Flying carpet

Illustration by Viktor Vasnetsov, 1880.

A flying carpet, also called a magic carpet, is a legendary magical carpet that can be used to transport passengers or freight by air. Flying carpets have appeared in numerous works of fantasy literature, beginning with the Arabian Nights.

Flying carpet in The Case of the Toxic Spell Dump

Flying carpets were the primary transportation vehicles in the Confederated Provinces in the late 20th century.

Flying carpet in The House of Daniel

Carpets were a common transportation mode in the United States in the 1930s, although they were no more economical than conventional wheeled vehicles.

Flying carpet in The War Between the Provinces

Flying carpets had been the subject of legend since time immemorial. In popular romance, they could fly through the sky in any direction the driver chose. However, the fact was that mages in Detinan and other kingdoms had only managed to develop carpets that were very limited in mobility; they could only hover a few inches off the ground and travel only on magically designated glideways. During the Detinan Civil War, troops and supplies of both sides were ferried to the front on carpets, and each side sent mages to disrupt the other's glideways.

Literary comment

Glideways' role in the series is analogous to the role of railroads in the American Civil War.