When reading other articles about“Mermaid Princess Amelia and the Lost Symphony” by Maxine Foti, or the novel itself, you surely paid attention to the mermaid kingdoms and their cultural diversity. Maybe, you are wondering where the inspiration comes from.
Maxine Foti mentioned some books and games without which there would be no “Mermaid Princess Amelia,” but she drew plenty of inspiration from history and world culture, as well. Below, you will find a table with various mermaid kingdoms and ancient civilizations that served as an inspiration. Some will surprise you!
| Mermaid Country | Real-Life Civilization | Commentary |
| Antemidia | South-American (Mayans) | There are several inspirations from the Mayas, visible in the culture of Amelia’s mermaid kingdom, Antemidia. Aside Mesoamerican architecture, Antemidians speak Mayan, and worship Mayan gods (aside their own ones). Some characters like Tikalie, have names inspired by great Mayan cities. |
| Honey Earth | Indian (Cholas) | To say that the Honey Earth, is inspired by India, is true but also a huge generalization; India is very culturally diverse between regions, and one province can be very different from the other. Jet Mir’s kingdom was mostly inspired by Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The languages spoken there are Hindi, Tamil, and Malayalam (which he however can’t speak), and there are several cultural influences from the Chola Empire. However, this becomes visible only in the first story collection from Amelia’s world, where readers get to visit Jet Mir’s kingdom and see the architecture. When only facts from the first novel are taken in the consideration, the kingdom seems to have just general Indian influences (women wear sarees and jewels on their foreheads). |
| The Lotus State | Egyptians | The Lotus State is a river kingdom inspired by the Ancient Egypt, and is located beneath the Nile River, and also in the (fictional) underground caves surrounding it. The Lotus State is ruled by a mermaid pharaoh, and has festivals inspired by the ancient gods from that region. |
| East China Sea South China Sea | Chinese | East and South China Sea are both inspired by the Chinese Culture. For the moment, it’s not clear how these two countries differ from one another but this will definitely be explored in the second story collection from Amelia’s world (which is in the works). As for what’s known from the first novel, the two countries are empires, have dragons rooted in their culture, and are famous for their jade works and swords. Guo Guiying (more often referred to as Greene Grant) and Huang Yan, both use Chinese names. |
| Thai Pearl Empire | Thai | The Thai Pearl Empire has some inspirations from Thai Culture. The color and architecture of the kingdom were inspired by the White Temple in Chiang Rai, Thailand. Characters from the Thai Pearl Empire, have names and surnames inspired by the Thai language, and are seen acting according to that country’s customs (e.g. Davika greets others with wai, and sticks to her country’s dress code when picking clothes). |
| The Land of Barite Roses | Berber Arabic | The Land of Barite Roses is located near Morocco, and so, it was inspired by two cultures: Berber and Arabic. It is thus an oriental country with sandstone buildings beautified with countless desert roses. The streets are paved with wonderful mosaics that add to the place’s beauty, and there are several markets bustling in life where people trade goods from all over the ocean. |
| Argolic Gulf | Greek | Mermaids from the Argolic Gulf are regarded to be Greek mermaids, and often have Greek names inspired by the myths (e.g. Poseyda). This country was described more in detail in the first story collection. |
As you can see, “Mermaid Princess Amelia and the Lost Symphony” was inspired by several cultures worldwide; all of which helped create an incredibly rich and diverse mermaid world. Which mermaid kingdom is your favorite? Let us know in the comment section below!
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