Names!

[Cilia]

Lots of names in vidja games (and especially Final Fantasy) are taken from various mythologies.

So.. just my opinion but I wonder why Square give such odd names to characters in their later games. ... So what is Raya-O-Senna and Midgardsomr and Gaius Van Baelsar and Glasya Labolas all about?

If memory serves me, someone said that all Padjal names are based on Ainu, the native people of Hokkaido. Don't remember who and can't find a source, but...

Midgardsormr was (is?) a gigantic serpent from Norse mythology, so massive he is able to wrap around the Earth (Midgard) and bite his own tail. I think he clashes with Thor at Ragnarok and dies? Never studied Norse mythology much, to be honest.

Gaius van Baelsar... Gaius was the name Julius Caesar took on after crowning himself emperor (his full name, rarely quoted, was "Gaius Julius Caesar"). "van" is his title and station within the imperial army. Not sure where Baelsar comes from.

Glasya Labolas is one of the 72 demons in the Ars Goetia, a book for sorcerers.

I forget to add, the names I do like.

Nero
Gaius
Yda
Thancred
Thordan

Nero is also the name of a Roman emperor. Translated from Latin it means "black."

See above for Gaius.

Not sure about Yda and Thancred.

Thordan is probably a slight extension of "Thor," the Norse god of thunder (played by hunk Chris Hemsworth in the Marvel Cinematic Universe). Kind of fits, since Thordan is at odds with Midgardsormr (if only indirectly) and fights dragons.

[Billeffingmurray]

Midgardsormr was (is?) a gigantic serpent from Norse mythology, so massive he is able to wrap around the Earth (Midgard) and bite his own tail. I think he clashes with Thor at Ragnarok and dies? Never studied Norse mythology much, to be honest.

Jormungander (Jormungand) is the name of the serpent that surrounds Midgard. He is the son of Loki Skywalker (the trickster), and brother to Fenris (Fenrir) and Hel. Thor slays him at Ragnarok, but as he dies he vomits venom over Thor killing him. I love all the Norse mythology in this game.

[Cilia]

jormungander (jormungand) is the name of the serpent that surrounds midgard. He is the son of loki Skywalker (the trickster), and brother to fenris (fenrir) and hel. Thor kills him at Ragnarok, but in his death throes he vomits venom over thor killing him. Love all the Norse mythology in this game.

Jormungandr is just another name for Midgardsormr.

[Billeffingmurray]

Jormungandr is just another name for Midgardsormr.

I'm not saying you're wrong but I've never seen that in any translation. He is sometimes referred to as the Midgard Serpent though, so maybe sormr=serpent.

Edit: found it on wikipedia Old Norse:Miðgarðsormr
It should be noted that referring to Jormungander as Midgardsormr is kinda like referring to Odin as All Father or Thor as The charioteer. They are kind of nick names.

[Mholito]

I'm not saying you're wrong but I've never seen that in any translation. He is sometimes referred to as the Midgard Serpent though, so maybe sormr=serpent.

Edit: found it on wikipedia Old Norse:Miðgarðsormr
It should be noted that referring to Jormungander as Midgardsormr is kinda like referring to Odin as All Father or Thor as The charioteer. They are kind of nick names.

Funnily enough; I didn't know that it was called Jormungand until I decided to look up the origin of the name after seeing it in a game. Any time it was mentioned during school or in story books, it was just called "Midgardsormen" (Norwegian for "The Midgard serpent")