Irelia in "Defiant Blade" - "We are the defenders of the FIRST LANDS"
Ionia is apparently the first lands that were populated by sentient beings, or even the first "created."
Right from the start if ya'll don't want to read: Is this the truth or simply part of Ionia's mythology? There's implications that can work for both options.
Ionia has been getting a lot of attention from Riot in the Lore department, with a lot of recent champions from these past two years. Jhin, Taliyah indirectly with her time with Yasuo in the land, Kled referencing the Noxus-Ionia war, Xayah and Rakan, and Kayn, and now the recent reworks of Swain and Irelia. It's been the focus of many recent champions and lores that people have occasionally complained about the attention Ionia gets thanks to it being the land inspired by Asia and thus a "weeb magnet."
Ionia has been described as a land where magic flows throughout, so much so that it's become an integral part of the life of all of its denizens. Often times in fantasy settings, places described as so are ancient, sacred lands that have a lot to do with the creation story of a world. Xayah has said that the Vastaya, most of which are centered in or around Ionia, predated humans in Runeterra, as well as gave everything in nature their "names," though maybe this should be taken with a grain of salt considering how fervent she is. Ionia has obviously become a highly important land in the story of Runeterra, and maybe these past years of constant references and attention from Riot was building up to this.
However, Riot has been doing an excellent job of making their world, the world of League, a place with more realism; religion and beliefs are an important part of any world building venture. Humans here in the real world have been prone to making stories that reflect their land, community, race, and nation as superior to any others', especially those that were aware of and often came into contact with other races. The Japanese believed their land was created from drops of mud that were splashed with an extravagant jeweled spear. The Ainu of Northern Japan and Far Eastern Russia passed down the idea that the best land made by their gods, the most fertile and abundant, was reserved specifically for them. Egyptians thought the first lands receded from the waters, indirectly referring to the seasonal flooding and receding waters of the Nile, a place where they can observe the remnant of this primal event unfold from a front row seat. All the religions and mythologies with Flood Stories (Famously Noah in Judeo-Christain-Islamic, but Hindu, Greek, and a lot of Native American myths just to name a few), claim the sole survivor was the ancestor of their people. Needless to say of the large bout of European and European decedent supremacy that was prevalent throughout the entirety of the 1000s to 1900s.
The point is the inclusion of mythology makes a world more colorful, and with religion, creation stories often paint their tellers and writers as "special." This whole "first lands" thing Irelia says in reference to Ionia could just be part of Ionia's mythology, and not absolute fact. Sure, there's a lot special about Ionia and its people, but humans crave the feeling of being superior to others, or having something to say about their identity that others "cannot." Makes the narrative of the League of Legends lore so much more flavorful and real.
If we could get Rioter confirmation for either case, that would be nice. Otherwise, what do the rest of my fellows think about this? (inb4: League catering to weebs comments).
