Frozen wheel

Ben turns the frozen wheel.

An eight-spoked frozen wheel was set into a wall of a secret chamber located beneath the Orchid station. Benjamin Linus turned the wheel in order to move the Island. ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 2")

Wheel chamber

Hieroglyphs can be seen in the frozen wheel chamber.

The wheel was set inside a construction of carved rocks inside a secret chamber; to reach the wheel, Ben had to blow a hole in a the vault of the Orchid station, crawl through a tunnel carved out of rock, break through a sheet of ice, and climb down a ladder. The effort involved in reaching the wheel indicates it was not intended to be used very often.

Temperatures in the wheel chamber were below freezing, making it an unusual location on the tropical Island. The chamber had apparently been cold for quite some time, as the entire room, floor to ceiling, was covered in ice, including the wheel itself. The wheel chamber also featured hieroglyphs similar to the ones previously seen on the the Swan's countdown timer and in a secret chamber under Ben's house at the Barracks. ("Live Together, Die Alone, Part 1")  ("The Shape of Things to Come")

Ben showed foreknowledge of the wheel's existence, location, and use. Ben knew to wear a parka before entering the wheel chamber. (The fact the Orchid had parkas stored there is also unusual and indicates planning on DHARMA Initiative's part.) Ben also knew enough to bring a crowbar to aid in removing ice from the wheel. Furthermore, he told Locke that a repercussion of turning the wheel was banishment from the Island.

The Wheel

Metal bands appear to be holding the wheel together.

The wheel itself appeared to be made of wood and held together with some metal bindings, similar in fashion to nautical construction. The construction implies that the wheel was built a long time ago and may have had an original purpose other than what it is used for today.

The tips of the wheel's spokes had holes bored through them that appeared to be part of some obsolete function or previously connected to apparatus that was no longer there. At one point, Ben threaded his crowbar through a hole in order to gain more leverage while attempting to turn the wheel.

After much physical effort and chipping away ice, Ben managed to turn the wheel. It appeared to be very heavy and difficult for him to turn alone, insinuating it either hadn't been turned in quite some time or it was intended to be turned by some other means—either by more men, or by animals (as indicated by wheel's the code name), or by machinery.

The wheel appeared to be part of a larger mechanism, as it seemed to be connected to something behind or inside the wall or beneath the floor. It is assumed that turning the wheel manipulated this unseen mechanism and caused the Island to move; soon after the wheel was turned, a loud noise and bright lights were experienced throughout the local area, both on and off the Island. This disturbance happened immediately before the Island disappeared from the ocean before the Oceanic Six's eyes. ("There's No Place Like Home, Part 2")

Composite image of the frozen wheel

Trivia

• "The Frozen Donkey Wheel" was the code name used by the producers to refer to the secret scene in which the wheel literally appeared. Such code names have been used by the Lost producers to keep plots secret.
• The Dharmacakra is an 8-spoked wheel. It is a Buddhist symbol for teaching the path to enlightenment.
  • Three Turnings of the Wheel of Dharma - Whenever the Dharma (i.e., a Buddha's teaching or a code of ethics) is lost or forgotten, a new Buddha comes to "turn the wheel". Depending on the exact Buddhist tradition, some believe the wheel to have turned up to three times. Whenever the wheel is turned, it signifies a milestone in Buddhist history, such as the first teachings of the Four Noble Truths. On Lost, not only has Locke assumed status as the Others new leader, but moving the Island is a milestone in the history of the Island, the characters, and the show.

Unanswered questions

Unanswered questions
Do not answer the questions here. Keep the questions open-ended and neutral: do not suggest an answer. More details...

For fan theories about these unanswered questions, see: Frozen wheel/Theories

• How does turning the wheel move the Island?
• Who built the wheel?
• Why did the makers of the wheel have a need to move the Island to begin with?
• Why does someone have to leave the Island if they move it?
• Why did it send Ben to Tunisia?
• Why is the wheel chamber frozen?
• What produces the light coming out as Ben turns the wheel?
• What do the hieroglyphs in the room mean?
• Why can the person who "moves the Island" never return?
• Why was the wheel chamber only accessible by destroying the Orchid vault?
• Has the Island been moved before?
• Does the wheel move the Island as well as the water surrounding it?
  • Do Faraday and the Others aboard the ship's tender move with the Island?
• Where did the Island move to?
  • Has it been moved in time as well as space?

File:Frozen Room Hieroglyphics.png

A close up of the heiroglyphics on the wheel.