“I have seen them riding seaward on the waves
Combing the white hair of the waves blown back
When the wind blows the water white and black.We have lingered in the chambers of the sea
By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown
Till human voices wake us, and we drown.”-T.S. Eliot
Intro to Atlatia
The world of Atlatia is a magical world of my own creation, the setting where my story takes place. Atlatia is a land of twelve large Islands scattered across vast and unforgiving seas, each Isle full of its own lore and culture. These twelve Isles are broken up into four political regions, known as the four realms. The realms of Atlatia are comprised of The Southern Empire, The Northwest Dominion, The Ice Realm, and The Central Kingdoms (also known as The Four Kings); each region having its own famous folklore.
Today I will focus on the folklore of the Central Kingdoms, as this is where my story takes place. The Central Kingdoms are four Isles in the middle of Atlatia, meaning the waters surrounding them are temperate compared to the rest of the world. The folklore of these Isles dates back over a thousand years, and it is believed amongst the superstitious people of the islands that sirens inhabit the waters around them. The sirens of Atlatia are highly debated, with many believing them to be a children’s tale, and others believing they are an undebatable certainty.
As the author and creator of Atlatia, I know that there are many types of sirens in the waters of the Central Kingdoms; and from here I will detail all of the kinds of Atlatian siren that are currently known.
Naiads: Sirens of The River
Sirens of the river are known as Naiads. Naiads are silly and sneaky sirens who live in lakes and rivers as they prefer shallower waters. They thrive in kelp forests, rocky passes, lily pad full swamps, and driftwood strewn shallows. They are often referred to as ‘river dwellers’ by the humans that spot them in nearby waters, and many myths have been created about the green tailed women of the river.
Above is an illustration I created that details traits of Naiads. It depicts the ancient leader of the Naiads, Taura of the River. Every group of sirens is led by the eldest of their kind, and Taura rules the rivers with her scales green tail, long dark hair, and wand of river rock. Sirens of the river have tails of different shades of green, gold, and brown; to blend in with their surroundings. They often befriend giant river frogs, river snakes, river fish, and giant dragonflies; and they enjoy social time with all creatures of the river, sometimes playing hide and seek in the kelp forests.
Oceanids: Sirens of The Deep
Sirens of the deep sea are known as Oceanids. Oceanids are mysterious and quiet sirens who live in the deep sea as they prefer the darkness and cool water. Oceanids live past the drop off, a cliff near the reefs that drops off straight down into the deep sea. These creatures mainly live in a city of sunken ruins called Morgandia, named after the god of the sea; Morgannon. Oceanids thrive in deep sea caves, ancient undersea ruins, and from time to time they enjoy being near deep sea volcanoes as well! There is no common human phrase by which they are referred to, as no human has ever seen a deep sea siren.
This image shows Venus, the ancient leader of the Oceanids, with her beautiful violet tail, deep violet hair, and glowing bloodstone orb; she rules the Oceanids of Morgandia. Sirens of the deep have tails in dark shades of blue, brown, purple, and teal; to match their deep sea surroundings. Oceanids often befriend sharks, miniature glowing fish, and glow jellies; but there is one great creature of the deep sea they are also familiar with. The Sea Dragon is a large underwater dragon, friends with Venus the ancient leader of the Oceanids. The Sea Dragon is only seen from time to time, and is very well known in mythology around the entire world.
Undines: Sirens of The Caves
Sirens of the caves are known as Undines. Undines are ethereal and mystical sirens who live within crystal filled caves as they are drawn to the colourful and sparkly. They also enjoy the warmth of the cave waters. Undines thrive anywhere that there are caves, shallow warm waters, and sparkly crystals, shells, and pearls. Undines mostly live in a city built into a network of crystal caves, called the Cave City of Delphaia. Delphaia has a cave of rose quartz, a cave of amethyst, a cave of jade, a cave of citrine, a cave of moonstone, and a cave of lapis.
This image shows Pandora, ancient leader of the crystal caves. With her shimmering pink tail, long lilac locks, amethyst wand, and hoards of jewels, she rules all six of the crystal caves of the city. Sirens of the caves have tails in orange, purple, pink, and red, to match the crystals that surround them. Undines love jewels and treasure, so many of them adorn their bodies with strings of pearls or rubies; sometimes they even wear old human jewels they find near the beach. The undines often befriend jewel turtles, a species of turtle with holographic shells. They also befriend little pink cave seahorses, and pearl crabs, a kind of hermit crab with pearlescent shells.
Finfolk: Sirens of The North
Sirens of the Northern waters are known as the Finfolk. Finfolk are cunning and intelligent sirens who live in cold waters; as they enjoy the low temperature. Finfolk live towards the north, where the waters get choppy and icy; any place without cold or ice would be unsuitable for these cold sirens. Finfolk are mainly found in an area called The Icy Death, a network of icebergs and floating ice at the northern tip of the island of Lunadira; but it is suspected that they roam all icy waters of the North. Many sailors refer to them as ‘Ice Wenches’, and they have been spotted by many men who sail trade ships up North.
Above is an image showing Morwen, the ancient leader of the Finfolk. With her silver tail, long white hair, and ice wand, she rules the Finfolk with grace. These sirens of the North have tails of grey, pale blue, silver, and deep blue, to match their icy surroundings. Finfolk love racing one another through the jagged icebergs of the Icy death, and can get quite competitive. They often befriend whales and seals, sometimes travelling with entire whale pods. Morwen of the North has also befriended the Ice Dragon, who is a giant White Sea dragon of ancient myth.
Nereids: Sirens of The Reef
Sirens of the coral reefs are referred to as Nereids. Nereids are curious and social sirens who enjoy the bustling, warm waters of the reef. They live on a reef called the Aquadora, which is host to many different quarters (almost like underwater neighbourhoods.) Nereids love playing magic games with each other, combing the reef and shallows for treasure, and playing with their fish friends. They prefer warmth and colour, so much so that the Aquadora reef is referred to as the Rainbow of the seas.
This is Mora of the reef, ancient leader of the Nereids. With her sparkling blue tail, red head of curls, golden trident, and magical moonstone, she ruled the reef for hundreds of years; until she went missing. Mora was declared dead, and with her magical moonstone lost to mystery, there is no inkling of someone to lead the reef; leaving the nereids to fend for themselves.
Nereids often have tails of green, coral, turquoise, and golden pink, with many variations of all these shades making the Nereids the most colourful sirens of the sea. Nereids often befriend stingrays, varieties of fish, turtles, and dolphins; who love to hang around the reef. Nereids are known for their resilience, being the only group of sirens without an ancient leader, many in their community feel a sense of unfairness around the mystery of Mora, the lost siren.
A Sirens Send Off
There is much more to learn about the magic of Atlatia, but for now I leave you with this. From Oceanids to Finfolk to Nereids, sirens are such beautiful creatures, worthy of being analyzed, inspected, and appreciated.
I hope this short look into the magical lore of my world, Atlatia; and the unique iteration of siren mythology I have thought up for my story has been enjoyable or intriguing. I appreciate any time you have spent indulging my ideas, and as the sirens of Atlatia would say, thank the Kraken for the open mindedness that led you to reading my post. I will surely have many more nerdy fantasy posts to come.
⋆.ೃ࿔*:𓇼⋆.ೃ࿔*:⋆Happy reading and writing!⋆.ೃ࿔*:𓇼⋆.ೃ࿔*:⋆
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