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An Elden Ring veteran has constructed an ‘Etymology Dictionary’ featuring every name in FromSoftware’s massive RPG, delving into their origins.
‘The Elden Ring Etymology Document’ is a massive undertaking from The Red Scholar, who has attempted to compile a complete list of every name in Elden Ring and analyze where around the world and at what point in human history the name could have possibly originated.
Take ‘Agheel’ for example, which is taken from the early-game boss Flying Dragon Agheel. The Elden Ring Etymology Document explains that the Agheel part of the name could be taken from the Northern Kurdish word ‘aghir,’ which translates to ‘fire,’ or the Latin word ‘aquila,’ which means ‘eagle’ in English.
Article continues belowThe Red Scholar has even taken into account Elden Ring’s Japanese names for its characters. The Spirit Summon Aurelia, the big glowing jellyfish the player can summon, is actually called ‘Clara’ in Elden Ring’s Japanese release, and The Red Scholar reveals this is the feminine form of the Late Latin word ‘Clarus,’ which can be translated to either ‘clear,’ ‘bright,’ or ‘famous’ in English.
Actually, these Japanese names have proved an understandable challenge for The Red Scholar. As explained in the Etymology Document’s introduction, translating some Katakana from Japanese can be frustratingly ambiguous, as something like ‘ローレッタ’ can be read as either ‘Lorreta’ or ‘Roletta’ in English. Welcome to the incredibly complicated world of translating Japanese!
Brilliantly, the Etymology Document even features names for Shadow of the Erdtree, despite the fact that the DLC has yet to be released. ‘Messmer,’ for example, from Messmer the Impaler, might relate to the German word ‘Messmer,’ which in English is the word ‘sexton,’ meaning a church official who tends to the church itself and a graveyard, possibly even doubling as a gravedigger.
The DLC section of the Etymology Document isn’t yet complete, though, which is entirely forgivable. Names like ‘Onze’ and ‘Ymir’ still need to be properly translated and researched, which is possibly where The Red Scholar’s helpers come in - there are 10 other names listed with thanks in the Etymology Document by its creator. There’ll probably be a lot more names to track down and analyze once Shadow of the Erdtree actually launches.
If you’re desperate to know what to expect from the DLC when it launches tomorrow, check out our in-depth Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree review for more. You can also read our guide on how to start the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC in Elden Ring for instructions on where to head as soon as the DLC is out.
