Nationalities

[Siswaiaman]

If you were to make a movie on the WOT series, with what ethnic groups would you represent the nationalities?

For Instance...

 

-Andor would have to be English (look how they swear!)

-All of the nations west of the Spine would be dark haired and dark eyed, since the Aiel are described as the only people ever seen with fair hair, and rand is the only wetlander with gray eyes.

-Borderlanders would be japanese (warrior topknots, code of honor)

-Cairhieniens would be medival english (con, game of houses

-Tairens is a pickle, since they have the really muddy outfit, and the bamboo, but theyre really tan.

-Ditto for the seanchan. They dress like Samuri, but they dont talk anything like it.

-OO what would the scandelous domani be? tanned skin and gourgeous, the only nationality i can think of is Californian.

-However the same problem arises with the Sea Folk. Their women are more or less the same as domani (beautiful, graceful, tanned), but they're described differently.

 

What do you think?

[Alliiara]

I think that the Seachan kind of look like orientals... I dont know if that is just me....

 

Also Domani could be South American.............

Mexican

Chilean

Brazilian

Caribbean

Hawaiian

 

That are some of a tanned skinned cultures that I can think of...

[Siswaiaman]

tanned skin cultures... or drop dead gorgeous cultures. Theres a slight differeance.

 

I also assumed the seanchan to be oriental just because of their ships and armor, but the slurring speach sorta kills it.

[Guest Majsju]

This is more focused on culture than physical appearance, but it's quite accurate.

 

http://www.darkfriends.net/wheel/3_sources/3.14_countries.html

[Siswaiaman]

hmm... it still goes for the seanchan as oriental, but i can't see an oriental accent being slurred and spoken really slowly. it's usually clipped and very fast, where as the seanchan complain that the eastern world talks too fast

[Anajon]

I think the Seanchan are American (US) very mixed race they came from all over Randland - and their speech sounds like an Texan accent :D

 

In Randland - I think Andor is more German then English. Light hair blue eye, straight forward no game of houses. Also the two river folks are very resilient reminds me of the Germans after the war. Luckily Andor does have a better history then Germany :?

 

Cairhien - is definitely French - or maybe that is Tear and the stone is the bastion?

 

But I think Tear is Spanish/Portuguese

Illian – Greek (King Stephanos)

 

Tarabon sounds Korean - they eat with chop sticks and spicy food

 

The cultures and people groups and how RJ describes them is one of my favoured part of WOT!

[Guest cwestervelt]

Wasn't the chopsticks actually from Domani? Seem to remember something about the hot trend in Tanchico was to do dishes from the land of their mortal enemy.

[Anajon]

now you mention it - yes, I think it was Domani - so what nation eats spicy food with chopsticks and trains woman to promise more then they will give? Reminds me of Geishas

[Guest cwestervelt]

Then you don't understand Geisha very well. That they are promising anything is a Western misconception of what they are.

[Zyrshnikashnu]

I've always felt the Seanchan were a parallel to the Americas. They sailed across the great ocean, conquered the native peoples, and formed their own culture. As stated above, they are also made up of a number of ethnic races.

[dr phil]

The seafolk are always been said to be dark. so i thought they would be represented by the people from the islands. such as fiji , tonga , samoa, cook islands . and all that they seem to be like islanders i rekon cause in new zealand there are tons of people from the islands.

 

and the carihen i always thought of them being english cause they are all pale and all that.

 

seachan i thought of asian

 

the s'harans that have been seen by aiel have been dressed up like muslim women. but i think they would be represented by mexicans and people like that

[Eadon Sedai]

I really don't see how the Andorans can be anything but English. You have the Arthurian type names, the Lion, Red and Gold...all VERY British symbols! And I totally saw the Cairheinien as French. I'm so glad I wasn't the only one.

 

"Land of Madmen: Australia?" LMAO!!!

[dr phil]

For the land of the madmen the New zealand maori would be perfect. as i believe what was written in the guide the residents of that continent live in tribal areas and has never recovered from the breaking and there are always destruction and battles.

 

This is what excattly happened in new zealand. i should know since in live in nz. they fought each other killed anyone they didnt know. and they lived in tribes and they fought with anyone not from there tribe

[Alliiara]

that is interesting...

[Guest Winespring Brother]

Its hard to say a particular Randland culture corresponds to a real life one, because RJ has mixed them up in terms of appearance and accent and style. For example, the Seanchan wear Japanese style armor and have Japanese style decorating ideas, yet their melting pot culture sounds like the USA, and that slow drawl could only be Texan.

For me, Andor has a real old British feel to it, and I mean British rather than English. The east of Andor is where most the people are, and they are bluntly spoken, unimaginative (thats what the French say of brits) and fair, but in the west things get remote, and a real Celtic feel comes in. The people are dark haired, the names have that celtic sound to them, and they consider themselves to be very much not part of Andor. and they have the Longbow, which comes from Wales.

If the English consider the french deceitful and cowardly (no offence intended), then Andor seems to feel the same about Carhien. Pre-revolutinary France was centred around the court of the sun king, and Carhien has the Sun Palace. The elaborate hair-dos and rigid class structure speaks highly of pre-revoltionary france. (those con that the soldiers wear on their backs is a real Japanese thing)

 

As others have already said, Tear has a real Spanish flavour to it, especially with the horses and the fashions, and Illian definitely strikes me as greek.

 

As for the mixing i spoke of before, I heard it said that the Aiel had a slavik accent, yet a less unslavik culture i can't imagine. Tilted eyes like some Borderlanders is an Asian thing, but I can't recall ever seeing an Asian person with hair the colour of Sheriam's.

 

Some people have said that Amador seems English to them, but I can't see it myself. The culture has never been that prudish here (apart from maybe Victorian times), and religious control never that well received (thats why England is not Catholic).

 

Some Randland nations though I just have no idea. Ghealdan anyone? How about Far Madding? Mayenne?

[Guest cwestervelt]

Some people have said that Amador seems English to them, but I can't see it myself. The culture has never been that prudish here (apart from maybe Victorian times), and religious control never that well received (thats why England is not Catholic).

 

And I always thought that was because Henry VIII wanted a divorce...

[Guest Winespring Brother]

 

:D Well that didn't help. Henry was not the most, umm, restrained of people.

[Eadon Sedai]

haha unrestrained is an understatement ;)

 

There were times when England has been pretty prudish. Although not prudish enough for the Puritans :p As for religious control...England was Catholic for many hundreds of years..... I'd say that's a long time for religious control.

 

But despite that, I agree that Amador doesn't seem very English to me either.

[Anajon]

We don't hear much about Amador beside the Children o.t. Light - but maybe it is Italy overshadowed by the strong Vatican.

Maeyne is one of the small Kingdoms in Europe either Monaco or Andorra.

 

I always thought Shara was China (the great wall and silk)

 

and back to the Domani / Geisha, right I don't know much about Gaisha but isn't it exactly like that with the domani woman they are actually not offering - people just think they are.

[Guest cwestervelt]

From RJ's Blog:

For Children of the Light, the Whitecloaks were inspired by the Inquisition, the SS, the Teutonic Knights and others. In fact, they were inspired by all those groups who say, "We know the truth. It is the only truth. You will believe it, or we will kill you."

 

Amador is a bit of a muddle. The Children are inspired in part by the Inquisition. There place within Amador is flipped around though. In Spain, the Monarchy controlled the Inquisition, but in Amador the Inquisition controls the Monarchy.

 

Edit: indicated source of quote

[Zyrshnikashnu]

"Land of Madmen: Australia?" LMAO!!!

Yes, Australia! Is it not true that British convicts were, at one time, exiled to Australia?

[Eadon Sedai]

Yes it is true, but they weren't all hardened criminals. I'm sure some were religious criminals such as Roger Williams was here in America. I don't know, I just find it amusing to equate Australia with madmen.

[Angel of Death]

I read somewhere, RJ talking bout the accents

 

Tairen - Spanish

Domani - Indian

 

I see these two appearnces and cultures the same way.

[Briakale Nirene]

I've always imagined the Seanchan having a Russian-type accent. The slurred sort of slow speech is the same, IMO.

[Silver]

RJ has said somewhere that Seanchan drawl is texan. can't seem to find that exerpt right now though. maybe somebody else can find it