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Norse and Germanic Mythology in The Wheel of Time
Norse and Germanic Mythology in The Wheel of TimeWritten by Karl-Johan Norén, August 1995
(Last changed November 1997 - section on Lanfear)
The main troubles in finding parallels and inspiration from the Norse and Germanic mythology in The Wheel of Time (TWoT) is that the sources of Germanic mythology are very fragmented and in most cases preserved during the Christian era as literary stories or historified myths; and that Robert Jordan (RJ) deliberately went into bowdlerising them by writing a story that can be seen as the origin of the myths - and not only the Germanic ones.
The parallels can theoretically be divided in story/plot parallels and character parallels. There are also details that more or less correspond to each other. I have tried to be rather strict when trying to say that a specific instance in TWoT has its "origin" in Germanic myths. This is especially true of the common indoeuropean material present in the Germanic mythology, like the Tree of Life. On the other hand, I have tried to be complete and list all evidence. You will have to judge for yourself, I only provide the "evidence".
Most connections are classified by strength, but some are noted as possible - more of the story must be unfolded before any answer can be found. They go from certain, strong, moderate to weak. Please note that I haven't found any "free-standing" plot parallels, apart from minor cases related to the character parallels. I am pretty sure such exists, but they are 1) much harder to find; 2) much easier to bowdlerise and change (eg Nibelungenlied and The Gap series by Stephen Donaldson); 3) I am not that fond of the Germanic heroic legends, which would be the probable starting-point, as opposed to the myths on the gods.
I have tried to make this document as free-standing as possible, but the text will not include any information on cosmology, myths, concepts etc that do not give any Norse-TWoT parallels. For those who wants this I have to direct to secondary sources. Sorry to say, I cannot recommend those of Davidson's or Branston's books I have read as good introductions to the subject. Davidson is though excellent once you have a basic understanding.
Writing a document of this scope invariably brings spoilers, but it's not that bad. There are bad spoilers up to and including The Fires of Heaven, and some rather minor for Lord of Chaos, and one extremely minor for A Crown of Swords.
My sources includes both current retellings of the Germanic myths and more religious historical works. My main source on both have been Nordiska Gudar och Hjältar by Anders Bæksted. Other sources on religious history have been De Nordiska Gudarna (Les Dieux des Germains) by Georges Dumezil, Jordens Moder i Norden by Birgitta Onsell, Nordisk Hedendom by Folke Ström, Svenskarnas Religion by Åke Ohlmarks and Nordens Gudar och Myter (Gods and Myths of Northern Europe) by H.R. Ellis Davidson.
Mythologic sources have been Asken Yggdrasil by Alf Henrikson, Asasagan by Åke Ohlmarks and Gudar och Hjältar i Nordisk Mytologi (Gods and Heroes from Viking Mythology) by Brian Branston. As these are rather streamlined versions of the myths, I have used these sources with great criticism. For the hero myths I have used, besides Branston and Bæksted, Fornnordiska Sagor compiled by A. Ekermann.
Björn Collinder's translations and interpretations of the Poetic Edda (often referred to as the Sæmundar Edda) and Snorre Sturlasson's Edda has been of vital use. Read these if you haven't, they are among the most important works produced in medieval Europe. They should be available at any library worth its salt. Lokasenna, Skirnismal, Voluspa and other works I refer to are parts of the Poetic Edda.
ObTidbit: In Icelandic, Edda means great-grandmother. The main objection against this interpretation of the titles is "It can't be that simple!". (Sounds a lot like most arguments against Taim being Demandred :-))
Apart from this, I have used Vikingatidens ABC from Statens Historiska Museum in Sweden as a background primer, as well as notes from a lecture with Stephan Grundy on the nature of Oden and Nationalencyklopedien (the Swedish National Encyclopedia). Rhinegold by Stephan Grundy was vital for the English terms, as well as an excellent retelling of the Walsing saga. I have shamelessly stolen some word explanations from him.
In the case of person's names, I have more or less consistently used the modern Swedish forms, simply because I am familiar with them and my source material is Swedish. In other cases, I mainly use the English terms. Most cases should be obvious.
Avendesora has similarities with Yggdrasil, the ash tree that stands in the middle of Asgarth as the most holy of cult places. Both are named the Tree of Life, but this mythos is very much a indoeuropean one, making it impossible to say that Avendesora is primarily influenced by Yggdrasil. The main connection between Avendesora and Yggdrasil is the similar roles they play with Mat and Oden.
ObTidbit: Yggdrasil probably got it name from when Oden hung from it in nine days and nights. Ygg (or more correctly, Yggr) means 'the terrible', and is one euphemism for Oden, and drasil means "horse" or more generally any riding animal. But, if things were perfect, Yggdrasil should be named 'Yggrsdrasil'.
Sejd, the specific Germanic form of shamanism, was mainly practised by women, called völvor or valar. There is a name similarity between sejd and saidin/saidar, and the connection grows stronger as sejd could be practised by both men and women, though it was deemed unmanly and degrading for men. But apart from the name, there are no other similarities. [First noted by CD Skogsberg]
The As (well, not strictly, but he is mostly viewed as one) Heimdall owns Gjallarhornet, a horn that is to be used at the approach of Ragnarök to summon the Ases and the einhärjars to battle the giants and evil. This role is also filled by the Horn of Valere in TWoT. But the Horn of Valere binds the Heroes, it is not a mere call to arms. And while the Heroes are reborn constantly, the einhärjars die, go to Valhall and that's more or less it, even though some cases of reincarnation of great heroes (eg Sigilind and Agnar) are mentioned in some stories.
Who goes to Valhall varies with different sources - some say everyone who is sacrificed to Oden or killed in battle (strictly speaking, every one who dies in battle is a sacrifice to him), some say only the heroes, jarls and other great warriors, disregarding cause of death. There are also evidence of Freja taking half of the slain, and Oden the other half.
The three Norns Urd (Wyrd), Verdandi and Skuld govern the past (not exactly, rather an still living and powerful reality that continuously shapes all that come to pass), the present change, and the future through their governing of the threads of life. Each and every thread correspond to the life of one human, god, giant or other being, and is intervowen with other threads. But, there are no references at least in Norse mythology to the threads forming a pattern.
The concept of goddesses of fate spinning the threads of life is also present in Greek and Roman mythology, and probably in other indo-european religions too, making it impossible to say if the threads "comes" from Norse mythology or from another mythological base.
We know that the stories in TWoT, at least some, can be told in different ways: in Common, in Low Chant and in High Chant. Also, it seems most gleemen are prideful of their knowledge, and prefers to speak in Chant before Common. This is in parallel with the Nordic skald's, who had several ways to tell a story, ranging from highly formal styles like drottkvættr, to pure prose. As a skald was expected to know most formal tellings, and it was a sign of education to understand them, most skald's preferred the more formalised and structured ways before prose.
Thom makes a comment [TSR, Winds Rising] that implies the use of 'kennings', ie more or less flowery ways to mean a person, a country, a thing etc. "-- if you don't know what a thing means beforehand, there's no way to puzzle it out. Does it mean what it says, of is it a flowery way to say anything entirely different?".
ObTidbit: The most convoluted kenning I have seen is one meaning Iceland: whale's shed's skinland.
Vala or Völva was the northern Germanic term for a shamanka, the feminime form of shaman. She was a woman with prophetic insights, capable of understanding and knowing the secrets of both past and present. The word 'wise' had this particular and specific meaning in the northern Germanic usage of it. Apart from her practice of sejd, she was to be schooled in the use of herbs for healing, foretell the weather and the harvest. As a shamanka and a practiser of sejd, she could walk among the spirits of the world while her body lay idle, to find hidden and lost things, help the dead to the other world, heal sickness and many more things.
There are some similarities with the Wisdoms of various forms, but the similarities are striking with the Aiel Wise Ones. A Wise One does literally know the secrets of the past, and has also knowledge of the future. The dreamwalking aspects are almost purely shamanistic, even more so in that only wild animals are present in Tel'aran'rhiod. The searching with need is directly taken from the shaman's ability to find lost things.
But, the main impetus for the Wise Ones does probably not come from the Valar, but from the Native American hunter-gatherer societies, who also had a shamanistic world view as part of the circumpolar "meta-culture".
The Valkyries (Walkurjas, Valkyrjas, literally "Choosers of the slain") were the dises of Oden. They were armed with spears, shields and armor, riding on horses in the air and over water. Their first and foremost responsibility was to chose the ones who were to die in the battle, and guide them to Valhall. They did this on behalf of Oden. The greatest heroines, like Brunichild and Sigilind in the Walsing saga, were supposed to be Valkyries born in our world, to return to their duties at death. In some hero-myths single Valkyries show great independence and the will to go against Oden's decisions and wishes.
The Valkyries were also responsible for the service of food and drinking in Valhall. To distinguish fighting women in general from the Valkyries with their fixed meaning, the term 'sköldmö', which translates to 'shield-maiden', was used.
The Maidens of the Spear have some connections with the Valkyries. Both are fierce warriors, fighting with spear and shield. Both serve a man to whom they are fiercely loyal due to their great independence. This is then made stronger by the Rand-Oden parallels. Both are ready to "correct" their leader's decision, but while the Valkyries made this individually, the Maidens do it collectively. But the similarity very much stands and falls with the Rand-Oden comparison.
This is a rather tricky subject. While Lanfear and Loke have similarities, as well as Rand and Oden (Lews Therin substitutes for Rand during the Age of Legends), there are no greater obvious parallels. Both Ragnarök and Tarman Gai'don are preceded by weather changes, but this is a staple in the apocalypses of almost every religion.
More interesting is the "rebirth" theme. With Tarman Gai'don a new Age is coming. With Ragnarök the old world and order was utterly destroyed (Oden, Tor and Frej were all killed), and afterwards "earth rise from the sea; again verduring". Any connection here must though be based on speculation based on the prophecies in The Wheel of Time.
Drawing parallels based on the prophecies an sich - on one hand the Karaethon cycle, on the other Voluspa - is also fraught with perils. Just about every religion and mythology has apocalyptic myths, often stated as prophecies. The one thing that distinguishes Voluspa, that it describes creation, history and destruction of the world, is also not present in the Karaethon cycle.
Mat shares so many attributes with Oden that it would be stupid to say that Oden has not been a major source for Mat. Oden's attributes are his eight-legged horse Sleipner, the best horse known; his gold ring Draupner, which from every ninth night eight equally heavy gold rings drops; his spear Gungner that penetrates everything without stopping; his two ravens Hugin and Munin (loosely thought and memory, but 'hug' carries the meaning of life force, spirit); his two tame wolves Gere and Freke; and his missing eye.
When traveling among humans, he mostly appears as a tall, elderly man, with a missing eye, clad in a blue or dark cloak and a wide-brimmed hat. He mainly moves among the upper class, and is also the protector of Kings. Even as being the King of the gods, his position among the "common people", farmers, craftsmen etc, is not very strong. He was worshiped by the nobles and those related to the nobles: the warriors and the skalds. He is a god of war and death, being the best tactician and general among all, and the giver of divine inspiration: the wod.
To gain knowledge about the runes, he hung nine days and nights without food or water from Yggdrasil, stung by a spear and sacrificed to himself. He later was taught the nine most powerful galdrar, fimbulgaldrarna, by Mimer in exchange for his right eye (in some sources when he hung from Yggdrasil). Mimer also taught him other knowledge, and let him drink from the well of wisdom as part of the bargain.
Mat has an unbreakable spear forged with the One Power, with ravens and the words 'thought' and 'memory' inlaid; he wears a wide-brimmed hat; he is a master tactician and general; there are hints about him losing an eye; he hung from a holy tree as a price for knowledge; he very much moves among the nobles and in cities. There is also a prophetic dream of Egwene's where two ravens sinks their claws into his flesh. His luck in gambling can be seen as a parallel to Draupner, and in A Crown of Swords he also acquires a signet ring.
In personality Mat has much more similarities to Loke than to Oden. Both are characters that tries the easy ways, and often get into trouble by it, having to use all their cunning to cope. They both also have a tendency to be too clever for their own good. In Snorre's Edda Loke is characterised with: "Loke is beautiful to look at, his being evil and ever-changing. He owned more than any other that sort of wisdom that is called cunningness and had a talent for what was about to happen. He often put the gods in extreme awkwardness and often he saved them with his cunning inventions." But Mat lacks most of Loke's strange and evil aspects, and is a much simpler figure than Loke, who is one of most hardly understandable and analysable gods known. Thus probably only a case of similar personalities by chance, or that Mat was inspired by some of the various cultural heroes/tricksters present in many religions, including Native American, with whom Loke shares some traits (but saying that Loke is a trickster is a big over-simplification).
Mat also shares some traits with Frej, the main god of fertility and fridr. Frej is the best of horsemen, and in Lokasenna it is said that "he does not bring sorrow to neither woman nor maid and he releases prisoners from their chains". He also have strong idealistic and naive traits, especially shown in Skirnismal, the story of his love to the giant woman Gerd.
There is too little data to use here, but I wouldn't be surprised if Mat's encounter with the Daughter of the Nine Moons would have similarities with Skirnismal.
Oden is a master shaman and skald, a god of death and wealth in gold. Both his magic and his interest include the whole world. He brings victory in battle by bringing death to his enemies. His personality is a cynical and cruel one, ready to obtain his goals at all costs, and according to Saxo he is loved by his friends and feared and hated by his enemies. Other sources, mainly Snorre and the other Icelandic texts, says Oden was feared even by the people who worshiped him. He is haunted by his knowledge of the future and what it will bring to him and the world. In Dumezil's structural hierarchy of the gods, Oden is the "Magician-King".
In the end of TGH, Rand makes a sacrifice similar to when Oden gained his rune knowledge, when he deliberately lets Ba'alzamon stab him with his spear. Apart from that, many aspects of Oden's correspond remarkably well to Rand, even though Oden in many cases are much more extreme than Rand. Rand also shows wod - berserk wrath - in the end of LoC. But Rand has probably not got any serious, conscious input from Oden's character.
Very little is known about Tyr, who is mentioned as the third most honoured among the Ases (Frej is not an As, but among the Wans). He is a good of strife and battle, but there are also strong connections to him as a judge and to the legal systems among the Germanic people. His weapon was the sword. He clearly was a very important deity, given the large amount of places named after him in Denmark, and that the rune 't', representing battle, is named after him. During the Viking age, he is though very much placed in the shadow of Oder, Tor and Frej. He was often thought of as a giver of skill and courage to warriors.
It is widely believed that he as Tiwaz was the most important deity in earlier germanic cultures, but he had all but lost his role as king of the gods and ruler of the sky at the time of the Viking age. He would then probably be equivalent to Mithra in indoarian and Vedic religion, and Dumezil classifies him as the "Warrior-King".
In the only myth he appears in a leading role, Tyr loses his right hand to the giant wolf Fenrir, which he is the only brave enough to approach. The losing of a hand has a very precise meaning - at least according to Georges Dumezil - it is the heroic pledge for a false promise.
It must be pointed out that Tyr is not connected to legality as a maker of peace or a bringer to justice, but more as the embodiment of laws as power, of the fight that is fought in court instead on the battlefield. The god of justice in the Norse pantheon is Forsete, of which next-to-nothing is known.
Both Rand and Tyr have some connections to legality and justice, and Rand is a master swordsman, but other than that the connections are so few it is impossible to say anything with certainty. There though are some hints on that Rand maybe will lose a hand. Things are though complicated by RJ's claims that he deliberately made Rand similar to Tyr. I would say RJ has "failed" in that regard, at least given the books to date.
When Rand's and Mat's roles (magician and general) are mapped to the early Germanic Oden and Tyr (magician-king and warrior-king), one get the result that Rand is Oden with Tyr's attributes, while Mat is Tyr with Oden's.
Even though the similarities between Perrin and Tor is not as strong as the Mat-Oden ones, he mirrors Tor much more completely in personality and role. In part this is because Tor is a much more consistent and simple figure than Oden.
Most known myths where Tor are mentioned, are popular and humoristic stories of his encounters with the giants, where he uses raw strength to make up for a slow mind. This is present in Perrin, especially when Faile and Berelain runs in circles around him, but Tor is, as Perrin, a much more complex figure. In Alvismal, eg, Tor uses cunning, not raw strength, to prevent the wise dwarf Allvis to marry his daughter. It is generally agreed that the existing myths on Tor are more popular, entertaining stories than actual representations of his full role.
As Oden was the god of the nobles, Tor was the god of the common, free man. This is made to caricatures in Harbardsljod, depicting a conversation between Tor and Oden is disguise. But many sources on cultic rites in Scandinavia points out Tor as the central deity, more important than both Oden and Frej, which hints at bigger responsibilities than being Asgarth's and Middlegarth's protector from the giants. He is the god whose name is most common as a part of people's names, and many places also include the word 'tor' in its name. It was also Tor that gave early Christianity the greatest problems in christening Scandinavia.
Tor's main role was that of protector of human's and god's against chaos - the giants. But he also had some fertility aspects as the giver of rain and ruler of weather, and was a giver of strength and courage to warriors.
Tor's attributes were his short-shafted hammer Mjölner (Mjollnir), that never missed its target and returned to his hand when thrown; his red beard; his immense strength; his belt of strength (Megingjord) that doubles his already awesome strength; his gloves of iron to protect his hands from wounds when using Mjölner; and his wagon drawn by the two male goats Tandgnjost and Tandgrisner, which makes thunder and lightning when he drives it.
A very important thing to notice is that Mjölner is not solely a weapon and a symbol of destruction. It is used in the wedding, both to be laid in the bride's lap for fertility, and to swear the wedding oaths at. It was used to bless and welcome the newborn, and in the funeral ceremonies. Making the hammer sign was a protection against evil and a way to bless, much like the Christian sign of the cross (they were even so similar one was often said to be the other when convenient).
Even though Perrin does not share any attribute with Tor other than his strength, his beard and the hammer, their roles and personalities are remarkably similar. Both are mostly connected to the common men, both have a good head but are slow to use it, and both are terrible in their anger, though Tor has much closer to it than Perrin. Perrin's hammer is a symbol for peace and building, but this trait is also present in Tor and Mölner, even though it is not readily present in the myths.
Perrin's wolf connection is though more connected with Oden, who was the giver of the berserk's rage and invulnerability, and often stood for the ecstasy and fierceness in battle. Perrin fights like a berserk in his terrible wrath and his ignorance of wounds.
This is arguably the most amusing parallel I have found.
Skade was the daughter of the giant Tjatse, who was killed by the Ases. She lived in Trymheim in the far northern fjelds, and was a renowned hunter, skier and warrior, and a master with the bow.
When reached by the news of her father's death at the hand of the Ases, she goes to Asgarth to revenge, and the Ases offered reconciliation and compensation. Skade then demands one of the unmarried Ases as husband, and that the Ases will make her laugh, which she haven't done since her father's death. The Ases accepts on the condition that she may only see the feet when she chooses her husband.
Skade then chooses a pair of exceedingly well-formed and clean feet, with the comment that nothing on Balder can look bad, but instead they belong to Njord, one of the Wans. His beard had streaks of grey, and he was large in stature with a protruding stomach. He was the god of the sailors and merchants, and the riches trading brought.
Egeanin is like Skade a female warrior, clad in byrnie and sword. She also gives up her mission when new options arise, and she gets connected with an older merchant and sailor, of great stature, namely Bayle Domon.
***WARNING* Non family newsfroup material! ***WARNING***
Then it came to make Skade laugh. Loke undressed, fetched the goat Heidrun and tied its beard around his balls. They both pulled on the other, and both bleated and screamed clamorously. In the end, Loke cut the goat-beard and let himself fall backward straight into Skade's lap, and then the stern turse maid laughed. [Åke Ohlmarks, Asasagan]
***END WARNING***
There are quite a few connections between Lanfear and Loke, even though they are, alone, pretty weak. The connection is also, unlike most other mythological parallels in TWoT, interwoven with the parallels between Rand (LTT) and Oden. I should mention that this connection has been proven wrong now, but the discussion should remain for completeness.
In the Age of Legends, Lanfear was the lover of Lews Therin Telamon, making them closely connected, just as Loke and Oden was sworn blood-brothers. Their relations to the women around them - Siv and Frigg on one hand, Ilyena and Aviendha on the other - are ones of hate and scorn, either because they reject Loke in favor of another, or take the man Lanfear sees as hers.
Up to the end of TFoH, Lanfear tries to set herself up as not only a lover, but also as advisor to Rand. Her advise is similar to that of Loke's, in that it is in many ways indispensable, but at the same time brings serious trouble if followed.
But the most interesting part is their respective roles in destroying the order of their respective worlds. As Mierin, Lanfear made the Bore through the Dark One's prison together with Beidomon, ending the AoL in the process and beginning the War of Power. Loke did also, incidentally, end the Golden Age of Asgard, when he fooled the blind god Höder into shooting Balder with an arrow made of mistletoe.
After that, Lanfear announced her allegiance with the DO in the Hall of the Servants. Loke, on the other hand, used his sworn relation with Oden to take part in a feast with Ägir, where he insulted and mocked the Ases, as depicted in Lokasenna. Later, Lanfear was captured in the re-sealed Bore, while Loke was chained on a cliff with ropes made of his two human sons' intestines.
Their release from their respective prisons heralds the coming of the apocalypse.
There are some details that are unresolved. The most important is the events surrounding the opening of the Bore. Was Lanfear aware of what she was doing? If she was, was Beidomon aware of her plans, or was he fooled like Höder? With the Guide these questions are answered in the negative - Lanfear didn't know what she was doing.
Another factor is the end of TFoH, when Moiraine threw herself together with Lanfear into a ter'angreal gate, apparently killing both Lanfear and herself. In Ragnarök, Loke was engaged by Heimdall in a battle that killed them both, and there are indications that Heimdall and Loke was old antagonists. Moiraine can be seen as a Heimdall-like gestalt, but the indices are very weak. More important, there is no indication that the battle on the docks was final.
Their personalities show both similarities and differences. Both prefer subtlety and cunningness over raw force and both are haunted by jealousy, especially regarding women. We though don't know anything about Loke's motivations and driving forces. It is probably more a lust for joy and entertainment, as well as scorn for the gods in the beginning. In the end, he is driven by revenge. There are no apparent power-hungry of glory-seeking traits in him as in Lanfear.
But the new information in the Guide that Lanfear had no idea what she did when she opened the Bore means that the connection is null and void.
Oden and the Dark One shares a nome de guerre: Grim (sometimes spelled Grimer or Grimner), which brings the meaning of 'the disguised'. But there are other names of Oden that are of interest: Båleyg - the flame-eyed; Bölverk - he who do evil or cause misfortune; Glapsvinn - he who makes people mad; Ygg (Yggr) - the terrible. All would fit in right away with the DO.
Both are connected with death and the grave. The Dark One is 'the Lord of the Grave', while Oden's role is more complex. He resides in Valhall, the home of the einhärjars -- dead warriors (depending on mythos, it is either those who die in battle, or warrior-minded men). He was the only god that in Scandinavia more or less regularly had human sacrifices made to him (albeit such sacrifices are known to have been made to Frej as well), and he could summon the dead back in order to question them. While Oden is not connected with rats, he has a strong connection with ravens, with Hugin and Munin (covered in the Mat as Oden part).
Oden is also said to be the gods of the storms, and leads the ghosts and spirits that race there - "the Wild Hunt". I have found no "real" description of it, but Stephan Grundy gives his impression of it in Rhinegold, an impression so strong it must be included:
'Men say,' Ragin muttered, 'that those who see the Wild Hunt must either go mad or ride forever with the host of the dead - without rest, without hope of rebirth, howling through the worlds in their endless strife until the Muspelli come to the doom of the gods.'
- - -
In only a few moments, Sigifrith had lost all sense of direction. He halted for a moment, panting, straining his eyes through the blind night for any trace of the lost mare. Then a white flash of lightning seared his sight with the stark blackness of the wind-whipped trees against the whirling torrents of snow and the sound of a hunting horn rang through the thunder and the gale, its irresistible wod trembling along Sigifrith's veins till he lifted his head and howled at the storm. Looking up, he could see the far-off glowing of the wolves' red eyes through the snow, the streaming clouds in the tree tops twisting and writhing into the shapes of the mirky riders, their dead faces shining pale through snow and night as they spurred their misty steeds on. And before them stormed the mighty figure of wodan on Sleipnir, the ghost-gray horse's eight hooves flying wildly through the sharp pines and his rider's dark cloak streaming out behind him into the wind like the long hair of the wolf-riding women around him, the mad walkurjas whose piercing song shrieked their blood-lusting wod through the storm." [Stephan Grundy, Rhinegold]
This is a listing over connections that I've frequently seen made, but which in my opinion doesn't go to anything deeper than a very superficial resemblance.
Both are snakes, but there all similarities end. The Great Serpent is a symbol of time and eternity, while Midgårdsormen is the classical dragon, sprouting poison and destruction around him, and while it bites its own tail, it is a distinctly secondary trait. The snake eating its tail as a symbol of eternity is though present Roman and maybe in Egyptian Egypt mythology.
While both Loke and the Dark One are connected to the lie, and Loke was chained, it can't be said that any real connection exist. In most myths, evil is, or is to be, chained, and is connected with the lie. Loke is also a much too many-faceted character to be said to be the origin of all evil.
Even though both Lan and Gawyn would fit right in as the classical hero in the Germanic hero-myths, I have found no myths or characters that can be said to be any real parallel to them.
I have neither found any similarities and parallels between the Asynjas and the various female characters. There might be a Egwene as Frigg case, but I have no evidence but feelings and personality.
Plot parallels. If you can find one, please let me know!
The Aiel Wise Ones and Dreaming compared to the circumpolar shamanistic world view (this includes most, if not all Native American hunter-gatherer societies).
Lita Gatrix earlier had a page with Wheel of Time allusions from Classical mythology, but I can't find it anymore. If anyone has a page about this subject, or know where Lita's page is, please let me know.
Some comparisons with the Bible, by Oskar Brandt.
And of course, the Trivial Pursuits section of the WoTFAQ.
On Norse mythology: Crossley-Holland, Kevin, ed. The Norse Myths (1980); Davidson, H. Ellis, Gods and Myths of Northern Europe (1965; repr. 1986), Pagan Scandinavia (1967), and Scandinavian Mythlogy (1986); De Vries, Jan, Heroic Song and Heroic Legend, ed. by Kees W. Bolle (1963); Dumezil, Georges, Gods of the Ancient Northmen (Eng. trans., 1973); Turville-Petre, E. O. G., Myth and Religion of the North (1964).
On the Eddas: Hallberg, Peter, Old Icelandic Poetry: Eddic Lay and Skaldic Verse (1975); Kellogg, Robert, A Concordance to Eddic Poetry (1988); McCulloch, John A., Eddic Mythology (1930); Philpotts, Bertha S., Edda and Saga (1931).
The quality of the material on the CD on these topics was though very low, not only with oversimplifications but factual errors.
Edda Sæmundar (the Poetic Edda).
soc.culture.nordic
newsgroup, especially parts 2 (miscellenia) and 5 (Iceland).
Very good introduction!The raven icon is copyright © Tor Books and used with permission.
Karl-Johan Norén,
kjnoren@hem3.passagen.se