The truth is, I know several other works of fiction - both games and books - that had used similar ways of depicting "interdimensional" travel - even going as far as having a guardian like the Ire.

Also, Rebecca's quote is actually a pretty common Japanese proverb usually said the other way around: "Duty is heavy as a mountain but Death is lighter than a feather."

Both WOT and ROTH use images from the Bible, and the Jewish and Northern European folklore.

Did you even read what I write? I said myself that the "death light as a feather" quote seems to originate from the code of samurai. I do not deny at all that there are sources that both WOT and ROTH could have pulled from independently.

Each similarity listed in this thread on its own is clearly a fantasy cliché, true. But it is the sheer number of similarities and certain details that make me believe that ROTH was inspired mainly by WOT.

The most telling for me is the depiction of the seven seals (and yes, I know it's a concept of Christian eschatology, which comes from the Book of Revelation). Do you know any depiction of seven seals as palm-sized, pretty much indestructible stone disks that you can carry around wherever you like and they still perform their function as a seal? I'm pretty sure that's an idea by Robert Jordan.

So while its true that ROTH and WOT could simply have pulled their ideas from similar sources, I think it's pretty unlikely given the number and detail of similarities.

P.S. I would be really interested in what other works of fiction depict interdimensional travel with both elements of decaying pathways hanging in midair and an invisible, unstoppable guardian.

Yes, of course. I did read what you wrote but maybe you misunderstood what I meant. I meant that the proverb is a very common Japanese one and not limited to the code of the Samurai. That's all.

As for games depicting a similar connecting-the-worlds-system: There are a few on the Amiga (I don't know how familiar you are with the Amiga platform) but one of the most well-known I remember at the top of my head would be the Celestial World from Final Fantasy Legend II on the original gameboy - that one might be rather well known.

I also remember some Animes that used a similar depiction but, honestly, I couldn't tell you a title right now.

As for the depiction of the seals as stone discs: "Magical" seals are often depicted as stone discs - as real seals were mostly circular wax imprints. Apparently, a lot of authors use that image and enhance it by making them from something stronger than wax. Like metal or stone.

Okay, fair enough. In that case I misunderstood you there. Sorry about that.

I know the Amiga well but I can't think of any titles with such passages. Breath of Fire 2 on the SNES did have such walkways in nothingness, no ghostly monster hunting you, though. Just normal random encounters.

I really would love a specific example for such a depiction of a seal. I can't think of any right now, but I don't know a lot of what's out there in terms of fantasy fiction.

Well, in any case I don't think we will get to an agreement here. You keep giving me examples of how certain elements of the perceived similarities between WOT and ROTH can be found elsewhere whereas I keep emphasizing that it's the combination and the similarities right down to certain details that makes the deal for me. We are simply talking at cross purposes here if you keep giving me isolated examples like that.

I know I'm extremely late to this discussion, but I stumbled across it and felt compelled to reply.

While I can't think of any works of fiction off the top of my head that use the idea of seven seals, I can tell you that the Bible does use that imagery in the Book of Revelations, which involves the breaking of seven seals. Of course, the seals in Revelations aren't really described, but considering that for the purposes of the game they must be something which the main character can carry around on his person, that certainly puts limits on the kind of shapes and sizes they can come in. And we know that Realms of the Haunting lifts elements of its story and background mythology from Judeo-Christian belief. Considering that the Seven Seals are portents which serve to signal the end of the world in traditional Christian belief, and that Realms of the Haunting is concerned in some fashion with the theme of ending, and that it draws from Jewish and Christian lore, it seems reasonable to assume that the idea for the seals was taken from there, rather than from the Wheel of Time.

The issue with the proverb may be a nod to the Wheel of Time.

As far as the similarity between the Ways and the passages between the realms, I feel like the nature of the passages is dictated much more by game design than by a desire to lift an element from the Wheel of Time. It makes a certain amount of logical sense (in the sense that logic can be applied to a work of fantasy) that if there are multiple interconnected realms, then there should be some space between where all the connections, well, connect. For that to be a space without challenges to the player would be boring and kind of odd, so naturally some threat is needed to make this space between realms something more than just an empty corridor.

On the whole, while there are certainly similarities, I feel that it's more likely that the creators of Realms of the Haunting already pretty much had their basic ideas down, and played up the similarities as a sort of homage.