WoT countries resembling real countries

Anika Forsyn

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I've enjoyed making connections between WoT countries and RL countries. For example, Andor would be like England, Cairhien would be like France, Illian and Tear would be like Italy and Spain. What other similaries have you all come up with?
 
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Well, Illian isnt exactly Italy but more like the renaissance Florence.
The Aiel are somewhat like the Bedouin with their customs and tribes.
I am not 100% sure about it, but I think that Arad Doman somehow resembles the way Venice was in the renaissance.(With the merchants in power choosing the king)
 

Caliden Al'Waes

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This is honestly something I've never considered. I have to agree with Andor though, since theres pretty much just one big city and everything else is kinda small, lack luster. Nice of you to share! Man, now I'm going to have to think about this stuff a bit more!
 

Anika Forsyn

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Oh yeah, Seandar would be an amalgamation of a few Asian countries. I first thought of this when I listened to the audio books and the guy voice does English accents for all the Andoran people. And I was like YEAH. And then Cairhien with their shaved/powdered foreheads and game of houses (which sounds very much like what went on during King Louis X-XIV). Tear i see as Spain because of their "oiled beards trimmed to a point" and Weiramon's last name of Santiago or something like that.

Anyone have any idea on Altara?
 
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I think Aiel have in fact some Finnish and Russian tendencies, with their sweat-tents (saunas) and their drinking habits... Though oosquai resembles more tequila.
 
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I think that the Aiel are a combination of ancient Mesopotamia and Sparta. Like the Mesopotamians, the Aiel (used) to fight over small amounts of water in a limited area. And like the Spartans, the Aiel are a fierce group of harsh warriors. But unlike the Spartans and the Mesopotamians, the Aiel are lovable in their own special way.
 
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Actually, I've thought about this before, and RJ's nephew gave me a list of what each country is. No single country is directly related to any other country. Usually the general feel is more related to an individual country, but the fashion, physical description of the citizens, traditions, geographic location, architecture, and more are an amalgamation of a number of different cultures. I'll see if I can find the list somewhere.
 
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I think Aiel have in fact some Finnish and Russian tendencies, with their sweat-tents (saunas) and their drinking habits... Though oosquai resembles more tequila.

Oosqai is a direct corruption of whiskey btw.
 

Anika Forsyn

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And burn your stomach. First time I ever tried tequila went horribly, horribly wrong.

So I'm going to be in denial and say Oosquai is enjoyably debilitating, not viciously degrading.
 
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Hmmm, I actually always found the Aiel to have similar customs to First Nations (or Native Americans, if you are from the US). Did anyone else get that feeling?
 

Elorenya d'Rahien

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Whiskey, tequila... Same difference, both taste awful if you have any sense of taste.

Woah, hey now. Both taste awful if you're drinking cheap crap liquor, just like all cheap crap liquor tastes nasty, but the good stuff is amazing. And very, very different between tequila and whiskey.
 

Ealandrelle Melyma

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I always thought of Tear as having an Asian feel to it too. The description of the hats and dress and so on. Also the way Siuan is generally described/drawn makes me think Chinese rather than Spanish.

As someone else said, I think that each country/area is a smorgasboard of a few different areas, cultures and times. Perhaps RJ was deliberately trying to stop people being able to draw absolutely direct comparisons, whilst still leaving enough similarities that we could have fun thinking about it :)
 

Eluial Aldaran

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Hmmm, I actually always found the Aiel to have similar customs to First Nations (or Native Americans, if you are from the US). Did anyone else get that feeling?
Yeah, I definitely did.

But yeah, WoT countries are definitely an amalgamation of real countries/cultures. Though I agree that each one seems to have a main flavor that they're mostly based on, with some side stuff thrown in.

I always pictured Altara as mostly Greek (to answer another question from earlier).
 

Elorenya d'Rahien

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It's not Real World, but the Aiel/Fremen comparison is pretty clear, too. Desert warriors with a strong religious/prophecy focus?
 
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Andor is definitely England. :) that much I think we can ALL agree on! :)
I saw the Aiel as native American ( mostly) though how they became so well versed in the martial arts? IDK...LOL
AND I agree that TEAR is Spanish AND Asian! Juilin Sandar seems pretty darn Asian to me! yet the way the defenders of the stone are ..They seem VERY conquistador! :)
Cairhien? French society for sure, yet disticlty Asian in my mind as well! IDK...I often have a VERY hard time getting a feel for how folks look or what their societies are like in WoT!
Illian? Definitely Italy I thought? And altara ( Greek)? Amadicia? Heck if I know!!!! LOL I Imagine Amadicia as Jerusalem at the height of King Baldwins reign! hahah ( not really ).
For WHATEVER reason Tarabon made me think middle eastern or Turkish feel? I couldn't really place it. And Arad Doman? Also kinda greek? Super confusing!
And don't even het me started on malkier, Shienar, Kandor and Saldea!! because I am just LOST!! hahahah
 
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The surnames of some Illianers are definitely greek,for example Karentanis,Stepaneos or Boroleos.I believe Illian and Altara have mediterranean elements.
The easiest are Andor=England and Cairhien=France.
 
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The surnames of some Illianers are definitely greek,for example Karentanis,Stepaneos or Boroleos.I believe Illian and Altara have mediterranean elements.
The easiest are Andor=England and Cairhien=France.

YAY!!! I will trust you my awesome Greek friend!!!! :P
 

Ealandrelle Melyma

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Actually, if you think about it, it's more like Andor = England, and the Two Rivers = Scotland ;) In some ways. Certainly with how the Two Rivers views themselves as not being part of Andor :laugh:
 
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