From the Codex "some Raxxla seekers insisted that the story's author had cunningly concealed facts about the mysterious locale in his book as hints for those with eyes to see" - I still think that means the name of the system containing Raxxla/Omphalos Rift is a sub anagram of "Princess Astrophel and the Spiralling Stars" (since the only thing we have of that book is it's title!).... that would fit as a clue and I think would also match MB's and DB's sense of humour (IMO impish to the point of Machiavellian). However it doesn't help us because there are hundreds, if not thousands, of subanagrams which could match bubble system names. I did explore that hypothesis but gave up after I'd identified over a hundred system names.
I think if we are going to get anywhere with this puzzle then we need to identify the likely region of space for Milton's "Heavenly Gate", we might then try matching possible system names within that region to see if they are possible sub anagrams to help reeuce the initial search space.
I think it is possible that MB's Legacy might contain clue(s), but on reflection I think it's unlikely, since he did say explicitly "FD did look at a story involving Raxxla, but felt that was a story that should be played out in game rather than as a novel”, and he clearly spent a lot of time matching ED's cosmology to Milton's. Have you put your Milton theory data into a 3D viewing app?
Exactly my thoughts as well, and essentially this is why I attempt to map various concepts from game. Identify key aspects and identify zones were our attention can be best focused, in an effort to identify key elements.
I do have the data in a 3D App; but it won’t support sharing, not without me stumping up some cash! So nope, sorry it’s just going to be 2D images. O7
Concerning the ‘gate’ - within my key hypothesis of the cosmological model, it identifies I believe the location of the
Empyrean, it being the highest zone attributable to deities associated with the Sun and or higher creation gods, as well as certain
compass points; these positions I’ve found align with the in game Greek compass for North as various other pantheons with similar North / South attributes (in my opinion).
Milton’s Paradise Lost was originally a very dry book for me in my youth / it was taught as poetry, for its linguistic concepts, and or theological links. Again, ED got me back into these classics in a way that’s surprising, seeing how my classical education and scientific practice align, to identify the text’s amazing astronomical and spacial constructions.
The text is so well thought out and it’s evident Milton wanted his readers to orientate and travel through the cosmos in their minds eye. An astonishing accomplishment for that time.
In Milton’s text, as I interpret it; he identifies the gate was essentially upon the
West wall of this Empyrean. So technically, my thinking has always been, if you can identify one or two locations from the text in game and identify a clear correlation, one logically ought to be able to
orientate and find other aspects!
I also believe Michael Brookes built upon this, and incorporated other aspects from various cultures to flesh it out in game, but likewise reflect upon the writings and Celtic influences of
Robert Holstock.
There is a
Sheela na gig in this location, whose origins may have links to pre-Christian fertility or a mother goddess, and usually were placed in high places but generally over
doors or windows to protect these openings!
She is just next to the
Morrigans and slap-bang on the
outer rim of the zone of chaos and relatively in close proximity to the Greek compass for North
Boreas.
Sheela na gig is also very close to
Danu, whose modern etymology not only describes the myth of the Tribe / People of Danu but is associated with water. In that context I wonder if she is an example used by Brookes to denote the ‘
waters above’!
There is also very close to this location the system
Meliae, which in Greek mythology is either a sea nymph or an ash-tree nymph.
Sheela na gig is part of my unpublished theory involving her and
Gilgamesh, as a prototype northern axis and alternate for Satans journey.
If you apply my hypothetical compass assessment, this area is all within the northern upper celestial hemisphere.
This is the general area where Star ship one went down. I don’t think it alone identified Raxxla’ true location - directly, but the reference to a ‘
bright place’ sounds like the description of the Empyrean - which was made of pure light, I do feel however it was intended as a gentle nudge to look in this general area.
Map of Starship one incident
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threads/the-quest-to-find-raxxla.168253/post-10298408
The West Wall of the Empyrean
https://forums.frontier.co.uk/threads/the-quest-to-find-raxxla.168253/post-10332137
Michael R. Coats - 2020 Masters Thesis
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the image below shows the alleged cosmological construction, highlighting a zone in a perceived North / West area likely to contain either Raxxla or the West gate of the Empyrean.
We then have an area not far off relatively, with the system
Fall. If you link Fall with Pandemonium, it aligns perfectly with Demeter and
Persephone.
Satan fell from the northern part of the
West wall of heaven. Paradise, the pendant globe was somewhere close to that location, on the
North West wall.
In this context Paradise is in the location associated with Gods good grace and likewise Satan fell from gods favour accordingly and Hell was attributed as being in the South, out of gods favour/grace, there is a reason why Milton attributed such compass points!
This area is also populated by systems named after deities and locations from the Epic of
Gilgamesh. I believe this is another reference to Robert Holdstock and his book
Ragthorn, which resolves around the ‘
thorny branch’ of Gilgamesh, a strange temple dedicated to a triple deity and a magical stone marker over a
doorway. The book also references John Milton.
Within this relationship in game I believe that Brookes may have been drawing a comparison between Gilgamesh and Milton’s Satan, who both go on similar journeys.
I believe that Paradise aka Eden aka Raxxla. Is either somewhere between Thetis and
Danu, or Thetis and
Fall; or somewhere in between Danu and Fall; it’s still a relatively large area.
But generally these two areas I believe denotes the wide area of
Empyrean notably it’s North and West boundaries.
If we are to follow Milton precisely then heavens gate is somewhere about the
West gate, so another hypothesis could be it ought to be located somewhere between
Fall and
Danu, Sheela na gig as a protector of
doors may advocate a prime location given its close spacial relationship with Starship one!
This area likewise has some interesting systems linked to higher gods mentioned in the Epic of Gilgamesh.
I’ve not proposed this hypothesis before in its entirety because there is a higher concentration of links in and around the Norse Norns area, it seems more of a focal area - so I’ve been following the data, but that could simply be bias on my part, but I wanted to explore it nonetheless.
My Sheela na gig / Morrigans / Fall theory is a strong secondary possibility, primarily because of the Morrigan’s alignment with the Lost Realms concept yet being so far removed, and yet perfectly placed, but it’s ultimately reliant upon the system Fall being the correct location for the start of Satans journey. If that is true then I suspect we have a location for the West gate.
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the image below shows the extent of the systems named after the Epic of Gilgamesh, in relation to the Fall from Paradise Lost.
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the image below shows the position of the Morrigans in relation to the perceived celestial North and West in relation to Paradise Lost. A zone demonstrating a position for the wall of the Empyrean is included.
