Where is Moerden?
Where exactly is the fantasy world of Moerden that Marise Leeson travels to in Follow the Shadows and in The Tales of Moerden Book 2? It’s a good question, and we’ll get more clues in Book 2, but for now, what are the possibilities?
Is Moerden somewhere on Earth? In Follow the Shadows, Marise estimates the time difference between Moerden and her home in New Brunswick, Canada, to be about 6 hours. It’s earlier in Moerden, which would place Moerden somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. There isn’t a suitable land mass known, so if that location is correct it seems we’d have to be talking about an alternate Earth (or an Earth that exists in another dimension).
Is Moerden part of an alternate earth? It would be a radically different Earth from the one we know (and I suppose that’s what you’d expect of an alternate Earth). The spheres allow dragons to travel back and forth between the two worlds, and this has been going on for a long time, which explains the impact humans have had on the dragon’s world. It could also explain many things for those of us interested in mythology: for example, why dragons in some form show up in very diverse human cultures. And what would happen if we discovered a Moerden dragon skeleton encased in rock? Would that be mistaken for a new species of dinosaur? One can only imagine the confusion attempts at dating that find would cause.
The environment of Moerden is Earth-like. Plants and animals are different but the atmosphere, gravity, lunar and solar cycle, etc. all appear to be the same. This supports the theory that Moerden exists on an alternate Earth. But could it be located on another planet out there in space somewhere?
Is Moerden on another planet? In Follow the Shadows, Marise does wonder if she’s traveled in the universe. She also contemplates the possibility that sphere travel gone wrong might leave her floating in space, presumably with fatal consequences. There are lots of planets in the universe and it’s not out of the question that some might be extraordinarily Earth-like.
In the end, it’s not clear where the fantasy world of Moerden is. What do you think? Future Moerden stories might clarify things.
© Rosemary Drisdelle 2025
コメント