Gideon the Ninth Dramatis Personae Etymology and Allusions
I made a series of TikTok videos about this but they're spread over like a year and a half and hard to reference so here's the text version. This version also includes some corrections. As a note, I am a late 19th/early 20th century historian who has done only a little of Classics. My Latin is embarrassing and my Greek is nonexistent, so I am drawing a lot on things like wiktionary and etymonline for language stuff. My translations may not be perfect.
Dramatis Personae is Latin and literally means the characters in a play. The practice of including a dramatis personae is attested from 1602, in Thomas Dekker's Satiromastix, whose main character really wants to be moral but fears responsibility. He is, surprisingly, not called John. Karl Marx also refers to workers and capitalists as the dramatis personae in Capital Vol I.
House of the Sewn Tongue doesn't have a direct reference but clearly alludes to monastic silence. While universal vows of silence are mostly a myth, many monastic orders engage in structured silence as a spiritual practice. The most extreme are the Carthusian order, whose monks strongly emphasize solitude and silent contemplation.
It is also suggestive of mouth sewing or lip sewing, which is both part of embalming and sometimes done on living people for religious and/or protest reasons. To name a few recent protest cases, in 2021 Rev. Tim Hewes sewed his mouth shut in protest of Fox News silencing information about climate change, and in 2022 a group of Central and South American migrants sewed their mouths shut as part of a protest regarding Mexico's treatment of immigrants. Mouth sewing is sometimes done in combination with hunger strikes, and can be viewed as a relatively extreme and self-sacrificial form of protest.
Black Vestals clearly reference the Vestal Virgins of Ancient Rome. Vestal borrows from Vesta, the Roman goddess of the hearth, home, and family. Vestal Virgins were priestesses of Vesta who served 30-year terms of service broken up into three ten-year segments: 10 years for learning, 10 years for service, and 10 years for teaching.
Vestals were selected from elementary-age patrician girls who were physically and mentally healthy (lol sorry Harrow). Vestal Virgins were unusually powerful women in Roman society, enjoying privileges that most other women did not. They answered directly to the pontifex maximus, could own and dispose of property, they got prime seating at theatrical performances and gladiatorial contests, and they could unilaterally pardon condemned people on the way to be executed.
However, if a Vestal Virgin broke her vow of chastity (a crime called incestum) she would be executed. Because the body of a Vestal was inviolable, she would be taken outside of the city, given a funeral, and voluntarily buried alive in an underground vault. Her partner would be beaten to death in public.
Vestals were allowed to marry after their 30 years but many chose not to because they also received a pension and were functionally quite independent. Roman Vestals wore white (hence the inversion of Black Vestals). Both Vestals' uniforms and their initiation rituals referenced Roman marriage traditions, framing the Vestal as a bride of Rome.
Harrowhark Nonagesimus is stated in Muir's "A Little Explanation on Naming Systems" to reference the Harrowing of Hell and "Hark!" as a doleful portent. Both "harrow" and "hark" derive from Middle English, harrow from harwe or harow meaning to harvest, and hark from herken meaning to hear or to listen.
The Harrowing of Hell in Christian theology refers to a period between the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus in which he goes into hell in body, in spirit, or both (this is debated) and redeems the righteous dead, or maybe all the dead (this is also debated). Imagery of the Harrowing of Hell is WILD and features a lot of pulling humans out of the mouths of various beasts, as well as a lot of towers and a lot of caves. Also of course shoutout to Hieronymus Bosch's version which is unhinged.
To harrow has a few meanings. The most literal meaning is to break up dirt with a many-toothed plow-like instrument in order to smooth the soil, remove weeds, or cover seeds. Figuratively it means to traumatize, disturb, frighten, or torment (which is our girl all over) or to break, tear, lacerate, wound, etc. The Harrowing of Hell refers to both the breaking of Hell and, I suspect, the role of Jesus in "preparing the ground" for life/redemption.
Nonagesimus is Latin for ninety. In astronomy, the derived "nonagesimal" refers to the highest point that the sun reaches in its path across the sky. Harrow is the limit of John??
Pelleamena Novenarius is definitely a reference to Peleus, the father of Achilles, but we don't get any other clues from Muir directly. The word Peleus is Greek, possibly meaning muddy. Peleus married Thetis, a sea nymph and one of the earliest deities worshipped in Greece. Thetis was sometimes said to have created the universe. Zeus arranged the marriage between Thetis and Peleus against her will, because Zeus wanted to undermine a prophecy about Thetis's son becoming greater than his father by ensuring that Thetis was paired up with kind of a loser. Proteus advised Peleus to approach Thetis in her sleep and bind her to stop her from shapeshifting. Peleus held onto Thetis as she shifted into flame, water, a lioness, and a snake. Because he held on, she gave up and consented to the marriage. Their wedding kicked off the Trojan War, as it was the setting of the Judgment of Paris. The idea of holding on as your partner becomes a literal monster feels very relevant to Pelleamena's life.
Thetis and Peleus had seven sons, but only Achilles survived past infancy. Thetis anointed Achilles in ambrosia to burn away his mortal vulnerability, but Peleus interrupted her, causing Achilles to maintain his famous weak spot (in later versions this was a dipped-in-the-River-Styx thing and Peleus wasn't involved). Achilles dies in war, and his cremated remains are mixed with those of Patroclus, his completely and intensely platonic friend.
Novenarius is Latin, directly meaning ninefold. It is also made up of novena and the suffix -arius which makes stuff into nouns by adding the meaning of or belonging to. It's common in names. A novena is a nine-day period of focused prayer frequently associated with preparation for a feast day or indulgence for sin. A novena might be prayed to ask for special favors or in times of extreme need. I take the latter to be the reference. Pelleamena is of the ninefold prayer in dire circumstances.
Priamhark Noniusvianus is explicitly a reference to Priam, the last king of Troy. Priam is also Greek, meaning ransomed or courageous (scholars disagree). Priam is the father of Hector, Paris, and Cassandra, among others. The children of Priam and Peleus fight each other in the Trojan War, and the fights are extremely brutal and devastating. Peleus's son Achilles kills Priam's son Hector (and two of his brothers) in retribution for Hector killing Patroclus, and because of the depth of Achilles and Patroclus's totally platonic relationship Achilles horrifically desecrates Hector's corpse. Priam sneaks into the Greek camp and pleads for the body back, and there is a brief truce to allow Priam to hold a funeral. Later in the war Achilles is killed by Paris, another of Priam's sons, and Priam is ultimately killed by Achilles' son Pyrrhus, who first kills Priam's son Polites (one of thirteen of Priam's sons killed in the final year of the war) and Polite's infant child. Pyrrhus beats Priam to death with the corpse of his slain grandson.
The juxtaposition of Priam and Peleus in the names of a married couple is about as rough a pairing as you could get. These two figures destroyed each other's lives and posterity, and were emotionally (and physically) destroyed in the process. It was not just murder, and not just brutal murder, but also profound desecration.
Noniusvianus is Latinate but the bits fit together a little funny. Non- likely references nona and functions as his House name through its reference to Nonius, the legendary Ninth swordsman. Via is Latin meaning by way of (or literally a road) but in some romance languages via also references the Latin vita meaning life. -ianus is a Latin suffix that is basically an adjective turned into a name (-ianus is the masculine nominative). Adding -ianus to a stem renders "one who is of" that stem (the -ius in Nonius also does this). So Noniusvianus is something like the one who is about that Ninth life, and/or the one who has a bit of the ole Nonius about him. Maybe Priamhark was real eloquent back when he wasn't a flesh puppet. Or just good with a sword. Or just deeply committed to the Ninth.
Ortus Nigenad is explicitly a riff on and inversion of his father Mortus, from Latin mortuus, having died (also, figuratively, overwhelmed). Ortus is Latin meaning having risen (generally of the sun). It also means having been born, having come into existence (living creatures) or having appeared/originated. In addition to the contrast with Mortus, this hints at Ortus's creative powers.
Nigenad has three parts: Ni- seems to be a reference to nine, although it doesn't have a clear etymology (like ni- can exist as a prefix but not meaning nine). Ennea is Greek for nine and that like, sounds kind of similar? Idk. Gen- is a Latin root from geno to beget, produce. -ad is a Greek suffix referring to something that is part of a set (as in the Iliad).
Crux is Latin meaning cross, which Muir says is funny in multiple ways. The most obvious are that he tortures space-Jesus, he is grumpy, and he represents a difficulty to our protagonist. Additionally, crux is a Latin insult meaning one who deserves to be hanged.
Aiglamene gave me some trouble. Muir says it derives from French aigle for eagle. This also means a genius or superior talent. -men is a Latin suffix that makes nouns that refer to a means or instrument of action. If we take the -e ending simply as a feminine (or even gender-neutral) name ending, we get a meaning that's something like a woman or person who is the instrument of genius or talent, which pretty adequately describes what she is to Gideon.
Sister Lachrimorta is said in the "Explanation" to reference the Latin lacrima or tear, as in lachrymose. She also obviously has mort in there referencing death, so we get Sister Tearfuldeath.
Sister Aisamorta is said to reference the Greek aisa meaning fate or destiny, making her Sister Fatefuldeath.
I briefly had a theory that Aisamorta was drawn from Isa, for Jesus, and that together they were a reference to the shortest bible passage. But unfortunately I think this is not correct.
Sister Glaurica is not explained at all in the "Explanation," but glaur is an English word derived from Middle Scots glar, meaning mud or slime. Sister Glaurica is Sister Slimy. The mud meaning also draws a line to Pelleamena, suggesting a parallel between them or linking them through the contamination of the latter's horrible sin.
Gideon Nav is a reference to the biblical prophet Gideon. The etymology is Hebrew but the meaning is fuzzy, possibly one who fells or one who hews, he who cuts down/destroys. The meaning is also sometimes associated with shame or with Baal, a Canaanite fertility god. An angel comes to the biblical Gideon and Gideon is like fuck off, prove you're from God, and the angel does three miracles so Gideon is like well okay then and destroys an altar to Baal. Then he gathers an army of 32,000 men, and God is like actually do a smaller army because when you win I want it to be clear that I made you win, so Gideon pares down to 10,000 and God is like no I actually want you to do even less, so that when you win it's clear that I made you win. So Gideon and his army of three hundred go fight the whoever, and they win because God. After Gideon dies everyone goes back to worshiping Baal. Biblical Gideon is strongly associated with his sword.
Necromancer Divine, King of the Nine Renewals, our Resurrector, the Necrolord Prime are the first of many epithets we get for John. Likewise there are many names for God in Christianity, and many of John's names seem to be inversions or riffs on the names of God in Christianity.
Lyctors explicitly refer to lych, from Middle English lich meaning corpse, and Lictor, the Emperor's guards in Ancient Rome. Lictor in Latin likely derives from ligo, to bind, a reference to lictors' role in corporal punishment.
There were originally twelve Roman lictors. Unlike the Vestals, they were drawn from among the plebians. While Muir references the Emperor's lictors, they also served as bodyguards for lesser magistrates. Vestal Virgins sometimes had a lictor when they needed to go out in public. Different ranks had different numbers of lictors but to my knowledge, nobody had 8 or 9.
Canaan House refers to Canaan, a Bronze Age civilization in the Southern Levant encompassing contemporary Palestine, Lebanon, and parts of Syria and Jordan. The etymology is contested, and may reference lowness, either in terms of geographic lowlands or humility and subjugation.
Biblically Canaan refers to the region, its people, and a specific lineage: Canaan was a grandson of Noah through Ham, who committed a (vague) sexual violation against his father. Literally Ham is said to have looked upon his father's nakedness, but this phrase is elsewhere used to refer to incest and other sexual misconduct, so the suggestion is that probably just seeing his dad's body was not the thing that Ham did wrong. Because of whatever Ham did, Ham is cursed that he and his descendants would be slaves to his brothers and their descendants forever.
From the fifteenth to the nineteenth centuries, European and US scholars claimed that the curse of Ham justified enslaving Black people (race/color are not mentioned in the Bible version).
Canaan is the land promised by God to the Israelites. After the Israelites are freed from slavery in Egypt, the Israelites drive out the Canaanites and six other nations. In this process, the Israelites are explicitly commanded to kill everyone, including women, children, and livestock, and to leave nothing alive that breathes (Deuteronomy 20:16). However, they are forbidden from destroying fruit trees even during prolonged siege.
Framing the seat of the Empire as Canaan House communicates a sense of holy entitlement and destiny, but also a sense of waste, tragedy, and guilt. The founding of the biblical household of Canaan is rooted in sin, but not Canaan's sin—he is punished for the sin of his father. The conquest of Canaan is a tense duality between liberation and genocide. This is of course particularly salient at this moment, but there was a lot happening in 2019 too.
The Centurion's House most obviously references the Roman centurion, an officer in charge of a centuria, from Latin centum for hundred (though in a lot of Roman history a century had 80 rather than 100). Six centuriae made a cohort, and ten cohorts made a legion. Each unit was ranked, so the best and most experienced would be in the first cohort, the next in the second, etc. Nine cohorts made up the Praetorian guard, and cohortes urbanae (urban cohorts) were proto-cops.
Matthew and Luke describe a story in which a centurion approaches Jesus and says that his slave (doulos) is sick, asking if Jesus will heal him. The centurion refers to his slave as a pais, which is sometimes used to refer to the younger member of a pederastic relationship common in the Roman military. He also refers to him as entimos, a term of affection. Jesus heals him without comment on the relationship. This is (controversially) interpreted to mean that Jesus was canonically fine with homosexuality, although it equally suggests that Jesus was canonically fine with slavery. In any case, this foreshadows Judith's affection for Marta.
Judith Duteros refers to the biblical Judith, a woman from Judea who tries and fails to convince people around her to take action in the face of an existential military threat. When they won't step up, she takes her maidservant and sneaks into the enemy camp, gets the enemy general drunk on wine and cheese, and cuts his head off. There are many good paintings of Judith beheading Holofernes but I'm partial to Artemisia Gentileschi's version. Canonically Judith trusts God a LOT. Like, SO much.
Duteros is a little bit of a heart crime. Du- is a Latin prefix from duo or two, and -teros is a Proto-Indo-European suffix meaning one who is especially. Judith is one who is especially two. I don't like Judith but that's sad as hell. In Greek deutero- refers to the second of two, and -os is an adjectival suffix in a number of languages (in Polish it's derogatory!). So the meanings I can offer for Judith's surname are basically "one who is especially two" and "this idiot doesn't even realize she's supposed to be in charge."
Marta Dyas is (according to Muir) derived from martial, from the Latin marialis, pertaining to Mars, the God of War. By coincidence, Marta is Aramaic, meaning mistress, and it is a close variant of Martha.
The biblical Martha is one of two sisters of Lazarus who ask Jesus to help when Lazarus dies. Martha is characterized as the more aggressive sister. She approaches Jesus on the road and tells Jesus, "our brother would not have died if you had been here" (oof ouch) and Jesus lectures her, saying that her brother will be resurrected. She says yeah I know at judgment day everyone will be resurrected and Jesus gets a bit snippy like bitch I am the resurrection. St. Martha is the patron saint of housewives and domestic servants, and she goes to France and tames a dragon through sheer force of piety.
Dy- is derived from duo (as in "dyad," a set of two) and -as is a suffix that means of/from. Dyas literally just means from the second.
The Procession A procession is when a bunch of people walk together in a ceremonial or formal way and what a weird nickname for your house. The etymology is boring. It's from Latin procedere, to move forward.
Processions were part of major religious festivals in classical Greece and Rome, especially in the cult of Dionysus and in the ritual of Triumph. This got adopted into early Christian practice and processions became associated with ritual performances of the crucifixion and resurrection and with everyday mass and things like weddings and funerals. I mean frankly what doesn't have a procession these days!! Processions were part of what Luther was mad about, and Luther would probably hate the Third so that's valid.
Coronabeth Tridentarius and Ianthe were originally called "Cainabeth and Abella" which Muir jokes might as well have been "Goodtwin" and "Badtwin." Firstborn Cain murders his brother Abel in a fit of jealousy after Abel's sacrifices are favored by God, and God punishes Cain. As an aside, viewing Coronabeth as the bad twin is baffling. Cannot relate.
Corona is Latin for crown (also garland or wreath but like, it's crown). Beth is Hebrew, meaning home, although in other feminine names it sometimes refers to an oath. The biblical Elizabeth is a righteous woman who recognizes Jesus as the Messiah before just about anyone else. She's also the mother of John the Baptist (in a miraculously geriatric pregnancy). This suggests that we might see Coronabeth do some surprisingly late-in-life creativity, although the abandoned Cain/Abel metaphor suggests it still won't be necromancy.
Tridentarius combines Latin trident (tri- meaning three and dens meaning tooth) with -ar (meaning of, as in polar or linear) and -ius, a suffix that makes something into a name. So Tridentarius is basically of the trident, of the three-toothed.
Ianthe Tridentarius draws from Ancient Greek, in which Ianthe is literally a purple flower, but also refers to the mythical wife of Iphis. Iphis's parents Telethusa and Ligdus could not afford a dowry for a daughter, so their plan was that if their child was born a girl, they would kill her. Iphis was born a girl, but the goddess Isis advised Telethusa to keep the child anyway. She told Ligdus she'd given birth to a boy and raised Iphis as a son. Ligdus, totally fooled, arranged for Iphis to marry Ianthe, a surpassing beauty, and the two fell deeply in love, but Iphis and Telethusa got real anxious about the wedding night. They went to the temple of Isis to pray for help because Iphis was about to get clocked, and Isis transformed Iphis into a man. He married Ianthe and the two were very happy. Given the promised wedding in Alecto, this lends credence to Kirianthe endgame.
Naberius Tern refers to Naberius, who Muir describes as a demon prince of hell. Naberius is depicted as a three-dog-headed fop with bird legs and that's extremely valid. I think he's only a marquess of hell but like, I'm not in charge. Naberius the demon appeared in a tabletop campaign I ran many years ago. The players had to get favors from demons to gain skills, and Naberius canonically gives people charisma and int boosts.
I struggled with the etymology of Naberius but my best guess is that it combines naber from the Middle Low German nahber or neighbor, with the Latin -ius meaning of. Tern is made up of Latin ter- meaning thrice and Old English -n which meaning having the qualities of. Naberius Tern is literally Local Boy From Third House TM.
Isaac Tetares refers to the biblical Isaac, who Muir notes foreshadows the death of Jesus by carrying the wood for his own sacrifice. Muir quips that she might as well have named Isaac and Jeannemary "Don'tgetattatched" and "Deadsoon."
Isaac is Hebrew meaning he will laugh. Isaac's parents longed for a child but were of a very advanced age when God said they would have him, and Isaac's father Abraham laughed in response. After giving Abraham and Sarah this badly-wanted child, God instructs Isaac to sacrifice Isaac as a burnt offering. Abraham takes Isaac up to the mountain and starts preparing for the sacrifice, and Isaac innocently looks at him and asks, "where is the lamb?" Abraham says, "God will provide the lamb." Abraham builds an alter, stacks the wood, and binds Isaac, placing him on the altar. God stops him at the last second. Emily Anne has a song about this that's worth a listen. A line that particularly guts me is "do you think the walk home was quiet?" Isaac is the only biblical patriarch who never left Canaan.
Tettares is Ancient Greek for four.
Tisis is an Ancient Greek term referring to penalty, retribution, or vengeance. In Greek mythology, tisis reflects a belief that those who commit crimes will eventually see consequences. In the Locked Tomb, Tisis is part of the Fourth, the infantry wing of the Empire, suggesting the imperial framing that the forever-war is a just penalty for the sins of Blood of Eden's billionaire ancestors. It carries the second meaning that somebody is going to pay for what happens to Isaac and Jeannemary.
Jeannemary Chatur is, as Muir states, a biblical car crash. She indicates that Jeanne is meant to refer to Jeanne d'Arc or Joan of Arc in English. Jeanne is derived from the Hebrew Yohanan (which is my Hebrew name), meaning God is gracious. Looking ahead a bit, this is also the root of John. Yohanan was a first century CE Jewish sage who at one point smuggles himself out of a siege in a coffin. He is credited with basically inventing rabbinic Judaism, the form of Judaism that arose after the destruction of the second temple.
Joan of Arc was a fifteenth century French peasant who was born during the Hundred Years War. At age thirteen she started having visions of the Archangel Michael and Saints Margaret and Catherine. At the time there was a prophesy that a virgin woman would save France, and by the time she was 19 there were some pretty important people who thought Jeanne was it, including Charles VII who gave her some custom armor and made her kind of Army Mascot. She tried to convince the commanders to take an aggressive approach, and when they resisted she was like hello actually I was sent by G-d, and she started getting more actual military influence.
Joan was tried for heresy because she had dressed like a boy and because the Inquisition said her visions were actually demonic. After her initial trial, Jeanne was forced to sign a document agreeing never to wear men’s clothing again, but then she was imprisoned and forced to wear men’s clothing by the guards. She was then declared a relapsed heretic and sentenced to death. She was burned alive. She asked her executors to allow her to view a cross as she died. About twenty years after her execution, an inquest determined that her trial had been unfair and she was canonized as a saint in 1920.
Mary is derived from the Hebrew Miriam which has several possible meanings. There are up to nine(!) different New Testament women called Mary and there’s a lot of ambiguity about which Mary is which. I believe Muir is referencing Mary of Bethany, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. When Jesus arrives at the home of Mary and Martha, Martha and Mary each in turn say to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Martha says it first, Jesus kind of lectures her. When Mary says “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died,” Jesus wept. This suggests a connection between Jeannemary and Marta, and that feels correct. This sentiment also points to Gideon's all-time guiltiest feeling that she will ever feel.
Chatur is Sanskrit for four.
Abigail is Hebrew for my father is rejoicing. Biblical Abigail is one of the seven women prophets in Judaism. She is an intelligent and beautiful woman with an evil, stupid (first) husband. Her husband offends David (who is later King David) and David threatens to kill everyone. Abigail throws a huge feast to prevent bloodshed, and prophesies that if David spares them, God will make him King. When she tells her husband Nabal what she did he is struck dead on the spot by God and then David marries her.
Pent is Ancient Greek for five.
Koniortos is Greek, and refers to the dust that is kicked up on roads. It's referenced a lot in the Bible. This is the term for the dust out of which God creates humanity, and it's also referenced metaphorically in shaking off the dust as a gesture of separation from morally inferior others.
Magnus Quinn is not even mentioned in the "Explanation" (neither is Abigail). Magnus is Latin for great, and St. Magnus (Magnus the Martyr) was a pious and gentle man who was executed for political reasons. There are six other Saints Magnus. Apparently men called Magnus are just universally fantastic.
Quin is Latin for five. The surname Quinn is not actually derived from this, it's from O'Coinn, whose distant roots are in Proto-Celtic kunowalos which seems to mean Dog Prince. In Ireland, Quinns are usually Catholic and Quins are usually Protestant.
Palamedes Sextus was originally Diomedes, as Muir says, "Athena's favorite goodboy in the Iliad." Palamedes is Greek meaning contriving one or clever, and he's a figure in many accounts of the Trojan War but not the Iliad specifically. He is tall and slender, wise, magnanimous, and charming. He goes and gets Odysseus to get him to be in the war. Odysseus doesn’t want to do it, so he pretends to be insane by hitching his plow to animals of vastly different sizes so that the plow goes in circles. Palamedes puts Odysseus’s son Telemachus in front of the plow to force Odysseus to stop pretending to be inane. Odysseus later frames Palamedes for treason and has him executed, or kills him personally in retribution. In either case Palamedes is too clever for his own good. Plato credits Palamedes with inventing numbers.
Sextus is Latin for sixth.
Camilla Hect was named to go with Palamedes. Camilla is Latin, derived from camillus, a role having to do with attending at sacrifices. In the Aeneid, Camilla is a warrior who is killed in battle against the Trojans. Camilla was so fast she could run over the ocean without wetting her feet. Camilla was promised to Diana as a baby. Camilla fights with many different weapons. Canonical girl kisser.
The Pentiad pointed out to me that Hect likely derives from the term hectic equations, a six-degree polynomial equation. I was totally stuck on this because hect generally refers to 100. She also told me about Tisis. Big ups to The Pentiad.
The Rose Unblown seems to be a reference to Keats's 1816 "Sleep and Poetry," which is about the importance of romanticism, an 18th and 19th century rejection of classicism and reason/order. Romanticism embraces nature, emotion, the individual, the supernatural, themes of melancholy and isolation. Keats writes that “life is the rose’s hope while yet unblown,” emphasizing the ephemeral quality of life and the optimism of youth.
Dulcinea Septimus is explicitly a reference to Don Quixote's love interest, Aldonza. Muir writes that she is "a case of a woman you want to exist, but who really doesn't." Aldonza is a much rougher character than Dulcinea. She's been through a lot.
Dulcinea derives from the Latin dulce or sweet. Dulcinea as a lie reminds me of the Wilfred Owen poem, Dulce et Decorum Est. Owen, a World War I veteran, lambasts what he calls the "old Lie," dulce et decorum set pro patria mori, it is sweet and proper to die for your country. I feel like Cytherea would appreciate this poem.
Septimus combines the Latin sept for seven with -imus, a suffix similar to the English -er ending.
Rhodes derives from the Ancient Greek word for pomegranate, which is associated with the myth of Hades and Persephone. Pomegranates symbolize the cyclical nature of life and death. Rhodes is a (real world) Greek island called the "Island of Knights" for its association with the Knights Hospitaller (the Knights of Rhodes). They were big into crusades, charity for the poor, and medical service. The Hospitallers are associated with St. John the Baptist, which draws kind of a dotted line between the Seventh and the Third.
An ancient Roman saying, "hic Rhodes, hic salta!" referenced Rhodes in an idiom challenging people to stop bragging and take action.
Protesilaus Ebdoma is stated in the "Explanation" to reference the first hero to die at Troy. The Trojan hero's real name was Iolaus but he got the name Protesilaus for being the first (protos) to come ashore at Troy and the first to be killed. Thetis had prophesied that the first Greek who walked on the land in the Trojan War would be the first to die, and he did it anyway and Hector immediately killed him. He is described as fair-skinned, dignified, swift, self-confident, and rash.
Protesilaus’s widow Laodamia was so mournful that the gods brought him up from Hades to see her one more time, but this made her even more miserable, and she made a bronze statue of him. Her father burned the statue and she threw herself into the fire.
Ebdoma is derived from Ancient Greek hebdomas meaning seven.
Silas Octakiseron seems to reference one of the two major biblical Sauls (Silas is a Latin and Green cognate for Hebrew Saul, asked for), probably Saul of Tarsus, also called Paul the Apostle. Paul persecuted Jesus's disciples prior to his conversion, and the other disciples were afraid of him because he was a cop. He had many enthusiastic ideas about sin (and women) that do not seem to have come from Jesus but that caught on widely.
Octakiseron seems to be a combination of Greek oct- for eight and -kisero, Hungarian for companion or attendant.
Templar comes from Latin templum or temple. The Templars are a Catholic military order founded in 12th century to defend pilgrims going to Jerusalem. They were "shock troops" who were very involved with Crusades and the Reconquista.
Colum Asht is named for the Latin columba meaning dove, because of his sacrificial purpose. I am glad Muir specified this, because colum is also Latin for sieve, and I was confused. If anyone was called Sieve, that should have been Isaac. Doves represent innocence and purity, and as sacrificial animals, they were used by those who could not afford to sacrifice larger animals. In Luke 2:22-24 Mary and Joseph sacrifice a pair of doves as part of ritual purification following the birth of Jesus.
Asht is Sanskrit for eight.
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