Today I want to share a little story that means a lot to us: the story behind the name of our studio. We didn’t pick it by chance, and it’s not just a word with an evocative sound. Parelion is a symbol, and it says a lot about how we see our work.
In ancient Greek, παρήλιον (parēlion) means “beside the Sun.” With this word the Greeks described a rare and spectacular phenomenon: what we now call a parhelion or sundog. These are bright spots that appear beside the Sun, almost as if there were a twin, a luminous presence that follows and amplifies its light.
In antiquity, this atmospheric event was often loaded with mythical meaning: a prophecy, a sign of fate, a vision that opened the way to invisible worlds.
The Romans also gave it great weight. The chronicles of Tito Livio mention parhelia appearing over the battlefields or cities, interpreted as prodigies sent by the gods (yes, we’re Italian if that wasn’t obvious). Two Suns in the sky could be read as a symbol of conflict or of power shifting hands, a sign that the order of the world was about to change. It was a phenomenon no one could ignore, because it carried with it the idea of a doubled reality, of a fragile balance ready to transform.
The symbolism is strong and poetic. The parhelion is a reflection, a light that isn’t the Sun but mirrors it, doubles it, tells its story in another form. It’s an invitation to look beyond appearances, to see new possibilities within what already seems defined. It’s both image and illusion, reality and parallel vision.
And that’s exactly why we call ourselves Parelion Studios. For us, the parhelion represents the same tension that drives our stories: the desire to explore parallel worlds, to transform what feels familiar into something new, to guide the player’s gaze toward unexpected perspectives. Just as the sundog stands beside the Sun, our games aim to stand beside the player—reflecting reality while also opening it up to unseen possibilities.
Jacob Heinrich Elbfas, Vädersoltavlan, 17th century – Licence: Public domain old
Augsburg Book of Miracles, Parhelion on Münster sky, 16th century – Licence: Public domain old
There’s a natural connection between this symbol and the audiovisual world: both cinema and video games are plays of light, refractions that turn into stories, visions that transform experience into emotion. For us, the parelion is the perfect metaphor for how we create: taking the light that’s already there and refracting it into new directions.
It’s definitely an ambitious symbol to carry on our shoulders, but as a lifelong role-playing gamer, I wouldn’t have settled for anything less (also, Parhelion with the H was already taken, indie vibes). I don't want to spoil here what a parhelion looks like in nature, go and have a look. If symbols fascinate you, we invite you to follow us: you’ll always find plenty of them here, and in our projects.
—Mattia