A couple interesting things

[krystalline]

Just a couple random things I came across while reading something else:

 

Shaitan is Islamic for Satan, providing a basis for Shai'tan.

 

The dream ter'angreal that Egwene, et al., use must have been based on a Mobius Strip. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%B6bius_strip

I always had a hard time picturing what the ring with only one side would look like, and now I know!

 

Anyone else notice anything else in the real world that was used as a basis for a character or object (or anything) in Randland?

[BrainFireBob]

Um, almost everything?

 

Seriously, Jordan to some extent has created an "origin point" for many of our myths, and used our history in Randland's myths.

 

Lenn, who flew to the moon in the belly of an eagle, is John Glenn, astronaut designated "eagle one."

 

Wise Anla is Ann Landers, and Elsbet, Queen of All, is Queen Elizabeth.

 

The story's chalk-full of this kind of thing.

 

Everything invented in the Academy when Rand visits is a machine from the industrial revolution- including Bunsen burners and steam engines, not to mention paddleboats and various spinning machines.

 

Then there's the mythological connotations- King Arthur, Jesus, etc. for Rand and company (the "sword" in the Stone, Thom Merrilin as Merlin, al'Thor and al'Lan Mandragoran, lord of the 1000 lakes conflating to Lancelot du Lake) and the various mythological bogeymen for the Shadowspawn: Gholam from Golem, Draghkar from Dracula, Kno'mon, Dha'vol, Af'rheit (and all the other Trolloc band names)- Gnomes, Devils, Efreet (genies). Their abilities are even related to the abilities they're assigned, mythologically: Draghkar suck souls with a kiss and gholam live on blood, combine the two to get vampires, etc.

 

Most sites have a FAQ of these things up.