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This page is about the Proverb ial land of Arcadia - for the real Greek Region see Arcadia , or for other uses Arcadia (disambiguation) Arcadia was a province of ancient Greece. It has become a poetical name for fantasy land (having more or less the same connotation as Utopia ), a concept originating in Renaissance Mythology of a land of outstanding natural beauty unspoiled by human civilisation, free of war & pain and offering boundless pleasures both spiritual and physical. It is also sometimes referred to in English poetry as '''Arcady'''. Arcadia is now the name of many cities in the United States. THE HISTORICAL ARCADIA According to Greek mythology, Arcadia of Peloponnesus was the domain of Pan , the virgin wilderness home of the god of the forest and his court of dryads, nymphs and other spirits of nature. It was a version of Paradise , though only in the sense of being the abode of supernatural entities, not an afterlife for deceased mortals. Arcadia has remained a popular artistic subject since antiquity, both in visual arts and literature. Images of beautiful nymphs frolicking in lush forests have been a frequent source of inspiration for painters and sculptors. Greek mythology inspired the Roman poet Virgil to write his '' Eclogue s'', a series of poems set in Arcadia. As a result of the influence of Virgil in medieval European literature (see, for example, '' The Divine Comedy ''), ''Arcadia'' became a symbol of Pastoral simplicity. European Renaissance writers (for instance, the Spanish poet Garcilaso De La Vega ) often revisited the theme, and the name came to apply to any idyllic location or paradise. Unlike the word " Utopia " (named for Thomas More 's book, '' Utopia )'', "Arcadia" does not carry the connotation of a human-designed civilization; Arcadia is presented as the spontaneous result of life lived naturally, uncorrupted by civilization. Of particular note is '' Et In Arcadia Ego '' by Nicholas Poussin , which has become famous both in its own right and because of its (possible) connection with the Gnostic Histories of the Rosicrucians (see below). In 1502 Jacopo Sannazaro published his long poem ''Arcadia'' that fixed the Early Modern perception of Arcadia as a lost world of idyllic bliss, remembered in regretful dirges. The play '' A Midsummer's Night Dream '' by William Shakespeare is set within an Arcadian realm ruled by a fairy king and queen. In the 1590s Sir Philip Sidney circulated copies of his influential heroic romance poem The '' Countess Of Pembroke's Arcadia '' establishing Arcadia as an icon of the Renaissance ; although the story is plentifully supplied with shepherds and other pastoral figures, the central characters of the plot are all royalty visiting the countryside. MODERN USAGE In 1993, Tom Stoppard wrote an acclaimed Play with this title, referring to the sense of classical beauty and order associated with Arcadia. In recent literature, especially fantasy, Arcadia has been used for a magical realm, respective to the Fictional Universe the story occurs. Arcadia according to the best-selling PC-game The Longest Journey was divided from the primordial original world, concentrating fantasy, dreams and magic, while ours, Stark , has been the world of science. 'Arkadia' was also a subterranean world in the French cartoon series '' Spartakus And The Sun Beneath The Sea ''. In Dungeons & Dragons , Arcadia is a plane of existence. It has also been used in Anime creator Leiji Masumoto 's fictional universe as the name of the space pirate Captain Harlock 's space battleship. The name has recently been popularized by its connection to the Pseudohistory of the Freemasons - in particular the Latin Motto " Et In Arcadia Ego " (even here, I {Link without Title} exist.) The phrase is used frequently in Conspiracy fiction and lore, such as the pseudohistorical work '' Holy Blood, Holy Grail '' and the novel '' The Da Vinci Code '', where it is interpreted as an anagram of ''I! Tego Arcana Dei'' (Begone! I know the secrets of God). The Libertines , especially Pete Doherty , use Arcadia as the destination their ship Albion is sailing towards. It is thought of as a place without rules or authority. SEE ALSO
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