#vinter verdandi

As someone who loves researching the meaning of names and appreciates it when an author had spend much thoughts in the naming of their characters, I'm a little disappointed how random the names in vadd seem. For example Ivonne means archer. Wouldn't this name have made more sense for Penelope who had actually displayed an interest in archery? If I remember correctly Ivonne couldn't even attend the hunting competition because she was ill. We know nothing about her talents with arrow and bow. Why would an aristocratic family name their daughter archer, when they are at war with another nation that has produced talened marksmen and the crossbow is the weapon of the enemy? Eorka appears to value the victorian ideal of an angel of the house over that of a fighter. The name would have made thematically more sense if it had been given to a character connected to archery like a girl from Delman (imagine if Delman has amazonian warrior woman). It could be that the Duchess just liked the sound of the name, but for a girl that was treasured like a small jewel by her family, you'd think they would have spend much time considering the meaning to make sure they had chosen the perfect name that would fit Ivonne's disposition and foretell her a bright future.

Then we have Penelope. Honestly if the author had just swapped Ivonne and Penelope's name it would have worked better in my opinion. I find the name fits much more Cha Siyeon or even Leila than og Penelope. Penelope's name could be derived from πήνη (pene) meaning "threads, weft" and ὄψ (ops) meaning "face, eye". In Homer's epic the Odyssey this is the name of the wife of Odysseus, forced to fend off suitors while her husband is away fighting at Troy. Her astute delaying tactics reveal her sly and artful side. Penelope’s trick of weaving and unweaving a shroud to keep her suitors at bay foreshadows current feminist modes of resistance via craft — by this trick she is able to transform tools of oppression into tools of empowerment.

During the Middle Age and Renaissance Penelope has been used as a representation of a chaste wife with the emphasis on her fidelity to her husband Odysseus who has been presumed dead for years. Despite of the agency she has shown she's still a woman in need of a patriarch and unable to wield masculine power on her own. She is a woman who is clinging onto traditional values to the extremes and supports the violent punishment of those who aren't. While the initial situation fits Penelope (a woman surrounded by unruly dangerous suitors), the character does not fit og Penelope at all. Weaponizing her feminity against the suitors and also permitting the death of a sharp-tongued girl slave who "was reared and looked after her as tenderly as her own child" aka treated as part of her family, is something that Leila had done. Of course names don't need to fit 1:1 and there are worse offenders.

For example Callisto. It means 'most beautiful'. Callisto might be handsome (so are the other love interests) but it isn't his most promininent or most defining trait. What actually irritates me though is that in greek mythology Callisto is the name of a hunteress who had been raped by Zeus. It's a female name. And while one could argue there's an Italian form of Callisto which is derived from the latin male name Callistus, the story people will associate him with is still that of a raped lesbian, because it's the only lore attached to the name.

Then there's the name Reynold, from the Germanic name Raginald, composed of the elements regin  "advice, counsel, decision" and walt "power, authority". It makes sense as a name that an aristocratic family might chose for their son, yet it does not reflect the essence of his character in the slightest. Because of his impulsive easily-angered character, Reynold is in need of councel rather than able to give it and he does not come across as either powerful or authoritative, all the power he has and the respect people have of him comes from his family name alone rather than his achievements. I find this name to be the opposite of who he represents actually and think it suits Derrick more, who is actually one of the few characters who has a name that feels better chosen. Derek comes from the Gothic name *Þiudareiks meaning "ruler of the people", derived from the elements þiuda "people" and reiks "ruler, king". It's a name that seems perfect for a crown prince, but because Derrick is the Duke's eldest son and heir it still fits him. He is going to rule the Eckart dukedom one day after all.

Then we have Iklies. I've already talked extensively about the racist implications of everything that is attached to his character including his name. The name that comes the closest I've found is Ikhlas and means "sincerity, devotion, loyalty" in Arabic. This is the name of the 112th chapter of the Quran (surah Al-Ikhlas), which I guess could be taken as irony. Personally I find it incredibly disrespectful to give the heroes western names wheras the villains such as Leila and Iklies receive bastardizations of middle eastern names. The author did not make an effort to make Iklies look even remotely middle eastern. Throughout the years I've also seen the name Khan attached to Iklies' name from time to times, which is actually a mongolian title (someone please confirm if this is canonically his full name). If this is true then the author just jumbled together a name and a title from two completely different cultures and called it a day. His official translated name Eckles, which is allegiently an English surname, means church, which begs the question why the author would think it was a good idea to give their enslaved indigenous character a british surname as his first name.

Vinter is the one of the few names that makes the most sense to me. It means (yes you've guessed it already) winter! It's the Old Swedish form of Vetr meaning "winter" as well as the modern Scandinavian word for "winter". It fits his aesthetic and powers well, but also his circumstance of being "frozen in time".

In this au all the capture targets including the duke suddenly recall their respective memories of all the previous cycles. However there is one very big difference in this cycle, Yvonne is alive.

The Eckart siblings never snuck out to the festival, Yvonne had a fever from running around in the rain days before. She never convinced her brothers to sneak out to the festival, and she never got separated from them thus the Duke never adopted Penelope while looking for Yvonne.

Yvonne also has her memories from her time in the mirror of truth and being possessed by Laila.

End of the chapter:

I like absolutely everything here. Perhaps because of a preconceived notion, because I have been waiting for this for many years... but I can not contain this feeling.

The beginning of the chapter, when everything is in warm colors. In the gloomy dining room, the renovations are completed, the Eckhart family sits down together again and makes fun of Reynold. And finally, a short conversation between the Duke and Penelope...

However, this changed with the hasty news that Pennel brought. The warm color fades, and cold fills everything. Excitement and a strange premonition.

And here it is. All the emotions are visible in their eyes.

The fourth season is going to be intense. This is just the beginning.

🪞Meanwhile….. In the mirror

Let’s be honest They got bored so they had to entertain themselves with this ∠( ᐛ 」∠)＿

Penelope: no, after you

Vinter: I insist

ALTERNATIVE VERSION

Penelope, fighting Reynold: after me, you son of a bitch!