The origins behind the names.

[Gogo Dancer]

What are the character's name origins?

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

Alexander was probably named after a czar of Russia, who was a member of the Holy Alliance--remember, Alexander's attack is named Holy Judgment--during the nineteenth century. Since Alexander's design is often distinctly similar to that of Russian castles, I think this is the case.

Alex Soul (a.k.a. Wrexsoul) is simply derived from Alexander, which makes sense since you get Alexander when you beat him.

In Moslem cosmology, the word as we know it rests on the arms of an angel. The angel rests upon a massive rock of ruby, which itself rests upon the back of a gigantic mystical bull known as Kujata. Kujata stands on the back of an even more immense fish. This fish's name is Bahamut. Beneath Bahamut is a mighty sea; beneath the sea, a vast abyss of air; beneath the abyss, a fiery inferno. Beneath the fire is a serpent so great and fearsome that, were it not for the fear of Allah, it might swallow up all of creation that hangs above it.

Biggs (a.k.a. Vicks) and Wedge are, of course, two X-Wing fighter pilots who oppose the Galactic Empire in Star Wars.

Billy (a.k.a. Baram) is probably named after Billy the Kid. His partner Clyde is probably named after the latter of the Bonnie & Clyde criminal duo.

Bismarck (a.k.a. Bismark) was named after Otto von Bismarck, the late nineteenth-century Prussian ruler--or, more accurately, the battleship that was named after him in 1941.

Carbuncle is a dark red gem, but it is also the name of a reptilian creature known by Spanish and Portugese explorers to have the gem embedded atop its head.

Cait Sith (a.k.a. Stray) is a Gælic spirit of good luck whose name means "fairy cat."

Catoblepas (a.k.a. Shoat) is a Lybian beast of the forest whose horns are so heavy that it cannot lift its head--all the better, since it is said to be able to petrify living things with its gaze.

Cayenne (a.k.a. Cyan) is a sort of pepper.

Celes means "celestial." It could also be taken to refer to Ceres, the Roman goddess of the four seasons, but I don't like to think so. Her last name, Chere, means "dear."
There's a famous Medieval Spanish novel entitled La Celestina. That's Celes, then Tina (a.k.a. Terra). Probably a coincidence, but I like it.

Dullahan is an oft-headless spirit who foretells death in Irish mythology, often driving a black coach being pulled by horses who are headless as well.

Edgar may have been named after Gloucester's elder son--who disguised himself as the beggar Old Tom, much like Edgar disguised himself as Gerad--in Shakespeare's play King Lear.

Efreet (a.k.a. Ifrit) are fire elementals from Middle Eastern mythology.

Fenrir, or the Fenris Wolf, is the giant ferocious wolf child of the mischievous god Loki in Norse mythology.

Figaro comes from the opera The Marriage of Figaro.

Gau's name may have come from Gauls, the name for French tribesmen during the time of the Roman Empire. Like most barbarians, they were pretty wild guys.

The name of Emperor Ghastla (a.k.a. Gestahl) originates from the word ghastly.

Gogo could have been derived from the play Waiting for Godot, in which the characters Vladamir and Estragon (who is, in fact, nicknamed Gogo) often take to repeating one another, perhaps alluding to Gogo's mimicry. It could very well be, however, that Gogo is actually U.S. Senator Adlai Stevenson (http://kayarco3.hypermart.net/text/gogo-adlai.html).

A Golem is a subservient creature in Jewish mythology, made of mud to be commanded by the righteous.

Humbaba (a.k.a. Phunbaba) is a primary antagonist in the Sumerian legend of Gilgamesh.

Jihad (a.k.a. Crusader) is an Arabic word originating from Zoroasterianism and meaning "the cosmic battle between good and evil," but more commonly translated as "holy war."

Kappa are Japanese water demons whose power is derived from the bowls of water atop their heads.

A Kirin is a beast from Chinese mythology that is part horse and part dragon.

Lahmu (a.k.a. Ramuh) is an ancient Sumerian god.

Lakshmi (a.k.a. Starlet) is an Indian goddess of good fortune and bad fortune.

The Lethe River (a.k.a. Lete River) comes from Greek mythology, in which anyone who drinks from its waters will forget his past.

Locke's name could be a joke referring to his ability to pick, you know, locks. His last name, Cole, also happens to be a company that produces keys. Probably a coincidence, but I like it.

Madin (a.k.a. Maduin) is a sort of abbreviation of Mael Duin, a major hero from Irish mythology who set out with sixteen other warriors to avenge his father's death and such.

Mash's name could be a reference to the way he mashes his opponents with his strength, like a Final Fantasy equivalent of Bam-Bam. Or it could just be a mistranslation of "Matthew."

The Midgard Sorm (a.k.a. Terrato) is a gigantic sea serpent that lives in the ocean, completely circling Midgard, the world of mortals, with its jaws to its tail. Its title means "Midgard Serpent," but its proper name is Jormungandr.

Môguri (a.k.a. Moogles) are derived from the Japanese words mogura and kômori, which mean "mole" and "bat," respectively. Makes sense, really, since they're moles with bat wings (and inexplicable pom-poms atop their heads) and all.

Odin is the chief god in Norse mythology.

Phœnix is a peacock-like bird that appears in various mythologies but is consistently said to be immortal, burning up and becoming reborn from its own ashes every five hundred years.

Quetzali (a.k.a. Palidor) is a type of tropical bird from Central America.

Raijin (a.k.a. Raiden) is a Japanese god of lightning.

Sabotender (a.k.a. Cactrot) is most likely a combination of saboten (the Japanese word for "cactus") and the English word pretender, or it could actually be "Sabotendaa," which about translates to "I-It's a cactus!" A suitably silly name for such a silly monster, in any case.

Seraphim is the plural form of "seraph," which is a high order of Heavenly angels with six wings.

Setzer's name could be derived from setzen, which is a German expression for gambling, so a "setzer" could be construed as a slang term for a gambler.

Shiva is a Hindu deity who is often called the Destroyer and is usually represented as a male.

Siegfried is a hero from Norse mythology, most commonly remembered from the German tale of the Ring of Nibelung.

Siren is a feminine beast from Greek mythology/literature who sings amidst rocks in the ocean, entrancing sailors with their voices to come near them and crash and die on the rocks.

Sueño, Sogno, and Rêve (a.k.a. Larry, Curly, and Moe) are respectively the Spanish, Italian, and French terms for "dream."

In Norse mythology, Ragnarök is the apocalypse--or more accurately, the final climactic battle among the gods.

Typhon (a.k.a. Chupon) was the monstrous child of Gaia and Tartarus in Greek mythology, mating with the monster Echidna to produce some even worst beasts.
Orthros (a.k.a. Ultros) was one of the beasts that Heracles had to slay throughout his Labors. Orthros was an offspring of Typhon, which explains why their relationship in the game.

Vrigarmandah (a.k.a. Tritoch) is derived from three different mythological beings, I suppose because it's a beast of three different elements. "Vri" symbolizes Vritra, a great serpentine Hindu demon. "Gar" symbolizes Garuda, a mythical Hindu bird. "Mandah" is an Arabic group of gods who serve as deities of protection.

A veld or veldt is a grassy plain with sparse shrubbery, most popularly found in Africa.

Phantom and Unicorn are self-explanatory, and Zone Seeker doesn't really mean anything beyond the obvious.

[DJZen]

PURELY HERESAY:

I heard somewhere that Gau is Chinese for "dog", can anyone confirm/refute this for me?

[MJN SEIFER]

the Sumerian legend of Gilgamesh

Hence this guy ------->http://www.ffcompendium.com/chara/5gilgamesh-b.gif

[MJN SEIFER]

here (http://www.ffcompendium.com/h/name.shtml)

[Spatvark]

Originally posted by Kawaii Ryûkishi
Fenrir, or the Fenris Wolf, is the giant ferocious wolf child of the mischievous god Loki in Norse mythology.

Just to clarify; the Fenris Wolf was chained to the Yggdrasil Tree by the Norse Gods by tricking it via a test of strength. Ragnarok will happen when the Fenris Wolf finally becomes strong enough to pull loose the Yggdrasil Tree and bring Asgard crashing down upon Midgard.

Oh, and Loki, it's father, wasn't actually a God, but one of the Giants that were constantly at war with the Norse Gods.


Originally posted by Kawaii Ryûkishi
The Midgard Sorm (a.k.a. Terrato) is a gigantic sea serpent that lives in the ocean, completely circling Midgard, the world of mortals, with its jaws to its tail. Its title means "Midgard Serpent," but its proper name is Jormungandr.

The Midgard Serpent is the other progeny of Loki's mating with one of the giants.


Originally posted by Kawaii Ryûkishi
Sueño, Sogno, and Rêve (a.k.a. Larry, Curly, and Moe) are respectively the Spanish, Italian, and French terms for "dream."

Just for clarification, the names given to them in the US version, Curly, Larry and Moe, is the name of the Three Stooges, hence them being known by most fans as the "Dream Stooges."

[Lost Heretic]

Originally posted by DJzen
PURELY HERESAY:

I heard somewhere that Gau is Chinese for "dog", can anyone confirm/refute this for me?

I refute!

Inu is japanese for dog, although, they are known for having multiple words for one thing.

[Flying Mullet]

OK, I asked a Chinese friend of mine and this is what he said: gau is "dog" in Taiwanese, or it can mean "to do", "to sue someone" or "tall" in Mandarin Chinese.

[Lost Heretic]

Baka Sagara. I thought I saw japanese there...I'v been getting those countries mixed since I started taking E.A. studies.

But taiwanese...is there such a language? I would think that they spoke mandarin after the nationalists fled there. Oh well...tis of no importance.

[omnitarian]

If I recall correctly, dogs in China say gau gau instead of woof woof. Figuratively speaking.

[BG-57]

'Dialect' is a relative term.

I've heard that the different dialects in Chinese are like the differences in cognate languages like German, Dutch and English.

To further complicate things, Chinese is a tonal language, meaning that the same word can have several pronunciantions.

Also although Japanese kanji are based on Chinese characters, they still use the Japanese pronounciation for words, so the characters for 'Gau' and 'Inu' may look similar in Chinese and Japanese script.

[Big D]

Carbuncle is a dark red gem, but it is also the name of a reptilian creature known by Spanish and Portugese explorers to have the gem embedded atop its head.A carbuncle is also an infected pustule. Just so you know...

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

Oh, I know. I know all too well. Such is the pain of my life.

[eestlinc]

Originally posted by Kawaii Ryûkishi
Figaro comes from the opera The Marriage of Figaro.


Well, the name Figaro really derives from Beaumarchais's Figaro trilogy: The Barber of Seville, The Marriage of Figaro, and The Ghosts of Versailles. Interestingly enough, each play has been adapted into an opera, by Rossini, Mozart, and John Corigliano (if for no other reason than to be able to associate himself with the other two) respectively.

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

Well, I'd say it really really derives from Gepeto's pet cat in the Disney animation of Pinocchio.

[m4tt]

Originally posted by Kawaii Ryûkishi
Well, I'd say it really really derives from Gepeto's pet cat in the Disney animation of Pinocchio.

That's what I always thought!

[MJN SEIFER]

Makes sense, really, since they're moles with bat wings

Actualy NO when I look at Moogles I see a cat or something which might be how they got the name MOG who knows!


The name TERRA means earth ut that might just be a wooslyism

CYAN is a language for blue (Again I forgot!)and blue is the colour of Cyan's amour so it works!

Strago's surname MAGUS Can either be 1 a Zoroastrian preist 2: one of the three wise men in the bible or 3: a type of magican make of it what you will but the 3rd meaning is best or there is a chance hewas named after:magus:
but thats unlikly


Shadow and Relm are self explantory



I have now Idea if I was reviving but this hasn't realy bean DEAD and if it has i don't think it has for long! so...

[BG-57]

To the best of my knowledge the Bible doesn't mention how many magi there are, or even their names. Since there are three gifts (gold, frankincense and myrrh)
the tradition is there are three magi. On a side note myrrh was a lousy gift for a young child (embalming perfume!) :eek:

[Fiero Firestorm]

Remember, the New Testament was compiled some 300 years after Christ's death [apparently], so it isn't exactly correct.

[omnitarian]

Originally posted by MJN SEIFER
Actualy NO when I look at Moogles I see a cat or something which might be how they got the name MOG who knows!

Yeah. You're creative senses are more important than the people who created and named the characters.

[Alusiasa]

Originally posted by Spatty-poo-poo
Oh, and Loki, it's father, wasn't actually a God, but one of the Giants that were constantly at war with the Norse Gods.

Actually, Loki was a god. He was the child of Odin and a Giantess.


Originally posted by BG-57
On a side note myrrh was a lousy gift for a young child (embalming perfume!)

The three gifts were for the different stages of Jesus' life (at least that's what my preacher said), frankincense for his birth, gold for his life, and the myrrh for his death. I don't know if that's the truth but anyhow, it's what I was taught.

[Wightraven]

How has this entire conversation gone on without Cefka/Kefka = Franz Kafka being mentioned? Perhaps I just missed it... *searches desparately*

[-N-]

Because the character principles Kefka embodies has nothing to do with Kafka's works? They're only similar in that they are absurd.

[Wightraven]

... and the fact that The Metamorphosis is a song in FF6 often played while Keffy is around, as well as one of Kafka's books. The fact that Kefka uses a quote or paraphrases a quote of Kafka's (though I'm not sure which one off the top of my head).

Obviously I'm not trying to infer that Kefka IS Kafka, just that the name may have originated from him.