crows and ravens were the eyes of the Dark One, the supreme evil being in Wheel of Time, much as crows are the embodiment and/or servants of Soulblighter.
there are also some faint similarities between the Watcher and the WoT character Ba'alzamon, the Betrayer of Hope. their appearances seem very similar and The Watcher might be an apt description for Ba'alzamon as he was always hounding and brooding over Rand Al'Thor, the young, good, and sorcerous main character who is a reincarnation of a past hero of light, especially on his journey west to Tar Valon. this reminds me of the Watcher and his many traps for Alric (who may be a reincarnation of a past light hero as well) along the Road North to Rhi'Anon and the final battle with the dark. Rand al'thor fights a seemingly climatic battle with darkness at the end of his journey as well and ultimately defeats Ba'alzamon.
that's enuff from me for now,
Alric
