, I feel sad.
@@arsov9885 As someone who's listened to the full (unabridged) audiobook series at least 6 times (and have started again since the show began airing), I'd say that much of the complaints (so far) have been from people who would complain about *any* changes from the novels. While I don't like all of the changes, I do like some, and the show has been very enjoyable for me so far (as of episode 3). The ultimate jury is still out for me; but, I'm giving it an optimistic chance (for now).
You just made something clear to me. I have no background in the Witcher and I do enjoy the show but because I love the WOT series I can't stand the show. I now get that they are not making the show for the people who read the novels. Sad thing is the readers are a big part of why the show got made.
Out of every company in the world, you would think that AMAZON would make franchise identifying sword right. You know... to sell the fk tone of it? What we got is "AMAZON Essentials". I'm surprised it isn't from cheapest plastic.
Regarding the Whitecloaks, I'm thinking/hoping that the outfit we see is specific to the inquisitors, who are far less of a fighting force than the rest of the Whitecloaks. If that is the case, their more ceremonial garb would be perfectly reasonable.
But if they're Questioners, then where is the shepherd's crook? Where even is their golden sunburst? The uniform they got in the show makes no sense whatsoever.
No heron mark on the hilt is a deal-breaker for me. It's one thing if it's just different from the description, but there's a very important plot-point that results from the heron being on the hilt! I have heard (and I believe this was from Brandon Sanderson) that Robert Jordan had a large sword collection, and that he had a specific one in mind when he referenced Rand/Tam's heron-mark sword. Why wouldn't they base the sword on that? I get that they wanted a visual storytelling thing (plain sword for a plain man,) but there's no reason to make it *ugly* and hard to look at like that piece of junk. I'm even fine with the "kinda looks like a katana" thing, it should just look like western katana, not a poor-man's katana. Whitecloaks? Where's the sunburst? My Sunbros gotta praise the sun! (I think that's what the pauldron's supposed to be, but it just looks dumb) Oh, don't bring up Callandor, I shudder to think of what they're going to do with the sword (that is not a sword) in the stone (that is not a stone)
They'll have to work out how to do that "heron" part from the Great Hunt now with that sword as it is. Perhaps they didn't "read ahead" in the series? Unless they make Egwene the Dragon Reborn and do something entirely different (but that would be bonkers with the rules of magic in the series being what they are).
The whole " we don't know if the dragon reborn is a boy or a girl" thing was infuriating. Stupid woke agenda. They KNEW the dragon will be reborn male.
@@casinferneycf45 If they were born female then it wouldn't be a problem as they'd just be accessing untainted Saidar and end up as a powerful Amrylin Seat in the White Tower. Would probably be a good thing... but what if they were born female but identified as male? What would happen then?
Counterpoint: refreshing your memory will make the changes made by the show more glaring, and it might make you dislike the show. I haven't seen the show and I'm currently going thru my first experience with the WoT via audiobook and i wonder if I did it backwards because of the point i just made.
@@aggressivenipples8391 I've gone through the audiobooks 6 or more times (and have just started again). So far, the only change to my head canon has been the appearance of the characters. Other than that, there are enough differences, between the two mediums, that I haven't had much problem with it. I think it was Brandon Sanderson (who finished the last 3 novels after Robert Jordan's death) that recommended viewing the series as simply another turning of the Wheel; with events playing out slightly differently in a newer/older Age. He's actually been advising the showrunners of the series (along with Jordan's wife/editor).
So far 75 percent of the show has been stuff that was mentioned In passing, rather than experienced by a character in POV, so it's kind of interesting seeing it. I've gone through the first 5 books in the last 3 or 4 months and I'm still enjoying the show. Book 4 was released when I first started my read, so I've been with the series for a long time.
I am saddened by the lack of faithfulness the show is displaying towards the books. Guess if i want to experience the wheel of time series again il just have to read it for the fourth time...
Perhaps the brands will actually come from one of his summoned swords made of pure fire instead? I remember the blades of those, at least, being described as having the heron mark as well.
To me the striking part is that if you look at all of the book covers, several of them depict rand holding or wearing swords. Nowhere in the cover arts are any of them shown as katana like.
@@SilvrSavior The world is a Mix of all races , even non human ones and yes there Both Asian and Arabic cultures and peoples. watch the video Shad mentions this isn't an issue.
Except that those covers have been a running joke within the fanbase for over 2 decades now for how wrong many of the details are. Using those as a benchmark for anything is a mistake. Its a misunderstanding of the publishing process to think that fantasy authors can just veto cover art that they don't like.
Glad you made this vid. I’m still really hyped for the show and think they’re nailing the core or bigger elements of the wheel of time but there really were a lot of things that they seemed to have overlooked.
While not unattractive, I always pictured her as being much shorter and younger looking. Lan is also much shorter than he's described in the books. He's actually supposed to be close to Rand in height. Of course, the actors for both characters are doing a fine job so far, in my opinion.
@@randlebrowne2048 Moraine looks more like how I pictured Nynaeve. Even if she she isn't older, she reminds me of an older, somewhat bitter woman. I couldn't get past the first episode though. The whole thing reminds me of watching something from the CW. As in, the acting, wardrobe, music...all on par with a show like 'The Outpost'. And I get that every TV show and movie has to be 'inclusive'...but they are literally putting the diversity of a city into a village. In villages 99% of stories have them where everyone is from the same place, most people are related to each other and the protagonist wants to leave BECAUSE the options for everything is so limited. The Two Rivers is isolated from the rest of the world which means it would be even more limited to who would be going there. I fine with them changing things, but for me, there has to be some logic to it.
I'm beginning to think that even if it doesn't get cancelled, that I might want to skip the TV port. I have clear impressions of the main characters and it sounds like as much a cock up as having Tom Cruise play Jack "the burly giant" Reacher. Which massively fucked me off and ruined the films. Or changing the battlefield and era, then casting Mark Wahlburg as Bob Lee Swagger. I hate it when they take liberties with the plot/characters/world/magic system in converting from print to the screen. If they can't be bothered with something as critical as Tam's sword, then they've got no respect for the material. And it's not the kind of series where you can browse through it in a day. It's a couple of months of solid reading that they got someone else to boil down to a synopsis, then they did their own thing based on that. Sounds like a cash grab rather than a passion project, and there are so few of the latter when it comes to books I love.
This reminds me of the original Polish Witcher show, where they gave Geralt a katana like sword, presumably because it was the late 90s and katanas were cool and every hero needed to have one.
no there was a more practical reason for it. it was because katana replicas in Poland were cheap chips and could be made out of recycled metal, that show was on a really low budget, only 200 pound an ep
'It's not a key world building element' It's gonnuh be *super* awkward for Rand to get that brand on his hand; someone's going to have to pistol whip him that sword.
@@aggressivenipples8391 Or. They will just simply not mention the prophecy and thus they do not need to spend time and effort on making the actor have brands in his hands for the entire series...
Do you know if the books ever describe the new hilt Rand has put on Laman’s Blade? Is it a katana styled hilt like on the cover of Knife of Dreams? Or is it a more typical medieval European styled hilt?
I have a few weapons I’d love to see u analyze 1. Keyblades from Kingdom Hearts 2. Scorpion’s Spear from Mortal Kombat 3. Freddy Krueger’s Glove I’d love it if u did any of these
I would love to hear Shad's thoughts on Arcane as someone who (to my knowledge) has never played League of Legends. The show is just so amazing that I recommend everyone to watch it even if you don't even know what League of legends is. A friend of mine has never played League and he said that it was probably the best tv show he has ever seen.
As an actual long-time league fan, I can confirm the show is great from both sides. The only (few) complaints I had about the show don't concern non-fans and really only have to do with continuity.
Was VERY happy when the picture at 6:44 came up. I used to subscribe to several sword catalogs when I was a lot younger, and that particular sword would nearly always be featured in several of them.
Wait, if the heron mark is on the blade, then how the heck is it supposed to mark Rand on his hands? That's supposed to be a huge deal in Rand fulfilling the prophecies and realizing his true nature as the Dragon Reborn.
Maybe he gets burned when summoning one of his signature swords made from solid flame for the first time? Possibly during that same fight with Ishamael/Balzamon?
Compound disliking is surely stronger than one-piece disliking - it may look smaller, but it yet can be much more powerful, and, without a doubt, is much more potent. Those other designs you showed are sooo great, that upper one at 9:40 looks amazing, as well as that at 10:53 ) Also this other back scabbard design is kinda nice, side ring on a cross guard would fit nicely to hook onto that knob
I was super disappointed that it's a katana, I've known this for a while, but ugh, to me the Heron Marked Blade is a Messer crossed with a Dao and a cruciform guard slightly down swept on the edged side, I know the crossguard is wrong in my mind but that's how I've always pictured it.
Thank you, that’s what I was looking for, yeah I always imagine the sword as like a dao with a heron on the hilt snd golden scrollwork and stuff encasing the back of the blade
A friend of mine actually gave me a Heron Sword a while back (the Windlass version). He just sorta had one, and wasn't attached to it, and he knew I like swords.
I will admit I love katanas, I am a massive weeb, but cramming them into Western fantasy like the Wheel of Time is just heresy. Maybe I just didn't pay that much attention to the audiobook when I first listened but I always imagined Rand's Heron Marked sword as a traditional two handed long sword with a black heron crest on the crossgaurd Why the hell did they just make it a katana? *Edit* After some time of thought, heresy might have been too strong a word, but I will not back down on it being ridiculous given how many Western fantasies feature the katana.
@@SimonWoodburyForget By Western I mean it applies more to a fantastical version of western Medieval Europe as compared to Eastern Asia. Granted some fantasy worlds do have a blend of East and West heritage mixed in but it's been something along the lines of like a traditional Japanese castle populated by English, French or Germanic knights with their style of arms, armors and fortresses.
If you pay attention to the iconography at the beginning of each chapter, Rand’s chapters are often symbolized by a sword. It looks like a katana. In the descriptions, it’s often described as having a slight curve and a single edge to it.
@@emeraldmann1329 true, but I’ve always seen those with basket hilts. The circular hilt is a problematic issue, I’d rather see a true cross guard. But the blade itself is pretty close to what was in my head
it is clear to me that the writers of the tv series do not actually like Wheel of Time. The lack of attention to detail, especially for things that have an impact in later books, show that they not read the books, and they haven't asked someone who has read the books for advise while writing the script. I'll watch the first few episodes to see how they do, but I don't have high hopes for the series.
Yessss!!! Thank you so much! Can't wait to see the episodic breakdown. I tried to suspend my excitement but I couldn't and the show got lots wrong and did loads of weird things.
I was also like: Oh, that's it? Like it just looked like bare minimum. In a fun twist though, my friends (who have not read the books), they didn't even realize the blade was important at all, so they didn't catch on at all that Rand is the dragon. Most thinking it was between the female leads. I think its kinda funny, because if you know nothing, it kinda does make sense. They immediately show that they have the ability to wield the one power, while the guys didn't. So they all concluded it would be one of the girls, and that Rand would just be their Warder or something.
@@aaronforsythe8556 I imagine this is more to encourage discussion, by creating a less certain situation with more players, and perhaps as a more "gender equal" approach rather than an actual change to the Dragon. Changing the overall story in a significant way (the changes so far aren't really significant concerning the overall narrative) would go down very badly with the fanbase and I cannot imagine Harriet would sign off on it if such changes were proposed.
@@AveSicarius While I agree, let’s not forget about bullshit like Masters of the Universe and Ghostbusters 2016. Nothing is off the table if you ask me.
@@NathanCassidy721 Rand will be the Dragon, but they are not going to reveal it until the last episode, they are smokescreening the shit out of it for dramatic purposes. In ep 3 the Darkfriends hinted that the shadow thought there was 5 possible dragons.
I always imagined it as a very fancy slender two-handed scimitar. This aloud for regional variations between seanchan, the borderlands and AL thor's sword. So long as it was a two-handed curved sword that had obvious Heron markings on it that would be enough to identify it.
People tend to not realize that katana were backup weapons, sidearms, secondary weapons, etc... not main line battlefield weapons. Samurai used longer blades for actual battle, but far more often bows/crossbows and a variety of their equivalent of polearms were used as their primary weapons in actual battle. Amazingly enough, people make the same mistakes when they think about European knights and battles. Everyone thinks that people used swords as the primary weapons (probably because swords are awesome) even though all but the largest swords were primarily used as backup weapons or easy to carry weapons for protection outside of real battles.
Gotta be honest here guys. I where already skeptical towards the show but thought I would give it a chance. Now I don't know if I'll even do that much, I mean to miss-represent such an iconic AND important part of the story like Rands Heron sword! And Perrins axe and icing on the cake: the white cloaks, Children of the Light. I always pictured them along the line of Knights Templar not poor knockoff D'n'D monks or clerics.
I really like the Reliks version. Kind of a mix between a falchion & a Swiss saber. Reliks always makes really nice stuff. Though the price definitely reflects it but for a bespoke piece it's appropriate.
I agree Shad. Wheel of time is my all time favorite series. When Tam pulled out the Heron Marked Sword I was immediately disappointed. So tiny! And it's just a plain katana. Let's hope they do a better job with Callandor. Also you should mention your other channel more. This is the 1st I'm hearing of it. I'll check it out. I enjoy your personality. You seem like a really good dude.
I have to agree, the one sword with the twist in the quillions is beautiful, and accurate to the description in the book. The one in the show is... just a boring looking katana. Not even a good looking katana.
And always Rand hid his sword inside his jacket when on the road in EOTW, so it couldn't be too huge, and worn on the hip for sure. Back wear is only for ninjas which Lan clearly is
It really feels that for some weird reason all those meetings and thousands of man-hours they apparently spent on designing the weapons and props were actually spent making sure they didn't accidentally make anything book-accurate. It's almost baffling.
@@stephenyates1415 I mean the TRs people are described as dark, I always imagined them as almost Mediterranean. The major issue is that they diversified what should be a relatively homogeneous community, I actually think the core cast would have been more than fine (though Perrin could do to be a little shorter and significantly broader) IF they had represented that this was the norm for the TRs. They clearly didn't do this, and the range in phenotype was pretty extreme for what is supposed to be a relatively insular people of common heritage, I mean even if they were originally a diverse group, which could be the case given the circumstances by which they came to be, they would still become very homogeneous over generations of interbreeding and would represent a mix of all the dominant traits present. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if the marketing executives were behind much of these changes, they want so badly to sell a product as "diversified" but fail to understand how it should actually be implemented into a narrative effectively, or even understand if a narrative is already diverse.
@@AveSicarius they're described as dark, but not black. Nothing suggests African to me in the fiction and the previous cover artwork suggested southern European.
Anyone think the production company could have had a competition and the reward was the sword gets in the show, a credit, and a minor speaking part as the blacksmith that gives Perrin his hammer…
Wheel of time was such a fantastic series, I just got my dad to start reading... I'm a little terrified of watching the show because of how much I loved the books.
You have to change your perspective if you want to enjoy it. It is not a re creation of the books. It’s an adaption. It’s a different turning of the wheel. It’s the lives the characters live when they are next spun into reality. If you can’t see it with that perspective you will be very disappointed. The books will always be the books and this doesn’t change what they mean at all. It’s a new way of telling the main points of the story.
Maybe they get it cleaned up in a later episodeeee? I really don’t know but katanas that are cleaned up with some gold trim on the hand loooook stunning but that sword looks like it was buried under dirt with how dirty it looks
Maybe. They could even redeem the lack of herons of the hilt if the found them under old wrappings while cleaning it up. It's still a katana though which is not something they can fix.
All those amazing fantasy heron mark swords out there, and they went with a wannabe katana, and an apparent fake (I mean that thing really looks like it could do with a makeover) . I am actually a katana fan, and also of the Wheel of Time (RIP, R. Jordan, ,) and I still would have preferred they'd gone with one of the other designs. They may still give Rand a different type of heron mark sword (especially if they pay attention to fan concerns about Lan's), and considering how he comes across it in the books, there is a ready made plausible explanation as to how that happens (WoT readers might remember the sword's 'before and after' forms. They could use some version of that. .) I suppose there's the other weapons to look forward to like Callandor (hope they don't mess that up) and Mat's spear which I imagined to be some version of a naginata. Ever since the live action Transformers movies I've learned to be a bit wary when my favourite books/franchises are adopted into other forms. I guess I'll wait to see how the TV series turns out.
I'd always pictured Mat's "spear" as more of a Glaive. As it was fairly broad but still had a point. Also that's what the art on the book covers showed.
(Spoilers) Don't forget that Rand is given Laman's sword as a gift by Avienda later in the series (I think it might have also had a heron mark). He could also take the Seanchan Highlord blademaster's sword as well. Of course, they could always have the heron marks in prophesy come from one of the channeled swords made of flame that Rand eventually uses as a mainstay.
@@randlebrowne2048 I was referring to Laman's sword. I'm thinking it could at first appearance appear to be a gaudy European style 'display' sword - until the blade is revealed. (which would also reveal that, by that Age, it wasn't only those katana type swords that had those special blades) And then the blade is rehilted into something more faithful to the books. (the 'before and after' I was referring to).
I was watching Lan’s back whenever possible to see if his scabbard was a shabbard, but I could never get a good enough look. Thanks for analyzing. Brandon Sanderson should have used whatever influence he could to point them to you in designing that, it just doesn’t seem as efficient.
In the books the Heron Marked Sword, at least to me, is very clearly a Kriegsmesser… The production quality of the show has been one disappointment after another.
That Katana looks like it was made by a blacksmith who just found out he had to made 50 blades in a day so was cutting every corner he possibly could to get them all done
Even the Falchion style sword you showed is inaccurate (aside from the crossguards not being braided). Rand's sword is (nearly) indestructible. This would allow the makers to make the blade thin and light, allowing for faster and more precise movement. So, imagine the falchion style sword, but with a thinner blade. This is what is meant by "fragile looking". Yes it compares it to the merchant guard blades, which are essentially clubs with a bit of edge, so by comparison the Falchion style blade you show would seem light, but it still looks like it can take and give heavy hits. It still looks sturdy, not "fragile". I imagine the heron-marked sword was more like a two-handed saber with a thin blade. (note: Spoilers. Do not read on if you haven't completed the series) Especially when he loses a hand and Tam teaches him to use it one-handed. It needs to be light enough that this is an option.
Yes, but it would be impractical to make a prop that is thin enough like you mentioned and be usable for acting in fight scenes without flopping around like the sheet metal it would be without being Power-wrought. Shad talks about this in the video he made about the sword in Shadow of the Conqueror. That sword is very similar, it has magic that allows it to be super thin without losing any mechanical properties. But to make a usable prop for choreographing fight scenes for the movie, it had to be thicker
6:50 Few years ago sent you a tweet on how would "Heron Mark" blades would look or what kind of sword it would be, that image on the right is close to what I imagined from reading the books. 👍
I always imagined it as a katana with a longsword crossguard also with blue leather Edit- that image at 6:46 is almost perfect, but i thought it had more of a katana wrap on the handle, as it mentions the knobbly leather. Unless that was Lan's sword, and im remembering wrong
We often have problems in adapting mangas into anime, wich are two media very close to each other, that's why when adapting a novel into a live action they should be faithful to the source material wherever they can so as to balance the changes that are inevitable.
Hey Shad, could you make a video about The Fierce Deity's Sword. It looks cool and I want to hear your opinion and thoughts on it since my friends think is "Not Practical" in Combat, The Double Helix Greatsword is a Magical Greatsword. It has holes in its Helix shaped blade which allows Fierce Deity Link to hone his magic Power and fire it as Magical beams from it. It also has good Range and close combat if Fierce Deity Link chose to fight up close or if he chose to fight from a distance. (The Fierce Deity's Sword is called the Double Helix Greatsword)
For someone who loves the creativity, artistry, and attention to detail that was taken with the Peter Jackson LotR movies, these frumpy katana knockoffs are a profound disappointment.
The half moon ax is seen at the very beginning during the attack, it is what he uses to injure the other smith. It may not be quite to the style it should be, but it does have the spike and all the elements that are described in the book.
Something to remember about Lan's sword, it's a Power wrought sword, made in the same style as typical Heron Marked swords that were Power Wrought, it just lacks the Heron Markings that were intended for Blademasters. Lan has a sword that was originally meant for a common soldier, that just happened to also be Power Wrought. The sword that Lan has also won't necessarily be indicative of what would be customary of Malkieri as the sword would have predated the Malkieri civilization.
I think I'm being too critical as I love the books. I don't like Perrin's altered origin, Mat seems too dark and angsty. Rand and Egwene weren't in a sexual relationship. Two Rivers was always homogeneous in the books, until taking in refugees from the Seanchan invasion, but the show makes the place incredibly diverse. And the culture is overwhelmingly matriarchal.
The first series is supposed to go through all the way up to the end of "the great hunt". They decided to have that as a mark in order to have a grand final end to the season. With as much information as that to cram into a single season, they had to make choices of what to cut. Perrin's origin, told as written, would have occupied SOOOO much screen time that the core of the story would be buried. Their ability to continue the series depends on how successful this first season is. That's a tremendous amount of pressure, and decisions had to be made. Hopefully in the future they can further explore the dynamics of Perrin, as his abilities are further explored later in the book series as well, but in the first season they had to establish the following: 1: a reason for him to leave town with the rest (accomplished by the death of his wife). 2: an odd connection with wolves that can be explored later in the story. 3: his overall demeanor and attitude. There is simply so much story to tell, and not enough time to tell it all. And as for the matriarchal society, it is actually somewhat that way in the book. The women's circle was private, held sway over the governing of the town, and so forth. There are several kingdoms ruled over by queens, and a large part of the governing was done by women. The two rivers was very homogenous in the book, which is why rand stuck out so much. But in the show, it was pointed out that nyneve was adopted, which explains her distinct appearance. There is more diversity in two rivers in the show then in the book, but ultimately the core of the story is not lost in that detail. Mat was a little less lighthearted in the beginning then I pictures him, but not much. After he got the dagger, his mood took a downturn, but that is perfectly in line with the book, because that was what turned rand to the idea that something might be wrong. Ultimately, everyone had their own idea of how a role should be played, and the people directly involved in it can't make everyone happy, but the core storyline is, to this point, being followed as close as possible given the time restraint and amount of information going into it.
It did bother me that rand and Egwene had a sexual relationship, but in today's culture it really didn't surprise me that they just kinda went with it. Disappointing, but ultimately not detracting from or adding to the primary story.
@@robertsunde7973 I agree. Depicted in the book, he kind of lumbers over everyone, picking his way through crowds so he doesn't hurt people, picking up women and moving them... I think this actor has the right mentality, or at least close, but the newlywed thing my wife and I definitely had trouble getting over. Not only was it not cannon, but it was super jarring. I literally jumped when it happened. I suspected she would die, but, like, I thought a trollic would do it.
animation/live action adaptations usually suffer most from the length of original material being way too long to do in one movie/season and after that might even come the changes that director makes to their own liking that can make the series for fans of original material less than stellar at best and hated at worst
Twice and twice shall he be marked,
twice to live, and twice to die.
Once the heron, to set his path.
Twice the heron, to name him true.
Once the Dragon, for remembrance lost.
Twice the Dragon, for the price he must pay.
Ohh boiiyo can't wait for the tattoo machine Ter'angreal.
@@Adam_okaay lmao
Yeah how on earth is the heron not on the handle gonna bran him
@@Valiguss It bugged me so much lmao is he just gonna take the sword by the blade to beat Ishamael with the pommel
@@Valiguss IF they touch on that at all they'll probably just have him grab the blade while its hot for some asinine reason.
I always pictured the White Cloaks wearing armor and having (get this) WHITE CLOAKS.
They did In fact in the book. It's specifically said both of these things. It is said that the reason Amazon is doing wheel of time is they felt that there is something they could mess with without having so much backlash from the fans. If this is true, I feel a little bit of pity for these poor unfortunate fools
As lord commander of the white cloaks I can verify that white cloaks have white cloaks.
Common kids you know why we can't have nice things, don't be racist
Where were the burnished full breastplates, and chain mail? Why were they all wearing crappy cavalry sabers? When, if I remember correctly, they wore the swords of their homelands?
Tents in orderly rows, horse picket lines? They were not portrayed as the military order they were. So disappointing.
They look ridiculous.
Shad - your criticism is very much warranted and while it would be impossible for the "movie"-makers to exactly match the images in your head, I completely agree that just going for a katana is kinda like the people in question looking at one another and going ".... the kids like those, right?"
More like the production was being lazy, or the prop master never bothered to read the book themself.
@@greylocke100 that or they went "Asian sword? Like .... a katana, right? That's an asian sword, right?" And stopped reading right there
@@Eckister the official Heron Marked Blade from windlass has been out for years and is basically a Katana as well, but the hilt is different so..
@@justicar5 so nothing. Like I said - extremely shallow research and a desire for the sword to be recogniseable > *tadaaaa*
Its almost like studios hire people who don't give a damn about a story, even one loved by millions, to make the shows and things in them. They make more changes to fit their narratives than they pay attention to the detail of the story created in the first place.
This doesn't really feel like WoT to me outside of it saying that there are women who do magic and its kinda set in a middle ages looking setting. They have the budget and tech to make it amazing (and honestly the CGI is cool), but they fail because they don't get someone who cares about the actual story, I'm not sure if its better or worse that Jordan isn't alive to see this.
_"We need a sword for this show, its a very specific weapon and plays a big part in the plot. We need to get this right people."_
*"Hey boss! I have an old katana at home that my kid brother bought at a yard sale last year."*
_"PERFECT! someone glue a heron on there and lets go."_
I mean it's important but it gets melted pretty early on...
"It will also give us an in with the weeboo market!"
@@Adam_okaay but than the imige of it was used as Rands powersword
Now I'm wondering where all the funding for the show went. Smh! Someone pocketed a shit ton of cash and stached it somewhere. It comes over lazy, cheap and nonchalant with all these mishaps to the show, where is the attention to detail to the show these people supposed to care about?
I instantly think of a polish two handed saber. It fits the whole sword of multiple centuries of history and practical in various settings.
Yes.
Just so.
Another option could be the karabela, a late, ornate model of the Polish sabre, with the handle in the shape of a bird, usually an eagle. How awesome would it be, if they made Tam's sword a karabela with a handle of stylized heron head (and then a whole heron on the blade).
I was thinking Swiss Saber. Ronin Katana makes a beautiful two- hand Swiss Saber.
The Albion Knecht kreigsmesser is what I've always had in my head when they talk about the sword
@@robertpruitt5704 I think we are thinking of the same thing. The design has a lot of history of being used throughout the Northern European area. It it flow very nicely with the “Hey I can still use this!” In later times.
The critical point is that the heron marked swords are supposed to be a masters weapon. That description of looking "more fragile" then the common weapons around it has always struck in my memory. The sword in the show looks like a sword made by an apprentice and relegated to the practice pile to be beaten to death
The weapon tam had in the book was extremly basic, it was only ever the other heron marked blades that had sny real des8gn details
@@daltosmithman269 it's not the aesthetic details that I'm thinking of. The big one in my mind is the blade itself, it looks like a steel cut out that has been given an edge. Shad pointed out the lack of details like a fuller or a proper cross guard. Those are mechanical details that change the way a blade works. It looks like a sword that was mass produced for an untrained soldier
you are aware the sword was powerwrought
@@BouncingTribbles thags fair for a power wrought blade it should definetly be better then it is in terms of functionality, aesteticly it just needs the heron on the hilt and it would have been good but the blade is trash i can agree
Im a blacksmith and was like who made this weapon a aorentice?
Being the wrong type of sword is a less important problem than it being pretty damned ugly.
I concur. Lan even says very early on that heron-mark blades are magical, so they never need to be sharpened or cleaned. Despite years of neglect, that blade should be in pristine condition, but in the show it looks dull, rusty, almost.
@@farkasmactavish an important distinction, yes.
Depends if they are power forged or not
@@SimonWoodburyForget did you even watch the video?
well I think that when rand took it for the first time it was dusty and a bit dirty, but he ends up cleaning it up and then gets eventually told sharpening it wont do anything. it just feels like they took the very first impression of the sword and completely forgot about the whole "oh btw, this sword is frikin magic and it cant get rusty"
I just realised something... what will callendor look like?! hope they dont butcher that one as well...
Ever since I saw the Heron Sword from a fantasy website for swords recreated from fantasy books, it's been what visually stood out for the Wheel of Time. The show didn't just make it a boring substandard katana, they also robbed it of color, which fantasy series seemed addicted to. They also really make themselves look like substandard artists to the fans who previously made reproductions. Fable Blades have done some of the most beautiful fantasy blades ever, and their Wheel of Time inspired swords are no exception.
Thankyou 🤗🗡
Me seeing Rand’s katana: Shad’s gonna hate this
Every time I see a version of the heron sword that doesn’t have the heron on the handle in a way that could line up with the palm of the hand I am pure confusion. Like… that’s one of the only absolute deal breakers for imagining it, and so many still whiff. Sadness.
Yeah it’s a literal requirement for the weapon
Further, the herons on each side of the hilt need to be offset/staggered so that a heron is under each palm when gripped. Having a heron on each side directly opposite each other is not enough.
@@CaptainStinkyVonPoopberg That isn't really the case.
The brands aren't made at the same time and changing the grip on a sword isn't that hard to explain, especially when you use a bunch of different stances/styles.
Well, they took so many liberties with the source material that the show barely resembles Wheel of Time anyway. What's another "small" detail? :(
He could block with it or grab it on the heron and it would end up the same
I always imagined the heron marked sword being a two handed messer. That just seems to fit the length, cross guard style, and the general feeling of weight I always associated with it. Good video!
I always pictured it as more a hand and a half saber type weapon.
@@Spartan1337noob I could see that, too. Just not katana. Though, one of my friends said he always read it as a katana. Pretty sure I gave him a weird look when he said that, but there ARE people who interpreted it that way, even if I can't see it. Lol
@@andrewt3768 Fair enough.
They were was always was depicted as a long sword hilt with a kriegsmesser type blade in the art. I could understand the ones the seanchan use being katana, but not the one that Tam got from Illian, or any of the other ones we read about.
Yeah same, I always thought of a longsword hilt with a two handed messer blade
The Katana is not a katana. An ugly katana is not a katana. I am officially beauty-shaming substandard katanas.
True. Also on a more technical not, it is missing a few key elements that any real katana should have, like a habaki, the copper or brass ring around the base of the blade above the tsuba, that is there to hold the blade steady in the scabbard and prevent it from rattling around.
Agreed one should not cheapen the beauty of a true katana. I love that he covers the quality of weapons and armor. I have updated my dnd PC s and NPCs accordingly. I love collecting edged weapons (who doesn't?) So i love the reviews do keep them coming!
I have a beat up, combat ready katana at home I would have been more willing to put on screen. The props department really dropped the ball there.
It really reminds me more of a wodao a Chinese sword inspired by Japanese swords Wich were generally of less aesthetic value for the sake of ease of production
@@melissawardjohns220 nice
Agreed. The sword was a real letdown. There was so much reference to the sword being noticed and being special and looking very valuable, yet the one in the show seems so plain.
Agreed. It's... so disappointing looking.
Can we also discuss Rand's $10 Home Depot Board-bow?!
Wasn't the main thing people noticed on his original sword the heron mark? Like that was what people cared about the most in the book from what I remember. It also has been a bit since I read the book so I might not be remembering it right.
Everything in the show has looked low-effort cosplay.
What i thought when I saw Tam's sword was that the show runners weren't paying as close attention as they said. Big red flag IMHO
"average person associate single edged curved sword with asian swords, especially katanas"
pirates: i'm a joke to you?
Yeah the image shade showed looks more like a two handed scimitar
looked more like a messer to me
@@ducontra666999 yes my mistake, it does seem to be in the messer falcion family
@@troperhghar9898 fun fact "scimitars" aren't real swords, it's a made up European word to describe Middle Eastern and South Asian, allegedly it stems from a Greek word meaning "barbarian sword" but there's no traceable etymology for the word.
@@Adam_okaay well then, ive heard "shamshir" used before is that the correct name or just another europeon construct?
About Lan's sword...we do not need a book description, we have actual art of it from the original cover of Eye of the World approved by the Jordan himself, cross guards all around.
Which is interesting because he appears to be wearing samurai inspired armor but carries what looks to be an an arming sword/ short longsword and a short great sword/bastard sword/longer longsword
Same with the heron marked swords. I recall it on a book cover also prior to the author's death. Also personally approved.
It would make sense that all swords have the same general functional features, considering they all use the same fencing style.
Yeah those covers... aren't great. As someone below pointed out, Lan is wearing armour which he doesn't do, and I'm pretty sure moraine is riding side saddle which she also doesn't do.
@@Lttlemoi I noticed that at least some of the Whitecloaks in the show had katana-like swords on their belts as well. They may or may not be planning on having that be a general standard for human swords in the show.
I would love to have seen you design your own take on the Heron Mark Sword (and matching scabbard) in 3d like you have done before.
Thanks for that, but with how great some of the designs that are already out there, and shown in this video, I don't think mine would have been any better.
@@shadiversity Aye, but it would have been nice to see. Even if it was just a few tweaks and combinations of the designs out there already. Even if they aren't "better", it would still be nice to see all the right elements together. Your sword design vids are some of my fave and you do the so rarely.
That was my first thought, wenn I saw Tam al Thors heron sword. "Where is the heron on the hilt? How will that be able to hold true to the prophecy?"
And it has been years, since I read the books.
Bedside the prophecy, half the reason he had to buy a "red or white" wrap for his sword before he met Elaine is because he wanted to cover the heron-mark HANDLE on his sword because it was drawing attention.
No visible heron, no wrap, no in with the princess.
The heron is noticed by many people throughout the book and if it's always tucked into a scabbard that can't happen.
They didn't even put Elaine in the first season. So that whole important part with major character introductions of Elaine and Elaida are completely cut out.
@@casinferneycf45 I haven't watched one second yet so... yet more apprehension. 😔
I think there is one on the scabbard but I'm not positive. Still, agreed it would have been better to see it on the handle.
@@casinferneycf45 They haven't gotten that far either. Could have an entire season of content before they get even close to meeting Elaine.
@@gaberielpendragon Rand meets Elaine in the first book, if they ran into the White Cloaks (specifically the old grandfatherly man) Rand should be in Camilon at around that point if I recall correctly.
Haven't gone past first episode though. Pretty disappointed.
I think the backscabord from the show is practical for protection againts weather.
Maybe, but I suspect Shad's design is much easier to resheath.
The books have been on my radar for a long time and now that I know how dirty they did something so simple I’ve gotta read them now
I'll warn you now, it's an epic. It takes forever to read through and I read fast, it's just not written to be easy to read fast. Lots of constant detail.
The full Riftwar Cycle of 30 books I read in a month, the 14 books of the Wheel of Time took over two months, and that's reading a good 8 hours a day, sometimes 12 or more. WoT is an absolute beast of a read, and in the middle - book 9 or so - not a lot happens for a couple of books worth of reading.
It is worth persisting because it's a great story, but it could have done with leaving a little more on the cutting room floor, possibly the first time I've ever said such a thing! It's just super dense, and I'm impatient lol.
I'll wait to watch the TV series until I'm sure it won't be cancelled. I enjoyed the first series of Shannara and then they cancelled it after the second season, so I'm a little wary of getting emotionally involved in a TV conversion unless it's going to go all the way.
Nice work! As a massive wheel of time myself, have been for years, thumbs up to you.
Are you the whole wheel ?
Damn, so you're a wheel?
I've always wanted to be one
@@Gacho39 Well, with the OP and the three replies you can each be a wheel.
It'll be perfect.
I can be the stearing wheel of time.
Yeah they did not do the Blademaster’s sword justice. Hopefully, when Callandor pops up it’s done better since that’s my favourite sword in all of fantasy. Wheel of Time is my favourite novel series and so far the tv series is disappointing, but I do think it has the potential to improve and maybe even live up to the source material some day
Callandor is not even a sword, is a sa angreal made of a glash substance with the form of a sword. And is not even a stable one.
@@mytotim8978 yeah I mean its sword form, which it appears in quite a bit
Oh god it needs so much work. The first episode left me sorely disappointed with the general feel. Felt like I was watching GoT lite. I do love their choice for Moiraine (spelling?) she fits the graceful intensity, and mature beauty I’ve always imagined from her. Otherwise… magical effects, adding in characters for almost no real reason, honestly I’m scared to watch more.
@@mytotim8978 Yet if you poke it at someone's gut it will work pretty well :P
@@mytotim8978 from what i recall its stability was more of a design feature than a pure fault, it had no defined limits and drew from the two least stable powers, so yeah its gonna be a lot wilder than a normal artifact should be, but as you say, it definitely is seen as defective because of that
Two handed sabres, messers and falchions were a thing ffs. But I'm not shocked that they lazily made a boring looking katana.
They don’t know about anything else, and it’s really boring.
You have said everything I was feeling, but with expert, knowledgable sword words. Thank you, Shad!
I don’t know what was more surprising. The fact they made the sword look ugly like that, or the praise it got on Twitter when they revealed it.
Definitely agree the sword is underwhelming, I love that falchion you showed and think that would be a much better sword than the one we got. I wonder if they're planning to cut down on some of the prophesies and this is the first indication of that. Makes some sense with how much would need to be condensed but I can see fans being disappointed by it. I wonder what you think of the defense of the show that it is "another turning of the wheel" aka not meant to be the same story as in the books but a different third age playing out. So far imo the episodes have improved since the first and I'm enjoying them for what they are, but there are definitely some lines that if crossed will lose me entirely like "we don't know if the dragon will be a girl or a boy" or if they drop saidin and saidar (I've seen strong hints that they aren't doing that but it isn't cemented yet).
Have you seen the Way of the Heron channel? They are working on developing the forms based on the descriptions in the books.
I always imagined it as more of a falchion, like a really thicker slightly curved saber, especially because of the very flowing style attributed to it
There are even times when Rand is forced to fight one handed as well.
You are an amazing creator, thank you for reinvigorating my love in history
The same think I feel about Netflix' Witcher adaptation. They changed some things without a reason for the worst.
I really liked the witcher tv show actually. But im not a huge witcher fan having only played witcher 3 and not having played it that much. I definitly feel this for the wot though so i understand how you feel about the witcher show. Maybe people who havent read the books enjoy this show the way i enjoyed the witcher.
@@shadowgear7032 Yeah. About Witcher. That might be true people enjoy this show and I don't know if the people who don't know books would enjoy even better the series when they kept to the source material. I think the show would be better. For example I still didn't play the game by myself. And if you would play it a lot and then know that netflix killed some character from the game beforehead you might be feel betrayed or something. I think netflix series is great improvement from that old polish series. The curse of the monsters are still in power (monsters weren't great). I loved Henry Cavill as Geralt.
About The Whell of the Time it is the same. I've heard a lot opinions and still want to read this series but the show has terrifyingly bad reviews in comparrasion to what I've heard about books. If there is a potential that I could enjoy a show even more if the creators only would keep the source intact and follow it, and that potential are wasted because some unknown reasons, I feel sad.
@@arsov9885 As someone who's listened to the full (unabridged) audiobook series at least 6 times (and have started again since the show began airing), I'd say that much of the complaints (so far) have been from people who would complain about *any* changes from the novels.
While I don't like all of the changes, I do like some, and the show has been very enjoyable for me so far (as of episode 3). The ultimate jury is still out for me; but, I'm giving it an optimistic chance (for now).
You just made something clear to me. I have no background in the Witcher and I do enjoy the show but because I love the WOT series I can't stand the show.
I now get that they are not making the show for the people who read the novels. Sad thing is the readers are a big part of why the show got made.
@@jonmanning7101 Im sorry to say they would never make a show for the people who like the novels. Its not a big enough audience
Out of every company in the world, you would think that AMAZON would make franchise identifying sword right. You know... to sell the fk tone of it?
What we got is "AMAZON Essentials". I'm surprised it isn't from cheapest plastic.
Regarding the Whitecloaks, I'm thinking/hoping that the outfit we see is specific to the inquisitors, who are far less of a fighting force than the rest of the Whitecloaks. If that is the case, their more ceremonial garb would be perfectly reasonable.
But if they're Questioners, then where is the shepherd's crook? Where even is their golden sunburst? The uniform they got in the show makes no sense whatsoever.
The group of Whitecloaks who are shown in the TV show included both questioners and regular whitecloaks
I always saw them as looking like crusaders with a sunburst instead of a cross
No heron mark on the hilt is a deal-breaker for me. It's one thing if it's just different from the description, but there's a very important plot-point that results from the heron being on the hilt!
I have heard (and I believe this was from Brandon Sanderson) that Robert Jordan had a large sword collection, and that he had a specific one in mind when he referenced Rand/Tam's heron-mark sword. Why wouldn't they base the sword on that? I get that they wanted a visual storytelling thing (plain sword for a plain man,) but there's no reason to make it *ugly* and hard to look at like that piece of junk. I'm even fine with the "kinda looks like a katana" thing, it should just look like western katana, not a poor-man's katana.
Whitecloaks? Where's the sunburst? My Sunbros gotta praise the sun! (I think that's what the pauldron's supposed to be, but it just looks dumb)
Oh, don't bring up Callandor, I shudder to think of what they're going to do with the sword (that is not a sword) in the stone (that is not a stone)
They'll have to work out how to do that "heron" part from the Great Hunt now with that sword as it is. Perhaps they didn't "read ahead" in the series? Unless they make Egwene the Dragon Reborn and do something entirely different (but that would be bonkers with the rules of magic in the series being what they are).
Them not reading ahead one book would explain some of the character choices.
The whole " we don't know if the dragon reborn is a boy or a girl" thing was infuriating. Stupid woke agenda. They KNEW the dragon will be reborn male.
@@casinferneycf45 If they were born female then it wouldn't be a problem as they'd just be accessing untainted Saidar and end up as a powerful Amrylin Seat in the White Tower. Would probably be a good thing... but what if they were born female but identified as male? What would happen then?
@@casinferneycf45 Makes me wonder how they handle the whole resurrected Forsaken thing if they get that far.
If you think that you know nothing about who is making this show.
I pictured the sword more like the elf blades in LOTR.
Thranduil's swords would have been pretty close to perfect for me.
This adaptation is making me want to read the books again to refresh my memory and keep them from poisoning it.
Counterpoint: refreshing your memory will make the changes made by the show more glaring, and it might make you dislike the show.
I haven't seen the show and I'm currently going thru my first experience with the WoT via audiobook and i wonder if I did it backwards because of the point i just made.
@@aggressivenipples8391 I've gone through the audiobooks 6 or more times (and have just started again). So far, the only change to my head canon has been the appearance of the characters. Other than that, there are enough differences, between the two mediums, that I haven't had much problem with it.
I think it was Brandon Sanderson (who finished the last 3 novels after Robert Jordan's death) that recommended viewing the series as simply another turning of the Wheel; with events playing out slightly differently in a newer/older Age. He's actually been advising the showrunners of the series (along with Jordan's wife/editor).
So far 75 percent of the show has been stuff that was mentioned In passing, rather than experienced by a character in POV, so it's kind of interesting seeing it. I've gone through the first 5 books in the last 3 or 4 months and I'm still enjoying the show. Book 4 was released when I first started my read, so I've been with the series for a long time.
I am saddened by the lack of faithfulness the show is displaying towards the books.
Guess if i want to experience the wheel of time series again il just have to read it for the fourth time...
I view it as simply another turning of the Wheel; with events playing out a bit differently.
@@randlebrowne2048 LOL, I like that.
Yeah, I was excited to see the heron marked sword, it was really a huge letdown
Shad, thank you for bearing the pain, suffering, and heartbreak of the WoT show, so others such as I do not. Your sacrifice will be remembered.
It is supposed to have a heron on the hilt. Instead they put it on the habaki. They were so lazy they couldn't even get a custom hilt made.
Perhaps the brands will actually come from one of his summoned swords made of pure fire instead? I remember the blades of those, at least, being described as having the heron mark as well.
@@randlebrowne2048 the blade he summons is supposed to be shaped after the very one Tam gave him... So, nope. They fucked up.
They couldn't even give it a true habaki
To me the striking part is that if you look at all of the book covers, several of them depict rand holding or wearing swords. Nowhere in the cover arts are any of them shown as katana like.
I've only read the 1st and 3/4 of the 2nd, but the world seems European so what the bell is that katana doing there?
@@SilvrSavior the borderlands have a distinct far East impression.
@@SilvrSavior The world is a Mix of all races , even non human ones and yes there Both Asian and Arabic cultures and peoples. watch the video Shad mentions this isn't an issue.
@@AlbertoMartinez765 . It is for 2 rivers. He was just wrong in the knight watch
Except that those covers have been a running joke within the fanbase for over 2 decades now for how wrong many of the details are. Using those as a benchmark for anything is a mistake. Its a misunderstanding of the publishing process to think that fantasy authors can just veto cover art that they don't like.
Shad : "I am not katana-ist. I have some katana friends."
Glad you made this vid. I’m still really hyped for the show and think they’re nailing the core or bigger elements of the wheel of time but there really were a lot of things that they seemed to have overlooked.
I always imagined the Heron-marked sword as a type of Scimitar. (Or like you mentioned, a falchion)
Of course, I also imagined Moraine as beautiful.
While not unattractive, I always pictured her as being much shorter and younger looking. Lan is also much shorter than he's described in the books. He's actually supposed to be close to Rand in height. Of course, the actors for both characters are doing a fine job so far, in my opinion.
@@randlebrowne2048 both actors are 6'2". I think the filming angles made him look shorter. Moiraine is supposed to be short though
@@randlebrowne2048 Moraine looks more like how I pictured Nynaeve. Even if she she isn't older, she reminds me of an older, somewhat bitter woman.
I couldn't get past the first episode though. The whole thing reminds me of watching something from the CW. As in, the acting, wardrobe, music...all on par with a show like 'The Outpost'.
And I get that every TV show and movie has to be 'inclusive'...but they are literally putting the diversity of a city into a village. In villages 99% of stories have them where everyone is from the same place, most people are related to each other and the protagonist wants to leave BECAUSE the options for everything is so limited.
The Two Rivers is isolated from the rest of the world which means it would be even more limited to who would be going there.
I fine with them changing things, but for me, there has to be some logic to it.
I'm beginning to think that even if it doesn't get cancelled, that I might want to skip the TV port. I have clear impressions of the main characters and it sounds like as much a cock up as having Tom Cruise play Jack "the burly giant" Reacher. Which massively fucked me off and ruined the films. Or changing the battlefield and era, then casting Mark Wahlburg as Bob Lee Swagger. I hate it when they take liberties with the plot/characters/world/magic system in converting from print to the screen.
If they can't be bothered with something as critical as Tam's sword, then they've got no respect for the material. And it's not the kind of series where you can browse through it in a day. It's a couple of months of solid reading that they got someone else to boil down to a synopsis, then they did their own thing based on that. Sounds like a cash grab rather than a passion project, and there are so few of the latter when it comes to books I love.
This reminds me of the original Polish Witcher show, where they gave Geralt a katana like sword, presumably because it was the late 90s and katanas were cool and every hero needed to have one.
Lmao! facts!
no there was a more practical reason for it. it was because katana replicas in Poland were cheap chips and could be made out of recycled metal, that show was on a really low budget, only 200 pound an ep
'It's not a key world building element'
It's gonnuh be *super* awkward for Rand to get that brand on his hand; someone's going to have to pistol whip him that sword.
They're probably gonna have Rand half-sword that tiny little blade or some other maneuver that doesn't make sense given the context
@@aggressivenipples8391 i love the absolute unabashed couldnt-give-a-shittiness in that heron's design; ive seen better detail at a flea market.
@@aggressivenipples8391 Or. They will just simply not mention the prophecy and thus they do not need to spend time and effort on making the actor have brands in his hands for the entire series...
Do you know if the books ever describe the new hilt Rand has put on Laman’s Blade? Is it a katana styled hilt like on the cover of Knife of Dreams? Or is it a more typical medieval European styled hilt?
I have a few weapons I’d love to see u analyze
1. Keyblades from Kingdom Hearts
2. Scorpion’s Spear from Mortal Kombat
3. Freddy Krueger’s Glove
I’d love it if u did any of these
(The two rivers is supposed to have thatch roofs except for the tavern having a red tiled roof)
I would love to hear Shad's thoughts on Arcane as someone who (to my knowledge) has never played League of Legends. The show is just so amazing that I recommend everyone to watch it even if you don't even know what League of legends is. A friend of mine has never played League and he said that it was probably the best tv show he has ever seen.
Ah yes Tax evasion the Show,still need to watch this
I am a gamer but never even touched League of Legends. Saw the buzz about the show and was absolutely blown away by how amazing it is.
Agreed. I know almost nothing about League, and I loved Arcane. My wife doesn't even know what League is, and she loved Arcane.
As an actual long-time league fan, I can confirm the show is great from both sides. The only (few) complaints I had about the show don't concern non-fans and really only have to do with continuity.
Was VERY happy when the picture at 6:44 came up. I used to subscribe to several sword catalogs when I was a lot younger, and that particular sword would nearly always be featured in several of them.
Wait, if the heron mark is on the blade, then how the heck is it supposed to mark Rand on his hands? That's supposed to be a huge deal in Rand fulfilling the prophecies and realizing his true nature as the Dragon Reborn.
The mark on the blade was there but also the handle
correct, that is what he is saying is the problem. there is supposed to be a heron on the hilt so it burns into his palm.
Maybe he gets burned when summoning one of his signature swords made from solid flame for the first time? Possibly during that same fight with Ishamael/Balzamon?
Compound disliking is surely stronger than one-piece disliking - it may look smaller, but it yet can be much more powerful, and, without a doubt, is much more potent.
Those other designs you showed are sooo great, that upper one at 9:40 looks amazing, as well as that at 10:53 )
Also this other back scabbard design is kinda nice, side ring on a cross guard would fit nicely to hook onto that knob
I was super disappointed that it's a katana, I've known this for a while, but ugh, to me the Heron Marked Blade is a Messer crossed with a Dao and a cruciform guard slightly down swept on the edged side, I know the crossguard is wrong in my mind but that's how I've always pictured it.
So a miaodao with upswept, braided crossguard?
@@shiyotso1 well yea. But I still don't think they have a Messer enough look.
Thank you, that’s what I was looking for, yeah I always imagine the sword as like a dao with a heron on the hilt snd golden scrollwork and stuff encasing the back of the blade
A friend of mine actually gave me a Heron Sword a while back (the Windlass version). He just sorta had one, and wasn't attached to it, and he knew I like swords.
I will admit I love katanas, I am a massive weeb, but cramming them into Western fantasy like the Wheel of Time is just heresy. Maybe I just didn't pay that much attention to the audiobook when I first listened but I always imagined Rand's Heron Marked sword as a traditional two handed long sword with a black heron crest on the crossgaurd Why the hell did they just make it a katana?
*Edit*
After some time of thought, heresy might have been too strong a word, but I will not back down on it being ridiculous given how many Western fantasies feature the katana.
From what I've heard of the show so far, "Why the Hell did They Do [X]" is the name of the game
@@SimonWoodburyForget By Western I mean it applies more to a fantastical version of western Medieval Europe as compared to Eastern Asia. Granted some fantasy worlds do have a blend of East and West heritage mixed in but it's been something along the lines of like a traditional Japanese castle populated by English, French or Germanic knights with their style of arms, armors and fortresses.
If you pay attention to the iconography at the beginning of each chapter, Rand’s chapters are often symbolized by a sword. It looks like a katana. In the descriptions, it’s often described as having a slight curve and a single edge to it.
@@Maverick8t88 Cutlasses and sabers also have slight curves and single edges, though.
@@emeraldmann1329 true, but I’ve always seen those with basket hilts. The circular hilt is a problematic issue, I’d rather see a true cross guard. But the blade itself is pretty close to what was in my head
Knew this was coming!!! Nice
it is clear to me that the writers of the tv series do not actually like Wheel of Time. The lack of attention to detail, especially for things that have an impact in later books, show that they not read the books, and they haven't asked someone who has read the books for advise while writing the script. I'll watch the first few episodes to see how they do, but I don't have high hopes for the series.
Yessss!!! Thank you so much! Can't wait to see the episodic breakdown. I tried to suspend my excitement but I couldn't and the show got lots wrong and did loads of weird things.
I was also like: Oh, that's it?
Like it just looked like bare minimum.
In a fun twist though, my friends (who have not read the books), they didn't even realize the blade was important at all, so they didn't catch on at all that Rand is the dragon. Most thinking it was between the female leads. I think its kinda funny, because if you know nothing, it kinda does make sense. They immediately show that they have the ability to wield the one power, while the guys didn't. So they all concluded it would be one of the girls, and that Rand would just be their Warder or something.
People on the show have said that the girls could be the dragon. So they might make more changes.
@@aaronforsythe8556
I imagine this is more to encourage discussion, by creating a less certain situation with more players, and perhaps as a more "gender equal" approach rather than an actual change to the Dragon.
Changing the overall story in a significant way (the changes so far aren't really significant concerning the overall narrative) would go down very badly with the fanbase and I cannot imagine Harriet would sign off on it if such changes were proposed.
@@AveSicarius hope not it would mess up the whole premise of a tainted saidin. But I've seen people destroy the source material before.
@@AveSicarius
While I agree, let’s not forget about bullshit like Masters of the Universe and Ghostbusters 2016.
Nothing is off the table if you ask me.
@@NathanCassidy721 Rand will be the Dragon, but they are not going to reveal it until the last episode, they are smokescreening the shit out of it for dramatic purposes.
In ep 3 the Darkfriends hinted that the shadow thought there was 5 possible dragons.
I absolutely chuckled when I saw Tam's blade, and immediately thought about you when I saw it was a katana. Thanks for the video, Shad!
I always imagined it as a very fancy slender two-handed scimitar. This aloud for regional variations between seanchan, the borderlands and AL thor's sword. So long as it was a two-handed curved sword that had obvious Heron markings on it that would be enough to identify it.
People tend to not realize that katana were backup weapons, sidearms, secondary weapons, etc... not main line battlefield weapons. Samurai used longer blades for actual battle, but far more often bows/crossbows and a variety of their equivalent of polearms were used as their primary weapons in actual battle.
Amazingly enough, people make the same mistakes when they think about European knights and battles. Everyone thinks that people used swords as the primary weapons (probably because swords are awesome) even though all but the largest swords were primarily used as backup weapons or easy to carry weapons for protection outside of real battles.
SWORDS!
@@joebuckley2180 SPEARS!
@@Uncephalized OUTLAWED
Gotta be honest here guys. I where already skeptical towards the show but thought I would give it a chance. Now I don't know if I'll even do that much, I mean to miss-represent such an iconic AND important part of the story like Rands Heron sword! And Perrins axe and icing on the cake: the white cloaks, Children of the Light. I always pictured them along the line of Knights Templar not poor knockoff D'n'D monks or clerics.
I really like the Reliks version. Kind of a mix between a falchion & a Swiss saber. Reliks always makes really nice stuff. Though the price definitely reflects it but for a bespoke piece it's appropriate.
I agree Shad. Wheel of time is my all time favorite series. When Tam pulled out the Heron Marked Sword I was immediately disappointed. So tiny! And it's just a plain katana. Let's hope they do a better job with Callandor. Also you should mention your other channel more. This is the 1st I'm hearing of it. I'll check it out. I enjoy your personality. You seem like a really good dude.
I have to agree, the one sword with the twist in the quillions is beautiful, and accurate to the description in the book.
The one in the show is... just a boring looking katana. Not even a good looking katana.
I made my previous comment before watching this and as always you did NOT disappoint. Thank you sir.
Interesting thing. The books have pictures of the characters on many of them including Rand having a sword on his hip and the sword was not a katana
And always Rand hid his sword inside his jacket when on the road in EOTW, so it couldn't be too huge, and worn on the hip for sure.
Back wear is only for ninjas which Lan clearly is
It really feels that for some weird reason all those meetings and thousands of man-hours they apparently spent on designing the weapons and props were actually spent making sure they didn't accidentally make anything book-accurate. It's almost baffling.
I always imagined White Cloaks like Teutonic Order
I always imagined the heron mark being realllly elongated, going a significant degree up the blade.
That would be cool
Let's hope the series can be done more faithfully and probably have some realism in the tv show.
At least it seems to be more faithfull than the witcher
Althought that's not something impressive
Sadly it doesn't seem too faithful so far.
Well considering that they've race swapped most of the Two Rivers cast I think faithfully is out of the question.
@@stephenyates1415
I mean the TRs people are described as dark, I always imagined them as almost Mediterranean. The major issue is that they diversified what should be a relatively homogeneous community, I actually think the core cast would have been more than fine (though Perrin could do to be a little shorter and significantly broader) IF they had represented that this was the norm for the TRs. They clearly didn't do this, and the range in phenotype was pretty extreme for what is supposed to be a relatively insular people of common heritage, I mean even if they were originally a diverse group, which could be the case given the circumstances by which they came to be, they would still become very homogeneous over generations of interbreeding and would represent a mix of all the dominant traits present.
I honestly wouldn't be surprised if the marketing executives were behind much of these changes, they want so badly to sell a product as "diversified" but fail to understand how it should actually be implemented into a narrative effectively, or even understand if a narrative is already diverse.
@@AveSicarius they're described as dark, but not black. Nothing suggests African to me in the fiction and the previous cover artwork suggested southern European.
Anyone think the production company could have had a competition and the reward was the sword gets in the show, a credit, and a minor speaking part as the blacksmith that gives Perrin his hammer…
Wheel of time was such a fantastic series, I just got my dad to start reading... I'm a little terrified of watching the show because of how much I loved the books.
You have to change your perspective if you want to enjoy it. It is not a re creation of the books. It’s an adaption. It’s a different turning of the wheel. It’s the lives the characters live when they are next spun into reality. If you can’t see it with that perspective you will be very disappointed.
The books will always be the books and this doesn’t change what they mean at all. It’s a new way of telling the main points of the story.
@@TheJordanK Thats an interesting take.
Maybe they get it cleaned up in a later episodeeee? I really don’t know but katanas that are cleaned up with some gold trim on the hand loooook stunning but that sword looks like it was buried under dirt with how dirty it looks
Maybe. They could even redeem the lack of herons of the hilt if the found them under old wrappings while cleaning it up. It's still a katana though which is not something they can fix.
All those amazing fantasy heron mark swords out there, and they went with a wannabe katana, and an apparent fake (I mean that thing really looks like it could do with a makeover) . I am actually a katana fan, and also of the Wheel of Time (RIP, R. Jordan, ,) and I still would have preferred they'd gone with one of the other designs.
They may still give Rand a different type of heron mark sword (especially if they pay attention to fan concerns about Lan's), and considering how he comes across it in the books, there is a ready made plausible explanation as to how that happens (WoT readers might remember the sword's 'before and after' forms. They could use some version of that. .)
I suppose there's the other weapons to look forward to like Callandor (hope they don't mess that up) and Mat's spear which I imagined to be some version of a naginata.
Ever since the live action Transformers movies I've learned to be a bit wary when my favourite books/franchises are adopted into other forms. I guess I'll wait to see how the TV series turns out.
I'd always pictured Mat's "spear" as more of a Glaive. As it was fairly broad but still had a point. Also that's what the art on the book covers showed.
(Spoilers)
Don't forget that Rand is given Laman's sword as a gift by Avienda later in the series (I think it might have also had a heron mark). He could also take the Seanchan Highlord blademaster's sword as well.
Of course, they could always have the heron marks in prophesy come from one of the channeled swords made of flame that Rand eventually uses as a mainstay.
@@randlebrowne2048 I was referring to Laman's sword. I'm thinking it could at first appearance appear to be a gaudy European style 'display' sword - until the blade is revealed. (which would also reveal that, by that Age, it wasn't only those katana type swords that had those special blades)
And then the blade is rehilted into something more faithful to the books. (the 'before and after' I was referring to).
I was watching Lan’s back whenever possible to see if his scabbard was a shabbard, but I could never get a good enough look. Thanks for analyzing. Brandon Sanderson should have used whatever influence he could to point them to you in designing that, it just doesn’t seem as efficient.
In the books the Heron Marked Sword, at least to me, is very clearly a Kriegsmesser… The production quality of the show has been one disappointment after another.
That’s how I always envisioned it too, just fancier and ornate.
Petition for Shad to say "and now his watch is ended" at the end of every episode review
I'm currently in the third book in the wheel of time.
Third book is where it gets real
@@joebuckley2180 Yeah! I'm loving Mat in this book.
@@laurencemorales9798 That's good to hear. I just finished number 2, and Matt drives me crazy. Lol
That Katana looks like it was made by a blacksmith who just found out he had to made 50 blades in a day so was cutting every corner he possibly could to get them all done
Even the Falchion style sword you showed is inaccurate (aside from the crossguards not being braided). Rand's sword is (nearly) indestructible. This would allow the makers to make the blade thin and light, allowing for faster and more precise movement. So, imagine the falchion style sword, but with a thinner blade. This is what is meant by "fragile looking". Yes it compares it to the merchant guard blades, which are essentially clubs with a bit of edge, so by comparison the Falchion style blade you show would seem light, but it still looks like it can take and give heavy hits. It still looks sturdy, not "fragile". I imagine the heron-marked sword was more like a two-handed saber with a thin blade.
(note: Spoilers. Do not read on if you haven't completed the series) Especially when he loses a hand and Tam teaches him to use it one-handed. It needs to be light enough that this is an option.
Yes, but it would be impractical to make a prop that is thin enough like you mentioned and be usable for acting in fight scenes without flopping around like the sheet metal it would be without being Power-wrought. Shad talks about this in the video he made about the sword in Shadow of the Conqueror. That sword is very similar, it has magic that allows it to be super thin without losing any mechanical properties. But to make a usable prop for choreographing fight scenes for the movie, it had to be thicker
6:50 Few years ago sent you a tweet on how would "Heron Mark" blades would look or what kind of sword it would be, that image on the right is close to what I imagined from reading the books. 👍
I always imagined it as a katana with a longsword crossguard
also with blue leather
Edit- that image at 6:46 is almost perfect, but i thought it had more of a katana wrap on the handle, as it mentions the knobbly leather. Unless that was Lan's sword, and im remembering wrong
Leather handle doesn't necessarily mean katana
Great video.
I agree with you about having a hard time watching the show with all the changes. Perrin married already?
In the future I would totally watch you doing a solo review of episodes.
We often have problems in adapting mangas into anime, wich are two media very close to each other, that's why when adapting a novel into a live action they should be faithful to the source material wherever they can so as to balance the changes that are inevitable.
Most problems are the lack of money and talent.
@@SimonWoodburyForget faithful to source =/= copy
Hey Shad, could you make a video about The Fierce Deity's Sword. It looks cool and I want to hear your opinion and thoughts on it since my friends think is "Not Practical" in Combat,
The Double Helix Greatsword is a Magical Greatsword. It has holes in its Helix shaped blade which allows Fierce Deity Link to hone his magic Power and fire it as Magical beams from it.
It also has good Range and close combat if Fierce Deity Link chose to fight up close or if he chose to fight from a distance.
(The Fierce Deity's Sword is called the Double Helix Greatsword)
For someone who loves the creativity, artistry, and attention to detail that was taken with the Peter Jackson LotR movies, these frumpy katana knockoffs are a profound disappointment.
The half moon ax is seen at the very beginning during the attack, it is what he uses to injure the other smith. It may not be quite to the style it should be, but it does have the spike and all the elements that are described in the book.
They should have gone with a swiss saber style instead of a katana. Would have been so much better
Shad I just watch the 3 episodes and I didn't even assume it was a special blade because it looks so simple
Something to remember about Lan's sword, it's a Power wrought sword, made in the same style as typical Heron Marked swords that were Power Wrought, it just lacks the Heron Markings that were intended for Blademasters. Lan has a sword that was originally meant for a common soldier, that just happened to also be Power Wrought. The sword that Lan has also won't necessarily be indicative of what would be customary of Malkieri as the sword would have predated the Malkieri civilization.
It might be possible that the Malkieri people simply decided to mimic the design of their ruler's heirloom magical sword.
Didn't Windlass make a Heron Mark Sword some time back?
I seem to vaguely remember seeing it some years back
I think I'm being too critical as I love the books. I don't like Perrin's altered origin, Mat seems too dark and angsty. Rand and Egwene weren't in a sexual relationship. Two Rivers was always homogeneous in the books, until taking in refugees from the Seanchan invasion, but the show makes the place incredibly diverse. And the culture is overwhelmingly matriarchal.
Rand and Egwene are making the beast with two backs in the TV series..? 🤔🧐
The first series is supposed to go through all the way up to the end of "the great hunt". They decided to have that as a mark in order to have a grand final end to the season. With as much information as that to cram into a single season, they had to make choices of what to cut. Perrin's origin, told as written, would have occupied SOOOO much screen time that the core of the story would be buried.
Their ability to continue the series depends on how successful this first season is. That's a tremendous amount of pressure, and decisions had to be made.
Hopefully in the future they can further explore the dynamics of Perrin, as his abilities are further explored later in the book series as well, but in the first season they had to establish the following:
1: a reason for him to leave town with the rest (accomplished by the death of his wife).
2: an odd connection with wolves that can be explored later in the story.
3: his overall demeanor and attitude.
There is simply so much story to tell, and not enough time to tell it all.
And as for the matriarchal society, it is actually somewhat that way in the book. The women's circle was private, held sway over the governing of the town, and so forth. There are several kingdoms ruled over by queens, and a large part of the governing was done by women.
The two rivers was very homogenous in the book, which is why rand stuck out so much. But in the show, it was pointed out that nyneve was adopted, which explains her distinct appearance. There is more diversity in two rivers in the show then in the book, but ultimately the core of the story is not lost in that detail.
Mat was a little less lighthearted in the beginning then I pictures him, but not much. After he got the dagger, his mood took a downturn, but that is perfectly in line with the book, because that was what turned rand to the idea that something might be wrong.
Ultimately, everyone had their own idea of how a role should be played, and the people directly involved in it can't make everyone happy, but the core storyline is, to this point, being followed as close as possible given the time restraint and amount of information going into it.
It did bother me that rand and Egwene had a sexual relationship, but in today's culture it really didn't surprise me that they just kinda went with it. Disappointing, but ultimately not detracting from or adding to the primary story.
100% the casting of Perrin, dudes way too small, and having him a newlywed who accidentally kills his wife is terrible.
@@robertsunde7973 I agree. Depicted in the book, he kind of lumbers over everyone, picking his way through crowds so he doesn't hurt people, picking up women and moving them...
I think this actor has the right mentality, or at least close, but the newlywed thing my wife and I definitely had trouble getting over. Not only was it not cannon, but it was super jarring. I literally jumped when it happened. I suspected she would die, but, like, I thought a trollic would do it.
I actually gasped at some of the fan-made heron mark weapon designs. So gorgeous!
animation/live action adaptations usually suffer most from the length of original material being way too long to do in one movie/season and after that might even come the changes that director makes to their own liking that can make the series for fans of original material less than stellar at best and hated at worst
Writing is the best way to get information out. Profesional discussion uses the written form.
Only You Tube kids spam video responses.