Today is Danielle's last day on the blog, and she's talking about the Outlanders. BUT in addition to that, she reveals big, never-discussed-before information about the First Ones and THEIR origins in my creative process.
Think about what you know about Zed, Poden, and Haddey for a bit, and see if you can guess the secret before she reveals it!!
Outlander Crest
Last but not least...... the Outlanders! Any Outlander
fans out there???? Anyone? Anyone?? Yeah, thought not!
Honestly, this one was the toughest of all for me to
create. I had found the perfect symbol I so desperately wanted to use but no
matter how hard I tried to work it, it never came together. So, with much
dismay, I went back to the drawing board and started over. Just to share, I
really wanted to use a caltrop, meaning one who demonstrates ingenuity and
resourcefulness when faced with a stronger foe. I mean, come on, is there a
better way to describe that crazy Queen Cataleen??? I even found an
unbelievably awesome bracelet made from caltrops that I shared with Erin. We
both decided that it would be something that Queen Cataleen would wear and
adore it! Maybe if they make a movie?
What do we know about those elusive
Outlanders anyway? Not a whole lot....yet! Yes, you will find out loads more on
these mysterious people in Book 3 TheFulfillment out on October 15th. But, what do we already
know.... I believe Erin has revealed that they are the descendants of Haddey,
daughter of the First Ones. We also know they have managed to stay out of a
lengthy war, their power (if they have one) is still unknown. Their queen is a
nasty piece of work, and she is holding one of our favorite guys prisoner! We
are all on the edge of our seats for poor Nash! Please Erin, rescue him
already!!!!!
Not knowing much about our secretive Outlanders also made
the crest more challenging. I am telling you, this one was tough! The end
result was a crest containing 3 main parts which are the elemental symbol for
fire, three entangled crescent moons, and an eye.
The symbol for fire was used because...! Sorry, had to do
it. This will be revealed at the end of this post. The rest I can tell you now!
The three entangled crescents are a symbol for goddess, which makes sense
because they are Haddey's descendants, and they always have a reigning queen. The
symbol is typically arranged with one crescent on the top and two on the sides,
but I tweaked it a bit for effect. I know it may look a lot like a hazard
chemical leak symbol, but it's not.
Symbol for goddess
Hazard Symbol
The eye was added because it seems like Queen Cataleen
has a strange way of knowing what is going on, like she has an eye on everyone.
She also can share visions of what is happening, as we saw with poor Nash
during the infamous “tent scene.” Also, when I added the eye to the crest, it
just really creeped me out which is fitting because honestly, the queen creeps
me out.
The color orange was used for the Outlander crest. I once
read that orange can symbolize worthwhile ambition. Orange is often considered
a happy color, which may be what the Outlanders want you to think. They are
happy and content to be uninvolved with the other kingdoms and out of the war. While
researching I also found that too much orange causes self-centered and
self-serving qualities, including pride, arrogance, and lack of care for
others. Now that sounds a little more like our Outlanders.
THE BIG SECRET
Now, on to why I used the elemental symbols that I used
for the Ethereals, Vanguards, and the Outlanders. I was given permission to
reveal this tidbit as it had a big impact on the crests. As you may remember
Ethereals are air, Vanguards are water, and Outlanders are fire. Have you had
any guesses yet?
We need to start with a brief history. In “The Outlanders,”
Volton Holt tells the story of the First Ones to Layla and Wil while Wil is
recovering in Volton (after Holt catches Layla snooping in his office). The
Volton shares that the First Ones (Crus and Ree) had three children- Zed, Poden
and Haddey. Crus and Ree were both born in a time where no one had special
powers, until them. The villagers were fearful and sent them away. They grew up
in the Borderlands and had children, each with their own special power. Their
children were close, and the boys looked after their little sister. But they eventually
became jealous of each other's powers. Mama Ree had a vision that her two
eldest (Zed and Poden) would die at the hands of Haddey, so she sent them away
to different places- Zed to Etherea, Poden to Vanguard, and Haddey to the
Outlands. As it usually turns out, the predicted future happens, even when you
try to change it. The kingdoms began a war, and Haddey did as expected: she killed
her brothers. Once that was complete, the Outlanders backed out of the war, but
it raged on between Vanguard and Etherea.
When we put the names together along with
the elements, do they sound familiar? Like maybe Greek mythology? The element
of air was chosen because of the Ethereal ancestor Zed- which may sound a lot
like the Greek god Zeus. This is also why we incorporated the lightning bolt
into their crest. The Vanguards have been given the water symbol because of
their First Ones ancestor Poden, whose name may remind you of one of the Big 3
Greek gods- Poseidon. And of course fire was chosen for the Outlander ancestor
Haddey, which will remind you of Hades. Even the First Ones themselves- Crus
and Ree are none other than the Titan parents of these gods- Cronus and Rhea.
Those of you who have read Erin's blogs
know of her love of all things Percy Jackson, so this correlation should not be
a surprise. She has even created a character in the series as her homage to
Percy—Layla's brother Samson. You already know my thoughts on my favorite
character Samson (see the first post!)
This ends my crest mania! I hope you
enjoyed learning more about the crests and their origins. Thank you for letting
me reminisce about creating the crests and the fun Erin and I had surrounding them.
Remember, The Fulfillment release
date is October 15th. The installment beautifully wraps up
this crafted tale that Erin has carefully woven for all of us. You learn the
fate of your favorite characters and their kingdoms, unravel all of the
mysteries, unearth some wild surprises, discover if peace is truly possible,
and perhaps witness the beginning of ….something. You won't want to miss it!
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