Topic: Noms. Noms de guerre, noms de plume, noms de sang, omnomnom...

[Lumi Kløvstad]

This thread is all about discussing the names of characters, and what we can learn about them from that.

We all know Walter has a lot of parallels with Dracula, and some are not so immediately obvious.

For instance, their names, Vlad and Walter, both derive from the german root "Wald", literally: "to rule". "Walter" and its more ancient variant "Waldihar" both mean "the Ruler of an Army", while "Vladislav" (which would later be latinized into "Vladislaus" because church people are weird) means "the Ruler of Glory" or "Glorified Prince" depending on how one stresses it. "Vlad", the simplified version, simply means "Ruler".

It's fairly common knowledge that Leon means "Lion" indicating the Belmont patriarch's courage in battle and unwavering resolve, and Richter means, "Judge", or at least it does in the High German "Rihtære", which given his final dialog with Dracula (in which he condemns the Count for his monstrous ways), seems appropriate.

But what about Mathias? Mathias is a variant on "Matthias" which in turn derives from "Matthew" which comes from the Hebrew "Mattityahu", or "Gift of Yahweh", which is probably meant to indicate his pious nature prior to becoming Dracula. His last name, Cronqvist, is Swedish and means "crown twig" which communicates that he is from a family of nobility.

However, it is also somewhat phonetically similar to the name of a real man, Matthias Corvinus, who was the king of Hungary and betrayed the real Count Vlad Dracula, and it's hard to believe the writers would have missed that.

Trevor is a Welsh name that derives from "trefmawr" which means "Big Village". With so many Germanic and Slavic names in the Castlevania canon, the presence of a Welsh name seems rather out of place. However, his name in the Japanese script, Ralph, is more appropriate. Ralph derives from the Nordic "Ráðúlfr" and its later Norman simplification, Radulf. Ráðúlfr means "The Wolf's Counsel". Fittingly, Trevor's incarnation in Lords of Shadow is associated with wolves and later serves as a counselor to Gabriel, befitting his original name.

Reinhardt Schneider from Castlevania 64 has a difficult name. While Reinhardt (with the t on the end) is not a common name, it is a variant of Reinhard, which in turn is a german pronunciation of "Reinard" which is an ENGLISH TAKE on the old German "Raginhard" which roughly means "brave/bold advice". The surname "Schneider" literally means "the one who cuts" and is a common surname in Germany and Austria. It is worth noting that Maria and Annette's surname of Renard also derive from this same Germanic root, but their given names indicate a French origin, which suggests that the families aren't directly related (but they still may be, as Reinhardt is related to the Belmonts and he does come after Richter's era, so there may be more there that it looks like at first blush).

Annette is a French diminutive of "Anna" which derives from the Hebrew "Hannah" which means "Grace", befitting her gentle personality.

Maria is an English spelling for the Greek name "Mariam", which comes from the Hebrew "Miryam" ("Miriam" also roots in this Hebrew, for you Bloodstained fans). The meaning is not known for certain, but there are several theories including "sea of bitterness", "rebelliousness", and "wished for child". However it was most likely originally an Egyptian name, perhaps derived in part from mry "beloved" or mr "love". Given what we know of Maria's personality in Rondo of Blood, "rebelliousness" seems to be apt, describing her petulant attitude towards the idea of staying behind, and continuing after Richter anyway, no matter what.

"Carmilla" is a made up name by Sheridan le Fanu, but has a root in (surprisingly NOT Camilla as you'd expect), but instead "Carmella", which comes from Carmel and the Hebrew "Karmel", which means "Garden". While not relevant in Castlevania proper, the name is plenty appropriate in the original book: Carmilla and Laura do spend quite a lot of time in the Schloss' garden.

There's a bunch of names in Castlevania, and most of them aren't just chosen because they sound good -- they all have something to say. Try digging through the names of your favorite characters. You may be surprised what you learn.

[theplottwist]

It is worth noting that Maria and Annette's surname of Renard also derive from this same Germanic root, but their given names indicate a French origin, which suggests that the families aren't directly related (but they still may be, as Reinhardt is related to the Belmonts and he does come after Richter's era, so there may be more there that it looks like at first blush).

Here I'm again to be that guy.
Maria and Annette are not related, so Annette's last name is unknown. Maria is related to the Belmonts.

Your point stands about the name meaning, tho.

("Miriam" also roots in this Hebrew, for you Bloodstained fans)

Miriam is ALSO the name of a real alchemist.

[TatteredSeraph]

I can see why though it's a common assumption though that Maria and Annette are related/ sisters.  I've seen it referenced to in a lot of stuff over the years.  It's very common in fanfictions, I've noticed.

[Lumi Kløvstad]

I can see why though it's a common assumption though that Maria and Annette are related/ sisters.  I've seen it referenced to in a lot of stuff over the years.  It's very common in fanfictions, I've noticed.

They're outright stated to be sisters in the SNES port, which is the root of all of it.

[VladCT]

IIRC this stems from a misconception due to Maria calling Annette "onee-chan" in the original RoB, which can also be used as a honorific for a woman that's older than you if I'm not mistaken.

[Dracula9]

No, to the best of my knowledge "onee-[honorific]" is explicitly used for siblings. In the context of RoB it may be some previous backstory of Annette raising Maria like an older sister or some convoluted thing like that, but we'll never know. Unless I'm wrong about onee being a sibling-specific honorific.

My contribution to the thread: Grant is "the nasty." Don't know what "the nasty" entails but I know I don't want any part of it.

[theplottwist]

No, to the best of my knowledge "onee-[honorific]" is explicitly used for siblings. In the context of RoB it may be some previous backstory of Annette raising Maria like an older sister or some convoluted thing like that, but we'll never know. Unless I'm wrong about onee being a sibling-specific honorific.

It is a sibling honorific, but it can also be used by someone young to speak to someone older. When first meeting Richter, Maria calls him "Oni-chan" multiple times, and we know she is not his sister. We can also see she is not aware of who Richter is (or not completelly aware, since she does call him by name at first) because he has to introduce himself formally. Watch from 3:40 forward.

https://youtu.be/QMgAIuov4oI

EDIT: Apparently, Maria is utterly clueless about who Richter is, yet calls him "Oni-chan" anyway: http://castlevania.wikia.com/wiki/Castlevania:_Rondo_of_Blood/Voice_Translations

[Shiroi Koumori]

Mina calls Yoko, Oneechan if I am not mistaken.
You can call anyone older than you Oniichan or Oneechan as a term of endearment.

[TatteredSeraph]

No, to the best of my knowledge "onee-[honorific]" is explicitly used for siblings. In the context of RoB it may be some previous backstory of Annette raising Maria like an older sister or some convoluted thing like that, but we'll never know. Unless I'm wrong about onee being a sibling-specific honorific.

My contribution to the thread: Grant is "the nasty." Don't know what "the nasty" entails but I know I don't want any part of it.

My thoughts are that 'DaNasty' is a corruption of the name 'Danesti' - who in real life are a main sub-branch family of the House of Basarab, to which the House of Draculesti (i.e. Vlad II Dracul's family) is also a main sub-branch.

[Jorge D. Fuentes]

Yeah, I thought it was already decided that DaNasty came from Danesti.

[Dracula9]

I'm well aware where it comes from, but it's a hilarious translation hiccup nonetheless.

[Lumi Kløvstad]

Gonna bump this thread with another interesting set of names, this time from Harmony of Dissonance.

I did some research into Maxim's name, and aside from his given name being a Russian, Belarusan and Ukrainian take on the old Roman name "Maximus" (meaning, "Greatest" -- who saw THAT root coming a mile away?), I was unable to determine a meaning for his surname. However, "Kischne" is a real surname, generally coming from the region we now know as Poland. Furthermore, his clothing design includes some Cossack elements, and I think it's fair to say then that Maxim is likely Polish himself. His name's translation to "Greatest" pretty obviously speaks to his desire to match or surpass Juste.

Speaking of Juste, I have been mispronouncing his name for YEARS as "Joost" which is the Dutch version, but his name is spelled in the French manner and is more properly pronounced "Jeu-ste" with a more flowing "J" sound and a harder accent on the "e" at the end; it is by no means a silent "e", which I'd always assumed because I am American and therefore lazy with words. His name, predictably, means "[the] Just One", "Fair", "True" and "Rightful". I'm gonna lean on the definition "Rightful" for his name, as he is the rightful heir to the Vampire Killer, and the story makes note that he earned the right to wield the VK at 16, younger than any prior Belmont. However, the meaning of "The Just One" is also significant, as he is either Richter's father or grandfather, and Richter's name means "Judge" as previously mentioned.

In other words, the Just One gives rise to the Judge.

Pretty cool.

Lydie Erlanger's name isn't quite as interesting. "Lydie" is yet another French name simply derived from the Greek "Lydia" which means "From [the region of] Lydia", which was a location on the west coast of Asia Minor. Her last name, Erlanger, likewise means "From Erlangen" (a VERY old town in Germany, going back to before 1002 AD -- we don't really know how old the place is because that's the oldest reference to it).

Basically, Lydie is named for two locations, one in the Middle East and the other in Germany. I can't see that as being particularly significant unless I really stretch things and call it a metaphor for the dual Castles in Harmony of Dissonance, but I think that's taking things a bridge too far, honestly.

[Lumi Kløvstad]

This has been much more fun than I anticipated. I'd like to follow up with some decrypting of names from the Sorrow Saga.

Yoko derives from "Youko", which has two origins depending on regional context. The first, 陽 (you) means "sun, sunlight", and can describe her upbeat disposition and her heroic standing in the narrative. The second, 洋 (you) "ocean" combines with 子 (ko) "child".

Soma Cruz is probably one of the most meaningful names in the canon, with multiple layers. "Soma" in Hungarian means "dogwood", which is very apt due to dogwood's use in making magic wands. To quote a friend (who specializes in real life wand making):

Dogwood is not only a genial wood but reflects upon the personality of your friend, as it's maker and user. Dogwood is a sturdy but often overlooked wood in wand making because it's seems to be soft and unreliable. Once made into a wand though it's extremely strong and often channels the compassionate and easygoing nature of the person wielding it. Much like willow it is one of the "gentle" woods and the person using it is often respected as being "one with nature" or "an easy witch to work with" and for being "not an overbearing spellcaster". Dogwood has a lot of power but it is gentle.

I think that matches Soma's personality almost to a tee.

But wait! There's more!

In Sankskrit, Soma has a totally different meaning: "lunar nectar". This comes from the name of an intoxicant used in ancient Vedic rituals, prepared from the juice of an as-yet unidentified plant, which is from the Indo-European seu- "juice", ultimately from the root seue- "to take liquid" (cf. Sanskrit sunoti "presses out juice"). Soma is also the name of the Rigvedic moon god (sometimes identified with Chandra).

I find this "moon god" association in particular interesting, as it reflects his status as the reincarnation of Dracula, who was in essence an opposite number (or at least fancied himself such) to God, ruling over all things that dwell in the night.

The Castlevania Wiki brings up some further good points:

His first name, Soma, means the "entire body", referencing how he has the power of dominance. His last name is somewhat of a pun, Cruz is the Spanish and Portuguese word for Cross, which is commonly used against Vampires in fiction.

His Japanese name is Kurusu Sōma (来須蒼真); Sōma is his given name. The kanji that compose his name mean, in order, 'come/next' (kuru), 'by all means' (su), 'pale/blue' (sō), 'truth/reality' (ma). Taken together, the name hints that he is the true inheritor of Dracula's power, and will definitely receive them. The kanji for 'pale', interestingly, is also used as a euphemism for being inexperienced or unripe. [i.e;] Soma has not yet reached his full potential.

[yamabigdog]

Wow, interesting read.  One would not think so much effort went into just the names.

[Lumi Kløvstad]

Wow, interesting read.  One would not think so much effort went into just the names.

The best part of all of this is sometimes a creator picks a name just because it sounds nice, and it winds up being staggeringly appropriate.

A good example is "Clark Kent", aka Superman in his spare time.

"Clark" derives from an old English surname meaning "Cleric" or "Scribe", which is surprisingly fitting for Superman, reflecting his position as both a moral beacon for the DC Universe (the Cleric), and his day job as a reporter (the Scribe).

Chances are nine out of ten his creators didn't know that about his name, and just picked it because it sounded "ordinarily American". It's fun to see how the names authors and writer's choose wind up speaking SOMETHING about the character, even when that isn't intended.