Séathna is the northwestern province of Tír Ghlas. It is quite large but sparsely populated, as the terrain is extremely rugged and mountainous. Its capital is Dúnfort, an important port located on the estuary of a major river.
The southern part of the province is covered by the vast forest known as Máthair na n-Aibneacha—or Mother of Rivers—as it contains the sources of no fewer than five great waterways.
Here is the complete map of Tír Ghlas.
It is hand-drawn on sheets of sketch paper glued together, measuring approximately 100x70 cm (about 39x27 inches).
I added a compass rose and a legenda.
I will use it for the setting of my novels to avoid confusing the various locations, natural environments, and cities.
Sorry for the terrible photo, but it's so big that I had to put it on the table and stand on a chair...
As some of you may remember, a few years ago I started writing novels set in a sort of "alternative" and "parallel" Ireland called Tír Ghlas.
Obviously, I needed a map to avoid confusion, and after drawing several of the various regions, I undertook the great task of creating a general and detailed one. It will be 100x70 cm in size when finished.
This is the map of the northeastern region, which I finished just today. It's hand-drawn on light yellow sketch paper (you can't see it in the photo), and the sheet measures 35x50 cm.
I hope it's clearly visible because my scanner is small and I had to take a picture with my cell phone.
I have to ask a favor from anyone who knows Irish: can you please tell me if there are any mistakes in the conjugations and declinations of the nouns? I'm studying this beautiful language, but séimhiú and urú are still a bit difficult for me.
A few days ago, a post mentioned the "rebbelibs" of the Marshall Islands, maps of the currents and tides around those islands.
I'd never heard of them, so I immediately went to see what they were... but they're beautiful!
Of course, since I was on vacation at the beach, I collected some shells, and when I got home, I tried to make one.
It represents the "Seagull Islands," an archipelago west of Tír Ghlas.
Studying the Middle Ages, I discovered that most maps in that period didn't precisely indicate places and distances, but rather the idea of them and the symbols they represented.
This fascinates me so much, I thought I'd draw the map of Tír Ghlas, the fantasy world I created where my novels take place, in the style of medieval maps.
There are cities, mountains, and forests, and even fantastical animals, along with astronomical symbols.
At the bottom right is Friar Venantius, the scribe who drew it... he's a regular on my maps, always ready to point out my mistakes!
I returned from my (well-deserved) seaside vacation and immediately started a new "City Through the Ages."
Túr will become one of the most important cities in Tír Ghlas; the tall tower that will give it its name will be built in a few centuries. This map refers to the Bronze Age.
Túr is seen from the north, because it was built in a valley between a plateau and the estuary of a large river; the houses later will be built on both natural and artificial terraces (a bit like the Sassi of Matera in southern Italy).
For a couple of years now, I've been enjoying writing novels in a genre like, say, historical/fantasy.
They're all set in Tír Ghlas, a sort of "alternative" Ireland, similar but not identical, with a similar history and mythology, and they span several centuries. Most are set in the Middle Ages.
They're written in Italian, my native language, but I thought I'd translate one into English, not to publish it, but simply to know if someone likes it and wants to read more.
You can find the first two chapters here. Pls be kind as English isn't my mother tongue!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xyO1tZXjmS1l4iyjvyKbsqbyICuAQGp6u1wP46Uic7Q/edit?usp=sharing
For a couple of years now, I've been enjoying writing novels in a genre like, say, historical/fantasy.
They're all set in Tír Ghlas, a sort of "alternative" Ireland, similar but not identical, with a similar history and mythology, and they span several centuries. Most are set in the Middle Ages.
They're written in Italian, my native language, but I thought I'd translate one into English, not to publish it, but simply to know if someone likes it and wants to read more.
You can find the first two chapters here. Pls be kind as English isn't my mother tongue!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xyO1tZXjmS1l4iyjvyKbsqbyICuAQGp6u1wP46Uic7Q/edit?usp=sharing
Just to do something different, I drew a medieval map of the country of Tír Glas, where my novels are set.
Because it's medieval, it's not for the journey itself, but rather to represent the "concept" of Tír Glas. So the proportions are altered, and there are mythical animals like the unicorn, the mermaid, and the fish that's mistaken for an island, an allusion to the Navigatio Sancti Brendani (which I've obviously read).
The image isn't very beautiful because the map has a diameter of 28 cm and therefore doesn't fit in my scanner, so I had to scan it in two pieces.
Now I'll think about coloring it!
A few years ago, I began writing novels (for my own enjoyment) set in a country called Tír Glas, similar to Ireland but not the same. After a while, I couldn't figure it out, so I thought I'd draw a simple map... one thing leads to another... and now I've created an entire atlas, I'm drawing maps of cities throughout the centuries... and recently I started a portolan chart of the coasts of Tír Glas.
I draw it on very long sheets of bamboo paper (about 65 x 37 cm). On the left side is the map, and the right side is divided in two: the description and the notes of the various sea captains who used it.
Obviously, it's all in Italian... sorry.
And here is the final map of my "City Through the Centuries." This represents the evolution of Na dTrí Uisce in the 1400s. The castle has been expanded and the monastery church has become the Cathedral; a suburb is emerging south of the Great River. Two more churches have been built.
The only vestige of a bygone era is the Dolmen, still protected by the Great Oak.
Overall maps.
They are collected in a large sketchbook: the first, from the Bronze Age, is drawn directly on the sheet, then the others (semi-transparent) are glued on top along one side only.
Here's another map of the same city: this time around the year 1200.
The fortress has become a full-fledged castle; the monastery has expanded, and the swamp has been completely reclaimed, creating arable fields.
The city has expanded, roads have been laid out, and a stone bridge has been built; there's also a large shed where a monthly market takes place.
Along the stream to the east, a mill now supplies flour to people.
The dolmen, protected by its large oak tree, stands watching the world around it.
This is the third map of Na dTrí Uisce. As you can see, two fords have been improved by building footbridges, and there are many more houses (of modern construction, although the round huts still stand) and cultivated fields.
A small monastery was founded, and the monks began reclaiming the marshland to create arable land.
The fortress was equipped with a more robust palisade.
Only the dolmen at the confluence of the two tributaries remains as a reminder of times gone by.
This is the second map of Na dTrí Uisce. Now we are in the Iron Age: two more fords have been built, the fortress has a stone wall and has been enlarged, now the external enclosure includes vegetable gardens and shelters for animals.
There is also a forge where a blacksmith makes weapons and tools.
The swamp has not yet been reclaimed.
Sorry for the hard-to-read writing, but the paper didn't take the ink well... I'll use another system from now on.
I'm drawing maps of the main cities of Tír Glas, the fantasy world I invented for my novels, and I'm drawing them "in layers," meaning I'm starting with the oldest (Bronze Age), then adding those from the Iron Age, the Early Middle Ages, the 13th, and 14th centuries.
The first is drawn on a sheet of watercolor paper, the others on semi-transparent sheets of hemp and bamboo paper.
This is Na dTrí Uisce, the city of the Three Rivers, as it appeared at the time of the earliest settlements.
Soon I'll also post its transformations over the centuries.
Hi! I write novels set in a fictional country that resembles Ireland but isn't quite the same.
These maps are from one of my novels, which takes place in the Bronze Age: the tribes were forced to take refuge in a mountain with a system of caves due to the arrival of gigantic birds of prey.
The first one shows how that mountain can be seen from the outside... I'm Italian so legenda is in my language.
My maps are entirely hand-drawn, and I'm not a professional artist, so please don't be too harsh with me...