Welcome to my Ultima in real life section. This section contains information and my veiws about parallels between Ultima and that ghastly thing known as the real world. It will include information about places in Britannia which also exist in real life, about chracters in Ultima games that have real life counterparts, and about any other similarities between the realms of Britannia and Earth that I notice. :)

    Also see my virtues section for comparisons between Britannian Ethics and beliefs and those of Earth.

    There is really a place called Skara Brae, it is an ancient ruined Neolithic Village, on the island of Orkney in Scotland. The real life Skara Brae is on the West coast of Orkney, on the shores of the Bay of Skail. It was first discovered in 1850 after a severe storm exposed the hidden ruins of an neoilithic settlement. Excavations were begun in 1927 and this uncovered more of the settlement. One interesting thing is that not only are the houses made of stone but also there is stone furniture in them, I'm not an expert but this sounds quite unusual to me. And rather uncomfortable in the case of stone beds, unless ancient man had very good matresses. ;) Ancient woman probably used ancient man as an matress, so she was ok. :D This Site tells more and has some very interesting photos, Skara Brae

    Orkney is the largest of an group of around 70 islands situated off the North coast of Scotland, just above John O' Groats. The islands are known for their history, beuatifull scenery, wildlife and also mosquitos. For anyone interested in history they really sound an fascinating place to visit, and no I dont work for the local tourist board. ;)

    I wonder if Richard Garriott knew about the real life Skara Brae when he decided to name the towns in Ultimas? Anyone know? :)

    This is an ancient stone circle which stands on the Wiltshire plains, though many people think that the lyrics of Stones are about the shrines of virtue, it seems to me that they could also be about the building of stonehenge. For one thing there are the repeated references to the Wiltshire plains and no such place exists in Britannia. Although I wouldnt describe the plains of Wiltshire as wyrd, then again with all the corn circles lately.

    Perhaps an possible explanation is that Ultima II did actually take place in the realm of earth, so maybe the worlds of Britannia and Earth are simply different aspects of each other, same place but operating on different planes of existence? Richard Garriott in his interview in the book The Avatar Adventures says this about Ultima II, "Ultima II took place on Earth." He also says "This is part of their mythos, Ultima I took place on Sosaria, Ultima II took place on earth, Ultima III took place on Sosaria. Ultima I, II and III really took place on Britannia too, but since the events of the game are based on current mythology, people believe something different." Confusing bloke, this Richard Garriott, isnt he? ;) Perhaps another explanation lies in Iolo and Gwenno being from earth, maybe they originally wrote Stones about the building of stonehenge, but when they brought the song to Britannia with them the people of Britannia took it to be about the building of the shrines.

    No one knows exactly why stonehenge was built, though it does seem clear that it had some kind of astronomical purpose, since at summer the rising sun aligns directly with the stones. This also fits in with the lyrics of stones and the references to not knowing why the stones were erected.

    Also the lyrics of stones refer to "Rid the stink and the noise from our skirts" it seems to me that this could refer to the major roads which run so close to stonehenge, and which really destroy the peace of this mystical site.

    Stonehenge also has links with the Arthurian legends, in some versions Merlin is credited with having built stonehenge. And in some storys the cave Merlin is trapped in is beneath Stonehenge. Stonehenge Link One Also this link has some nice photos and good info Stonehenge Link Two

    The lyrics for Stones can be found here, as can some links for various versions of stones Stones Lyrics