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3.05: Arthurian Legend

Arthurian Names:

• Amyrlin: Merlin/Myrddin, Arthur's chief advisor/magician, etc.
• Moiraine: Morgaine/Morgan Le Fay
• Morgase: Morgause
• Tigraine: Ygrainne, King Arthur's mother, seduced by Uther Pendragon with Merlin's aid.
• Egwene al'Vere: Guenever/Guinevere
• Artur Paendrag: Arthur Pendragon
• Callandor: Excalibur, the sword in the stone
• Galad: Galahad the Pure
• Gawyn: Gawain
• Green Man: Green Knight or Green Man
• Sa'angreal: San Greal (Holy Grail). An alternate spelling, Sang Real, translates to "holy or royal blood" [Robert Mee].
• Nynaeve: Nyneve/Vivian: who was Merlin's lover and cause of his imprisonment in the enchanted cave in Cornwall.
• Perrin: Perceval?
• Merrilin: Merlin again (advisor to a Queen).
• Lan: Launcelot?
• Damodred/Demandred: Mordred? Mordred was Arthur's bastard son by his aunt Morgawse, and his slayer.
• Elayne: Elayne/Elaine: The first Elayne is sister to Queens Morgawse and Ygrainne (King Arthur's mother). Another version of Arthurian legends (not Malory) asserts that she is one of the three women in Arthur's funeral boat to Avalon... The second Elaine is Sir Galahad's mother, by Sir Launcelot.
• Luthair Paendrag: Uther Pendragon (Now Artur's son, instead of his father)
• Tar Valon: Avalon
• Caemlyn: Camlaan (where Arthur fought his final battle against Mordred) or Camelot.
• Elyas, Aram, Demandred, Bors: All the same as or similar to names of Arthurian knights.

Min's vision of Rand's funeral bier: In the Arthurian legend (or at least the version I've read) Arthur is severely wounded and on his deathbed. Bedivere witnesses his being taken away on a funeral boat and ferried to Avalon to await the time when he is needed again. The only others on the ship are three women: 1) Arthur's half-sister Morgan Le Fay (the sorceress) 2) The Queen of North Galys 3) The Queen of the Waste Land. It is doubtful that RJ means for Rand's women to mirror Arthur exactly. It is probable that the women will be Elayne, Min, and Aviendha. Add to this the visions in LOC involving 3 women and (probably) Rand on a boat.

The Green Man: Both in the Arthurian version, where Sir Gawain encounters the Green Man, and the much earlier Irish myths where Cuchulain encounters a nameless entity that by the description is obviously the Green Man, the story follows the same pattern: hero makes deal with Green Man to show how brave he is, hero cuts Green Man's head off, Green Man reappears three nights later to finish the deal by cutting hero's head off, hero goes honourably to his destiny, Green Man stays his hand at the last conceivable instant and compliments hero on bravery. [Emmet O'Brien]

The Fisher King: a king in the legend of Perceval who had an unhealable wound corresponding to the woes of his land. cf Rand's side wound which is not Healable, the ACOS Header Prophecy, and the "Fisher" figure in Moridin's favorite game. For a more thorough discussion of the Fisher King, see section 3.06.

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