Mat Cauthon/Parallels

Robert Jordan uses several sources from mythology as inspiration for the character of Mat.
Odin
By far the most important source is the Norse God Odin. Odin is a war god, whereas Mat is one of the finest generals that ever lived. Like Mat, Odin is known by many names, including "friend of wealth", "spear shaker/spearman", "one-eyed", "the one who is many", "swift tricker", "hanged one", "high one", "wayfinder", "god of wishes", "broad hat", "victory bringer" and many others which may be applicable to Mat's personality, plot arc or possessions. Several of the above allude to imagery common in depictions of Odin such as his wide-brimmed hat, long spear and one eye. "Wayfinder" refers to Mat's ability to always find a way out of a problem or more literally the finding of a long-lost ancient road during Knife of Dreams. "High One" is similar to the title afforded to him as the Prince of the Ravens, "Highness".
Odin was hanged for nine days on the a branch of the immense and sacred Yggdrasil, also known as the Tree of Life, in exchange for knowledge. Mat is hanged on the legendary Avendesora and later explicitly tells Talmanes that "you could say I was-hanged for knowledge". Later, Charlz Guybon mentions a rumour in Caemlyn about him being hanged for nine days. After he is hanged, he is given the ashanderai, a spear carved with two ravens and the inscription "thought is the arrow of time, memory never fades". Odin had two ravens, named Hugin and Munin: Thought and Memory. Where Odin's spear is magical, Mat's is Power-wrought. The second bargain Mat makes with the Eelfinn sees him giving up one of his eyes to pay for Moiraine's release. Odin sacrifices one of his eyes for "wisdom".
In terms of personality, Mat loves female company and drinking and Odin is a famous womaniser and "requires no food, for wine is to him both meat and drink". He often sings song to himself and can speak the near-poetic Old Tongue where Odin is the god of poetry. Mat also has an excellent eye for horseflesh and enjoys the horse racing in Ebou Dar. Odin rides the eight-legged horse Sleipnir, which is both a two-for-one bargain and bloody fast!
Lastly, Odin is a god of the dead. Mat's links with death are manifold; he dies twice and is brought back to life, he rescues Moiraine from her "death", he has a head filled with the memories of dead men and he causes the deaths of many, and will cause many more through his enabling of the invention of cannons. He is also linked, via the Horn of Valere, to the dead heroes of legend who he called to battle. Odin presides over Valhalla, the hall of honored dead heroes who will fight at Ragnarok, the Norse equivalent of the Last Battle.
Loki, Coyote, Raven and the Monkey King
Robert Jordan has been quoted in saying that Mat was influenced by trickster gods like Loki, Coyote and the Monkey King.Compuserve chat, 1996, Q13 In general, there are few direct parallels between these and Mat, but all of them have a mischievous spirit, enjoy spinning tall tales and generally play the fool, while secretly being quite wily. All of these have obvious parallels with Mat's personality. 
The indigenous North American character of Coyote is represented by Mat's connection with foxes through the Eelfinn, his medallion and his ring. Mat is referred to in the Karaethon Cycle as "the fox that makes the ravens fly", so he is also the fox himself where the ravens are a symbol of the Seanchan. The fox is a creature of cunning in a wide range of literature from Aesop's fables to Reynard the Fox and Roald Dahl. Coyote is also credited with stealing fire for humanity from supernatural being that were keeping it to themselves, representing Mat's democratisation of the secrets of the Illuminator's explosives through Aludra. 
In other North American cultures, the figure of Raven shares many of the same roles and stories as Coyote. Examples of Raven tales include "Raven steals fire", "Raven tries to marry a princess", "Raven Lost His Eyes" and "Raven kill Pitch Man". The last involves a man made of an amorphous material similar to the boneless Gholam. The obvious link is through Mat's title of Prince of Ravens.
The Monkey King, known as Sun Wukong, is a mythological Chinese figure. He is often depicted armed with his staff and is a formidable opponent, defeating a hundred thousand of the Army of Heaven in single combat. Mat is extremely proficient at the quarterstaff too, notably defeating both Gawyn and Galad while they were armed with swords. Note that both brothers would become Blademasters soon afterwards. Scaling up, Mat defeats the Seanchan army with strategy and technology never seen before in the Third Age. The Fists of Heaven are part of the Seanchan army. Sun Wukong is also extremely fast, reportedly able to jump thousands of miles in a single leap, analogous to Mat's use of Travelling. He also claims to have learned all his skills and power from his dreams, which is true. Mat gains most of his skills from the memories of dead men inside his head, which often appear to him as dreamlike flashes.
Category:Parallels