RJ's real-world references

[FarShainMael]

In TGH49, Loial is reading 'To Sail Beyond the Sunset'.

[Terez]

So, RJ's favorite sff movies, or those he chose to list, are: Excalibur, Forbidden Planet, The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Terminator, and Bladerunner. We know he referenced Excalibur and Terminator 2 pretty blatantly. What about the others?

[Majsju]

So, RJ's favorite sff movies, or those he chose to list, are: Excalibur, Forbidden Planet, The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Terminator, and Bladerunner. We know he referenced Excalibur and Terminator 2 pretty blatantly. What about the others?

 

Well, it could be argued that at least part of the inspiration for the gholam came from Blade Runner. Both replicants and gholam are bio-engineered, looks perfectly human, and has superior strength and agility. And, there were six replicants that escaped, three male and three female. While we can find many sources for this, including the obvious Golem in jewish folklore, I think that the three men, three women is a direct nod to the movie.

[Terez]

So, RJ's favorite sff movies, or those he chose to list, are: Excalibur, Forbidden Planet, The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Terminator, and Bladerunner. We know he referenced Excalibur and Terminator 2 pretty blatantly. What about the others?

 

Well, it could be argued that at least part of the inspiration for the gholam came from Blade Runner. Both replicants and gholam are bio-engineered, looks perfectly human, and has superior strength and agility. And, there were six replicants that escaped, three male and three female. While we can find many sources for this, including the obvious Golem in jewish folklore, I think that the three men, three women is a direct nod to the movie.

Good one! Someone on Twitter suggested that Blade Runner was an inspiration for Halfmen (the term he used - I don't know if his choice was significant).

[idiostock]

It looks like Johnny lost his fiddle duel this time. (Asmodean sold his soul to the Devil the DO for everlasting fame)

[The Fisher King]

As possible candidates I might submit:

 

Callandor = Lightsaber/Excalibut - DUH, I know, lol. easy.

 

I see a bit of Irish folk singers in the Tinkers.

 

Rand, in Book 12, going up the slopes of Dragonmount and gaining enlightenment is very biblical - as is sooo much in WOT. Again, probably too easy.

 

Mat always reminded me SLIGHTLY of Han Solo. Again, the Star Wars analogies probably too easy.

 

Tam has (very obviously) a bit of Obi Wan Kenobi and Joseph as well.

 

Mat (really Aludra) ''inventing'' cannons...

 

Aes Sedai and Aiel both harken slightly to societies in the Dune novels.

 

The trick of ''Skimming'' seems like a modern day comparison to...I don't know...a hovercraft? A scooter?

 

 

Fish

[FarShainMael]

Surfing?

[Malruhn]

Every time I start reading something new, I am amazed by the number of VERY obscure references that RJ made to our "history".

 

I was helping someone out with some questions about similarities between Jesus and King Arthur - and got on the wikipedia site. The articles there are actually quite well done, with LOTS of references. I thought you would get a kick out of the page on "Merlin" - the number of stolen names and copied storylines are truly amazing...

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merlin

 

My ghast was flabbered a couple of years ago, when researchers found that "Merlin" wasn't the dude's name - it was a TITLE... so he wasn't just "Merlin" - he was "A merlin"...

 

Amerlin?

 

Yeah, the depth of his research still boggles my mind.

[Terez]

Moiraine and Thom are also Merlin parallels.

[Kaznen]

I am convinced the helmet ter'angreal Avi said operates a machine is the control helmet for a mech buried somewhere in the world.

[FarShainMael]

When I first read about the Ajahs I was immediately reminded of the 'Six Hats' technique which is intended to assist with creative thinking.

 

Six distinct {brain} states are identified and assigned a color:

 

*Information: (White) - considering purely what information is available, what are the facts?

*Emotions (Red) - instinctive gut reaction or statements of emotional feeling (but not any justification)

*Bad points judgment (Black) - logic applied to identifying flaws or barriers, seeking mismatch

*Good points judgment (Yellow) - logic applied to identifying benefits, seeking harmony

*Creativity (Green) - statements of provocation and investigation, seeing where a thought goes

*Thinking (Blue) - thinking about thinking

Coloured hats are used as metaphors for each state. Switching to a state is symbolized by the act of putting on a coloured hat, either literally or metaphorically.

[Guest boyzi]

The whitecloaks and mesema are religious people

[Ozzie_aiel]

'Duty is heavier than a mountain, death is lighter than a feather' is out of a japanese ww2 soldiers handbook.

 

An argument could be made that Tar Valon could be a copy of Manhatten, they share many similarities.

 

 

[michellem]

Speaking of song lyrics that seem like they're written about WoT...

 

 

Awakening to a swirling surgence
I peel away to listen in
Turning myself away from the future
Unable to explain anything
Spanning the sights of emerging patterns
I peel away to feel what's seen
I'm letting go of the fate I'm escaping
Riding the timewaves origin

Take in mystica
Take in mystica
Surfing the void
Light as the guide
Surfing the void

Awakening in different places
I peel away to connect again
Like being born of a bolt of lightning
Unable to explain anything
I span the sights of the lost connections
I see the dream within the dream
I'm letting go of my part in the story
As the word is and ever will be

Hear the void scream inside me

 

 

 

The Klaxons - Surfing the void