by EVE Online2:00pm on Tuesday 3rd March 2026
Dedicated capsuleers,
At Fanfest 2026, capsuleers will get a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to contribute to the Capsuleer Edda, a cultural and archival project preserving the living history of EVE Online.
Drawing on Icelandic manuscript traditions and saga culture, this historical project translates a digital player-driven universe into a physical object meant to endure. It brings together calligraphy, historical narrative, material experimentation, and symbolic participation.
It is the entire history of the capsuleers of New Eden, written in their own blood, designed to last for millennia.
Yes. Yes we did. It is a purely symbolic gesture, as blood is not a durable writing material. This manuscript is designed to last, so using pure blood would defeat the purpose. Using some blood will make this more meaningful, however.
Visitors to Fanfest 2026 will be invited to contribute a single drop of blood each, which will be infused with a historically based 17th century ink structure, that is formulated to stand the test of time.
The project is non-clinical in nature, completely voluntary, anonymous, and non-diagnostic. It will be overseen by trained professionals.
All blood samples will be pooled into a single composite material, after which individual samples cannot be separated, contributors cannot be identified, and withdrawal is no longer possible.
Human culture increasingly exists online, including social systems, economies, shared history, and forums of self-governance. While many of these spaces may feel permanent, they are not.
They are owned by companies, they change and evolve, and in some cases may disappear.
Human means of preservation have become less and less permanent throughout history. We started by preserving information in stone, which can last millions of years. Then skin, which lasts for millennia. Then paper, digital media, and finally the cloud, each medium solving certain problems but introducing others.
The Capsuleer Edda doesn’t solve digital preservation, nor does it attempt to do so. What it does is take one long-lived digital society and preserve its history in a durable, physical form. The materials and methods have been chosen for longevity.
The tome will be produced on vellum, which has a long history as durable manuscript material. It is ethically sourced, chosen for its archival properties. The point is not to revive lost traditions, but to choose the most durable materials available.
EVE Online has been operating continuously for more than two decades, its open world shaped by capsuleers over time. Few digital spaces can boast this level of continuity, making it uniquely suitable for this kind of cultural reservation.
The Capsuleer Edda is commissioned by Icelandic authors, writing to reflect the history and shared experience of EVE Online as a digital culture.
The contributing writers are Andri Snær Magnason and Jónas Reynir Gunnarsson. They will preserve capsuleer stories in verse, producing a work of art rather than a purely biographical text. They have been interviewing the EVE community, getting feedback, and scouring the player-driven history of New Eden to inspire and inform their epic poetry.
The manuscript will be hand-written by a professional calligrapher and intentionally left unsigned to reflect historical manuscript traditions, in which scribes documented sagas without credit.
More information about the Capsuleer Edda, including live readings from selected poems, will be revealed at EVE Fanfest 2026. Guests will also get the opportunity to be a part of the preservation of capsuleer history by donating a drop of blood to the project. Registration to be a part of the project is open until 2 April at 15:00 UTC.
If you have yet to secure your Fanfest ticket, act now, as they are almost sold out.
We look forward to seeing you in Iceland and having you become a part of the Capsuleer Edda.