Wednesday, June 23, 2021

[NO SPOILERS] A small theory about the map

tl:dr A small theory that the map of asoiaf is GRRM's rendition of how Westeros mapmakers view the world. As such, it may not be indicative of the true shape, size, geography, etc., of the landmasses and oceans beyond Westeros.I have by no means explored this in-depth, but after examining the map of the known world within Asoiaf, I feel that the map is diegetic. That is to say, it's a map drawn from the perspective of Westerosians and not fully indicative of what the world and its landmasses truly look like.

I've seen several critiques regarding the map from an aesthetic perspective. It's those critiques that led me to ponder this. GRRM has gone to great lengths to really flesh out his worldbuilding and, given his knowledge of history, is likely no stranger to maps. I feel that Essos, in particular, is... a little awkward, all things considered. With that in mind, I pondered, "What if this is GRRM's rendition of how the people of Westeros view the rest of the known world?" Given that the setting is somewhat analogous to 9-12 century Europe and Central Asia, it's likely that map-making techniques aren't quite as accurate as today's maps are, obviously.

Wow, I typed way more than I thought I would! One final statement: I don't believe that the existence of a continent shaped like Essos is beyond the realm of possibility. We only have Earth as a reference, so there's no telling what sort of shapes and sizes landmasses on other worlds could look like! I just thought this was an interesting little theory to think about!

(Just a fun thought experiment, nothing more!)



Submitted June 24, 2021 at 01:48AM by multisician https://ift.tt/3h3MSY2

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