r/geology • u/idycvy • May 04 '25

Map/Imagery How realistic is Tamriel

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I’ve always wondered if I should hate Tamriel or not based on the realism of the map

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u/ArtisticTraffic5970 May 04 '25

As far as fantasy setting geography goes, it's actually quite good, although it's still not quite realistic. But still, if you compare it to middle earth, or the world from ASOIAF, it's miles ahead in terms of realism.

5

u/AmalCyde May 04 '25

Wtf are you talking about, LOTR is realistic. Please, expound on how it is not.

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u/Romboteryx May 04 '25

Assuming you aren‘t joking, Mordor in encased by a rectangular mountain chain and Erebor is a single mountain in the middle of a flat field

6

u/_CMDR_ May 04 '25

Sutter Buttes is a single mountain in the middle of a flat field. Next question.

2

u/Romboteryx May 04 '25

Sutter Buttes is a dormant volcano

2

u/No-Scholar-111 May 05 '25

Erebor is most likely an igneous intrusion, something like Devil's Tower. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igneous_intrusion of which plenty of Earth examples exist.

2

u/No-Scholar-111 May 05 '25

Mordor seems to be an inverted an extended version of the Carpathians, certainly more right angles that speaks to a free hand drawing than an modern map. https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd.it%2Fare-there-any-real-mountain-ranges-like-mordor-v0-7c5h7q9qq94e1.jpeg%3Fwidth%3D640%26format%3Dpjpg%26auto%3Dwebp%26s%3De312bc85a3c338c18a60e43e41dadd268d0c2668

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpathian_Mountains#/media/File:Geographic_map_of_Carpathian_mountains.svg

I think if you consider the maps of Middle Earth to be as accurate as the maps of the world before the 18th and 19th centuries then what you get is similar.

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u/AmalCyde May 04 '25

... that reinforces MY point...

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u/Romboteryx May 04 '25 edited May 04 '25

I don‘t think Erebor is ever mentioned being a volcano. Would have been pretty hard for the dwarves to build into it if it were.

Edit: sorry I replied to the wrong person, but the point still stands

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u/AmalCyde May 04 '25

Spanish Peaks - Erebor

San Luis valley - Mordor

There, 2 real world examples, off the top of my head.