Are You Sure This Land is Magical? Quiz

Answer: Narnia

Lewis created the world of Narnia, a landmass "fronting The Great Eastern Ocean" as a setting for his series of seven children's novels titled "The Chronicles of Narnia." The first book in the series is "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe."
Aslan, a lion with the power of speech, is the main character in the "Narnia" series.
Avalon is an island in the medieval tale of Arthur Pendragon, a legendary king who purportedly saved Britain from the Saxons.
In Norse mythology Valhalla is a vast regal hall, ruled by the god Odin, where soldiers killed in battle go in the afterlife.

Answer: Brigadoon

The village of Brigadoon was brought to life on Broadway in New York City in a play of the same name in 1947. In 1954 Brigadoon was recreated in a Hollywood musical starring Gene Kelly, Cyd Charisse and Van Johnson. A 1966 television production starred Robert Goulet.
Drumnadrochit is a popular tourist village on the shore of Loch Ness in Scotland.
Alloway is the hometown of Scottish poet Robert Burns.
The Wondrous Isles are a creation of the 19th-century English artist, writer, textile designer and member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood William Morris. In his fantasy novel, "The Water of the Wondrous Isles," Morris blends imaginary and supernatural worlds.

Answer: Shangri-La

When Hilton published "Lost Horizon" in 1933, his tale of the mythical happy valley of Shangri-La in the Himalayan Mountains, isolated from the cares of the world and gently guided from a lamasery, the clouds of war were gathering over Europe. Shangri-La became synonymous with an earthly paradise. In 1937 "Lost Horizon" was made into a Hollywood film starring Ronald Coleman and Jane Wyatt.
San Souci, which means "without worry," was the palace and garden estate of Frederick the Great in Potsdam, Germany. It is open for public tours.
Arcadia, a name dating back to antiquity, is in the Peloponnese area of Greece. Over time Arcadia has become a metaphor for an idyllic pastoral wilderness.
For 2,000 years the fabled city of Samarkand in Uzbekistan was one of the most important stops along the Silk Road that facilitated trade between Asia and Europe.

Answer: Atlantis

Many experts believe Plato created the legendary story of Atlantis to make a philosophical point - that a good and prosperous society which had become greedy and corrupt, waging needless wars with other lands, was divinely punished by for their actions. The kingdom was visited by earthquakes and flooding lasting for a day and a night until ultimately it sank beneath the waves.
The now deserted island of Delos was the most sacred in ancient Greece and honored as the birthplace of Apollo, god of truth and light, and his twin sister, the moon goddess Artemis.
The ancient Bronze age city of Troy is in modern day Turkey. It was home to the beautiful Helen of Troy, daughter of Zeus and Leda. The ancient ruins are a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Santorini, formerly Thira, is an island in the Aegean sea and popular tourist site. Thirty six hundred years ago, at the height of the Minoan civilization, the island experienced a massive volcanic eruption leading to the demise of Minoan culture. Two smoldering volcanic cones remain within the sunken six mile wide caldera on the island, giving rise to speculation that Thira was the source for Plato's tale of the lost kingdom of Atlantis.

Answer: Wonderland

Lewis Carroll's 1865 novel, "Alice in Wonderland," tells the story of Alice's journey when she discovers a tiny door at the bottom of the rabbit hole through which she sees an inviting garden. After drinking a potion that shrinks her in size, Alice is able to enter the garden where her adventures begin.
Graceland is the estate and burial site of singer Elvis Presley in Memphis, TN. Presley's former home and grounds were declared a National Historic Landmark in 2006. It is open to the public.
The Promised Land refers to land in the Middle East which the Bible records was given by God to the Israelites after Moses led them out of Egypt.
The Meadowlands is a wetland area and a sports complex in East Rutherford, NJ.

Answer: The Land of Oz

Young Dorothy Gale is swept up by a tornado to the magical Land of Oz where she travels a yellow brick road to The Emerald City, encountering along the way good and bad witches, making friends with a lion, a scarecrow and a tin man, and ultimately, with their help, unmasking a mysterious wizard who has controlled the Land of Oz. Despite the satisfactions of her magical adventures, Dorothy's ultimate quest is to return home. The moral of the story is that no matter how fantastic your travels, in the end, "there's no place like home."
The White City was an exhibit of white stucco buildings at the World Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893.
Lilliput is a fictional island nation in the South Indian Ocean that appears in Johnathan Swift's 1726 novel "Gulliver's Travels."
The Garden of Cosmic Speculation is a 30 acre sculpture garden in Scotland created by landscape architect Charles Jencks who drew inspiration for the garden from science and mathematics. The folks of Oz would feel right at home there.

Answer: Camelot

Camelot was both a realm and the favored castle of Britain's legendary King Arthur, who, with his Knights of the Round Table, is reputed to have saved Britain from a Saxon invasion in the 6th century. According to mythology Camelot was a land of magic and enchantments, of wizards and sorceresses, inhabited by subjects who were enlightened and happy. Camelot has become a metaphor for an especially happy time and place - a hauntingly timeless desire.
The medieval castle at Tintagel in Cornwell, England is reputed to have been the place of conception of King Arthur. Arthurian legend also places the wizard Merlin's Cave at the base of the cliff on which the castle sat. The castle ruins have been a tourist site since the 19th century and are under the management of English Heritage.
Avonlea is a fictional coastal community on Prince Edward Island, Canada created by author Lucy Maud Montgomery for her 1908 novel "Anne of Green Gables."
The tiny town of Portmeirion sits on a small Welsh peninsula. The idyllic site, with views of sea, mountains and woodland, is the creation of Welsh architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis. The town is more redolent of Italy than North Wales and is said to have been inspired by a visit the architect made to Portofino, Italy. This unique Italianate folly was built between 1925 and 1975 and is now a tourist attraction.

Answer: Utopia

One of the most influential books in western literature, More's "Utopia" illustrates a vision of a perfect world in which violence is nonexistent and everyone has the opportunity to live and work in a harmonious environment of religious and political tolerance. Subsequent attempts at structured communities have been based on the concepts espoused in "Utopia" and the word Utopian has become a metaphor for an idealized society.
Panem is the setting for American author Suzanne Collins' "The Hunger Games" trilogy.
"The Republic" was written by the Greek philosopher Plato c. 380 BC. In it he posits that that a good society depends upon virtuous people, and that and virtue depends upon the character of individual citizens. Good people produce a good State, while corrupt people engender corrupt politics.
Cabot Cove is a fictional town in Maine, home to mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher, the protagonist of "Murder, She Wrote," an American television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury that aired for twelve seasons on CBS.

Answer: Neverland

Neverland is a fictional island and dream world created by Scottish writer J. M. Barrie. It was first featured in the play "Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up" in 1904 and his 1911 novel titled "Peter and Wendy." While in Neverland people may cease to age, thus Neverland is often seen as a metaphor for eternal childhood and immortality. A musical version of "Peter Pan" opened on Broadway in New York City in 1954 starring Mary Martin as Peter.
Loompaland is an isolated area in West Africa created by British novelist Roald Dahl as a setting in his children's tales.
Shambhala is a mystical city in Hindu and Buddhist traditions, a place of tranquility, peace and happiness. In Hindu texts it is said to have been the birthplace of Kali, the final incarnation of the god Vishnu, who will usher in a new Golden Age on earth.
Discworld, the creation of English writer Terry Pratchett, is a fantasy world set on a flat disc balanced on the backs of four elephants which, in turn, stand on the back of a giant turtle.

Answer: Xanadu

Xanadu, now Shangdu, was designed in 1256 by the Mongol ruler's Chinese advisor according to traditional Chinese feng shui in relation to the nearby mountains and rivers. Xanadu hosted the great debate between Buddhism and Taoism in the 13th century, an event that resulted in dissemination of Buddhism over Northeast Asia. The remains of the city, temples, palaces, and tombs, are a World Heritage Site and tourist attraction. Xanadu was popularized in an 1815 poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge titled "Kublai Khan."
The name of Xanadu was appropriated for a 1980 musical fantasy film starring Olivia Newton-John and was made into a Broadway musical in 2007.
Guilin is a Chinese city on the west bank of the Li river known for its breathtaking scenery. For thousands of years it has attracted poets and painters who have been inspired by the Karst mountains and the unsurpassed beauty of the river.
The Terra-Cotta Warriors of Xi'an are located in Shaanxi Province, China and qualify as one of the wonders of today's world. Considered by scholars to be the most sensational archaeological discovery of the 20th century, the army of life-sized soldiers is the funereal honor guard of a Qin emperor who died in 210 BC. The buried soldiers were discovered in 1974 by a peasant digging a well. Xi'an was the easternmost city on the fabled Silk Road, which provided a route for caravans between exotic cities in the east and Europe in the 2nd century BC.
Zanth is the fictional realm created by English American author Piers Anthony as the setting for his fantasy novels.