What's the point of Ulthos?

[mindchap]

Well, they're out there somewhere, although my money's on Sothoryos

He lifted his eyes and saw clear across the narrow sea' date=' to the Free Cities and the green Dothraki sea and beyond, to Vaes Dothrak under its mountain, to the fabled lands of the Jade Sea, to Asshai by the Shadow, where dragons stirred beneath the sunrise.[/i']

[messem]

GRRM created a fourth continent of Ulthos, very very very far east. My question is why? Was it created just to help build the world in ASOIAF? Or is there some importance to the story? Has it been mentioned in the books?

That is the happy place where Ashara Dayne and Lyana Stark live.

Or

There is where whores go.

[Magic 8 Ball]

It's the land that Ironborn guy claims to have found, by sailing west on the sunset sea, ie Americos.

[firepoet]

It's there to prevent Dany from sailing from east from Essos to the west coast of Westeros.

This may have actually been part of his motivation. A lot of people have been expecting her to do that, and he may have wanted to make it more clear that it would be impossible.

[Arch-MaesterPhilip]

He lifted his eyes and saw clear across the narrow sea, to the Free Cities and the green Dothraki sea and beyond, to Vaes Dothrak under its mountain, to the fabled lands of the Jade Sea, to Asshai by the Shadow, where dragons stirred beneath the sunrise.

I just noticed this the other day on my most recent re-read.

[Julipo]

Ever heard of the Fourteen Fires?

I was just kidding, but talking seriously, dragons could have migrated from there. We don't know how old the universe is.

EDIT: And this:

He lifted his eyes and saw clear across the narrow sea, to the Free Cities and the green Dothraki sea and beyond, to Vaes Dothrak under its mountain, to the fabled lands of the Jade Sea, to Asshai by the Shadow, where dragons stirred beneath the sunrise.

[Penguin king]

This is literally the first i've heard of Ulthos, but already I'm stoked to find out more about it.

[Ser Duncan of Flea Bottom]

This is literally the first i've heard of Ulthos, but already I'm stoked to find out more about it.

ah, I don't think we'll have much information about it right now, It's beyond Asshai, I suspect the City of the Poets is there, or near, the only thing we know is that Ulthos has a large area of forrests, I think it's the America equivalent

well, maybe when some kind of encyclopidia is released there'll be more information of Sothoryos and Ulthos

[Sir Noone Sword Of The Day]

its just too create a more realistic world... Ulthos could be compared to North America during the medieval era. A mysterious continent that most haven't heard of and few have ever ventured there

[Light a wight tonight]

It's the land that Ironborn guy claims to have found, by sailing west on the sunset sea, ie Americos.

Or Atlantos.

[Dagon Greyjoy]

My bet is Ulthos is the land House Farwynd talks about at the Kingsmoot: Sailors from Lonely Light have seen its eastern shore not too far away from the Iron Islands. It's the final piece to close the puzzle, unless there's something south of it.

[Downright Daario]

Ever heard of the Fourteen Fires?

If I remember correctly, dragons were found nesting there, which implies that dragons were not born in the fourteen fires.

[thecryptile]

I bet the place is crawling with velociraptors and dragons. That's probably why you don't hear alot about it.

[MasterJack]

this is where the planet of the Apes story takes place. Ulysse's Land sound similar to Ulthos Land(ok not that much). This is the Earth in the future, This is not a fantasy folks, it is a sci-fi.

[Ordos]

If we're talking about dinosaurs and other exotic creatures, start looking in Sothoryos which has already a bit of information.

And why would Ulthos be the land in the far west the Ironborn talk about? We have not even seen the eastern coast of Essos.

Melisandre who is a POV character is from Asshai. There could be references to Ulthos in her chapters in TWoW.

[danm_999]

Might serve no narrative purpose honestly. Might just be flavour.

After all, at a similar time in Europe in our own history, there were entire continents that were completely unknown or unexplored (the Americas, Australia) to the West.

[Son of a Harpy]

Ulthos is where Howland Reed and Tysha reside. We'll never see it though.

[mindchap]

The whole point of Ulthos is to fuel speculation on forums around the world. Where crackpot theories are quickly turning into shatteredpot theories.

[thecryptile]

If it does have a narrative purpose, it's might just a navigational obstacle to keep Dany from circumnavigating the globe.

But perhaps we can get a feel for the place by examining the exotic fauna the Sea-Lord of Braavos has in his menagerie:

striped horses- zorses from Jogos Nhai

Great spotted things with necks as long as stilts- giraffe, probably from Jogos Nhai

hairy mouse pigs as big as cows- diprotodont from ??Ulthos??

stinging manticores- from islands in the jade sea

tigers that carry their cubs in a pouch- thylacine from ??Ulthos??

terrible walking lizards with scythes for claws- velociraptor from ??Sothoryos??

I don't see marsupial mega-fauna cohabiting with dinosaurs or placental mammals such as dire wolves and mammoths found in Westeros and Essos, so perhaps Ulthos is their home, making it an analogue for Pliestocene Australia.

[Morienthar]

ASoIaF is one the last Epic Fantasy series where I hope he'll intoduce something Indian inspired maybe this is it....

But all evidence points to scribbles on a pice of paper that looked good and got called world building.