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In the Arthur legend (or at least the version I've read) Arthur is severely wounded and on his deathbed and 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.
A king in the legend of Parsival who had an unhealable wound corresponding to the woes of his land. cf Rand's side wound which is not Healable, and the A Crown of Swords header prophecy.
Both in the Arthurian version, where Sir Gawain encounters the Green Man, and the much earlier Irish mythos 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)
And, of course, the fabulous Sword in the Stone.
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