I’m rereading the A Court of Thorns and Roses series after falling into it for the first time a couple of years ago, and let me tell you—it hits completely differently the second time around. Characters I once loved are now driving me up the wall, and the ones I couldn’t stand before are suddenly my favorites.
In between trying to connect the dots across the Sarah J. Maas-verse, I also took a stab at creating my own fan interpretation of Prythian (and Hybern!)—what the individual courts might look like, what terrain and landmarks define them, and how they feel beyond the page.
If you’re looking to get started with my deep dive into the Sarah J. Maas universe, you can find my intro guide here!
If you want a breakdown of all the major ACOTAR characters, check out this post.
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This post contains mild spoilers for ACOTAR series.
ACOTAR Map
As far as we’re told, the world of A Court of Thorns and Roses contains three land masses: Hybern (which is clearly Ireland), Prythian (a direct copy of England), and the Continent, which lies off to the east—and about which we know almost nothing.
The map shown above features Hybern and Prythian. I didn’t get a chance to include the Continent quite yet. We know so little about it, and I want to take the time to deep dive into imagining what it might look like, so check back soon to see what the world could look like when I’m done dreaming it up.
As for the two main land masses shown here:
- Hybern is where the King of Hybern lives. It’s isolated, unfriendly, and deeply hostile to, well… basically everyone.
- Prythian is the continent where Feyre and all our favorite characters live. It’s divided into nine distinct regions, plus a few key in-between zones.
The three solar courts (Night, Day, and Dawn) sit along the western and northern coastlines, while the seasonal courts (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter) take up most of the southern and central regions. The Middle—an unclaimed, magical, often dangerous territory—lies between them. And finally, the Mortal Lands, where the Archeron sisters started their journey, sit farthest south, just beyond The Wall.
Here’s a rough breakdown from North to South:
- Night Court
- Day Court
- Dawn Court
- The Middle
- Winter Court
- Summer Court
- Autumn Court
- Spring Court
- The Wall (not a region, but absolutely worth calling out)
- Mortal Lands
Night Court
Let’s start with everyone’s (at least mine) favorite region: the Night Court. This elusive territory sits at the northernmost point of Prythian, and it’s by far the largest court on the continent.
All the moodboards and vibes out there depict the Night Court as some kind of nighttime Switzerland biome, and honestly? I agree.
The Night Court is bordered by the Day Court to the south and is surrounded by clusters of small islands.
There’s a small island on the western coast where the Prison sits. This island is currently under the jurisdiction of the High Lord of the Night Court, but if you’re all caught up in the Sarah J. Maas universe, you know it’s actually the former Dusk Court 👀 .
The Night Court’s geography is generally mountainous—I imagine lush green forests, deep green rivers, and dark and light gray ranges that make the terrain pretty unforgiving. I also picture steep hills throughout, especially considering most of the inhabitants are winged Illyrians equipped to fly over all that elevation.
Notable Regions of the Night Court
- Velaris, the City of Starlight:
The hidden, warded, and glamoured city sitting on the Sidra River, Velaris is located on the western coast of the Night Court. It’s where Rhysand’s townhouse, Morrigan and Amren’s apartment, the House of Wind, and the River House are all located. Known for its vibrant art scene and nightlife, Velaris is a beacon of hope and joy. I’m keeping it brief here because I’m so excited to put together what I imagine Velaris to look like in its own map. - Hewn City (Court of Nightmares):
The darker half of the Night Court is tucked away in the eastern mountain ranges. A moonstone palace is carved atop a hill, and an entire city exists under the mountain. The Night Court’s official ruling seat is here, in the Court of Nightmares. - The Prison:
The Prison sits on a satellite island carved into a mountain. The entrance is atop a sloped hill, and the land is completely desolate—nothing grows here. The silence is eerie and stale. Wards older than Prythian itself prevent magic from being used. Criminals who walked the earth before the fae did are entombed here. - Illyrian War Camps:
Scattered across the northern mountain ranges and steppes, Illyrian war camps are led by warlords and serve as homes for Illyrian warriors. There are two known camps:- Windhaven, where Rhys, Azriel, and Cassian trained.
- Ironcrest, a rival camp known for its rebellious nature.
- Ramiel & the Illyrian Mountains:
The Illyrian Mountains are where the Rite takes place. Ramiel, the highest and most sacred peak, is where Illyrian warriors climb to touch the onyx monolith at the summit and prove themselves as full-fledged warriors.
Day Court
To my eternal frustration, we know basically nothing about the Day Court—other than the fact that Helion and his amazing thighs hail from there.
The Day Court is known for its high-towered palace and its stunning libraries. Helion, the High Lord of Day, is a walking archive—full of knowledge, magic, and information (and ego, but we love that for him).
The Day Court borders Night Court in the North and Dawn Court in the South.
I imagined the Day Court to be a mix of North African and Mediterranean-inspired landscapes: red rock cliffs, sun-baked hills, and a scorching desert vibe (Helion is basically solar-powered, after all).
So, kind of like an Egyptian sun god meets a royal librarian? Either way, without much canon to work from, I let my imagination run wild. We ended up with this gorgeous, sun-drenched terrain that probably houses thousands of magical pegasuses, and honestly, I stand by it.
Dawn Court
Thanks to the events of ACOWAR, we know a little about the Dawn Court—although its geographical properties are still mostly unclear.
This final Solar Court borders the Day Court to the north and The Middle to the south.
Since the Dawn Court is described as lush, luxurious, and soft, I imagined the landscape to be… pink. Not like cotton candy pink, but more like a landscape permanently bathed in morning light—that warm mix of orange and pink spilling across the hills, sunlight dappling through green trees and scattering over small cities nestled in the countryside.
I didn’t have great assets for this one in my map software, but in my head, the Dawn Court is steampunk-adjacent. So maybe imagine a sunrise-drenched, slightly whimsical steampunk countryside? Thesan seems like the kind of guy who’d really thrive in that aesthetic.
The Middle
The Middle, aka the ancient territory that sits between the Solar and Seasonal Courts, is not under any court’s jurisdiction.
At its center, there’s a large sacred mountain, that was referred to as Under the Mountain during the 50 years of Amarantha’s reign.
There are ancient creatures that prowl these woods, and as these woods are full of primal magic, the creatures only respond to strength and make their own rules.
The Bog hails from the Middle.
The Weaver, an ancient female fae, also resides in a cottage in the Middle as the apex predator.
Winter Court
Winter Court is another one we never get to visit, so it’s all left to my imagination.
Bordering The Middle in the north and the Summer and Autumn Courts in the south, I imagine Winter Court to be a land of snow, ice, and a frozen landscape that never quite thaws.
Kallias, the High Lord of the Winter rules from an exquisite ice palace.
Based on the map, the territory is surrounded by icy pine forests, craggy snow-covered peaks, and a few patches of what I imagine to be glacial lakes or frozen lowlands. There’s also what looks like a palace—tall spires, classic ice castle energy—probably enchanted and definitely freezing.
Summer Court
The Summer Court borders the Winter Court to the north, Autumn Court to the east, and Spring Court to the south.
The capital city of the Summer Court, Adriata, sits on the western edge of the territory, perched above a turquoise bay. There are four cities total in the Summer Court, but Adriata is the only one we really hear about.
Although we get to spend some time in Adriata when the Inner Circle meets with Tarquin, we don’t hear much about the countryside of the Summer Court. I imagine vast plains, lush strawberry fields, warm and dry air, and just an overall vibe of endless summer contentment.
A bit sticky and sweaty, if you ask me—but hey, some people love the heat.
Autumn Court
The Autumn Court borders the Winter Court to the north, Summer Court to the west, and Spring Court to the south.
Beron Vanserra, High Lord of the Autumn Court, rules from the Forest House—a large manor built in the center of the lush autumnal forests. A lot of the territory is said to sprawl underground, with tunnels and hidden passageways.
There are lush rivers for fishing, apple orchards, and farmlands scattered throughout the court. The forests are dense and vibrant, and I imagined them full of dark green, orange, and yellow leaves—basically, peak autumn at all times.
Spring Court
The southernmost fae territory is the Spring Court. As the last of the Seasonal Courts, it borders the Autumn and Summer Courts to the north and the Mortal Lands to the south.
The Wall runs through the Spring Court, separating mortal lands from fae territory.
We’re not told much about the landscape of the Spring Court, other than the fact that its ruler Tamlin and his emissary Lucien live in a large manor surrounded by trees, flowers, and tulip gardens. There’s also a lake of silver nearby.
I imagined the Spring Court to be full of open flower-filled fields, birdsong, whimsical magical trees, and even a few mushroom-like forest groves. A place that’s peaceful on the outside—but probably cursed on the inside.
The Wall
The Wall is a magical barrier separating the human lands from the faerie lands. After a great war 500 years ago, the Wall was erected as a temporary measure—a way to keep the two worlds apart while humans and faeries figured out how to coexist.
The Wall, however, has weakened over the years. There are currently three known holes in the Wall, all located in Spring Court territory, with one additional tear off the coast.
Mortal Lands
The Mortal Lands are the sliver of land at the southernmost edge of Prythian.
Feyre, Nesta, and Elain all lived first in the mortal village, and later at the Archeron estate—both of which are located close to the Wall.
There’s a large forest between the Mortal Lands and the Wall where Feyre went hunting, and eventually killed Andras.
Compared to the lush colors of Prythian, I imagined the Mortal Lands to be dull and devoid of magic—all mud, dirt, and tones of brown and green. The forests here are a stark contrast to the ones in the Spring Court—colorless, quiet, and stripped of enchantment.
Hybern
Hybern is an island to the west of Prythian. As far as we’re aware, the entire landmass is part of the Kingdom of Hybern.
The only known landmark in Hybern is the King of Hybern’s castle, which Feyre describes as bone-white, sitting on bone-white mountains.
Hybern has been cut off from the Continent and Prythian for decades. I imagined the land to be nefarious and malignant—almost sickly green and dark gray, full of cursed trees, ritual sites, and dark, colorless mountains.
That’s my take on the general lay of the land—for now. I know some of this is not canonical, but we don’t get a lot of information on some of these courts, so this is just what I imagine the land might look like.
I had so much fun diving into this world—make sure to zoom in to catch the little surprises I left in the details for you!
What world should I dive into next? I was thinking of making a fun map of Velaris… or should I move on to Throne of Glass, Crescent City, or a different fantasy universe altogether? Let me know in the comments!
Disclaimer: This is a fan-made, transformative work based on the A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas. It is intended for commentary and artistic interpretation only. I do not claim ownership of the original characters, settings, or story.
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