| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| kahonen |
Posted - 06 Sep 2002 : 00:07:51
It's been said that when Ed Greenwood first produced the Forgotten Realms, he based much of it on the real world.
My question is this:
Which countries in the Realms do you believe tie into the countries in the real world (please, no comments about the Realms being the real world  ).
My suggestions:
Maztica - South America (particularly Peru and Mexico)
Zakharra - Arabia
Evermeet - Ireland
Chult - Africa or Brazil
Kara-Tur - Japan
Shu-Lung - China
Anyone think of any others? |
| 30 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Forge |
Posted - 25 Oct 2005 : 16:03:35
While I agree that the Moonshaes have a Nordic slant, they are also very Irish/Celtic in feel. You have 2 distinct cultures meeting there.
I've always felt that Cormry had a Aurthorian feel to it. |
| Beirnadri Magranth |
Posted - 25 Oct 2005 : 15:46:32
quote:
Originally posted by Arion Elenim
Well, I suppose you have to look at Faerun herself as the whole of the British Empire prior to the Revolutionary era (late 1700's-1800's) but with a cultural focus just prior to the Renassiance....
That's how I've always seen it...
yeah this is true! |
| Crennen FaerieBane |
Posted - 25 Oct 2005 : 02:43:50
Yeah - seriously - the Realms should stay in the fantasy place. I mean, I could draw tons of comparisons between Thay and China, but I am not going to go there, because Thay has kick butt mages that rock the casbah and China has diplomats and politicians. Meaning: I like my fantasy being fantasy, and my real world being my real world.
C-Fb |
| Rinonalyrna Fathomlin |
Posted - 25 Oct 2005 : 02:14:04
quote:
Originally posted by CrennenFaerieBane
Huzzah for the learned woman!
I agree with RF - and by making comparisons to the real world, Faerun loses somewhat of its mystique. I mean, I don't want to go to a Realm that is the equivalent of Germany. I can play a myriad of other RPGs and get that experience.
The Realms is unique and wonderful place - I doubt Ed designed any part of it to copy any culture completely. Though some lands do have a influence - what else could he have gone off of. All creation comes from a spark.
C-Fb
Thank you...and you're right! I love the FR precisely because it's a fantasy world and there is no place on earth quite like it.  If I want historical fiction, there is another genre for that.
And I know Kuje has been trying to drive this point home for a long time.  |
| Kuje |
Posted - 25 Oct 2005 : 02:09:11
quote:
Originally posted by CrennenFaerieBane
Huzzah for the learned woman!
I agree with RF - and by making comparisons to the real world, Faerun loses somewhat of its mystique. I mean, I don't want to go to a Realm that is the equivalent of Germany. I can play a myriad of other RPGs and get that experience.
The Realms is unique and wonderful place - I doubt Ed designed any part of it to copy any culture completely. Though some lands do have a influence - what else could he have gone off of. All creation comes from a spark.
C-Fb
As do I and we've been told by Ed, repeatedly, that he didn't copy or base Faerun on any cultures from Earth but TSR did in the parts they added on. |
| Crennen FaerieBane |
Posted - 25 Oct 2005 : 01:54:30
Huzzah for the learned woman!
I agree with RF - and by making comparisons to the real world, Faerun loses somewhat of its mystique. I mean, I don't want to go to a Realm that is the equivalent of Germany. I can play a myriad of other RPGs and get that experience.
The Realms is unique and wonderful place - I doubt Ed designed any part of it to copy any culture completely. Though some lands do have a influence - what else could he have gone off of. All creation comes from a spark.
C-Fb |
| Rinonalyrna Fathomlin |
Posted - 25 Oct 2005 : 01:42:06
quote:
Originally posted by Arion Elenim
To be honest, I don't think America really has a Faerunian counterpart......
I think of Waterdeep as London, Silverymoon as Rome, Calimshan as the Middle East, etc., but I don't think that the USA has much of a hold on the Forgotten Realms as far as a translation might go....
Neither should any other particular country, as far as I'm concerned.
Waterdeep is...Waterdeep. There is nothing in the real world quite like it. Same goes for Silverymoon, and any other FR location. |
| Lemernis |
Posted - 25 Oct 2005 : 00:27:10
Here's what the 3rd Edition Forgotten Realms Net Compendium posits:
Al Qadim/Zakhara Al-Qadim boxed set - culture reference:________, names: Arabian
Amlar (Forest) culture reference:________, names:________
Amn - culture reference: Spain and Portugal (FR3) names: Spanish and Portuguese
Anauroch/Bedine - culture reference: Touareg and Saharian desert-like nomads (FR13), names: Touareg and Saharian Bedouin
Baldur's Gate - culture reference: Renaissance (Maztica novels Spanish and Portuguese and FR15), names: _________
Calimshan - culture reference: Arabian Sultanate (FR3), names: Iranian or Turkish
Chessenta - culture reference: Sparta ??? (FR10), names: AncientGreek
Chult - culture reference: African (FR16) African
Cormyr - culture reference: English, French (FR0, English,
Ring of Winter), names: French
Dalelands - culture reference:________, names: ________
Damara - culture reference: Classic Germanic kingdom during the Holy Roman Empire, names: German
Earthspur - culture reference:________, names: ________
Endless Waste - culture reference:________, names: ________
Evermeet - culture reference: Elven/Atlantis (Elfshadow, Elf Coral Kingdom), names: ________
Fuirgar - The land of the Stone Gitans - culture reference:________, names: Eskimo
Great Glacier - culture reference: Eskimo See FR14, names: Eskimo
Great Rift - culture reference: Dwarven (FR11), names: Dwarf
Halruaa - culture reference:________, names: ________
Horde lands - cultural reference: Mongol (Hordes), names: Mongol
Ice Peak (the) - cultural reference: Eskimo, names: Eskimo
Icewind Dale - culture reference:________, names: ________
Impiltur - culture reference:________, names: ________
Lantan - culture reference:________, names: ________
Luiren - culture reference:Halfling (FR16), names: Halfling
Marsember - - culture reference: Cormyr Venice, with its canals, names: ________
Maztica - cutlural reference: Central and South Incas american, Aztec Incas and Aztec (Maztica boxed set and series), names: ________
Moonsea - culture reference:________, names: ________
Moonshaes - culture reference: Celtic (FR2), names: Celtics, Gaelics, Wales
Northern Moonshaes and Luskan - culture reference: Vikings (Scandinavian) (FR2/FR5), names: Norwegian, Danish, Swedish
Mulhorand - culture reference: Pharonic Egypt (FR10)names: Egyptian
Murghom - culture reference: Baghdad (i.e. modern Iraq)under a caliph, etc., names: ________
Narfell - culture reference:________, names: ________
Nimbral - culture reference:________, names: ________
Plain of Horses - culture reference: Mongol (Hordes), names: Mongol
Quoya Desert - culture reference:________, names: ________
Rashemen - culture reference: Ukrainian/Russia (FR12), names: Ukraine/Russian Peasant
Raurin - culture reference: pre-Saharan Desert, names: ________
Sembia - culture reference:________, names: ________
Semphar - culutre reference: Baghdad-like culture, names: ________
Shaar (The) - culture reference:________, names: ________
Shou Lung Kara-Tur boxed set - culture reference:________, names: Chinese
Sossal - culture reference:________, names: ________
Thesk - culture reference:________, names: ________
Tethyr - culture reference: North Africa (FR3), names: Arabian
Thay - culture reference: Egypt (FR6), names: Egyptian
Turmish culture reference: Ottoman Empire, names: ________
Ulgarth Feudal system (FR16) - culture reference:________, names: French
Unther - culture reference: Sumeria/Babylonia (FR10), names: Sumerian |
| Artalis |
Posted - 20 Dec 2002 : 15:48:09
All seasons in moderate form are represented on Evermeet. Nature is at it's best there. Winter has it's snows but not blizzards, summer is warm but not blisteringly hot, and so on.
To the best of my recollection at any rate. Let me see where did I put that scroll.... aha
"Evermeet's climate is not, as some legends
claim, eternal springtime. Instead, I suppose it
is most accurate to say that each season is perfect,
embodying the timeís essence, while at the
same time never growing extreme enough to
become dangerous. Spring is green and pleasant,
with occasional rains. Summer is warm
and balmy, with a few hot days. Fall comes
quickly, sweeping the island, turning the stands
of deciduous trees into myriad red, yellow, and
gold shades. Winter brings with it snows and
chill winds. These seasons vary only rarely.
Most of the time they present all that is best,
while minimizing their less desirable qualities.
world in an entirely different light. They are
not the rivals of nature, nor are they its enemies
or its masters. The elves are part of nature and
as such, must live according to the natural
order, not in defiance of it."
Evermeet -Island of the Elves Chapter 1 page 12 |
| zemd |
Posted - 20 Dec 2002 : 14:59:58
isn't evermeet supposed to be a warm place? |
| Salius Kai |
Posted - 20 Dec 2002 : 14:25:54
Feanor, why do you continue to bother us with your psycho theories that make no sense at all? Anyways, Evermeet makes me think of Sweden. |
| Feanor_Karnil |
Posted - 20 Dec 2002 : 02:12:41
Somewhere unknown in the Forgotten Realms probably on a different continent other than Faerun - The USA, somewhere in there the realm of fantasy and our realm there is no differences between the two.
-Feanor Karnil The Moon-Star
|
| Kitira Gildragon |
Posted - 19 Nov 2002 : 12:33:31
I could only wish. It's only a pitty that it's not the mideval period.*sigh* Think about how many people would have given my swords a nice red paint job...*EVIL GRIN*
MIH: No offense taken... yet. |
| Bellua Aeneus Lacerta |
Posted - 19 Nov 2002 : 12:18:29
You mean America isn't Evermeet?? |
| Mumadar Ibn Huzal |
Posted - 19 Nov 2002 : 10:23:39
Hehehe... wasn't out to offend anyone. Though having lived in the US for a while, I have encountered some people who would miserably fail on any global geography test. But then again, there are people around the world who would be in similar difficulties.
Drummerboy, you put forward an interesting train of thought: reversal. For those twisted minds out there... what if Earth is a copy of the Forgotten Realms...?  |
| Drummer Boy |
Posted - 19 Nov 2002 : 05:39:42
Well put, Kitira. SOME of us (cough ME cough) do know that life exists beyond the borders of the US. I would agree though, that there really isn't that much in common between the US and the Forgotten Realms. I've always imagined the Realms as medieval/renaissance-like. Perhaps Europe in the Renaissance resembled the Realms well. |
| Kitira Gildragon |
Posted - 18 Nov 2002 : 16:48:33
quote:
Originally posted by Mask
Mulhorand = Egypt?
Definitely! Where else would you find gods named 'Set','Osiris', and 'Isis'?
To Mumadar: 
Contrary to what you might think, yes some of us do know that there is life outside our continent but that is not the way the majority thinks.(I know you are evil, though ) |
| Mumadar Ibn Huzal |
Posted - 18 Nov 2002 : 16:41:39
Culture-wise I agree with you. From a pseudo-medieval standpoint there is not much the history of the US can contribute, other than the tribal cultures of the native americans. Which might be reflected in some of the tribal groups that roam the plains of Faerun, or in the Terra Ingconita north of Maztica (sp?).
However from a geological point of view, I do think certain parts of the US and Canada have served as basics. The Sword Coast and Waterdeep do resemble the Seattle area and neighboring coastline to a certain degree. An there might be more... |
| Arion Elenim |
Posted - 18 Nov 2002 : 15:57:37
To be honest, I don't think America really has a Faerunian counterpart......
I think of Waterdeep as London, Silverymoon as Rome, Calimshan as the Middle East, etc., but I don't think that the USA has much of a hold on the Forgotten Realms as far as a translation might go.... |
| Mumadar Ibn Huzal |
Posted - 18 Nov 2002 : 13:46:14
quote:
Originally posted by Rad
What do you mean Mumadar?!? There isnt a world outside of America.....is there?!
Sorry, i couldnt resist
Yeah, contrary to popular belief by some natives of the country wedged between the Pacific and the Atlantic, there is more then just their continent. On their map boundaries they use instead of "Here be Dragons!" the following versions:
"Here be Commies",
"Here be bad guys",
"Here be evil empires",
"Here be Al-Qaida",
etc.
Game related: That's one of the things I missed on the new Forgotten Realms map; these nautical symbols of fantastic creatures at the edges of the know world. Or signs of danger and shipwrecks in the appropriate areas in the Sea of Fallen Stars. (don't have the map in front of me, but I'm pretty sure they're not on there.) |
| Lord Rad |
Posted - 18 Nov 2002 : 12:45:38
What do you mean Mumadar?!? There isnt a world outside of America.....is there?!
Sorry, i couldnt resist |
| Mumadar Ibn Huzal |
Posted - 18 Nov 2002 : 11:08:38
quote:
Originally posted by The Great Drizzt
Calimshan would be like Arizona, Utah and So.Cal
The Great Drizzt
Ehm... Calimshan definitely has a non-american character. It is more reminiscent of Northern Africa and the Sahara desert. |
| The Great Drizzt |
Posted - 18 Nov 2002 : 08:16:18
Calimshan would be like Arizona, Utah and So.Cal
The Great Drizzt |
| Bellua Aeneus Lacerta |
Posted - 17 Nov 2002 : 14:06:04
Would the City of Ravens be Paris??
City built on city on a city. |
| lowtech |
Posted - 13 Nov 2002 : 19:17:00
Chessenta=Germany (pre-1867), a warring collection of city-states and regions that are still recongnized by outsiders as one cultural group. |
| sushisauce |
Posted - 13 Nov 2002 : 03:33:57
I have read few books but Candlekeep and the surrounding areas sound like Washington & s. Canada
Baldur's Gate sounds like New York/Canada region |
| Mahonar |
Posted - 19 Sep 2002 : 23:32:12
Solmyr, i am quite certain that i read what you say in one of that 5 Forgotten realm Netbooks, i'm sure that you can find a copy of them in the library of Candlekeep ;). Thay? uhm...toooovarisch ZUlkirs :) |
| king-tiax |
Posted - 19 Sep 2002 : 20:58:55
War, It changes lands. |
| kahonen |
Posted - 19 Sep 2002 : 20:50:26
Eastern Europe (East Germany, Poland, Chek Czeck Czheck Chezk Yugoslavia)- bear in mind the Realms were designed before the Iron Curtain came down. At the time most of the Eastern European countries were seen as evil because of their association with USSR. |
| king-tiax |
Posted - 19 Sep 2002 : 20:28:17
Where would you place Thay. |
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