Ulthos is a landmass in the far east of the known world.
Geography
[edit]Ulthos lies south of Asshai and the Shadow Lands of eastern Essos, with the Saffron Straits separating the landmasses. Several isles, including Ulos, are situated in these straits.[1] Sothoryos is west of Ulthos across the Jade Sea.[2]
Little is known about Ulthos,[3] with some considering it a continent like Westeros and others reporting it to be a large island.[4] According to cartographer Jonathan Roberts, illustrator of The Lands of Ice and Fire, Ulthos has a purple-black jungle.[5] An unnamed river with at least one tributary runs through the jungle of northwestern Ulthos.[1]
History
[edit]Merchants have dreamed of reaching Ulthos and Asshai by sailing west from Westeros. Elissa Farman believed there were other lands and seas located between Westeros and the far eastern shores of Ulthos and Essos.[6]
Quotes
[edit]Sadly, the Citadel's knowledge grows thinner the farther we travel from the lands that the men of the east call the Sunset Kingdoms, for congress with the more distant realms of Essos has ever been sparse. We know even less about the southern reaches of Sothoryos and far Ulthos, and nothing at all about whatever lands may lie beyond the Last Light and across the Sunset Sea.[3]
—writings of Yandel
Behind the Scenes
[edit]According to George R. R. Martin, the ambiguity over whether Ulthos is a separate continent or a big island off Essos highlights how people from Westeros do not know much about the Further East.[7] Ulthos might be a reference to Ultima Thule, a name used on ancient and medieval maps to signify barely-known lands at the edge of charts. Ultima Thule is Latin for "Farthest Thule", and Ulthos is the farthest land that is known to people of Westeros.
References
[edit]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Lands of Ice and Fire, The East.
- ↑ The Lands of Ice and Fire, The Known World.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The World of Ice & Fire, Other Lands.
- ↑ George R. R. Martin's A World of Ice and Fire, Ulthos.
- ↑ Fantastic Maps: The East (March 22, 2013)
- ↑ Fire & Blood, Jaehaerys and Alysanne - Their Triumphs and Tragedies.
- ↑ Vulture: George R.R. Martin on What Not to Believe in Game of Thrones (November 6, 2014)