Mapping the Imagination

When it’s not a road map I’m consulting, I much prefer older maps. Those maps that are a few centuries old and which still leave some room for the imagination while showing important bits without worrying about getting every millimetre of those bits right.
Of course, these maps may also show only the ‘known world’ of the time, or speculate on what else is out there in the vast oceans. But it’s that vastness – or at least the feeling of it – which I love.
I buy the odd book of old maps when I have the money at my disposal and love to pour over the names, drawings and other details which make them unique.

Map by Daniel Reeve

Of course, when it comes to novels – especially fantasy ones – I love looking at the maps of the world the author has dreamed up. Following adventures in these worlds bring them to life as would driving along a street you would otherwise only see on a map. I that way, you start to feel at home, whether you are looking at a map of Middle-earth or of Karac Tor.

My own maps – the ones drawn for Airthai – also seem to cement the world in a deeper reality than not having the map. And so, I’ll keep on drawing them while drawing inspiration from maps real and imagined.







I also came across this lovely video about the Hereford Mappa Mundi – one of my favourite maps.

Worldbuilding Wednesday – Making Maps

Many of the fantasy world maps available on the net are beautiful computer renditions of the worlds. Mine, alas, is not. Well, not yet. One reason is that I don’t have mapmaking software. The more important reason is that I enjoy drawing them by hand. And while I’ve posted a few maps, I also make maps as I go along to map out certain places, cities or, in the case below, the site of the Battle of the Shadow Plain. This one was made in a notebook while I was plotting out the Midland Wars.

The map I refer to on this page is this one – three maps showing the Midland Wars:

The Battle of the Shadow Plain
And so it was that, in the fifty-fifth year of the Midland Wars, King Maeldra of Guldargan met the forces of Ikaira on Argavér, the Shadow Plain. The battle was terrible, but Ikaira was victorious and took up the crown of Guldargan. Maeldra was killed during that battle and the Fáll retreated into the Great Wood. A semblance of peace fell upon Guldargan for a short time and the skirmishes with the surrounding kingdoms petered out and many diplomatic missions were sent to the surrounding kingdoms. By Ikaira’s request, the Keepers of Théotriewe and Holt Haliern helped to bring peace to the north of the Midlands and secure what little was left of Guldargan.

But this was not the end of the Fáll, for they crowned Maeldra’s young son Markus their king and believed him the one true king of Guldargan as he was a direct descendant of King Gile. They built a great fortress on the blood drenched plain of Argavér and secured much of the land around it for themselves through their dark magic. Soon all the land under the Fáll’s control was called Argavér or the Shadow Lands.

Links to previous Midland Wars posts:
Part 1: First Strike
Part 2: Sanctuaries
Part 3: The Rise of the Fáll
Part 4: The Southern Lands during the Midland Wars
Part 5: The Dragons and Guardians’ New Home
Part 6: The Oath Breakers

To read more about Nasja and the other Guardians, read “A Dragon’s Freedom” or “The Price of Freedom” by clicking on the links.

Idees by dosyne

Ek sien gister op ’n e-pos vanaf www.woes.co.za dat daar elke week ’n “woord van die week” gegee gaan word waaroor inskrywings gemaak kan word:


Elke week, Dinsdag, sal daar ‘n nuwe woord of woorde bekend gestel word waaroor jy dan enige tipe bydrae kan lewer. Die woord/e gaan of met ‘n spesiale geleentheid te doen hê of met nuusgebeure ens. So kan ons bydraes lewer wat aansluit met wat tans in die regte wêreld gebeur.


Ek nooi almal uit om deel te wees van hierdie projek en ‘n bydrae te lewer tot dit. As die belangstelling groei, sal daar meer gereeld as net een maal per week projekte geloods word. Die reël wat gevolg moet word is dat die woord/e wat vir ‘n projek aangewys word in die titel asook die res van die bydrae moet verskyn.


Dus, vir die aansienlike toekoms, dink ek gaan ek probeer om weekliks ’n stukkie flitsfiksie te skryf – net vir die oefening. Hierdie stukkie sal dan op Vrydae geplaas word vir Vrydag Fiksie. Mens weet ook nooit – van hierdie idees sal seker opregte stories word wat ek weer sal verwerk vir moontlike publikasie.

Meer oor die “woord van die week” kan hier gelees word en, as jy self ’n skrywer is, sluit sommer ook by Woes se kreatiewe werkruimte aan!

Intussen lê ’n paar stories en wag vir  om klaar geskryf te word, geproeflees te word, of, in een geval, oorgeskryf te word. Maar vir eers moet hierdie paar wag totdat ek genoeg van hulle vergeet het om met nuwe oë daarna te kyk. ’n Ander storie (’n kortverhaal wat in die wêreld van Airthai afspeel) is ’n stukkie reeds van geskryf, maar ek gaan die res eers puntsgewys moet uitskryf sodat ek spesifiek weet waarheen ek op pad is – anders gooi ek netnou ’n groot deel geskiedenis by die venster uit!

En, natuurlik, neem studies die meeste van my tyd buite werk op – maar die vordering is darem daar!

Tot later, groetnis!

Monday Inspiration – Heavenly Music

Beautiful music and a poem inspired by it, that I wrote a few weeks ago. I first wrote it in Afrikaans, and now translated it as well for this post. The Afrikaans version (“Smekend om Lig”) can be found on Kammastories today.

Pleading for Light
(Poem after Antiphona post Evangelium)
O, my God, how dost Thou know when to answer?
from the depths of darkness my soul pleads for Light
but receive no answer.
may I – flesh-enshrouded soul – ask it?
hope fades.
everything becomes as night around me –
friends, friendship and love
fades to a shadow.
and then, suddenly a song sounds.
From the darkness rustles voices with
the sound of the Angels.
They sing to Thy Glory.
They sing from the past.
in their own dark time they answer:
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
the voices brings Thy Light to me and
I – flesh-enshrouded soul – can see and sing
and reach out to a morsel of Thy blessing.


Written after listening to “Antiphona post Evangelium”, an Ambrosian chant by an anonymous writer. Sung by In Dulci Jubilo on the CD Discover Early Music by Naxos.

Photo by John Nyberg at http://www.sxc.hu

Maandag Inspirasie – Hemelse musiek

Pragtige musiek en ’n gedig daardeur geïnspireer, wat ek so ’n paar weke gelede geskryf het. Die Engelse weergawe is vandag op Hersenskim te vinde.

Smekend om Lig
(Gedig na Antiphona post Evangelium)
O, my God, hoe weet U wanneer om te antwoord?
uit die diepe donker smeek my siel om Lig
maar ek kry geen antwoord.
mag ek – vleesomhulde siel – dit vra?
hoop vervaag.
alles word tot nag om my –
vriende, vriendskap en liefde
verdof tot slegs ’n skadu.
en dan, skielik, klink daar ’n lied.
Uit die donker ruis stemme met
die klank van die Engele.
Hul sing tot U eer.
Hul sing uit die verlede.
in hul eie donker tyd antwoord hulle:
Haleluja! Haleluja! Haleluja!
die stemme bring U Lig na my en
ek – vleesomhulde siel – kan sien en sing
en uitreik na ’n stukkie van U seën.


Geskryf na die lied “Antiphona post Evangelium”, ’n Ambrosiaanse cantus deur ’n anonieme skrywer. Gesing deur In Dulci Jubilo op die CD Discover Early Music deur Naxos.

Foto by http://www.sxc.hu, deur John Nyberg

Talent en verbeelding

Ek het hierdie drie video’s opgespoor en gedink dit is perfek vir ‘n Vrydag – veral vir dié wat ook die naweek gaan spandeer om te skryf, te studeer of om skeppend te wees.

Ek is ook besig om na hierdie boek se oudio-weergawe te luister – te danke aan Audible – en ek moet sê dat sover fassinerend is.

Talent and Imagination

I found these three videos, which I thought was perfect for a Friday – especially for those who are also spending the weekend writing, studying or simply creating.

I’m busy listening to the audio version of this book – thanks to Audible – and I’m finding it fascinating. Here is the book trailer for Imagine: