When I was a student in Oxford, UK I spent far too many hours than I care to admit to (did I just admit to that?) in a pub called the Eagle and Child, opposite the Lamb and Flag, just round the corner from The White Horse, the Turf Tavern, and many other fine establishments.

It became a favourite meeting place though my friends and I were not the first to come together there as a few years earlier (about 55 to be precise) it was the site where ‘The Inklings’ used to meet. A group of writers who shared manuscripts and discussed their work. These were no ordinary writers though as they included C.S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien.

Today is a day to celebrate Tolkien and his amazing fantastical worlds. His books live on but they also contain many maps drawn by his hand in a very unique style. So, let’s see how our AI can handle a request to make a map in his image. I tried it with both ChatGPT and Google Gemini’s Nano Banana because, well, Tolkien deserves two maps right? Same prompt for both.

ChatGPT map

Google Gemini map

Original Prompt (ChatGPT and Google Gemini)

I need a map to celebrate J R R Tolkein Reading Day. Clearly this will have to be in his signature Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit style which I’m hoping you can adequately capture. The tricky part is deciding what the map should actually illustrate but maybe just a world map in a fantasy style will suffice. Can you make the map layout in a Tolkien-esque style? Also, I’d prefer it to be black and white line drawing. Only important features or labels should be highlighted in red. Do you have any ideas?

Footnote…

As of the time of writing the pub is closed but after restoration will re-open. I look forward to visiting at some point in the future. I just hope the bar staff continue to forget the fact that my friend and I have officially been barred from the place. But that’s a whole different story!!!