Glade of Dreams: Difference between revisions

{{quote|text=The Crossroads of Dreams was a place of heavenly bliss where calm, happiness and the joys of life seemed to reign forever. Some of the inhabitants even began to feel that the hours and days passed a little too slowly.|sign=Manual|source=''[[Rayman 3]]''}}

==Name==

The name of [[Rayman]]'s world was first used on a printed map that came packaged with copies of the PC and Nintendo 64 versions of ''[[Rayman 2]]''. The French version of the map identified the world as ''La Croisée des Rêves'' (meaning ''The Crossroads of Dreams''), but the English localisation changed this name to ''The Glade of Dreams''.

==History==

''For a more detailed overview of the events which have occurred in the Glade of Dreams, see [[Rayman (series)]].''

When [[Polokus]] had completed the Glade of Dreams, one task remained: creating time. [[Polokus]] entered a deep sleep, and travelled in his dreams to the place where all the gods of all the worlds meet. Together they set about dreaming up the future.

In ''[[Rayman 3]]'', one of the threats made by disgruntled [[tortoise]]s is 'If I were three hundred years younger...', indicating that the Glade of Dreams is at least three centuries old by the time of this game.

==[[The Heart of the World]]==

[[File:HeartOfTheWorld.jpg|thumb|right|320px|[[The Heart of the World]] is the most important and ancient object in the Glade of Dreams. It constantly provides the world with harmony and balance.]]

The Glade of Dreams is sustained by [[the Heart of the World]], the most important object in the cosmology of the [[Rayman (series)|''Rayman'' series]]. This mystical keystone comprises the 1,000 [[Yellow Lum]]s that existed before the creation of [[Polokus]]. [[The Heart of the World]], which usually takes the form of a shimmering pink sphere, provides and maintains the harmony, balance and energy of the Glade. The games often begin with [[The Heart of the World|the Heart]] being attacked by a villain; this usually results in cosmic unbalance, and the proliferation of strange phenomena and malevolent creatures. At the time of ''[[Rayman 3]]'', [[The Heart of the World|the Heart]] is located in a chamber deep within [[the Fairy Council]]. It is guarded constantly by the [[Fairy|fairies]], and also by the [[Grand Minimus|King of the Teensies]], whose family has carried out this task all the way back to [[The First King|their most distant ancestor]]. [[The Heart of the World|The Heart]]'s chamber doubles as the royal [[Teensie]] throne room.

===In ''[[Rayman 1|Rayman]]''===

''Main article: [[The valley]]''

[[Image:R1PS1WorldMap.png|320px|thumb|right|class=sprite|[[The valley]], a key location in the Glade, and the setting of [[Rayman 1|the original game]] and its direct spin-offs.]]

[[Rayman 1|The original ''Rayman'']] takes place in [[The valley|a small valley]] located somewhere in the Glade of Dreams (perhaps in the [[Archipelago]]). [[The valley]] features a mixture of naturalistic environments ([[The Dream Forest|forests]], [[Blue Mountains|mountains]], [[The Caves of Skops|caves]]) and surrealistic ones ([[Band Land|music]], [[Picture City|art]], [[Candy Château|sweets]]).

===In ''[[Rayman 2]]''===

[[Image:IsleofDoors2.png|thumb|left|320px|[[The Isle of Doors]] forms a geographical map of the Glade of Dreams when examined from an aerial perspective.]]

In ''[[Rayman 2]]'', the Glade is explored in far greater depth, though only naturalistic environments such as mountains, forests, lakes, caves, beaches, swamps and fields are seen. There is significant overlap between these locations, giving a greater feel of cohesion and realism. In the previous game, [[Rayman]] simply walked from one location to the next, but here he uses [[the Hall of Doors]] to teleport from place to place. The official map that came with this game shows the Glade to be a single large island, with an Archipelago consisting of seven small islands located off its south-east shore. The Glade is surrounded by an ocean known as [[the Sea of Lums]]. At one point in the game, [[Rayman]] encounters his old enemy, [[Jano]], who now resides in [[the Cave of Bad Dreams]], an otherworldly grotto where the nightmares of [[Polokus]] are now confined.

===In ''[[Rayman 3]]''===

[[Image:The Crossroads of Dreams Rayman 3 map.jpg|frame|right|A thumbnail map of the locations in ''[[Rayman 3]]'', as seen on an official site. The high-resolution map has since been lost.]]

This game features naturalistic locations that are similar to those of ''[[Rayman 2]]''. However, the locations of ''[[Rayman 3]]'' do not flow seamlessly like those of ''[[Rayman 2]]'', but contrast sharply with one another, like those of [[Rayman 1|the original game]]. For example, [[Rayman]] travels from [[The Land of the Livid Dead (Rayman 3)|an idyllic Celtic landscape]] to [[The Desert of the Knaaren|a scorched desert]], and from [[The Summit Beyond the Clouds|an icy mountain range]] to [[Hoodlum Headquarters|an outlandish factory]]. One official ''[[Rayman 3]]'' website contained an interactive map showing the geographical relationship between the game's levels, but this map has since been lost.

===In ''[[Rayman Origins]]''===

[[Image:Cadre droite.png|thumb|left|320px|The islands on which ''[[Rayman Origins]]'' takes place.]]

The next game, ''[[Rayman Origins]]'', takes place on a group of islands. Harking back to [[Rayman 1|the original game]], they are clearly distinct, and some are naturalistic ([[Jibberish Jungle|forest]], [[Mystical Pique|mountain]], [[Sea of Serendipity|sea]]), while others are surrealistic ([[Desert of Dijiridoos|music]], [[Gourmand Land|food]], [[Moody Clouds|machinery]]). While some of these locations strongly resemble areas of [[the valley]], they do not seem to be located in the valley in the literal sense. ''[[Rayman Origins]]'' also introduces [[the Snoring Tree]] as the central resting place of [[Polokus]], and the [[Land of the Livid Dead (UbiArt games)|Land of the Livid Dead]] as the Glade's nightmarish underworld. Though both are referred to as 'the Glade of Dreams', it is not clear how the islands of ''[[Rayman Origins]]'' relate to the large island of ''[[Rayman 2]]''. It could be that the large island dissolved into smaller ones at the beginning of ''[[Rayman Origins]]'', when the [[Livid Dead]] invaded and the dreams underlying reality began to disintegrate. It could also be that ''[[Rayman Origins|Origins]]'' simply takes place on the [[Archipelago]], a series of small islands shown to be located off the south-east shore on the ''[[Rayman 2]]'' map. The large, shadowy landscape that can be glimpsed at the bottom edge and corners of the ''[[Rayman Origins]]'' map supports this idea.

===In ''[[Rayman Fiesta Run]]''===

[[File:RFRMAP.png|thumb|150px|right|The map from ''[[Rayman Fiesta Run]]''.]]

In ''[[Rayman Fiesta Run]]'', a map can be seen showcasing the levels in the game. A separate map is available for the [[Candy World]].

==Universe==

[[Image:R3HH-FairyCouncil.jpg|thumb|right|320px|The night sky of the Glade of Dreams.]]

Most [[Rayman (series)|''Rayman'' games]] seem to take place on the mainland of the Glade, so very little is known about the rest of [[Rayman]]'s universe. The map indicates an [[Archipelago]] off the south-east coast of the Glade, but this is never visited in the games.