Etymology of Relic Weapons

[Altijacek]

I'm a sucker for etymology of everything Final Fantasy. I know the game is called final fantasy because it was supposedly the last game made by square, but then it became a big hit and they made a sequel. The rest is history!

That said, Final Fantasy is a fitting name, since it pulls from essentially every single mythology, religion, and historical event to create its worlds. It's a blend of Lord of the Rings and Star Wars, Christianity and Buddhism, Mexican lore and Indian lore, and every single thing in between.

That's why I like learning where the names of everything is fun, because you'll end up learning a lot about world history, real life lore, religions/mythologies, and so on.

I decided to look up the etymology of the relic weapons for your reading pleasure, but I might need help/corrections. Posting soon! Feel free to add more to this thread, including the etymology of just about anything in FFXIV.

Curtana and Holy Shield: Curtana is meant to represent peace; it is a sword used to knight others in England and is usually blunt to symbolize peace.

Excalibur and Aegis Shield: Excalibur (everyone knows this) is the legendary sword in the stone you hear about, removed by the legendary King Arthur. In some versions, they are not the same sword, but the bottom line is it belongs to King Arthur. The Aegis Shield is a shield used by Zeus in Greek mythology.


Thanks to TessaJalloh:
"I know you semi addressed this, however, Excalibur is NOT (as clarified in later writings, though orignally believed to be) the sword in the stone. It was the sword bestowed upon Arthur by the lady in the lake, it's scabbard would make whomever wielded it immortal to all harm. Arthur died in the legend because he had given the scabbard to his son before he rode into battle, and before his death, asked his son to return the sword to the enchanted lake so that the Lady could reclaim it.

The sword in the stone infact has several possible origins, paradoxically, one of which is that it is infact ANOTHER sword named Excalibur. Mythology isn't entirely sure how to go about this, and historians say that it's likely just two myths that tell the origin of the king's sword."

Bravura: this refers to a virtuoso performance, usually in music. It's a showcasing of vigor and vitality.

Ragnarok: in Norse mythology, this means the end of the world. In particular, it's the battle that will result in the death of the gods, bringing about a new age.

Gae Bolg: in Irish mythology, this was a spear given to Cúchulainn. It means Death Spear or Spear of Mortal Pain. Supposedly, it cut into the flesh of its victim, then opened up thirty barbs, and could only be removed by cutting away the flesh.

Longinus: in Christian mythology, this refers to the Holy Lance, the weapon used to stab Jesus. Longinus was the name of the soldier who pierced Jesus.

Sphairai: these are weapons created in ancient history, used in coliseum battles. They are similar to himantes.

Kaiser Knuckle: in German, Kaiser means emperor. So this translates to Emperor's Fist, or some such thing.

Artemis Bow: this simply refers to the Greek deity named Artemis, who used a bow. She is the goddess of hunting.

Yoichi Bow: in a Japanese literary epic, Yoichi is a samurai who shot down a giant fan meant to deflect all arrows with just a single shot. This bow is named after him.

Yoshimitsu: this essentially means "good luck."

Sasuke's Blades: it's hard to pin this one down, but Sasuke isn't just from Naruto! This refers to a legendary ninja, and nobody is sure if he's real or not.

Veil of Wiyu: this actually comes from the game, but it's interesting to note this came out in final fantasy tactics originally. It refers to a summoner with green eyes, Wiyu.

Apocalypse: this means the end of the world in most iterations.

Omnilex: omni means everything, lex means reading or something similar, so this can be similar to the book that contains everything.

Last Resort: not sure if there is any history behind this, but if it's self-explanatory, then this is the final option, the last hope, etc.


Stardust Rod: I'm sure this is just as its name implies, but think about it for a second. Stardust itself sounds like something beautiful enough to not need an etymology.

Lilith Rod: Lilith is a Mesopotamian demon who could control the winds.

Thyrus: this is the staff used by the Greek god of wine, Dionysus.

Nirvana: this means peace, or eternal calm, and is essentially equal to self-enlightenment in Buddhist culture. It's a state of transience, no pain, no suffering, etc.

[Raijin_Ryu]

Thank You!!!! Finally somebody who likes the etymology FF is filled with. I´ll help you for sure, even if my English skills are not best(German Player)
Thx for the thread

Well I´ll start with the Primals:

Ramuh: Based on Indra(mighty,powerful), the God of Weather/Storm and War in Indian Mythology(Vedas). His Weapon is called Vajra, a Thunderbolt (also the Ninja Weapon, you can gain in Mor Dhona).
He also fights demons, and also loses battles against Ravana....I hope you all know which Primal I mean

Garuda: Also Indian Mytholgy and called Garuda. Mount of Vishnu, half human, half Eagle. Has same Tasks as in Greek Mythology Hermes. Main Enemy of Nagas(Snakes)
Also Garudas Clones in the fight are actually Garuda himself/herself. Chirada and Suprana are two of the names referring to Garuda, Garuda is just a more popular and common name.

Titan: Titans from the Greek Mythology are the children of Gaia (Mother Earth) and Uranus. They were 12 Titans everyone with special powers however the in game Titan has the Power of Gaia. Titans are giants with big strength, second in the divine order and they are the ancestors of the Olympic deities.
Also Selene and Eos belong to the group of Titans(Second Generation and children of Hyperion)

Ifrit: In arabian mythology, spirits called Djinn with the embodiment of fire.

Shiva: Shiva is one of the most important Gods in Hinduism and is often embodied as "the Destroyer". He is described to have a skin clour as fair as Ice and having a third eye on his forehead. Shiva also has a mount called Nandi..

Ravana: Ravana the demonking and enemy of the Gods in Indian Mythology. He is described having ten heads and many arms. 'Ravana', meaning "(He) Of the terrifying roar" acquires his name by devoting to Shiva, at the same time he gained his sword Chandrahas by Shiva.
As a demon he fought many battles with Gods(Devas) but due to immortality boon he could only be killed by a human.

[TessaJalloh]

Excalibur and Aegis Shield: Excalibur (everyone knows this) is the legendary sword in the stone you hear about, removed by the legendary King Arthur. In some versions, they are not the same sword, but the bottom line is it belongs to King Arthur. The Aegis Shield is a shield used by Zeus in Greek mythology.

I know you semi addressed this, however, Excalibur is NOT (as clarified in later writings, though orignally believed to be) the sword in the stone. It was the sword bestowed upon Arthur by the lady in the lake, it's scabbard would make whomever wielded it immortal to all harm. Arthur died in the legend because he had given the scabbard to his son before he rode into battle, and before his death, asked his son to return the sword to the enchanted lake so that the Lady could reclaim it.

The sword in the stone infact has several possible origins, paradoxically, one of which is that it is infact ANOTHER sword named Excalibur. Mythology isn't entirely sure how to go about this, and historians say that it's likely just two myths that tell the origin of the king's sword.

[saber_alter]

Curtana (or Cortana), is a coronation sword that first appeared in texts during the reign of henry III of england. it was said to be a sister sword of joyeuse and durandal. the blade itself has a broken tip that was damaged in a duel. the sword actually came to represent mercy because of this.

[Tayolynn]

Just to add more context,

Sasuke Blades: Yes he's a fictional legendary ninja, but to add more to it, his name was Sarutobi Sasuke, or Kozuki Sasuke, who was a ninja that fought for warlord Sanada Yukimura and led the Sanada Ten Braves.

Nirvana: Was also the name of Yuna's ultimate weapon from FFX.

[Espritduo]

Should note the the Veil of Wiyu is actually based on the mistranslated name of the artifact from Final Fantasy Tactics. The artifact was a book (that you could actually "read' in a choose-your-own adventure mini-game in the Japanese version of the game) named after the titular assassin with green eyes. Her name was Oeilvert, which is French for green eyes. The translators of FFT didn't known what to make of that (a French phrase translated into Japanese kana, then back to English is gonna be a mess) and the end result was Veil of Wiyu. Oeilvert also appears in FFIX as the name of a place for no apparent reason.

[Shneibel]

OP need more like !!!!

[Dragoon130]

In many stories Excalibur is the sword in the stone and also know as Caliburn. In some of the non welsh legends, such as those TYPEMOON based the Fate series after, Caliburn was the sword in the stone and would never dull or be broken if Arthur's conviction stayed true and was broken in battle where he was forced to disobey the code of chivalry. Excalibur was then given to him by the lady of the lake as TessaJalloh stated after he regained his honor.

Curtana is also widely considered to be the sword of Sir Tristan and some say Ogier the Dane