Game of Thronestakes place primarily in Westeros, a varied continent roughly the size of South America. Though the lion’s share of the series and its characters live in the Seven Kingdoms, humans migrated to Westeros from the old continent, Essos. The franchise keeps almost all of its stories on these two land masses and the islands in between, but a third continent occupies the Known World. Sothoryos isGame of Thrones' unexplored wildland.
Geography plays a significant role inGame of Thrones. A theme runs through the show, connecting characters with the climate they grew up in.House Stark and manyof the men of the North grow stern yet generous and noble through their lives in the punishing cold. House Lannister has slept in the comfort of King’s Landing for generations, making them cruel political players. There is, however, a limit to how cruel a home can be before its positive effects diminish.
Where is Sothoryos?
Sothoryos sits due south of Essos, across the Summer Sea. It’s south of Slaver’s Bay. Most maps of the Known World depict Essos as a long horizontal mass, cutting off its eastern end.Westeros is vertically oriented, cutting off the area north of the Wall. Only the northern peak of Sothroyos is visible on most maps. That makes determining its size almost impossible. Some declared it roughly as large as Westeros, nearly seven million square miles. During the days of the Valyrian Freehold,a dragonrider namedJaenara Belaerys rode her mighty beast, Terrax, into uncharted territory. She claimed it was at least the size of Essos, around fourteen million square miles. She also stated it could be endless. Though that’s likely untrue, it implies size beyond either other continent. Sothoryos remains shrouded in mystery, even in its most fundamental elements.
Who lives on Sothoryos?
Missandei is the onlySothoryi person depicted inGame of Thrones. She hails from Naath, an island off the northwestern coast of Sothoryos. Unfortunately, the Naathi people are known for their distinct flat faces, dark skin, and golden eyes. She offers no indication of the usual Sothoryi appearance. Observers call the Sothoryi Brindled Men, who boast blended patches of brown and pale skin. They tend to be large and muscular. Some compare them to hogs for their thick skin and broad noses. Most who’ve met Brindled Men are pirates from the neighboring Basilisk Isles. The old Ghiscari Empire saw the Brindled Men as mentally unfit but physically capable.Old Ghis consistedmainly of monsters, so they frequently abducted and enslaved the Brindled Men. The Brindled Men on the Summer Sea coast have learned the Trade Talk, a pidgin language used to barter with foreigners. Though the people aren’t celebrated, the real dangers of Sothoryos aren’t human.
What lives on Sothoryos?
The Basilisk Isles were named after the nightmarish creatures that once inhabited them. On the mainland, Basilisk Point enjoys the same infestation. Basilisks are massive carnivores that produce lethal venom. They can grow to twice the size of a lion, deliver fatal doses of venom in a bite, and even theirblood will poison the mind. Sothoryos is also home to wyverns, the dragons' smaller, angrier cousins. They can’t breathe fire but make up for that shortcoming with violence. Wyverns lend their name to Wyvern Point. Their ferocity and lethal potential are frequently posited as the reason few people inhabit Sothoryos. The continent also sports a variety of apes, including gorillas said to be taller than the largest giants.
If mini-dragons, venomous monsters, andKing Kong weren’t enough, Sothoryos features several more mundane threats. Countless spiders, snakes, flies, worms, and other parasites make life on Sothoryos a nightmare. The unexplored southern areas are often called Green Hell. They feature vampire bats that drain humans dry, painted lizards with knife-like claws, and endless sources of disease. The most lethal thing on the island could be its drinking water, which inevitably poisons its drinkers. Almost nothing is safe in this horrific jungle.
Has anyone settled in Sothoryos?
Every new settlement on Sothoryos suffered a similar fate. Old Ghis andthe Valyrian Freeholdeach established three colonies on Sothoryos. They’ve all fallen into ruin. Valyria’s settlements were broken by Brindle Men, disease, and the relentless march of time. Nothing lasts long in Sothoryos. After she left Ghis, Princess Nymeria led her people on a voyage around the world. She tried settling in Sothoryos, but disease and the locals forced herand the Rhoynarto abandon the area as the Ghiscari had a thousand years earlier. Finally, Eustace Hightower washed ashore on Sothoryos after a leviathan attack. He and his men struggled to survive in the area for a year while repairing their ship. He believes they all would have died if Summer Islanders hadn’t rescued them. After detailing the nightmares he faced, he sums up his experience like this:
Hardly a day went by when half my men were fit to work. We all would have perished, I think, but some Summer Islanders passing by came on us. They know that hell better than they let on, I think.
It’s said that adventurers from the Free Cities and Seven Kingdoms sometimes sail to Sothoryos, seeking fame and fortune. It’s one of the last truly untamed locations in the Known World.George R. R. Martinhasn’t offered much information about Sothoryos, but it demonstrates how much untapped potential still lives inA Song of Ice and Fire. Even those who live in its fiction don’t know all there is to know about it.
