Since you've finished Apocalypse Girls, I figured I'd collect what I have for its character names!
We'll start off with Saria. Arabic/Hebrew in origin, depending on area it can mean either 'noblewoman' or 'prize'. I don't really feel that either of those match with the character of Saria, but oh well.
Hildea or Hilda, it is of Germanic origin and means either hilt or battle. There's actually a Saint Hilda, who was an abbess!
Ornea is a Greek name meaning bird. Which makes sense. 'Orn', Bird. It has the common association of 'freedom' which makes sense seeing as she is the only Featherrun sister to end the story 'free'.
Dorothea is a Greek name meaning 'Gift of God'... sigh. You've got two saints and a martyr with this name. Fun.
Sithona is a Greek peninsula. Its potentially named after a son of Poseidon? That's really all I can find. Everything else is pseudo-spiritualism baby name blogs with no basis in history or myth, and information about the island as is today. Which is disappointing.
Hollesso is either derived of the name Hollis, a gender neutral name based on the plant Holly, meaning 'One who lives by the holly tree', some claim it holds a Christian connection with the 'crown of thorns', but I don't know; or it derives from the name Alessio, which is an Italian name which comes from the Greek name Alexios, which means defender/protector, which works when you consider how most of the girls saw him.
Oliver is an Old French name meaning 'Olive tree planter' or 'Olive branch bearer'. I think it suits him really well! :)
Tatiana is a Sabine name which later became considered a Latin name meaning 'fairy queen' (which is probably why Shakespeare named his fairy queen Titania). It is also the name of a martyr and saint, and is popular in Russia!
And now for the most important one.
Elsa is a name originally derived from the biblical name Elisabeth as a nickname, but 'Elsa' being an actual name can be found in 15th century Sweden at earliest. It means 'Pledged to God' or 'God is my oath'.
Important Elsas we may consider include the Hurricane Elsa, the hurricane, and Elsa the Lioness, the real life lion. (The lion got a film made about her)!
Worrying things all around I feel.
Hope you're having a wonderful day!
-LN38
More stuff then I expected here for these Featherrun’s tbh.
Firstly on Saria, yeah I’m in agreement w/ you on none of those words fitting. Though I guess she did live in a mansion headed by an influential person in the country like Holosseo so perhaps one could argue the noblewomen bit could apply to that.
On Saria’s other half, a German name made me raise an eyebrow. Tappei seems to enjoy German shenanigans. Not sure how the abbess bit connects to Hildea but the whole battle bit or the German stuff 100% does work with her.
Regarding Ornea, I’m not quite so surely if really she’s the only Featherrun whom ended free at the end as you say. Afterall, her mind is utterly shattered and there’s no hope of recovery for her. The other sisters atleast died as themselves.
Frankly her bird association actually to me additionally made me think of her as less free given the other semi-bird association we got in naming was Flugel with his whole Wings shtick and I expressed in the past how he might’ve named himself that due to feeling trapped by his role as the Sage & desiring something more free.
Dorothea’s name is just. NOPE. Big bad. No wonder she had such a nasty fate of being burned alive.
Sithonia’s named after a Greek peninsula…? Why do I feel I’ve heard that before? Weird. Aside from my wonky moment of deja vu, the Son of Poseidon stuff does make me raise an eyebrow.
Those sort of individuals are typically portrayed as being more wild & loose cannons that are free which is pretty much the opposite of Sithonia whom is acutely not free and understands that.
Though, I guess Sithonia does become more wild towards the end of her life as her masks drop and she desperately does everything she can to attain her freedom.
Both of these tidbits for Holosseo are super neat. The “defender/protector” portion I also think fits rather well like you said given the girl’s view on him.
The whole “crown of thorns” Christian thing though immediately yoinked my attention. In this story there is legit that whole “Iris and the King of Thorns” thing Sirius yapped to Priscilla about that got her big mad. I now wonder if something about Holosseo has a connection to that story.
Oliver’s name is pretty cool he’s something that is planting new life. That fits him wonderfully given he tries to give others new chances at more prosperous lives.
Anyhow. Tatiana. Ohhhhhh. I SWEAR I had heard this name before somewhere. The Russian stuff here probably is why? Her being a “fairy queen” in the meaning is kinda interesting given lesser spirits have been referred to as fairies in this story.
Tatiana wasn’t a Spirit Arts user but I wonder if what made her mind get mushed to the point she couldn’t communicate normally was due to some spirit stuff.
Ahem. On Elsa here. AYOOOOOOOO?? These God things are sus as hell. A thought I have on this “pledged to God” timing is maybe her allegance to Capella since Dragons in this world are considered Gods & Elsa’s first meeting with Capella primarily took place when she was a Dragon.
Regarding the other Elsa associations genuinely can’t think of anything else about them I can make a connection to.
Huh. Elsa’s whole remark her of not desiring to be perfect & wanting to NOT be a flawless perfect existence doesn’t surprise me persay, but her blatant expression of it does since I didn’t think Elsa consciously realized that about herself. Of course Holosseo was mad about that ideal of Elsa’s though lol.
Alsooo. Could be tripping. But the way Elsa is described as a “child” at the end here whom had no idea what the best thing to say to Dorothea was & then in this scene too describing herself as one whom gets “envious” and not desiring to be a perfect existence…
I’m kinda thinking of how this describes Reinhard aptly since he def is a child at heart whom does showcase envy + clearly doesn’t desire to be a flawless existence.
Ayoooo?? Sithonia where the fuck did you get that intel on the other Witches’s?! Yeah, sure. The rest of the lore on Cursed Dolls and them being unable to die until their specific enemy is dead & Holosseo thinking to use that is intriguing but. Still doesn’t answer where Sithonia got that info.
Maybe Sithonia got it from the note here she’s clutching which is presumably what allowed her to deduce Holosseo’s plan…? However this then leads down another rabbit hole of asking how did Holosseo know that info then to put it onto a note so Sithonia could learn of it.
LOL. Elsa be verbally charring Sithonia damn. She ain’t wrong though that Sithonia failed with regards to her.
It is curious to me though this idea of all the sisters raising something is blatantly brought up what they raise then Sithonia’s is consciously absent.
I presume Sithonia’s version would be raising all the other sisters much like how Holosseo technically was raising them all too as their Father.
Mkay, nice to know what the whole “YOLO wipe everybody out to kill heretics” directive is called by the Church officially. A cleansing operation makes it sound somehow sinister as heck.
Alsoooo. Ornea here yet again showing solid morals as she’s concerned about this order going out on such a high density population area. Continues to be ironic her assassin specialist self is more into morality then the rest of her siblings.
Something else here too but. Jesus how DID Sithonia (disguised as Holosseo obviously) yoink Church permission to wipe out such a mass town just for Elsa. The Church I thought would’ve slightly added some restrictions given the sheer impact this could have. Wonder if Holosseo had blackmail on some stonk Church people and that’s how she got this to occur.
Oop- this really do be highlighting how ones name (and what they identify as) is critical to maintaining their own personhood given how Sithonia is sliding away from her normal self.
Another thing too. But Sithonia’s clear ability to physically shift into somebody else then talkin’ about how turning into different people is just adding more side-eye worthy things to that earlier muse I had of Capella maybe being a Cursed Doll.
