Palacký University in Olomouc Philosophical

Essos

The eastern continent – Essos – lies across the Narrow Sea from Westeros and north of Sothoryos and Ulthos – it is the largest of them all. It “teems with strange, exotic, and ancient civilizations, some still extant and striving, others long fallen and lost to legend”. ⁵⁶ Even the climate varies greatly, which is not a surprise considering its expanse. The western coastline goes from temperate climate in the north to hot and dry in the south, the middle part of the continent is hidden under the grass of Dothraki Sea and southeast from it a large dangerous wasteland of red sand called Red Waste can be found.

Among the more important parts of Essos we can mention The Free Cities as well – nine independent cities located in the western part of the continent, which are more developed than majority of Westerosi cities. The smoking ruins of old Valyria are also worth mentioning as they are considered haunted, which can be “proved” by the fact that almost nobody who went there never returned. Beyond the Red Waste, on the shores of the Jade Sea the lucky ones can find Qarth, an ancient city and home of warlocks, the gateway between the East and the West. Eastern from the Qarth lie the Bone Mountains, stretching from the north to the south coast and thus creating a natural barrier between the western part of Essos and the more exotic eastern part. Places such as Yi Ti, Grey Waste, Asshai or Shadow Lands lie behind the colossal mountain range and very little is known about them.
The southern coasts of Westeros and Essos are today visually connected by a chain of small islands called the Stepstones. Most Westerosi scholars, the



⁵⁵ Martin, García and Antonsson, The World of Ice and Fire, 195.
⁵⁶ Martin, García and Antonsson, The World of Ice and Fire, 253.
maesters of the Citadel, do agree that Essos and Westeros were once joined, since “a thousand tales and runic records tell of the crossing of the First Men”.⁵⁷ Also, both of these continents experience the irregular pattern of changing of the seasons, with seasons that usually last few years each, even though Essos is less affected by the winters, because it is not situated that far north.⁵⁸

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