Earth equivalent of Wheel of Time nations

[Apokteino]

Howdy WoT heads!

 

I've been trying to find out the earth equivalent of the nations and I've only been able to come up with a few, so I was wonder if anyone could help me out. Here is what I've found that makes since to me thus far:

 

Andor = England middle ages

Tear = Spain

Arafel = ?

Kandor = ?

Saldea = ?

Shienar = ?

Altara = ?

Amadicia = ?

Arad Doman = ?

Ghealdan = ?

Illian = Pirates?

Murandy = Ireland?

Tarabon = ?

Aiel = Scotland

Shara = ?

Seanchan = China?

Atha'an Miere = ?

 

(If I missed any please throw them in :D)

 

Thats the best I've been able to come up with thus far, so if anyone has a good direction to point me in that would be awesome!

 

On a side note, I just picked the books back up. I'm on Lord of Chaos and loving every minute of it! Its really great to pick this back up and really relive it.

[Majsju]

http://linuxmafia.com/jordan/3_sources/3.14_countries.html

[Apokteino]

Thank You!!!

[Saguin Venart]

I always got a Middle Eastern/ Native American vibe from the Aiel.

[jaldy3]

I always got a Middle Eastern/ Native American vibe from the Aiel.

 

I think the earth nations are based more on appearance of population.

All that red hair in the Aiel surely points to Scottish or Irish heretage.

 

[Agitel]

Going by ethnicity.

 

Andor = English/Irish

Cairhienin = It bother's me that this one's eluded me.

Tear = Spanish.

Arafel =

Kandor =

Saldea = Armenian

Shienar =

Altara = Italy in people and government.

Amadicia =

Arad Doman = Persian.

Ghealdan =

Illian = Dutch? Their accent is dutch.

Murandy =

Tarabon =

Aiel = Scandinavian (a tall people, fair skin (when it's not sun-darkened), predominantly light hair and no dark eyes)

Shara = The only example we've seen have been kind of sub-saharan.

Seanchan = They're continent as a whole is mixed. You'd have to do it by region, doing the whole Empire is like trying to classify all of Randland's empire as one people. In government, they've many Japanese influences.

Atha'an Miere = Indian/African

[Tragon]

I think the link that was posted above is pretty accurate.

 

I am a 100% sure that I read somewhere that the Aiel was based on the Irish and that their culture is based on Native american (Navajo, Apache etc) and african tribes, Zulu etc. Robert Jordan said something that he always wanted a desert nation looking like Irish, or something like that. And it fits really. They do not look like the typical "desert people", but then again they did travel to the desert and are not "natives". They also have a similair fighting style of the african tribes, spear and shield, and they dress similair to the Apache etc. I do not think that they are in anyway based on the Japanse, as the link above say. I think the reason some may think so is because they have a strong sense of honour. But Native Americans have that too.

 

 

[Durinax]

Murandy reminds me of Germany before they united together

[ErikTheBald]

Appearances aside, the Aiel are based on the Zulu of southern Africa with some native American influences thrown in.

 

Spears and bullhide shields.  Singing in battle.  Tireless warriors.  Sweat baths.

 

In TSR, the battle tactic Lan explains to Rand is identical to the tactic favored by the Zulu.

[bronnt]

Appearances aside, the Aiel are based on the Zulu of southern Africa with some native American influences thrown in.

 

Spears and bullhide shields.  Singing in battle.  Tireless warriors.  Sweat baths.

 

In TSR, the battle tactic Lan explains to Rand is identical to the tactic favored by the Zulu.

 

I think it's clear that RJ had multiple inspirations for all of his nations/groups.  For examples, the Cairhienin are very French in appearance, speech, and general personality.  But they're basically the Land of the Rising Sun, they have the Sun on their flag, and a good bit of their hierarchy is clearly similar to Japan.

 

Illianers are very Dutch in the way of their speech, and it works when view them as a sea-faring people as the Dutch were, historically, a power in sea trade (up until the start of the Napoleanic wars, when Britain set out to burn their entire fleet so that France couldn't conquer the entire country and convert it for their own use).  But they have some Greek/Macedonian influence as well.  The Companions, for one, is the verbatim name used for Greek Cavalry.  The city itself has no walls to use in its defense, like ancient Sparta.  And they have the Laurel Crown.

 

We joke about the Seanchan being like Texas Asians, but that's sort of what they are.  Murandy is like a mix of Irish heritage with German influences.  Arad Doman has food that's eaten with chopsticks, and the description of the food sounds very Eastern, like Thai or Vietnamese-but they also have a ton of clearly Arabic influence in the way they dress, in their names, and the fact that Arad is nearly the word Arab.

 

Every country truly is a hodgepodge.  Except Tear, which is as close an allusion to Spain as I can imagine.

[KefkaPalazzo]

If we call Andor England, then doesn't that make their hated neighbor (Cairhien) France?

 

And I think that by "Texas accent" for the Seanchan, it's the slow-speaking, almost drunk-sounding bit he's referring to.  Or RJ was just making fun of us.  It wouldn't be the first time.

[Agitel]

If we call Andor England, then doesn't that make their hated neighbor (Cairhien) France?

 

And I think that by "Texas accent" for the Seanchan, it's the slow-speaking, almost drunk-sounding bit he's referring to.  Or RJ was just making fun of us.  It wouldn't be the first time.

 

Seanchan speak with a southern drawl. I don't know why it was specified Texas, in particular, because we know that different regions of the massive continent have different dialects (a Seandar accent is mentioned, in particular). I don't think Jordan was poking too much fun (he lived in S.C., after all), but he was more displaying what the rest of the continent would think, and as Andorans sound English/Irish, he likely pulled on what the English and Irish think of southern US accents, especially for those who had never heard one before.

[Mr Ares]

If we call Andor England, then doesn't that make their hated neighbor (Cairhien) France?

Well, we have more than one hated neighbour. Like the Scots. Or the Irish. Or the Welsh.

[scion9]

Every country truly is a hodgepodge.  Except Tear, which is as close an allusion to Spain as I can imagine.

 

They grow bamboo, the peasants wear Japanese sugegasa and geta, et cetera.  Not a very close allusion really.

[Sian al'fik'Khar]

Andor: England

Tear: Egypt

Aeil: Israel

Shienar:Japan

Saldea:Russia

Tar Valon:Rome

Cairhein: Who knows?

Two Rivers: Vikings

Arad Doman: French

Whitecloaks: Crusaders

 

Rest will come soon

 

 

[dawnflower8]

I've always thought the Aiel were Middle Eastern/African. Even though they don't look like it? 

 

Two Rivers: Vikings

I don't get this one at all.

 

Ebou Dar is obviously Venice. So Altara is probably Italy.

[Suttree]

 

 

 

Question

On that point, the cultures from the books, would you say you've used cultures from today's society as a base for the cultures from the books?

 

Robert Jordan

Not a great deal from today's society, no. Not really. The Whitecloaks are based on any number of groups who knew the truth, who know the truth and they want you to believe the truth. They want you to know the truth too. And if you don't know the truth, if you don't believe the truth they'll kill ya. There's been a lot of them, all over the world. They're the basis for the Whitecloaks. The Aiel, for instance, bits of the Bedouin, bits of the Yaqui Indians, the Apaches, bits of Zulu, bits of the Northern Cheyenne, a lot of bits of my own. Some pieces out of Japan, some bits out of China. And then structure it together how these things have all...If all these things were true, all of these bits I wanted to have, and that culture lived in the middle of the desert, a very inhospitable desert, what else has to be true about these people. And thus I get the Aiel culture.

 

There is a list for each country and the inspiration as well but having trouble finding it at the moment.

 

[Nick Trano]

The Seanchan are certainly almost as terrifying as a theoretical Chinese empire conquering the globe. 

[dawnflower8]

I'm thinking that Seanchan is mostly a mix of China, Japan, and somewhere in Africa.