Floating island (fiction)
Encyclopedia
The Guardian Cycle
The Guardian Cycle is a series of five adult contemporary fantasy novels by Julia Gray.-Novels:#The Dark Moon #The Jasper Forest #The Crystal Desert #The Red Glacier #Alyssa's Ring -Setting:...
of novels) or floats in the sky (such as Angel Island From Sonic The Hedgehog or Ellington Isle from the localized legend heard around Ellington, New York
Ellington, New York
Ellington is a town in Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The population was 1,639 at the 2000 census.- History :The first settler arrived around 1814.The Town of Ellington was formed in 1824 from the Town of Gerry.-Geography:...
). Alternately, a flying island is an island that flies, or floats, above the surface of the earth (such as the flying continent of Laputa in Castle in the Sky
Castle in the Sky
All compositions by Joe Hisaishi.#"The Girl Who Fell from the Sky" – 2:27#"Morning in Slag Ravine" – 3:04#"A Fun Brawl " – 4:27#"Memories of Gondoa" – 2:46#"Discouraged Pazu" – 1:46#"Robot Soldier " – 2:34...
). These islands are usually free-floating and are sometimes directed by the whim of their inhabitants, whilst others may be permanently anchored.
They are usually held aloft by one (or more) of the following means:
- Lighter-than-air gas, such as heliumHeliumHelium is the chemical element with atomic number 2 and an atomic weight of 4.002602, which is represented by the symbol He. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas that heads the noble gas group in the periodic table...
or hydrogenHydrogenHydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the symbol H. With an average atomic weight of , hydrogen is the lightest and most abundant chemical element, constituting roughly 75% of the Universe's chemical elemental mass. Stars in the main sequence are mainly...
. - A lodestoneLodestoneA lodestone or loadstone is a naturally magnetized piece of the mineral magnetite. They are naturally occurring magnets, that attract pieces of iron. Ancient people first discovered the property of magnetism in lodestone...
, magnetMagnetA magnet is a material or object that produces a magnetic field. This magnetic field is invisible but is responsible for the most notable property of a magnet: a force that pulls on other ferromagnetic materials, such as iron, and attracts or repels other magnets.A permanent magnet is an object...
, crystalCrystalA crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituent atoms, molecules, or ions are arranged in an orderly repeating pattern extending in all three spatial dimensions. The scientific study of crystals and crystal formation is known as crystallography...
, or other mineral. - MagicMagic (paranormal)Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
. - Advanced science/technology — anti-gravityAnti-gravityAnti-gravity is the idea of creating a place or object that is free from the force of gravity. It does not refer to the lack of weight under gravity experienced in free fall or orbit, or to balancing the force of gravity with some other force, such as electromagnetism or aerodynamic lift...
, propellers/balloons, or some other form of technological levitationLevitationLevitation is the process by which an object is suspended by a physical force against gravity, in a stable position without solid physical contact...
, e.g. Hayao MiyazakiHayao Miyazakiis a Japanese manga artist and prominent film director and animator of many popular anime feature films. Through a career that has spanned nearly fifty years, Miyazaki has attained international acclaim as a maker of animated feature films and, along with Isao Takahata, co-founded Studio Ghibli,...
's Castle in the SkyCastle in the SkyAll compositions by Joe Hisaishi.#"The Girl Who Fell from the Sky" – 2:27#"Morning in Slag Ravine" – 3:04#"A Fun Brawl " – 4:27#"Memories of Gondoa" – 2:46#"Discouraged Pazu" – 1:46#"Robot Soldier " – 2:34...
.
Literature
- The first floating island encountered in literature is the home of the four winds, AeoliaAeoliaAeolia may refer to:*Aeolia, another name for Aeolis in Anatolia*Aeolia, an older name for Thessaly before the Greek Dark Ages*The home of Æolus, son of Hippotes, a character in the Odyssey*Aeolia , a character found in Mother 3...
, as recounted in Homer's The Odyssey. However, it is unclear whether this island floated in the water or in the air. - Some other mythological islands, such as the SymplegadesSymplegadesThe Symplegades or Clashing Rocks, also known as the Cyanean Rocks, were, according to Greek mythology, a pair of rocks at the Bosphorus that clashed together randomly. They were defeated by Jason and the Argonauts, who would have been lost and killed by the rocks except for Phineas' advice. Jason...
and the PlanctaePlanctaeIn Greek mythology, the Planctae or Wandering Rocks were a group of rocks, between which the sea was mercilessly violent. The Argo was the only ship to navigate them successfully...
in Greek mythology or Tír na nÓgTír na nÓgTír na nÓg is the most popular of the Otherworlds in Irish mythology. It is perhaps best known from the story of Oisín, one of the few mortals who lived there, who was said to have been brought there by Niamh of the Golden Hair. It was where the Tuatha Dé Danann settled when they left Ireland's...
in Irish mythology, moved about in the sea and may have been viewed as floating. - The book Gulliver's TravelsGulliver's TravelsTravels into Several Remote Nations of the World, in Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships, better known simply as Gulliver's Travels , is a novel by Anglo-Irish writer and clergyman Jonathan Swift that is both a satire on human nature and a parody of...
by Jonathan SwiftJonathan SwiftJonathan Swift was an Irish satirist, essayist, political pamphleteer , poet and cleric who became Dean of St...
features the floating land of LaputaLaputaLaputa is a fictional place from the book Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift.Laputa is a fictional flying island or rock, about 4.5 miles in diameter, with an adamantine base, which its inhabitants can maneuver in any direction using magnetic levitation...
. - The second book in C. S. LewisC. S. LewisClive Staples Lewis , commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis and known to his friends and family as "Jack", was a novelist, academic, medievalist, literary critic, essayist, lay theologian and Christian apologist from Belfast, Ireland...
' science fictionScience fictionScience fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
trilogy, PerelandraPerelandraPerelandra is the second book in the Space Trilogy of C. S. Lewis, set in the Field of Arbol...
, features floating islands on the surface of VenusVenusVenus is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. The planet is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. After the Moon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky, reaching an apparent magnitude of −4.6, bright enough to cast shadows...
. These play a prominent role in the storyline. - An earlier literary example of a floating island is Scotia Moria, from The Floating Island by Frank CarelessRichard HeadRichard Head was an author, playwright and bookseller. He became famous with his satirical novel The English Rogue – one of the earliest novels in English that found a continental translation.-Life:The most important primary source on Head’s life is William Winstanley's biographical entry...
. - Yann MartelYann MartelYann Martel is a Canadian author best known for the Man Booker Prize-winning novel Life of Pi.-Early life:Martel was born in Salamanca, Spain where his father was posted as a diplomat for the Canadian government. He was raised in Costa Rica, France, Mexico, and Canada...
's book Life of PiLife of PiLife of Pi is a fantasy adventure novel by Yann Martel published in 2001. The protagonist, Piscine Molitor "Pi" Patel, an Indian boy from Pondicherry, explores issues of spirituality and practicality from an early age...
contains a floating island, inhabited by a kind of meerkat that feeds on fish. - Floating islands in children's literature include Spidermonkey Island in The Voyages of Doctor DolittleThe Voyages of Doctor DolittleThe Voyages of Doctor Dolittle was the second of Hugh Lofting's Doctor Dolittle books to be published, coming out in 1922. It is nearly four times longer than its predecessor and the writing style is pitched at a more mature audience. The scope of the novel is vast; it is divided into six parts and...
(1922) by Hugh LoftingHugh LoftingHugh John Lofting was a British author, trained as a civil engineer, who created the character of Doctor Dolittle — one of the classics of children's literature.-Personal life:...
, Floating IslandFloating Island (book)Floating Island is a children's novel written and illustrated by Anne Parrish. It tells the story of a family of dolls shipwrecked on an uninhabited tropical island, together with their dollhouse. The novel was first published in 1930 and was a Newbery Honor recipient in 1931....
(1930) by Anne ParrishAnne ParrishAnne Parrish was an American novelist and author of children's literature. She was a three-time winner of the Newbery Honor....
, (about talking dolls shipwrecked on an island), and The Floating IslandThe Floating IslandThe Floating Island is a fantasy novel by Elizabeth Haydon. Released in 2006, the book is the first installment in The Lost Journals of Ven Polypheme series.- External links :**...
(2006) by Elizabeth HaydonElizabeth HaydonElizabeth Haydon is a fantasy author. She has written two fantasy series set within the same universe, The fantasy/romance/whodunit fusion called The Symphony of Ages and the young adult series The Lost Journals of Ven Polypheme.... - In the DC ComicsDC ComicsDC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
book Wonder WomanWonder WomanWonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
, the island of ThemysciraThemysciraThemyscira is a fictional island nation in the DC Comics universe that is the place of origin of Wonder Woman and her sister Amazons. Known as Paradise Island since Wonder Woman and the island's first appearance in All Star Comics #8 , it was renamed "Themyscira" with the character's February...
(Paradise Island) became a series of floating islands. - Jules VerneJules VerneJules Gabriel Verne was a French author who pioneered the science fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea , A Journey to the Center of the Earth , and Around the World in Eighty Days...
's Propeller IslandPropeller IslandPropeller Island is a science fiction novel by French author Jules Verne . It was first published in 1895 as part of the Voyages Extraordinaires...
is set on an artificially-constructed floating island. - Isaac AsimovIsaac AsimovIsaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
's short story Shah Guido G.Shah Guido G.Shah Guido G. is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the November 1951 issue of Marvel and reprinted in the 1975 collection Buy Jupiter and Other Stories, where Asimov explains his love of puns. It is an example of a shaggy dog story, as indicated by the title...
depicts an island not only floating above, but also dominating the world. - The Floating Islands (2011) by Rachel Neumeier revolves around a nation of floating islands that the book's protagonist flees to after the death of his family.
Television
- Mount Flatten in The Rocky and Bullwinkle ShowThe Rocky and Bullwinkle ShowThe Rocky & Bullwinkle Show is an American animated television series that originally aired from November 19, 1959 to June 28, 1964 on the ABC and NBC television networks...
hovered above Earth's surface, due to its rich deposits of the gravity-defying mineral UpsidaisiumUpsidaisiumUpsidaisium is a fictional element that appeared in the 1950s and 1960s Rocky and His Friends and The Bullwinkle Show animated series, in the story arc entitled Upsidaisium...
. - In the animeAnimeis the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series Cowboy BebopCowboy Bebopis a critically acclaimed and award-winning 1998 Japanese anime series directed by Shinichirō Watanabe, written by Keiko Nobumoto, and produced by Sunrise. Its 26 episodes comprise a complete storyline: set in 2071, the series follows the adventures, misadventures and tragedies of five bounty...
, the planet VenusVenusVenus is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. The planet is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. After the Moon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky, reaching an apparent magnitude of −4.6, bright enough to cast shadows...
has been terraformed using enormous floating plants that also provide living space. - References to floating islands can be found in such science fictionScience fictionScience fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
TV series as Star TrekStar TrekStar Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
(original; 1966) episode "The Cloud Minders", and the FireflyFirefly (TV series)Firefly is an American space western television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon, under his Mutant Enemy Productions label. Whedon served as executive producer, along with Tim Minear....
episode "Trash." - Floating islands are present in some episodes of the first season of Beast Wars: TransformersBeast WarsTransformers: Beast Wars is a Transformers toyline released by Hasbro between 1995 and 2000, and a Daytime Emmy Award winning full-CG animated television series spawned by it that debuted in 1996...
. - Noah's IslandNoah's IslandNoah's Island was an animated TV serial made by the creators of The Animals of Farthing Wood and commissioned by the European Broadcasting Union. It was directed by Philippe Leclerc and Alan Simpson and written by Elphin Lloyd-Jones and John M. Mills. Each episode, of which there were 39, ran for...
is a cartoon of the late 90's, about a collection of animals who navigate the sea on a volcano-powered floating island. - The television series SkylandSkylandSkyland , is a CGI animated television series developed in France in partnership with Canada and Luxembourg for television channels, France 2, Teletoon, NickToons Network, ABC and CITV.A 60-minute, worldwide preview was aired on November 26, 2005 at multiple times during the day and the following day...
, is set on floating islands of rock and earth. - The NoxNoxNox may refer to:* Nox , the Roman translation of Nyx, the primordial god of the night in Greek mythology.* Nox , a video game developed by Westwood Studios* Nox , a pop band from HungaryIn fiction...
from the television series StargateStargateStargate is a adventure military science fiction franchise, initially conceived by Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin. The first film in the franchise was simply titled Stargate. It was originally released on October 28, 1994, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Carolco, and became a hit, grossing nearly...
Sg-1 reveal a floating island to the members of Sg-1 in the episode The Nox
Film
- Cloud City in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes BackStar Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes BackStar Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is a 1980 American epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner. The screenplay, based on a story by George Lucas, was written by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan...
is a floating city. - In Flash Gordon (film)Flash Gordon (film)Flash Gordon is a 1980 British/American science fiction film, based on the comic strip of the same name created by Alex Raymond. The film was directed by Mike Hodges and produced and presented by Dino De Laurentiis. It stars Sam J. Jones, Melody Anderson, Topol, Max von Sydow, Timothy Dalton, Brian...
, Arboria appears as a concave floating jungle continent above Mongo. - In Castle in the SkyCastle in the SkyAll compositions by Joe Hisaishi.#"The Girl Who Fell from the Sky" – 2:27#"Morning in Slag Ravine" – 3:04#"A Fun Brawl " – 4:27#"Memories of Gondoa" – 2:46#"Discouraged Pazu" – 1:46#"Robot Soldier " – 2:34...
, the castle is built on a floating island. - Floating land masses were shown in the 2009 film Avatar.
Video games
Floating islands and continents are too common an element in video games to be listed separately.Other
- Many works by artist Roger Dean depict floating islands, such as those featured on the covers of some albums by the band YesYes (band)Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets...
. - The music video for "Feel Good Inc.Feel Good Inc."Feel Good Inc." is a song by Gorillaz, on their album Demon Days, featuring De La Soul. The song was released as the lead single from the album on 9 May 2005 in the United Kingdom . "Feel Good Inc." peaked at #2 in the United Kingdom and #14 in the United States, at the time the band's highest...
" by GorillazGorillazGorillaz is an English musical project created in 1998 by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett. This project consists of Gorillaz music itself and an extensive fictional universe depicting a "virtual band" of cartoon characters...
features one of the band members on a windmill-powered floating island. - Ancient High Netheril in the Forgotten RealmsForgotten RealmsThe Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories...
setting of the Dungeons & DragonsDungeons & DragonsDungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
universe contains airborne cities kept aloft by magic. - Artist Naohisa InoueNaohisa Inoueis a fantasy artist influenced by both the Surrealism and Impressionism movements. Most of his paintings are set in the fantastical land of . He created reference and background art for the Studio Ghibli film Whisper of the Heart and also provided a cameo appearance as the voice of Minami...
often portrays various types of floating islands in his Iblard series of paintings. One type of island, Laputas, hatch from eggs to become the recognizable floating islands.