Garlean naming conventions?

[Anonymoose]

A lot of what you're saying is dead on. It's a big handful of Latin and pre-Latin Proto-Indo-European where there's not a true Latin source.


Solus zos Galvus
A loose Latin translation for Solus is alone, as in solitary or sole.

Galvus is not a Latin word, but it is likely a Latinized version of the word Latvian word galva which can mean top, head, or spike. You put that together and you basically arrive at "sole leader."

I'm not sure what zos means, but it's probably something to do with Garlean leadership naming conventions, possibly (though, this is a stretch) a neutered form of the widely known Jewish word Zohar which means "radiance," so perhaps his full name means, "The Only, the radiant, Leader." Latin leaders had a similar term for radiant used to mean godly: divi, meaningly divine. It was used in many Imperial leadership names.

If Gaius were to supplant him, we might see something like "Gaius, the radiant, Baelsar" ... which brings us to what all the parts of his name mean.


Gaius van Baelsar
Gaius is one of the most established Latin names in so much that the etymology often just ends at, "a popular Latin first name for males." If you care beyond that, it comes from the word gaudere, which means to rejoice. So, you're overjoyed to have a son - and why wouldn't you be?

The van in Garlean names is probably not from Latin influence, but of the Proto-Indo-European root that shows up as Dutch "van" and German "von" that simply means, "of" or "from." We're likely meant to take this as "from the noble house of." Latin didn't exactly have "houses" so much as "lines" (that I know of, I'm not expert on Rome). They didn't say "from the house of," they just said filius, as in"son of." For example, Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus had the Imperial name "Imperator Caesar Divi Augustus filius Augustus" (Emperor of the Empire, the Divine Augustus, son of Augustus). We don't see that with Garlean nobility, we seem to see houses.

I'm not sure if his last name is from an actual Latin inspiration, any Proto-Indo-European at all, or if it's just a play on Caesar. His Japanese name is バエサル baesaru, pretty close, yeah? We might be seeing some foreshadowing. If anyone else knows something for Baelsar, lemme know. I never found anything, but I might not have used the right search cues.

So, for now, I'm calling him "Exalted, of House Baelsar"


Nael van Darnus
Not only was he an Elezen, he was descended from the Allagan Empire's honorable House Darnus, which was responsible for keeping some of its more arcane wisdom. Some of this power, apparently, still existed in his blood.

I've seen some rumor that Nael is actually made from ظفر, an Arabic word for nail that is a synonym for victory or triumph. The other connections I can find also lead right back to nail, regardless of what connotations you want on it.

Darnus I've always had a really hard time with. My #1 best guess is that it's actually a Latinized form of darn, Proto-Indo-European for "to hide," such as to hide the knowledge of the Allag. House Darnus would be "House of Secrets."

Here's the thing... the Hyur are said to have arrived about 1,000 years ago ("Some one thousand years and three great migratory waves later, they are now the most populous of all the civilized races"), shredding the Elezen belief that, because they were the only residents of Eorzea, the region was given to them by the Twelve ("Unfortunately, this belief made the eventual appearance of the Hyur in their multitudes akin to an invasion"). When did Allag rule Eorzea? The height of their power was over 5,000 years ago. They were probably all Elezen. Hell, it's possible that the Elezen rode out 5, maybe even 6, umbral eras alone.

So why does neither "Nael" nor "Darnus" sound French? Ferne's already told us that Elezen naming conventions haven't changed since they first arrived in Eorzea. The only thing I've got is that he changed it on purpose to fit in more with the Garleans. "Nail, of the Noble House of Secrets" sounds pretty intimidating, doesn't it.

And then he changed it to Nael Deus Darnus (Nael, the God, Darnus) when he started losing a fight that time. Guy was probably just a good showman - gotta give the people what they want.

Still, maybe he was born Naelmont. You don't know.

Fun Fact: Swedish word dårhus means "lunatic," as in crazy due to the moon. HAH.


Cid nan Garlond
This one's harder. Nan can either mean "the" or "father" depending on where you go. It might not mean either, though. I don't know. Wild conjecture? Until I hear otherwise, my assumption is that "nan Garlond" means "the honorable." Garlands are those wreaths of flowers you wear on your head, which to me recalls, again, the caesar's Civic Crown as well as the corona laurea and olive wreath as well.

Cid is just a throwback to all the other Cids in Final Fantasy, likely coming from the legendary Spanish knight, "El Cid" (The Lord).


Signed,
Innominatus van Alces (Nameless of House Moose)