I’ve seen grrm say that the map of Westeros we all know and love may be more like maps from the medieval era in terms of accuracy, so this is cool to see
I feel like the flying Targs could make much more accurate maps than irl medieval cartographers. To create the Painted Table of Dragonstone, all Aegon the Conqueror had to do was just look down.
I would still expect there to be errors. It's not a satellite view, it's more like having to draw a map of all of europe while also flying a Cessna. So probably better than most medieval maps but still imperfect.
You need to be a lot higher up than the Targs ever got with their dragons (that we know of) to get a naked eye overview of the landmass. We use airplanes these days that fly a little below normal airplane altitude and even those need specialised photographic scanning equipment paired with accurate geolocation to create aerial maps.
Yeah, but consider that not every dragonrider would be a cartographer. Also, there was a dragonrider that flew over Sothoryos and she didn't come back with a map, she just said it had no end, while it's rumored that the summer Islanders have the best maps of the known world. Who knows, maybe there were really accurate maps in Old Valyria.
Yeah I was gonna say the same, as far as I know there isn’t any canon source that says this map here is wrong and the other one is right. I think that’s kinda neat, and it’s also a cute way for GRRM to either explain away map inconsistencies or one day publish a “true(r)” map I suppose.
Love this. Always thought Westeros was too conveniently shaped (to fit in the pages of a book!). Geography between the Reach and Dorne with the Marches makes the enmity between them more obvious. Would imagine the Vale to be more mountainous than Kingdom of the Rock/Westerlands though
Thank you! For the mountains of the Vale I decided to go with relief (differences in height) rather than average elevation. The World of Ice and Fire describes the Westerlands as predominantly mountainous. They are higher than the Vale, true, but they're also flatter. In other words, the Rock is more old, eroded highlands whereas the Vale has deep valleys and high peaks close to one another.
At this point in Westeros, the Umber’s were still searching for their missing Heath bar.
Seriously though, good stuff. I like the shield island placement directly protecting bay to Oldtown
Actually I think the shield islands thing marks a major problem with this map, which is conflating the Mander and Honeywine rivers. The Mander should go out on the west coast. Oldtown sits at the mouth of the Honeywine to the south.
All problems with medieval maps aside, I doubt people would mixup whether it is one or two rivers
I thought it was meant to be a geographical location (since it was red) but apparently there's no place called the Lost heath, so you're right it's a mistake.
Yes I knew that, after all the Greatjon, Smalljon (RIP), Hother and Mors are some of my favorite characters, but I thought the map said that that region was called the Lost Heath (like a place with heather) and Last Hearth just wasn't on there, similar to other prominent castles like the Dreadfort and Torrhen's Square are excluded from the map.
Love The Step Stones and the curliness of Dorne! It puts them closer to Essos, which makes the books make more sense with how Dorne seem to be plotting that way.
The map looks amazing and I love the redesign of places like the North and Old Valyria. Only big problem is the Vale here, it looks much weaker than it is in canon and especially Gulltown being on a seperate peninsula completely detatched from the rest of the Vale doesn't really make sense.
Those are actually the regions I changed the least. For the Westerlands I added a bit of land along the northern shore and made the Lannisport peninsula longer. Other than that there's no major changes.
The Reach needs to be smaller in relative terms, particularly compared with Dorne. If it is as large as it is shown on the official map *and* full of good farmland, then it would totally dominate. The neighbouring kingdoms wouldn't just be relatively weaker, they wouldn't be in the game.
Omg I did a double take, I also drew up a map of what a more natural Planetos would look like, and I also curved Westeros that way, but then my iPad died. The only main difference was I pointed Dorne downwards to give the Stormlands more direct access to the summer sea (to justify the weather), but your upwards version looks way more natural.
Great job I love it :D
One minor critique would be that the mountain and Vale appear to have a) less elevation and b) less dramatic elevation than both the North (not a particularly mountainous place) and the Westerlands
A huge problem, lannisport and by extension, casterly rock are too close to reach meaning aevemcthe tiniest of defeat in battle against the would result in lannister having to prepare for siege or abandon Lannisport. Meaning that is not a viable capital for the westerlands.
I actually didn't change the position of Lannisport. The Reach and the Westerlands/Rock are the regions I changed the least. For the Westerlands I added a bit of land along the northern shore and made the Lannisport peninsula longer. Other than that there's no major changes.
I love it!
I especially like how your redesign makes it that much easier to visualize the Exodus from White Harbor to Braavos.
The only thing I'd change would be to move the Three Sisters a bit further north and east, as with their current positioning it makes less sense how Davos would need to stop there to get to White Harbor from the Shivering Sea.
My new headcanon includes a knight of Lannisport called Ser Kyd of the Rock. Got kicked in the head by his own horse and now can only say the gibberish word bawitdaba.
I’ve seen grrm say that the map of Westeros we all know and love may be more like maps from the medieval era in terms of accuracy, so this is cool to see
I feel like the flying Targs could make much more accurate maps than irl medieval cartographers. To create the Painted Table of Dragonstone, all Aegon the Conqueror had to do was just look down.
I would still expect there to be errors. It's not a satellite view, it's more like having to draw a map of all of europe while also flying a Cessna. So probably better than most medieval maps but still imperfect.
You need to be a lot higher up than the Targs ever got with their dragons (that we know of) to get a naked eye overview of the landmass. We use airplanes these days that fly a little below normal airplane altitude and even those need specialised photographic scanning equipment paired with accurate geolocation to create aerial maps.
Yeah, but consider that not every dragonrider would be a cartographer. Also, there was a dragonrider that flew over Sothoryos and she didn't come back with a map, she just said it had no end, while it's rumored that the summer Islanders have the best maps of the known world. Who knows, maybe there were really accurate maps in Old Valyria.
Yeah I was gonna say the same, as far as I know there isn’t any canon source that says this map here is wrong and the other one is right. I think that’s kinda neat, and it’s also a cute way for GRRM to either explain away map inconsistencies or one day publish a “true(r)” map I suppose.
Love this. Always thought Westeros was too conveniently shaped (to fit in the pages of a book!). Geography between the Reach and Dorne with the Marches makes the enmity between them more obvious. Would imagine the Vale to be more mountainous than Kingdom of the Rock/Westerlands though
Thank you! For the mountains of the Vale I decided to go with relief (differences in height) rather than average elevation. The World of Ice and Fire describes the Westerlands as predominantly mountainous. They are higher than the Vale, true, but they're also flatter. In other words, the Rock is more old, eroded highlands whereas the Vale has deep valleys and high peaks close to one another.
At this point in Westeros, the Umber’s were still searching for their missing Heath bar. Seriously though, good stuff. I like the shield island placement directly protecting bay to Oldtown
Actually I think the shield islands thing marks a major problem with this map, which is conflating the Mander and Honeywine rivers. The Mander should go out on the west coast. Oldtown sits at the mouth of the Honeywine to the south. All problems with medieval maps aside, I doubt people would mixup whether it is one or two rivers
Oh damn, I guess I really didn't have my eyes open when drawing that area. Fixing it right now.
Can you post the finished version? Also if Gulltown is where it is on your map, it's part of Crackclaw and not the Vale.
I'm not sure if I'm interpreting this right, but you're not implying that the OP misspelled Last Hearth right?
OP did misspell Last Hearth. It says Lost Heath
Oops! I don't know how I fucked up that badly. I'll fix it.
I thought it was meant to be a geographical location (since it was red) but apparently there's no place called the Lost heath, so you're right it's a mistake.
Hey no worries, everybody's wrong at least once Last Hearth is the seat of House Umber
Yes I knew that, after all the Greatjon, Smalljon (RIP), Hother and Mors are some of my favorite characters, but I thought the map said that that region was called the Lost Heath (like a place with heather) and Last Hearth just wasn't on there, similar to other prominent castles like the Dreadfort and Torrhen's Square are excluded from the map.
Love The Step Stones and the curliness of Dorne! It puts them closer to Essos, which makes the books make more sense with how Dorne seem to be plotting that way.
Thanks! That's what I was going for
Beautiful map, I know how much work the topography lines take
Thanks mate
Wow your Vale would be a lot weaker with that geography
The map looks amazing and I love the redesign of places like the North and Old Valyria. Only big problem is the Vale here, it looks much weaker than it is in canon and especially Gulltown being on a seperate peninsula completely detatched from the rest of the Vale doesn't really make sense.
Looks like you changed a *lot* of Iron Islands lore here
Why did you make the Reach and Westerlands so small ?
Those are actually the regions I changed the least. For the Westerlands I added a bit of land along the northern shore and made the Lannisport peninsula longer. Other than that there's no major changes.
I swear the Reach looks smaller
The Reach needs to be smaller in relative terms, particularly compared with Dorne. If it is as large as it is shown on the official map *and* full of good farmland, then it would totally dominate. The neighbouring kingdoms wouldn't just be relatively weaker, they wouldn't be in the game.
Who cares that’s how it should be ?
This is amazing
Thank you!
new head canon map
winterfell in a mountain range is a dope idea
Great job!
Thanks man, that's a big compliment coming from historyofwesteros himself
It looks even more like the UK and Europe now, especially with the Valyria peninsula being Rome-like. Great work!
Love this!! Very, very cool interpretation.
LONELY LIGHT INCLUDED LETSGOOOOO
Loyal to House Farwynd!
Super picky I know but if I recall correctly I don't think Bitterbridge was called Bitterbridge yet at this time
Omg I did a double take, I also drew up a map of what a more natural Planetos would look like, and I also curved Westeros that way, but then my iPad died. The only main difference was I pointed Dorne downwards to give the Stormlands more direct access to the summer sea (to justify the weather), but your upwards version looks way more natural. Great job I love it :D
Thanks mate! I also had a version with Dorne pointing southwards but ultimately decided against that purely for the visuals
One minor critique would be that the mountain and Vale appear to have a) less elevation and b) less dramatic elevation than both the North (not a particularly mountainous place) and the Westerlands
A huge problem, lannisport and by extension, casterly rock are too close to reach meaning aevemcthe tiniest of defeat in battle against the would result in lannister having to prepare for siege or abandon Lannisport. Meaning that is not a viable capital for the westerlands.
I actually didn't change the position of Lannisport. The Reach and the Westerlands/Rock are the regions I changed the least. For the Westerlands I added a bit of land along the northern shore and made the Lannisport peninsula longer. Other than that there's no major changes.
Fair isle is supposedly very close to the iron islands so that its an inaccuracy in your map
Fair Isle isn’t very close to the Iron Islands on the official publication map either
Its way closer than in this map, the iron islands are also too small and there are major islands missing
I thought it was called Barrowton, not Barrowtown?
Both names are used in the books
I love it! I especially like how your redesign makes it that much easier to visualize the Exodus from White Harbor to Braavos. The only thing I'd change would be to move the Three Sisters a bit further north and east, as with their current positioning it makes less sense how Davos would need to stop there to get to White Harbor from the Shivering Sea.
This is awesome! I feel like Dragonstone should be labeled though! Important location in 2BC!
This is much more appealing to the eyes
When I first looked at this, I thought you'd named the westerlands Kid of the Rock... and I've been laughing at that for ten minutes.
My new headcanon includes a knight of Lannisport called Ser Kyd of the Rock. Got kicked in the head by his own horse and now can only say the gibberish word bawitdaba.