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[Lore LoL] Parallelisms between Helia and history irl
Hey!
This is a thread I made on twitter a few weeks ago and some people suggested me I post it here. Sorry if I have a mistake in English >.<
Let us remember that Helia is the ancient capital of the Blessed Isles before becoming known as the Shadow Islands. And its references are historical and mythological cities
Before being a place where the worst horrors lived, it was known to be the center of knowledge in Runeterra and where artifacts of great value were kept.
And well, if we think of the cradles of knowledge irl? You will tell me Greece, that's a yes, but it's not the only one.
Certainly Greece is considered the cradle of ancient knowledge, but where we are going is to Alexandria, a Greek city founded by Alexander the Great in Egypt and which would gain great importance in ancient times due to the spread of Hellenic culture.
Let's compare the seaports.
Medieval representation of Alexandria on the left, Illustration of the Helia seaport on the right.
In fact, an engraving of one of the bridges of Alexandria reminds us of the one shown by Helia. It must be taken into account that the bridges and the arch have a mainly Roman stamp, since the architrave structures had a Greek stamp.
But the Roman bridges were flat. Roman curved bridges are usually later reconstructions and what is original are the bases.
What interests us most about Alexandria is the legendary library. It wasn't the only one in existence, far from it, but it was the one that gained the greatest popularity.
What do we know about the library of Alexandria? That writings of great value were kept for Mediterranean cultures and the popular belief that it disappeared after a catastrophic fire. He actually lost numerous intellectuals before the fire caused by Julius Caesar.
The myth of the fire and the losses was a representative fact of the Ruin of the western ancient civilization.
Representation of the library of Alexandria.
Here is a detail of the interior of Helia's library. The writing on the metal rings slightly reminds us of the Syriac alphabet, which would be the basis for Arabic writing.
Of course you have to use a little imagination! they will not use the same "letters" without changes
Now as a curiosity, this is an image of the current library of Alexandria, which always reminds me of the Celestial Vaults.
One more element that points to Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cultures is the 8-pointed star, widely used in Islamic culture. Its use in the Quran indicates the end of a chapter and would symbolize paradise in Islamic culture. Symbol of life and regeneration (ding ding ding).
It isn't the only star that we can see in Helia. We can also find the Star of David, the 6-pointed star.Symbol of the Hebrew cultures used in Judaism, although we can find the symbol in several cultures of the Middle East or Asia among others. Its origins are supposed to be Mesopotamian, a culture that we will talk about later.
Depending on the culture and context, its meaning changes, but hope is the predominant value. It represents the union between heaven and earth and in times past they were hung on the walls to drive away evil spirits.
Detail from Hidden from Outsiders.
It's time to leave Alexandria behind but let's continue in Greece for the monumental statues. The Colossus of Rhodes would be the best known, although each temple housed a colossal statue of a god. Phidias would be one of the most famous sculptors. The concept reminds me of this.
Although surely the most important thing is the triangular contraption that she carries in his hands.
Detail from Hidden from Outsiders.
Leaving this aside, our next stop is Atlantis, which within the popular imagination, would also have statues of this size.
Atlantis is a myth, but rare is the myth that doesn't have a real story behind it, even if it is allegorical as it's attributed in service to Plato's theories.
Described in the accounts of later centuries as a large and very steep island. The walls were of red, white and black rock.
In the myth it's said that the island collapsed due to a great tsunami, which would be one more allegory to the ruin of a civilization.
Compare the image with the description of Atlantis.
My last stop and my favorite, Babylon. I want to highlight mainly its garden areas, as well as the artificial waterfalls.
Certainly, Mesopotamian and eastern cultures in general focus their attention on water. We can highlight here in Spain as an example the Alhambra of Granada, but it is one of many.
Left: Babylon | Right: Alhambra of Granada.
In addition, as a major point, in Helia Horseshoe Arches typical of Islamic architecture have been represented.
Detail of Architectural Puzzles + Arch Types
In fact, in its architecture, we can also appreciate an "space of the building" (I don't know if this is the correct way to call it ) similar to the Flabelo, or large fan with a handle, representative of Egypt. And also to a minimalist simplification of the Bell-Shaped Capital.
Well I stray, we were in Babylon. The accompanying myth is that of the Tower of Babel, which is mentioned in Genesis.
For the West, the tower symbolized (like other constructions) the study of the cosmos and the universe in general. But it's also a symbol of the fleeting "condition" of human life.
Babylon was also the capital of the Babylonian Empire and became the political, religious and cultural center of its territory.
But what I find most interesting, by far, are its hanging gardens. Another of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and some have already been mentioned in this thread. It seems to me an interesting parallelism to the walls of Helia's buildings.
In which we can see that there is vegetation, although controlled. Also mention that the waterfalls could refer to the irrigation system used from the upper plants.
Finally, in relation to the golden elements that we only see in the illustrations of the capital, but not in the rest of the Blessed Islands. This in the History of Art has always been associated with wealth, worship and eternity. Linking to the Church.
The thread ends here, I hope you liked it and not put it in a bad board >. < (First time on reddit as a poster and not a reader)
DyQuill
Awesome writeup! In case you missed it, another image for you to include in your analysis: the Vaults of Helia in Legends of Runeterra (just announced a couple days ago)