Imaginary Worlds in Video Games: Skyrim

The map of the Province of Skyrim presents the universe in which the player will have to move throughout the adventure. Drawn on a paper that has been yellowed by time and marked with many folds suggesting intensive use, it is reminiscent of the map that Gandalf unrolls before the eyes of Bilbo and his friends before their quest for the ring begins. The handwriting, the compass rose and the way the reliefs are depicted are all borrowed from Tolkien's work and, through him, from medieval and modern cartographic traditions. This vast territory is reminiscent of an island, so much so that the mountain ranges bordering its land borders seem impassable; the sea does not seem any less hostile, the convoluted coastline relieved only by perilous reefs. The presence of the different ethnic groups’ coats of arms reinforces the promise of adventure.