Geography and Environment: Landscapes that Shape Stories

1. Orienting the Three Worlds

In this module, you’ll compare three fantasy worlds through their geography and environment:

• Middle-earth (J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings and related works)
• The Wheel of Time world (Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson, The Wheel of Time)
• Roshar (Brandon Sanderson, The Stormlight Archive)

Instead of focusing on plot or characters, you’ll look at:

• Continents and regions – How each world is laid out
• Climate and terrain – Mountains, deserts, seas, storms
• Environmental extremes – Features that are so strong they shape culture and story
• Geography and plot – How land and climate control travel, war, and cultural contact

Quick mental map reminder (no need to be perfect):

• Middle-earth: Think Europe-like landmass with a West–East journey.
• Wheel of Time: A large continent with many nations and a mysterious Aiel Waste to the east.
• Roshar: A storm-battered, roughly circular continent with a huge broken plateau on the east.

You’ll build up from basic maps to how each author uses land and climate to create mood and themes.

2. Sketching the Big Shapes (No Artistic Skill Needed)

Grab a scrap of paper (or imagine this in your head) and do this in under 2 minutes:

1. Middle-earth (Third Age)

• Draw a horizontal rectangle.
• On the left (west), mark a coast: label “The Shire / Grey Havens”.
• In the middle, draw a mountain line: label “Misty Mountains”.
• On the right (east), draw a dark region: label “Mordor”.

1. Wheel of Time world (main continent)

• Draw a rough vertical oval.
• In the center, write “Andor” (a central kingdom).
• On the far east edge, mark a harsh region: “Aiel Waste”.
• On the far west edge, mark “Aryth Ocean”.

1. Roshar

• Draw a rough circle or comma-shape.
• On the east edge, draw jagged cracks: “Shattered Plains”.
• Somewhere in the middle-west, write “Alethkar”.
• Along the coasts, write “storm-battered coasts”.

Reflect (30 seconds):

• Which world feels most familiar to a real-world map?
• Which feels most alien?

Keep your sketch nearby—you’ll add meaning to it in later steps.

3. Middle-earth: Familiar but Strategic Geography

Middle-earth’s geography feels recognizable because Tolkien based it loosely on Eurasian climates and landforms.

Key Regions and Environments

• The Shire (northwest):
• Mild, temperate climate, rolling hills, rivers.
• Evokes rural England; supports peaceful, agrarian Hobbit culture.
• Rivendell & Misty Mountains (center):
• High mountains, snow, dangerous passes.
• The Redhorn Pass and Moria show how mountains block or endanger travel.
• Rohan (south of the mountains):
• Open grasslands and plains.
• Ideal for horse culture; explains Rohirrim cavalry tactics.
• Gondor (south):
• Mediterranean-like climate, major river (Anduin), coastal cities.
• River and sea routes support trade and large cities (e.g., Minas Tirith, Pelargir).
• Mordor (far east):
• Volcanic, dry, enclosed by mountains.
• Feels cut off and hostile; geography mirrors Sauron’s isolation and menace.

How Geography Directs Story

• The Fellowship’s route is shaped by barriers:
• Trying the mountain pass (Caradhras) fails → forces them into Moria.
• The Anduin River allows faster southward travel but limits where they can land.
• Cultures match environments:
• Hobbits = sheltered farmland → comfort-loving, home-focused.
• Rohirrim = wide plains → mobile warriors, honor in cavalry.
• Gondor = river/sea power → stone cities, long history of empire and trade.

Middle-earth uses relatively realistic geography to make the world feel deep and historical, like a mythic version of our own.

4. Middle-earth in Action: Travel, War, and Culture

Use these short cases to see how land shapes action in Middle-earth.

1. Helm’s Deep (Rohan)

• A mountain valley fortress with a narrow approach.
• Geography advantage: A smaller defending force can hold off a much larger army.
• Story effect: Creates a desperate, high-tension siege where terrain keeps hope alive.

1. The Paths of the Dead

• A mountain passage under the White Mountains.
• Normally, mountains separate Rohan and Gondor, slowing aid.
• Secret geography (the hidden path) lets Aragorn shortcut across, turning the tide of war.

1. The Shire’s isolation

• Surrounded by bigger powers but physically distant from major battle zones.
• Geography preserves Hobbit innocence for most of the story.
• When war finally touches the Shire, it feels like a violation of a protected pocket of land.

Key pattern: Middle-earth’s mostly realistic geography creates believable constraints: mountains, rivers, and distances explain why journeys are hard and why cultures develop separately.

5. Wheel of Time: Political Borders on a Shared Landmass

The Wheel of Time world (at least the main setting) is one large continent with many nations sharing connected land. Geography is less about alien extremes and more about how cultures divide a continuous space.

Major Regions and Environments

• The Westlands (main cluster of nations):
• Mixed climates: forests, plains, rivers, coastal zones.
• Nations like Andor, Cairhien, Tear, Illian share land but differ in politics and culture.
• The Aiel Waste (east):
• Harsh desert-like region beyond mountain barriers.
• Produces a warrior society adapted to scarcity and heat.
• The Sea of Storms & Aryth Ocean (south and west):
• Large bodies of water that limit expansion and isolate cultures.
• Home to Sea Folk, whose culture is built around ocean travel.
• The Blight (north):
• Diseased, dangerous land bordering the Shadow’s stronghold.
• Acts as a buffer zone between normal lands and ultimate evil.

How Geography Directs Story

• Borders = politics: Because the land is mostly continuous, borders are political, not purely physical.
• This allows frequent travel between nations and many shifting alliances.
• The Aiel Waste:
• Mountain barriers and desert conditions keep Aiel culture separate.
• Crossing into or out of the Waste is a major symbolic step in the story.
• The Blight:
• Its dangerous environment explains why people avoid the Shadow’s northern stronghold.
• Reaching it is a rare, high-stakes journey.

Compared to Middle-earth, the Wheel of Time world focuses more on how many cultures share one landmass and how political lines matter as much as physical ones.

6. Quick Check: Middle-earth vs. Wheel of Time

Test your understanding of how geography works differently in these two worlds.

7. Roshar: A World Built Around Storms

Roshar, from The Stormlight Archive, is the most alien of the three worlds and is defined by one environmental extreme: highstorms.

Core Environmental Feature: Highstorms

• Gigantic, magical storms that sweep from east to west across the continent.
• Bring intense wind, rain, and stormlight (a magical energy).
• The east is hit hardest; the west is relatively sheltered.

Major Regions and Environments

• Shattered Plains (eastern Roshar):
• A vast area of cracked plateaus and chasms.
• Difficult to cross; armies move by bridges, creating deadly logistics.
• Alethkar (eastern kingdom):
• Exposed to the strongest storms.
• Culture values warrior strength and resilience; buildings and armor are storm-adapted.
• Coastal cities (e.g., Kharbranth, Thaylen City):
• Built with storm-resistant architecture (e.g., low, strong buildings, or protected harbors).
• Shinovar (far west):
• Protected by mountains from the full force of highstorms.
• Has soil and grass more like Earth; people walk on grass instead of avoiding it.

How Geography Directs Story

• Storm direction (east → west) shapes:
• Architecture (buildings lean away from the stormfront).
• Travel (journeys must account for storm timing and shelter).
• Warfare (battles on the Shattered Plains are designed around chasms and storm cycles).
• Ecosystems:
• Plants that retract into shells or crevices.
• Animals with rocky carapaces to survive storms.
• Culture and religion:
• Storms are seen as sacred or fearful events.
• Stormlight becomes central to magic, economy, and warfare.

Roshar shows an author designing a world from an extreme climate outward, letting one environmental feature influence everything.

8. Thought Exercise: If You Lived There…

Imagine you wake up in each world with no special powers. For each, answer in 1–2 sentences (mentally or in your notes):

1. Middle-earth

• You live in a small village near the Misty Mountains.
• Question: How would the mountains affect your daily life (work, travel, safety)?

1. Wheel of Time world

• You live in a border town near The Blight.
• Question: How would living next to a dangerous, corrupted land shape your town’s defenses and customs?

1. Roshar

• You live in a coastal city facing the east, where highstorms first hit.
• Question: What would your house look like, and how would you prepare for regular, deadly storms?

Extension (optional):

Pick one of your answers and add one cultural detail it might create (a festival, a superstition, a type of job, a law).

9. Key Terms and Ideas Review

Use these flashcards to reinforce the main geography and environment concepts from this module.

10. Applying the Idea: How Geography Shapes Culture

Use this question to connect geography directly to culture and story.

11. Comparing Mood and Themes Across the Three Worlds

Now connect geography to mood and themes, not just logistics.

• Middle-earth
• Mood: Nostalgic, ancient, grounded.
• Themes supported by geography:
• Long journeys across varied landscapes = epic quest and endurance.
• Isolated, peaceful areas like the Shire = loss of innocence and the cost of war.

• Wheel of Time world
• Mood: Complex, political, interconnected.
• Themes supported by geography:
• Many nations on one landmass = interdependence, shifting alliances, and global stakes.
• The Blight at the edge of the map = encroaching evil that is always nearby but usually avoided.

• Roshar
• Mood: harsh, alien, storm-torn, yet luminous.
• Themes supported by geography:
• Highstorms = constant external pressure → resilience, adaptation, and cycles of destruction and renewal.
• Shattered Plains = brokenness (physical and emotional), mirroring characters’ inner struggles.

When you compare fantasy worlds, asking “How does the land feel, and what does it make possible?” helps you see deeper patterns than just who fights whom.

12. Final Mapping Challenge: Synthesize and Compare

Use your earlier sketches (or mental maps) and complete this short comparison exercise.

Create a 3-line note (one line per world). Use this frame:

• Middle-earth: Land feature → effect on travel/war → mood/theme
• Wheel of Time: Land feature → effect on travel/war → mood/theme
• Roshar: Land feature → effect on travel/war → mood/theme

Example for Roshar (model):

• Roshar: Highstorms → dangerous timing for travel and battles → mood of constant pressure and theme of resilience/adaptation.

Now write your own:

1. Middle-earth:
2. Wheel of Time:
3. Roshar:

If you can fill these in with specific land features, you’ve met the module’s goals: you can map each world, explain how geography constrains or enables events, and show how environment supports mood and themes.