''"A book for children. One page is devoted to each of the colours of the Neath, which are not found on the Surface."''<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/THE_NEATHBOW|THE NEATHBOW|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>
{{Object|image1=prism.png|
[[File:Cinder.png|thumb|A Ray-Drenched Cinder, tinted with Neathy colors]]
location = [[The Neath]]<br>[[Parabola]]<br>[[The High Wilderness]] (rarely)||related=[[Slobgollion]]}}<blockquote>''"A dazzling contraption for safely viewing and displaying those colours that are unique to the Neath. Delightful at parties. WARNING: Do not gaze onto the device for longer than seventy-three seconds."''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/F.F._Gebrandt%27s_Patent_Neathoscope,_Containing_and_Displaying_All_Seven_Colours_of_Exotic_Light|F.F. Gebrandt's Patent Neathoscope, Containing and Displaying All Seven Colours of Exotic Light|Fallen London}}</ref></blockquote>
'''The Neathbow''' is the conjectural term for seven colors which cannot be seen on [[the Surface]]. They're most commonly observed in the Neath (hence the name), but they may also turn up in places like [[Parabola]]<ref>{{FLCitation|https://fallenlondon.fandom.com/wiki/Parabola_tattoo|Parabola tattoo|Fallen London|}}</ref> and [[the High Wilderness]].<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/The_Stair_to_the_Sea|The Stair to the Sea|Sunless Skies|}}</ref>
==Irrigo==
The '''N<span style="background-color: #00008b">e</span><span style="background-color: #8B0000">a</span><font color="black"><span style="background-color: #40E0D0">t</span><span style="background-color: #45e040">h</span><span style="background-color: #FFA500">b</span><span style="background-color: #ff00c9">o</span><span style="background-color: #808080">w</span></font>''' is a set of seven impossible colors.__FORCETOC__
''"I is for IRRIGO. No one remembers why. Irrigo colours the forgotten corners of home."''<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/A_Page_from_%27The_Neathbow%27:_Irrigo|A Page from 'The Neathbow': Irrigo|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>
[[File:Irrigoletter.png|thumb]]
The most prominent color of the Neathbow, '''irrigo''' is the unremembered color, the light of absence.<ref>{{FLCitation|https://fallenlondon.fandom.com/wiki/Irrigo|Irrigo|Fallen London|}}</ref> Exposure to it causes severe memory-loss, overexposure to it can result in total ego death, and it can cause thick, bony plates to grow over one's eyes, creating disgusting eyeless skulls.<ref>{{FLCitation|https://fallenlondon.fandom.com/wiki/Struggle_for_the_exit|Struggle for the exit|Fallen London|}}</ref> [[The Cave of the Nadir]] is filled with dangerous irrigo radiation,<ref>{{FLCitation|https://fallenlondon.fandom.com/wiki/The_Catafalquerie|The Catafalquerie|Fallen London|}}</ref> so explorers use tea brewed from Ray-Drenched Cinders to protect themselves.<ref>{{FLCitation|https://fallenlondon.fandom.com/wiki/Enter_the_Cave_of_the_Nadir|Enter the Cave of the Nadir|Fallen London|}}</ref>
Irrigo can be infused into objects,<ref>{{FLCitation|https://fallenlondon.fandom.com/wiki/Pair_of_Irrigo_Goggles|Pair of Irrigo Goggles|Fallen London|}}</ref> and [[The Great Game|Midnighters]] use shrines and robes that are draped in this color to perform their rites.<ref>{{FLCitation|https://fallenlondon.fandom.com/wiki/Shrine_to_Saint_Joshua|Shrine to Saint Joshua|Fallen London|}}</ref> ''[[The Gant Pole|The Irrepressible]]'' notably uses powerful irrigo weaponry.<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/The_Irrepressible|Attempt to detach the Irrigo-cannon|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> Irrigo seems to internally retain the memories it steals, so [[Flukes|Fluke-Cores]] often have years worth of histories and experiences stored within them.<ref>{{FLCitation|https://fallenlondon.fandom.com/wiki/Fluke-Core|Fluke-Core|Fallen London|}}</ref>
== Nightlights ==
<blockquote>''"A book for children. One page is devoted to each of the colours of the Neath, which are not found on the Surface."''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/THE_NEATHBOW|THE NEATHBOW|Sunless Sea}}</ref></blockquote>
[[File:EntrepreneurShades.png|alt=A woman surrounded by inks.|thumb|Shades.]]
The Neathbow is the collective term for seven colors which cannot be seen on the [[Surface]]. They are commonly observed in the [[Neath]], hence the name,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/THE_NEATHBOW|THE NEATHBOW|Sunless Sea}} ''"[...] each of the colours of the Neath, which are not found on the Surface."''</ref> but they also appear in places like [[Parabola]]<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Parabola_tattoo|Parabola tattoo|Fallen London}} ''"There are colours which can only be seen in sleep [...] Cosmogone and viric."''</ref> and the [[High Wilderness]].<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/The_Stair_to_the_Sea#On_the_Quiet_Sea|Approach the Gate|Sunless Skies}} ''"Two vast winged shapes guard a gate of something like resin, smooth but uneven. It is deep gant [...]"''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Deep_in_the_Spawning_Morass#Story_description|Story description|Sunless Skies}} ''"The only light comes from smouldering apocyan pyres [...]"''</ref> The origin of the Neathbow is unknown, but the colors seem to arise from properties of light that only exist "in the dark."<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Prelapsarian_Museum:_Optical_Exhibits|The Prelapsarian Museum: Optical Exhibits|Fallen London}} ''"The centrepiece of this wing will be a series of exhibits on neathy optics – the properties of light that can only exist in the dark."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Whoever_you_can|Whoever you can|Fallen London}} ''"[...] the variant spectrum of night: the colours called irrigo, cosmogone, violant, apocyan."''</ref> Each Neathbow color has unique effects on those exposed: for example, [[irrigo]] light induces memory loss,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Empty_an_irrigo-filled_box|Empty an irrigo-filled box|Fallen London}} ''"The light scrapes a few immediate plans from your mind, the names of a passing acquaintance or two."''</ref> [[viric]] light induces drowsiness,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Empty_a_viric-filled_box|Empty a viric-filled box|Fallen London}} ''"The light lazily seeps out of the box when you open it, or as lazily as light can move. You let out a long, languid yawn."''</ref> and [[violant]] ink is hard to forget and nearly impossible to erase.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlesssea.miraheze.org/wiki/A_Pot_of_Violant_Ink#Item_description|Item description|Sunless Sea}} ''"It's very hard to forget anything you've written in violant ink...""''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Write_something_to_sear_the_eyes_of_fools_and_lift_up_the_great_powers|Write something to sear the eyes of fools and lift up the great powers|Fallen London}} ''"The ink makes the whole indelible."''</ref> Neathbow light can also be trapped and transported in devices called Mirrorcatch Boxes.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Mirrorcatch_Box|Mirrorcatch Box|Fallen London}}</ref> Given these properties, Neathbow colors have many applications, including art,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Shades_of_Yesterday|Shades of Yesterday|Fallen London}} ''"Artists and the literati rejoice — a pen show visits London! [...] Inks, in all the wild colours of the Neath! Try them to your hearts content! [...] look at all the lovely pens."''</ref> technology,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Crack_open_the_Sounder_and_capture_its_operating_principle|Crack open the Sounder and capture its operating principle|Fallen London}} ''"It contains a connection that cannot be easily severed. [...] You will always get a Violant-filled Mirrorcatch Box."''</ref> and esoteric rites.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Shrine_to_Saint_Joshua|Shrine to Saint Joshua|Fallen London}} ''"It is carefully concealed and draped with veils of irrigo, so that you forget the hidden rites almost as soon as they are performed."''</ref>
Irrigo's name comes from the Latin ''irrigo'', meaning to flood or overwhelm.
Neathbow colors are not strict hues; they include shades like normal colors do.<ref>{{Citation|https://discord.com/invite/failbettergames|Bruno (FBG)|Failbetter Games Discord Server}} ''"The neathbow colors contain different shades, just like real colors"''</ref> Thanks to this and the fact that they are "impossible colors" distinct from the spectrum of visible light, their depictions often vary between illustrations.<ref>{{Citation|https://discord.com/invite/failbettergames|Bruno (FBG)|Failbetter Games Discord Server}}''"We are and have been inconsistent in how we represent neathbow colors visually in the games ... Neathbow colors not being real means that we are inherently fudging when we portray them visually."''</ref>
<gallery widths="100" spacing="small">
==Colors==
Midnighter.png|A Shrine to St. Joshua.
<gallery captionalign=center>
Eyeless.png|An eyeless skull.
Peliginletter.png|[[Peligin]]
Nadirgate.png|The Gate of the Nadir
Violantletter.png|[[Violant]]
Irrigo.png|Irrigo fog. Beware.
Apocyanletter.png|[[Apocyan]]
Amberpurple.png|A Nodule of Violet Amber.
Viricletter.png|[[Viric]]
Irrigogoggles.png|A Pair of Irrigo Goggles.
Cosmogone.png|[[Cosmogone]]
Irrigosuit.png|A Strange-Shore Parabola Suit.
Irrigoletter.png|[[Irrigo]]
Irrigodress.png|A Strange-Shore Parabola Frock.
Gantletter.png|[[Gant]]
Nadircobweb.png|A cobweb in the Nadir. Charming.
Nadiraltar.png|A stone altar in the Nadir.
Amber6.png|A Fluke-Core. Mourn the mind that has passed.
Lilac.png|[[The Lady in Lilac]]
</gallery>
</gallery>
==Violant==
''"V marks VIOLANT when blood is shed in a spired place. Violant ink is employed for the most desperate treaties..."''<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/A_Page_from_%27The_Neathbow%27:_Violant|A Page from 'The Neathbow': Violant|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>
[[File:Violantletter.png|thumb]]
'''Violant''' is irrigo's counterpart; it indelibly lingers in one's memory. It's very hard to forget anything written in violant ink.<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/A_Pot_of_Violant_Ink|A Pot of Violant Ink|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> Correspondents use this ink extensively in their esoteric publications, which often shake up the status quo quite well.<ref>{{FLCitation|https://fallenlondon.fandom.com/wiki/Become_a_Correspondent|Become a Correspondent|Fallen London|}}</ref>
The name "violant" could stem from "violent," or "violet," or both.
In addition to the seven colors shown above, a color known as [[slobgollion]], imperceptible to humans but visible to [[Rubbery Men]] among others, exists beyond the edge of the Neathbow "between irrigo and oblivion."<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Slobgollion|Slobgollion|Fallen London|}}''"It's that colour again – that eye-blistering, uncanny colour! Every light-beam bends, stretching into a spectrum: green, viric, blue, apocyan, and all the radiant rest. But there – right there! – somewhere between irrigo and oblivion, another colour floods through the net-of-the-world."''</ref>
<gallery widths="100" spacing="small">
==Historical, Cultural, and Scientific Inspirations==
Correspondent.png|A Pot of Violant Ink.
The Neathbow as a concept was likely inspired by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impossible_color impossible colors]. The specific shades of the Neathbow were likely inspired by the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Additive_color additive] (for light) and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subtractive_color subtractive] (for pigments) color wheels.
violantgate.png|The Violant Gate on [[the Elder Continent]].
</gallery>
==Cosmogone==
Below is fanart of the Neathbow arranged to correspond with the additive and subtractive color wheels:
''"C lights COSMOGONE, the colour of remembered suns. The fecund, the foetid, the fungal: these flourish in the glow of cosmogone."''<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/A_Page_from_%27The_Neathbow%27:_Cosmogone|A Page from 'The Neathbow': Cosmogone|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>
[[File:Cosmogoneletter.png|thumb]]
A shade heavily associated with [[Parabola]], '''cosmogone''' is the color of remembered sunlight. Under its light, fungus and other flora flourishes. It's the most prominent color in a Ray-Drenched Cinder,<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Ray-Drenched_Cinder|Ray-Drenched Cinder|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> and it's the tint of a Glassman's spectacles. Cosmogone is irresistible to the denizens of the mirrors.<ref>{{FLCitation|https://fallenlondon.fandom.com/wiki/Set_of_Cosmogone_Spectacles|Set of Cosmogone Spectacles|Fallen London|}}</ref>
The name "cosmogone" probably comes from the word "cosmogony", the study of the origin of the solar system, or of the universe.
<gallery>
File:Neathbowcirclepaint2.png|Additive
<gallery widths="100" spacing="small">
File:Neathbowcirclesubpaint2.png|Subtractive
Cosmogonespectacles.png|A Glassman's Spectacles.
Parabola medium.png|The Mirror-Marches, bathed in cosmogone light.
</gallery>
</gallery>
==Peligin==
===Name Origins===
''"P drowns in PELIGIN, the colour of the deepest zee."''<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/A_Page_from_%27The_Neathbow%27:_Peligin|A Page from 'The Neathbow': Peligin|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>
Each Neathbow color's name has at least one potential inspiration:
[[File:Peliginletter.png|thumb]]
*"Irrigo" is a Latin word meaning to "flood or overwhelm," or to "diffuse or shed"
'''Peligin''' is the hue of the waters of [[the Unterzee]] and those of the land of the dead{{fact}}. It's the color of the eyes of Monster-Hunters,<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/The_First_Curator#The_First_Curator.27s_Manse|Give it your Hunter's Eye|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> as they have consumed the peligin flesh of zee-monsters.<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Hunter%27s_Eye|Hunter's Eye|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> Peligin is a dark, dark, black, beyond the reach of any light.<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/The_Merciless_Modiste#Interactions|Commission a set of fine clothes|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>
*"Violant" suggests ''violent'' and ''violet''
*"Cosmogone" may be derived from ''cosmogony'', the study of the origins of the solar system, and ''cosmos'' and ''gone''
The term "peligin" likely comes from the Latin ''pelagus'', meaning the sea.
*"Peligin" is a portmanteau of the Latin ''pelagus'', meaning "sea," and the color ''fuligin''. Fuligin is darker than black and is derived from the English word "fuliginous" meaning soot-like; this color was used by Gene Wolfe in his science fiction novel ''The Shadow of the Torturer.''
*"Apocyan" comes from the color ''cyan'', which has a similar hue, and the Greek prefix "apo-", meaning something between "off, away" and "descended from" - like the words apostate (gone-away-from-a-cause) or apocalypse (un-covering)
<gallery widths="100" spacing="small">
*"Viric" is derived from the Latin ''viridis'', meaning "green, blooming, vigorous;" this word is also the source of the similar color ''viridian''
Generic_unterzee4.png|The broad, dark Unterzee.
* The origin of "gant" is unknown other than its resemblance to the word ''gaunt''
Hunterseye.png|A Hunter's Eye.
Mariam.png|[[The Seven Against Nidah#Mariam, the Schemer|Mariam, the Schemer]], with peligin skin.
</gallery>
==Apocyan==
''"A wakes APOCYAN, the blue of memory and brightest coral."''<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/A_Page_from_%27The_Neathbow%27:_Apocyan|A Page from 'The Neathbow': Apocyan|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>
[[File:Apocyanletter.png|thumb]]
'''Apocyan''' is the color of coral, of memory,<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/A_Page_from_%27The_Neathbow%27:_Apocyan|A Page from 'The Neathbow': Apocyan|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> and of the Zee's waves.<ref>{{FLCitation|https://fallenlondon.fandom.com/wiki/Sunless_tattoo|Sunless tattoo|Fallen London|}}</ref> Chess pieces of this color can be harvested from [[Port Cecil]].<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Apocyan_Chess-Piece|Apocyan Chess-Piece|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> Crooked-Crosses often lacquer their crosses in this color.<ref>{{FLCitation|https://fallenlondon.fandom.com/wiki/A_Crooked_Cross|A Crooked Cross|Fallen London|}}</ref> Blue Scintillack is extremely valuable and blazes with apocyanic radiance.<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/A_Lump_of_Blue_Scintillack|A Lump of Blue Scintillack|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> And an apocyanic piece of amber may be what brings down the Bazaar...<ref>{{FLCitation|https://fallenlondon.fandom.com/wiki/%22I_bring_the_Bazaar.%22|"I bring the Bazaar."|Fallen London|}} ''"You paid dearly to get this apocyanic lump into the spire, and more dearly still to get it out, once it had absorbed the imprint you needed. "''</ref>
The name "apocyan" almost certainly derives from the color cyan, which has a similar hue, and "apocalypse".
<gallery widths="100" spacing="small">
Chesspiece_apocyan.png|An Apocyan Chess-Piece.
crookedcross.png|A Crooked-Cross.
Gleam.png|Blue Scintillack.
</gallery>
==Viric==
''"Behind your mirror, V names VIRIC, the colour of shallow sleep."''<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/A_Page_from_%27The_Neathbow%27:_Viric|A Page from 'The Neathbow': Viric|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>
[[File:Viricletter.png|thumb]]
'''Viric''' is the green of shallow sleep. It's heavily associated with [[the Fingerkings]]<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/The_First_Curator#Interactions|Give it your enigmatic painting|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> — Fingerking-possessed [[Clay Men]]'s<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Tireless_Mechanic|Allow the Mechanic to enjoy his sleep|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> (and the Somnolent Hyena's)<ref>{{FLCitation|https://fallenlondon.fandom.com/wiki/Gawp|Gawp|Fallen London|}}</ref> eyes burn with viric fire, and a box of dream-snakes will also glow viric.<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/A_Mirrorcatch_Box_Full_of_Very_Angry_Dream-Snakes|A Mirrorcatch Box Full of Very Angry Dream-Snakes|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> The priests of [[Varchas]] use viric Mirror-Charms to ward off Fingerkings from their dreams.<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/The_Temple_of_Mihir|Dreams of Smoke|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>
When viric light comes into contact with vegetation, it causes it to flourish and grow at an exponential rate.[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/thefifthcity/images/3/3b/20190809130644_1.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20190920023407]
The word "viric" probably comes from the Latin ''vivo'', "alive".
Boxdreamsnakes.png|A Mirrorcatch Box Full of Very Angry Dream-Snakes.
Hyena.png|The Somnolent Hyaena.
</gallery>
==Gant==
''"G is lost in GANT, which remains when all other colours are eaten. Gant can be found where shadows are myriad."''<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/A_Page_from_%27The_Neathbow%27:_Gant|A Page from 'The Neathbow': Gant|Sunless Sea|}}</ref>
[[File:Gantletter.png|thumb]]
The color one sees in the dark, '''gant''' is more beige than one might expect.<ref>{{FLCitation|https://fallenlondon.fandom.com/wiki/A_List_of_Aliases,_Writ_in_Gant|A List of Aliases, Writ in Gant|Fallen London|}}</ref> It is the color of [[the Chelonate|the Eater of Names]]' boat,<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/The_First_Curator#The_First_Curator.27s_Manse|Show it a sketch of the Figurehead of the Eater of Names|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> and zee-beasts go to a place called [[the Gant Pole]] to die.<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Gant_Pole#Port_description|Gant Pole|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> Perhaps most notoriously, it is also the color of the [[Avid Horizon]]'s gate.<ref>{{FLCitation|https://sunlesssea.gamepedia.com/Avid_Horizon#Port_interactions|Avid Horizon|Sunless Sea|}}</ref> Gant ink is used to remove false tattoos;<ref>{{FLCitation|https://fallenlondon.fandom.com/wiki/Offer_to_sponsor_the_ganting_of_the_tattoo_(5_FATE)|Offer to sponsor the ganting of the tattoo (5 FATE)|Fallen London|}}</ref> it also can be used as an invisible ink, meant for writing Licentiates' aliases.<ref>{{FLCitation|https://fallenlondon.fandom.com/wiki/A_List_of_Aliases,_Writ_in_Gant|A List of Aliases, Writ in Gant|Fallen London|}}</ref>
<gallery widths="100" spacing="small">
Licentiate.png|A Licentiate's aliases, written in gant ink.
eaterofnames.png|The Eater of Names's gant bow.
Gantpole2.png|The Gant Pole
Eggblack.png|A shell from the core of [[Frostfound]].
Horizon Skies.png|The Avid Horizon's High Gate.
</gallery>
==Fireworks==
Gant's beige shade may have been inspired by the color [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eigengrau eigengrau], which people reportedly see in the absence of light.<ref>{{Citation|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eigengrau|Eigengrau|Wikipedia}}</ref> It may also be a reference to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmic_latte cosmic latte], the beige-like average color of the universe.
{{major spoiler small}}Fireworks featuring the Neathbow are occasionally lit during the [[Feast of the Exceptional Rose]] to celebrate the occasion.<ref>{{FLCitation|https://fallenlondon.fandom.com/wiki/Arrange_a_Explosion_of_Neath-Colours_on_the_Stroke_of_Midnight_(40_FATE)|Arrange a Explosion of Neath-Colours on the Stroke of Midnight (40 FATE)|Fallen London|}}</ref>
*Irrigo fireworks can help dull memories of hard times.
*Violant fireworks are hard to forget.
*Viric fireworks induce lassitude - sweet dreams!
*Gant fireworks show depth of feeling - grandiose but a bit arrogant.
==References==
==References==
<references/>
''Color wheel art by MidnightVoyager.''
{{Scroll box|text = <references/>}}
[[Category:Other Things of Significance]]
[[Category:Other Things of Significance]]
[[Category:Cited]]
[[Category:Formatted]]
Latest revision as of 17:38, 4 June 2025
"A dazzling contraption for safely viewing and displaying those colours that are unique to the Neath. Delightful at parties. WARNING: Do not gaze onto the device for longer than seventy-three seconds."[1]
"A book for children. One page is devoted to each of the colours of the Neath, which are not found on the Surface."[2]
Shades.
The Neathbow is the collective term for seven colors which cannot be seen on the Surface. They are commonly observed in the Neath, hence the name,[3] but they also appear in places like Parabola[4] and the High Wilderness.[5][6] The origin of the Neathbow is unknown, but the colors seem to arise from properties of light that only exist "in the dark."[7][8] Each Neathbow color has unique effects on those exposed: for example, irrigo light induces memory loss,[9]viric light induces drowsiness,[10] and violant ink is hard to forget and nearly impossible to erase.[11][12] Neathbow light can also be trapped and transported in devices called Mirrorcatch Boxes.[13] Given these properties, Neathbow colors have many applications, including art,[14] technology,[15] and esoteric rites.[16]
Neathbow colors are not strict hues; they include shades like normal colors do.[17] Thanks to this and the fact that they are "impossible colors" distinct from the spectrum of visible light, their depictions often vary between illustrations.[18]
In addition to the seven colors shown above, a color known as slobgollion, imperceptible to humans but visible to Rubbery Men among others, exists beyond the edge of the Neathbow "between irrigo and oblivion."[19]
Historical, Cultural, and Scientific Inspirations[edit]
The Neathbow as a concept was likely inspired by impossible colors. The specific shades of the Neathbow were likely inspired by the additive (for light) and subtractive (for pigments) color wheels.
Below is fanart of the Neathbow arranged to correspond with the additive and subtractive color wheels:
Each Neathbow color's name has at least one potential inspiration:
"Irrigo" is a Latin word meaning to "flood or overwhelm," or to "diffuse or shed"
"Violant" suggests violent and violet
"Cosmogone" may be derived from cosmogony, the study of the origins of the solar system, and cosmos and gone
"Peligin" is a portmanteau of the Latin pelagus, meaning "sea," and the color fuligin. Fuligin is darker than black and is derived from the English word "fuliginous" meaning soot-like; this color was used by Gene Wolfe in his science fiction novel The Shadow of the Torturer.
"Apocyan" comes from the color cyan, which has a similar hue, and the Greek prefix "apo-", meaning something between "off, away" and "descended from" - like the words apostate (gone-away-from-a-cause) or apocalypse (un-covering)
"Viric" is derived from the Latin viridis, meaning "green, blooming, vigorous;" this word is also the source of the similar color viridian
The origin of "gant" is unknown other than its resemblance to the word gaunt
Gant's beige shade may have been inspired by the color eigengrau, which people reportedly see in the absence of light.[20] It may also be a reference to cosmic latte, the beige-like average color of the universe.
↑Empty a viric-filled box, Fallen London"The light lazily seeps out of the box when you open it, or as lazily as light can move. You let out a long, languid yawn."
↑Shades of Yesterday, Fallen London"Artists and the literati rejoice — a pen show visits London! [...] Inks, in all the wild colours of the Neath! Try them to your hearts content! [...] look at all the lovely pens."
↑Shrine to Saint Joshua, Fallen London"It is carefully concealed and draped with veils of irrigo, so that you forget the hidden rites almost as soon as they are performed."
↑Bruno (FBG), Failbetter Games Discord Server"We are and have been inconsistent in how we represent neathbow colors visually in the games ... Neathbow colors not being real means that we are inherently fudging when we portray them visually."
↑Slobgollion, Fallen London"It's that colour again – that eye-blistering, uncanny colour! Every light-beam bends, stretching into a spectrum: green, viric, blue, apocyan, and all the radiant rest. But there – right there! – somewhere between irrigo and oblivion, another colour floods through the net-of-the-world."
Additive
Subtractive
