Did you know that many of the characters, places, and names in the Mermaid Princess Amelia fantasy series were inspired by real life? Yes! Different wonders of life became a powerful source of inspiration both for “…The Lost Symphony” and the first story collection, which significantly deepens the world already known by the readers. In this article, we will take a closer look at the countries, languages, traditions, names, and other things in the story collection which were inspired by Polish culture. If you carefully read Maxine Foti’s bio, you will know that she’s a Pole.
Firstly, let’s open the discussion with the Southern Baltic or (as we learn later) Bursztynia. It’s an undersea kingdom found in the quasi-depopulated part of the Baltic just north of Poland.
We were first introduced to it in “…The Lost Symphony” as Amelia Quintana and Sawa Zielinska talked about the latter’s origins. In the collection, the Southern Baltic’s local name is finally revealed, and it’s Bursztynia， from the Polish word “bursztyn,” meaning amber. Not so surprising once you know that the royal palace brims with yellow, orange, red, and brown ambers! If you were ever interested in this precious stone, you’d know that Polish amber is one of the most prized souvenirs from that country (check out this article here to find out more about Baltic Amber).
Intriguingly, there’s a link between the amber chamber from the Polish legend and the amber chamber from Sawa’s story, as well. And we also find out that the language spoken there is Polish, and the currency spent in Bursztynia is zloty, which is also spent in Poland. We also discovered from the first story collection that the language spoken in the Southern Baltic is Polish.
But Bursztynia isn’t the only place inspired by the Polish culture that’s in the story collection. Another one is the fictional Lake Smieszne, located in the fictional village of Smieszne Lasy in the actually existing region of Masuria, Poland. For those of you who are not familiar with Polish geography, Masuria is a region with the most beautiful lakes in the country. It’s a perfect place for going camping. And in the first story collection, readers learn that Sawa had to visit exactly the camping spot there as part of her aunt’s requests. There, Sawa met a woman of her age, Ilona Mazur, who was a free spirit and taught her much about using herbs for cooking and medical purposes.
And finally, Lake Morskie Oko is another place inspired by Polish culture. The literal translation of the name means the Sea’s Eye. This lake is the largest one in the Tatra Mountains and is famous for its sheer beauty. It’s exactly there where Sawa met Eligia Mroz, a lone soul who loved lonely contemplation. Of course, Sawa, Ilona, and Eligia are all Polish names.
And last but not least, let’s not forget the quote by Polish national bard Adam Mickiewicz that Jet Mir Thakur found in his grandfather’s notebook.
Fans of the first story collection are amazed at how Maxine was able to seamlessly blend the Polish culture into her story in a way that would fit the mermaid universe’s other undersea kingdom. Have you read the first story collection, and if the answer is positive, do you think that there are some more inspirations that were left out in this article? If yes, the comment section is open for discussion!
Grab your copy of “Mermaid Princess Amelia and the Lost Symphony” here:
English: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08T6BJ6RG
Spanish: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08Z8GK1JX
Italian: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0953PN3Y7
…and a copy of “Stories from the Undersea World of Mermaid Princess Amelia, Vol. 1” here:
English: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BPM2JKMZ
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