The opening theme of The Wheel of Time television series is designed by Imaginary Forces with music composed by Lorne Balfe. It depicts a loom weaving a pattern, and the seven Ajahs of the Aes Sedai.
The opening theme is featured in season 1 beginning with the second episode; the first episode has a brief title treatment, but not the theme. The opening theme includes credits for the starring cast, the production companies, the producers, the episode writers, and the episode director.
Overview[]
The opening represents the breaking and remaking of the world, and the cyclical nature of the Wheel of Time. It begins with a horizon made of a single thread, which snaps, representing the Breaking of the World. A massive cosmic loom weaves a great pattern with seven women; each woman represents one of the seven Ajahs of the Aes Sedai. The Aes Sedai are arranged in a circle like spokes on a wheel, representing the cosmological Wheel of Time. This image spins into the show's logo of a great serpent biting its own tale, which is simultaneously an endless spiral, a symbol of infinity. This also fades away, forming a new horizon reminiscent of the one in the beginning, representing a return to balance and also the continuing cycle of time.[1]
Transcript[]
This is a transcript of the opening theme from the official audio description from season 1. Credits are included in the opening theme but have been removed from this description, as they can change between episodes.
A pinpoint of light brightens in a dark expanse. A length of white thread stretches and frays until it breaks.
Crooked lines of gold thread stretch in all directions. The gold threads coalesce into a large tendril, weaving between taut strands of green thread on a loom. Arcs of blue thread dive into the mix, helping to form an embroidered image of a woman surrounded by a halo of light. More taut strands on a loom form the image of a black-haired woman with her back to a wall of flames. A traveling view moves inside the loom. A woman stands in silhouette amidst a cloud of golden smoke.
Intricate halos of light expand outward from women's heads. They all wear the garments of a high priestess and stand in a circle. The image of them swirls into smoke and reforms as a golden serpent. A title appears: The Wheel of Time.
Development[]
Credits[]
- Creative director: Karin Fong
- Designers/animators: Russ Gautier, Henry Chang, Jake Ferguson
- Designers: Brandon Savoy, Frederic Colin
- Animators: Danil Krivoruchko, Merrill Hall, Brandon Lester
- Editor: Zach Kilroy
- Compositor: Martin Karlsson
- Flame artist: Rod Basham
- Logotype designer: Isabell Hacker
- Illustrator: Ella Lee
- Design intern: Ailis O’Reilly
- Producer: Renee Robson
- Development producer: Rachael Cohen
- Coordinator: Jake Kirk
Quotes[]
There's a very famous line from the book, 'The wheel weaves as the wheel wills.' They're weaving this form of power in a way, and the idea that spells could be woven or magic is woven. So the idea was to imagine the wheel as a cosmic loom. This turning of the wheel was destiny, was time and endless – no big deal. [laughs]
Karin Fong, creative director[1]
When showrunner Rafe Judkins asked us to design a main title that would introduce the fantasy series to the screen, we embraced the idea of weaving themes of magic and matriarchy into the opening. Starting with the breaking of the world, a single strand of horizon snaps, bursting into an array of jewel-toned threads as they layer into a loom of cosmic scale. Within our concept of a vast tapestry, power is channeled and patterns emerge. The seven Ajah colors of the female Aes Sedai entwine before the image unravels to reveal our reimagined logo: an endless serpent spiral. And so “The wheel weaves as the wheel wills…”, all to begin the cycle again.
My role was to create all the seven Ajah’s illustrations. I used the various patterns for each Ajah for signify their own style.
Ella Lee, illustrator[2]
Gallery[]
Aes Sedai designs[]
The Aes Sedai art was designed by Ella Lee, who shared the full designs on her website.
Trivia[]
- The image of great serpent biting its own tale is simultaneously depicted as an endless spiral; this is partially so it wouldn't be "too close to other ring-like properties", such as The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power which Amazon Studios released on Prime Video the following year.
Watch the opening[]
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Opening theme • Sing of Manetheren • The Man Who Can't Forget • Browse all songs |
External links[]
- Ella Lee, designer, official page: The Wheel of Time
- Interview with Salon: Magic and mysteries woven into "The Wheel of Time" main titles by Hanh Nguyen. December 24, 2021.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Salon: Magic and mysteries woven into "The Wheel of Time" main titles by Hanh Nguyen. December 24, 2021. (archived)
- ↑ Ella Lee's personal website: The Wheel of Time. Retrieved June 14, 2022. (archived)