Race Naming Conventions for Viera and Hrothgar

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Originally Posted by nariya

I think it’s fine, and I really quite like it for a male Viera! I also wish we could use accents because, as I said, I went with the name Fjola but it should technically be Fjóla. Anyway, Týndur still makes sense as Tyndur so I wouldn’t worry about it at all!

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Thank you so much! Also, Fjóla is a really beautiful name. <3

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Originally Posted by Moxiesan

Please release a statement about Viera/Hrothgar naming conventions. At the very least, give us a date! I've been waiting to rename my Viera to something lore friendly...

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Same. Mine's currently running around with a Xaela Au Ra name. D=

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Originally Posted by YanderePrincess

Same. Mine's currently running around with a Xaela Au Ra name. D=

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If you think that's bad, try femroe :p

If it helps anyone any... I did some name googling from the generator while I was waiting for Jenova to open up to character creation again (which it finally did thank god!), and I noticed that there were two general divisions in the names. You have your northern, Irish/Scottish/Scandinavian/Russian, names and your southern, Greek/Hindu/Other Near Eastern, ones.

Given what we know of the two tribes so far, I'd hazard a guess that the Veena are your northern names and the Rava are your southern ones. Based on that, I went ahead and named my Veena alt Sonja Forsberg.

I grant you, the actual conventions would be better, and googling name meanings is kind of a pain, but I hope that helps out some folks anyway! :)

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Originally Posted by YanderePrincess

Same. Mine's currently running around with a Xaela Au Ra name. D=

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Same here. And it feels so weird. :X

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Originally Posted by Kytrin

If it helps anyone any... I did some name googling from the generator while I was waiting for Jenova to open up to character creation again (which it finally did thank god!), and I noticed that there were two general divisions in the names. You have your northern, Irish/Scottish/Scandinavian/Russian, names and your southern, Greek/Hindu/Other Near Eastern, ones.

Given what we know of the two tribes so far, I'd hazard a guess that the Veena are your northern names and the Rava are your southern ones. Based on that, I went ahead and named my Veena alt Sonja Forsberg.

I grant you, the actual conventions would be better, and googling name meanings is kind of a pain, but I hope that helps out some folks anyway! :)

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There doesn't appear to be a difference between Rava and Veena first names in the name generator, though. And it was Rava Viera (or their equivalent) that we met in FFXII, all of whom had Icelandic-sounding names (except Fran, but her name is still European rather than Near Eastern or South Asian). Honestly, I can't help wondering if we haven't gotten naming conventions for Viera yet simply because there are none - the generator mainly contains the names of Viera characters in other FF games, which have not all followed the same naming criteria.

I ended up giving both my Veena and my Rava Icelandic names. Since my introduction to the Viera race was FFXII, it just felt right.

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Originally Posted by Solenne

There doesn't appear to be a difference between Rava and Veena first names in the name generator, though. And it was Rava Viera (or their equivalent) that we met in FFXII, all of whom had Icelandic-sounding names (except Fran, but her name is still European rather than Near Eastern or South Asian). Honestly, I can't help wondering if we haven't gotten naming conventions for Viera yet simply because there are none - the generator mainly contains the names of Viera characters in other FF games, which have not all followed the same naming criteria.

I ended up giving both my Veena and my Rava Icelandic names. Since my introduction to the Viera race was FFXII, it just felt right.

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You may well be right. I just happened to notice the vague division while I was looking up what various names meant, and took a stab in the dark lol. No guarantee it's a CORRECT stab! I still feel good about my alt's name though, so unless the actual conventions are radically different from what I'm expecting I'll keep it.

I'm getting tired of having a name like Ishguardian royalty... I want to name the part of my avatar...

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Originally Posted by nariya

I hate to complain, but this wait is really becoming a bit ridiculous. Even an amateur writer could have created some very insightful lore for the naming conventions in a single day. What in the world is stalling the release of these names? I know almost every aspect involving a title like FFXIV is very carefully planned around marketing tactics, but I can hardly fathom a reason to delay the names by this long. And if the delay is unintentional, and the lore behind Viera/Hrothgar names is truly still in the process of being written and translated, what else could the writer(s) possibly be focusing their attention on at this point that this simple task hasn’t been completed yet? I don’t actually need any of these hypothetical questions answered, I just wanted to vent my frustrations. Sorry for the rant, and hurry up SE!

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I couldn't agree more. We're going on almost a month since early release. So many players are already playing and using Viera/Hrothgar names with no clue about the deeper cultural context or meaning.

At this point, I'm almost hoping the lore is incredibly simple and not as complex as Auri conventions. I'd hate to find out my last name means I'm married to a horse >.>

Please give us the naming conventions, I want to know the lore behind the surnames and make sure I picked something appropriate.

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Originally Posted by Lonkkis

If you think that's bad, try femroe :p

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You think that's bad...

Any forthcoming information?

Considering the writers have been nailing this expansion, I'll give them a bit of slack.

But, really, can we expect the naming conventions soon? Loving Hrothgar but will always feel it one touch incomplete until I can pick a name.

Naming conventions are up in case anyone here hasn't noticed yet, haha.
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...21#post5091421
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...ions?p=5091422

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Originally Posted by Destati

Naming conventions are up in case anyone here hasn't noticed yet, haha.
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...21#post5091421
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...ions?p=5091422

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Big thanks to Triairy for the announcement and to everyone involved in putting the info together! ^^

Interesting that the Viera lore is essentially, "Icelandic-Name + Birthplace, but they tend to call themselves whatever the hell they want, since we know most players will call themselves whatever the hell they want anyway, so let's just make every single possible name lore appropriate."

It's weird to me that the lore surrounding the naming conventions is essentially that no player Viera should actually use the naming conventions for their character.

Odd that they've put them in separate posts instead of adding onto the main naming conventions thread. Hopefully it's just while they're new and features and they'll get moved in later, or at least linked to it.

Now we just need conventions for the First and especially the logic behind Mystel names.

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Originally Posted by Martyr

Interesting that the Viera lore is essentially, "Icelandic-Name + Birthplace, but they tend to call themselves whatever the hell they want, since we know most players will call themselves whatever the hell they want anyway, so let's just make every single possible name lore appropriate."

It's weird to me that the lore surrounding the naming conventions is essentially that no player Viera should actually use the naming conventions for their character.

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It's more like 'It is rare for a Viera to use the naming conventions" though making it the only Race where every name is Lore-friendly^^

Hrothgar still confuse me. Old slavic inspired, but we have Queen Gunnhildr as one of the notable lore characters. Makes no sense to me.

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Originally Posted by Verius_Nox

Hrothgar still confuse me. Old slavic inspired, but we have Queen Gunnhildr as one of the notable lore characters. Makes no sense to me.

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Her reign was also before the invention of firearms. Considering their race name is also Danish, I'd assume it's just linguistic drift over time.

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Originally Posted by Daralii

Her reign was also before the invention of firearms. Considering their race name is also Danish, I'd assume it's just linguistic drift over time.

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That's quite the linguistic drift.

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Originally Posted by Verius_Nox

Hrothgar still confuse me. Old slavic inspired, but we have Queen Gunnhildr as one of the notable lore characters. Makes no sense to me.

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Actually the name isn't that strange. Although the conventions say old slavic inspired many of the npc names are common norwegian names and Gunnhild is one of those as well. And the name exists in actual lore as well from Icelandic sagas as the mother of kings where her name would have been written exactly like that and the Anglicised version is Gunnhild, so I assume that's where they got the inspiration from.

So most Viera would never use their forest names, which are all the built-in name gen names... Basically SE is telling us most people who want to be lore friendly and already made Viera now need to purchase a name change. This was a really horrible deployment of the new races and conventions. I know they said this is the last time a new race will be added to the game. After this mess, I hope that's true.

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Originally Posted by LelecaLeca

Actually the name isn't that strange. Although the conventions say old slavic inspired many of the npc names are common norwegian names and Gunnhild is one of those as well. And the name exists in actual lore as well from Icelandic sagas as the mother of kings where her name would have been written exactly like that and the Anglicised version is Gunnhild, so I assume that's where they got the inspiration from.

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The only norse names I've seen for the Hrothgar are on the First, and not on the Source. The gunbreaker teacher on the Source is named Radovan.

I'm not pleased with the viera name lore. It feels pretty uninspired. It gives no insight into their culture and leaves me with far more questions than answers.

If people are supposed to rarely use a Viera's forest name, why are they the only names in the name generator? Do Viera still use their forest name with other viera? Would a lore friendly viera use their forest or city name as their display name?

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Originally Posted by Divebombs

I'm not pleased with the viera name lore. It feels pretty uninspired. It gives no insight into their culture and leaves me with far more questions than answers.

If people are supposed to rarely use a Viera's forest name, why are they the only names in the name generator? Do Viera still use their forest name with other viera? Would a lore friendly viera use their forest or city name as their display name?

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To me, it felt like they are trying to avoid a "name change outrage" with the Viera naming conventions. The playable Viera can be called whatever, first and surname, so people who Fantasiad to a Viera without changing the name can continue onwards without worrying about paying for said name change. Not very innovative, I'll admit (and maybe a bit lazy?). I expected something more with the wait for the conventions.

I will go with a forest name as my Viera's display name to tiptoe closer to the lore but I am not a fan of the surnames being locations while those locations aren't exactly in FF14, in a way. I mean, are they exactly the same as in Tactics or Revenant Wings or are they adjusted to the FF14 map? I would like to learn more about those locations because it's the birthplace of my Viera.

I wonder which poor intern they had do these naming conventions? It certainly isn't the quality of the previous name conventions.

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Originally Posted by Verius_Nox

The only norse names I've seen for the Hrothgar are on the First, and not on the Source. The gunbreaker teacher on the Source is named Radovan.

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Considering Gunnhildr lived 5000 years ago and our own language we’re speaking now hasn’t been around for half that long, I think we can give them a pass.

Ysera is a Viera name, huh, I wonder if that's an intentional WoW shotout or a coincidence.

Wow. All this time we spent waiting for something that looks like it took all of five minutes to create. I understand this is but a minuscule piece of the game’s level of quality and immersion, but ... really? I was hoping we would at least get some information on the Viera villages so we would have some insight into their lives before they left the wood. It seems like such a waste of creative potential. I chose the surname Muscadet because in the real world it’s a type of wine, and I liked to imagine that maybe Muscadet village is a place where local Vieran wines were produced, thus giving the village a sort of relaxed and somewhat refined reputation. A town where the local tavern was always filled with joyful music and animated conversation over a bottle of wine. I suppose since everything is left wide open it’s fine to imagine such a possibility, but still... I feel quite disappointed. Oh well! At least we have a bit more information than nothing now.

I'm kind of confused.

The Lost Hrothgars once served a Queen, thus making them former Helions, but due to their death and choosing not to serve any more Queens they become The Lost. That makes sense, but I'm not sure why The Lost will have different skin color and eye pupils.

Anyway, I understand the city name thing is because they don't want to cause outrage from people who'd feel like they have to buy a name change. Understandable. But the post does say city names are generally used, not always used, so you could still use an Icelandic forest name out in the world and be fine.

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Originally Posted by myahele

I'm kind of confused.

The Lost Hrothgars once served a Queen, thus making them former Helions, but due to their death and choosing not to serve any more Queens they become The Lost. That makes sense, but I'm not sure why The Lost will have different skin color and eye pupils.

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I don't know about eye pupils, but I color change in fur does happen, though mostly for change of seasons. I'm guessing the loss of a queen causes their fur to take on more cool colors instead of warm? I don't know, just tossing ideas.

So, does Hrothgar fur change colour based on their emotions? The initial lore led me to think that Lost and Helions were two separate clans, with the Lost being a distant group that separated from a Queen due to a choice. It literally said they were that way because of their independant nature.

But the naming conventions tell that all Hrothgar are of one group divided by who has a Queen and who hasn't. With the Lost being a sorrowful group of nomads who lost their own, and were suddenly associated with colder colour palletes.

That's a whole lot of questions. Perhaps Lost colours and personalities ARE because of losing a Queen. Refusing to serve another in the same capacity so adopting a staunch independant mindset.

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Originally Posted by nariya

Wow. All this time we spent waiting for something that looks like it took all of five minutes to create. I understand this is but a minuscule piece of the game’s level of quality and immersion, but ... really? I was hoping we would at least get some information on the Viera villages so we would have some insight into their lives before they left the wood. It seems like such a waste of creative potential. I chose the surname Muscadet because in the real world it’s a type of wine, and I liked to imagine that maybe Muscadet village is a place where local Vieran wines were produced, thus giving the village a sort of relaxed and somewhat refined reputation. A town where the local tavern was always filled with joyful music and animated conversation over a bottle of wine. I suppose since everything is left wide open it’s fine to imagine such a possibility, but still... I feel quite disappointed. Oh well! At least we have a bit more information than nothing now.

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Muscadet was a Viera town in Tactics Advance. Several Rava villages are direct references to the Ivalice games.

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Originally Posted by Thagyr

So, does Hrothgar fur change colour based on their emotions? The initial lore led me to think that Lost and Helions were two separate clans, with the Lost being a distant group that separated from a Queen due to a choice. It literally said they were that way because of their independant nature.

But the naming conventions tell that all Hrothgar are of one group divided by who has a Queen and who hasn't. With the Lost being a sorrowful group of nomads who lost their own, and were suddenly associated with colder colour palletes.

That's a whole lot of questions. Perhaps Lost colours and personalities ARE because of losing a Queen. Refusing to serve another in the same capacity so adopting a staunch independant mindset.

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I think they retconned the whole thing about the Lost being rebellious nomads.

I have so many questions about Viera naming conventions =/.

- Would a Viera who lost her home town through war choose a different surname? Or would she rather keep it because she did not 'choose' to leave?
- The same applies to first names as well. What if a Viera looses her home or is forced to flee? Would she pick a different first name, or rather keep it because she was forced out of her prefered life-style instead of leaving it behind voluntarily?
- Would a Viera who chose to leave pick a name that still lies within 'forest' naming conventions, or would she not only discard her forest name but also refrain from picking one that could as well be seen as a forest one?(E.g. Ruuj decides to leave her home. Would she consider naming herself Shara, or would she not because Shara is considered a forest name as well?)
- What surname is given to Viera who are born in the wild, with no home to call their own? The name of the forest she was born in?

Just to name a few.


Since I had a character in mind whose home got garlemaldized, I'm really struggling to find a fitting name for her >.<.

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Originally Posted by myahele

I'm kind of confused.

The Lost Hrothgars once served a Queen, thus making them former Helions, but due to their death and choosing not to serve any more Queens they become The Lost. That makes sense, but I'm not sure why The Lost will have different skin color and eye pupils.

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"Though Hrothgar form their own clan-like communities, they, as a race, cannot be divided into distinct “clans” with separate traditions and features. They are instead most often sorted into the categories of “Helion” and “Lost,” according to their social status─but these labels, too, were imposed by scholars of the other races rather than the Hrothgar themselves, and have unfortunately led to certain misconceptions, such as the popular belief that Helions always have golden fur."

The character creator reflects foreign perception, that is, stereotypes, of the race. There would thus be little reason why you couldn't pick a "Helion" via character creator and call them "Lost" in whatever backstory you come up with. The only distinction is whether one serves the queen or not. *Or rather, a queen, seeing as how the various clans seem to have their own.

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Originally Posted by PikoAliapoh

So most Viera would never use their forest names, which are all the built-in name gen names... Basically SE is telling us most people who want to be lore friendly and already made Viera now need to purchase a name change. This was a really horrible deployment of the new races and conventions. I know they said this is the last time a new race will be added to the game. After this mess, I hope that's true.

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I completely agree. I'm very angry about this. I have a Viera character who was born in Rabanastre, so the fact that she has a "lore friendly" name makes no sense given the conventions. SE set us up to fail on this one, and they should be the ones footing the bill for any name changes at this point.

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Originally Posted by Daralii

Muscadet was a Viera town in Tactics Advance. Several Rava villages are direct references to the Ivalice games.

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Yeah, I knew about the town in TA and I love Muscadet wine, so I let myself fantasize a bit! In any case, adding some flair to the villages would’ve been an excellent creative opportunity for the writers, plus something for those interested in lore to be excited over but I guess we will have to wait and see if any further information becomes available in the future. Maybe one day they’ll open the region to us and flesh out the lore for the villages. In the meantime, we can always make up our own stories about what life was like for our characters before leaving their respective places of origin. It just seems so sad that so much thought went into the other races’ naming conventions, but the Viera and Hrothgar were just so... uninspired.