On the Cutie Map, there is no “undiscovered west” at all. And since it’s magical, the chances that it’s wrong are less than for any other source like this. This map is heresy.
@Background Pony #9C94
What is the meaning of this sign in the West?
The triskele/triskelion at the upper left of the red circle? It’s a very old pan-European symbol, more commonly represented as either three spiraling arms (northern Europe) or three human legs bent at the knee (Mediterranean region), which probably has roughly the same prehistoric origin as the four-armed sauvastika/manji symbol– an iconic representation of the particulate jets of an ancient comet seen end-on as it ed the Earth.
Well, there were old maps of the US that apparently thought California was an island. Mapmaking without modern tools, while certainly possible, is tricky business and accuracy is not guaranteed.
@FanOfMostEverything
True, true. Maybe i’m trusting Sunburst too much, here. And that is a VERY good point, with the specification of a thousand years ago!
It might not even be a matter of accuracy, the frozen North and the West probably weren’t parts of ‘Equestria’ at the time. Countries borders expand, especially over a millennia given Equestria is still colonizing areas like Appaloosa today.
@anonymous-pony @FanOfMostEverything
That was my initial thought, but then you have to consider - Sunburst said that they mapped the ENTIRE coast.
Well, yeah, the Helm would claim that, either as good publicity or because no one trekked into the Arctic wastes to confirm Hans and Saffi’s report. Historical accuracy is never guaranteed.
Maybe the princesses DIDN’T defeat Sombra, as we (and Twilight) suspected? Celestia only said that he was “ultimately overthrown” - perhaps Starswirl did that too?
Celestia does explicitly say that he conquered the empire “a thousand years ago.” Even allowing for plus-or-minus a few, the Pillars vanished much earlier.
Given how radically maps of Earth and its various regions have changed over the course of history, I can accept that the older maps of Equestria might not be as accurate as the ponies back then thought they were.
@Background Pony #29FB
Are we SURE Celestia and Luna defeated Sombra? Celestia only said he was “ultimately overthrown” - it’s possible that was Starswirl’s doing?
that the flashback we saw was entirely created for our viewing - Celestia never showed it to Twilight.
Unlikely to be Sombra since the Mighty Helm were active when Celestia and Luna were foals. Maybe the mountains in the top-left are what would be the Crystal Empire and the northern waters are what’s hidden by the mountains in the official map?
Of course, this just in-universe explanation for this. The heresy thing is more related to that “official” map on the picture.
Or it’s just inaccurate because it’s an old map made before they’d explored and charted out everything.
Edited
What is the meaning of this sign in the West?
The triskele/triskelion at the upper left of the red circle? It’s a very old pan-European symbol, more commonly represented as either three spiraling arms (northern Europe) or three human legs bent at the knee (Mediterranean region), which probably has roughly the same prehistoric origin as the four-armed sauvastika/manji symbol– an iconic representation of the particulate jets of an ancient comet seen end-on as it ed the Earth.
@FanOfMostEverything
I suspect the of the Helm dispatched to map the north never actually ever went
Imaginary Polar Expedition is one of the funnest games ever put out by Cheap-Ass Games.
“Stupid North Star. Stupid Equator.”
I said something similar as well.
I said that and nobody listened.
The Undiscovered West
Where, exactly?
Doesn’t explain the northern island, unless somepony lied (as suggested in the comments below)
Sunburst did specify the coast, however.
@FanOfMostEverything
True, true. Maybe i’m trusting Sunburst too much, here. And that is a VERY good point, with the specification of a thousand years ago!
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Isle_of_Man_-_Ellan_Vannin
Are we SURE Celestia and Luna defeated Sombra? Celestia only said he was “ultimately overthrown” - it’s possible that was Starswirl’s doing?
that the flashback we saw was entirely created for our viewing - Celestia never showed it to Twilight.