the stories are set in a fictional country somewhere in central europe. stories happen between 1150-1965. "orsinia"is in le guin's earliest writings, le guin invented orsinia when she was a young adult learning to write. the names orsinia and ursula both come from the latin word "ursus" meaning "bear" ("ursula" = diminutive of "ursa" "female bear"; "ursinus" = "bear-like"). le guin once said that since orsinia was her own country it should have her name.