Robert Jordan draws on a number of sources from myth and legend to create the Dragon archetype. Here are some observations on likely parallels with these.
Illustration of the Devil/Lucifer from Dante's Inferno with dragon-like characteristics.
The original Dragon, Lews Therin, was called "Lord of the Morning" where Lucifer translates as "Morningstar" and even sounds vaguely like Lews Therin. Revelation refers to Lucifer as a dragon: "And the great dragon (the Devil)... was cast out was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." This also refers to Lews Therin's and the Hundred Companions' descent into madness and infamy, a great fall from grace as Lucifer was a fallen angel. Lucifer resides in Hell amid fire and brimstone (sulfur) whereas Lews Therin's death left behind the fiery, sulfurous belchings of the volcanic Dragonmount. Lastly, both are predicted to return at the End of Days.
Both the Dragon Reborn and Jesus are prophesied saviours whose purpose was to die for the sake of mankind. Rand's birth to 'a Maiden' parallels the miracle of the Virgin birth of Christ. Rand was a shepherd/sheep herder in the Two Rivers whereas Jesus was known as the Good Shepherd. During his time of wandering, Jesus was tempted by the Devil to abandon his path, much as Rand was tempted by Ba'alzamon to join the Dark One in Rand's personal journey of discovery.
The shining aspect of Jesus is similar to how those with the Talent see ta'veren.
During his life, Jesus performed many miracles and upset the established order which have obvious connections with Rand's many wonders and casting down of the powerful. Jesus said of himself "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one goes to the Father except through me", which parallels a statement made by Masema very closely: "There is no way to the Light save through the Lord Dragon. You will see the way and the truth in the end...".[1] In art, Jesus is often depicted with a shining aura of light surrounding him, similar to the way in which those which have the Talent view ta'veren.
The Resurrection of Christ is paralleled by Rand's coming back to life (albeit in another body) via the "he who is dead, yet lives" Foretelling. Jesus' body is marked with the five wounds of Christ (the holes from the nails on his hands and feet, plus the wound from a spear in his side) where Rand's body is marked by branded palms, two dragon tattoos and a wound in his side (although he also loses a hand later). Both also wear a crown which is harmful to its wearer, the Crown of Thorns and Crown of Swords. Finally, in the book of Revelation, it states that "the Lamb (Christ) broke the seventh seal on the scroll" (Rev. 8:1), which is an allusion to Rand's plan to break of the seven Seals on the Dark One's prison.
The fact that Rand had parallels with both the embodiments of pure evil and pure good from Christianity is part of Jordan's theme of antagonistic forces that are one and the warping of myth and legend through the Ages.
Robert Jordan had the following response when it came to Rand being a "reincarnation" of Jesus, who would have been from the First Age:
- Rand has some elements of Jesus Christ, yes. But he is intended more to be a general "messiah figure." An archetype such as Arthur, rather than a manifestation of Jesus Christ in any way.[2]
So rather than be a reincarnation of Jesus, he sees both of them as manifestations of a more general archetype.
_(14801002423).jpg){kind=link}
King Arthur as a boy drawing the sword from the stone to prove he is the true king.
King Arthur was born to Igraine which is very similar the name of Rand's birth mother, Tigraine. King Artur's banner was the Red Dragon that is seen in the flag of Wales. Both fulfilled prophecies about removing the Sword from the Stone, although in Rand's case both were not literal interpretations. Some legends say this sword is the same as Arthur's famous sword Excalibur, which has various names in Celtic languages (Caledfwlch, Kaledvoulc'h, Calesvol) that have similar pronunciation to Callandor. Taking this sword was the sign that the true King had returned, just as taking Callandor was a declaration that the Dragon had been reborn.
Arthur's wife was Guinevere. Rand and Egwene al'vere were always assumed to become married someday and are in fact married during Egwene's Accepted test. In general, there are a lot of figures very close to Arthur in legend that have similarity, at least in name, to characters close to Rand; Merlin, Elaine and Morgause (his half-sisters), Gawain, Galahad etc Finally, in some legends, when King Arthur dies, he is borne to Avalon on a boat accompanied by women of varying numbers. This is alluded to by Dreamwalkers and Nicola Treehill, but never happens in a literal sense. Artur's death is linked with the wikipedia:Battle of Camlaan, parallelling the Battle of Caemlyn in the final stages of the Last Battle.
The Fisher King being wounded by the "dolorous stroke" with the Holy Grail (Saint Graal) above. The fantastic nature mirrors Rand's surreal battle in the sky at Falme.
During a game of sha'rah, Moridin consider that the Fisher piece in the game is an echo of Rand from a distant Age. The piece is blindfolded and ha a wound in its side that is dripping blood. This is an allusion to the Fisher King from Arthurian legend who was meant to be one of the last guardians of the Holy Grail (also known as the Saint Graal, similar to the word sa'angreal). In one telling of this tale, this is a wound that never heals, much like the one in Rand's side. In the legend, the wound is more often interpreted as being the groin and his land sickens and is infertile because of the injury to his manhood. Some prophecies state that the Dragon is also at one with the land. The origin of this wound is a trope of Arthurian and Celtic legend known as the "dolorous stroke" and often inflicted with a powerful magic weapon, sometimes the Spear of Destiny, the weapon which created the wound in Christ's side, a further link with the parallel of Rand mentioned above.
The Dagda is a figure from Irish mythology that was a king of the Tuatha Dé Danann, the source for the name of the Tuatha'an, the last true remnant of the Da'shain Aiel who were known as the "Children of the Dragon". He was known by many names with various translations, including Ruad Rofhessa ("mighty one/lord of great knowledge"), Dáire ("the fertile one"), Aed ("the fiery one"), Fer Benn ("horned man" or "man of the peak") and Cera (possibly "creator"), all of which could be linked to Rand in some way. He is a god of fertility and agriculture and has a cauldron which produces an infinite amount of food, represented by the connection that the Dragon has with the land and Rand's attempts to provide food for all of the nations under his control. He is also thought to be the origin of or the same as Donn, which translates as "the Dark One" and is god of death, which may be a conflation of Rand's connection with and becoming Moridin/Ishamael.
The Dagda's wife is known as the The Morrígan. She is sometimes one woman, a shapeshifter, and sometimes three women. In the case of three women, known as Babd, Macha and Nemain, they represent aspects of Min, Elayne and Aviendha as a harbinger of doom, a representation of sovereignty and the frenzied havoc of war respectively. He is also a user of powerful magics, arguably even more powerful than Rand as he can bring the dead back to life.
Quetzalcoatl in the form of a feathered serpent.
Quetzalcoatl is a major god of the Mayan and Aztec civilizations that sometimes takes the form of a "feathered serpent" and sometimes a human, a similar concept to a Dragon/the Dragon. In some legends, the god was born to a virgin, as Rand was born to a "Maiden". He is also known as Tlāhuizcalpantecuhtli, or the "star of the morning", where the Dragon was known a the Lord of the Morning. He was known as the inventor of books and the calendar, the giver of maize (corn) to mankind, and sometimes as a symbol of death and resurrection, variously represented by Rand's founding of schools, distribution of grain and his cycle of rebirth. Quetzalcoatl is also prophecied to return with Hernán Cortés being the equivalent of a "False Dragon".