| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| The Grumpy Celt |
Posted - 11 Jun 2007 : 01:43:46
Hello All. First time poster, long time lurker...
I was wandering around wikipedia a few nights ago and I found the below text under the Abeir-Toril entry;
quote:
Abeir-Toril is the name of the fictional planet on which the Forgotten Realms is set. The name is archaic, meaning "cradle of life." It consists of various continents and islands, including Faerūn, Kara-Tur, Zakhara, Maztica, Osse, Anchorome and Katashaka, a sub-Saharan-like continent south of Maztica, where humanity appeared.
I have heard and know about Faerūn, Kara-Tur, Zakhara, Maztica and Anchorome. I had never previously heard anything about Osse or Katashaka.
(The Old Sage has confirmed this over on the Wizards boards. But I was wondering about peoples reactions here, at Candlekeep.)
From posts on the messages boards at the Wizards page, I have learned this;
Osse is a Pseudo-Polynesia/Pseudo-Australian land, and probably the big, round land mass located between Kara-Tur and Maztica/Anchorome. What little is known about it comes from the Lady of Poison novel.
And Katashaka is the unofficial name of the landmass south of Maztica/Anchorome. It is apparently like South America in location, but has been designated as thematically Sub-Saharan Africa by sources that are being given credence even though they are non-canon.
I had always thought the landmass directly south of Maztica and Anchorome was, more or less, an analog of South America. Anything that fills in the maps a bit can be nice, so long as it makes sense. Im not certain putting "Fantasy Africa" right next to "Fantasy Mesoamerica" makes sense or is thematically sound. I always thought of most of Southern Faerun as "Fantasy Africa."
In any event think the wikipedia entry needs to be cleared up. |
| 2 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| The Grumpy Celt |
Posted - 11 Jun 2007 : 02:32:39
Thank you The Sage, I know this. I just wanted some feed back from other people. Danka. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 11 Jun 2007 : 01:54:13
And for ease-of-reference purposes:-
We assume that Osse is one of the "unknown lands" marked on the world map on pg. 231 in the FRCS... likely the larger continent at the bottom SE of the map itself. All we know about the land itself has been revealed in Lady of Poison. Aside from a few obvious examples in the book, I wouldn't say that Osse is a direct translation of, or heavily influenced by, Australian Aborigine culture -- Gunggari's mannerisms aside (as well as his dizheri), the supposed "ways" of the Osse people could very well be associated with many other examples of Polynesian tribal cultures. I always thought the actual name "Osse" was a bit of a joke as a matter of fact...
As for Katashaka... that was merely the unofficial name Brian James used for one of his articles in the Candlekeep Compendium featuring lore about the dark continent located southwest of Faerūn. Assuming it survives editing, you'll likely learn a little more about Katashaka in the upcoming Grand History of the Realms sourcebook.
quote:
Originally posted by The Grumpy Celt
Osse is a Pseudo-Polynesia/Pseudo-Australian land, and probably the big, round land mass located between Kara-Tur and Maztica/Anchorome. What little is known about it comes from the Lady of Poison novel.
Until we learn more about Osse, perhaps from future FR novels/sourcebooks, this is essentially correct.
quote:
And Katashaka is the unofficial name of the landmass south of Maztica/Anchorome. It is apparently like South America in location, but has been designated as thematically Sub-Saharan Africa by sources that are being given credence even though they are non-canon.
Indeed. As I noted above... if Katashaka survives the GHotR editing process, it'll likely be considered part of Realms canon at that point.
quote:
In any event think the wikipedia entry needs to be cleared up.
It wouldn't be the first time...
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