xbr'raal names

[Pimsan20]

So, i know that the Hrothgar in Tural have a different naming system then their Bozja's counterparts. I know that it is based off the Mayan language, but i hope to get more clarification on how the Xb'raal named their children.

[MikkoAkure]

This came up as a thread a while back. Ultimately it looks like their name is based on the day they were born like the Maya. XIV's names look to be Mayan put through Japanese katakana and then pieced back into English so results may vary.

Hello!! This is my first time posting, so I hope I'm doing this correctly. I wanted to share my thoughts on the topic and to see what everyone else thought!! I did some digging and hopefully this makes sense!!

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The Xbr'aal naming conventions seem to be based on a traditional Mayan way of naming.
This method involves consulting the [Tzolkʼin Calendar] and in FFXIV, for the Xbr'aal, it's much more simplified into:

"First Name": Number of the month (?) Unsure as the Mayan calendar has 18 months. The word Wuk, however is noted in this article under [Mayan Head Glyphs]

"Last Name": Day of the "week". Similarly to our days of the week having names like monday, ect. The Tzolkʼin Calendar has 20 named days of the month, and these are the ones used for the 2nd name.

This can be seen in Wuk Lamat's name as Wuk = 7 and Lamat = the 8th day of the 20 days named in the Tzolkʼin Calander.

Their names also don't seem to denote any familial linkage, as Wuk Lamat and Wuk Evu for example, share the same part of their name, but no mention is given to any kind of relation based on that.

But then there comes the issue of how a lot of the Xbr'aal names don't line up with most, if any of the other words in Mayan numerology nor the Tzolkʼin Calendar. This can be explained as potentially changing the words so it's not a one to one with things IRL.

I haven't checked in the Japanese version, but a potential example can be seen with Wuk Evu's name. Evu, most likely came from Eb, the 12th day of the Tzolkʼin Calendar.
This can be explained as Eb, when read in Japanese, could be Ebu or Evu.

Though not exactly the same, the "first name" Bol could have come from the Mayan number Bolon (9), and Br'uk from Buluk (11).

Thusly, while I think it highly likely that the Xbr'aal naming convention is based on the time they are born, as it historically holds cultural significance with the people their names seem to be based on.

Unfortunately as the words used aren't one to one, there are little lore accurate names that can be made without borrowing from already existing NPCs and mixing and matching them.

Thank you for reading my thoughts o/ and I hope these make sense!! I'd really like to hear everyone else's thoughts too!!

I have gone through the list of names and out of 38 character names there seem to be 7 options used for the first part of the name and 23/24 for the second part (with a possible typo).

NPC names (not tracking gender):

Bol Duxun
Bol Ilyik
Bol Inen
Bol Lyis
Bol Majun
Bol Noq'
Bol Ogaw
Bol Wuruq
Br'uk Akoh
Br'uk Evu
Br'uk Inen
Br'uk Noq'
Br'uk Ogaw
Br'uk Ts'on
Br'uk Ty'ev
Br'uk Vaw
Hunmu Hoh
Hunmu Q'at
Hunmu Rruk
Rral Br'aax
Rral Majun
Rral Soj
Rral Ty'ukuk
Rral Vaw
Rral Wuruq
Ty'at Br'aax
Ty'at Evu
Ty'at Ilyik
Ty'at Qat
Ty'at Roh
Ty'at Soj
Ty'at Tst'ei
Wuk Duxun
Xax Akoh
Xax Ilyik
Xax Ogaw
Xax Rruk
Xax Tei

First part of name:

Bol
Br'uk
Hunmu
Rral
Ty'at
Wuk
Xax


Second part of name:

Akoh
Br'aax
Duxun
Evu
Hoh
Ilyik
Inen
Lamat
Lyis
Majun
Noq'
Ogaw
Qat / Q'at --- uncertain if this is a typo or two separate names
Roh
Rruk
Soj
Tei
Ts'on
Tst'ei
Ty'ev
Ty'ukuk
Vaw
Wuruq


At a quick look there doesn't seem to be a lot of resemblance to the list of calendar days provided in the link, but maybe they have undergone a lot of transformation. Also, if they are indeed drawing on an eighteen-month calendar for the first names then it seems odd that we've only ended up with seven apparently-months used.

Bouncing through a few links off the Tzolk'in calendar page, from the one on the Maya Hero Twins, there seem to be a lot of characters with names in the format [Number][Noun] so perhaps that is common. I'd love to hear more from someone who actually knows the language rather than poking at it from scratch.

There's also mention that jaguars are prominent in Mesoamerican cultures, which makes it an appropriate choice to make the big-cat-people one of the key races of the region.

[catbuncle]

I want to be naming a Turali Xbr'aal PC and have wondered this about naming. This is super useful information, thank you!


Maybe we'll get some official lore in an EE4 or a posting about overall Turali naming patterns (I'm curious about the northern Xbr'aal like those who work on the railroad, where their names aren't Xbr'aal patterned...)

[Cleretic]

I want to be naming a Turali Xbr'aal PC and have wondered this about naming. This is super useful information, thank you!


Maybe we'll get some official lore in an EE4 or a posting about overall Turali naming patterns (I'm curious about the northern Xbr'aal like those who work on the railroad, where their names aren't Xbr'aal patterned...)

Something I've seen people put forward (I'm not sure exactly what evidence they had, but it does pass the 'sounds plausible' test) is that the tribes in Tural are more communal than they are species-based; if you live in Iq'braax then you are xbr'aal, even if you happen to be a hyur.

There's few-to-no examples of non-species-based community ownership, but that could easily explain someone like Nikowitwe. She's Tonawatwan by birth and culture, so she has a Tonawatwan name, even if she's a hrothgar. It could plausibly also cover Koana, but I don't think we know enough about Hhetsaro names to say that 'Koana' is or isn't one. The Xbr'aal are, at least, refreshingly idiosyncratic; even if you don't particularly know what their names mean, you can tell it's them.

[Iscah]

It could plausibly also cover Koana, but I don't think we know enough about Hhetsaro names to say that 'Koana' is or isn't one.

I think you're being too eager to apply an unproven idea to a character who has no reason for us to assume is part of it. We don't know for certain why Wawlika and Nitowikwe have Tonawawtan names and they're not a big enough sample size to say that it's because there are Xbr'aal mixed in with the Tonawawta population. There are no others in the towns, and the one other Xbr'aal we encounter in Xak Tural (Br'uk Vaw from the Serpentlord FATE chain) has a standard Xbr'aal name.

Logically it's clear that Koana isn't using either of his adopted families' naming conventions (found by a Pelu and then adopted by Mamool Ja) or any of the other distinct Turali name groups, leaving the only options to be the Xak Turali cluster of names and there's no reason for him to have been given a Shetona or Tonawawta name.

[Cleretic]

I think you're being too eager to apply an unproven idea to a character who has no reason for us to assume is part of it. We don't know for certain why Wawlika and Nitowikwe have Tonawawtan names and they're not a big enough sample size to say that it's because there are Xbr'aal mixed in with the Tonawawta population. There are no others in the towns, and the one other Xbr'aal we encounter in Xak Tural (Br'uk Vaw from the Serpentlord FATE chain) has a standard Xbr'aal name.

Agreed on all counts. I think we're just looking at Wawlika and Nitowikwe and recognizing those definitely aren't Xbr'aal names, and trying to square that circle. And Koana's just a big ol' mystery, for exactly the reason you say; he doesn't fit any of the really overt naming schemes in Tural. I'd love to know what his name means or where it's from, but all we have is a pile of 'well it's not THAT'.