A Survey of Myths and Legends: Elysium’s Folklore in Comparative Perspective
By Professor Yusra ben Tariq, Department of Anthropology, Al-Jahiz University, Aoudaghost, Kalahari
As part of my ongoing research into the formation of national identity through folklore, I have undertaken a comparative study of the great legends that shape the consciousness of Elysium’s nations. These stories, told at hearth and festival, offer not only insight into collective memory but also encode fragments of our world’s remarkable and perilous history. Some legends echo distant recollections of the high-tech past, while others are rooted in the stark reality of Elysium’s monstrous and awe-inspiring native fauna. What follows is a modest selection, one legend from each nation, as collected from oral tradition, festival recitation, and the archives of Al-Jahiz University.
Amareidonia: The Door to the Shadow Plane
Amareidonia’s people tell of the Door to the Shadow Plane, said to lie among the scorched ruins of Varezia. According to legend, those who pass beneath the blackened archway on certain moonless nights may slip into a realm of perpetual dusk, where shadows move with secret purpose. Many believe this is how the first fetchlings came to be, forever changed by their passage between worlds. The archway stands as a warning: some mysteries are best left in the dark.
Annwyn: When the Clouds Touch the Fields
In Annwyn, it is said that the year’s fortunes are decided on the rare mornings when low clouds drift down and mingle with the golden grain. Farmers and travelers alike pause in these moments, for the legends hold that the world grows thin then, and the boundaries between past and present, lost and found, can be crossed. Some claim that voices can be heard in the mist; warnings, or blessings from ancestors who once walked the same fields. Others believe that anyone wandering too far into the haze might stumble upon forgotten paths, abandoned homesteads, or glimpses of Annwyn as it once was, and could be again. While most simply wait for the sun to burn away the fog, the old families of Annwyn still leave a little bread and honey at the crossroads, hoping for gentle guidance if the clouds ever come calling.
Apex: The Trickster Lights of the Verdant Expanse
Among Apex’s settlers, tales abound of the Trickster Lights that flicker through the deep woods at dusk. Locals say these darting orbs are the work of playful fairies who delight in leading travelers astray, swapping tools, or rearranging the signposts along lonely trails. On moonless nights, some claim to hear laughter echoing from the thickets and see tiny footprints in the morning dew. Despite their mischief, the Lights are believed to protect the land’s secrets and punish those who act with greed or disrespect. Wise wanderers leave small gifts at crossroads to appease the unseen, hoping for safe passage through the Verdant Expanse’s tangled heart.
Arcadia: The Tale of the Roseblade Duelist
Arcadia’s most celebrated legend is that of the Roseblade Duelist, a gallant figure who embodied the kingdom’s ideals of wit, charm, and daring. According to the tale, during a time of political intrigue and looming invasion, a masked duelist appeared at court, winning hearts with clever words and impossible feats of swordplay. With a crimson rose always pinned to their lapel, the Duelist foiled dark conspiracies, bested foreign spies, and even stole the crown jewels—only to return them with a flourish and a note mocking the would-be usurpers. No one ever discovered the true identity of the Roseblade, but their legend lives on in Arcadian salons and theaters. Young nobles and commoners alike aspire to their blend of courage and mischief, and it is said that whenever Arcadia faces danger, a single red rose will turn up on the palace steps, promising that the kingdom’s greatest hero is watching still.
Baltia: The Eyes Beneath the Waves
Baltia’s oldest sailors speak with unease of the Eyes Beneath the Waves, an ancient presence said to slumber in the blackest depths offshore. On storm-lashed nights, when the sea turns strange and the wind tastes of metal, some claim to see impossible patterns in the foam and feel a pulse in the water that does not match any tide. It is whispered that those who stare too long into the swirling surf may glimpse vast, luminous eyes gazing back from below, stirring dreams of drowned cities and voices that echo in a language no human throat could shape. Now and then, a fisherman vanishes, or strange symbols are found carved into driftwood along the beaches, and the elders remind all: when the sea grows restless, it is best to keep your gaze on the shore.
Bedlam Dominions: The Racer Who Challenged the Tornado
In the Bedlam Dominions, where speed and chaos reign, few tales are more popular than that of the Racer Who Challenged the Tornado. According to legend, a daring mechanic once built a wild, smoke-belching vehicle from the scraps of ancient machines and vowed to outrun the fiercest tornado ever seen. As lightning split the sky and winds howled through the Grave Wild Canyon, the racer sped ahead of the tempest, engines screaming and wheels aflame. It is said that when the tornado finally caught him, both man and machine vanished without a trace—except for a scorched trail that still appears after every great tornado. To this day, Bedlam’s racers claim that catching a glimpse of ghostly headlights in the rain is a sign of both luck and danger, and some swear the Racer still speeds through the canyons, racing tornadoes for eternity.
Belrios: The Phantom Carnival
In Belrios, it is said that on rare nights when the mists roll in from the sea, and the city grows hushed, the Perfumed Groves fill with drifting light and faint, unearthly music. According to legend, these are the nights of the Phantom Carnival. Some claim to have glimpsed elegant figures, none wholly human, sweeping through the fog in a rapturous dance. The elders say these dancers are the memories of settlers long gone, or perhaps echoes of travelers who came to Belrios from the stars, still searching for a place to belong. Those who wander too close may feel the urge to join the dance, lost in the music until the first rays of dawn. Parents warn their children to stay indoors when the fog grows thick, for the Phantom Carnival welcomes all and never counts its guests.
Boreas: The Giants of the Shrouded Vale
In Boreas, every child grows up hearing whispered warnings about the Giants of the Shrouded Vale. According to the old tales, these towering, pale figures prowl the mists at the edge of the world, their footsteps silent on snow and their breath freezing the unwary. Parents caution their children that if they misbehave, the Giants will come in the night and carry them off into the endless fog, never to be seen again. Some say the Giants can peer through the frost on your window and call your name with voices like cracking ice. Even adults lower their voices when the winter wind howls, for everyone in Boreas knows: the Shrouded Vale is not empty, and the Giants are always waiting, just out of sight.
Caliphate of Kalahari: The Caravan of the Mirrored Moon
Among the Kalahari, one legend stands out: the Caravan of the Mirrored Moon. It is said that in the earliest days, a lost caravan stumbled upon a pool that reflected not only the moon, but visions of forgotten futures. Those who drank from the pool gained glimpses of things to come, but some lost themselves to endless dreaming. The story is told around every oasis, warning of the dangers of seeking too much knowledge and the importance of returning to one’s people.
Colonial Alliance: The Last Transmission
In the Colonial Alliance, many legends revolve around technology and duty, but none is more powerful than the story of the Last Transmission. According to the tale, on the night of The Event, a solitary operator in Nova Aurora’s old spaceport stayed at his console, sending messages into the void even as the world went silent. Some say his voice can still be heard in the static during storms, urging the people to remember Earth and to seek unity. The spaceport’s old control room is a site of annual pilgrimage, and some engineers swear that they have heard the consoles come alive with voices from the past.
Concordia: The Captain’s Luck and the Wreck of the Promise
Concordian legend is filled with tales of pirates and airships, but the most enduring is the curse and blessing of the Wreck of the Promise. It is said that the legendary airship Promise went down in a storm after its captain defied both the Colonial Alliance and the code of pirates. The locals believe that the wreck, half-buried in the sands, is protected by the spirits of betrayed crew, and that any who find its lost logbook will be granted a year of impossible luck, but only if they never speak of what they found.
Freiheitland: The Song of the Stoneheart Forge
The dwarves of Freiheitland revere the legend of the Stoneheart Forge, a mythical workshop said to have been built by the first freed Dweorg after their escape from Erebus. According to tradition, the forge’s fires burn with a blue light that can temper any metal, and its song is so powerful that it can calm earthquakes or awaken stone guardians. Some claim that the forge holds the secret to the Dweorg’s liberation and that its location will be revealed only when Freiheitland faces its greatest peril.
Froelia: The Ghost Light of the Old Beacon
Froelia’s seafarers whisper of the Ghost Light of the Old Beacon. The tale holds that after a shipwreck during a storm, the lighthouse keeper’s spirit remained to guide lost sailors home. On certain foggy nights, a pale blue flame can be seen atop the beacon even when its engine is cold. Some believe this light is the remnant of ancient technology, while others say it is a sign that the sea itself remembers every soul lost to its depths.
Italica: The Story of the Pilgrim’s Vision
In Italica, faith shapes every legend. The most sacred is the story of the Pilgrim’s Vision. It tells how the founder, Ignatius Smith, was led by a series of dreams and inexplicable signs across the wilderness to the very place where the Basilica of the True Revelation now stands. According to the tale, a column of light descended from the sky, and a voice promised that those who remained steadfast would be protected from the chaos that befell the world. Pilgrims still journey to the site, seeking visions of their own.
Kobayashi Shogunate: The Titan beneath the Silver Pagoda
The most revered legend of the Kobayashi Shogunate is that of the Titan beneath the Silver Pagoda. It is said that, in times of greatest peril, the shogun can call upon a colossal armored warrior, a giant samurai of ancient days, who slumbers beneath the capital. According to the tale, this titan is bound by oath to defend the island, rising only when the land and its people are threatened by forces beyond mortal strength. Some elders say the Titan’s footsteps once shook the mountains and that its silent vigil is what has preserved the Shogunate’s independence through countless generations. The legend serves as both a warning and a comfort: so long as the shogun honors tradition and the ancestors, the guardian will remain, ready to wield its sword for the nation’s survival.
Meropis: The Descent of the First Azarketi
Among the Azarketi of Meropis, the most cherished legend tells of the Descent. Long ago, when the world was young and the seas teemed with unknown wonders, a group of land-dwellers stood upon the coral shores, gazing out at the deep blue. Yearning for a new life, they followed a vision beneath the waves, guided by shimmering lights and the songs of distant sea creatures. It is said that the ocean embraced them, changing their forms so they could breathe, swim, and speak with all the creatures of the sea. These first Azarketi founded the city of Isolene in the shelter of the coral gardens, and their descendants have lived in harmony with the tides ever since, forever shaped by the call of the deep.
Morrigan: The Night of the Tarrasque
In Morrigan, the most terrifying legend is the Night of the Tarrasque. It is said that many generations ago, the earth trembled and split open as a monstrous beast clawed its way up from the mountain’s heart. The creature, larger than any building and armored like a fortress, rampaged through the countryside, devouring villages and flattening forests. Survivors tell how the sky turned red with fire and ash, and that the beast’s roar could be heard as far as the sea. To this day, parents warn their children not to wander too far from home, lest the Tarrasque awaken hungry once more. Some claim to have seen enormous tracks in the deep woods or glimpsed a spiked tail vanishing into the mist, proof that the monster still lurks close to Morrigan.
Olam Ha-Ba: The Seven Lights of the Cave
Among the halflings of Olam Ha-Ba, the legend of the Cave of the Seven Lights is central to their identity. The story tells of the first elders who, fleeing the desert’s wrath, found refuge in a hidden cavern where seven colored lights revealed pathways to water, food, and safety. Each tribe now claims descent from one of the lights, and the cave remains a sacred place for visions and important decisions. Some believe the lights were once guiding machines, but others hold that they are the spirits of the ancestors.
Orlostek: The Embereye Wolves of the Witherpines
Among the icy forests and lonely outposts of Orlostek, few tales are as feared as that of the Embereye Wolves of the Witherpines. It is said that, long ago, a desperate band of settlers vanished after trying to tame the haunted woods that border the Unyielding Lands. When the northern winds howl, and the trees creak in the darkness, locals warn that these settlers return as monstrous wolves with eyes that glow like burning embers and jaws strong enough to shatter steel. The Embereye Wolves are said to hunt anyone who disrespects the land or breaks the old taboos. Travelers who vanish in the night are whispered to have fallen to the pack, and children are taught to close their shutters tight, for if the Embereye Wolves scent fear or hear laughter after dark, they will circle the house until silence falls.
Volantes: The Duel at the Skyforge
Finally, in Volantes, the legend of the Duel at the Skyforge is a testament to both rivalry and innovation. The story recounts how two inventors, each claiming to have perfected the first true airship, faced off on the highest peak. When a sudden storm struck, both vessels were struck by lightning, yet miraculously remained aloft. It is said their duel became a dance in the clouds, and that the blueprints for both ships are hidden somewhere in the Skyforge, waiting for those brave enough to search.
In every nation, legends serve not only as entertainment or moral lessons but as vessels for memory, aspiration, and warning. Whether these tales recall real events, misunderstood technologies, or encounters with Elysium’s astonishing wildlife, they remain central to the ways in which each people understands its place in the world. As I continue my research, I am ever reminded of the wisdom in the old Kalahari saying: “The strongest roots are those that remember the storm.”
Professor Yusra ben Tariq
Department of Anthropology
Al-Jahiz University, Aoudaghost, Kalahari