FF6 Character Name Origins
2001-06-28 20:20 | quale
(转自http://www.s3.rpgclassics.com/ffcompendium/)
Locke Cole: Could be named after John Locke, a philospher whose beliefs were instrumental in shaping America’s early history. There’s also the obvious pun on the word "lock" - you need him to unlock the doors in Narshe - and in that vein, there’s a company named "Cole" that produces keys!
Setzer: OK, here’s some more speculation. "Setzer" by itself means "typesetter" (hardly a meaningful name). But the German expression used when betting on numbers or horses is "setzen"! For example, "10 Mark auf Nummer 23 setzen" means "bet 10 Marks on number 23". So "Setzer" could imply "the one who puts down the money -> "gambler"; though I’ve never heard the word "Setzer" used to mean "gambler". Anyway, it’s still nice-sounding even if it’s a coincidence. It’s my single favorite character name in the entire FF series.
Terra: Her name means "earth". Could have something to do with her being the link between the Earth and the Esper world...? But also, there was a building named "Terra Firm" located just outside the Square offices in Washington... maybe Ted Woolsey looked out the window and thought, "Hmmm....? [In the Japanese version her name is Tina, though.]
Daryl - Her name means "well-loved." Appropriate for her relationship with Setzer. Here are some more of the main characters’ name etymologies, thanks to Kate Malloy (so she’s the "I" in the next few entries).
Edgar Figaro - His name is of Teutonic origin. I’ve seen it defined as either "wealthy gentleman" (he is a king) or "fortunate spear" (the spear is his best weapon) There is also an opera called "Edgar," so he’s got a double operatic name. The famous opera "The Marriage of Figaro" features music by Mozart.
Sabin - His name is of Italian origin. It comes from the Sabine tribe. According to legend, the Roman settlers kidnapped all of the Sabine women. (That part has nothing to do with Sabin.) The name is more common in Europe in the feminine form, Sabine. His middle name, Rene, means "reborn" and is also more common in the feminine form. Also there was a biologist named Sabin, who was responsible for curing a muscle virus. And Sabin’s muscles look pretty tough, right? [In the Japanese version his name is Mash, which probably refers to his ability to mash his opponents into a pulp. 8-)]
Celes Chere - Celes’s last name is French and means "dear." Her first name could be related to "celestial", or heavenly, which would be in contrast to Terra’s "earth".
[From The Final Fantasy Usenet FAQ: Celes probably got her name from the Roman goddess of grain and harvests, Ceres ("Demeter" in Greek mythology). According to Greek myth, Ceres’s habits and work schedules were what caused seasons to happen - her daughter, Persephone, was taken by Pluto to be his wife. Jupiter would allow Persephone to be with Ceres half of the year (between late March and early September) and be with Pluto the other half; therefore, when Persephone was with Ceres, she would be at work and crops would prosper, and when Persephone was with Pluto, Ceres would confine herself to mourning and crops would be affected. Thus, the seasons are created - Spring and Summer when Ceres is at work, and Fall and Winter when Ceres is sequested in mourning.]
Gau - Back in the times of the Romans, France was known as Gaul. There were tribes of wild men living in the north. They might have been called Gaus, or Gauls.
Gogo - See Gogo from FF5.
Cyan Garamonde - "Monde" means "world" in French; I’ve no clue about the "Gara" part. (It could be "train station" in French??) Also there was a famous typesetter named Garamonde. The font named for him is used in Apple’s manuals. (that has nothing to do with Cyan, of course :) [Cyan is a light-blue color. In Japan his name was Cayenne, a kind of pepper.]
Elayne - Elaine was the "Lily Maiden" of Arthurian legend. She was related to several important people (Lancelot, I think, was one) and when she died, she was sent out to sea in a funeral barge. In fact, she is the mother of Galahad in T. H. White’s "The Once and Future King".
Owain - Uwain was one of Arthur’s knights and a king in the English legends. He was Gawain’s brother and he ruled the kingdom for a time.
Billy: In FF6j, Baram (from Shadow’s dreams) is called Billy. Since he’s a train robber, maybe his name was inspired by Billy the Kid, famous outlaw from the American Old West? Also Shadow’s real name is Clyde, like one half of the famous pair of outlaws "Bonnie and Clyde". Also, in Bret Harte’s story The Outcasts of Poker Flat, there was a thief named Billy Setzer (!) who gets kicked out of town.
Vicks and Wedge, the two soldiers from the Empire, are characters in the famous 1977 George Lucas film "Star Wars". They’re pilots for the rebel alliance. But in actuality, Vicks should be Biggs... [In later FF games, the Biggs was restored, and even in the FF Anthology re-release of FF6. However, in Chrono Trigger it’s still Vicks.]
Siegfried (’ziek-friet): Named for the hero of the legendary German tale of the Ring of the Nibelung. (This was the story upon which Richard Wagner based his opera, which contains many famous music pieces including "The Ride of the Valkyries". Trust me, you’ve heard some of these before.) Incidentally, Siegfried literally means "victory" (Sieg) and "peace" (Friede).
Here’s a short summary of Siegfried’s story:
The god Wotan (aka the very familiar Odin) wanted to reclaim the Ring of the Nibelung and tried to use the hero Siegfried to do it. Siegfried’s body was invulnerable except for his shoulder blades, and he could talk to animals. He was born and raised in a forest and proved his heroism by killing Fafner, the evil dragon. The sword he used was made by a dwarf named Regin, and the idea that dwarves make the best weapons (which frequently pops up in these games) came from this mythology. But he ends up getting killed and his beloved Brunnhilde kills herself in the end. (That’s in one version of the story; in another, he and Brunnhilde survive Ragnarok and repopulate the world.)
The Evil Emperor Gestahl (gesh-’tahl): Well, this name sounds a bit like "gestohlen" or "stahl", both of which mean "stole" in German. (For grammar experts, "gestohlen" is in perfect tense. "Stahl" the noun means steel.) In the original FF6j his name was "Ghastra" - [probably from the word "ghastly"] but they changed it in FF3.
Kefka: Well, his name vaguely resembles that of German author Franz Kafka. One of his works is entitled "Metamorphosis", and that’s the effect of the Ragnarok Esper - "Metamorph". That doesn’t have anything to do with Kefka though.
Hidon: Now this name is interesting! It’s the same in both the Japanese and American games, but has two completely diferent meanings. In the English version, Gungho says something about "as his name implies," referring to the word ’hide’ embeded in ’Hidon’. In the Japanese version, however, ’Hidon’ brings to mind the word ’hidoi’, which means ’terrible’ or ’scary’. A nice coincidence!
Maduin: Originally spelled "Mael Duin." (but "Madin" in FF6j) Mael Duin is a major hero of Irish Mythology. Son of Ailill, he was raised by nuns after his father was killed by raiders. When told his father’s story, Mael Duin sets out with sixteen warriors to avenge his death, and his subsquesent voyages have been called the "Irish Odyssey."
Ramuh: See Summons.
Yura: Just a nickname for "Yuri", a popular Russian male name.
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Locke Cole: Could be named after John Locke, a philospher whose beliefs were instrumental in shaping America’s early history. There’s also the obvious pun on the word "lock" - you need him to unlock the doors in Narshe - and in that vein, there’s a company named "Cole" that produces keys!
Setzer: OK, here’s some more speculation. "Setzer" by itself means "typesetter" (hardly a meaningful name). But the German expression used when betting on numbers or horses is "setzen"! For example, "10 Mark auf Nummer 23 setzen" means "bet 10 Marks on number 23". So "Setzer" could imply "the one who puts down the money -> "gambler"; though I’ve never heard the word "Setzer" used to mean "gambler". Anyway, it’s still nice-sounding even if it’s a coincidence. It’s my single favorite character name in the entire FF series.
Terra: Her name means "earth". Could have something to do with her being the link between the Earth and the Esper world...? But also, there was a building named "Terra Firm" located just outside the Square offices in Washington... maybe Ted Woolsey looked out the window and thought, "Hmmm....? [In the Japanese version her name is Tina, though.]
Daryl - Her name means "well-loved." Appropriate for her relationship with Setzer. Here are some more of the main characters’ name etymologies, thanks to Kate Malloy (so she’s the "I" in the next few entries).
Edgar Figaro - His name is of Teutonic origin. I’ve seen it defined as either "wealthy gentleman" (he is a king) or "fortunate spear" (the spear is his best weapon) There is also an opera called "Edgar," so he’s got a double operatic name. The famous opera "The Marriage of Figaro" features music by Mozart.
Sabin - His name is of Italian origin. It comes from the Sabine tribe. According to legend, the Roman settlers kidnapped all of the Sabine women. (That part has nothing to do with Sabin.) The name is more common in Europe in the feminine form, Sabine. His middle name, Rene, means "reborn" and is also more common in the feminine form. Also there was a biologist named Sabin, who was responsible for curing a muscle virus. And Sabin’s muscles look pretty tough, right? [In the Japanese version his name is Mash, which probably refers to his ability to mash his opponents into a pulp. 8-)]
Celes Chere - Celes’s last name is French and means "dear." Her first name could be related to "celestial", or heavenly, which would be in contrast to Terra’s "earth".
[From The Final Fantasy Usenet FAQ: Celes probably got her name from the Roman goddess of grain and harvests, Ceres ("Demeter" in Greek mythology). According to Greek myth, Ceres’s habits and work schedules were what caused seasons to happen - her daughter, Persephone, was taken by Pluto to be his wife. Jupiter would allow Persephone to be with Ceres half of the year (between late March and early September) and be with Pluto the other half; therefore, when Persephone was with Ceres, she would be at work and crops would prosper, and when Persephone was with Pluto, Ceres would confine herself to mourning and crops would be affected. Thus, the seasons are created - Spring and Summer when Ceres is at work, and Fall and Winter when Ceres is sequested in mourning.]
Gau - Back in the times of the Romans, France was known as Gaul. There were tribes of wild men living in the north. They might have been called Gaus, or Gauls.
Gogo - See Gogo from FF5.
Cyan Garamonde - "Monde" means "world" in French; I’ve no clue about the "Gara" part. (It could be "train station" in French??) Also there was a famous typesetter named Garamonde. The font named for him is used in Apple’s manuals. (that has nothing to do with Cyan, of course :) [Cyan is a light-blue color. In Japan his name was Cayenne, a kind of pepper.]
Elayne - Elaine was the "Lily Maiden" of Arthurian legend. She was related to several important people (Lancelot, I think, was one) and when she died, she was sent out to sea in a funeral barge. In fact, she is the mother of Galahad in T. H. White’s "The Once and Future King".
Owain - Uwain was one of Arthur’s knights and a king in the English legends. He was Gawain’s brother and he ruled the kingdom for a time.
Billy: In FF6j, Baram (from Shadow’s dreams) is called Billy. Since he’s a train robber, maybe his name was inspired by Billy the Kid, famous outlaw from the American Old West? Also Shadow’s real name is Clyde, like one half of the famous pair of outlaws "Bonnie and Clyde". Also, in Bret Harte’s story The Outcasts of Poker Flat, there was a thief named Billy Setzer (!) who gets kicked out of town.
Vicks and Wedge, the two soldiers from the Empire, are characters in the famous 1977 George Lucas film "Star Wars". They’re pilots for the rebel alliance. But in actuality, Vicks should be Biggs... [In later FF games, the Biggs was restored, and even in the FF Anthology re-release of FF6. However, in Chrono Trigger it’s still Vicks.]
Siegfried (’ziek-friet): Named for the hero of the legendary German tale of the Ring of the Nibelung. (This was the story upon which Richard Wagner based his opera, which contains many famous music pieces including "The Ride of the Valkyries". Trust me, you’ve heard some of these before.) Incidentally, Siegfried literally means "victory" (Sieg) and "peace" (Friede).
Here’s a short summary of Siegfried’s story:
The god Wotan (aka the very familiar Odin) wanted to reclaim the Ring of the Nibelung and tried to use the hero Siegfried to do it. Siegfried’s body was invulnerable except for his shoulder blades, and he could talk to animals. He was born and raised in a forest and proved his heroism by killing Fafner, the evil dragon. The sword he used was made by a dwarf named Regin, and the idea that dwarves make the best weapons (which frequently pops up in these games) came from this mythology. But he ends up getting killed and his beloved Brunnhilde kills herself in the end. (That’s in one version of the story; in another, he and Brunnhilde survive Ragnarok and repopulate the world.)
The Evil Emperor Gestahl (gesh-’tahl): Well, this name sounds a bit like "gestohlen" or "stahl", both of which mean "stole" in German. (For grammar experts, "gestohlen" is in perfect tense. "Stahl" the noun means steel.) In the original FF6j his name was "Ghastra" - [probably from the word "ghastly"] but they changed it in FF3.
Kefka: Well, his name vaguely resembles that of German author Franz Kafka. One of his works is entitled "Metamorphosis", and that’s the effect of the Ragnarok Esper - "Metamorph". That doesn’t have anything to do with Kefka though.
Hidon: Now this name is interesting! It’s the same in both the Japanese and American games, but has two completely diferent meanings. In the English version, Gungho says something about "as his name implies," referring to the word ’hide’ embeded in ’Hidon’. In the Japanese version, however, ’Hidon’ brings to mind the word ’hidoi’, which means ’terrible’ or ’scary’. A nice coincidence!
Maduin: Originally spelled "Mael Duin." (but "Madin" in FF6j) Mael Duin is a major hero of Irish Mythology. Son of Ailill, he was raised by nuns after his father was killed by raiders. When told his father’s story, Mael Duin sets out with sixteen warriors to avenge his death, and his subsquesent voyages have been called the "Irish Odyssey."
Ramuh: See Summons.
Yura: Just a nickname for "Yuri", a popular Russian male name.
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