I’m not too sure if the Sylvari can represent wisdom, especially compared to a people like the Norn. I do remember reading an argument that the Norn were the wisest people of Tyria, because while they might outwardly appear brash and reckless and overly willing to engage in feats that risk their lives quite a lot, this results more from their individualistic and egalitarian society than anything; in fact, since they routinely go up against danger and come out on top because of their wisdom in knowing just how far they can go, they should be considered the wisest race in Tyria. In contrast, the Sylvari have a code, but they do not have the experience of working with other races and being able to use that code. And I think the game shows that just because the Sylvari have the Tablet of Ventari doesn’t mean an individual possesses all of its teachings and abides by them. The sheer number of Sylvari that have strayed from Ventari’s teachings should show this.
Regardless, I think the races are based off of certain historical mythologies and fantasies more than anything.
The Sylvari are almost blatantly the faeries from Scottish legend and Arthurian folklore. They have Arthurian names. They’re split into two factions, just like the Seelie and Unseelie. The first faction (the playable Sylvari), just like the Seelie (which is derived from the old Scottish for “happy”), is willing to deal with outsiders and plays light tricks, often without realizing their larger effect. The second faction (the Nightmare Court) are akin to the Unseelie (whose name means “unhappy”), which is the group that often preys on travelers without provocation. They even share the same earthly appearance.
The Norn share a lot with Viking culture, but for my money, there are too many things that are off about the comparison, notably animal worship and individualism as opposed to the Viking’s deities and group-oriented culture. I think one of the better hints, actually, is the ridiculous height of the Norn, which reminds me of popular perception on Neanderthals. I think they could easily be a pre-viking culture, from around 3,000-2,000 BCE.
The Charr are inspired full blown by Roman culture. The Latin names and naming system (gladium, really?), the statues of prior heroes, the legion system. All we’re missing is a senate or a central head, really. I would say it represents the late Roman Republic quite well.
The Asura are named after a group of deities in Hindu mythology that are characterized by naturalism, excessive pride and great knowledge. But I’m not entirely sure about this connection, something just seems off. The Hindi asura were originally thought of as good, but with changing politics in India, the mythology was changed so that asuras were demonic and hated almost everything that was good in the Hindu mythos. I think this game’s Asura are based on a transition point in that mythology. I originally thought that naturalism went against GW2’s Asura, but then it actually makes a lot of sense that the game’s Asura, if based off of Hindu mythology, would focus on magiteck and not the raw industrialism the Charr are based off of. Still, this is iffy for me.
The Humans are ironically the hardest to pin down for me. I’m really not sure what their culture or society is based off of. I never played GW1, I have no clue what larger human culture is like, but it’s possible that the Humans are just a new culture created for this game, with their own gods and stuff. If I had to round it down to one culture, I would at least say it was an Indo-European one, perhaps an offshoot. You’ve got names like Seraph and Balthazar, which are Judeo-Christian, but you’ve also got polytheism and Asian influence. I wouldn’t be surprised to find they’re not based on anyone in particular, though.
And those are my two cents. Or five, or six cents.