The latest episode of The Wheel of Time TV series ended with a chilling cameo of the false dragon, Logain(whom you might recognize as a certain bespectacled genius). This article will explain why Logain is so important, what a false dragon is and how exactly the real Dragon differs from the imposters.
Before you go further, please read our article detailing the activities of the last Dragon and the attempted sealing of the dark one millennia before the series which made men unable to channel safely.
Done with that?
Okay, let's move on.
Now, after the Dragon's demise and the weakening of the Dark One's forces. Some female Aes Sedai began to receive prophecies, foretelling of the future describing the return of the Dragon as well as the events that would herald his return. Over time, these prophecies were compiled together and regarded as "The Karaethon Cycle"
Now, prophecies by their very nature are usually cryptic, unhelpful, and very much open to misinterpretation and throughout history, dangerous people successfully deluded themselves and the people around them into believing they were the Dragon Reborn.
Here's an excerpt
Yet one shall be born to face the Shadow,
born once more as he was born before,
and shall be born again, time without end.
The Dragon shall be Reborn,
and there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth at his rebirth.
In sackcloth and ashes shall he clothe the people,
and he shall break the world again by his coming,
tearing apart all ties that bind.
Like the unfettered dawn shall he blind us, and burn us,
yet shall the Dragon Reborn confront the Shadow at the Last Battle,
This prophecy in particular mentions that the dragon will "tear all ties that bind". So, it is widely interpreted that any individual serving the dragon owes fealty to the dragon and dragon alone and this had led to cases of insurrection and even all-out war. In the Wheel of Time universe, there were cases in which false dragons conquered entire nations.
The Aes Sedai take it upon themselves to put down false dragons as they usually possess the ability to channel (use magic) and swords and shields can't do much against a wall of flames. The conundrum remains that if the Aes Sedai firmly stamp out any man who can channel or who claims to be the Dragon Reborn; how then will the real Dragon save the world?
Now, back to Logain
Logain Ablar is the latest in a series of false dragons. He was able to fulfill some interpretations of the prophecies but since he was ultimately captured by the Aes Sedai; he must be a false Dragon. Moiraine believes the pattern would make a way for the true Dragon Reborn and hence whoever has been captured or killed couldn't have been the one.
Logain was a minor noble in a country called Ghealdan, He began channeling a few years before the start of the series and declared himself to be The Dragon Reborn an unspecified number of months before the series began. His uprising led to an all-out war in the country of Ghealdan and Aes Sedai were dispatched to handle him. It is revealed that he was eventually captured (at the expense of some Aes Sedai) and paraded around some of the neighboring countries (which is how our characters encounter him).
His fate serves as a warning to what might befall any of our characters if they eventually proclaim themselves as the Dragon Reborn.
