i opened this in response to aeris_gainsborough's request


If some of you knows anything about the other names in other FF parts, please open a thread too. Pleaseeeeee.....

and rapidmonkey said he knew a lot about the names in ff6

if anyone has any theories about character, item,weapon, location, etc...in the ff games post em here.

There are alot really, the Odin summon speaks for itself. Tidus' Celestial weapon is called the Callaldbolg alos from mythology. There are tons of things that can be defined this way.

ragnarok-the ship in ff8 takes its name from a war between gods and giants.

gaia-greek goddess of the earth, this can be found in most ff games, e.g.the lifestream.

Well, don't know if this is true or not, but it seems like a worthy possibility.

Kain, from FFIV, got his name from who else, Cain in The Bible. Cain betrayed his brother and killed him. Well, Kain betrayes Cecil and the rest of the party, so yeah...

Cloud hasnt really got a meaning for his name but i found this

Cloud n. - 1. Something that darkens or fills with gloom. 2. Something that obscures.

I dunno if it means anything.

i think cloud's name is a reference to cloud 9 in dante's inferno.


Kain, from FFIV, got his name from who else, Cain in The Bible i think your probobly right, Kain and Able are the first children of Adam and Eve. or maybe he is named after the wwe superstar, or not.lol

Terra (FFVI and a location in FFIX):- The word 'Terra' means 'earth', as in terra firma.

Squall (FFVIII)- A squall is a storm. Presumably his character suits it.

Cerberus (FFVIII)- Cerburus was the three- headed dog that gaurded the Greek underworld, Hades (also a regualar in FF games).

Amarant (FFIX)- an amarant is a firey red gemstone (I think), and Amarant (the character) is naturally firey and has red hair.

That's all I can think of for now.

This is something I wrote/stole (from other websites) a few pages back, I'll just copy and paste.


Bahamut [Arabic Mythology]: Floating in a fathomless sea, Bahamut is a gigantic fish. A giant bull, Kujata, lays upon its back, and upon him is a ruby mountain. Upon that is an angel, the six hells, and the earth, with the seven heavens at the top. The Bahamut is so large that human eyes cannot bear it.

This is the Arabic version of Bahamut, the name "Bahamut" is included in several other mythologies.

Eden [Biblical Mythology]: Eden is the perfect utopia where humans originate in The Bible. It is a land without pain, hunger, disease or any conflicts. Adam and Eve were made into this world, but they were exiled from it when they ate the forbidden fruit of their free will.

Excalibur [Celtic Mythology]: The Excalibur is Arthur's enchanted sword, which shone with the light of thirty torches. The sword appeared in front of a church, stuck in a large stone. Many tried to pull it out, but only Arthur could. He was then crowned. The Excalibur is said to dazzle enemies and protect he who uses it. Another name for Excalibur is Caladbolg which comes from Irish mythology.

Fenrir [Norse Mythology]: The son of the mischevious fire god Loki and the frost giantess Angrboda, Fenrir is the devouring wolf and the beast of Ragnarok, the doom of the gods.

The gods kidnapped Fenrir and brought him to Asgard where they could watch him carefully. He was so savage that only the war god Tyr dared to feed him. At Ragnarok, Fenrir was freed from captivity and swallowed Odin.

Freyja/Freya [Norse Mythology]: Freyja is the daughter of the sea god Njord. She is a fertility goddess. Her greatest treasure was the Bisings' necklace which she obtained by sleeping with the four dwarves who made it. She gained many admirers whrough her breathtaking beauty.

Like Odin, Freyja has interest in the heroic dead, dividing the slain up at the end of a battle, determining who was worthy. Freyja is the goddess of both lust and love, she has a lost husband known as Odur or Od. Little is known about this husband though some stories suggest that it was Odin.


Gaia [Greek Mythology]: Gaia is the earth, who came out of Chaos. She gave birth to Ouranos the sky god who became her husband. Together they had a passionate relationship, but because of the strength of Ouranos' embrace, their children could not escape the earth womb until the youngest son, Cronos, freed them by emasculating his father. From Ouranous' blood, Gaia also gave birth to the Furies, goddesses who sought revenge on murderers.

Cronos turned out to be much like his father, and swallowed his own children. Gaia advised Rhea, Cronos' husband, to give Cronos a stone wrapped in linen instead of their youngest born, Zeus. Rhea did so and Cronos swallowed the rock without noticing. Zeus then overthrew Cronos, and freed his brothers and sisters from his stomach.

Gaia again helped Zeus, warning him that a child of his born from his lover Metis would take over. Zeus then swalloed Metis, and Athena sprang from his head. Zeus had been saved, by Gaia, from a fate similar to Cronos and Ouranos', holding his place as the supreme god.


Gilgamesh [Akkadian poem, Sumerian Mythology]: The Epic of Gilgamesh is a long poem, composed in about 2000 B.C. It tells the story of Gilgamesh and his friend attept to become famous and gain immortality through it. Enkidu dies, though, and Gilgamesh finds the fame to be hollow. Gilgamesh goes to Utnapishtim (similar to the Bible's Noah) who tells him about his immortality, a gift he recieved during 'the great flood'. Gilgamesh learns of a plant of life but the plant is swallowed by a snake. Gilgamesh learns that death is inevitable.

Gilgamesh is apparent earlier in some Sumerian stories.


Ifrit [Arabic Mythology]: Able to take on human or animal appearance, Ifrits are large winged fire beasts. Living in their own tribes and communities, Ifrits lead social lives amongst themselves but can also have relationships with humans. They are impervious to weapons, but they can be harmed by properly used magic.

Jourmungand [Norse Mythology]: The son of the fire god Loki and the frost giantess Angrboda, Jormungand is a large serpent. Odin threw Jormungand into the ocean and it grew so long it enciircled the earth, becoming known as the Midgard Serpent. At Ragnarok, Jormungand was slain by Thor, but first bit the god. His venom eventually killed Thor.

Minotaur (Brothers) [Greek Mythology]: The Minotaur is the monstrous son of a white bull, sent by Poseidon and Pasiphae, the wife of the Crete king, Minos. The child was born with the body of a man and the head of a bull, and was named Minotaur (Minos' Bull).

The Minotaur fed each year on seven boys and seven girls, who were sent as a tribute by the Athenians. To stop these sacrifices, the hero Thesus entered the Labyrinth where the Minotaur lived and killed it. Thesus was aided by Minos' daughter, Ariadne, who gave him a sword to slay the beast, and a ball of thread which he could unravel through the maze so he could find his way out.

Odin [Norse Mythology]: Odin is the chef god of Germanic mythology. He is the oldest god, the first son of Bor. He was risen to favor mostly by the Vikings, and became known as the supreme god in the eigth and ninth centuries. The Vikings admired Odin's love for the battle, as he was known as the "father of the slain". Odin's prominence demonstrates the importance of warfare to Germanic traditions.

Odin loved to cause conflicts and shifts of power. He once aided Harald, a Danish King, instructing him in tactics and granting him victories for years. In the king's final battle, however, Odin took the place of Harald's charioteer and drove the king to his demise.

Although Odin embodied deceit, violence and war, he also embodied many admirable qualities. He was the most learned god, with a great love for wisdom. He would willingly sacrifice himself for it.

With the threat of Ragnarok, the death of all gods, Odin built the Valhalla, a great hall of the "heroic dead". Odin would then gather heroes and warriors who were slain in battle, and bring them to Valhalla so they would fight alongside the gods on the Vigrid plain, in an attempt to strengthen and save the gods in the final battle against the frost giants at the time of Ragnarok.

Odin was killed by a wolf, Fenrir, a monstrous offspring of the fire god Loki and the frost giantess Angrboda.


Owain [Celtic Mythology]: Owain was the son of Urien and a warrior of King Arthur. He once set out to find the mysterious Black Knight who defeated Cynon, a fellow warrior. He was able to wound the knight, but nearly became a prisoner within a castle that the knight fled to. A woman named Luned saved Owain, giving him a ring of invisibility. The Black Knight died of his wounds and Owain married his widow, becoming master of the Castle of the Fountain, where the Black Knight lived. King Arthur sent his knights to find the long parted Owain, and Owain returned with them, eventually forgetting about his wife and the castle.

A very angry woman came to court and accused Owain of treachery and unfaithfulness and Owain became ashamed. He fled to the woods where he lived as a hermit until a well-born lady restored his health. Owain then slew a dragon and befriended a lion, with whom he had numerous adventures. They saved Luned from a fiery death. Eventually Owain returned to the Castle of the Fountain and made up with his wife, where they lived "happily ever after."


Pandora [Greek Mythology]: Pandora was the first woman, similar to 'Eve' in The Bible. She was created by Hephaistos, the smith god, under the order of Zeus to upset Prometheus, the god of fire and friend of men.

When Pandora was sent to live with men, she was given a sealed jar (often called Pandora's Box). The jar was a gift from the gods which contained the misfortunes and sorrows of existence. Pandora's curiosity overcame her fear and she opened the jar, releasing sorrow, disease and conflict to mankind.

The name Pandora means 'all gifts': The good, and the bad. Men gained a female companion, but they also gained many woes.


Phoenix [Greek, Egyptian and Chinese Mythology]: The Phoenix is a great mythical bird. The creature lives for 500 years, and when it's lifespan ends it sets itself aflame. From it's ashes, a new phoenix is born.

The Phoenix is a symbol of rebirth, ressurection or renewal. The revive item in most FF games is the 'Phoenix Down', a reference to the creature.

The Phoenix in Chinese mythology is known as Feng


Quezacotl/Quetzalcoatl [Aztec, Toltec and Mayan]: Quezacotl, or "Feathered Snake", was a powerful god of vegetation to many middle-american cultures. He is depicted as a large snakelike bird in both mythology and Final Fantasy VIII.

According to Aztec belief, the universe goes through various periods of existence. Quezacotl was known as the ruler of this (their) period, who brought back human life, spreading it throughout this existence.

For the Toltecs, Quezacotl was the ruler of Tula, the capital city. He was expelled by the night god, and then immolated himself, becoming the planet Venus. He then became god of the morning and evening stars, of death and ressurection.


Ragnarok [Norse Mythology]: Ragnarok is one of the most important events in Norse mythology, marking the doom of the Germanic gods. A terrible winter lasted for three years before the final battle on the Vigrid plain between the gods and the frost giants. Alongside the gods also fought the 'glorious dead' who had been summoned from Valhalla by Odin to fight on their side in the battle. Alongside Loki, the fire god, and the frost giants fought the "unworthy dead" whom they summoned from Hel, along with the wolf Fenrir and the serpent Jormungand. The destined event could not have been prevented by the gods.

Apocalypse is a common theme in many mythologies, but the Nordic version is unique as it entails the death of their gods.


Ramuh/Ramah/Rama [Hindu Mythology]:
There are three Ramas in Hindu tradition, though the name Ramah refer more specifically to Ramacandra, the seventh incarnation of Vishnu. He is an incarnation known for his chivalry, virtue and right-doing.

Notably, it is possible that Ramah was a real historical figure, or simply part of the mythology.


Tiamat [Assyrian and Mesopotamian Mythology]: Tiamat is the dragon of Chaos, the first entity. She is freshwater, a counterpart to saltwater, Apsu, in union with whom she becomes the mother of the gods. She is killed by the god Merodach, who then takes her body to form heaven and earth.

It took little bit of time, but I think I've supplied quite alot of knowledge there. I'd like to thank www.GalbadiaX.com and www.Ancient-Mythology.com, for allowing me to steal this information. Cheers.

Amarant (FFIX)- an amarant is a firey red gemstone (I think), and Amarant (the character) is naturally firey and has red hair.

garnet is also a semi-precious gemstone

maybe it's a theme in ff9

Thinking of my old history lessons, I looked into the name gilgamesh...

In Babylonian mythology, King Gilgamesh lived and reigned about 2700 BC.

According to the Sumerian king list, he was the fourth king of Uruk in Sumer and he was succeeded by his son Ur-Nungal who ruled for 30 years:

Gilgamec, whose father was a phantom (?), the lord of Kulaba, ruled for 126 years.
He built a temple to Ninlil in Nippur, and possibly the walls of Uruk.

Also I looked into some work on Odin:

His role, like many of the Norse pantheon, is complex: he is god of both wisdom and war, roles not necessarily conceived of as being mutually sympathetic in contemporary society.

His name, for the warlike Norsemen, was synonymous with battle and warfare, for it recurs throughout the myths as the bringer of victory. Odin was a shape-changer, able to change his skin and form in any way he liked. He was said to travel the world disguised as an old man with a staff, one-eyed, grey-bearded and wearing a wide-brimmed hat (called Odin Gangleri ("the wanderer")). Odin sometimes traveled among mortals under aliases Vak and Valtam.

He was married to the goddess Frigg, who appears in the myths mainly as a dutiful wife and loving mother Bragi, Balder (Beldegg?), Hod, Hermod and Thor (sometimes, Thor's mother was Jord instead). With Grid, he was the father of Vidar. He was a son of Bestla and Bor and brother of Ve and Vili, with whom he created humanity (see Ask and Embla).

The three brothers are often mentioned together. "Wille" is the German word for "will"(English) "Weh" is the German word (Gothic wai) for "woe" (English: great sorrow, grief, misery) but is more likely related to the archaic German "Wei" meaning 'sacred'

He possessed Sleipnir, an eight-legged horse, and the severed head of Mimir, which foretold the future. He employed Valkyries to gather the souls of warriors fallen in battle (the Einherjar), as these would be needed to fight for him in the battle of Ragnarok. They took the souls of the warriors to Valhalla (the hall of the fallen), Odin's residence in Asgard. One of the Valkyries, Brynhild, was imprisoned in a ring of fire by Odin for daring to disobey him. She was rescued by Sigurd. He was similarly harsh on Hod, a blind god who had accidentally killed his brother, Baldr. Odin and Rind, a giantess, birthed a child named Vali for the specific purpose of killing Hod.

Odin has a number of magical artifacts associated with him: the dwarven spear Gungnir, a magical gold ring (Draupnir), an eight-legged horse (Sleipnir), and two ravens Hugin and Munin (Thought and Memory) who travel the world to acquire information at his behest. He also commands a pair of wolves named Geri and Freki. From his throne, Hlidskjalf (located in Valaskjalf), Odin could see everything that occurred in the universe.

Snorri Sturluson's Edda depicts Odin as welcoming into his hall, Valhalla, the courageous battle-slain. These fallen, the einherjar, will support Odin at the final battle of the end of the world, Ragnarok.

The Roman historian Tacitus refers to Odin as Mercury for the reason that, like Mercury, Odin was regarded as Psychopompos, "the leader of souls".

Some German sacred formulae, known as "Merseburger Zaubersprueche" were written down in c 800 AD and survived. One starts as follows:

Phol ende UUodan vuorun zi holza.
du uuart demo Balderes volon sin vuoz birenkit
thu biguel en Sinthgunt, Sunna era suister;
thu biguol en Friia, Volla era suister ....
The god is believed to be manifest in a noisy, bellowing movement across the sky, not unlike Vāta, Lord of Wind of the Hindu. It is unsurprising therefore to find Odin deeply associated with the concept of the Wild Hunt, called in Norse beliefs Asgardareid. Odin and Frigg participated in this together.

[edit]
A deity of many names
His name has roots in the Old Norse word ��r, meaning "inspiration, madness, anger", and the god may have evolved from Odr. Odin (��inn) is also referred to as V�den. Other variations are: Othinn; Old High German Wuotan; (German word Wut translates to anger, rage) Old Low German Wodan, Wotan; and Old English Woden, which appears to mean "furious", "wild", "mad".

He is also called the Allfather (in Icelandic: aldafe�r/aldafa�ir) meaning "father of the ages" or "father of the families". This word is used in Snorri Sturlusons Younger Edda.The German Allvater indicates the 'father of all'. The German word All as in Weltall and 'Vater' translates to English: universe father.

The Norsemen gave Odin many nicknames; this was in the Norse bardic tradition of kennings, a poetic method where a person, a place or an object was referred to indirectly, almost like a riddle.
A list of these follows:

Gr�mr (or Grimnir) (Hooded) , Gangleri (Wayweary), Herjan (Ruler), Hj�lmberi (Helmet bearer), �ekkr (Much Loved), �ri�i (Third), �u�r (?), U�r (?), Helblindi (Hel blinder), H�rr (High); Sa�r (Truthful), Svipall (Changing), Sanngetall (Truthful), Herteitr (Host glad), Hnikarr (Overthrower), Bileygr (Shifty-eyed), B�leygr (Flaming-eyed), B�lverkr (Ill-doer), Fj�lnir (Many-shaped), Gr�mnir (Hooded), Glapsvi�r (Swift in deceit), Fj�lsvi�r (Wide in wisdom); S��h�ttr (Broad hat), S��skeggr (Long beard), Sigf��r (Father of Victory), Hniku�r (Overthrower), Alf��r (Allfather), Atr��r (Rider), Farmat�r (God of Cargoes); �ski (God of wishes), �mi (Shouter), Jafnh�rr (Even as high), Biflindi (?), G�ndlir (Wand bearer), H�rbar�r (Greybeard); Svi�urr (Changing(?)), Svi�rir (Changing(?)), J�lkr (Gelding), Kjalarr (Keel), Vi�urr (?), �r�r (?), Yggr (Terrible), �undr (Thunderer), Vakr (Wakeful), Skilfingr (Shaker), V�fu�r (Wanderer), Hroptat�r (Crier of the gods), Gautr (Father), Verat�r (Lord of men); Lord of the gallows; Hanga (the hanged god).

[edit]
Odin as a shaman
The goddess Freya is seen as an adept of the mysteries of seid (shamanism), a v�lva, and it is said that it was she who initiated Odin into its mysteries. In Lokasenna Loki abuses Odin for practising seid, condemning it as a unmanly art. A justification for this may be found in the Ynglinga saga where Snorri opines that following the practice of seid, the practitioner was rendered weak and helpless.

Odin was a compulsive seeker of wisdom, consumed by his passion for knowledge, to the extent that he sacrificed one eye and also hung himself from the tree Yggdrasil, whilst pierced by his own spear, to acquire knowledge. He hung there for nine days and nights, a number deeply significant in Norse magical practice (there were, for example, 9 realms of existence), thereby learning nine magical songs and eighteen magical runes. The purpose of this strange ritual, a god sacrificing himself to himself because there was nothing higher to sacrifice to, was to obtain mystical insight through mortification of the flesh; however, some scholars assert that the Norse believed that insight into the runes could only be truly attained in death. Odin's love for wisdom can also be seen in his work as a farmhand for a summer, for Baugi, in order to obtain the mead of poetry. See Fjalar and Galar for more details.

Some scholars would see this as a garbled version of the story of Christ's crucifixion, but perhaps it is more likely that the poem shows the influence of shamanism, where the symbolic climbing of a "world tree" by the shaman in search of mystic knowledge is a common religious pattern. We know that sacrifices, human or otherwise, to the gods were commonly hung in or from trees, often transfixed by spears. (See also: Peijainen) Incidentally, one of Odin's alternative names is Ygg, and Yggdrasil therefore means "Ygg's (Odin's)horse". Another of Odin's names is Hangatyr, the god of the hanged.

The creation of the runes, the Norse alphabet that was also used for divination, is attributed to Odin and is described in the Havamal, part of the Poetic Edda.

[edit]
Sacrifices to Odin
It was common, particularly among the Cimbri, to sacrifice a prisoner to Odin prior to or after a battle. One such prisoner, the "Tollund Man", was discovered hanged, naked along with many others, some of whom were wounded, in Central Jutland. The victim singled out for such a sacrifice was usually the first prisoner captured in battle. The rites particular to Odin were sacrifice by hanging, as in the case of Tollund Man; impalement upon a spear; and burning. The Orkneyinga saga relates another (and uncommon) form of Odinic sacrifice, wherein the captured Ella is slaughtered by the carving out of a "blood-eagle" upon his back.

More significantly, however, it has been argued that the killing of a combatant in battle was to give a sacrificial offering to Odin.

Sacrifices were probably also made to Odin at the beginning of summer, since Ynglinga saga states one of the great festivities of the calendar is at sumri, �at var sigrbl�t "in summer, for victory"; Odin is consistently referred to throughout the Norse mythos as the bringer of victory. The fickleness of Odin in battle was also well-documented, and in Lokasenna, Loki taunts Odin for his inconsistency.

[edit]
Odin and the Church
The Catholic church turned all Germanic nature gods into anti-gods. Papal propaganda and the zeal of monks to eradicate "heathenism" turned the Germanic god Wotan into a wild warring beast, Freya or Frigg into a witch, the Prussian god Deiw into Deiwel-Teufel, or devil. The word 'devil' in English is not derived from the Prussian god 'Deiw', however.

Despite persecutions by Catholic church, the memory of Wotan persisted in legends, fairytales and customs. In 1900 the concept of Woden was still current in Mecklenburg.

For many Germans, St. Michael replaced Wotan, and many mountain chapels dedicated to St. Michael can be found.

[edit]
Named after Odin
Many places are named after him, especially in Scandinavia, such as Odense (Denmark) and Odensbacken (Sweden), but also places in other Germanic countries, such as Wednesbury (England), Wodensberg (Germany), and Woensdrecht (Netherlands).
Almost all German Gaue (Latin, pagi) had mountains and other places named after him under such generic names as Wodenesberg, Wuodenesberg, Godesberg and Gudensberg, Wodensholt, etc.
"Wotan's Day" or "Woden's Day", has become Wednesday in English (compare Norwegian, Danish and Swedish onsdag). Odin's son Thor gives his name to "Thor's Day" , Thursday (torsdag), and his wife Frigg to Friday (fredag).
Asteroid 3989 has been named after Odin.
Odin (and Loki) are main characters in a novel by Neil Gaiman called American Gods.
[edit]
Alternate viewpoints
The legend/myth of Odin might have been based on an ancient king. This was one of the last of Thor Heyerdahl's archeo-anthropological theories. See The search for Odin.
Some scholars believe that Snorri Sturlusson's version of Norse mythology is an attempt to shoehorn a somewhat more shamanistic tradition into a Greek mythological cast, although this view does a considerable disservice to Sturlusson's efforts to maintain in permanent form what was essentially an oral tradition. Sturlusson's writing (particularly in Heimskringla) tries to maintain an essentially scholastic neutrality, even though he was writing in what had by that time become an essentially Christian society. Odin is supposed to match Zeus in this scenario.

I was going to make a rather long post, but then I found this site: http://www.ffcompendium.com/h/nsummon.shtml

One thing that it didn't mention is Sabin's name, though. There are a group of mountains (more like hills really) in Italy named the Sabains. That's generally where I think his name comes from, or just a coincidence that makes a heck of a lot of sense.