Each element correlates to a period in the life cycle, which the Bakongo people also equate to the four cardinal directions and seasons.
In Hindu cosmology, kala (time) is eternal, repeating general events in four types of cycles.
This wheel of time holds twelve spokes that each symbolize a different phase in the universe's cosmological history.
[4][5] In an interview included with the audiobook editions of his novels, author Robert Jordan has stated that his bestselling fantasy series The Wheel of Time borrows the titular concept from Hindu mythology.
[6] The first chapter of every book in the series begins with the lines: "The Wheel of Time turns, and ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend.