[OB] The map of Thaylen City

[ICanDream]

So I was recently perusing the Stormlight Archive books (as you do) and I realised something: the map of Thaylen City given In Way of Kings is slightly different to the one shown in Oathbringer. It’s minor, but it’s bothering me.

If you cannot recall, the map of Thaylen City given in Way of Kings is given through Kabsal and his sand plate vibration thing. What is listed as Thaylen City is actually the ancient ward of Thaylen City, but that’s not what I am talking about.

What I am talking about is the fact that there are some differences between both maps, though both are small details. The actual one in Oathbringer is less symmetrical.

Did you notice this too? Probably not, but tell me what you think

[digitalbusker he/him]

Maybe the association between cymatic patterns and modern (albeit very long established) cities isn't as clear cut as the murderous ardent implies? It's a shame, because Kabsal was pretty reliable and trustworthy in other matters.

I'd like to compare the pictures. Maybe something will jump out at me.

ETA:

Okay, here's the two maps side by side. According to the text on the WoK endpaper, the Thaylen City plan on the cymatics comparison page is "based on city plans found in the archives of the Palanaeum," which could make them old enough that recent construction could account for the differences you see. And if there were more recent plans available there where the symmetry was less obvious, the person making the cymatics document presumably would have cherry-picked the version that best fit their argument.

In the end I don't think the differences between the maps have any bearing on cymatics. The cymatic pattern shown in that document is pretty complicated, moreso than you'd really expect to get from sand on a plate. Compare to the video clip in the Wikipedia article on cymatics, which appears to be generating this very pattern, but without the pieces that are different between the maps in the two documents.

Edited January 27, 2018 by digitalbusker
attached images, analysis

[Yezrien]

It's also worth noting that much of the asymmetry in the recent map is on the eastern side, which suggests highstorm-related erosion. Over thousands of years, even a mountain can only protect so much.

[teknopathetic he/him]

Dang Theylan city looks like an Aon (though likely isn't)

[Knight Oblivion]

4 hours ago, teknopathetic said:

Dang Theylan city looks like an Aon (though likely isn't)

It's kind of missing Aon Aon though...

[The One Who Connects he/him]

On 1/28/2018 at 2:13 AM, Knight Oblivion said:

It's kind of missing Aon Aon though...

Is it? Look at the the first image Digitalbusker posted (specifically, the one left of the scroll bar in the middle).

Starting at the south corner, the "road" goes up, then up-right diagonally, the straight right. It has vertices, but were they smoothed out, this would be the curved line in Aon Aon.
The outside road goes from that corner diagonally up-left to the north corner of the city, making the straight line of Aon Aon.
There is a literal dot in the center of the city, which is the dot of Aon Aon. Start at any corner, and this pattern repeats itself, reusing the central dot.

Quote

You would essentially have this:   Which translates to this:   While Aon Aon looks like this:
             
(here's hoping those images actually post, and apology to mobile users, because formatting..)

Is it meant to be an Aon, almost certainly not. But the similarity is there.

Edited January 30, 2018 by The One Who Connects
oh hey, they posted :)

[RShara she/her]

Yeah, but that's just because Aon Aon is a straight line and a curved line meeting, with a dot in the middle of the hypotenuse   That kind of very generic shape can be found in a LOT of things.

[Knight Oblivion]

On 1/29/2018 at 5:59 PM, The One Who Connects said:

Is it? Look at the the first image Digitalbusker posted (specifically, the one left of the scroll bar in the middle).

Starting at the south corner, the "road" goes up, then up-right diagonally, the straight right. It has vertices, but were they smoothed out, this would be the curved line in Aon Aon.
The outside road goes from that corner diagonally up-left to the north corner of the city, making the straight line of Aon Aon.
There is a literal dot in the center of the city, which is the dot of Aon Aon. Start at any corner, and this pattern repeats itself, reusing the central dot.

Is it meant to be an Aon, almost certainly not. But the similarity is there.

That's wonderful work, well deserving of an upvote. However, like you said there is a similarity. That shape is definitely not Aon Aon though it is somewhat similar. One side is fairly trapezoidal instead of having a shallow curve/arc.