In the unfinished novel Heinrich von Ofterdingen by Novalis, there emerges a longing for the meaning of life.
This longing is born from encounters with the mysterious and possesses the power to overcome death. It is described as blue—because, like loyalty, it is bound to distance.
Blue represents mystery and romance, but also illusion and disorientation, the color of Neptune. As in Plato’s Republic, it symbolizes an unattainable ideal—forever distant, forever desired.