I grew up in Poland, a country where religion is still very important for a large part of society, and most people are Catholic Christians. Personally, I don’t consider myself one, my religious views are very complex and eclectic. It has nearly always been so, so, when writing the first version of “Mermaid Princess Amelia and the Lost Symphony” in high school, I had no intention of referring to the Bible, in any way, even though, we had studied it rather extensively in all schools.
After an analysis, though, I do see that there are symbols and allegories that may seem borrowed from the Bible; but that’s casual, and resulting from the fact that both “…The Lost Symphony” and the Bible, are rich in various elements.
You can read about the symbols, their biblical meanings, and in what context they’re described in my novel, in the table below.
Biblical Symbols and Allegories that appear in “Mermaid Princess Amelia and the Lost Symphony” by Maxine Foti
| Symbol / Allegory in the Bible | Original Meaning in the Bible | Context in which the Symbol / Allegory appeared in “Mermaid Princess Amelia and the Lost Symphony” |
| White Hair | Old age and suffering | The four demons in the Mausoleum of Lost Symphonies, all were very old, had white hair, and suffering was their daily bread. Also, Kamon Thani and Vera Feher, both had white hair despite being still relatively young, and both were struck by a real tragedy: Kamon and her three friends died in the Mausoleum, and Vera, who was the only one that managed to escape, had to reckon with survivor guilt. |
| Sun | Light, hope and Jesus Christ | As Amelia came out on the sea after the earthquake, she was struck by how bright the sun she saw was. It was a sign of hope that not everything was lost, though she felt upset about it, still grieving her losses. |
| Ring | Authority | Sawa, who left her kingdom, was playing with a ring from her kingdom, a lot, when talking to Amelia, almost as if she couldn’t decide whether she wanted to wear it or not. This scene symbolizes her inner conflict related to the fact that she’s abandoned her home country, and shirked responsibilities instead of living there as an authority. |
| Candles | The word of God | The fact that Kamadia managed to light the candles with her mental power, even underwater, and then use them to heal Leticia, and take off the curse from her and other descendants, is an amazing example showing that something good can come into existence even if one’s in a very difficult position (and environment). |
| Door | New opportunity | In the whole novel, Amelia describes different buildings, and different kinds of doors, passages, and arches. However, the most interesting case is the door system in the Mausoleum of Lost Symphonies. There, when one door opens, another closes, which was my way to say: if you make one choice, another becomes impossible, after a while. What is most interesting about that mechanism, however, is the fact that one door has been dismantled permanently, so it’s “always open.” This is an excellent symbol of the fact that there is always some way, even in the most difficult situations. |
| Honey | Prosperity | Captain Jet Mir, came from a mermaid country known as Honey Earth, where he lived a carefree life filled with different pleasures. This all, though, ended with his exile that he grieved a lot. |
| Number 9 | No specific meaning, but number 99 is an allegory for something that’s almost complete (but it’s not). | Amelia and Jet Mir never managed to complete the set of artifacts; only Lumina did, but she had to resort to reprehensible measures such as theft, to do it. Hence, maybe, it was the artifact’s fate, that they wouldn’t be gathered together, after all. |
| Earthquake | The end of the old, change, and the beginning of something new. | Amelia, who had witnessed the earthquake in her mermaid kingdom, had the feeling that this was the end of everything, but in fact it was just the beginning of her whole adventure. |
| Pearls | Wealth. | One of the most glamorous countries in the mermaid world, was the Thai Pearl Empire. |
| Tower | One’s personal shelter. | Lumina, while still living in the royal castle in Dusterburg, Nerland, lived in the tower which was her private place, and in a sense also some kind of personal shelter. |
Did you see any other symbols and alegories? If yes, do let other fans know by leaving your feedback in the comment section below.
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English: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08T6BJ6RG
Spanish: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08Z8GK1JX
Italian: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0953PN3Y7
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