Elysium

On the farthest reaches of the western ocean lies a sylvan paradise where departed souls come to rest. Ancient Greek mythology speaks of Elysium, the Isle of the Blessed, which manifests the comfort of an unchanging horizon. The living wander through life, aspiring toward the haven of rich soil and feathered trees.

The Elysian Fields warrant the struggles we endure, and even in paradise our pursuit of absolution does not go unnoticed. The ocean breeze carries our stories to shore: an orphan rediscovering her origins. A widower coming to terms with his grief. An aboriginal rendering his anger into language.

This issue of Vertigo chronicles our conceptions of the path to paradise.

—the Editors, Spring 2012