Is Lan Asian?

[Leopoled Boothe]

Over the past 13 years that I've been reading WOT I have always pictured the Borderlanders as Asian. From what I've gathered talking to other WOT fans I am not alone in my conclusion the most Borderlanders are Asians. Interestingly, however, my metal image of Lan has always been as a white guy. For many years I thought nothing of this, but recently it occured to me that Lan is a Borderlander and thus it only makes sense that he should be Asian as well.

 

Just a few random thoughts I thought I'd share.

[Guest Barmacral]

I don't believe he is.

[Arya Ellesméra]

I always thought of the Seanchan being the Asian ones. Imperial China and all that.

 

Edit: And now that I went and searched...

http://www.steelypips.org/wotfaq/3_sources/3.14_countries.html

 

Sounds reasonable to me!

[Luckers]

Seanchan culture is very chinese. It resonates fairly strongly with confucianism. But their physical racial features seems to cover only africano and caucasian derivitives, not asian. Their accent, by the way, is supposedly like that of texans, no asians.

 

Saldaean's, to me, sound like thay have asian eyes, and certainly Shienaran culture has certain asian charictaristics.

[BrainFireBob]

Borderlanders aren't Asian. Their cultures are, but they aren't ethnically.

 

Jordan messed with ethnicity and culture in his book. Saldaeans are Arabic looking, and the Arafellin look French, but their cultures are Asian. Shienarans, for instance, have a largely Japanese culture, but aren't Japanese looking. Malkier was based largely on Nepal.

 

Or, in other words, you're imposing cultural connotations that don't apply. Ethnicity emphatically does not connect to culture- if it dead, the Aiel wouldn't be pale-skinned, haired, and eyed.

[trakand01]

Dont the French just look like any other caucasians? I never pictured Borderlanders / Malkieri as asian, no.

[DragonSpawn]

Just out of interest how does this put Mazrim Taim anywhere? He has the Saldaean bone features but he is described as being very pale and pretty powerfully built. Rand who is half Aeil who are generally very tall people to comment on his size would make it peculiar. Asians in general are smaller and not that powerfully built, and also not exactly pale.

 

I would say Arad Doman is very Indian/Asian, Shienar as well to some degree. And perhaps Saldaea has mixed poplulations of people who sound caucasian (such as Faile and Taim) and people who are described as Asian.

[Leopoled Boothe]

Just out of interest how does this put Mazrim Taim anywhere? He has the Saldaean bone features but he is described as being very pale and pretty powerfully built. Rand who is half Aeil who are generally very tall people to comment on his size would make it peculiar. Asians in general are smaller and not that powerfully built' date=' and also not exactly pale.

 

I would say Arad Doman is very Indian/Asian, Shienar as well to some degree. And perhaps Saldaea has mixed poplulations of people who sound caucasian (such as Faile and Taim) and people who are described as Asian.[/quote']

 

How does Faile seem caucasian? She is described as being dark, with slanted eyes and a prominant nose. To me this describes a person who is either Mediteranian or Asian, specifically Mongolian.

[Leopoled Boothe]

Seanchan culture is very chinese. It resonates fairly strongly with confucianism. But their physical racial features seems to cover only africano and caucasian derivitives' date=' not asian. Their accent, by the way, is supposedly like that of texans, no asians[/quote']

 

Seanchan are the decendents of Artur Hawkwings armies. Since Hawkwing's empire conquered all of Randland I would surmise that the army he sent across the sea probably had representatives of all the various races. Thus, the Seanchan are more of a melting pot culture and this is why we see so much variation among its people.

[Thor]

Saldeans seem a bit Asian with tilted eyes, but their noses certainly aren't asian.

 

Seanchan is like the USA, no real culture of its own except those to celebrate their battles.

[missinginstereo]

Min is most certainly not mongolian. Noses in those regions tend to be flat and spread wide where as Min's nose is described as being bold and almost hooked.

To me that sounds far more mediteranien. I don't think she's asian though, asians tend to have small noses.

[DragonSpawn]

Just out of interest how does this put Mazrim Taim anywhere? He has the Saldaean bone features but he is described as being very pale and pretty powerfully built. Rand who is half Aeil who are generally very tall people to comment on his size would make it peculiar. Asians in general are smaller and not that powerfully built' date=' and also not exactly pale.

 

I would say Arad Doman is very Indian/Asian, Shienar as well to some degree. And perhaps Saldaea has mixed poplulations of people who sound caucasian (such as Faile and Taim) and people who are described as Asian.[/quote']

 

How does Faile seem caucasian? She is described as being dark, with slanted eyes and a prominant nose. To me this describes a person who is either Mediteranian or Asian, specifically Mongolian.

 

She seems southern Italian, possibly greek to me not Asian. And last I checked Italians and Mediterreneans are considerred Caucasians.

[Jellybelly]

Perhaps "caucatian" is not such a useful term in this discussion, then?

 

As a side note, you will find a mixing of ethnicities in every culture or country, so there is no reason to assume that the country/ethnicity/culture aspect is as clearly demarcated as some here suggest. Maybe there was an Illianer somewhere in Faile's heritage, who knows. I think it must be safe to assume that the Aiel probably is the only relatively homogenous culture in this tale, with respect to ethnicity.

[Leopoled Boothe]

She seems southern Italian, possibly greek to me not Asian. And last I checked Italians and Mediterreneans are considerred Caucasians.

 

Heh heh, well that all depends on which anthropologist you're talking to. There are lots of race theories out there, and I think as far as credible ones go the #'s range from nine human races to one race. The profs at my college tended to support a seven race theory which separated Mediterreneans from the Caucasoid race, so I tend to make the distinction. However, you are correct in that there are several race theories that lump Mediterreneans in with Caucasians. At any rate, when most lay people use the term term caucasian they mean white. Althougth I know that is incorrect I've kind of gotten used to the fact of people using caucasian as a synonom for white.

[garrett76]

Well i have sat here and read all the answers and everyone is trying to put stereotypes with characters from a different world. I understand that RJ has said in his interviews that he played around with the various cultures so we can actually say they are saldean.....or aiel and leave it at that. Not everyone will agree about the looks and when you think you have it nailed down somewhere in the series will be a character from that part of randland that throws the mold out of whack. Just my .02

[Leopoled Boothe]

Well i have sat here and read all the answers and everyone is trying to put stereotypes with characters from a different world. I understand that RJ has said in his interviews that he played around with the various cultures so we can actually say they are saldean.....or aiel and leave it at that. Not everyone will agree about the looks and when you think you have it nailed down somewhere in the series will be a character from that part of randland that throws the mold out of whack. Just my .02

 

Well I hope you are expereincing pleasent weather on your walk along the high road there, but you should note that there is a huge difference between noticing broad cultural norms and stereotyping. We are merely discussing how various real world cultures and races are represented in "The Wheel of Time." No one is accusing Shienarians of pronouncing their L's like R's, saying the Sea Folk talk loudly in movie theaters, or procaiming that Andorans have an inherent inability to dance. I think everyone here realizes that WOT cultures are not carbon coppies of real world cultures, however, WOT cultures are influnced by real world cultures and it makes for interesting discussion to analyse the similarites and differences.

[trakand01]

If it helps, i think that the definition of 'caucasian' is 'western white', so British White, American White, French, Italian, German, Scandinavian. Any white western race where nationality cannot be determined by looks (eg Japanese and Chinese whilst 'white' are easily determinable).

[Leopoled Boothe]

If it helps' date=' i think that the definition of 'caucasian' is 'western white', so British White, American White, French, Italian, German, Scandinavian. Any white western race where nationality cannot be determined by looks (eg Japanese and Chinese whilst 'white' are easily determinable).[/quote']

 

No, contrary to popular belief the caucasian race is in no way defined by whiteness. In most theories of race Caucazoid encompases those of European decent (usually white) as well as arabic, semetic and hispanic peoples. Often times the Mediterainan peoples are incorporated into caucazoid race as well. Whatever the case I think we've gotten way off topic here and have entered into subject matter that is not in any way relevant to WOT so we really ought to let it go.

[DragonSpawn]

If it helps' date=' i think that the definition of 'caucasian' is 'western white', so British White, American White, French, Italian, German, Scandinavian. Any white western race where nationality cannot be determined by looks (eg Japanese and Chinese whilst 'white' are easily determinable).[/quote']

 

Actually no.

 

Caucasian is a very broad term. One of the reasons why British/German/Scandinavian, etc.. once had some people wishing to form them a seperate group under the not too praised term Aryan. This is where Hitler took his inspirations from.

 

Caucasian takes physical features into account, bone structure and facial features, not purely skin tone.

 

Here is the strict definition;

 

The Caucasian race (sometimes called the Caucasoid race) is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as, "relating to a broad division of humankind covering peoples from Europe, western Asia, Middle East, South Asia {India is meant by this, Indian people are Caucasian same bone and facial structures as most people you would find in europe and other Caucasoid countries} and North Africa."

[G the brave]

Seanchan seam to be the 'most' Asian out of all the WOT cultures/peoples. although i always pictured the lands to the west as Asian, such as taraborn etc. I thought of the boarder lands as being more... western..