Who are the Finn in The Wheel of Time? Details from Season 3 finale explored

The Wheel of Time season 3 recently came to a fantastic conclusion. The finale episode was titled He Who Comes With The Dawn and featured a rare type of entity that Mat stumbled upon while on the quest to unearth the treasures hidden in Panarch's Palace.

The said entity is referred to as an Eelfinn and is played by actor Robert Strange. Its mysterious origins and baffling presence have led many members of the audience to be inquisitive about its place in The Wheel of Time books written by Robert Jordan. Here's everything that we know.

The Wheel of Time season 3: The origins and powers of the Finn explained

Being a faithful adaptation, The Wheel of Time show depicts passages from the book series quite proficiently throughout its third season. However, there are a few minor departures, and the instance of the Finn is one such example. The entity was first revealed during Mat's quest to locate the treasures hidden inside Panarch's Palace. Mat was strung along with Nynaeve and Elayne in their mission to apprehend the Black Ajah.

While moving the palace, Mat encountered an archway that led him to the chamber of the Eelfinn. Right from the beginning, the Eelfinn is true to its nature and tries to force Mat into a bargain. After resisting for a while, Mat speaks out about his three needs, which the Eelfinn promptly grants.

In The Wheel of Time book series, the Eelfinn are the second category of the Finn, along with the Aelfinn. The difference between the two is that while the Eelfinn try to strike a bargain and grant needs, the Aelfinn answer three questions that are posed to them.

Actor opens up about playing the Eelfinn

Robert Strange's performance as the Eelfinn has been received well. He recently gave Collider an exclusive interview during which he spoke at length about his insights and experience. When asked about the secrecy around his character, Strange explained:

"We filmed it in 2023, I believe, so it was a good long time ago now. I remember at the time they said, “This is a very special character. This is a very special moment, albeit brief, for the fans of the book and for Mat’s storyline, obviously. So, hush hush.” But to be honest, I'm quite used to it. I play a lot of characters and do a lot of projects where things are quite hush-hush, so I'm used to the secrecy."

He then went on to speak about the importance of the source material in determining the impact of his character:

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"The material was great to read because it just gives you a sense of the language they use, the power they have, the trickery, the playfulness. The Eelfinn were all in the writing of the book, so I tried to bring all that in. Then, I'm sure you will ask, but hugely important to shaping the character was the makeup, the costume, and the work with Naomi [Joy Todd], who was the dialect coach, as well, who taught me some of the Old Tongue and accents and language to use."

The Wheel of Time is available in the US on Prime Video.

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