Names

Neither the "Names" nor the "Places" section have much as yet. ^^ Believe it or not, I actually forgot most of the stuff I wanted to put here! Serves me right for not writing it down, I guess. Anyway, if you have any other information or speculation to offer, then feel free to send it all to me.

Elly: A version of Eleanore -- (Greek) "Light", a form of Helen (Helen of Troy, the very vision and epitome of beauty and kindness...... ring a bell? ^_^) Elli -- Personified Norse goddess of old age. She always defeated Thor (god of thunder - and war, I believe, but I'm not certain) in wrestling matches/games of strength. In this case, it would allude to Elly's inner strength -- she always overcame those who sought to oppress her or others (Solaris, Krelian, Miang, Deus) with her great spiritual strength.

Sigurd: (Old Norse) -- "Victorious Guardian". (See Sigurd's spoiler profile for the best explanantion.) Aside from what you'll find on his profile, Sigurd is also the name of a great Norse hero. Both of the personas fit, in places, at least. The legends also connect him to Andvari, although I don't see any indication of that in the game.

Maria: (Spanish/Italian form of Mary) Mary -- (Hebrew) "Bitter". The mother of Jesus, who is revered as the Blessed Virgin. (I'm not going to read into this one. ^^ It doesn't sound much like Maria...... except for the bitterness. Maria's hate for Solaris is almost holy in it's intensity. ^_~ )

Fei: An ancient Chinese hero. I wish I knew more, but at the moment I don't have access to Chinese literature. ^^ Everyone knows this little bit, unfortunately. ^_~

Cain: (Hebrew) -- "Possessed". In the Bible, Cain is one of the sons of Adam and Eve. He committed the first murder, killing his brother, Abel. (Abel and Cain, brothers in Xenogears? Not quite...... although they were the two of the "first" beings on the planet. Emperor Cain killed Abel and his "wife" -- or rather, I believe the Gazel Ministry fired the shot. Same thing though, really.)

Abel: (Hebrew) -- "Breath, evanescence". Evanesce -- to dissipate or disappear like vapor. Also "disappears gradually". (I'm not sure what that has to do with anything...... He does disappear, but really...... ^^ Abel was killed by Emperor Cain, as mentioned above. In biblical history, Abel was killed by his brother, Cain.)

Dominia: (A form of Domina - Latin) -- "Lady". A woman of culture and refinement. (Hahahaha! Not our Dominia! I don't know about her table manners, but she's hardly "cultured" when we see her!)

Zephyr: "The west wind". In Greek mythology, he (yep, that's right! But it's female in Xenogears, don't you worry. ^_~) caused Apollo to accidentally kill Hyacinth out of jealousy for the god's attention. But to balance this, Zephyr (termed the "sweetest and gentlest of winds") also rescued Psyche from the misrable fate thrust upon her by Apollo and Venus. (This shows perfectly Zephyr's part in the history of Xenogears. She was on the "good side" more often than not, but committed crimes because of her greed - 500 years ago.)

Ahuras: (From Queen Vera) The name the Solarians call the mselves -- in the Japanese version, I guess -- meaning either "angel" (Zoraoastrian) or "demon" (Hindu). The second fits perfectly, for most inhabitants of that city.

Kelvena: (Variation of Kelda and/or Kelvin, Old Norse, Gaelic) "A spring", a child as refreshing as a clear mountain stream; "From the narrow river". (Both of them seem to fit well enough -- Kelvena is the Water Element after all, clear thinking and calm. More so than the other three, for sure.)

Marguerite: (French form of Margret) -- "A pearl", a rare beauty of milk-white complexion. (I don't know about this one...... *shakes head*)

Balthasar: Belshazzar, from the neo-Babylonian era. He was the son of Nabonidus (ruled 555 - 539 BC) and grandson - supposedly - to Nebuchadrezzar. When his father went into exile, he was given the throne and most of the army. The country suffered major famine and setbacks later in his rule, and he was killed when Babylon fell to the Persians in 539. This doesn't sound much like "Ol' Man Bal" from the game, but then, we know absolutely nothing of his history. He served Queen Zephyr earlier in his life, and returns to serve later in the game. Balthasar was also one of the three wise men who were at the birth of Jesus.

Miang/Myan: "Lady Meng" -- Chinese. Lady Meng lives just outside the gates of hell and prepares the Broth of Oblivion. All reincarnating souls that exit from hell must drink her broth. It makes them forget their past lives, their existence in Hell, and their speech. This is a stretch, but it was an interesting definition given to be my Arcana (who also supplied the meanings of Sophia, Fatima, Zohar, Fenrir, and Andvari).

Sophia: A Gnostic Aeon. (Aeon is a gnostic term meaning female aspects, refers specifically to a few select goddesses and humans). The name Sophia means "widsom". In Hebrew and Hebrew/Greek thinking, wisdom is often personified as female. For instance, in Luke 7:35, Jesus says "Wisdom is justified of her Children". In fact, in the Sistine Chapel, in one of the pictures where God reaches a finger to Adam, she stands behind God as equals, in a position somewhat comparable to a wife. In a Gnostic amulet, she is seen as a naked woman with two angels holding a crown above her head. Many Greek Churches, incuding the great basilica in Byzantium, devoted to Hagia Sophia, which means "Holy Wisdom". In Gnostic teaching, Sophia, filled with the desire to "create without a spouse", created the Universe from a self-induced orgasm, including her daughter, Sophia Akhamoth. Sophia Akhamoth: Gnostic. After being created from her mother, she became a seperate deity and also began to emit creative sexual energy. She is Sophia's daughter, and together, mother and daughter continued to shape the universe. Sophia was concerned mainly with the forming of the spiritual plane, while Sophia Akhamoth worked with human beings, teaching them wisdom on the physical level. Occultists call her sphere the Lower Astral Light or Ether.

Anima, Animus: The aspects of women, and the aspects of men, respectively.

Fatima: The daughter of the Islamic prophet, Mohammed. It is said that her name alone can summon magic.

Elements: Seraphim (Seraphita) = the highest order of angels, six winged, surrounding the throne of God. They represent love, light and fire. Cherubim (Cherubina, Kerubina, Kelvena) = The guardians of the fixed stars, keepers of celestial records, bestowers of knowledge. Thrones (Tolone) = They bestow God's justice. They are sometimes called wheels and in the Jewish Kabbalah, Chariots or the Merkabah. Dominions / Dominations (Dominia, of course!) = They regulate angelic duties. Through them is manifested the Majesty of God. (These are partially quoted from Xenogears 101, although I also used my own resources for these. Thanks also to Azusa for bringing this to my attention!)

Hyuga: A province, contains Miyazaki. (Thanks to Lydia for the site that contained this information!)

Uzuki: "Month of Blooming Makinos" (Thanks to Lydia for the site that contained this information!)

Midori: Come on, this is an easy one. ^_^ Not only is this a fairly common name in Japan, but it also means "green". A deep green. And that is, of course, Shitan's favorite color! ^_~

Shitan's brothers: Satsuki: "Month of First Buds" Kisarigi (Kisaragi?): "Second Month" Yayoi: "Month of Growing Plants" Hatsuyuki: "Winter's or Year's First Snow" Oboro: "Mist Veil Through Which Only a Shade of the Moon is Visible", or "Haziness Diffusing the Moonlight" Shigure (Shigre?): "The Frequent Rains of Fall and Winter" (Autumn Shower) (I'm making no claims here. ^_~ This could all be completely opposite to what Clio Saga -- or whoever created them -- had in mind. I just thought these were interesting! Also, thanks to Lydia for the site that contained this information!)

Sazanami: "Curling Waves (Ripples)", or "Pretty, Small Waves Raised by a Zephyr". (This was Shitan's healing spell. Fits, doesn't it?) (Thanks to Lydia for the site that contained this information!)

Places

Kislev: Kislev is the name of the month in which Chanukah falls, according to the Kabbalists. It's also called the "Festival of Lights" (Gee, wonder where Robert Jordan got it!), and connected to the death of Jacob. The path of Sephirot, as mentioned in the game, is the origin of the name, though I didn't see it on the Tree of Life. (As soon as I secure permission, I'll have a picture for you to look at, and you can find it yourself if you're interested. ^_~)

Shevat/Shebat: Although I have yet to find a direct reference to this city, I can tell you right now that its history and even appearance remind me of ancient Babylon (Mesopotamia). The walkways and layout/existence of its gardens bring the fabled "Hanging Gardens of Babylon" to mind, and it's betrayls and other sins relate directly to mythology. (Before you go about trying to prove me wrong, I make no claims to specific occurances - I haven't studied Babylon for at least a year, and my memory is misty. But something about Shevat just strikes me as a replay of Babylon. *shrug*) Above in the "Names" section, you might notice that Balthasar was also connected to Babylon in history.

Solaris: This place also reminds me of Babylon. ^^ But Solaris embodies the evil aspects of the kingdom and its people (according to biblical history), with a few exceptions. Although Solaris is not really a crossroads of any sort, due to their habit of just taking surface dwellers into their worker blocks, they have a great diversity of people and beliefs on almost all levels of the city, and Babylon was known for its exotic trade centers and the diversity of the people who traveled there. If you want more detailed information on theis city's other "real-life" allusions, see Aerial City Solaris, also under the Information section.

Zohar: A mystical commentary on the Pentateuch: a principal source of the Cabala. It was written between the 2nd and the 13th Century. (More upcoming as I have time to research.)

Ezekiel: In the game, this was the Ministry's ship or carrier (termed "the fish-bowl thing" by the Captain of the Thames). In the Bible, this is apparently a book, written by a Prophet in the Old Testement. ^_^

Merkaba: This is also a book in the Kabbalah, but I'm not sure if it represents a month or not.