Author Topic: Special Names in the Chrono Series  (Read 10432 times)

Legend of the Past

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Special Names in the Chrono Series
« on: February 25, 2006, 02:57:04 pm »
There are many names in the world of Chrono, some of them more obvious, some of them less. One example of an obvious name is the Gurus: They are named after the three magi that visited Jesus in his birth and granted him presents.

But there are also other names, with less known meanings. One such is the Mammom Machine: Mammon means richs in Hebrew, but can also be tilted towards riches in a negative tone, like riches gained by taking from taxpayers, etc. Azala has a somewhat intresting Hebrew meaning, as it sounds a bit like Azla, the female form of 'Ran out'. Perhaps an hint towards the Reptites' future extinction?

CyberSarkany

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« Reply #1 on: February 26, 2006, 11:37:31 am »
About the gurus name, nope, they aren't from the bible, because the people who visited jesus weren't named in it.

Legend of the Past

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« Reply #2 on: February 26, 2006, 11:48:49 am »
Heh, I can't say I wholly care. I'm not that brought that conclusion. Moreover, I don't care about the New Testament either or Jesus, either. I'm Jewish.

CyberSarkany

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« Reply #3 on: February 26, 2006, 11:57:17 am »
I don't care either, just the only thing I really know about the bible lol

Zaperking

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Re: Special Names in the Chrono Series
« Reply #4 on: February 26, 2006, 04:20:42 pm »
Quote from: Legend of the Past
There are many names in the world of Chrono, some of them more obvious, some of them less. One example of an obvious name is the Gurus: They are named after the three magi that visited Jesus in his birth and granted him presents.

But there are also other names, with less known meanings. One such is the Mammom Machine: Mammon means richs in Hebrew, but can also be tilted towards riches in a negative tone, like riches gained by taking from taxpayers, etc. Azala has a somewhat intresting Hebrew meaning, as it sounds a bit like Azla, the female form of 'Ran out'. Perhaps an hint towards the Reptites' future extinction?


All depends if they were used in the Japanese version, otherwise they're a Woodleysm.

AuraTwilight

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« Reply #5 on: February 26, 2006, 04:44:21 pm »
Mammon, actually, was a pagan god of wealth and corruption.

ChronoMagus

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« Reply #6 on: February 26, 2006, 05:25:10 pm »
And of course Magus vs Cyrus is referring to King Cyrus of Persia defeating the Magi (plural of Magus duh) of the Median tribes.  Then there is Medina, city of the Prophet.

Mystik3eb

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« Reply #7 on: February 27, 2006, 04:06:38 am »
They are a Woolseyism. I can't remember what their names were in the Jap version, but they were all very similar to each other, and kinda weird/silly.

Zaperking

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« Reply #8 on: February 27, 2006, 04:39:41 am »
Most had Puns, or indeed were Silly. Janus = Jaki = Dark Energy. Magus meant something like Demon King. The Mammon Machine was something like Demon Machine. Then there's the Guru's names, Slash/Flea and Ozzie's names :O

Daniel Krispin

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« Reply #9 on: February 27, 2006, 05:08:58 am »
Quote from: ChronoMagus
And of course Magus vs Cyrus is referring to King Cyrus of Persia defeating the Magi (plural of Magus duh) of the Median tribes.  Then there is Medina, city of the Prophet.


Nice one. Actually, I knew Magus/Magos/Magoi, etc. and all that Greek/Persian stuff, as well as Cyrus (who, apparently, was not called Cyrus in Persian - Herodotus had it Greekified into Kuros, whence we get Cyrus... in origin it was Kuru. Go figure.) But anyway, I honestly had not till this moment considered the connection between Cyrus and Magus to be an inverse of the slaughter of the Magi by Cyrus the Great. I had only thought them to be two disconnected allusions.

ChronoMagus

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« Reply #10 on: February 27, 2006, 06:51:06 pm »
Quote from: Daniel Krispin
Quote from: ChronoMagus
And of course Magus vs Cyrus is referring to King Cyrus of Persia defeating the Magi (plural of Magus duh) of the Median tribes.  Then there is Medina, city of the Prophet.


Nice one. Actually, I knew Magus/Magos/Magoi, etc. and all that Greek/Persian stuff, as well as Cyrus (who, apparently, was not called Cyrus in Persian - Herodotus had it Greekified into Kuros, whence we get Cyrus... in origin it was Kuru. Go figure.) But anyway, I honestly had not till this moment considered the connection between Cyrus and Magus to be an inverse of the slaughter of the Magi by Cyrus the Great. I had only thought them to be two disconnected allusions.

Yup Persians know ther king as Koorosh, silly Latins can't pronounce and go with Cyrus...
But about Magus = demon king in Japanese, yeah hes called Mao, I believe...

Daniel Krispin

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« Reply #11 on: February 27, 2006, 09:14:11 pm »
Quote from: ChronoMagus
Yup Persians know ther king as Koorosh, silly Latins can't pronounce and go with Cyrus...
But about Magus = demon king in Japanese, yeah hes called Mao, I believe...


Oh, is that how you say it rightly? Interesting... the teacher who told the class that (actually, the professor's TA who taught a day) said it is his theory that whoever was telling Herodotus the stories was probably a high-level Persian official (due to the accuracy of the Persian royal family tree) and knew Greek very well. Herodotus says that all Persian names end in s... which they don't. But Greek masculine almost always does! So, what it seems like (or, this is what the TA said and it sounds reasonable) that the Persian source was translating the names into Greek for Herodotus, and Herodotus assumed those were the originals, or something to that effect. It's really fascinating. A pity that all archeology in the region has been suspended for the last 50 years due to the strife there. The last time any team went there, they brought their finds back to Chicago, to the Oriental Institute (where they are probably safer than in the Middle-East these days; hopefully the region will stabalize some day, and they can be safely returned.) I was there during the summer... man, I tell you, those Persians could carve their stone! The bull-heads from Persepolis were utterly amazing. We couldn't do better nowadays, I don't think.

sssssz

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« Reply #12 on: March 01, 2006, 02:56:06 pm »
Maou means demon king, but it can also mean magic king as well. Majutsu, magic, can be read as "demon trick." Ma being both demon and magic is something often used in Japanese fantasy literature. So if you intepret Maou as "magic king" instead of demon king, Magus fits pretty neatly. (Why do I feel that this has been repeated over and over before already? :( )

This is probably what made Woosly named the three gurus after the Three Kings, and Majinki as the Mammon Machine. Those Biblical references aren't something that was part of the original, but it's a nice touch. Though it does make people who haven't looked at the original think that it was intentional...

Though I think Majinki should have been translated as Mazinga. This machine will give you the power to become God or the Devil, boy. (Or queen in this case.)

Daniel Krispin

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« Reply #13 on: March 01, 2006, 02:59:49 pm »
Quote from: sssssz
This is probably what made Woosly named the three gurus after the Three Kings, and Majinki as the Mammon Machine. Those Biblical references aren't something that was part of the original, but it's a nice touch. Though it does make people who haven't looked at the original think that it was intentional...


Well, it's only natural. For the Eastern audience, their own traditions are called upon, and the allusions of name and the like make sense. For the more Western, it must be changed so that the same ideas are evoked.

sssssz

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« Reply #14 on: March 01, 2006, 03:07:46 pm »
Perhaps, though I can't think of anything that Bosh, Hash and Gash might allude to. They are pretty Western sounding names already, in my opinion...

Hrm.