Some Names and their Meanings in The Witcher Series [Spoilers]
As follows are selected onomastic (pertaining to the study of names) details for various characters from The Witcher games. In some cases, the meanings are speculative (possibly erroneous), and are based upon my personal researches into the subject -- not merely cut and pasted. Although I rather suspect Sapkowski was aware of many of the origins and meanings, and used certain names deliberately in his works, I cannot be sure of his intentions in doing so, nor can I be certain the REDs did so, either.
Readers may notice certain characters are missing from the list. Frequently, I could not find a satisfactory meaning, or the origins of the name proved disappointingly unremarkable; therefore, I have omitted these -- although I still have notes on them. Also, I have concentrated largely on the literal interpretation of the names; thus, I have not explored too deeply into significant historical or mythological bearers of each name. Therefore, if a name was chosen as an allusion to a specific cultural figure, generally, I am unaware of this.
Finally, as this is an academic -- albeit informal -- project, I allow that I could be mistaken regarding certain names (especially those of Slavic origin), and welcome any insights or corrections others may wish to offer.
So much for disclaimers.
The Names:
Geralt: From Germanic elements gar, ger, ‘spear’ + wald, walt, ‘rule’ or ‘wield’; thus, ‘spear-wielder’, a good, solid name for a warrior. (Just picture Geralt wielding a large glaive.)
Vesemir: Speculative, possibly Germanic-Slavic, composed of an initial element meaning ‘warrior’ or ‘war’, + meri, or mar, meaning ‘famous’ or ‘renowned’. (I had to guess on this one, since my Slavic knowledge is a bit weak.)
Eskel: Scandinavian, from Old Norse, ass (which becomes es-, as- or os- in names), ‘divine’, or ‘godly’ + ketill, a sacrificial cauldron, or ‘kettle’; thus, ‘godly sacrifice’, or ‘divine offering’ – which, considering the Law of Surprise, and the number of potions witchers consume, is not so far-fetched.
Lambert: Germanic, land (meaning same) + beorht, or bert, ‘bright’, ‘brilliant’, or ‘famous’; thus, ‘land-bright’, or ‘widely renowned’. (He’s a regular charmer, isn’t he?)
Cirilla (Ciri): Probably linked to Cyrille, from Cyril, from Greek kyrillos, from kyrius, ‘lord’, thus Ciri’s name could mean ‘lady’, which is quite fitting, given her title.
Yennefer: Variant of Jennifer, from Guinevere, Old French, from Welsh Gwenhwyfar: gwen, ‘white’, + hwyfar, ‘smooth’, ‘soft’, ‘holy’, or ‘fair’ (beautiful); almost certainly used ironically, given her temperament, but also, possibly, -- and, again, an ironic -- reference to Arthurian motifs in the Series.
Triss Merigold: Unresolved. No definite evidence. May be related to the Latin tristis, 'sad, unhappy'. Of note, there are a number of superstitions connected with the marigold flower. The most interesting of these is its association with unrequited love, pain, sorrow, and misfortune. (Many thanks to Lalicorne for jarring my memory on this one!) According to another superstition, those who pick marigolds risk developing a weakness for strong drink . . .
Zoltan: Hungarian origin (?), possibly from Turkic title ‘sultan’, from Arabic, ‘power’, ‘ruler’, or ‘king’.
Iorveth (Iorweth): Likely from Welsh Iorwerth; ior, ‘lord’ + a modified form of berth, ‘handsome’.
Saskia: Uncertain. Possibly Germanic, such as Sächsin, a Saxon. Of interest, the Saxons took their name from the long knives, or single-edged shorts-swords, which they used, called saxes (seax in Anglo-Saxon), or sax-knives.
Emhyr var Emreis: Almost certainly from Welsh Emyr, ‘ruler, king, lord’, and Emrys, a Welsh form of the Latin name Ambrose, from Greek ambrosios, ‘immortal’ (as in ambrosia, the food of the gods).
Philippa Eilhart: Feminine form of Philip, from Greek philippos, from verb philein, ‘to love’ + hippos, ‘horse’ – ‘horse-lover’. No apparent literal intention in use, although it is a generic name of power, dating to Ancient Greek times. Amusingly, although unlikely, Eilhart may be a play on the German word Eule, owl + hart (hard), 'strong, hardy.'
Keira Metz: Likely from Celtic Kieran, from Ciaran, a diminutive form of a Gaelic word for black, thus, ‘Blacky’. Metz could be from German Metze, a complex, but now obscure term for a ‘strumpet’ or ‘harlot’. (There are other possibilities; however, these are far less likely, and less in keeping with her character.)
Sheala (or Síle) de Tancarville: Gaelic form of Cecily, from Latin Caecilia, potentially from Caecilius, from caecus, ‘blind’. (This would have been rather fitting, if she had suffered Radovid’s punishment, instead of Philippa. . .) Tancarville: 'Tancred's estate.' Tancred: Germanic thank, 'thought' + rad ,'counsel, advice'.
Shani: A disappointingly plain name, a Welsh form (Siani, from Siân, Sean) of Jane, which is itself merely the feminine of John, from Hebrew, ‘God is gracious.’
Regis: French, from Old Provençal, ultimately from Latin, for ‘ruler’ or ‘king’ (rex).
Dettlaff: While almost certainly named after one of the RED designers, the name is in itself rather interesting. It is derived from Low German Detlev (the High German Dietleib is not in common use), comprised of the elements diet (Germanic theud), ‘people, race, folk’ + leib, relic, inheritance, descendent’. As one of the few important higher vampires, and a leader of the race, this name is quite appropriate.
Olgierd von Everec: Potentially highly modified form of Scandinavian heill, ‘hale, healthy, happy’ + gerd (often seen as gard), an enclosure, fortress, or ‘yard’; thus, ‘fortunate estate’ (highly ironic).
Everec: Germanic, from eofor (Old English), or eber (German), for ‘boar’ + ric, ‘kingdom’, ‘domain’, ‘property’, or ruler thereof. Since the family name uses the German von, it should, technically, be Eberich, which would be the appropriate version for that language. (An alternative from of the first name would be Helgard.) Of note, the von Everec coat of arms features a boar, and the beasts are found in abundance near the estate. (Note also: Potential wordplay on forever, and Everec.)
Alvin: Old English ælf, ‘elf’, + wine, ‘friend’. (Alternative – and more mediaeval – from would be Alfwin.) Both ironic and fitting, considering that he was a child of the Elder Blood, and yet a foe of elves in adult life.
Auberon (former king of the Aen Elle): Related to the name Oberon (see Shakespeare, who, in turn lifted the name from a late mediaeval French heroic romance), ultimately believed to derive from Germanic, alb, ‘elf’, + ric, ‘power, etc.’ Also found as Alberic, or Albrich.
(Note: Auberon’s title, ‘King of the Alders’, likely alludes to the German poem Erlkönig, ('Alder-king'), by Goethe – which was based upon traditional Scandinavian folklore – telling of a phantom elf king who steals the soul of a child for his personal amusement.)
As follows are selected onomastic (pertaining to the study of names) details for various characters from The Witcher games. In some cases, the meanings are speculative (possibly erroneous), and are based upon my personal researches into the subject -- not merely cut and pasted. Although I rather suspect Sapkowski was aware of many of the origins and meanings, and used certain names deliberately in his works, I cannot be sure of his intentions in doing so, nor can I be certain the REDs did so, either.
Readers may notice certain characters are missing from the list. Frequently, I could not find a satisfactory meaning, or the origins of the name proved disappointingly unremarkable; therefore, I have omitted these -- although I still have notes on them. Also, I have concentrated largely on the literal interpretation of the names; thus, I have not explored too deeply into significant historical or mythological bearers of each name. Therefore, if a name was chosen as an allusion to a specific cultural figure, generally, I am unaware of this.
Finally, as this is an academic -- albeit informal -- project, I allow that I could be mistaken regarding certain names (especially those of Slavic origin), and welcome any insights or corrections others may wish to offer.
So much for disclaimers.
The Names:
Geralt: From Germanic elements gar, ger, ‘spear’ + wald, walt, ‘rule’ or ‘wield’; thus, ‘spear-wielder’, a good, solid name for a warrior. (Just picture Geralt wielding a large glaive.)
Vesemir: Speculative, possibly Germanic-Slavic, composed of an initial element meaning ‘warrior’ or ‘war’, + meri, or mar, meaning ‘famous’ or ‘renowned’. (I had to guess on this one, since my Slavic knowledge is a bit weak.)
Eskel: Scandinavian, from Old Norse, ass (which becomes es-, as- or os- in names), ‘divine’, or ‘godly’ + ketill, a sacrificial cauldron, or ‘kettle’; thus, ‘godly sacrifice’, or ‘divine offering’ – which, considering the Law of Surprise, and the number of potions witchers consume, is not so far-fetched.
Lambert: Germanic, land (meaning same) + beorht, or bert, ‘bright’, ‘brilliant’, or ‘famous’; thus, ‘land-bright’, or ‘widely renowned’. (He’s a regular charmer, isn’t he?)
Cirilla (Ciri): Probably linked to Cyrille, from Cyril, from Greek kyrillos, from kyrius, ‘lord’, thus Ciri’s name could mean ‘lady’, which is quite fitting, given her title.
Yennefer: Variant of Jennifer, from Guinevere, Old French, from Welsh Gwenhwyfar: gwen, ‘white’, + hwyfar, ‘smooth’, ‘soft’, ‘holy’, or ‘fair’ (beautiful); almost certainly used ironically, given her temperament, but also, possibly, -- and, again, an ironic -- reference to Arthurian motifs in the Series.
Triss Merigold: Unresolved. No definite evidence. May be related to the Latin tristis, 'sad, unhappy'. Of note, there are a number of superstitions connected with the marigold flower. The most interesting of these is its association with unrequited love, pain, sorrow, and misfortune. (Many thanks to Lalicorne for jarring my memory on this one!) According to another superstition, those who pick marigolds risk developing a weakness for strong drink . . .
Zoltan: Hungarian origin (?), possibly from Turkic title ‘sultan’, from Arabic, ‘power’, ‘ruler’, or ‘king’.
Iorveth (Iorweth): Likely from Welsh Iorwerth; ior, ‘lord’ + a modified form of berth, ‘handsome’.
Saskia: Uncertain. Possibly Germanic, such as Sächsin, a Saxon. Of interest, the Saxons took their name from the long knives, or single-edged shorts-swords, which they used, called saxes (seax in Anglo-Saxon), or sax-knives.
Emhyr var Emreis: Almost certainly from Welsh Emyr, ‘ruler, king, lord’, and Emrys, a Welsh form of the Latin name Ambrose, from Greek ambrosios, ‘immortal’ (as in ambrosia, the food of the gods).
Philippa Eilhart: Feminine form of Philip, from Greek philippos, from verb philein, ‘to love’ + hippos, ‘horse’ – ‘horse-lover’. No apparent literal intention in use, although it is a generic name of power, dating to Ancient Greek times. Amusingly, although unlikely, Eilhart may be a play on the German word Eule, owl + hart (hard), 'strong, hardy.'
Keira Metz: Likely from Celtic Kieran, from Ciaran, a diminutive form of a Gaelic word for black, thus, ‘Blacky’. Metz could be from German Metze, a complex, but now obscure term for a ‘strumpet’ or ‘harlot’. (There are other possibilities; however, these are far less likely, and less in keeping with her character.)
Sheala (or Síle) de Tancarville: Gaelic form of Cecily, from Latin Caecilia, potentially from Caecilius, from caecus, ‘blind’. (This would have been rather fitting, if she had suffered Radovid’s punishment, instead of Philippa. . .) Tancarville: 'Tancred's estate.' Tancred: Germanic thank, 'thought' + rad ,'counsel, advice'.
Shani: A disappointingly plain name, a Welsh form (Siani, from Siân, Sean) of Jane, which is itself merely the feminine of John, from Hebrew, ‘God is gracious.’
Regis: French, from Old Provençal, ultimately from Latin, for ‘ruler’ or ‘king’ (rex).
Dettlaff: While almost certainly named after one of the RED designers, the name is in itself rather interesting. It is derived from Low German Detlev (the High German Dietleib is not in common use), comprised of the elements diet (Germanic theud), ‘people, race, folk’ + leib, relic, inheritance, descendent’. As one of the few important higher vampires, and a leader of the race, this name is quite appropriate.
Olgierd von Everec: Potentially highly modified form of Scandinavian heill, ‘hale, healthy, happy’ + gerd (often seen as gard), an enclosure, fortress, or ‘yard’; thus, ‘fortunate estate’ (highly ironic).
Everec: Germanic, from eofor (Old English), or eber (German), for ‘boar’ + ric, ‘kingdom’, ‘domain’, ‘property’, or ruler thereof. Since the family name uses the German von, it should, technically, be Eberich, which would be the appropriate version for that language. (An alternative from of the first name would be Helgard.) Of note, the von Everec coat of arms features a boar, and the beasts are found in abundance near the estate. (Note also: Potential wordplay on forever, and Everec.)
Alvin: Old English ælf, ‘elf’, + wine, ‘friend’. (Alternative – and more mediaeval – from would be Alfwin.) Both ironic and fitting, considering that he was a child of the Elder Blood, and yet a foe of elves in adult life.
Auberon (former king of the Aen Elle): Related to the name Oberon (see Shakespeare, who, in turn lifted the name from a late mediaeval French heroic romance), ultimately believed to derive from Germanic, alb, ‘elf’, + ric, ‘power, etc.’ Also found as Alberic, or Albrich.
(Note: Auberon’s title, ‘King of the Alders’, likely alludes to the German poem Erlkönig, ('Alder-king'), by Goethe – which was based upon traditional Scandinavian folklore – telling of a phantom elf king who steals the soul of a child for his personal amusement.)
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