Fantasy cartography, fictional map-making, or geofiction is a type of
map design
Cartographic design or map design is the process of crafting the appearance of a map, applying the principles of design and knowledge of how maps are used to create a map that has both aesthetic appeal and practical function. It shares this dual ...
that visually presents an
imaginary world or concept, or represents a real-world
geography in a fantastic style.
Fantasy cartography usually manifests from
worldbuilding and often corresponds to narratives within the fantasy and science fiction genres. Stefan Ekman says that, "a
egularmap ''re''-presents what is already there; a fictional map is often primary – to create the map means, largely, to create the world of the map."
Whilst cartographic fantasy has been popularized by novels of these genres it has also become a standalone hobby and artistic pursuit.
Cartographic fantasy has its historic origins in mythology, philosophy, literature and
natural sciences.
Although typically geographical, cartographic fantasy can include planetary, galactic, and cosmological maps; conceptual maps;
and speculative maps.
Fantasy maps are created and presented across different media
such as books, television shows, movies, video games, tabletop games, and websites; and are characterized by
aesthetics
Aesthetics, or esthetics, is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of beauty and taste, as well as the philosophy of art (its own area of philosophy that comes out of aesthetics). It examines aesthetic values, often expressed thr ...
,
themes and
styles associated with the world or concept they are portraying. The increased popularity of geofiction and worldbuilding has led to and been supported by the emergence of
design programs tailored to creative cartographers such as Wonderdraft
and Inkarnate.
History
Early history
The roots of the history of fantasy cartography are shared with the independent histories of both
cartography
Cartography (; from grc, χάρτης , "papyrus, sheet of paper, map"; and , "write") is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an im ...
and
fantasy as well as the general history of the
visualization of ideas.
Middle ages
Cartographers of the
Middle Ages did not see their profession as purely making accurate representations of
geography. Often their maps were crafted as much as works of art as tools for navigating, incorporating imagery and symbolism from
mythology,
folklore and fantasy stories.
An early example of cartography created without intending to present a geographical reality is
Dante's Hell. By the late fifteenth century, numerous illustrations inspired by
Dante Alighieri's ''
Divine Comedy
The ''Divine Comedy'' ( it, Divina Commedia ) is an Italian narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun 1308 and completed in around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature a ...
'' had been published based on descriptions from the text. Dante's Hell has continued to be the subject of fantasy cartographers for centuries.
In 1516
Thomas More published his
''Utopia'' accompanied by a map of the island. This map inspired artistic cartographers over the sixteenth century to iterate the original.
Enlightenment and discovery
In the latter half of the 16th century the bible began to be printed with internal maps as a product of the
Protestant movement and the Geneva reforms. This may have contributed to the increased popularity of text-accompanying maps and stirred the public imagination towards producing maps for fiction.
Fiction inspired by the
Age of Discovery
The Age of Discovery (or the Age of Exploration), also known as the early modern period, was a period largely overlapping with the Age of Sail, approximately from the 15th century to the 17th century in European history, during which seafaring ...
and the
Age of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment or the Enlightenment; german: Aufklärung, "Enlightenment"; it, L'Illuminismo, "Enlightenment"; pl, Oświecenie, "Enlightenment"; pt, Iluminismo, "Enlightenment"; es, La Ilustración, "Enlightenment" was an intel ...
also brought with it a romanticization of explorative cartography and
surveying.
Several classic stories from the era included maps as an important element of the reader's experience.
Among the most popular of these map-accompanied fictional texts from the time are
Jonathan Swift's ''
Gulliver's Travels'' (1726) and
Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll a ...
's ''
Treasure Island'' (1883).
John Bunyan's 1678 ''The Pilgrim's Progress,'' included both "A Mapp Shewing the Order & Causes of Salvation and Damnation" and "The Road from the City of Destruction to the Eternal City."
Modern history
The most influential fantasy cartographer in geofiction is
J.R.R Tolkien, whose maps of
Middle-earth
Middle-earth is the fictional setting of much of the English writer J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy. The term is equivalent to the '' Miðgarðr'' of Norse mythology and ''Middangeard'' in Old English works, including ''Beowulf''. Middle-earth is ...
prefacing ''
The Lord of the Rings'' have been called "the most influential example to date," one that "encouraged other writers and their publishers to include cartographic images." In Stefan Ekman's book ''Here Be Dragons: Exploring Fantasy Maps and Settings,'' the author and researcher says, "In modern fantasy, especially high fantasy, maps are considered common enough to be almost obligatory, mainly because of the maps J. R. R. Tolkien included in ''The Lord of the Rings'' (1954–55)."
Before Tolkien, another text that brought fantastic worlds into the zeitgeist was the 1900
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz written by
L. Frank Baum and the corresponding 1939
musical fantasy film The Wizard of Oz. The world of Oz was mapped by Baum in 1914.
Types
There are many types of maps within cartographic fantasy which can be classified by genre, scope and purpose.
Genre
Fantasy maps can be categorized based on genre. These genre classifications inform what kind of
aesthetic
Aesthetics, or esthetics, is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of beauty and taste, as well as the philosophy of art (its own area of philosophy that comes out of aesthetics). It examines aesthetic values, often expressed th ...
,
style and scope the map presents.
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of
speculative fiction involving
magical elements, typically set in a
fictional universe and sometimes inspired by
mythology and
folklore. Fantasy is distinguished from the genres of science fiction and horror by the respective absence of scientific or macabre themes, although these genres can overlap. In popular culture, the fantasy genre predominantly features maps and settings that emulate Earth, but with a sense of otherness. Maps created in this genre reflect these concepts.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of speculative fiction that typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology,
space exploration,
time travel,
parallel universes, and
extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life, colloquially referred to as alien life, is life that may occur outside Earth and which did not originate on Earth. No extraterrestrial life has yet been conclusively detected, although efforts are underway. Such life might ...
. It has been called the "literature of ideas", and it often explores the potential consequences of scientific, social, and technological innovations. Maps created in this genre reflect these concepts.
Sub-genres
Under the genre umbrellas of Fantasy and Science fiction exist many subgenres. Included here are brief introductions to the subgenres that more often exhibit maps.
= Fantasy subgenres
=
High fantasy
High fantasy, or epic fantasy, is a
subgenre of fantasy
defined by the
epic nature of its
setting or by the epic stature of its
characters
Character or Characters may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk
* ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...
, themes or plot.
Brian Stableford
Brian Michael Stableford (born 25 July 1948) is a British academic, critic and science fiction writer who has published more than 70 novels. His earlier books were published under the name Brian M. Stableford, but more recent ones have dropped ...
, ''The A to Z of Fantasy Literature'', (p. 198), Scarecrow Press, Plymouth. 2005.
Historical fantasy
Historical fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy and genre of historical fiction that incorporates fantastic elements (such as magic) into a more "realistic" or historical narrative. There is much crossover with other subgenres of fantasy; those classed as
Arthurian
King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain.
In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as a ...
,
Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
*Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Foo ...
, or
Dark Ages could just as easily be placed in historical fantasy. Stories fitting this classification generally take place prior to the 20th century.
Heroic fantasy
Heroic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy in which events occur in a world where magic is prevalent and modern technology is non-existent. The setting may be entirely fictitious in nature or based upon earth with some additions. Unlike
dark fiction, it provides a setting in which "all men are strong, all women beautiful, all life adventurous, and all problems simple". This means that adventures based in heroic fantasy are unlikely to mention any wider problems that cannot be fixed by a quest.
= Science fiction subgenres
=
Steampunk
Steampunk is a
subgenre of science fiction that incorporates
retrofuturistic technology and
aesthetics
Aesthetics, or esthetics, is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of beauty and taste, as well as the philosophy of art (its own area of philosophy that comes out of aesthetics). It examines aesthetic values, often expressed thr ...
inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery. Steampunk works are often set in an
alternative history
Alternate history (also alternative history, althist, AH) is a genre of speculative fiction of stories in which one or more historical events occur and are resolved differently than in real life. As conjecture based upon historical fact, altern ...
of the
Victorian era or the
American "Wild West", where steam power remains in mainstream use, or in a fantasy world that similarly employs steam power.
Cyberpunk
Cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction in a
dystopian
futuristic setting that tends to focus on a "combination of
lowlife
A low-life (or lowlife) is a term for a person who is considered morally unacceptable by their community. Examples of people society often labels low-lives include aggressive panhandlers, bullies, criminals, drug dealers, freeloaders, hobos, g ...
and
high tech", featuring futuristic technological and scientific achievements, such as
artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech re ...
and
cybernetics
Cybernetics is a wide-ranging field concerned with circular causality, such as feedback, in regulatory and purposive systems. Cybernetics is named after an example of circular causal feedback, that of steering a ship, where the helmsperson ma ...
, juxtaposed with
societal collapse
Societal collapse (also known as civilizational collapse) is the fall of a complex human society characterized by the loss of cultural identity and of socioeconomic complexity, the downfall of government, and the rise of violence. Possible causes ...
or decay.
Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction
Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction is a subgenre of science fiction among others, in which the Earth's (or another planet's) civilization is collapsing or has collapsed. The
apocalypse event may be climatic, such as
runaway climate change
In climate science, a tipping point is a critical threshold that, when crossed, leads to large and often irreversible changes in the climate system. If tipping points are crossed, they are likely to have severe impacts on human society. Tippin ...
; astronomical, such as an
impact event; destructive, such as
nuclear holocaust or
resource depletion; medical, such as a
pandemic, whether natural or human-caused;
end time, such as the
Last Judgment
The Last Judgment, Final Judgment, Day of Reckoning, Day of Judgment, Judgment Day, Doomsday, Day of Resurrection or The Day of the Lord (; ar, یوم القيامة, translit=Yawm al-Qiyāmah or ar, یوم الدین, translit=Yawm ad-Dīn, ...
,
Second Coming
The Second Coming (sometimes called the Second Advent or the Parousia) is a Christian (as well as Islamic and Baha'i) belief that Jesus will return again after his ascension to heaven about two thousand years ago. The idea is based on messia ...
or
Ragnarök; or more imaginative, such as a
zombie apocalypse,
cybernetic revolt
An AI takeover is a hypothetical scenario in which an artificial intelligence (AI) becomes the dominant form of intelligence on Earth, as computer programs or robots effectively take the control of the planet away from the human species. Possib ...
,
technological singularity,
dysgenics or
alien invasion
The alien invasion or space invasion is a common feature in science fiction stories and film, in which extraterrestrial lifeforms invade the Earth either to exterminate and supplant human life, enslave it under an intense state, harvest peopl ...
.
Scope
Fantasy maps can be categorized based on scope. Scope informs how, and how much, information is displayed in the map.
* Local (City and town maps)
* Geographical
* Planetary
* Galactic
* Cosmological
Purpose
Fantasy maps can be categorized based on intended purpose. These classifications reflect the creator's aim and inform the way the map is crafted.
Conceptual or allegorical
Conceptual maps are cartographic visualizations of ideas and concepts. These maps do not attempt to correspond to anything physically real but are instead meant to display an idea in a cartographic medium.
Matthaus Seutter's ''The Attack of Love'' is an example of a
battle map used as an allegory for winning someone in love.
Hypothetical
Hypothetical maps are maps that present geography in ‘
alternate history
Alternate history (also alternative history, althist, AH) is a genre of speculative fiction of stories in which one or more historical events occur and are resolved differently than in real life. As conjecture based upon historical fact, altern ...
’ scenarios. Melissa Gould created an alternate-history map of New York City in a hypothetical world where
Nazi Germany won
World War II.
Perspectival
Fantasy maps are often used by creators to convey a
perspective. For this reason, they are depicted to be created by an in-world character or organisation. This is a useful tool for authors or worldbuilders as the map can act as a character within the story. They can be erroneous, time-specific or prejudiced much like a regular character or an
unreliable narrator
An unreliable narrator is a narrator whose credibility is compromised. They can be found in fiction and film, and range from children to mature characters. The term was coined in 1961 by Wayne C. Booth in ''The Rhetoric of Fiction''. While unr ...
.
In the same way that creatives can use maps to convey perspective, mankind has done the same in history.
Sebastian Munster's ''Europa Regina'' is a good example of this – a map design that presents Europe as a majestic queen.
Pedagogical or simulative
Fantasy maps can be used as cartographic aids to teach or simulate situations. In
The Cold War, a
U.S Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
cryptologist
This is a list of cryptographers. Cryptography is the practice and study of techniques for secure communication in the presence of third parties called adversaries.
Pre twentieth century
* Al-Khalil ibn Ahmad al-Farahidi: wrote a (now lost) book ...
Lambros. D Callimahos developed a training exercise
war game
A wargame is a strategy game in which two or more players command opposing armed forces in a realistic simulation of an armed conflict. Wargaming may be played for recreation, to train military officers in the art of strategic thinking, or to s ...
for
code-breakers simulating the invasion of
Cuba.
In this program the fantasy 'Republic of Zendia' was created with its northern and central province 'Loreno' mapped as cartographic references used in these exercises.
These fantasy maps have now been
declassified
Declassification is the process of ceasing a protective classification, often under the principle of freedom of information. Procedures for declassification vary by country. Papers may be withheld without being classified as secret, and even ...
and released to the
public domain by the U.S Military.
Media and applications
Although popularized in novels, fantasy maps are now created and presented across various media such as television shows, movies, video games, and websites.
Prevalence, features and characteristics
In Stefan Ekman's 2013 book, ''Here Be Dragons: Exploring Fantasy Maps and Settings'' he published the results of a survey he made of two-hundred fantasy books.
This survey sought to answer common questions about the prevalence, features, and characteristics of fantasy cartography within the genre. Here are some of those findings.
Of the 200 surveyed books, 67 (34%) contained at least one map.
Of these, 49 (73.1%) books had one map, 15 (22.4%) had two, and 3 (4.5%) had more than two maps.
In a survey of the 92 fantasy maps within the 67 fantasy books, the main subject matter or content of the maps were of: a primary world – 13 (14.1%); a secondary world – 72 (78.3%); an imaginary city – 5 (5.4%); one or more buildings – 2 (2.2%).
The same survey showed that maps were
orientated differently. 74 of 92 (80.4%) were orientated north, 9 (9.8%) were orientated northeast to northwest, 9 (9.8%) did not specify an cardinal orientation. Of the 92 maps 63 (68.5%) included a
compass rose
A compass rose, sometimes called a wind rose, rose of the winds or compass star, is a figure on a compass, map, nautical chart, or monument used to display the orientation of the cardinal directions (north, east, south, and west) and thei ...
as a feature.
Cartographic software
With the increased popularity of professional and recreational cartographic fantasy, the demand for computer programs to streamline the process has increased too.
Two leaders in the budding industry are Wonderdraft
and Inkarnate.
Some software programs can create random terrain using
fractal
In mathematics, a fractal is a geometric shape containing detailed structure at arbitrarily small scales, usually having a fractal dimension strictly exceeding the topological dimension. Many fractals appear similar at various scales, as il ...
algorithms. Sophisticated programs can apply geologic effects such as
tectonic plate movement and
erosion; the resulting world can be
rendered in great detail, providing a degree of realism to the result.
References
Further reading
*
*
*
{{Fantasy fiction
Cartography
Cartography (; from grc, χάρτης , "papyrus, sheet of paper, map"; and , "write") is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an im ...
Fictional maps
Map types