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| 15 | [[quoteright:350:[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXVI https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/religiousmythologicalnaming.png]]]] |
| 16 | |
| 17 | Naming characters or things after mythological and religious figures to make some significant connection between the two. |
| 18 | |
| 19 | There's nothing particularly odd about women named Diana, Phoebe, or Cynthia. However, if you see a trio with those names, pay attention -- all three names come from [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Greek mythology]], so if you see a group like this, there's probably some ShoutOutThemeNaming going on (and as all those names can be applied to the same goddess, you might be in for some ''real'' fun). Likewise, a group of men named [[Literature/TheFourGospels Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John]] all gathered together indicates that they will probably end up doing something important (especially if they have a friend named [[UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} Jesse or Joshua]]). If the names fail to make good on their symbolic connotation, it's SquatsInAName. |
| 20 | |
| 21 | Most cases of themed names from religion and mythology aren't so subtle, and will throw around names like [[Myth/EgyptianMythology Ra, Horus, and Sakhmet]] with reckless abandon. In some cases, there will be separate groups with their own themes, so you might end up with one group named after [[Myth/CelticMythology Celtic gods]] and another named after [[Myth/NativeAmericanMythology Native American spirits]]. |
| 22 | |
| 23 | See also [[NamesToRunAwayFrom/ReligiousNames Names To Run Away From: Religious Names]]. Subtrope to ShoutOutThemeNaming, which is itself a subtrope of ThemeNaming. |
| 24 | ---- |
| 25 | !!Examples: |
| 26 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 27 | |
| 28 | * ''ReligiousAndMythologicalThemeNaming/HarryPotter'' |
| 29 | |
| 30 | [[folder:Anime & Manga]] |
| 31 | * ''Manga/AhMyGoddess'': The goddesses Belldandy, Urd, and Skuld are named after the three Norns of Myth/NorseMythology, Verdandi, Urd and Skuld. |
| 32 | * Many characters in ''Manga/{{Appleseed}}'' had their names taken straight from the Myth/GreekMythology, starting with [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hecatonchires Briareos Hecatonchires]] and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athena Athena]]... |
| 33 | * ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'': |
| 34 | ** Ymir is named after a primeval being in Myth/NorseMythology who is the progenitor of all jötnar (giants). Fitting because she's named InUniverse after [[spoiler:Ymir Fritz, the progenitor of all Titans ("giants" in the original Japanese) and possessed the power of the Founding Titan. This gives her more in common with the Myth.]] |
| 35 | ** The Castle Utgard is named after the Norse jotun Utgard-Loki who lives in a massive illusory castle |
| 36 | * ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'': The names and concepts used by Daiba and the Kushan belong to Hinduism. Kundalini is a kind of serpentine feminine energy all humans have located at the base of the spine, daka is the male form of a kind of ferocious spirits, pishacha are ravenous demons or vampires with shapeshifting powers, and makara is a legendary sea creature that serves as the vehicle of the water god Varuna. |
| 37 | ** Rakshas, who is of Kushan origin, derives his name from the shapeshifting demons commonly depicted as antagonists in Hindu texts. |
| 38 | ** The incantation Schierke uses to summon the Four Kings comes from the Kabbalistic Cross, the first part of the lesser banishing ritual of the pentagram. It is commonly spelled as "Ateh Malkuth Ve-Geburah, Ve-Gedulah, Le-olam" ("For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever"). The third part of the ritual deals with invoking the four elements and the presence of the archangels Raphael, Gabriel, Michael and Uriel, each guarding a cardinal point. |
| 39 | * ''Manga/BetrayalKnowsMyName'' has a SpellBook called the Key of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon Solomon]] and the TomeOfEldritchLore called the Key of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raziel Raziel]]. [[SummonMagic Summoned creatures]] have names like [[Myth/NorseMythology Fenrir and Nidhogg]] and Luka's {{familiar}} is named [[Literature/TheBible Sodom]]. |
| 40 | * In ''Manga/BloodyMonday'' the first group of terrorists take on religious code-names (Judas, CainAndAbel) and the second use fairy tail names (Literature/PeterPan, [[Literature/BeautyAndTheBeast Beast]]); their respective leaders are Simon and Arthur. |
| 41 | * The Holmes' Revelation arc of ''Manga/CaseClosed'' (starting with File 743-752; episode 616-621) has a Roman/Greek god theme. The boy who introduces Conan to the mystery is named Apollo, his sister's name is Minerva, their mother's name is Juno, Minerva's ex-couch is named Ares, the criminal is named [[EverybodyHatesHades Hades]], his presumely dead accomplice is named Hestia, and the riddle Conan has to solve involves [[spoiler:Saturn]]. Additionally, Minerva's tennis opponant is named Demeter ([[Anime/SailorMoon Venus or Serena]] would be too obvious). Venus is a cat, and her owner Diana is the woman who invited Conan and his company to London in the first place. Frankly enough, nobody lampshades the theme of their names. |
| 42 | * ''Manga/ChainsawMan'': The [[OurDemonsAreDifferent Devils]] and Fiends under the control of the Devil Hunters Bureau are named after the orders of angels. Power and Angel are named after the angels they represent, so are the temporarily introduced Virtue, Seraphim, and Dominion. The two others, the Shark Fiend named Beam and the Spider Devil named Princi have their names derived from "Cherubim" and "Principality". The Violence Fiend, Galgali, is named after Galgalim, another name for the Ophanim, which are the eye-covered flaming wheels that form the Chariot of God in the Old Testament and are commonly equated with the Thrones. |
| 43 | * ''Anime/CodeGeass'' uses ThemeNaming for its HumongousMecha, drawing from Myth/ArthurianLegend. |
| 44 | ** The flying fortress "Damocles" at the end of season two very much counts as one. King Dionysius offered his kingship to his courtier, Damocles, who gladly accepts. While enjoying the spoils of his new found title, he realizes a sword dangling high above his head, held only by a single horse hair. This could be compared to Lelouche's claim to his father's throne near the end of season two, with his brother Schnizel using the Damocles' incredible air power (comparable to the perilous sword above of Damocles) to subdue him as well as the entire world. With the justification of UsefulNotes/PeaceThroughSuperiorFirepower. |
| 45 | * The main characters' Divas in ''Anime/CyberTeamInAkihabara'' are all named after Greek goddesses, while the TerribleTrio's battle suits are named after Christian demons. |
| 46 | * ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'' and ''Anime/DigimonAdventure02'' have two brothers named after the Japanese hero [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamato_Takeru Yamato Takeru]]. Carrying the joke further, one of the movies has them visit their grandmother in Shimane Prefecture, where Yamato Takeru was sent to die. They mostly spend that movie running around town, looking for a working computer. |
| 47 | * ''Franchise/DragonBall'' |
| 48 | ** Mr. Satan is nicknamed after the biblical Satan, while his daughter Videl's name is an anagram of "devil". And Goku and Satan's mutual granddaughter gets two references: "Pan" is a loanword from Spanish meaning "bread," as her father's name, Gohan, means "rice;" they're both carbohydrates and staple [[EdibleThemeNaming foods]], and it also refers to the satyr, Pan, who has the physical form we associate with Satan. In the Funimation dub, his first name is Hercule, obviously based off the Roman hero Hercules (the Latin name of Heracles). |
| 49 | ** Goku is based off of and even shares his name with Sun Wukong [[note]]Son Goku is the Japanese on'yomi of Sun Wokung [[/note]], a character from ''Literature/JourneyToTheWest''. |
| 50 | * The characters of ''Manga/EdenItsAnEndlessWorld'' are named after a Gnostic theme. Those are rarely [[MeaningfulName meaningful]] (Such as a druglord named Ennoia or Sofia, the freelance hacker). It's very significant in the case of the organisations, though, with a wannabe world-government named the Propater, led by a secret council called Pleroma and calling its {{Super Soldier}}s the Aeons. |
| 51 | * The homunculi in ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' bear the names of the SevenDeadlySins: Envy, Pride, Wrath, Lust, Gluttony, Greed, and Sloth. And [[DarkIsEvil each and every one]] of them [[MeaningfulName acts the part]]. [[NobleDemon Not necessarily a bad thing]]. |
| 52 | * ''Manga/FutureDiary'''s Diary owners are all named after members of the [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Roman Pantheon]]. |
| 53 | * ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'': |
| 54 | ** All Gundams from ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam00'' (except for the [[TitleDrop titular one]] and 0 Gundam), are named from the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_angelic_hierarchy Christian Angelic Hierarchy]]. The protagonists are even called Celestial Being. Further, one of the Meisters' name is ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alleluia Allelujah]]'', while his [[SplitPersonality alter-ego]] is called ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallelujah Hallelujah]]''. There's also another trio of meisters whose surname are ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity Trinity]]''. |
| 55 | ** ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamIronBloodedOrphans'': As a contrast to the angelic theming of ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundam00 00]]'', the seventy-two Gundam Frames are all named after the seventy-two demons of the Literature/ArsGoetia. It is later revealed that the enemy the Gundam Frames were commissioned to fight, the Mobile Armors, had angelic names, with one that we see being named "[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hashmal Hashmal]]". |
| 56 | * Almost all characters from ''{{Anime/K}}'', major and minor characters alike, are named after Shinto gods. |
| 57 | * In ''Manga/KenichiTheMightiestDisciple'', all the members of the Ragnarok are named after the Norse mythological figures Odin, Berserker, Freya, Loki, Siegfried, Hermit, Thor, and Valkyrie. |
| 58 | ** Many members of YOMI are also named after mythological figures as well. Castor and Pollux(Greek), Atalanta(Greek), Nagaraja(Hinduism), Narasimha(Hinduism), Suparna(Hinduism), and Lugh(Celtic). |
| 59 | * The Stands in ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders'' went through several name themes. Initially they were named after the tarot, sometimes with a color added; Magician's Red, Star Platinum, Tower of Grey, Wheel of Fortune, etc. When they ran out of major arcana cards, they switched to Egyptian tarot (named after Egyptian gods). |
| 60 | * The Hiiragi sisters from ''Manga/LuckyStar'' are named Inori, Matsuri, Kagami and Tsukasa, respectively meaning "prayer", "festival", "mirror" [[note]]Kagami herself explains the religious significance of the mirror in Shinto.[[/note]] and "priest". Justified, since their father is a Shinto priest. |
| 61 | * ''Anime/MacrossFrontier'': The [[TransformingMecha Variable Fighters]] of the protagonist Alto and TheRival[=/=]TheDragon Brera are designated the Messiah and Lucifer respectively. This is rather unusual as neither of them are a {{Messianic|Archetype}} or SatanicArchetype. |
| 62 | * While she's probably supposed to be named after [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iris_(car) the car company]] given the series' love of VehicularThemeNaming, Iris from ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaReflection'' shares her name with the Greek goddess of rainbows (which fits with her status as a HardLight projection). |
| 63 | * ''Manga/MissKobayashisDragonMaid'': |
| 64 | ** Kanna Kamui and her father Kimun Kamui are both named after Ainu deities. |
| 65 | ** Lucoa is a diminutive taken from the Japanese pronounciation of [[Myth/AztecMythology Quetzalcoatl.]] |
| 66 | ** Subverted with Tohru, whose name is noted to sound identical to Thor (when pronounced in Japanese), [[NamedAfterSomeoneFamous but has a different origin in-universe]]. |
| 67 | * ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' absolutely loves this trope, especially in regard to the multiple eye techniques, of which there are specific theme namings: |
| 68 | ** The techniques of the Sharingan are named after the ''kami''/gods of Shintoism, Japan's indigenous and major religion. Examples include Tsukuyomi, Amaterasu, Susano'o, Izanagi, Izanami, Kotoamatsukami, Amenotejikara, and Amenominaka. [[OddNameOut There is one which doesn't fit this pattern]]: Kamui/Kamuy, which is the name of the spirits worshiped by the Ainu people[[note]] For those at home, the Ainu are Japan's [[BuffySpeak indigenousest]] people, predating even the Yamato people who now dominate Japan. "Kamuy" isn't actually related to the word "kami", but they're similar enough to be equated, especially since they both refer to unseen beings worshiped by humans[[/note]]. |
| 69 | ** Meanwhile, the techniques of the Rinnegan are named after things in Buddhism, Japan's other major religion. These include the concept of the Six Paths, taken from the cycle of reincarnation (''samsara'', which is what the "Rinne" in "Rinnegan" refers to) that beings have to endure until they achieve ''nirvana''. There's also the Outer Path, named after the ''tirthika'', the word used by Buddhists to refer to non-Buddhists/gentiles, which they see as following an unnatural path of life; appropriately, one of the techniques this path is capable of is [[spoiler: resurrecting the dead.]] |
| 70 | ** Non-jutsu example: of course, one shouldn't forget the Legendary Sannin: Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade, who are named after the three main figures of ''The Tale of the Gallant Jiraiya'', a well-known Japanese folktale involving ninjas with summoning magic, which is carried over here by having Jiraiya controlling toads, Orochimaru snakes, and Tsunade slugs. Other folktale examples include Kaguya Otsutsuki, [[spoiler: the first human who possesses chakra and the actual person behind the Ten Tails]] who is named after Princess Kaguya, the protagonist of Japan's earliest recorded folktale, ''Literature/TheTaleOfTheBambooCutter''. Her son, Hagoromo/[[spoiler:The Sage of the Six Paths]], is named after the [[MagicalFloatingShawl flying robe]] that she used to go back to Moon after her time on Earth. On the other hand, their surname goes meta by referencing an ''extremely obscure'' consort of the (probably mythical) [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Suinin 11th Emperor of Japan]], Kaguya, who was the daughter of King Otsutsukitarine. Legend goes that the aforementioned folktale was based on her. |
| 71 | ** Meanwhile, Hagoromo's two sons are references to figures in Hinduism. The older son, Indra, is named after the king of the gods/''devas'' whose domains include skies and thunder ([[Myth/ClassicalMythology sounds familiar?]]), while the younger, Asura, is named after the race of the malevolent anti-gods who oppose the devas. Interestingly, [[spoiler: Asura was the ''kinder'' of the two, because he favored the PowerOfFriendship, while Indra was LonelyAtTheTop.]] |
| 72 | ** The main villains of the ''Anime/BorutoNarutoTheMovie'' film, Momoshiki and Kinshiki Otsutsuki, are named after [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Momotar%C5%8D Momotaro]] and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kintar%C5%8D Kintaro]], respectively, yet another ancient Japanese folktale figures. |
| 73 | ** Naruto's mother, Kushina Uzumaki, is named after [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kushinadahime Kushinadahime]], the consort of Susano'o (mentioned above) whom he saved from Yamata-no-Orochi (which also partly inspired Orochimaru's name, too, by the way). Her husband and Naruto's father, Minato Namikaze, had a surname that means "wave and wind", which are Susano'o's primary domains. |
| 74 | ** Kabuto's surname, Yakushi, is a reference to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhaisajyaguru Bhaisajyaguru]] (or Yakushi Nyorai in Japanese), a Buddha famous for his medicine which he uses to cure people from suffering. |
| 75 | ** Then there's the five Treasured Tools of the Sage of the Six Paths (Bashosen, Kokinjo, Shichiseiken, Benihisago, and Kohaku no Johei), which are lifted straight out of ''Literature/JourneyToTheWest'' (Bajiaoshan, Huangjinying, Qixingjian, Honghulu, and Hupojingping, respectively). Their holders, Kinkaku and Ginkaku, are direct allusions to the Demon Kings Jinjiao and Yinjiao, one of the adversaries that Xuanzang and his company have to face. If you're looking for Sun Wukong, [[spoiler: there's the Four Tails, or should we say, Son Goku.]] |
| 76 | * ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' has the Angels named after deuterocanonical angels of the Bible, the Magi super-computer which is divided into three cores (Casper, Balthasar and Melchior) and mentions to Adam and Ev(e/a)[[note]]The Evas were created from pieces of the first angel, Adam, and in every Romantic and Germanic language sans English, Eve is spelled and pronounced "Eva".[[/note]], and Lilith. |
| 77 | * ''Manga/OnePiece'': |
| 78 | ** The franchise gives us Pluton, Poseidon, and Uranus, three ancient and ungodly powerful secret weapons. They're all named after Classical gods, and from the sound of it are meant to evoke the "land, sea, and air" arrangement of Kronos' three sons (Uranus isn't directly named after Zeus, but presumably that would be too obvious). |
| 79 | ** King Neptune and his late wife Otohime are both directly named after mythology; with Neptune being the Roman equivalent to Poseidon and Otohime being the daughter of the Japanese sea-god Ryūjin, fitting a couple of Merfolk. [[spoiler:And to tie with the previous point, their daughter Shirahoshi is the current incarnation of ''Poseidon'']]. |
| 80 | ** Prometheus and Zeus, Big Mom's top homies, are respectively named after a Greek titan that brought fire to mankind and the Greek god of thunder. |
| 81 | ** Also Loki, the Giant Prince of Elbaf, is named after - yep, you guessed it - [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loki Loki]], the TricksterGod of Myth/NorseMythology. Makes sense, considering that Loki was also said to be a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%B6tunn Jötunn]], which are a race of giants. On the other hand, it is also likely that his name is a reference to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%9Atgar%C3%B0a-Loki Utgard-Loki]], a Jotunn whom, unlike the Norse god of mischief, is the ruler of Utgard in [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%B6tunheimr Jotunheim]], the homeland of the giants. |
| 82 | ** The World Nobles have religious themed naming scattered throughout their entire culture. Their formal name is the "Celestial Dragons", they all bear the title of "Saint" and reside in the "Land of the Gods" Marijoa, they demand "Heavenly Tribute" from the member nations of the World Government, and have "Holy Knights" at their call if things get dicey. Unsurprisingly, they almost all have major AGodAmI complexes such that, when Marijoa is called the "Land of the Gods", ''they're'' the gods. At the top of it all is [[spoiler:Imu, a mysterious person who secretly rules over it all, and whose name is derived from "Im", a ''jotunn'' in Norse mythology, while an AlternateCharacterReading makes his name look like "Buddha"]]. |
| 83 | * ''Anime/RahXephon'' has all of the Dolems named after musical terms, and there's a fair amount of people getting Mayan-mythology-inspired nicknames. |
| 84 | * ''Franchise/SailorMoon'' does this a lot: |
| 85 | ** Sailor Venus, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, Sailor Uranus, Sailor Neptune, Sailor Saturn, and Sailor Pluto are all named after Greco-Roman gods (and one goddess), and/or after the planets named after said gods (and goddess). Queen Serenity and Princess Serenity are named after Selene, goddess of the moon, while Endymion is named after her human lover. A Sailor Senshi's powers and characteristics often relate to her god namesake: Neptune/Poseidon is the god of the sea, Jupiter/Zeus is associated with the oak tree ("Jupiter Oak Evolution"), Sailor Saturn's glaive is reminiscent of Saturn/Cronus' sickle, etc. |
| 86 | ** Their animal guardians fit too. The names of the cats (Luna, Artemis and Diana) are also names of the moon goddess, while Sailor Mars' crows (Phobos and Deimos) bear the names of the sons of Ares, Mars' Greek equivalent. Helios is named for a solar deity (some fans assume he takes the place of the nonexistent Sailor Sun), but he initially appears as a WingedUnicorn named {{Pegasus}} (yet another name from Greek mythology). |
| 87 | ** Among the villains, some types of MonsterOfTheWeek (youma, daimon, lemures) are named for mythical creatures, and sometimes the individual monster has its own mythological reference, such as [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thetis Thetis]]. [[VideoGame/SailorMoonAnotherStory The Oppositio Senshi]] are named for Babylonian deities that are similar to the Sailor Senshi's Greco-Roman namesakes. |
| 88 | * Due to the nature of the series, almost everyone characters in ''Manga/SaintSeiya''. |
| 89 | * All of the beings from the world of Guze in ''Literature/ShakuganNoShana'' take names out of various mythologies. Just to name a few: there's the "[[MadScientist Seeking Professor]]", [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dantalion Dantalion]]; Margery's battle-hungry lord, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marchosias Marchosias]]; and Shana's lord, "God of Judgment" and "Flame of Heaven", [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alastor Alastor]]. |
| 90 | * ''Manga/SoulEater'''s mangaka, Ookubo, obviously loves ThemeNaming and {{Shout Out}}s. So, it's not at all surprising he would have religious and mythical themes thrown in. A few examples include: |
| 91 | ** Two of the {{Big Bad}}s are named after the ancient mythical beings, Medusa and Arachne (which follow an animal motif of being a snake and spider respectively). |
| 92 | ** Medusa invades the body of a child (in the form of a snake no less). Her name? Rachel, which is likely a reference to Jacob's wife in the Bible. |
| 93 | ** [[Myth/NorseMythology Ragnarok]] |
| 94 | ** Marie [[Myth/NorseMythology Mjolnir]], who turns into a hammer. |
| 95 | ** [[Characters/AztecMythology Tezca Tlipoca]][[note]](though he has nothing to do with his namesake other than vague geographical jurisdiction; He's in charge of South America, whereas the Aztecs were in Mexico)[[/note]] |
| 96 | ** The SevenDeadlySins are featured in the Book of Eibon. The protagonists in the book are also affected by whatever sin that chapter encompasses. The villain of the Eibon Arc is called ''Noah''. |
| 97 | ** Speaking of Noah, his henchman is called ''Gopher'', which is a reference to the gopher wood that Noah's ark was said to have been made of in the Bible. |
| 98 | ** The name Asura also comes from Myth/HinduMythology. |
| 99 | ** Baba Yaga Castle |
| 100 | ** Nidhogg (oddly, it's a ship rather than a dragon) |
| 101 | * The generals' mechas in ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'' are named after TheFourGods. |
| 102 | ** Further, many people see a connection between the main inspirational figure of TTGL having a name containing "kami" (the Japanese word for "God") and his friend/partner/[[spoiler:successor]] being called Simon, as in Simon Peter, Jesus' disciple and the first pope. There's also something to be said about [[spoiler: many of Kamina's original comrades dying in their efforts to defeat the enemy. Not sure about him being pierced by a spear though.]] |
| 103 | ** [[spoiler:Yes, he was pierced by Thymilph's Gunmen, which carries a spear.]] |
| 104 | * In ''Anime/TigerAndBunny'', this applies to the characters' sponsors and companies that the heroes affiliate with (Apollon Media, Poseidon Line, Kronos Foods, Titan Industry, Helios Energy, Odysseus Communication, Helperides Finance). You could even argue that Lunatic's "sponsor" is Thanatos since he stated he only obeys his word. |
| 105 | * In ''Manga/WelcomeToDemonSchoolIrumaKun'', almost all of the demons have surnames based on those from the Literature/ArsGoetia, with strong implications that each family are literally descended from their namesakes since the Ring of Solomon is a major plot-point. Quite notably two of the three main characters, Clara Valac (who can replicate anything she's seen, linking to Valac's ability to find treasures) and [[GenderBlenderName Alice]] Asmodeus (who mainly uses fire magic). The [[OddNameOut one exception]] is Ameri and her father Henri, who have the last name Azazel, based on the Biblical FallenAngel, which still fits since a fallen angel is often a demon variant, but also implies that their lineage might be a bit different from everybody else. |
| 106 | [[/folder]] |
| 107 | |
| 108 | [[folder:Audio Drama]] |
| 109 | * In the ''AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho'' story ''Paradise 5'', the two men running the eponymous Heaven-themed space station resort hotel are named Gabriel and Michael. The station's SlaveRace ([[spoiler: actually the husks of former guests after experiencing the Paradise Machine]]) are called Cherubs and the [[spoiler: extradimensional race using the stations to get footsoldiers for their war]] are the Elohim. |
| 110 | [[/folder]] |
| 111 | |
| 112 | [[folder:Comic Books]] |
| 113 | * ''Franchise/TheDCU'' has, among others: |
| 114 | ** A major crossover event called ''ComicBook/{{Armageddon 2001}}'' (Literature/BookOfRevelation). |
| 115 | ** Apokolips, Artemis, Azrael, Cain and Abel, Cerberus, Chronos (already confounded with Kronos by the Greeks), Diana (Prince), Doomsday, Female Furies, Hippolyte, Jericho, Lady Shiva, Lord Chaos, Lord Satanus, Maxie Zeus, Morpheus (Sandman), Naiad, New Genesis, Oracle, Orion, Project Cadmus, Rhea Jones, Son of Vulcan, Troia (Donna Troy), Wotan, Zatanna. |
| 116 | ** ''ComicBook/LegendsOfTheDeadEarth'': In ''ComicBook/DetectiveComics'' Annual #9, Typhon's BinarySuns Osiris and Iris are located in the Greater Amun system. Osiris, Isis and Amun are all major gods in Myth/EgyptianMythology. |
| 117 | * ''Franchise/MarvelUniverse'': |
| 118 | ** The minor super-powered group the Pantheon took its names from ''Literature/TheIliad'', while the Lords of Light and Darkness had names and powers patterned after the Vedic deities of India. The supervillain group Zodiac has twelve members named after the signs of the Zodiac, which are connected to Greek mythology. |
| 119 | ** Callisto and Ursa Major are ultimately named after the same person, who was first transformed into a she-bear and then a constellation. |
| 120 | ** ComicBook/SpiderMan clone Kaine and the Juggernaut (Cain Marko) are both [[NameOfCain named after Abel's brother]]. |
| 121 | ** ComicBook/{{Elektra}} wanted to avenge her murdered father. What are the odds? |
| 122 | ** Other characters with names from Greek and Roman mythology: Arachne, Aurora (known to the Greeks as Eos), Calypso, Cassandra Nova, Chimera (and Kymaera), Cyclops, Elysius, Eros, Gorgon, Hydra, Janus, Luna, Medusa, Mentor, Oracle, Phoenix (also Egyptian etc.), Plutonia, Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S., Proteus, Psyche, Selene, Sersi (= Circe), Siryn, Titan, Titania, Triton, Ulysses Bloodstone. Also possibly Colossus (the Colossus of Rhodes was a giant statue of the god Helios). |
| 123 | ** With names from the Bible, Judaism and Christianity: Ahab (possibly via ''Literature/MobyDick''), Apocalypse and his Horsemen, Angel/Archangel, Black Goliath, Celestial Madonna, De'Lila (a Skrull), Diablo, Doc Samson, Exodus, Ezekiel, Gabriel (the Devil-Hunter), Genesis, Gideon, Gog (and Magog), Golem, Goliath, Jude (the Entropic Man), Kaballa, Legion, Mephisto, Nicholas Scratch (i.e. the devil), Professor Paxton Pentecost, Prester John, Revelation, Satannish, Son of Satan, Succubus. Possibly Joseph. |
| 124 | ** From other religions and mythologies: Banshee, Basilisk, Jihad, Juggernaut, Karma, Kismet, Merlin, Rama-Tut, Sphinx (the name is Greek, of course), Thunderbird. Possibly Karnak. |
| 125 | * ''ComicBook/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicIDW'': The avians of Ornithia are named after mythological birds and birdlike beings. The royal family is named chiefly after harpies, such as Ocypete and Aello, as is Captain Celaeno. The corvid Prince Huginn is instead named after one of Odin's ravens. |
| 126 | * ''ComicBook/NemesisTheWarlock'': The Warlocks often share names with Terran deities. Nemesis himself is named for [[https://www.greekmythology.com/Other_Gods/Nemesis/nemesis.html the Greek goddess of retribution]]; his wife, Chira, has a name derived from [[http://www.theoi.com/Georgikos/KentaurosKheiron.html Chiron]], and their son is named [[https://www.ancient.eu/Thoth/ Thoth]]. Meanwhile, Nemesis has an uncle [[https://www.britannica.com/topic/Baal-ancient-deity Baal]], and Magna's father is named Ashtar, which seems to be based on [[http://theconversation.com/friday-essay-the-legend-of-ishtar-first-goddess-of-love-and-war-78468 Ishtar]]. |
| 127 | [[/folder]] |
| 128 | |
| 129 | [[folder:Fairy Tales]] |
| 130 | * In Italian fairy tale ''[[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=njp.32101054369200&seq=131&q1=%22morgana%22 La Prezzemolina]]'', collected by Vittorio Imbriani, Prezzemolina is kidnapped by some fairies and forced to work for them on difficult chores, but she is helped by Memè, the fairies' cousin. One of the tasks the girl is forced to perform is to go to "Fata Morgana" and get from there the "scatola del Bel-Giullare". According to the version, either Memè or a trio of helpful old ladies warn Prezzemolina Fata Morgana will devour her, and give her the means to appease the witch's servants. |
| 131 | * A character named ''Fada Morgana'' (or Mariana/Mariagna) appears in Catalan-language ''rondalles'' ('fairy tales') found in the Balearic islands. She is the antagonistic sorceress queen that opposes the heroine in variants of tale type ATU 425B, "Son of the Witch" (previously, "The Witch's Tasks") and former tale type [=AaTh=] 428, "The Wolf", of the international Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index (ATU). |
| 132 | [[/folder]] |
| 133 | |
| 134 | [[folder:Fan Works]] |
| 135 | * ''Fanfic/AbraxasHrodvitnon'': [[AdaptationalHeroism Monster X]]'s (Abraxas') scientific MeaningfulName continues the Film/MonsterVerse's tradition where the Titans are often named after mythological figures if they aren't [[OneMythToExplainThemAll the source of the original lore]]. |
| 136 | * ''Fanfic/TheDragonAndTheButterfly'': Luisa names her Crimson Goregutter "Hercules." |
| 137 | * ''Fanfic/TheKingNobodyWanted'': The Archon of Mantarys, a city on the edge of the ruins of Valyria, is named Gorynych Zmei after the three-headed dragon of Slavic myth. His brother Tugarin is named after [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tugarin another Slavic dragon]]. |
| 138 | * ''Fanfic/PastSins'': ''Glimpses 2'': "Day": Nyx now has a little sister, Helia, a feminimization of Helios, and both Nyx and Helios come from Myth/ClassicalMythology, making it FamilyThemeNaming as well. |
| 139 | * ''Fanfic/ASongOfSilkAndSaplings'': The Pale King's given name is Typhon in this story, and the White Lady's is Echidna. |
| 140 | * ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12999230/5/With-Age-Comes-Absurdity With Age Comes -- Absurdity?]]'' has Ajax, the head of the Parkinson family, and his children Castor, Jason and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Oceanids Ianthe]]. |
| 141 | [[/folder]] |
| 142 | |
| 143 | [[folder:Film -- Live-Action]] |
| 144 | * In ''Film/AppointmentWithVenus'', the cow Venus' mate (who is killed before the film starts by a landmine) was a bull named Mars. |
| 145 | * The family of murderers in ''Film/TheHillsHaveEyes1977'' is headed by Papa Jupiter, and includes his sons, Mars, Pluto, and Mercury. In Roman mythology, Mars and Mercury were indeed sons of Jupiter, but Pluto was his brother. Mars is indeed the most aggressive and warlike, Jupiter is the rapacious leader who survived an attempted infanticide, Pluto is the strangest, but Mercury - apparently mentally handicapped - is far from the quick-witted messenger and mischief-maker of the legend. |
| 146 | * In ''Film/KingsmanTheSecretService'', all of the Kingsmen whose names are given are named after figures from Myth/ArthurianLegend. Harry is Galahad and his compatriots are Arthur (TheLeader), Merlin (the TechnoWizard) and Lancelot ([[spoiler:who dies early on]]). It can be presumed the rest of the organization sticks to this theme, as Roxy's sponsor is Percival. |
| 147 | * In ''Film/TheLegendOfFrenchieKing'', the Sarrazin siblings are Biblically named; the brothers Luc, Jean, Marc and Matthieu after Literature/TheFourGospels, and Maria after the Virgin Mary. |
| 148 | * Morpheus from ''Franchise/TheMatrix'' is named after the Greek mythological "lord of dreams", which is fitting since the "real world" is a simulation. |
| 149 | * ''Franchise/MonsterVerse'': Any {{Kaiju}} that was made up specifically for this continuity has their name taken from some mythological or biblical creature: Behemoth, Scylla, Tiamat, Leviathan, Methuselah, Bunyip, Yamata-No-Orochi, Quetzalcoatl, etc. |
| 150 | ** [[Characters/MonsterVerseMUTO The MUTOs]], who were introduced before this was established, are given the alternate name Jishin-Mushi, Japanese for 'Earthquake-Beetle", and the Skullcrawlers are posited to be one of the origins of the concept of demons (the other being Rodan). |
| 151 | ** Furthermore, the kaiju who existed in movies prior to this continuity (Godzilla, Mothra, Kong, Ghidorah, and Rodan) are each given mythical motifs of their own, each being associated with the concept of [[MessianicArchetype gods]]/[[OurAngelsAreDifferent angels]]/[[OurDemonsAreDifferent demons]]/[[SatanicArchetype devils]]. |
| 152 | [[/folder]] |
| 153 | |
| 154 | [[folder:Literature]] |
| 155 | * ''Literature/AlienInASmallTown'' has a lot of it. [[Literature/TheBible Paul,]] [[Myth/CelticMythology Nuada,]] [[Myth/NorseMythology Heimdall,]] [[Myth/MesopotamianMythology Ishtar,]] [[Myth/NorseMythology Thrym]] [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Scyllaschild,]] [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Persephone,]] and [[Myth/NorseMythology Valhalla.]] Notable that Valhalla Crater on [[UsefulNotes/{{Jupiter}} Callisto]] exists in RealLife. |
| 156 | * ''Literature/TheBeginningAfterTheEnd'': The DivineConflict that drives the plot of the novel is waged between the [[DragonsAreDivine Indrath]] and the [[BasiliskAndCockatrice Vritra]] Clans, both of which derive their names from Myth/HinduMythology. The latter are named after a monstrous primeval serpent. while the former derive their name from Indra, the king of the gods and said serpent's ArchEnemy. |
| 157 | * In Creator/DeanKoontz's ''[[Literature/DeanKoontzsFrankenstein Frankenstein]]'' [[TrilogyCreep tetralogy]], FrankensteinsMonster has taken to calling himself Deucalion, after the mythical son of Prometheus. If you know the full title of Mary Shelley's book this is appropriate, but he also suggests there may be a prophetic meaning- Deucalion was the Greek equivalent of Noah, who supposedly helped rebuild the human race after a catastrophe. [[spoiler:Later on, he considers changing his name to Christopher, after the Catholic Saint known for being a GentleGiant.]] |
| 158 | * ''Franchise/DoctorWhoExpandedUniverse'' does this with some renegade Time Lords (who are generally NoNameGiven in the series). It started with the unmade Leakey script stating that the Doctor's father was named Ulysses, from Myth/ClassicalMythology. Then the Master's name was revealed as Koschei, a lich from Myth/SlavicMythology, and the Rani's was given as Ushas, a goddess in Myth/HinduMythology (appropriate, given the origins of her adopted title). Exceptions are the Monk and the War Chief, who were named Mortimus and Magnus before the pattern started, and the Doctor's name, of course, remains unrevealed. |
| 159 | * ''Literature/{{Domina}}'': |
| 160 | ** A lot of the higher-level people use mythological names. Though for many, it's not clear what exactly the source is--Orcus, for example, is the name of a Roman god, but based on context he's probably named after the TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons demon prince. Some of them get pretty obscure, too. How many people know that Aramazd is the father of the gods in Armenian mythology? |
| 161 | ** Orcus is confirmed in the [[AllThereInTheManual culture documents]] to be named after the Roman god. He originally named his culture Thanatosians, but people missed the point and just started calling them orcs. |
| 162 | * ''Literature/HarryPotter'' has so many that it has its [[ReligiousAndMythologicalThemeNaming/HarryPotter own page]]. |
| 163 | * ''Literature/HiveMind2016'' has a group of terrorists named Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, and Venus. Jupiter is the leader. [[spoiler:The theme naming is actually a plot point -- since Roman mythology appears to be forgotten and the existence of non-Earth planets is highly classified information, very few people would have known enough to make the reference.]] |
| 164 | * ''Literature/TheHobbit'': With the exception of Bilbo Baggins, every member of the Company, including Gandalf, has a name taken straight from the Literature/PoeticEdda's list of dwarves. |
| 165 | * ''Literature/HomerPrice'' has Homer's Uncle Telemachus, Uncle Ulysses, who runs the town lunchroom, and Grampa Hercules, the resident TallTale teller. |
| 166 | * ''Literature/HonorHarrington'': The Star Kingdom of Manticore is real big on naming stuff after mythical creatures. They've got the planets Manticore, Spinx, Gryphon, and Medusa (which orbits the star Basilisk). They also like Greek history and mythology for ship names. Also, their three major space stations/shipyards, Hephaestus, Vulcan, and Weyland, are named for smiths depicted in [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Greek Mythology, Roman Mythology]], and Myth/NorseMythology mythology respectively. |
| 167 | * ''Literature/JacobsLadderTrilogy'': The [=AIs=] on ''Jacob's Ladder'' are named after Angels; some examples include Israfil, Samael, and Asrafil. |
| 168 | * ''Literature/JediAcademyTrilogy'': Following the trend set by the ''Chimera'', Thrawn's flagship in ''Literature/TheThrawnTrilogy'', the Star Destroyers under Natasi Daala's command are named ''Gorgon'', ''Hydra'', ''Basilisk'' and ''Manticore''. |
| 169 | * ''Literature/KateShugak'': Subverted. The town paramedics are brothers named Matthew, Mark, Luke -- and Pete. |
| 170 | * ''Literature/TheLockedTomb'': There's a divide between the Houses on this for given names. Houses affiliated with the Empire's military, such as the Second and Fourth, use names from the Bible, while most of the remaining houses use names that derive from Greek and Roman mythology, although there are also a few exceptions, such as [[TheDulcineaEffect Dulcinea]] and [[OddNameOut Colum]]. Averted for the Ninth, as they don't match either theme, with most of the names in the Ninth being [[CanisLatinicus Latin-sounding]] but original. [[spoiler:The unknown "Gideon" at Canaan House who may have been Gideon Nav's namesake was seemingly from the Second, making her name fitting the biblical theming a subtle hint into her MysteriousPast.]] |
| 171 | * ''Literature/TheMortalInstruments'': The Silent Brothers give up their birth names upon joining, instead taking on the name of a man from Literature/TheBible. |
| 172 | * ''Literature/TheReynardCycle'': Most characters have the names of animals from folklore and mythology, with Reynard being the most obvious example. In some cases the French or Latin word for the animal is used, making this a case of BilingualBonus for savvy readers. |
| 173 | * The children's book ''Save Halloween!'' has the four Filkens children: the older twins Matthew and Mark, Luke, and narrator Johanna -- her parents didn't expect her to be a girl and would have named their fourth son John. |
| 174 | * ''Literature/SentouYouseiYukikaze'': The alien planet is named "Faery", and the Faery Air Force's bases and aircrafts are all named after fantastic/mythological creatures (FFR-31 Sylph/Sylphid, Banshee Flying Aircraft Carrier, F/A-2 Fand, Kraken Sq., Ghoul Sq., etc). |
| 175 | * ''Literature/SimonArk'': In "The Unicorn's Daughter", the members of a commune all adopted the names of mythical creatures: Griffon, Phoenix, Chimera, etc. After the commune disbands, some of the members go back to their original names, while others legally change their surnames to the name of their mythical beast. |
| 176 | * ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'': |
| 177 | ** Cersei Lannister is named after [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circe a witch who enjoyed turning men into pigs]]. |
| 178 | ** In-universe, Balerion, Meraxes, and Vhagar, the three dragons that Aegon the Conqueror and his sisters used to subjugate Westeros, were named after ancient Valyrian gods. Syrax, the dragon mount of Rhaenyra Targaryen, was also named after a Valyrian god. |
| 179 | * ''Literature/ThursdayNext'': The BigScrewedUpFamily of bad guys are named Hades, and their first names are all names of the rivers of Hades -- Acheron is the villain of the first book, Syx is the family idiot, and Lethe is the "white sheep" of the family and is the only one to not be evil. An odd case is the only sister, Aornis. The other characters recognize this as another underworld river, fitting the pattern -- but the river isn't from real-life mythology, and was invented for the story. |
| 180 | * ''Literature/TheTwilightSaga''. A lot of the werewolves have [[Literature/TheBible biblical]] names, such as Jacob, Leah, Seth, Samuel, Paul, etc. |
| 181 | * ''Literature/TheUnderlandChronicles'': All of the bats have names taken from Greek mythology. |
| 182 | * ''Literature/LaVitaNuova'': Giovanna is named so because, like how John (Giovanni) the Baptist came before UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}}, she appears just before Beatrice when [[Creator/DanteAlighieri Dante]] first sees her in adulthood. |
| 183 | * ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'': Several characters are named after figures in Myth/ArthurianLegend. |
| 184 | [[/folder]] |
| 185 | |
| 186 | [[folder:Live Action TV]] |
| 187 | * ''Series/AlienWorlds2020'': Each of the four alien planets is named after a being or place from real-life religion that reflects its nature and conditions. Atlas, a high-gravity super-Earth home to a complex airborne biota, is named after the titan who held up the vault of the sky; Janus, a tidally locked world divided between a scorched daylit side and a freezing night side, is named after the Roman two-faced god; Eden, a lush world filled with diverse life, is named after the garden where life began in the Abrahamic scriptures; and Terra, a world home to a highly advanced alien race used to model humanity's own future, is named after the Roman goddess of and word for the Earth itself. |
| 188 | * In ''Series/BabylonFive'', the Earth Alliance mostly use Roman and Greek names for their warships (''Agamemnon'', ''Heracles'', ''Pollux'', ''Vesta'', ''Agrippa'', ''Damocles'', ''Furies'', ''Apollo'', ''Medusa'', ''Juno'', and ''Zeus'' to name just a few). This is not universal, as a sizeable number of ships take their names from other sources (important personalities, locations, battles and Jewish religion to name a few) and the ''Explorer''-class ships appear to have their own theme naming based on explorers and people otherwise important for geography. |
| 189 | * On ''Series/{{Dollhouse}}'', the Washington, D.C. Dollhouse apparently uses Greek gods to code name their Actives. |
| 190 | * ''Series/{{Emmerdale}}'': All of the members of the Dingle clan have biblical names -- Zacariah, Shadrach, Cain, Samson, Charity, etc. Reached ridiculous levels with the introduction of Shadrach's long-lost daughter, ''Genesis''. |
| 191 | * The three Burns children in ''Series/FirstKill'' are named after figures from Greek mythology, though they also have more mundane nicknames: eldest son Theseus (Theo), middle child Apollo (Paolo), and teenage daughter Calliope (Cal). |
| 192 | * In the ''Series/{{Grimm}}'' episode "The Believer", the MonsterOfTheWeek is a preacher whose bodyguards are named Mark, Luke and John. Hank lampshades this: |
| 193 | -->'''Hank''': Mark, Luke and John? Really?\ |
| 194 | '''Wu''': I'm just the messenger. And not from on high. |
| 195 | * ''Series/{{Heroes}}'' has a good many Biblical names, a few being: Peter, Gabriel, Nathan, Noah, Samson, Matt/Matthew, Micah, Benjamin, and Sarah, the last of whom got a [[strike:two]]''three''fer for her alias: Eden [[CainAndAbel McCain]]. |
| 196 | * Two characters in ''Series/KamenRiderKabuto'' are named after two of [[PublicDomainArtifact the three Imperial treasures of Japan]]. [[ButtMonkey Arata Kagami]]'s last name is a homophone of 'mirror' in Japanese, thus representing the Eight-Hand Mirror. [[ImpoverishedPatrician Tsurugi Kamishiro]]'s first name means 'sword', representing the Kusanagi-no-tsurugi ("Grass-Cutter Sword"). These names are meaningful because the Three Treasures once belonged to the sun goddess Amaterasu, and [[TheHero Tendou]] has a ''major'' sun motif. |
| 197 | * On ''Series/{{Lost}}'', many of the characters who aren't named for philosophers have biblical names: John, Matthew, Jacob, Benjamin, James, Michael, Aaron, etc., not to mention Christian Shephard. Horace Goodspeed's name seems to evoke the Egyptian Horus. Then there's Richard Alpert (after the real name of new age guru Ram Dass), or as some fans would call him, RA. |
| 198 | * Arturo "El Rey" Gomez III in ''Series/{{Luke Cage|2016}}'' runs a discount furniture chain, Merlin Discount Furniture, and also uses it as a front for a drug smuggling operation that pushes heroin branded "El Tercero". The fact that both his legal and his criminal businesses use names connected to the King Arthur legend make it easy for Luke to figure out his identity. |
| 199 | * ''Series/TheOuterLimits1995'': |
| 200 | ** In "[[Recap/TheOuterLimits1995S4E17Lithia Lithia]]", Hera and Phoebe are named after female characters from Greek Myth/ClassicalMythology, while Lithia's neighboring enclave Hyacinth is named after a male Greek hero, in spite of the fact that this female-only world abhors men. Major Jason Mercer is presumably named after Jason, the leader of the Argonauts. |
| 201 | ** In "[[Recap/TheOuterLimits1995S4E21PromisedLand Promised Land]]", almost all of the former slaves have given names which are derived from Hebrew such as Rebecca, Tali, David, Isaac, Caleb, Ruth and Joshua. This is in keeping with the storyline's resonance with the Literature/BookOfExodus. Exceptions to the theme include Alex and Henry. |
| 202 | ** In "A New Life", Daniel, Thomas, Beth (short for Elizabeth) and Jacob are all named after major figures from Literature/TheBible. |
| 203 | * The Asgard from ''Series/StargateSG1'' all have names of, and were in fact the inspiration for, the gods of Myth/NorseMythology. |
| 204 | ** All the Goa'uld are named after gods from different mythologies (and took on those names specifically to control humans by pretending to be gods. There's Ra, Osiris, Apophis, Anubis, Hathor, etc. from the ancient Egyptian sphere; Ba'al of the Canaanites (mentioned in the Bible); Cronus from Greek mythology; Nirrti from Hinduism, and those are just a few of the main ones. |
| 205 | ** [[HumansByAnyOtherName Tau'ri]] warships get their names mainly from figures in Myth/GreekMythology that haven't been identified as Goa'uld. The first and only BC-303 was the ''Prometheus''. The later BC-304 ''Daedalus''-class continued the trend; three of the four operated by the US Air Force are named ''Daedalus'', ''Apollo'', and ''Odyssey'', respectively. The fourth USAF 304 was to be named ''Phoenix'', but was rechristened ''George Hammond'' after the SGC's founding general. Averted for the other two 304s, which are operated by Russia and China and named ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergei_Korolev Korolev]]''[[note]]destroyed with all hands by the Ori[[/note]] and ''[[Literature/TheArtOfWarSunTzu Sun Tzu]]'' respectively. |
| 206 | * All of the angels on ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' have theophoric (''bearing a deity'') names, even Zachariah and Balthazar. |
| 207 | ** A slightly more specific example: Castiel's rebellious inclinations are first hinted at when he starts not being particularly bothered by being called "Cass" for short. (The -el suffix being the part that refers to God). |
| 208 | * ''Series/TheXFiles'': Although it's fairly subtle, in one episode a pair of twins (one of whom is mentally challenged, the other of whom was a rocket scientist) are named Arthur (from the Grail legends) and Roland (from ''Literature/TheSongOfRoland'', an Old French epic). The fact that Mulder and Scully didn't make the connection earlier is quite disappointing. |
| 209 | [[/folder]] |
| 210 | |
| 211 | [[folder:Manhwa]] |
| 212 | * Various villainous characters from ''NOW'', a Korean martial arts comic series, are named after Hindu gods: Shiva, Asura, Rakshasha, Hanuman, etc. |
| 213 | [[/folder]] |
| 214 | |
| 215 | [[folder:Podcasts]] |
| 216 | * In ''Podcast/GospelsOfTheFlood'' the group of priests who studied together all have a name linked to religion (except for the narrator who has NoNameGiven). |
| 217 | * The titular park from ''Podcast/ResidentsOfProserpinaPark'' is named after Proserpina, the Roman version of the Greek goddess Persephone. |
| 218 | * ''{{Podcast/Wolf 359}}'': Both [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hera Hera]] and the U.S.S. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hephaestus Hephaestus]] get their names from Greek mythology. |
| 219 | [[/folder]] |
| 220 | |
| 221 | [[folder:Professional Wrestling]] |
| 222 | * Wrestling/{{CHIKARA}}: |
| 223 | ** Wrestling/{{Icarus|Wrestling}}, who is [[PartsUnknown billed from]] [[Myth/ClassicalMythology "Mount Olympus"]]. |
| 224 | ** Wrestling/TheOsirianPortal, "The Funky Pharaoh" Amasis and "The Venomous Vile Serpent from the Nile" Ophidian, whose whole gimmick was derived from Myth/EgyptianMythology. |
| 225 | ** Wrestling/{{Tursas}} and Nøkken of Wrestling/DieBruderschaftDesKreuzes. The former is a UsefulNotes/{{Fin|land}}nish SeaMonster, and the latter name is taken from UsefulNotes/{{Norw|ay}}egian river demons. |
| 226 | ** Wrestling/{{Deucalion}}, taken from a hero who survived the Greek mythological version of TheGreatFlood. Ironically, he was the BigBad of [[MatryoshkaObject The Flood]], the amalgamation of {{Heel}} groups out to destroy CHIKARA, and the most evil villain in the promotion's history. |
| 227 | * Wrestling/HerculesHernandez, who was very muscular and strong. |
| 228 | * Wrestling/TheEliminators (Wrestling/PerrySaturn and John Kronus) took their names from, respectively, the Roman and Greek gods of the harvest in Myth/ClassicalMythology. They wanted to call their team The Harvesters of Sorrow but Wrestling/JerryLawler told them that people wouldn't get the mythological reference. |
| 229 | [[/folder]] |
| 230 | |
| 231 | [[folder:Tabletop Games]] |
| 232 | * In the chapter-heading vignettes in ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}} Ultra-Tech'', the elite agents of the Imperial Secret Service are named after archangels: Michael, Gabrielle and Raphael. ''Pyramid'' #100 names the quasi-independent branch of ISS they work for as '''G'''alactic '''O'''perations '''D'''irectorate, and they have ''Cherubim'' and ''Seraphim'' class spaceships. |
| 233 | * In ''TabletopGame/HaltEvilDoer'', the equivalent of Kryptonians are the Mithrans, who have an angelic theme and names to match. The SupermanSubstitute, Divinos, has the real name Mikhael; his sister Angel Girl (ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}) is Gabrielle, and the General Zod counterpart is Commander [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil_(Islam) Iblis]]. |
| 234 | * ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' has its original Gods (and no Goddesses!) merely inspired by gods from Greek and Egyptian mythology, but there's Erebos, God of the Dead who is based on an actual Greek god. |
| 235 | * In ''TabletopGame/{{Splicers}}'', the [[AIIsACrapshoot malevolent supercomputer]] N.E.X.U.S. has seven main [[SplitPersonality split personalities]], each named after a goddess or other female mythological figure: Freya [[ControlFreak wants to replace the human settlements with orderly, robot-populated and -controlled "Ghost Cities"]]; Gaia [[GaiasVengeance seeks to preserve nature, even from robot-kind]], and is fascinated by the OrganicTechnology used by humans; the sadistic Kali is [[PsychoForHire more interested in toying with and tormenting humans than wiping them out outright]]; Hecate is preoccupied with [[BloodKnight building new and better war machines and testing them against humans]]; Ishtar is the lead stragetist and [[OnlySaneMan the one most focussed on wiping out the human race]] (much to her own frustration); Eve is [[TokenGoodTeammate the only personality fully sympathetic to the humans]], and tries to help them out behind her sisters' backs; and Lilith is a wild-card [[ItAmusedMe who toys with both humans and her "sisters" for her own amusement]]. |
| 236 | * Plenty in ''TabletopGame/TheWorldOfDarkness'': Most vampire princes like to use these names (and may claim to have been the [[GodGuise first to use them]]). Theres companies such as the Cheiron Group (named after the inventor of medicine; they graft monster parts onto people to improve them) and the Orpheus Group (provide astral trips into the afterlife for a fee). |
| 237 | * Mythological gods are one source of inspiration for ''TabletopGame/YuGiOh'' cards: |
| 238 | ** Egyptian mythology: The source that inspires this whole ''Anime/YuGiOh'' universe. Three out of the four Egyptian Gods are based on real gods: "Slifer the Sky Dragon" (known in Japan as "Osiris"), "The Winged Dragon of Ra" and "Holactie, the Creator of Light". The "Hieratic Dragons" are also named after Egyptian gods, but their names are spelt in funny ways, for example, "Hieratic Dragon of Asar". |
| 239 | ** Myth/GreekMythology and planets of the Solar System: Several cards from ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'', including "Athena", "Splendid Venus", "The Big Saturn", etc. |
| 240 | ** Myth/NorseMythology: These are from the ''Anime/YuGiOh5Ds'' era: the three most well-known gods, "Odin, Father of the Aesir", "Thor, Lord of the Aesir" and "Loki, Lord of the Aesir", and related groups of cards "Nordic Ascendant", "Nordic Alfar", "Nordic Beast" and "Nordic Relic". Less known are the "Valkyries" from ''Anime/YuGiOh''. |
| 241 | ** Native mythology of the Americas: A couple of other cards from ''Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's'' are also inspired by Mayan and Inca gods, such as "Ultimaya Tzolkin" and the "Earthbound Immortals". |
| 242 | ** Japanese, Chinese and Hindu mythology: The biggest source of inspiration so far for Spirit monsters and related cards: "Izanagi", "Izanami", "Amaterasu", "Tsukuyomi", "Susa Soldier", "Sword of Kusanagi", "Yata-Garasu", "Yamata Dragon", "Asura Priest", "Rasetsu", etc. Various other cards, such as "Yosen", "Shiranui" and "Mayakashi" cards, also draw inspiration from Asian mythology. |
| 243 | ** Franchise/CthulhuMythos: The "Elder Entities", "Old Entities" and "Outer Entities". |
| 244 | [[/folder]] |
| 245 | |
| 246 | [[folder:Theatre]] |
| 247 | * The names of the ''Theatre/AltarBoyz'' members are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Juan, named after the apostles. [[OddNameOut Of course, there's also Abraham.]] |
| 248 | * ''Theatre/CesareIlCreatoreCheHaDistrutto'' -- When Cesare meets NaiveNewcomer Angelo, he remarks that his name means "Angel", and reflects on the distance between the reality of Italy in 1491, versus the "Kingdom of God" that he believes it should be. Throughout the course of the play, Angelo helps show him a new viewpoint on these ideas. |
| 249 | * In ''Film/SevenBridesForSevenBrothers'', the brothers are named Adam, Benjamin, Caleb, David, Ephraim, Frank, and Gideon, mostly after names in Literature/TheBible. The "OddNameOut" is Frank, short for "Frankincense", as there are no "F" names in the Old Testament, the equivalent sound being represented by the diphthong "ph". Frank, naturally, becomes [[{{Pun}} incensed]] if you call him by his full name. And when the wife of the eldest brother gives birth to a daughter, she sticks with the established trend and names her Hannah. |
| 250 | [[/folder]] |
| 251 | |
| 252 | [[folder:Video Games]] |
| 253 | * In ''VideoGame/AsurasWrath'', many of the characters have a theme naming based on UsefulNotes/{{Buddhism}} and Myth/HinduMythology. |
| 254 | * ''VideoGame/BattlestarGalacticaOnline'' has both Colonial and Cylon Lines and Carriers named after Norse myth. There are also Cylon Escorts named after ghost types (Banshee, Spectre, Wraith, etc). |
| 255 | * ''VideoGame/{{Beatmania}} IIDX 13: Distorted'': The composers of the extra stages are named after TheFourGods: Seiryuu, Suzaku, Genbu and Byakko. |
| 256 | * ''VideoGame/BioShock1'' and [[VideoGame/BioShock2 its sequel]] include many areas named after Greek gods or mythological concepts, such as Apollo Square, Arcadia, and Dionysus Park, although the only character named for a god is Atlas. The Bible also shows up - the UnderwaterCity is Rapture, whose downfall was helped by the mutagen ADAM (which has a [[AppliedPhlebotinum power-generating form]], EVE), a club is named Eve's Garden, and a scientist develops a tree-resurrecting vial called Lazarus Vector. |
| 257 | * In ''VideoGame/BodyHarvest'', all the bosses are named after mythological monsters and demons: Leviathan, Cerberus, Moloch, Beelzebub, and Tomegatherion. |
| 258 | * ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}'': |
| 259 | ** Planets are named after (mostly) mythological figures. As a GeniusBonus, the setting is a DeathWorld called Pandora (after the box, presumably) and its more civilized, developed moon is called Elpis (after Hope, the last thing that survived the box opening). |
| 260 | ** Also, both the {{Mega Corp}}s in the setting are mostly named after Greek Titans. Hyperion does another GeniusBonus by naming its Pandoran space station base Helios, after Hyperion's son. |
| 261 | * ''VideoGame/BRAHMAForceTheAssaultOnBeltlogger9'' has the titular mecha, named after a Hindu Creation deity. Of course, it also means [[FunWithAcronyms Bipedal Robotic Assault Heavy Mechanized Armor]]. |
| 262 | * In the English version of ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'', the three Gurus of Zeal were named Melchior, Gaspar, and Belthasar after the three biblical wise men. Additionally, the Prince of the Kingdom of Zeal is named Janus, after the two-faced Roman god of time and doorways. |
| 263 | * ''VideoGame/CubeColossus'': Myth/NorseMythology for most of the A.M.Us. 02: Heimdall, 03: Valkyrie, X: Odin, Y: Loki. |
| 264 | * ''VideoGame/{{Destiny}}'' and ''VideoGame/Destiny2'': The Vex units all seem to be named after mythological monsters, like Goblins ({{Mook}}s), Hobgoblins (Slighly stronger {{Mook}}s), Harpies ({{Airborne Mook}}s), Minotaurs ({{Giant Mook}}s), and Hydras (Strongest of the basic units). Note that despite the names, none of them look ''anything'' like what they're named after, except in a very superficial sense. |
| 265 | * In ''VideoGame/DeusEx'', UNATCO's security levels are named after the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_angelic_hierarchy Christian angelic hierarchy]], ranging from Angel/0A to Seraphic/8X. There's also implied to be a God clearance level. |
| 266 | ** The game's artificial intelligences are named after Greek mythology: Icarus, Daedalus, Helios, and Morpheus. |
| 267 | * ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'': |
| 268 | ** Most demons and Devil Arms in the series are named after mythological figures and creatures from various origins. Some demons who share a similar role or backstory are often named from the same source, such as the Seven Hells from ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry3DantesAwakening'' (named after each of the SevenDeadlySins), the brothers Baul and Modeus from ''Anime/DevilMayCryTheAnimatedSeries'' (their names are derived from Baal and Asmodeus from Judeo-Christian demonology or from the ''Literature/ArsGoetia''), or the cloaked Mephisto and Faust demons from ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry4'' (who are named after the ''Myth/{{Faust}}'' myth from German folklore). |
| 269 | ** This can also apply to objects and structures. ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry5'' for instance borrows names from mythologies that revolve around a WorldTree; "Qliphoth" comes from Jewish mythology and is interpreted rather literally as the Tree of Death, while the "Nidhogg Hatchling" is named after Nidhogg of Norse mythology, the dragon who chews the roots of the cosmic tree Yggdrasil. |
| 270 | * Excluding the secret level, every map in ''The Ultimate VideoGame/{{Doom}}'''s fourth episode is named after a phrase from the Bible, as is the episode itself ("Thy Flesh Consumed", a phrase from Proverbs 5:11). |
| 271 | * ''VideoGame/DragaliaLost'' has several Dragons, [[OurMonstersAreDifferent Fiends]], and even weapons named after various gods and monsters from various myths and legends, see [[ReligiousAndMythologicalThemeNaming/DragaliaLost here]] for the full list. |
| 272 | * All the dragons in ''VideoGame/{{Drakengard}}'' have some sort of angelic name. |
| 273 | * '' VideoGame/EASportsStreet'''s ''NFL Street'' has the Challenge mode team optimized for pass defense, who are all named after Greek gods, heroes, and monsters (except for the QB, named for Greek playwright Aristophanes). The strong RB who breaks tackles? Scott Hercules. The speedy defensive back? Jason Hermes. You get the idea. |
| 274 | * ''VideoGame/EVEOnline'' has the Amarr Empire, who name all their ships based on Christian myth (Armageddon, Omen, Apocalypse), the Caldari state has a few Mythological creatures (Rokh, Kitsune, Tengu), the Gallente have Greek/Hindu (Ishtar, Helios), and the Minmatar like Norse (Huginn, Muninn, Ragnarok). |
| 275 | * ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'': The Summoned beasts of ''Final Fantasy'' are named after deities or beings from real-world mythologies, but are [[SadlyMythcharacterized so different from the deities they are named for]] that they qualify. Some notable examples include: |
| 276 | ** Shiva from Myth/HinduMythology is the male god of destruction, while ''Final Fantasy''[='=]s Shiva is the [[AnIcePerson female goddess of ice]]. |
| 277 | ** The Titans from Myth/ClassicalMythology were an entire race of non-elemental AbusivePrecursors to the Olympians, while Titan in ''Final Fantasy'' is the singular [[DishingOutDirt god of earth]]. |
| 278 | ** Odin from Myth/NorseMythology is the TopGod of his setting and carries a spear named Gungir, as opposed to Odin of ''Final Fantasy'' just being an extremely powerful summons who wields the [[AbsurdlySharpBlade Zanketsuken]] sword. |
| 279 | * ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' does this sometimes for character names and artifacts: |
| 280 | ** The Elibe games (''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBindingBlade Binding Blade]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade Blazing Blade]]'') drew from ''Literature/TheSongOfRoland''. |
| 281 | ** ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance Path of Radiance]]'' pulled from Myth/ArthurianLegend. |
| 282 | ** Some weapons and characters in the series, especially from the [[VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar Jugdral]] [[VideoGame/FireEmblemThracia776 games]] are named or based on Myth/NorseMythology. Exaggerated in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemHeroes'', where the whole universe the game takes place in is themed entirely on Norse Mythology. |
| 283 | * From the ''VideoGame/FreeSpace'' series of space sims: |
| 284 | ** Terran ships get their names from Greek mythology. Apollo, Athena, Medusa, Hercules, Orion, etc. Also from Norse mythology as well: Valkyrie, Loki, Mjolnir, Fenris, etc. |
| 285 | ** Vasudan ships have an ancient Egyptian theme: Horus, Serapis, Hatshepsut, Aten, Anubis... |
| 286 | ** Shivan ships have a demonic motif: Seraphim, Basilisk, Lucifer, Sathanas, Ravana, Lilith, and so on. There's also a destroyer class that's simply called "Demon". |
| 287 | ** The first game designated Terran wings with Greek letters (Alpha, Beta, Gamma, etc.). Enemy Terrans were Traitor Alpha, Traitor Beta, etc. Vasudan wings were Zodiac signs (Aries, Virgo, Libra...) and Shivan wings were Hindu gods (Brahma, Vishnu, Durga...). The second game simplified this by simply designating allied wings by Greek letters and enemy wings by Zodiac signs, regardless of race. |
| 288 | * ''VideoGame/GenshinImpact'': |
| 289 | ** Paimon, Morax (a.k.a. Rex Lapis), Barbatos, Baal and Decarabian are named after demons from ''Literature/ArsGoetia''. |
| 290 | ** The various elemental gems used to Ascend characters are named after various [[Myth/HinduMythology Hindu gods]]. |
| 291 | ** From Myth/NorseMythology, Dainsleif takes his name from the [[StockWeaponNames cursed sword of King Högni]], while the dragons Dvalin and Durin are named after dwarves. |
| 292 | ** There are also terms and concepts taken from UsefulNotes/{{Gnosticism}}, such as the seven Archons (the servants of the Demiurge) and Gnosis (knowledge of the divine). |
| 293 | ** [[spoiler:Tartaglia's real name is Ajax, the famed Trojan hero in Myth/ClassicalMythology and warrior of courage from Homer's ''Literature/TheIliad''. His little brother is also named Teucer, the half-brother of Ajax in Classical mythology.]] |
| 294 | * The assassins from ''VideoGame/GhostTrick'', Jeego and Tengo, get their names from the Japanese words for Hell (''jigoku'') and heaven (''tengoku'') respectively. |
| 295 | * In the ''VideoGame/GodEater'' series, most of the monsters, called Aragami, are named after various mythological and religious figures. This ranges from Japanese (Kyuubi) to Egyptian (Sekhmet) to Hindu (Vajra) to even Gnosticism (Demiurge) and many others. |
| 296 | * ''VideoGame/GranblueFantasy'': This naming convention is ''all over the place'', whether they may be playable characters, weapons, summons, or enemies. A lot of names and terms (some of which came from ''Rage of Bahamut'') are based on mythological concepts and entities: |
| 297 | ** Playable characters like Yggdrasil, Tiamat, Fenrir (who also act as summons and bosses), Leviathan, Lucifer, Sandalphon, Azazel... |
| 298 | ** Non-playable characters like Loki, Belial, Beelzebub, and the four Primarch Angels Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, and Uriel... |
| 299 | ** Summons like Odin, Zeus, Thor, Baal, Athena, Tsukuyomi... |
| 300 | ** Raid bosses like the Four Beasts Zhuque, Xuanwu, Baihu, Qinglong... |
| 301 | ** Some Weapon skills are also named after deties like Gaia, Horus, Aeolus, Shalim... |
| 302 | * In the ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' games, the various Covenant vehicles are named after supernatural creatures including the Ghost, Wraith, Revenant, Lich, and Shade. |
| 303 | * ''VideoGame/InazumaEleven'' has Zeus, a team whose members are named after gods and goddesses from the ''Myth/GreekMythology'', to go along with the team's gimmick of having superpowered kids [[AGodAmI who believe they're gods]]. Aphrodi[=/=]Afuro Terumi, Apollos[=/=]Aporo Hikaru, Ares[=/=]Aresu Ran etc. |
| 304 | * In ''VideoGame/{{Killer7}}'', the names of the three spirits Iwazaru, Mizaru, and Kikazaru in Japanese refer to the 'speak no evil', 'see no evil', and 'hear no evil' monkeys, respectively. |
| 305 | * ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'': |
| 306 | ** The recurring Ragnarok ability is named after the end of the world in Norse mythology. |
| 307 | ** ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2'': Some of Xaldin's alternate weapons are named after constellations, mythological creatures, and other religious themes. |
| 308 | ** ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII'': A lupine Heartless is named Skoll, named after the wolf who chases after the sun endlessly and is fated to swallow it during Ragnarok. |
| 309 | ** Most of the residents of Scala ad Caelum are named after characters in Norse mythology. In ''[[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsX Kingdom Hearts Dark Road]]'', Xehanort and Eraqus's fellow classmates are named Bragi, Vor, Urd, Hermod, Baldr, Vidar, Vala, Vali, Hoder, Heimdall, Helgi, and Sigrun, with their Keyblade Master being named Odin. ''χ'' also has a character named Sigurd. |
| 310 | * Most [[AceCustom Prominent LBX]] in ''VideoGame/LBXLittleBattlersExperience'' are named after figures from Myth/GreekMythology (Achilles, Pandora, Perseus) with a dash of Myth/NorseMythology (Odin and Fenrir). Their creator, Professor Yamano, is shown to be fond of these stories. |
| 311 | * ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'': |
| 312 | ** Link's horse Epona is named after a Celtic fertility goddess and guardian of horses. |
| 313 | ** The three oracles from the ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames Oracle]]'' games are an in-universe example, being named after the three [[TopGod Golden Goddessess]] at the center of the series' mythology. Any actual connection between the two trios beyond the names is unclear. |
| 314 | * ''VideoGame/LennasInception'': Most of the Archangels' names are parodies of the names of angels and demons from various Judeo-Christian apocrypha. |
| 315 | ** Azraflail = Azrael |
| 316 | ** Crabaddon = Abaddon |
| 317 | ** Catsiel = Cassiel or Castiel |
| 318 | ** Headraniel = Hadraniel |
| 319 | ** Santaquiel = Sahaquiel |
| 320 | ** Tentaluchus = Temeluchus |
| 321 | ** Hatasiah = Hahasiah |
| 322 | ** Sandolphin = Sandalphon |
| 323 | ** Chairman G/Mammon = Mammon, an Aramaic word for money, which was personified by early Christians as a deity of greed and wealth. |
| 324 | ** [[spoiler:Delvin is pretty clearly a near-anagram of "Devil".]] |
| 325 | ** [[spoiler:Lenna, as the 'mother of monsters', is likely standing in for Lilith.]] |
| 326 | * In ''VideoGame/LiveALive'', the four major keys of the Dungeon of Keys are named after TheFourGods. |
| 327 | * ''Franchise/MassEffect'': |
| 328 | ** The three classes of MechaMooks in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' are LOKI (humanoid), FENRIS (dog-like), and YMIR (giant). |
| 329 | ** The planet the Overlord DLC takes place on has four stations; Hermes Station, the communication center, Vulcan Station, the geothermal power plant, Prometheus Station, a crashed geth ship and Atlas Station, the main base where the Overlord himself is housed. |
| 330 | *** In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', Cerberus continues the classical mythology theme with the Atlas mech, a YMIR mech refitted so it can be manually piloted, and an earlier model, the Triton mech, adjusted for deep-sea diving. There's also the Nemesis, but the allusion to classical mythology may or may not be intentional. |
| 331 | ** Husks, which are formed from bodies impaled upon massive spikes nicknamed "Dragon's Teeth", a throwback to the Greek myth of Jason and the Golden Fleece in which 'dragon's teeth' were sown on Athena's instruction to create vicious warrior-men. |
| 332 | * ''Franchise/MegaMan'' |
| 333 | ** Most Bosses from the ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' series derive their names from creatures of various myths and religion, like Guard Orotic, Anubis Necromancess, Asura Basura, Hanumachine, etc. Three of the [[PraetorianGuard Four Guardians]] are named after a harpy, the fafnir and the leviathan. |
| 334 | ** ''VideoGame/MegaManStarForce 2'' had villains based on [=UMAs=] (Unidentified Mysterious Animals), like ghosts, the Yeti or the Loch Ness Monster. |
| 335 | * ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'' plays with this quite a bit. Naked Snake's contact is meant to be [[Literature/TheBible ADAM, but turns out to be EVA]]. [[spoiler:In the end, the roles are reversed -- the Snake is tempted by EVA, and ADAM (a.k.a. Major Ocelot) falls for the Snake.]] |
| 336 | * ''VideoGame/Persona3'' plays this straight, with the Personas of S.E.E.S. being named after well-known personalities in Western mythology (ex. [[KungFuJesus Messiah]], [[Myth/GreekMythology Orpheus, Polydeuces, Castor, Pallas Athena, Cerberus, Hermes]]) ''VideoGame/Persona4'' does the same thing, except with figures in Myth/JapaneseMythology instead (ex. [[GameBreaker Izanagi-no-Okami]], [[KillItWithFire Amaterasu]], [[MightyGlacier Take-Mikazuchi]], [[MissionControl Kanzeon]]). |
| 337 | * ''VideoGame/{{Primal}}'' has a lot of [[http://primal.wikia.com/wiki/Names_in_Primal mythological connections]]. |
| 338 | * ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption2'' has outlaw protagonist Arthur Morgan, whose full name is Myth/{{Arthurian|Legend}} in origin: his first name, "Arthur", fits in with the legendary Myth/KingArthur, and his surname, "Morgan", fits in with the sorceress Morgan le Fay. Of course, his name can be more {{meaningful|Name}} depending on what you do with his honor meter. His old horse, Boadicea, is also named after a mythological British royal. She was a Queen in the first century AD who led an uprising against the Romans. |
| 339 | * Finnish Creator/RemedyEntertainment likes to throw in many Norse and Slavic mythological {{Shout Out}}s in their games. Include but are not limited to: |
| 340 | ** ''VideoGame/MaxPayne'': Apart from being a WholePlotReference to the ''Ragnarök'' (which supplies the name for the club Ragna Rock), it introduces Alex ''Balder'' and a helpful and one-eyed old guy named ''Woden''. Of course, there also are the ''Aesir'' Cooperation, the drug ''Valkyr'', [[spoiler:and a little something called ''Project: Valhalla'' (the information to which can be accessed through the computer network ''Yggdrasil'')]]. |
| 341 | ** ''VideoGame/AlanWake'': Pretty much an AlternateHistory horror thriller to ''VideoGame/MaxPayne'' with plenty of {{Shout Out}}s to the game franchise. Features an [=80s=] HeavyMithril band themed after Myth/NorseMythology called ''The Old Gods of Asgard'', whose members were ''Odin'', ''Tor'', ''Loki'' and "Fat Bob" ''Balder''. The EldritchAbomination BigBad uses an old woman named ''Barbara Jagger'' as its human host, who used to live in ''Bird Leg Cabin'', both references to Literature/BabaYaga. |
| 342 | * In ''VideoGame/{{Returnal}}'', the main character Selene, her mother Theia, the various boss monsters like Phrike and Ixion, and the planet Atropos are all named after figures from Myth/ClassicalMythology. |
| 343 | * The names of the planets, celestial bodies, and geographical features in ''VideoGame/SidMeiersAlphaCentauri'' are all based on the Greek myths relating to the centaurs of Greek myth: |
| 344 | ** The planet on which the humans settle, the second planet of Alpha Centauri A, is called Chiron, after the greatest, noblest, and wisest of the centaurs (he taught Hercules [[ContinuitySnarl in some versions of the myths]]). Most of the settlers, however, [[SubvertedTrope simply call it Planet]]. |
| 345 | ** Planet has two moons; these are named Pholus and Nessus. Pholus in Greek myth was the only good and wise centaur other than Chiron, and a friend and teacher of Hercules. Nessus was a more typical brutish centaur, but was crafty enough to kill Hercules by tricking his wife (albeit while he was dying from a wound inflicted by Hercules). |
| 346 | ** The first planet of Alpha Centauri A is a Mercury-like dead ball of rock named Eurytion, after a centaur who tried to extort King Dexamenus into giving him one of his daughters (either Deianira or Mneisimache). For this, Eurytion was also killed by Hercules, and ([[ContinuitySnarl in stories where Deianira is the daughter of Dexamenus and not Oeneus or Dionysos]]) Hercules got to marry Deianira. |
| 347 | ** We should note here that Chiron and Pholus were both accidentally killed by Hercules as well; Chiron when a poisoned arrow Hercules had fired at another, nastier centaur nicked him on the way, and Pholus when he [[IdiotBall foolishly picked up the arrowhead]] to marvel at how it could kill so great a being as Chiron. It should therefore come as no surprise that Alpha Centauri B, whose perihelion makes [[StarfishAliens Planet's native life]] go into a [[GaiasVengeance very nasty overdrive]], is dubbed Hercules by the settlers. |
| 348 | ** The standard "Map of Planet" contains many names of geographical features that refer to some of the above figures, as well as a few others. For instance, the largest island is called the "Isle of Deianira." |
| 349 | * In ''VideoGame/StarCraft'', Terran units capable of cloaking are usually named for spirits: Ghosts and Wraiths from [[VideoGame/StarCraftI the original]], and Spectres and Banshees from [[VideoGame/StarCraftII the sequel]]. |
| 350 | * In ''VideoGame/StarTrekOnline'' the variants on the Multi-Vector Advanced Escort are named ''Prometheus''-class, ''Phoenix''-class, ''Cerberus''-class, and ''Hephaestus''-class. |
| 351 | * ''VideoGame/SteambotChronicles: Battle Tournament'' uses Greco-Roman mythological theme naming. However, since many of these are also the names of celestial bodies, and those that don't match the pattern are named for stars with names not derived from mythology, it's hard to tell if they were going for this or {{Stellar Name}}s -- except for male lead "Apollo", who is distinctly a mythical case. |
| 352 | * The HumanAliens from the planet Balmar in several of the ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'' games, virtually without exception, have names taken from the Bible, from Judeo-Christian myth, or other Hebrew words. In particular, there is a whole series of clones who are named after the Seven Churches in the Literature/BookOfRevelation. |
| 353 | ** Subversion in ''VideoGame/SuperRobotSpirits'' and the other games with the Judecca; while "Judecca" refers to Judas Iscariot, the disciple of Jesus Christ who betrayed him, each of the Judecca's attacks ("Caina", "Antenora", "Ptolomea" and "Judecca") corresponds to a section of the ninth and lowest circle of hell in ''Literature/TheDivineComedy''. |
| 354 | * The two main SufficientlyAdvancedAliens factions in the MMORPG ''VideoGame/TabulaRasa'' are the Eloh and Neph. Elohim and Nephilim are divine beings described in the Hebrew Bible -- which makes some sense given that they're the {{Precursors}}. |
| 355 | * In ''VideoGame/TachyonTheFringe'', [[MegaCorp GalSpan]] ships get names from Myth/GreekMythology. Among fighters, we have examples like the Pegasus interceptor and the Orion multirole fighter. |
| 356 | * Similarly, most of the locations in ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss'' are themed around the The Sephirot, a term from the Kabbalah school of thought in Judaism. This is why the crust of Auldrant is held up by "Sephiroth trees." The Sephirot, collectively, are the ten attributes in which God reveals himself. The names of some of the attributes might sound familiar: Keter, Chokhmah, Binah, Daat, Chesed, Hod, and Malkuth, for example, which become Keterburg, Grand Chokmah, St. Binah, Daath, Chesedonia, and, obviously, Hod and Malkuth. Some of them also have interesting parallel meanings: |
| 357 | ** "Keter" means the divine will to create - [[spoiler: Jade is from Keterburg, and that's where he created the first replica]] |
| 358 | ** "Daat" is the "central state," the unity of the 10 Sephiroth. This makes sense as Daath is sort of like Vatican City - an independent religious city. |
| 359 | ** "Hod" means "withdrawal or surrender," in the positive sense. Hod itself 'withdrew' and 'surrendered' in the negative sense. |
| 360 | ** "Malkuth" means "Kingship" - pretty obvious, as Malkuth is an Empire - though it does have an Emperor, not a King. |
| 361 | ** In addition to this, the word Qliphoth is also stolen from the Sephirot - the Qliphoth is a metaphorical shell around the Sephirot, which both protects it and blocks access to it. |
| 362 | * Kratos, Zelos and Colette in ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'' are names adapted from three Greek Gods, Kratos, Zelus and Nike, respectively (apparently the etymological chain is Nike-Nicolette-Colette). This turns out to be significant in many, ''many'' ways. Kratos, Zelos and Colette are three party members [[spoiler: in possession of angel wings]], discounting Lloyd's [[spoiler: EleventhHourSuperpower]], which makes a lot of sense when you realize the mythological trio are known as [[spoiler: winged enforcers.]] |
| 363 | ** Kratos is the God of strength, power and war. Kratos gets a nod to this in one of his titles, which is "War God." |
| 364 | ** Nike is the Godess of strength, speed and victory. That's probably why it's also the name of a sportswear company. |
| 365 | ** Zelus is probably the most interesting; he's the God of zeal and dedication, but is also associated with ''rivalry, jealousy and envy.'' [[spoiler: Considering how deeply Zelos envies everyone who isn't Tethe'alla's Chosen, it's pretty appropriate.]] |
| 366 | ** Altogether, it's interesting because the three characters serve interdependent functions, and all three can be very integral to [[TheHero Lloyd's]] character. Kratos is [[spoiler: his father,]] Colette is his [[OfficialCouple official love interest]] and his main motivation, and Zelos acts as a {{Foil}} to Colette (as well as the most obvious romantic substitute for Colette if you believe the [[HoYay fangirls]]) and a SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute for Kratos. This game knows its stuff. |
| 367 | * ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou'' has Yoshiya Kiryu, who tends to go by the nickname "Joshua"--which is derived from the same Hebrew name as "Jesus". [[spoiler:At the end of the game, it's revealed that Joshua is the Composer, who is presented by the narrative as a loose allegory for God.]] |
| 368 | * ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'': Titanic watchers are often named after Norse gods (Thorim, Freya, Tyr, Loken, etc), although some take names from other mythologies too. |
| 369 | * In the ''[[VideoGame/{{X}} X-Universe]]'', [[ScaryDogmaticAliens Paranid]] ships are named for figures from Myth/GreekMythology (Hermes, Medusa, Zeus), as are some [[TheFederation Argon]] ships (Mercury[[note]]okay, that one's technically Roman[[/note]], Centaur, Minotaur). [[MegaCorp OTAS]] ships are named for Greek wind deities and regional winds (Boreas, Mistral, Venti). [[EliteMook AGI Task Force]] ships get names from Myth/NorseMythology (Thor, Skirnir, Valhalla). {{Yak|uza}}i ships are named after [[UsefulNotes/{{Shinto}} Japanese Shinto]] deities and demons (Akuma, Susanowa, Raijin). |
| 370 | * ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'' plays this trope in many ways: |
| 371 | ** Psychology - Lacan, Id |
| 372 | ** Kabbalah - Zohar, Shevat, Nisan, Merkava, Path of the Sephiroth. |
| 373 | ** Gnosticism - Sophia, Deus, Uruborous. |
| 374 | ** Christianity - Cain, Abel, Fatima, Balthazar, Golgotha. |
| 375 | * The same goes for its spiritual successor, ''VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}}''. |
| 376 | ** Christianity - Zohar emulators named after disciples of Jesus. Abel's Ark. |
| 377 | ** Judaism - The mecha driven by Anima Relics are all named after Hebrew patriarchs. |
| 378 | ** Alchemy - Nigredo, Albedo, Citrene, and Rubedo are named after stages of alchemical transfiguration. |
| 379 | ** Jungian psychology - UMN, collective unconscious. |
| 380 | ** Wagner's Nibelung - The Dammerung, the Rhine Maidens. |
| 381 | ** Nietzsche - Each of the game's subtitles is the name of a text by German philosopher Nietzsche. |
| 382 | * Most of the HumongousMecha controlled by important characters in the ''VideoGame/ZoneOfTheEnders'' games are named after Egyptian deities. |
| 383 | [[/folder]] |
| 384 | |
| 385 | [[folder:Visual Novels]] |
| 386 | * All three protagonists of the ''VisualNovel/AceAttorney'' series have names from classical mythology: Phoenix, Apollo and Athena, respectively. Law in general has a Greek theme in the series, as demonstrated by Professor Aristotle Means (who is modeled after his namesake). [[spoiler:Although he is actually corrupt.]] |
| 387 | * In ''VisualNovel/BadFaith'', fitting in with the AmbiguouslyChristian nature of the setting, almost every character has a name that has some amount of significance in Judaism or Christianity: |
| 388 | ** Maria is of course, a variation of Mary, which typically refers to Mary, the mother of Jesus, but can also refer to Mary Magdalene. |
| 389 | ** Jael, Maria's friend who is banished in the opening Apologia Assembly of the story, is named after the heroine who delivered Israel from the army of King Jabin in the Hebrew Bible. |
| 390 | ** Eve comes from the figure from the Book of Genesis, said to be the first woman. |
| 391 | ** Amaris is a variation of Amariah, a name that means "promised by God" in Hebrew and features several times in the Hebrew Bible. |
| 392 | ** Grace comes from the concept of "divine grace." |
| 393 | ** Magda comes from Mary Magdalene, a companion of Jesus. This also gives her an extra connection with Maria. |
| 394 | ** Nils comes from "nil," which is just a word for "zero" (coming from their original name "0"), which is sometimes associated with God. |
| 395 | ** [[spoiler: Magda decides to rename herself Lilia after fusing with Nils. "''Lilia''" is the Latin word for lilies, a flower commonly associated with the Virgin Mary, but can also refer to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilia an obscure battle tactic used by the Romans]] in which spiked pit traps are dug in a quincunx... that is to say, the shape of a cross.]] |
| 396 | * In ''VisualNovel/SteinsGate'', Okabe has the habit of giving even the most trivial affairs codenames based on Norse mythology. Three of them are central to the story: Operation Urd, Operation Verdandi and Operation Skuld. |
| 397 | * ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'' has quite a few relating to Christianity: |
| 398 | ** Eva, Ange and Lion spell out Evangelion, which means "Gospel", or "Fukuin" in Japanese, which is also the name of the orphanage where the servants are taken from. |
| 399 | ** Beatrice, Virgilia and Clair Vaux of Bernard are all taken from ''Literature/TheDivineComedy''. It's commented in the story that Virgilia[[note]]or the character Virgilius that was supposed to appear in a scrapped Episode[[/note]] is meant to guide Dante (represented by Battler) towards Beatrice − i.e. help him figure out her identity and motive. |
| 400 | ** Kyrie's and Ange's names are taken from Christian prayers: Kyrie Eleison and the Angelus. |
| 401 | ** Juza Amakusa shares the same family name (written in the exact same kanji, no less) as the UsefulNotes/JapaneseChristian saint UsefulNotes/AmakusaShiro. |
| 402 | ** Maria's name is a direct reference to [[Literature/TheBible The Virgin Mary]]. Discussed in [=EP7=]. |
| 403 | ** The names of the Seven Stakes are taken from an old classification of demons and their correspondence to the SevenDeadlySins. |
| 404 | ** Ronove, Gaap, Furfur and Zepar are all taken from the Literature/ArsGoetia. |
| 405 | [[/folder]] |
| 406 | |
| 407 | [[folder:Webcomics]] |
| 408 | * ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'': |
| 409 | ** Aradia Megido is named after Aradia, a figure who, according to an American folklorist, was worshipped by Tuscan witches, and Tel Megiddo, the place where, according to the Book of Revelation, [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt the Apocalypse]] will happen and which is the root of the word "armageddon". Aradia is associated with the occult and is obsessed with the end of the universe. |
| 410 | ** Sollux Captor, the Gemini troll, is named after Pollux and Castor, the twins who became the constellation in Greek myth. |
| 411 | ** Kanaya Maryam, the Virgo troll, derives her last name from the Aramaic name for the Virgin Mary, Maryam. Befitting of the [[TeamMom matronly and fussy]] Kanaya. |
| 412 | ** Vriska Serket, the Scorpio troll, is named after Serqet, the Ancient Egyptian scorpion goddess. |
| 413 | ** Equius Zahhak, the Sagittarius troll, is named after the Zoroastrian mythic villain Zahhāk, who was also known as Bēvar Asp, "he who has 10,000 horses", matching Equius' equine {{Animal Motif|s}} |
| 414 | * ''Webcomic/TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob'': |
| 415 | ** Molly named her teddy bear Callisto, after a Greek nymph who was changed into a bear. |
| 416 | ** Molly's clone Galatea is named for Pygmalion's statue who came to life. |
| 417 | * ''Webcomic/JupiterMen'': A notable and troublesome gang known as the "Titans" run around in Jupiter-City. They were led by a man named "Cronus" until he was arrested and taken into custody. This is in stark contrast to the name of Jupiter City and its hero, Jupiter-Man, who are named after the Roman counterpart of Zeus, who overthrew the Titans and Cronus in Greek mythology. |
| 418 | * ''Webcomic/SleeplessDomain'': The members of the ClassicalElementsEnsemble Team Alchemical each have names derived from their element's associated {{Alchemic Elemental|s}}. [[BlowYouAway Sylvia]]'s name comes from the type of wind spirit called a Sylph, [[DishingOutDirt Gwen]]'s is from the earth elemental Gnome, [[PlayingWithFire Sally]]'s comes from the fiery [[FierySalamander Salamander]], and [[MakingASplash Undine]] is named for the water spirit called... [[ShapedLikeItself well, an Undine]]. Their leader and [[ElementNumberFive fifth element]] Tessa is an OddNameOut in this regard -- her full name, Tessa Quinn, is instead derived from the word "quintessence". |
| 419 | * ''Webcomic/{{SSDD}}'': One of the Kings was named Arthur and his knights were named Lancelot, Galahad, Bedevere and Tristan. |
| 420 | * ''Webcomic/StarImpact'': [[TheAce Phoebe]] is named for one of the epithets of [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Artemis, the Greek goddess of the moon]], tying in nicely with her [[CosmicMotifs moon-related iconography]]. |
| 421 | [[/folder]] |
| 422 | |
| 423 | [[folder:Web Original]] |
| 424 | * ''WebAnimation/BrokenSaints'' has a number of these, especially with Gabriel, as well as Mars and his cronies Phobos and Deimos. |
| 425 | * In the ''WebVideo/DreamSMP'', members of [[Characters/DreamSMPTheSyndicate the Syndicate]] have codenames based in Greek mythology which allude to their personal characteristics. So far, we have "[[BloodKnight Protesilaus]]", "[[WingedHumanoid Zephyrus]]", "[[MisplacedRetribution Nemesis]]" "[[ForgetfulJones Lethe]]", and "[[TheGhost Harpocrates]]". At one point, they also had a dog named "Apollo". |
| 426 | * ''WebVideo/LifestealSMP'': In Season 4, Ro names the anonymous person turning buildings into obsidian at spawn "Medusa", as an allusion to how Medusa would turn her victims to stone. The team "Perseus" is then created to take down Medusa, like the story goes in Myth/ClassicalMythology. |
| 427 | * Every main human character in ''WebVideo/MandelaCatalogue'' is named after a biblical figure in one way to another as a way to foreshadow [[MeaningfulName their role in the story]], from subtle ones such as "Thatcher [[Literature/BooksOfSamuel Davis]]" and "[[Literature/TheFourGospels Jude]] Murray", to more direct ones like "[[Literature/BookOfGenesis Adam]] Murray". |
| 428 | [[/folder]] |
| 429 | |
| 430 | [[folder:Western Animation]] |
| 431 | * In ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresFromTheBookOfVirtues'', Plato the bison, Socrates the bobcat, and Aristotle the prairie dog are named after the three famous philosophers of the Greek mythology. Also, Aurora the hawk is named after the Roman goddess of dawn. |
| 432 | * ''WesternAnimation/AngelsOfJarm'': All the four angels have names related to Biblical archangels. Gabrielle is the feminine form of Gabriel, Mick and Rafe are diminutives for respectively, Michael and Raphael, and Ellie has "el", the suffix in many archangels' names. |
| 433 | * The main characters in ''WesternAnimation/{{Archer}}'' work for the spy agency ISIS, which shares a name with the goddess-queen from Myth/EgyptianMythology). Its main rival in the early seasons was ODIN, which shares a name with the god-king of Myth/NorseMythology. |
| 434 | * In ''WesternAnimation/BarbieThePearlPrincess'', Caligo is named after the Greek mother of Chaos, and Scylla is named after the sea goddess from the Odyssey. |
| 435 | * The three Weird Sisters on ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'' are named Luna, Phoebe and Selene. Also, many members of the Avalon Clan (Angela, Gabriel, Michael, Raphael...) have angelic names. (You get the feeling Greg Weisman likes ThemeNaming?) |
| 436 | * ''WesternAnimation/JimmyTwoShoes'' has Beezy (Beelzebub), Lucius (Lucifer), Jez (Jezebel), Sammy (Samael), and Cerbee (Cerberus), all named after Biblical figures (except Cerberus who is from Myth/GreekMythology). |
| 437 | * [[BigBad Lord Marmoo]] from ''WesternAnimation/KulipariAnArmyOfFrogs'' is named after is named after [[Myth/AboriginalAustralianMyths Kamilaroi]] GodOfEvil. |
| 438 | * In ''WesternAnimation/{{Sealab 2021}}'', Captain Shanks and his many brothers are all named after heroes from Greek mythology; Shanks' first name is Bellerophon, and his brothers are Odysseus, Achilles, Perseus, Hercules, and twins Castor and Pollux. |
| 439 | [[/folder]] |
| 440 | |
| 441 | [[folder:Real Life]] |
| 442 | * As noted above, religious and mythological theme naming for days of the week is prevalent throughout the world, especially in Europe: |
| 443 | ** In most Germanic languages (including English), four days are named after gods in Germanic paganism. The only one that doesn't follow this is Icelandic, which, except for Sunday and Monday, [[YouAreNumberSix number their weekdays]]. |
| 444 | *** Tuesday = Tiw/Tyr. Cognates include: Danish and Norwegian "Tirsdag" and Swedish "Tisdag". But not Dutch "Dinsdag" and German "Dienstag", which are named after, believe it or not, "thing"--in the old Germanic sense of "assembly", as apparently the assemblies of the Germanic peoples met on Tuesdays.[[note]]The word changed over time from an "assembly", to the topic you discuss in it, then just the topic itself--the thing. The original meaning is not lost, however; the legislatures of several Nordic countries have names based on "thing": UsefulNotes/{{Iceland}} has the Althing (All+Thing), UsefulNotes/{{Denmark}} has the Folketing ("People's Thing"), UsefulNotes/{{Norway}} has the Storting ("Great Thing"), and the UsefulNotes/FaroeIslands (an overseas territory of Denmark) has the Løgting ("Law Thing"). There's even one in a Celtic country--the legislature of the (heavily Norse-influenced) historically Gaelic-speaking UsefulNotes/IsleOfMan is called the "Tynwald" (literally "Thing-field", metonymically using the place where the assembly historically met--in an open field--to refer to the assembly itself). (Obviously, these assemblies no longer meet only on Tuesdays).[[/note]] |
| 445 | *** Wednesday = Woden/Odin. Cognates include: Afrikaans and Dutch "Woensdag" and Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish "Onsdag". |
| 446 | *** Thursday = Thunor/Donar/Thor. Cognates include: Afrikaans and Dutch "Donderdag", Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish "Torsdag", and German "Donnerstag". |
| 447 | *** Friday = Frige/Frija/Frigg. Cognates include: Afrikaans "Vrydag", Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish "Fredag", Dutch "Vrijdag", and German "Freitag". |
| 448 | ** Similarly, Romance languages number their weekdays after gods in Roman paganism. One of them even manages to sneak their way into English and Dutch vocabulary. Again, there is an exception: Portuguese, which, like Icelandic, number their weekdays. |
| 449 | *** Tuesday: Mars, so: French "Mardi", Spanish "Martes", Italian "Martedi", and Romanian "Marți". |
| 450 | *** Wednesday: Mercury, so "Mercredi", Spanish "Miércoles, Italian "Mercoledi, and Romanian "Miercuri". |
| 451 | *** Thursday: Jupiter, so French "Jeudi", Spanish "Jueves", Italian "Giovedi, and Romanian "Joi". |
| 452 | *** Friday: Venus, so French "Vendredi", Spanish "Viernes", Italian "Venerdi", and Romanian "Vineri". |
| 453 | *** Saturday: Actually ''[[SubvertedTrope not]]'' Saturn, which only gives it way to English "Saturday", Afrikaans "Saterdag", and Dutch "Zaterdag". Latin ''once'' had a Saturn-related word, but for whatever reasons, it didn't stick, since its descendants name the day after Sabbath, which was formerly held on Saturday before it changed to Sunday to coincide with the Lord's Day (it's still on Saturday in Judaism). So it goes: French "Samedi", Spanish "Sábado, Italian "Sabato", and Romanian "Sâmbătă" |
| 454 | ** "Sabbath" itself is actually the norm word for Saturday in many languages not named English. Those that adopted Christianity necessitated the loan of the word to describe the day where you would rest (which by then would already be an [[TheArtifact artifact]] due to the whole Lord's Day mentioned above. Christianity ''technically'' still differentiates Lord's Day with Sabbath, but how many people know this?), while those cultures that adopted Islam received the word as part of the Arabic loanwords-package (this time, the Sabbath in the Jewish sense is moved to Friday since the religion's founding. Now that word's etymology is harder to track. It might be a legacy of pre-Islamic Arabia, which adopted Judaism and or/Christianity in some places, or it received it the same way that Hebrew did: from Akkadian; they're both Semitic languages, after all.). Examples include: [[LongList Hungarian "Szombat", Czech "Sobota, Armenian "Shabat'", Tagalog "Sabado", Malay "Sabtu"...]] |
| 455 | * In RealLife, all the planets and moons as well as most of the asteroids and dwarf planets in the solar system are named after Greek and Roman gods-- save for UsefulNotes/TheMoonsOfUranus. Those are named for (mostly female) characters from Shakespeare and Alexander Pope's ''Literature/TheRapeOfTheLock'', e.g.: [[Theatre/TheTempest Miranda]], [[Theatre/{{Hamlet}} Ophelia]], [[Theatre/{{Othello}} Desdemona]], [[Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet Juliet]], [[Theatre/AMidsummerNightsDream Oberon]] (Shakespeare); Umbriel and Belinda (Pope); and, erm, Ariel (both, as he appeared in ''Theatre/TheTempest'' before showing up as a guardian sylph in ''The Rape of the Lock''--and yes, ''[[GenderBlenderName he]]'', by the way). |
| 456 | *** And Earth. Though in English it's not as clear as those who named it after Terra - and in Greece's case, Gaia. |
| 457 | ** It goes deeper than that. Mars's moons are named after his sons Phobos (Fear) and Deimos (Terror). [[UsefulNotes/TheMoonsOfJupiter Jupiter's moons]] are named for his lovers and daughters (79 and we haven't run out!), [[UsefulNotes/TheMoonsOfSaturn Saturn's]] for [[OurTitansAreDifferent Titans]][[note]]and as of 2000, giants from other cultures, since we did run out of those[[/note]], and [[UsefulNotes/TheMoonsOfNeptune Neptune's]] for [[LordOfTheOcean water divinities]]. |
| 458 | ** And there are now established rules for surface features on those bodies - for example, craters and crevasses on Jupiter's moon Europa are named after characters and locations in Myth/CelticMythology, while those on Saturn's moon Phoebe are named after items from the story of Jason and the Argonauts. These can sometimes get a bit funny--for instance, mountains on Saturn's moon Titan are named for mountains in Franchise/TolkiensLegendarium, plains on Titan are named for planets from ''Franchise/{{Dune}}'', and many features on Phobos are named for places and characters in ''Literature/GulliversTravels''. See [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planetary_nomenclature the planetary nomenclature page]] on Website/TheOtherWiki for details. |
| 459 | *** Features on Venus are named after fertility goddesses from various traditions, such as the mountain Sif Mons, named for Thor's wife Sif. |
| 460 | ** Some of the dwarf planets and minor planets are named after deities from other mythologies. While Pluto, Eris, Ceres, and Orcus are all classical deities, there's also Haumea (Hawaii), Sedna (Inuit), Gonggong (Chinese), Makemake (Easter Island), Quaoar (Native American)... |
| 461 | ** Since there are a ''lot'' of asteroids, astronomers looking for names for them began naming them after mythological heroes (which conveniently there are also a lot of). At first semi-accidentally but now by convention, those in Jupiter's L4 and L5 Lagrangian points are named after characters from the Iliad, with those on one side of Jupiter being named for heroes from the Greek side, and those on the other named after heroes from the Trojan side. There are two exceptions from before the convention was established: 624 Hektor (a Trojan) is in the leading "Greek camp" and 617 Patroclus (a Greek) is in the trailing "Trojan camp". |
| 462 | * Many of the elements of the periodic table. From Greek mythology, Helium, Mercury, Tantalum, Niobium, Promethium, and Titanium (along with those named after planets, dwarf planets and asteroids; plus Europe, named after one of Zeus' many flings). From the Norse one, Thorium and Vanadium (Freyja is also known as "Vanadís"). Thulium comes from the mythological island of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thule Thule]]. |
| 463 | * When the district of UsefulNotes/NewOrleans beyond what is now Lee Circle was laid out in the early 19th century, the streets running perpendicular to the river were named after the nine Muses of Myth/ClassicalMythology (Calliope, Clio, Erato, Thalia, Melpomene, Terpsichore, Euterpe, Polymnia, Urania). The streets parallel to the river, following two named after ancient Roman buildings (Coliseum, Prytania) whose neoclassical counterparts were never actually built in New Orleans, were originally named Nayades, Apollo, Bacchus, Hercules and Dryades, but most of these names were retired in favor of those of the older streets they extended. |
| 464 | * Happens in the naming of ships from time to time: |
| 465 | ** A series of coastal defence ships built for the Imperial German Navy in the 1890s had names from Germanic mythology: SMS Aegir, SMS Odin, SMS Hagen, SMS Heimdall, SMS Hildebrand, SMS Frithjof, SMS Beowulf, and SMS Siegfried. A series of light cruisers built shortly after had names mostly from Greek mythology: SMS Medusa, SMS Amazone, SMS Ariadne, SMS Thetis, SMS Nymphe, SMS Niobe, and (odd name out) SMS Gazelle. |
| 466 | ** Similarly, the Italian navy went into UsefulNotes/WorldWarI with, among others, a class of torpedo-boats named after mythological figures - Calliope, Canopo, Cassiopea, Centauro, Clio, Calipso, Pegaso, Perseo etc. |
| 467 | ** The Royal Navy in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII had three classes of light cruisers named after figures from Greek and Roman mythology, the Leander, Arethusa and Dido Classes. |
| 468 | * Someone at the KGB gave code names from the classics, such as Perseus, Persian, Medusa, Achilles, Aesculapius; and a lowly Ukranian professor was Zeus. |
| 469 | [[/folder]] |
| 470 |
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