- There’s an ancient Greek proverb in Chapter 33 that Thanos, the Guardian of Gaia, mentions. Their Realm is heading into winter but before this season changes the Dark War will be upon them, hence his words: “Summer, autumn, war.”
- The word Arcadia, which is also a Greek province, dates back to antiquity and refers to a vision of pastoralism, unspoilt wilderness and bountiful nature. I named the mountain range in the Third Realm Arcadia. In Greek mythology, Arcadia was home to the God Pan who was the god of nature, shepherds and their flocks, and the mountain wilds. He was also a companion of the dryads and nymphs.
- The Groves of Dodona are the sacred oak woodlands in the Third Realm. They are named after Dodona in Epirus in northwestern Greece. Here, dating back to as far as the second millennium BCE, the oldest Hellenic oracle was believed to be devoted to the Mother Goddess. The Third Realm’s oracle lives in the temple in the groves and she provides the Guardians with prophetic predictions.
- When I was creating the Guardians I chose their Ancient Greek names based on their meanings:
- Thanos – immortal
- Galene – calm sea
- Kyros – like the sun
- Aella – whirlwind
- Drakon – dragon
- I based the Third Realm on a utopian theme and incorporated the idea of everything being perfect in this ‘heaven’.
- The Under Realm was created on a dystopian theme and represents ‘hell’.
- A Seraph is regarded as a type of celestial or heavenly being. I named the city Seraph in that it relates to the heaven theme. I originally wanted to call it ‘The City of Angels’ but that name was too close to a movie of the same name.
- The Fallen came from my interest in the Fallen Angels – angels who have sinned. Hence them being cast from the Third Realm (heaven) to the Under Realm (hell).
- After many rewrites of the first few chapters, my initial plotting of how Ash would enter this world went out the window. And how Ash would integrate into his new family was still a challenge. That’s when ‘Eklektos’ came about. It means ‘choosing’ in Ancient Greek.
- The character Scar Face surfaced in my rewrite after my manuscript came back from the editor. He simply popped into my head but he’ll reveal more of himself in the second book, The Middle Realm. I have a plan for him!
Fantasy has always intrigued me and I’ve read it since my childhood (C.S Lewis and Enid Blyton being my favourite). I wanted to create a fascinating world that was magical and I hope I have achieved this. With this insight into the writing of The Third Realm, I’m sure my readers will enjoy it that little bit more.
Happy reading!
Charmaine