THE CONCEPT OF MULTIVERSE IN R. JORDAN’S “THE WHEEL OF TIME” COSMOLOGY

Abstract

The article analyzes the cosmology of R. Jordan’s “The Wheel of Time” cycle in the context of 20th-century scientific research (D. Lewis, H. Everett, M. Tegmark, etc.) and the literary tradition that emerged by the end of the 20th century. The creation of parallel realities became one of the main principles of world modeling in the fantasy genre in the second half of the 20th century, prompting us to examine R. Jordan’s work from the perspective of the concept of multiverse. The goal is to analyze the principles of world modeling in the Wheel of Time series and systematize the main universes presented in R. Jordan’s novels. It is concluded that the cosmology of “The Wheel of Time” cycle is based on the idea of an infinite number of worlds woven into the Pattern of the Wheel of Time, connected by Portal Stones and the magic of the ter’angreals, ancient and powerful artifacts. Parallel worlds can serve various functions: they help to overcome vast distances through the Paths, become a way to test the chosen ones, duplicate reality and show different scenarios, as well as complicate the structure of the world and stimulate reader interest by encouraging them to explore the unknown.