Xenogears Reference Encyclopedia
~2001 Revised Edition~
By Maou


Square’s mesmerizing Xenogears has perhaps one of the most deep
and complex stories of all time, which Square Japan has laudably
filled with a great many subtle references to religion, psychology,
mythology, and history from around the world.  The many subtle
touches, from the naming of characters to the use of Freudian
themes, add a great deal to the power found in Xenogears’ story.
This document has been painstakingly designed to serve as a
master guide for the myriad themes and meanings found in the
names of Xenogears.  Included are a complete bibliography and
cross-referencing.  This edition is greatly revised from the original,
but still very much a work in progress.  If you, the reader, have any
comments or find any additional references not found in this guide,
please feel free to e-mail me, the Maou, at
Maoujacky@hotmail.com.



Abel - The first incarnation of Fei (the sole survivor of the crash of
the Eldridge) and the name the Solarians take upon themselves is
most clearly a reference to the Biblical Abel, the second child of
Adam and Eve.  It is appropriate in both situations: Abel was
described in Genesis as a shepherd, just as Solarians claimed they
were the shepherds of the earth-dwelling -Lambs-.  When Abel’s
brother, Cain, found that God accepted Abel’s offerings but not his
own, he jealously slew Abel in a fit of jealous rage, and was
subsequently punished for it.  Similarly, in Fei’s first life as Abel,
Cain, the first human, attempts to slay him, but instead kills Elly.
See also [Cain].

Achtzehn - Nikola’s Model-18 Gear gets its name from the
German word for ‘eighteen.’

Ahriman - The classic Square enemy, greviously mistranslated as
Allemagne, refers to the evil Zoroastrian deity, Ahriman, meaning
‘destructive spirit.’  This pre-Islamic religion of ancient Iran (still
present in scattered areas, especially in India), describes Ahriman
as a purely evil, greedy being that struggles against the God of
light, Ahura Mazda.

Alkanshel - The Solarian ship is actually named ‘Archangel,’ the
highest order of angels.  The mistranslation likely resulted from a
slightly out-of-the-ordinary writing in Japanese kana (a-ru-ka-n-
she-ru instead of the usual a-ru-ka-n-je-ru).

Amphisbaena - Ramsus’ final Gear, erroneously written as
Amphysvena, refers to a serpent of classical mythology that had a
head on both ends of its body.

Andvari - Bart’s Gear, stored behind the waterfalls and corridors of
Nisan, is perfectly named: Andvari was a dwarf in the mythology
of the Norsemen, who lived beneath a waterfall and could change
into a fish.  His ring, Andvaranaut, made him rich by seeking out
the location of gold.

Anima and Animus - Xenogears draws heavily on themes of
psychology for these names.  Where Anima contained the female
organic element, Animus contained the male organic element,
which then expanded: the Anima Relics searched for an
appropriate Animus to bond and create the perfect Omnigear.  In
the analytic psychology of C.G. Jung, the anima is the true inner
self of a person; it is often meant to be specifically the inner
feminine element of the personality of men.  Conversely, animus
was the inner masculine element of the female personality.  See
also [Id], [Persona].

Anima Relic Names - The names of the Anima Relics which
alligned with Gears and their owners to create Omnigears take all
of their names from the Hebrews.  Of the twelve Anima Relics
(Dan, Joseph, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Judah, Dinah, Reuben,
Simeon, Levi, Issachar, and Naphtali), 10 of them are named for
the 12 tribes of Israel that would become the Hebrew people.
Dinah, on the other hand, which was Sophia’s Relic, shares its
name with a daughter of Israel (Jacob), while Levi, though a son of
Israel, did not create a tribe.

Av - Written variously as Ave and Aveh.  See [Cities].

Isaac Balthasar - One of the three wisemen of Shevat gets his name
from one of the three Biblical Magi  who came from the east to pay
hommage to the newborn Christ.  Perhaps for double-meaning,
Balthasar’s little-known first name, Isaac, is shared with the
Biblical patriarch of Israel, son of Abraham.

Babel - The awesome Tower of Babel is a perfect match for the
Torah’s Tower of Babel.  When the people of the world attempted
to build a tower that would reach God, he was angered, and
destroyed the tower, eliminating their power of unity by confusing
their language, creating many different languages.  Though
Xenogears’ Babel Tower still stands, it too is a monument to the
danger of challenging divinity.

Breidablik - Ave’s capital, miswritten as Bledavik, is none other
than the home of Balder of Norse mythology.  Breidablik was one
of the many realms of Asgard, the gods’ realm.

Brigandier - Bart’s Gear gets its name from the Swiss word, a
high-ranking army officer in Switzerland.  The name is also similar
to the word brigand, or thief, appropriate for the captain of the Ave
sand pirates.

Cain - Emperor Cain is decidedly a reference to the Biblical Cain
described in Genesis.  When his brother, Abel’s, offering to God
was accepted instead of his own, Cain killed Abel in a jealous rage.
As punishment, God exiled Cain from the settled lands, forcing the
murderer to wander forever without the protection of tribes.  To
distinguish Cain and to make sure that he would never be attacked,
God marked Cain with a seal (often said to be a horn on his head)
so that none would slay him unknowingly.  Similarly, Emperor
Cain, the first human on earth (along with the Gazel), seems to
have risen up against Abel (the first Fei) and Elly, killing Elly and
possibly Fei.  As his penetance, he lives on, watching over
humanity and advocating their cause to the Gazel Ministry.  See
also [Abel], [Gazel].

Cities - Most of the cities, continents, and empires of Xenogears
have been cleverly named for months in the Jewish calender,
which include Kislev, Av (written in Japan as Ave and America as
Aveh), Nisan, Shevat, and Elul.  See also [Breidablik], [Noatun].

Crescens - Emeralda’s Gear may have been named for one of St.
Paul’s companions during the Second Roman Captivity, who was
said to have been one of Christ’s seventy disciples.

Diabolos - The group of evil beings that interrupted the ancient
war between Solaris and the earth-dwellers is the Latin word
literally meaning ‘accuser’ or ‘slanderer,’ and is converted into
Devil to indicate the essence of evil.

Deus - The name of the false god and super-weapon of Xenogears
is very appropriate, meaning ‘God’ in Latin.

Deus Pillars - See [Harut and Marut], [Metatron], [Sandalphon].

Diana - The Kislev Arena’s organizer is named for the Roman
goddess Diana (the Greek Artemis), the virgin goddess of the hunt,
wilds, and fertility.

Elements: Cherubina, Dominia, Seraphita, Throne - The elite
female officers of Gebler are named for the four highest-ranked
types of angels of nine in the celestial hierarchy common in
Islamic and Judeo-Christian religion (ranked from lowest to
highest): dominions, thrones, cherubim, and seraphim.  Though
written in America as Kelvena, the name of the level-headed,
blind, and blue-haired officer has been seen in Xenogears Perfect
Works as Cherubina.  (The ‘ch’ was most likely pronounced
originally as a ‘k’ sound, accounting for the Japanese Kerubina
that was written as Kelvena).  The name of Throne, written in
Japanese as to-ro-ne, was confused in the American release due to
the lack of distinction between the ‘l’ and ‘r’ sounds in Japanese.

Elul - Mistranslated as Elru.  See [Cities].

Erich van Houten - Elly’s father’s family name is a fairly typical
Dutch-German one, but the Erich may have a deeper meaning.
Just as Erich was a general in the evil Solarian Army, there was
also an Erich von Manstein that served as one of Germany’s best
generals in World War II.

Ethos - The name of the false religious cult of Solaris is defined by
the Merriam-Webster dictionary as ‘the distinguishing character,
sentiment, moral nature, or guiding beliefs of a person, group, or
institution.’  In short, the guiding light for a people, which
appropriately was what Ethos claimed to be.

Excalib