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Baldur's Gate names that mean things in other languages

ARKdeEREHARKdeEREH Member Posts: 531
edited November 2012 in Archive (General Discussion)
Have you noticed any names of people or places in Baldur's Gate that mean something in a language other than English?

Examples that I have found so far:

1.) Sekolah=school (Indonesian)
2.) Hendak=desire (Indonesian)
3.) Sendai=the name of a city in Japan (Japanese)
Post edited by ARKdeEREH on
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Comments

  • DJKajuruDJKajuru Member Posts: 3,300
    'Desreta' , the entropy lover - I think it means 'twisted'.
  • LadyEibhilinRhettLadyEibhilinRhett Member Posts: 1,078
    Hoo boy. I am a huge sucker for name etymologies.

    As I mentioned in a different thread, Xan comes from the greek "xenios", which means "to protect" or "to defend". As a moonblade wielder, one with the duty to protect elvenkind, the name is fitting.

    "Khalid" is arabic for "immortal", which is kind of darkly ironic when you consider BG2.

    Believe me, I can come up with more. Researching the meaning of names and finding possible etymologies for fantasy names that aren't exact matches--that's kind of what I do in my free time.

    Also, just a note: It's not in another language, but Aerie's name always amused me because the avariel refer to their cities as aeries. (In common English use, the term refers to an eagle's nest, but that's neither here nor there). I just always got a laugh out of the thought that her parents basically just named her "city".
  • BelgarathMTHBelgarathMTH Member Posts: 5,653
    I always thought that "Dynaheir" was a really good name for an invoker - it has the same root as "dynamics, dynamite", etc. meaning "energy". And the "heir" suffix would seem to imply "one who inherits energy".
  • benighted_starlightbenighted_starlight Member Posts: 31
    edited November 2012
    I don't wanna be a smartass here, but as a greek I'm pretty sure that "xenios" in ancient greek means "hospitable", literally a host who strives to make his guests feel safe and comfortable. The ancient greeks used the phrase "Xenios Zeus", to describe Zeus as a hospitable god who protected foreign (in greek "xenos" meaning either non-greek or not belonging to a particular city-state) travellers, a characteristic, which is, sadly, in sharp contrast with the political and social situation of modern Greece.
  • WightSupremacistWightSupremacist Member Posts: 5
    LadyEibhilinRhett said:


    Also, just a note: It's not in another language, but Aerie's name always amused me because the avariel refer to their cities as aeries. (In common English use, the term refers to an eagle's nest, but that's neither here nor there). I just always got a laugh out of the thought that her parents basically just named her "city".

    She is Minsc's new witch in BG2, Minsc (or Minsk) is the name of the capital of Belarus I think.

    Also, minor character Ioin O' Gallchobair is, roughly, an Irish name.

    Cromwell comes, obviously, from Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of England when it became a republic for a short time in the seventeenth century.

    Speculating on names:

    Garrick I'd say comes from the famous actor David Garrick.

    Cernd I always thought sounds like "concerned".

    Haer Da'Lis reminds be of 'Fleur De Lis'

    Valygar could perhaps come from "Valiant and Eager"

    Bodhi although I think this is an Indian word reminds me of "Body"

    But then again, I'm sure a lot of the names are abitrary
  • LadyEibhilinRhettLadyEibhilinRhett Member Posts: 1,078
    edited November 2012
    benighted_starlight said:

    I don't wanna be a smartass here, but as a greek I'm pretty sure that "xenios" in ancient greek means "hospitable", literally a host who strives to make his guests feel safe and comfortable. The ancient greeks used the phrase "Xenios Zeus", to describe Zeus as a hospitable god who protected foreign (in greek "xenos" meaning either non-greek or not belonging to a particular city-state) travellers, a characteristic, which is, sadly, in sharp contrast with the political and social situation of modern Greece.

    @benighted_starlight
    Hm. I might have used the wrong word as a root. I do know the name comes from a greek root meaning "protector", however I sometimes get the specific roots mixed up. It was probably a different word. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.

    ...Here, I 've gone and looked it up. "Xenios" was the root to another name I was looking up recently.
    "Xan" is a common diminuitive form of the name "Alexander", meaning "he who protects" or "protector of men" from "alexandros", a combination of "alexin", "to protect or defend", and "andros", "man".

    There. I've corrected it. Does this look right?
  • MornmagorMornmagor Member Posts: 1,160
    Actually, Go-rion is also the japanese name for Voltron and it means:

    Go = Five

    Rion = Lion in japanese katakana

    Gorion = Five Lions aka Voltron

    Other than that, @LadyEibhilinRhett yep, drepane is actually scythe.

    Also Alexander has two meanings.

    Alexo in ancient greek is to protect, or to deflect and andros is "of man", Alexander(Alexandros) means protector of men or a deflector of men(one who deflects men violently) aka a great warrior. The meaning of protector of men is more popular, but it could mean both.

    Also lol at Minsc, capital of Belarus? :p
  • ankhegankheg Member Posts: 546
    Andris the mage. Andris is short-for András (which is basically Andrew) in hungarian. Mostly used for children.
  • Permidion_StarkPermidion_Stark Member Posts: 4,861
    edited November 2012
    LadyEibhilinRhett said:

    Here. I have attempted to puzzle out etymologies for people met in Candlekeep at the beginning of the game.

    Reevor- Possibly comes from "Reeve", a fairly uncommon English name derived from the occupation of the same name. In which case, it would mean "steward" or "bailiff".

    Interesting stuff. My guess with Reevor is that it is a play on the word 'reiver' - a Scottish/Northern English dialect word for a raider. The Border Reivers were cross-border raiders between England and Scotland from the middle ages through to the Renaissance. And I think Reevor has a Scottish accent (but I may have imagined that - I'm not good with accents)
  • LadyEibhilinRhettLadyEibhilinRhett Member Posts: 1,078
    edited November 2012

    @mornmagor
    Very funny, but Gorion really is a Hebrew name meaning 'lion'. More specifically, it is a common alternate spelling of the name Gurion. It's usually pronounced differently though, which does lend some credence to your theory that the name "Gorion" as used in Baldur's Gate comes from the..ahem...alternate source, you mentioned.

    The insight on the name "Alexander" is quite interesting, and I never knew about the alternate interpretation. This is totally going in my name etymology notes, where I will most likely promptly forget about it or misplace it and confuse it with something else, just like I did with that whole 'xenios' mix-up, but oh well.
    Though I think the "protector" interpretation is more fitting for Xan, because let's face it, he may have a special sword, but he is not a great warrior by any stretch of the imagination.
  • LadyEibhilinRhettLadyEibhilinRhett Member Posts: 1,078
    Okay let's try some more
    First seen on map: Lion's Way (AR2700)

    Sarevok Anchev- Unfortunately I cannot even begin to find anything on the name "Sarevok". As far as I can tell, it's just a mix of syllables. If anyone else knows otherwise, please let me know. Anchev, however, is a Russian surname. Unfortunately, the meaning has thus far eluded me.

    Tamoko- Not listed as a known name anywhere I've gone, but it's pretty easy to piece together. It's constructed from Japanese roots. "Tamo" is the word for the Japanese ash tree. "-ko" is a common suffix in female Japanese names, and it means child. So, "Tamoko" would translate roughly to "Little Ash".

    Chase-Common English name/word, needs no explanation.

    Kolssed- I literally cannot find anything on this name. I cannot find any similar roots anywhere, and there is no mention of the name outside Baldur's Gate.

    Xzar- Is probably just a 'creative' spelling of "czar" (Russian form of 'caesar')

    Montaron- An extremely rare form of the Spanish surname "Montero", meaning "huntsman".

    Binkos- Extremely rare surname, likely originated in the small Bulgarian village of the same name.

  • byrne20byrne20 Member Posts: 503
    edited November 2012
    @LadyEibhilinRhett
    Wow you have come up with some pretty interesting stuff :) awesome :)
  • LadyEibhilinRhettLadyEibhilinRhett Member Posts: 1,078
    Minor NPC's found near the Lion's Way/Coast Way Crossroads-

    Andout- I can't find anything on this. I get the feeling that it might be some sort of pun I'm too dumb to get.

    Deke- Modern variant of the greek "Deacon", originally meaning "dusty one" or "servant", now also used as the name of a ministerial position.

    Jase- Modern variant of the greek "Jason", meaning "healer".

    Aoln- I admit, I'm at a loss for this one. It's definitely an old Gaelic word--I've seen it used multiple times in ancient Gaelic texts. However, I can't for the life of me find a translation.
  • ARKdeEREHARKdeEREH Member Posts: 531
    LadyEibhilinRhett said:

    Okay let's try some more
    First seen on map: Lion's Way (AR2700)

    Sarevok Anchev- Unfortunately I cannot even begin to find anything on the name "Sarevok". As far as I can tell, it's just a mix of syllables. If anyone else knows otherwise, please let me know. Anchev, however, is a Russian surname. Unfortunately, the meaning has thus far eluded me.

    Sarevok sounds similar to Syravac, which is a name I've seen used in historical Scandinavian literature. Maybe that's related.

  • Permidion_StarkPermidion_Stark Member Posts: 4,861
    LadyEibhilinRhett said:

    Minor NPC's found near the Lion's Way/Coast Way Crossroads-

    Andout- I can't find anything on this. I get the feeling that it might be some sort of pun I'm too dumb to get.

    He's a messenger so I think it is a play on the phrase "Over and Out" used in two-way radio communication.
  • benighted_starlightbenighted_starlight Member Posts: 31
    edited November 2012
    Man, how I'm enjoying this post.

    @LadyEibhilinRhett you should be listed in the game credits as the official community linguist! You've come across some pretty good ones. Also, your analysis of "Alexander" puts me to shame, because I am greek and it sounds so simple that I should know it, yet I never thought of it.

    Two easy ones from me:

    Deke - This is the standard english transliteration of the greek word "δίκη" which means "trial" as in a court procedure/court case.

    Sendai - Analysing the word one can find two roots, sen and dai. "Sen" in japanese means "money" or "coin" and "dai" depending on how it's written means either "university" or "very much". I would choose the second meaning of the second root word however, so we come up with the only logical explanation for a person's name, which is "rich".
  • LadyEibhilinRhettLadyEibhilinRhett Member Posts: 1,078
    @benighted_starlight
    Maaan, your analysis of "Deke" puts mine to shame
  • ForseForse Member Posts: 106
    edited November 2012
    Nice thread! I love learning where words come from!

    I've always assumed that "Baldur" comes from the old norse god Balder (swedish spelling), who was portrayed as a good, charismatic god, which fits well with what we know of Balduran.

    Edit: Looked it up. Baldur is actually an alternative spelling for Balder, along with Baldr. :p
  • Aasimar069Aasimar069 Member Posts: 803
    LadyEibhilinRhett said:



    "Khalid" is arabic for "immortal", which is kind of darkly ironic when you consider BG2.

    It's a first name also that people from North Africa have.
    (You might already know it but I guess it doesn't hurt to remind it).
  • DJKajuruDJKajuru Member Posts: 3,300
    edited November 2012
    Rieltar - It might come from the word "rialto" , which means "exchange, mart" . Makes sense, since he's a trader.

    Brunos - It comes from Brun, Bruno, Brunswick ... it means 'dark' , and it sounds a lot like "brown" . That's also my name :P

    Edwin Odesseiron - It's a commom english name which comes from ancient "Ead-wine", which means 'prosperity-friend' . Odesseiron I tried to divide in three parts -
    Ode - A poem, or something proclaimed as such.
    Seei - Could it be from "say"?
    Ron-Gods

    Therefore , O poem-said by/to-Gods.
  • DJKajuruDJKajuru Member Posts: 3,300
    edited November 2012
    Irenicus - I know that "Ire" means 'anger'. "Nicus" I couldn't find!

    Firkraag - I bet that "Fir" comes from "fire" and "Kraag" might come from the word "craig" which means "stone" - Firestone!

    Shar-teel - "sharp steel" , I suppose!
  • DJKajuruDJKajuru Member Posts: 3,300
    Viconia I got from the drow dictionary:

    Vic : Abyss, deep, profound
    -onia}-onim : Rod, staff, token, wand
  • LadyEibhilinRhettLadyEibhilinRhett Member Posts: 1,078
    Aasimar069 said:

    LadyEibhilinRhett said:



    "Khalid" is arabic for "immortal", which is kind of darkly ironic when you consider BG2.

    It's a first name also that people from North Africa have.
    (You might already know it but I guess it doesn't hurt to remind it).
    Yes, it's a fairly common first name in North Africa and the Middle East, and it comes directly from the Arabic for "immortal".
  • AHFAHF Member Posts: 1,376
    benighted_starlight said:

    Man, how I'm enjoying this post.
    Sendai - Analysing the word one can find two roots, sen and dai. "Sen" in japanese means "money" or "coin" and "dai" depending on how it's written means either "university" or "very much". I would choose the second meaning of the second root word however, so we come up with the only logical explanation for a person's name, which is "rich".

    Since there are two Sendai's in the series, you may need multiple meanings anyway!
  • RomulanPaladinRomulanPaladin Member Posts: 188
    Well, I have heard that English names often described occupation, but I'm not sure about what @LadyEibhilinRhett said about Fuller. Fuller is also a term used to describe the well or depression that runs up the center of a double-edged blade. Maybe, when the game designers wanted to name their "generic marital-type guy" they just simply took a word from medieval weapon jargon...

    @DJKajuru, remember that they actually tell us what Irenicus means in whatever language (elven?). Elliseme says it means "shattered one." Still, good thing to look into. I'd like to know if this actually came from something or if they just made it up.
  • WightSupremacistWightSupremacist Member Posts: 5
    Irenicus's name in BG as foreshadowed by the spider lady in Cloakwood was Jon Icarus, 'Icarus' being from Greek Mythology. He was Dedalus's son who when escaping from the labyrinth with his wings made by his father flew too close to the sun and the wax holding the wings together melted.

    A good analogy for Irenicus's transgressions as an elf. Altering it by using 'Ire' adds more meaning to it.

    Also, speculating further, the name Jonoleth that I think is first heard in the cutscene in the Underdark may be related to 'shibboleth' a word used to discover or out an imposter.

    In this scene it is obvious that the drow don't realise that Jon Irenicus is, or was, a surface elf and is thus an imposter.
  • LadyRhianLadyRhian Member Posts: 14,694
    edited November 2012
    Kolssed- I literally cannot find anything on this name. I cannot find any similar roots anywhere, and there is no mention of the name outside Baldur's Gate.

    It's a backwards spelling of Desslok also, who was the leader of an Evil Star Empire in Star Blazers. They were always calling him "Leader Desslok" Could be a callback to that.

    As for Firkraag, "Crag" can also mean a kind of mountain. So a Fir-kraag would be a fire mountain or a volcano.

    I had talked about Rasaad yn Bashir, the new character, in the thread about him. Rasaad is close to "Rashad" meaning "Integrity of Conduct" in Arabic or "Righteous". Bashir means "Bringer of Glad Tidings" or "Messenger". I am taking "yn" to be a patrynomic, something like son of/child of. Leading to a combined meaning of "Righteous, son of the bringer of good news". Which indeed fits how they have portrayed him so far.

    As for Dorn, his last name is actually a title. Il-Khan. A Khan is a ruler of nomadic horse tribesmen. like Kublai Khan or Genghis Khan. It was also an empire ruled over by a relative of the Khan and subordinate to the Khan, at least in theory. So if one assumes Dorn is referring to his father as the Khan, he is an equally powerful ruler to his father... Again, fits with what we've seen of him in fiction.

    Neera is a variant of the name of Hercules' wife, Deianera, and means "capable of great destruction"... You know, if I didn't know better...
    Post edited by LadyRhian on
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