Fantasy Counterpart Culture: Difference between revisions

[[File:katara_not_an_inuit.jpg|link=Avatar: The Last Airbender|frame| [[Avatar: The Last Airbender|The Water Tribes!]] They're Inuit, but with [[Supernatural Martial Arts]] [[Magical Native American|skills]].]]

** The Nelvaan are [[Magical Native American|Magical Native Americans]]. Plains and Southwestern. Anakin even goes on a [[Vision Quest]].

* [[Lois McMaster Bujold]]'s ''Chalion'' universe does this: Chalion, Ibra, and Brajar make up the analogue of the Iberian peninsula, Darthaca is France, the Weald is the [[Holy Roman Empire]] (and used to be Gaul, or at least somewhere with Celts), and Roknar plays the role of North Africa (despite being an archipelago). To conceal this slightly, everything is set in the Southern hemisphere, with all the geography flipped north-for-south. Bujold even manages to have the Roknari's religion differ from that of the Chalionese despite this being a world with [[Physical God|Physical Gods]].

* In David Eddings's ''[[Belgariad]]'', the Sendars are rural Englishmen - the mongrel country (as by late medieval standards Celtic/Saxon/Scotti/Danish/Norman England was), the Arends are Norman French, the Tolnedrans are Imperial Romans, the Chereks are Vikings, the Algars are Cossacks, the tunnel-dwelling Ulgos are [[Ambiguously Jewish]], maybe (though their god UL is apparently based on the pre-Muslim Turkish creator-god Ulgen, whose mythos is also where Eddings got the whole "saying 'be not' ends your own existence" schtick), the Nyissans are vaguely Egyptian or perhaps Indian, and the Angaraks are the "Hunnish-Mongolian-Muslim-Visigoths [[Barbarian Tribe|Barbarian Tribes]] out to convert the world by sword". Since Eddings tends to recycle his cultures whenever he creates a new world, most of the countries in his universes likely have such parallels-- the Elenium series has very familiar western kingdoms and eastern empire, if anything even more like [[The Theme Park Version]] of certain Earth cultures. The inhabitants of the main continent in the ''Dreamers'' series are obvious stand-ins for various Native American tribes.

** ''[[Wheel of Time]]'' is actually pretty good at this. While they have definite elements taken from different cultures they are very rarely actual [[Fantasy Counterpart Culture|Fantasy Counterpart Cultures]]. The Seanchan are as much [[Ottoman Empire]] as they are Japan, and with all sorts of other bits thrown in. [[Word of God]] decided to muddle it even more, when [[Robert Jordan]] said that the Seanchan have a Texan accent, the Illianers a dutch accent, the Aiel a Slavic accent, among [http://www.darkfriends.net/wheel/node/164.html others]. Since the world of the [[Wheel of Time]] is meant, in-universe, to be the distant future of our own world, it [[Justified Trope|makes some sense]] that the cultures therein would retain traits recognizable to the reader.

** [[Lampshade|Lampshaded]] in her ''SERRAted Edge'' series; most culture in the [[The Fair Folk|fairy world of Underhill]] was either transported there by visitors from our world, or copied by the fantastically imitative (but woefully uncreative) [[Our Elves Are Different|elves]]. In fact, to point out precisely which human-world culture (real or fictional) an [[Our Elves Are Different|elf]] ripped off is considered a huge insult by many of them.

* Calormen, in [[C. S. Lewis|CS Lewis]]' ''[[Narnia|The Chronicles of Narnia]]'', is Middle Eastern with Ottoman/Turkish influences, with a specific takeoff on the ancient Carthaginian religion as a plot point. Notably, the Calormenes are explicitly pagan, not monotheists--their religion is ''not'' a fantasy counterpart of Islam. (As Narnian humans are descended from various travelers from our world, and time is shown to be very slippery, ''possibly'' Calormenes are descended from pre-Islam Turks or Arabs. [[Hand Wave|Or something]].)

** Westeros is a [[Fantasy Counterpart Culture]] of Europe as a whole, with the regions being the North (Scotland, especially beyond the Wall), the Iron Islands (Scandinavia and the Viking raiders), the Riverlands (North France/Brittany), the Vale (the Alps), the Westerlands (England), the Stormlands (North Spain), the Reach (South France/Provence), and Dorne (Moorish Spain).

** The Slaver Cities-- Astapor, Yunkai and Meereen-- closely resemble ancient Middle-Eastern empires such as Assyria and Babylon: they build pyramids/ziggurats and use slaves for manual labor or as soldiers.

** Even New Zealand gets a look-in, recast as the Foggy Islands, and to add to the list of British Empire And Commonwealth Dominions, there are several vague but cumulatively telling hints here and there in the Discworld canon that point to there being a "South Africa" on the Disc, no doubt turned [[Up to Eleven]] with biltong occupying the dwarf bread culiniary niche and memories of a past war involving Welsh soldiers and a people not completely unlike [[Zulu|Zulus]] (A Llamedosian regiment is said to have distinguished itself at a battle of "Lawkes' Drain"...)

** On the other hand, the Rohirrim -- as noted under Film above -- ''are'' a sort-of [[Fantasy Counterpart Culture]], as Land Vikings.

* Jane Yolen's ''The Pit Dragon Trilogy'' really goes for the gold on this. The entire series takes place on a planet that was once used as a penal colony. Almost all the main characters are descended from the original criminals, and generally have an inherent distrust of anyone who wasn't (all the criminals' descendants have a double K in their name -- Jakkin, Sarkkhan, Akki, etc., so it's no secret who is who). The world is mostly great big deserts, great big mountains, and slightly uncivilized cities. Other planets keep trying to rule it and use its natural resources. The fact that the planet is named [[Meaningful Name|Austar IV]] is really just the icing on the cake.

* The nation of Jackals in [[Stephen Hunt]]'s ''The Court of the Air'' and ''The Kingdom Beyond the Waves'' is a [[Steampunk]] version of Victorian England, although they have a [[Nightmare Fuel|much less reverent attitude towards their royalty]]. It's hostile neighbor, Quatershift is a take on Revolutionary France with the Terror [[Turned Up To]] Eleven. Cassarabia, is an Arabian caliphate, with the worship of an immortal god-king replacing Islam. {{spoiler|There's also an extinct [[Mayincatec]] civilzation that's dominated by a [[Religion of Evil]] worshipping [[Cosmic Horror|Cosmic Horrors]] that turns out not to be so extinct after all}}

* [[Glen Cook]]'s ''The Instrumentalities of the Night'' series takes place in 12th- or 13th-Century Europe and the Middle East, except with the names (and some aspects of the religions) changed -- and magic works. Most of the action takes place in Firaldria (Italy), the End of Connec (Languedoc), and the Grail (Holy Roman) Empire. The main character is a Sha-lug (Mamluk) from Dreanger (Egypt) sent to infiltrate the Chaldarean (Roman Catholic) Church and learn if they're planning another crusade against Al-Prama (Islam). Meanwhile, a cyclic shift in the forces of magic is bringing on an ice age much more severe than anything experienced in '''our''' history at the comparable time....

* There is a cross-species example in ''[[Babylon 5]]'', in which the intergalactic [[Blood Sport]] called "the Mutai" is essentially a karate kumite, complete with gi, bowing, and an ancient master who speaks with a raspy Asian accent<ref>played by an Asian actor, incidentally</ref>. Ironically, humans seem to be the only species who have never taken part in the sport until the episode "TKO."

** Used to varying degrees in ''[[Ravenloft]].'' Some are fairly clear -- Barovia is Romania, Borca is Italy, Dementlieu and Richemulot are France, Falkovnia is Wallachia, Forlorn is Scotland, Har'Akir and Sebua are [[Ancient Egypt|Pharaonic Egypt]], Pharazia is medieval Egypt, Hazlan is Turkish (by way of the ''[[Forgotten Realms]]''' Thay), Lamordia is Switzerland, Mordent is rural 19th-century England, Nova Vaasa is Poland, Paridon is Victorian London, Souragne is antebellum Louisiana, Sri Raji is India, Tepest is Ireland, Valachan is the Pacific Northwest, Vorostokov is Russia, and Wild Lands are Africa. Others, like Darkon and Sithicus, operate through more fantasy filters.

** ''[[Planescape]], the setting which focused on the old ''D&D'' cosmology, plays with this trope like a kitten with yarn. It contains an idealized "Viking" heaven, a [[Word of Dante]] version of Purgatory and Hell, Mount Olympus, the Underworld, and dozens of little pockets which resemble a [[Fantasy Counterpart Culture]] to the real world culture which worshiped the god found in said pocket. For example, Set's realm is based on faux Ancient Egypt, but is nestled inside what can only be called Dante's Inferno. It makes sense in context.

** Tomb Kings are [[Ancient Egypt|Pharaonic Egyptians]] only undead and the Lizardmen are [[Mayincatec|Mayincatecs]]: the High Elves and Wood Elves represent the Middle and Late Byzantine Empires respectively, with a touch of [[Atlantis]]. Their cousins the Dark Elves are post-Viking Scandinavians, with their reliance on crossbowmen and close-combat troops (even though they live in ''[[Warhammer Fantasy Battle]]'''s equivalent of [[Canada, Eh?|Canada]]).

** Chaos Dwarfs resemble the Assyrians and Babylonians, and the Vampire Counts are Hungarians and Moldovans. The Hobgoblins are Mongols, the Halflings are Jews, and the Orcs are the [[Barbarian Tribe|Barbarian Tribes]]. About the only one that isn't a [[Fantasy Counterpart Culture]] is the [[Rodents of Unusual Size|Skaven]], with their crazy war machines and warpstone technology.

** The Necrons have some ancient Egyptian about them, and sometimes Mayan and Mesopotamian too-- basically they have influences every pyramid-building culture.

** The Qunari are an amalgamation of historical Islamic societies--they command gaatlok, or gunpowder and cannon, with which they blast down city walls as the Ottoman Turks did Constantinople; they offer to conquered peoples three options (conversion, labor, or death) as did the early Islamic Arabs in their conquests (theirs was conversion, ''taxes'', or death); and those who do accept the Qun are instantly known as citizens, "Qunari", worth protecting, regardless of their race or history - the original Qunari, the kossith, don't consider themselves any different from non-kossith Qunari, which bears a few similarities to the historical relationship of Arab ethnic identity with Muslim religious identity. Their language and the Qun appear to be closely intertwined, paralleling the Qu'ran and Arabic (Besides, Qun? Qu'ran?) For added flavor, the guy who founded the Qunari religion seems to have been a cross between [[Buddhism|Siddhartha Gautama]] and the Prophet Muhammad. They have a very strict honor code and abide by it in all regards. And their philosophy is basically Confucianism with grenades.

* ''[[Rise of Legends]]'' features Fantasy Counterpart Cultures to Renaissance Italy, the ''Arabian Nights'' Middle East, and Mayan/Aztec Mesoamerica, complete with "appropriate" techs (Steampunk/Clockpunk, swords & sorcery, and sub-[[Sufficiently Advanced Alien]] tech, respectively) for its three factions. Two of the three also have very obvious [[Meaningful Name|Meaningful Names]], with the Renaissance Italians being Vinci, and the Mesoamerican nation being Cuotl (a reference to Quetzalcoatl, who some UFOlogists and cryptohistorians claim was actually an alien).

* As mentioned in the page quote, Azure City of ''[[The Order of the Stick|Order of the Stick]]'' is a [[Fantasy Counterpart Culture]] of mostly Japan and a little of the rest of East Asia also. We haven't seen much of the rest of the world, but it seems from the Pantheons the North will be equivalent to the Vikings, the West will be Mesopotamian, and the East would be Greek if the Eastern gods still existed to make this version of the world.

* Like ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog]]'', one of its major influences, ''[[Exterminatus Now]]'' has Taika--basically Japan according to near-future sci-fi anime, complete with [[Humongous Mecha]] and secluded daemon-hunting orders--and Rodina, which we haven't actually seen but is apparently the ''EN'' equivalent of [[Glorious Mother Russia]].

** The Fire Nation is based off of industrialized, Imperialist Japan -- it's a chain of volcanic islands who uses the premise of "sharing prosperity" (similar to Japan's argument in World War II) to conquer its neighboring nations. Coal-based military industrial complex, State emperor worship, schoolbook propaganda, etc. It also has elements of modern China from its inception as a communist state -- attacking the Air Nomads as well as the aforementioned propaganda and emperor worship. In the pilot, the Fire Nation soldiers had distinct Japanese architecture and samurai armor but their armor was changed to a more Tang Dynasty-like style.

* ''[[Transformers Generation 1]]'' (the original '80s cartoon) had the "[[People's Republic of Tyranny|Socialist Democratic Federated Republic]]" of [[Incredibly Lame Pun|Carbombya]], whose leader was "Supreme Military Commander, President for Life, and King-of-Kings" Abdul Fakkadi, whose capital city's population was "4000 people and 10000 camels", and which was so stereotypically Arab and stereotypically evil that it supposedly prompted the departure of Casey Kasem--voice of Cliffjumper, Bluestreak, and the Teletraan-1 computer and of Lebanese descent--from the show.

** In a way that is happily bereft of such disturbing [[Unfortunate Implications]], Bulkhead of ''[[Transformers Animated]]'' is a "mudflap" from an "energon farm"--that is, basically a robot redneck. He gets a lot of flack for it when he first shows up at boot camp, but it's mostly due to his naivete rather than any inherant stupidity. In fact, he's actually an accomplished artist and {{spoiler|[[Genius Ditz|the most skilled space bridge technician ever.]]}}