Hi,
Sorry to disappoint you at some of your 'theroies' but:
1) Vesemir - comes from Polish name Wyszomir (https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wyszomir), 'he who cherishes peace above all' - fits to rather peaceful nature of Vesemir.
2) Olgierd - comes from Polish name Olgierd (its still in use) which comes from Lithuanian Algirdas - but Poland and Lithuania was one country since XIV century so... Just this von Everec is added to be more multinational, but the character apparel is clearly suggesting that he is a Polish noble of XVI-XVII century (dress, hair etc. - not seen elsewhere than Poland).
3) Triss - I'd rather suggest Beatrice as source.
4) Emhyr - perhaps Welsh but also might come from Turkish 'emir' (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emir) which in Polish sounds quite similar.
You need to remember that the Witcher is written by Sapkowski who is Polish and he often grabs from Polish history and culture (same with game) so I'd suggest first try if name of person/place/monster is not coming from Polish.
Regards.
Sorry to disappoint you at some of your 'theroies' but:
1) Vesemir - comes from Polish name Wyszomir (https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wyszomir), 'he who cherishes peace above all' - fits to rather peaceful nature of Vesemir.
2) Olgierd - comes from Polish name Olgierd (its still in use) which comes from Lithuanian Algirdas - but Poland and Lithuania was one country since XIV century so... Just this von Everec is added to be more multinational, but the character apparel is clearly suggesting that he is a Polish noble of XVI-XVII century (dress, hair etc. - not seen elsewhere than Poland).
3) Triss - I'd rather suggest Beatrice as source.
4) Emhyr - perhaps Welsh but also might come from Turkish 'emir' (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emir) which in Polish sounds quite similar.
You need to remember that the Witcher is written by Sapkowski who is Polish and he often grabs from Polish history and culture (same with game) so I'd suggest first try if name of person/place/monster is not coming from Polish.
Regards.
Cyrus Engelkind Hemmelfart is an interesting name -- Cyrus is Old Persian, ''Kurus'', perhaps denoting ''radiant'', suggesting the Persian law-giver, the second of that name, who is incidentally regarded by the Jews as a Messiah for ordering the rebuilding of the Temple (see Nehemiah). The Hierarch is the self-anointed Messiah or chosen one of Novigrad, who clearly regards himself as bringing the light of the Eternal Fire to a dark world., Engelkind denotes ''angel-child'' in German, Hemmelfart is a Low Germanic form of the NHD (New High German = standard German) Himmelfahrt, a word only met with in the phrases ''Christi'' and ''Mariae (a-umlaut representing the Latin genitive) Himmelfahrt'', the Ascension of Christ and the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin into Heaven, dogmas of the Roman Catholic Church. I prefer to interpret it as the latter as it suggests more the full pomp and Inquisitorial zeal of the Ultramontane Roman Church before its recent decline into self-contradictory theological modernism. Coupled with his notable resemblance to John Paul II it suggests a great Roman prince-bishop.
The vulgar English rendering of Hemmelfart (''farting'', flatulence) may be by chance, if the name is met with in Polish, but if it is not, it may allude to his squalor and corruption -- frequenting Whoreson Junior's casino and arena and even gambling away ''a ruby ring'' -- anyone familiar with the Roman Catholic Church, especially in her unchanged Baroque pomp and splendour before the late Vatican Council, will associate a ring, set with amethyst, as the mark of a Bishop. Transferring amethyst-purple to the red of a blazing [Eternal] fire, he has gambled away his sign of office!
The corruption of the Eternal Fire is, for aesthetic effect, best not dissociated from its splendour -- pomp and foulness forms a very powerful image, silken vestments and mortification and hair-shirts leaking blood mixing with swilled wine and the greasy remnants of feasts wolfed down like animals, from the Borgia pornocracy to the Skeksis of the childrens' ''Dark Crystal'' -- I imagine the Eternal Fire as very similar.
The vulgar English rendering of Hemmelfart (''farting'', flatulence) may be by chance, if the name is met with in Polish, but if it is not, it may allude to his squalor and corruption -- frequenting Whoreson Junior's casino and arena and even gambling away ''a ruby ring'' -- anyone familiar with the Roman Catholic Church, especially in her unchanged Baroque pomp and splendour before the late Vatican Council, will associate a ring, set with amethyst, as the mark of a Bishop. Transferring amethyst-purple to the red of a blazing [Eternal] fire, he has gambled away his sign of office!
The corruption of the Eternal Fire is, for aesthetic effect, best not dissociated from its splendour -- pomp and foulness forms a very powerful image, silken vestments and mortification and hair-shirts leaking blood mixing with swilled wine and the greasy remnants of feasts wolfed down like animals, from the Borgia pornocracy to the Skeksis of the childrens' ''Dark Crystal'' -- I imagine the Eternal Fire as very similar.
Thanks for the leads, RederOr ! I'm not disappointed in the slightest, and I welcome all alternatives and corrections. (Although I'm quite aware that Sapkowski drew from his native culture and history -- as well as other European sources -- since I'm not Polish myself, my ability to assess Polish elements often leaves a great deal to be desired.)
I'd stick to this version: Hemmelfart comes from Himmelfart (Heavens Fart). He has even a real counterpart in Poland (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tadeusz_Rydzyk)PatriciusAlbus;n9808981 said:
I don't remember the guy from the books but Sapkowski often used names with quite 'vulgar' meaning (after you mess a little with letters) and CDPR followed it. Many names in Witcher are combination of German/Polish/English words and have some vulgar meanings. I read only Polish Witcher (but I often switch language in game to see the translation) but I will try to find English version - in Polish there was so many 'localised' jokes etc. that I'm curious how they translated it.Riven-Twain , I know that it is not obvious for non-Polish book reader or game players, that's why I put some remarks here
I'm quite new to Witcher 3 - just managed to kill Imlerith last night but I play the game almost year (well, just 1-2 hrs in evenings - due to strong language I can't play it in presence of my kids, they swear really hard in Polish and f... word is nothing comparing it sometimes to Polish original ), I'm trying to do all quests I encounter so the mix of various beliefs and mythologies is overwhelming (in a positive way !).
Just a few more entries, gathered from my recent researches:
Meve: The queen of Lyria and Rivia (mentioned only in passing in the games, but projected as the protagonist of CDPR's forthcoming GWENT: Thronebreaker); likely derived from Mebd, the semi-divine queen of Connacht, who figures prominently in the mediaeval Irish epic, The Táin ('The Cattle Raid of Cooley'). Her name appears to mean 'intoxicator', or 'the one who makes drunk', similar to English mead. In The Táin, Mebd is a powerful, if rather ruthless, queen, and war-leader. Her figure there is possibly a remnant of a pre-Christian, Celtic sovereign goddess. The name may also survive -- in a far less impressive form -- in folklore, as Queen Mab, a fairy, who affects the dreams of mortals. (Shakespeare refers to this character in Romeo and Juliet.)
Ofir: This distant country is probably inspired by Ophir, an exotic, unidentified land, mentioned in the Bible, noted for its gold and gems.
Seltkirk (of Gulet): The origin of the celebrated Aedirnean knight's name looks to be a variation on Selkirk (a Scots place-name), meaning 'church by the hall'; from Old English sele (or seld) 'hall', or 'dwelling', and cirice ,'church', or Norse kirkja. (The significance of the name escapes me, although still impressive.)
Palmerin de Launfal: Both names of this knight of Toussaint are of interest. Palmerin may be derived from Mediaeval Latin palmiere, from palmarius, a 'palmer', or 'pilgrim' (identified by the palm-branch). Launfal is a variant of Lanval, the 'hero' of a 12th-Century Arthurian lay of the same title, by the poetess Marie de France, in which the young knight is rescued from a courtly case by a his fairy mistress.
Vivienne (de Tabris): The name of this enchanting beauty from Blood and Wine derives ultimately from Old French Vivien, from a masculine name,Vivian, from Latin Vivianus, from vivus, 'alive', or (more obviously) 'vivacious'. In later Arthurian legend, Vivien is sometimes identified as the treacherous mistress of the wizard Merlin, or as the Lady of the Lake herself. The name is in keeping with Toussaint's chivalric traditions. (The precise significance of title de Tabris is uncertain to me.)
Meve: The queen of Lyria and Rivia (mentioned only in passing in the games, but projected as the protagonist of CDPR's forthcoming GWENT: Thronebreaker); likely derived from Mebd, the semi-divine queen of Connacht, who figures prominently in the mediaeval Irish epic, The Táin ('The Cattle Raid of Cooley'). Her name appears to mean 'intoxicator', or 'the one who makes drunk', similar to English mead. In The Táin, Mebd is a powerful, if rather ruthless, queen, and war-leader. Her figure there is possibly a remnant of a pre-Christian, Celtic sovereign goddess. The name may also survive -- in a far less impressive form -- in folklore, as Queen Mab, a fairy, who affects the dreams of mortals. (Shakespeare refers to this character in Romeo and Juliet.)
Ofir: This distant country is probably inspired by Ophir, an exotic, unidentified land, mentioned in the Bible, noted for its gold and gems.
Seltkirk (of Gulet): The origin of the celebrated Aedirnean knight's name looks to be a variation on Selkirk (a Scots place-name), meaning 'church by the hall'; from Old English sele (or seld) 'hall', or 'dwelling', and cirice ,'church', or Norse kirkja. (The significance of the name escapes me, although still impressive.)
Palmerin de Launfal: Both names of this knight of Toussaint are of interest. Palmerin may be derived from Mediaeval Latin palmiere, from palmarius, a 'palmer', or 'pilgrim' (identified by the palm-branch). Launfal is a variant of Lanval, the 'hero' of a 12th-Century Arthurian lay of the same title, by the poetess Marie de France, in which the young knight is rescued from a courtly case by a his fairy mistress.
Vivienne (de Tabris): The name of this enchanting beauty from Blood and Wine derives ultimately from Old French Vivien, from a masculine name,Vivian, from Latin Vivianus, from vivus, 'alive', or (more obviously) 'vivacious'. In later Arthurian legend, Vivien is sometimes identified as the treacherous mistress of the wizard Merlin, or as the Lady of the Lake herself. The name is in keeping with Toussaint's chivalric traditions. (The precise significance of title de Tabris is uncertain to me.)
A minor, but interesting, item I forgot to add a while back:
Ataman (Olgierd von Everec's title or rank): Variant of either hetman or yataghan. Hetman: Polish military commander, probably, ultimately, from German Hauptmann, 'head man', or captain. (Ataman is listed as the Russian version.) Yataghan: A middle-eastern sword (often a semi-curved sabre, which closely resembles Olgierd's own blade), Turkish.
Ataman (Olgierd von Everec's title or rank): Variant of either hetman or yataghan. Hetman: Polish military commander, probably, ultimately, from German Hauptmann, 'head man', or captain. (Ataman is listed as the Russian version.) Yataghan: A middle-eastern sword (often a semi-curved sabre, which closely resembles Olgierd's own blade), Turkish.
A couple more items I intended to add earlier, but had yet to find a convenient spot:
Barghest (the demonic hounds from The Witcher, and Blood and Wine): Possibly akin to German Berggeist, 'mountain-ghost', or 'spirit'. The barghest figures into Northern English folklore, where it is an omen of death and misfortune when seen. There are a number of local manifestations.
Draug, and Draugir (from Assassins of Kings): Doubtless inspired by the Old Norse draugr, a ghost or revenant, inhabiting a cairn or burial mound. The name may, ultimately, be related to the verb to drag (draga in Old Norse), in the sense that these dead could drag themselves, or others, beneath the earth; however, this is speculative, based on their descriptions in the Icelandic sagas. In Norwegian folklore, draugs are also described as living dead, sometimes drowned corpses.
Nekker (Assassins of Kings, Wild Hunt): There are a variety of folklore creatures with similar names; however, a good example is the nicker (Old English nicor, Middle Low German, necker, ultimately related to the Greek nix or nixie), a water-spirit, or daemon. Although the nekkers of The Witcher are land-dwellers, their subterranean habits are comparable to the submarine nature of their 'real-world' counterparts.
Bucka (mentioned in the English dialogue with the godling, Johnny, whom Geralt at first mistakes for one in Wild Hunt): Based upon interchangeable consonants, a potential variation of pooka, or puck, a mischievous Celtic (possibly Germanic) 'hobgoblin', resembling The Witcher's godlings, at least in character. Puck is known as Robin Goodfellow in English (as mentioned famously in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.)
Lutin (another of Geralt's guesses at identifying Johnny): French word for 'goblin'. Its use in the English version of the game is not precisely clear, apart from suggesting another goblinoid creature. The French word either derives from a modified form of Neptune (the Roman sea-god, and, by extension, a daemon to later Christians), or the verb lutter, 'to struggle' or 'wrestle', an activity often attributed to spirits of the night.
Barghest (the demonic hounds from The Witcher, and Blood and Wine): Possibly akin to German Berggeist, 'mountain-ghost', or 'spirit'. The barghest figures into Northern English folklore, where it is an omen of death and misfortune when seen. There are a number of local manifestations.
Draug, and Draugir (from Assassins of Kings): Doubtless inspired by the Old Norse draugr, a ghost or revenant, inhabiting a cairn or burial mound. The name may, ultimately, be related to the verb to drag (draga in Old Norse), in the sense that these dead could drag themselves, or others, beneath the earth; however, this is speculative, based on their descriptions in the Icelandic sagas. In Norwegian folklore, draugs are also described as living dead, sometimes drowned corpses.
Nekker (Assassins of Kings, Wild Hunt): There are a variety of folklore creatures with similar names; however, a good example is the nicker (Old English nicor, Middle Low German, necker, ultimately related to the Greek nix or nixie), a water-spirit, or daemon. Although the nekkers of The Witcher are land-dwellers, their subterranean habits are comparable to the submarine nature of their 'real-world' counterparts.
Bucka (mentioned in the English dialogue with the godling, Johnny, whom Geralt at first mistakes for one in Wild Hunt): Based upon interchangeable consonants, a potential variation of pooka, or puck, a mischievous Celtic (possibly Germanic) 'hobgoblin', resembling The Witcher's godlings, at least in character. Puck is known as Robin Goodfellow in English (as mentioned famously in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.)
Lutin (another of Geralt's guesses at identifying Johnny): French word for 'goblin'. Its use in the English version of the game is not precisely clear, apart from suggesting another goblinoid creature. The French word either derives from a modified form of Neptune (the Roman sea-god, and, by extension, a daemon to later Christians), or the verb lutter, 'to struggle' or 'wrestle', an activity often attributed to spirits of the night.
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Actually Shani is a rather common Hebrew name, meaning strong red - in english its crimson. Can be connected to her hair color.
There are some more Hebrew names in the game:
Dudu - also a common hebrew name, actually more of a nickname for people that named David
Reuven - comes from the bible, its one of the 12 hebrew tribes and also quite a common name
There are some more Hebrew names in the game:
Dudu - also a common hebrew name, actually more of a nickname for people that named David
Reuven - comes from the bible, its one of the 12 hebrew tribes and also quite a common name
Thanks for the information, @xBJack ! It's refreshing to see more interest in names.
Interesting. I always assumed it was a pun, based on the German second singular informal pronoun du ('thou' in antique English, or 'you' in modern). As a doppler, with the ability to change into anyone, a name meaning 'thou-thou', seemed fitting.
Ah, so it does. I hadn't given Sigismund Dijkstra's alias all that much thought. Apparently, as a variant of Reuben, it means 'behold, a son' in Hebrew. Meanwhile, Sigismund is old Germanic, from the elements sige, 'victory' + mund, 'protector'. Dijkstra's meaning remains a mystery to me, though -- which is perhaps appropriate, as he's a master spy.
Awesome work there. As for dudu i have no clue if it was by accident or not just thought it was worth noting
As for shani it have a meaning and connection, maybe it is what they were aiming for
Hmm, I actually thought his garb looked pretty Ottoman. Seemed familiar.
And his sword was a scimitar, so I had thought his outfit design was influenced by eastern figures.