Is Mat's character based on The Swamp Fox..

[BIGRED]

First of all I would like to say hello to everyone. This is only my second post and I thought I would share a few of my thoughts. I’m extremely new to the WOT series. I just discovered the series a few months back and I’m already reading through for my second time… lol I’m up to the Dragon Reborn in my second reading. I’m pretty sure many of these have been mentioned before, but I thought I would share some thoughts I had.

 

I’m curious to know a few things. I think it’s possible that Mat and Francis Marion The Swamp Fox may have a lot in common. What do you think? The White Tower… Padget Thomas Barracks at The Citadel? Once all male… Now integrated with male and female… Is the tower being all women a twist on the concept by RJ. I’ve heard that Edmonds field and the Two Rivers is based on Charleston, SC. The two rivers being the Ashley and Cooper Rivers, which were named after the English Lord Ashley Cooper… lol Before my time the only way to get Mt. Pleasant, SC was by ferry… I’ve got a lot ideas about where things come from in Randland, especially since I’m born and raised in Charleston and also a Citadel Alumnus.

 

[Perrin 187]

Mat has only recently been using guerilla tactics in his battles against the Seachen. Normally Mat fights his battles in a covential manner. While Perrin  been using those tactics since his The 2 rivers campaign agianst the trollocs however Mat has the character of Swamp fox in that he's the gambler always visiting taverns, getting drunk, and such.

 

So I this is the way I would put it.

 

Mat=Personal Chararcter of Francis Maron, but hardly uses Maron's tactics.

Perrin=Uses Maron's military tactics very frequently, but shreds little of Maron's character. 

[BIGRED]

Good call... Although I think Mat's use of Tactics are very cunning and sly in that he makes use of the land around him and ambushes his targets. From my knowledge of Francis Marion... He did exactly that. He used both tactics and brut force. He utilized the swamps and terrian in order to sneak up on his targets and attack before he knew they were there and be gone again before they had to time to regroup... But, you are correct in the fact that he has started doing that more towards the end...

[Bob T Dwarf]

All along, actually.  Accidentally at first and only deliberately lately.

 

The series of engagements that led to the formation of the Band and their adoption of Mat as their leader were all "accidental" encounters that happened as Mat was trying to sneak away.  He'd pick a direction that led away from the main battle and suddenly find another body of the enemy hidden in a fold of the land.  He was always dismayed and the enemy was always surprised by those repeated encounters.  The outcomes always left Mat surprised and the enemy dismayed. 

 

Seems that being ta'veren means he just couldn't fail to find the most advantageous approach.

[BIGRED]

I also think that even though Perrin uses Guerilla tactics... He also uses a strong hold and fights off. He plans and uses strategy to out smart the enemy and take away their power. The swamp fox simply out maneverued his oponents and was always on the move never in one spot allowing people to walk into traps. More like Mat in my opinion. Perrin reminds me more of a Stonewall Jackson... He uses dangerous tactics but well planned out and nearly fool proof on the field of battle. Well I guess it's kind of hard to say regardless... I'm sure both of them are modeled after many past Battle Commanders... lol  

[Perrin 187]

I also think that even though Perrin uses Guerilla tactics... He also uses a strong hold and fights off. He plans and uses strategy to out smart the enemy and take away their power. The swamp fox simply out maneverued his oponents and was always on the move never in one spot allowing people to walk into traps. More like Mat in my opinion. Perrin reminds me more of a Stonewall Jackson... He uses dangerous tactics but well planned out and nearly fool proof on the field of battle. Well I guess it's kind of hard to say regardless... I'm sure both of them are modeled after many past Battle Commanders... lol  

It is hard to compare there tactics in the WOT to Francis in that Francis had 18 century gunpowder weapons. While Mat has just recently begun using gunpowder in combat but I doubt well seeing anything like a Flintlock musket in the near future of the series.

 

Both of them are probabably modeled after a famous military commander as other characters in the series, Artur Hawkwing modeled after Alexander The Great, Gareth modeled after Robert E. Lee.

 

Saldeans are modeled after the Mongols with there superior Light cavalry, Shenrians modeled after Feudal Japan with Samuri like topknots and swords, with a strong code of honor.

 

What I would do to get a hold of RJ's notes and find out what real life people he based Mat and Perrin on. I know he based them on past Gods, but what real people...hmm.

[BIGRED]

I agree Perrin 187... That would be something to see. I had the good fortune to see RJ several times at Citadel Parades when I was a cadet and never even knew who he was at the time. I was never a fantasy reader until I discovered WOT and a friend of mine had been telling me about WOT for about a year before I finally decided to start reading it in March of this year and I'm an addict to the WOT world. Charleston and The Citadel are loaded with history and RJ took it all in. If only I would have started reading WOT years ago, perhaps I would have had the oppurtunity to speak with this amazing individual and gain some of his personal insight and inspiration from WOT. I just went to The Citadel the other day to check out his memorial display in the Daniel Libary and it's very impressive if anyone is ever in Charleston it's open to the public and definitely worth checking out.

[Majsju]

No main character is based on a single person. RJ, being the history buff that he was, seems to have picked the inspirations he needed, so the characters are amalgations.

 

Speaking of Alexander, yes, Mat seems to have borrowed things from him. But the same can be said about Rand. Using ships to supply the troops was basically invented by Alexander. And Arthur Hawkwing? Conquer the world to build an empire, die, and the empire crumbles...Very "Alexandric".

 

You can probably pick a great military leader at random, and find things that fits with one or more of the main characters.

 

Same thing with the nations, they are all patchworks.

[Guest Toad]

I agree.  Though there may have been some deliberate comparisons to leaders, generals and such, there were probably as many unintentional details added in from RJ's store of knowledge.