“...Born from a nebula with quarks never seen before bloomed our goddess, creator of souls, Caelestis. From the same stardust, Apollyon was born in the midst of a black hole, the god of death. The siblings resided in a kingdom that they powered with their energy. Caelestis created eight gods and goddesses to help regulate the life that she made throughout the galaxies...
...There was Venus, goddess of war; Pandora, goddess of knowledge; Sirius, god of peace and tranquility; Cordelia, goddess of the seas; Cressida, goddess of lost souls; Hyperion, god of love and fertility; Luna, goddess of the stars and moons; and Prometheus, god of land...
...For centuries, Apollyon grew increasingly bitter that all he could was create death and despair while his sister could bring life forth from ruins.
“Sister,” Apollyon once said, “why is it as powerful as I am, I am cursed, and you are not?”
Caelestis only then replied, ‘why brother, it is us both who are cursed’...
...This angered Apollyon, and one night he attempted to kill his sister. Caelestis was lamentable, and banished her brother into the black void outside the expanding universe where he slowly froze to death. She couldn’t trust him and attempted to erase any physical evidence of him from civilizations. All that was left was urban legends of two creators of the universe instead of just one.”
- Meredith from Elysian, Idalia Universe Series
His Garden of Souls
The God of Land
Long ago, before Life and Death fought leading to Death’s demise, Mother Caelestis created 8 celestials to help bring balance within the Idalia Universe. She designated each celestial to an array of duties to uphold so that all life forms could benefit. Prometheus, God of Land, is one of the 8 celestials that Mother Caelestis created megannums ago. Prometheus creates the forest, mountains, and fields for all the planets of the Idalia Universe. In addition, Prometheus creates the shells of all life forms found on land so that the Mother of all gods, Caelestis, can create and place the souls.
Idalia is broken into four realms- Evulka, the Mortal Realm; Aelin, the Heavenly Realm; Nehypths, the Underworld; and Ríona, the Celestial Realm. Within Ríona, the 8 gods along with Caelestis, the goddess of Life, reside in their own respective parts of the realm. In contrast, Death, known as Apollyon, lived in the heart of the Underworld. There, each god has their own oasis where they live when not meddling in mortal affairs. It is rumored that doorways to each of the gods’ kingdoms in Riona are littered amongst Evulka.
Inspired by his adobe in the Ríona Realm, Prometheus’ gown captures the essence of Chloris, his door, and garden that are spoken in urban legends. The jacquard recalls the moss growing alongside Prometheus’ great tree, flowers in his endless fields, and butterflies that are sent to his love, Cordelia, Goddess of the Seas. While each door is different for each god, Prometheus’ door is a arch of trees, plants, and vines braiding into one another.
“Gilda had sought out the god Prometheus, which itself was an impossible task, and saved Ilaria after the leader had lied about being at fault for Venus’ rage. She gave Prometheus the ultimate sacrifice, her mortal body, in exchange for him to protect those of Ilaria. Prometheus liked this because he thought that a fine warrior as herself would make great soil for his plants to grow. The bodies of the prettiest souls always made the most magnificent flowers blossom.”
-Bounded, Idalia Universe
Throughout the series, sacrafices have been made to Prometheus to save civilizations in wars. It is believed that if the God accepts your saracfice, he knows that the soul is good and that the mortal shell will make exceptional soil for his garden. This allows for the most beautiful flowers to blossom within Chloris. Prometheus doesn’t take the souls, as they are led to Aelin by Cressida, the Goddess of Lost Souls. Rather, the shell remains with him, allowing the spirits of whom the flowers bloom to visit Chloris in the afterlife. It is an act of honor to be accepted by the god and for a part of you to join his garden in the next life.
Her Fountain of Youth
The Goddess of Seas
As Goddess of the Seas, Cordelia creates the oceans and aquatic matter throughout all of Idalia. While her lover Prometheus creates the shells for land creatures, she designs the mortal shells of all sea creatures. Cordelia is seen wearing gowns made of water, while parts of her hair seamlessly turn into waves. Anamored in seashells and draped luxury fabrics, this dress harnesses the movements of Cordelia’s waves. In a challenge of bringing Cordelia to life with zero waste, the garment further merges sustainability and innovation to protect Earth’s aquatic ecosystems.
Caspian is Cordelia’s part of the Ríona Realm. It is believed that Caspian is located deep in the cavarns of a civilization called Hebe, found on planet Solandis. Cordelia’s door is one of the hundreds of lakes in the cavarns, marked with breathtaking geode walls. Legend has it that beneath Hebe there is Cordelia’s Fountain of Youth, and that she may hide her identity as an old widow in town.
“Beyond Solandis’ beach were tall, dusty, beige mountains. The sand stretched for miles, and then after the mountains were fields and valleys of wild, colorful flowers...Beyond the moutain’s ridge, a small town named Hebe lies. It is rumored that the goddess of the seas, oceans, and aquatic creatures blessed the waters that flow through their architecture, and a fountain of youth is buried deep beneath its rocks.” - Bounded, Shako Bottom
Cordelia and Prometheus’ relationships and emotions are often believed to be the cause of severe storms. Hurricanes shadows towards a fight between land and sea, meaning that Cordelia and Prometheus are arguing. Storms isolated in sea and land could mean that either Cordelia or Prometheus are upset, or that they are upset with mortals.
Dancing Through the Milkway
The Goddess of Stars & Moons
Luna, the Goddess of Stars & Moons, creates cosmic dust, planets, and stars throughtout the Idalia Universe. Often seen dancing, Luna’s fluid movements of Tour Jetés, Soutenus, and Rond de Jambes create interstellular matter that makes up the four realms. Luna’s dress is based on not only her oasis, LÆlia, but also on what the character would wear. By aligning with Luna’s pan points of desire for free movement, the garment stretches over 4 meters of fabric to create compelling storytelling in her dancing.
The added beads and headpiece of the look allows for further movement in Luna’s dancing, and the tulle underneath the dress recalls the clouds that glide at Luna’s feet. As described in Shako Bottom, the tulle of this dress recalls the uinverse that is captured in her gown which moves and sparkles.
“There, bathing in the stars, with Saturn’s rings slanted as a fedora along her rich, wavy ginger hair, did the goddess Luna herself turn around in her ocean of stars. Wearing interstellar clouds as a lavish gown, stars like jadeite from her hands to her neck, and small planets as earrings, Luna gave a smile of a warm, summer breeze that evoked rays of warmth.”
-Shako Bottom, Idalia Universe
In order to find the doorway to LÆlia in the Evulka Realm, you have to travel to the planet Saulė. Saule is a small planet filled with a never ending storm that encaputulates its entire landscapet. By entering the eye of the storm is one transported into the serene version of the planet. Standing on water, there is a golden slab of rock engraved with the tales of how Luna created the stars and moons. Then, you fall through the water, which serves as a doorway into LÆlia.
LÆlia is composed ancient ruins, which recall French architecture. The deteriorating structures have streams of water flowing through that depicts the thousands of galaxies in Idalia. Rivers of water wade through hallways and ceilings, creating lakes in some areas of the realm. Portals are scattered throughout LÆlia to reflect various parts of Luna’s interstellular matter in real time. These portals also ooze water that pours into the lakes and hallways, which are metaphorically represented as frames in Luna’s moodboards.
