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. Excalibur - Shevat’s mighty airship is named for the Excalibur of Authurian legend, a sword King Arthur received from the Lady of the Lake. Alternatively, it’s been said that Exacalibur was the sword in the stone that Arthur liberated to earn his place as England’s new king. Ezekiel - The name of the flying saucer-like ship that Miang rides that disperses Sufal is intriguingly named for the Jewish prophet. The Book of Ezekiel contained, among other things, his prophecies and prayers of hope for the Hebrew people. Fatima - The great family of Ave may have gotten its name from Fatima, Portugal (which in turn was named for a Moorish princess of the 1100’s), a city whose relgious center attracts numerous pilgrims every year. Fei - The name Fei seems to be almost universally one of great men of Asian history, but one in particular resembles Fei Fong Wong: Mi Fei. Mi Fei lived in China in the eleventh century, and was known in particular as a scholar and an artist, two defining features of Fei’s incarnations, as well. Fenrir - Citan’s second Gear is the same as that of the demon-wolf of Norse Mythology. Son of the god Loki and the giantess Angrboda, Fenrir was so dangerous that the gods had to contrive to bind the beast (at the cost of Tyr’s hand). However, Fenrir was to break free of his bonds on Ragnarok, the Apocalypse, and after killing Odin, would be torn apart by Odin’s son, Vidar. Gaspar - Another of the Sages of Shevat, Gaspar (alternatively written as Caspar) was also one of the three Biblical Magi coming from Persia to visit the newborn Christ. Gazel - The name of Solaris’ diabolical ministry, the first children of Cain, is taken from the Hebrew Gazels, which were short poems often, ironically, focusing on love. Gebler Officers: Rank, Helmholtz, Frantz, Breuer, Strakkii - (US: Renk, Helmholtz, Vance, Broyer, Stratski.) The leading officers under Elly in the Solaris military all seem to be named for major German scientists and psychologists (Gebler itself is a German name). Otto Rank was an Austrian psychologist, Hermann von Helmholtz was a nineteenth-century German scientist, Frantz Omar Fanon was a West Indian psychoanalyst and philosopher, and Josef Breuer was an Austrian physician considered by many to be the forerunner of psychoanalysis. Strakkii remains a mystery, however. Golgotha - The site of Fei and the party’s crucifiction by Krelian (mistranslated as Golgoda), Golgotha is a powerful reference to the New Testement. Golgotha was the hill in Jerusalem where Jesus was crucified, shaped eerily like a skull. Goliath - Kislev’s colossal airship parallels the Biblical Goliath, a giant of the Philistines who were warring against Saul. David slew Goliath using only a sling and rocks. Grahf - The emperor of darkness, the lost soul of Lacan, Grahf is a name apparently of German and Russian origins. Written as Graf, his name means ‘count’ in German (as in a baron), which is fitting for the evil lord. Harut and Marut - Two of the Deus pillars (mistranslated as Harlute and Marlute) are named for two fallen angels of the Islamic faith. See also [Metatron], [Sandalphon]. Heimdall - Citan’s first Gear’s name is that of the Norse God, Heimdall. With his superb hearing and incredible eyesight, he guards the brink of the Gods’ world of Asgard at the Bifrost rainbow bridge. Id - The violent and desireful Id of Fei matches exactly the id of Freudian psychology. One of the three parts of the psyche (which also include the ego and superego), the id is completely unconscious, creating psychic energy through its instinctive needs. The id, the most primitive part of the personality, is unaware of the outside world, often aggressive, and knows no reason or logic. See also [Anima], [Animus]. Ignis - In the American version of Xenogears, the main continent is written Ignas, although the Japanese is Ignis. The only clue as to the proper one may be that ignis is Latin for ‘fire,’ which may imply the fire of war that consumes the continent, Lahan in particular. Jugend - The name of the atrocious Solaris’ elite military academy has an eerie connection to Nazi Germany. While ‘jugend’ itself simply means ‘youth,’ Hitler’s Jugend program worked in a similarly-evil manner to the Solarians in instilling his principles in the young men and boys of Germany in the World War II era. Karen - The name of Fei’s mother is undoubtedly a reference to Karen Horney, a German psychoanalist who based her work on that of Sigmund Freud. Khan - The name of Fei’s indomitable father is likely a reference to the great thirteenth-century warrior Genghis Khan, whose miliary genius and master fighting skills enabled him to unite all of the nomadic tribes of Mongolia. Kim - Numerous Kims exist throughout Asian history, so it’s difficult to determine if any in particular was being referred to by Kim of Zeboiim, Emeralda’s father. The best match seems to be Kim Hong-do, a Korean of the 1800’s best-known for his art, original at the time in that it often depicted the common man. Lacan - Fei’s fourth incarnation was appropriately named - Jacques Lacan was a famous twentieth century psychoanalyst who helped introduce and interpret Sigmund Freud’s works in France. Malekh - The Malekh Project (misspelled as Malakh) that would result in Merkava and the Seraphs gets its name from the Hebrew ‘malekh,’ or ‘king.’ Marut - See [Harut and Marut]. Medena - Elly’s mother’s name, better romanized as Medina, is similar to that of one of the two most sacred cities of the Islamic faith, the other being Mecca. Melchior - Taura Melchior, also one of Shevat’s three wisemen, gets his name from the Biblical Melchior, one of the three Magi from the east. Merkava - Xenogears’ Merkava is a perfect parallel to the Biblical Merkava (also written as Merkabah). Literally meaning ‘throne’ in Hebrew, Merkava was the chariot or throne of God. It became one of the subjects of Jewish Mysticism, where the visionary went through hostile angels’ ‘heavenly spheres,’ trying to reach the chariot of Merkava and its throne. Metatron - One of the four Deus Pillars gets its name from the archangel of Jewish texts, the greatest of all the angels, closest to God and standing by his throne. See also [Harut and Marut], [Sandalphon]. Miang - Miang Hawwaa, as Xenogears Perfect Works reveals is her full name, is something of a mystery. Though written in Japanese Katakana as Myan, the name of the female element that branched off of Deus (who Fei met in many lives as Elly) has one very important element to it. Whenever it is written in English in the book, Myan is instead written as Myyah. On more than one occaision, Elehayym (the correct spelling of Elhaym) is written backwards, spelling ‘myyahelE.’ This seems to symbolize that ‘Myyah’ is part of Elly’s basic being. Nikola - Maria Balthasar’s father (translated as Nikolai) may have been named for Nikola Tesla, a brilliant Serbian-American enginieer and scientist, born in 1856. Nisan - See [Cities]. Noah - Krelian’s Noah Project, wherein he planned to build the Ark of God, Merkava, parallels the events of the Torah, where God warns the righteous Noah of his plans to flood the world to purge it of the evils of man. Noah and his family, along with two of every animal, escape destruction by building a massive Ark to sail in. Noatun - Kislev’s capital, erroneously translated as Nortune, is another area named for Norse mythology. Noatun was the home of the god Njord, which was, just like in Xenogears, by the sea. Ophiomorphus - The name of Miang’s reptilian Gear (abbreviated as Opiomorph) stems from the Greek Titan Ophion, whose name became used with references to families of lizards because it literally meant ‘serpant.’ The ophiomorphus is a family of skink that lives in desert areas. Path of Sephirot - The process wherein the Wave Existence descends from the point of contact made by Zohar is appropriately titled. Sephira (or sefira, plural sefirot, sephirot, or sephiroth) literally means ‘number’ in Hebrew, and refers to one of the ten emanations of God, very important concepts in Jewish mysicisim. Each is an aspect of God, their path leading to the understanding of God himself. Persona - In the psychology of C.G. Jung, the persona is an exterior image of self that one projects towards others, acting as a bridge between one’s true self and the demands of a society. Likewise, Xenogears’ persona refers to the integral life support of the planet, which generates organic material, as if a bridge between potential and substance. Primera - Billy’s sister’s name simply means ‘first’ in Spanish. Ramsus - Kahran Ramsus’ true name (given by Krelian) is – 0808191 Ramses- . Xenogears’ tortured soul is akin to the Pharaoh Ramses from whom Moses and the Hebrews fled (in the event known as Exodus), whose people and kingdom were ruined by the will of God. Racquel - Billy’s mother’s name is probably an alternate spelling of Rachel, the second wife of the Biblical patriarch Jacob. Raziel’s Tree - This supercomputer containing God’s wisdom most certainly coincides with the the Biblical angel, who wrote a book which was alleged to contain ‘all celestial and Earthly knowledge.’ In additon, the image of Raziel’s Tree also seems to resemble the Tree of Knowledge. When its fruits were eaten by Adam and Eve, they gained the wisdom of the world that makes people uniquely human, but as punishment, they were expelled from Eden (God’s paradise). Samson - The rebel in Solaris who briefly befriends Fei gets his name from the Biblical Samson, an Isrealite whose Herculean strength stemmed from his hair (which also explains the function of the Samson’s Hair item). Sargasso - The sea of strong currents that Fei swims through to access one of the Solaris Gates is named after the real-life Sargasso Sea in the lower Atlantic Ocean. Siebzehn - Maria’s Model-17 Gear gets its name from the German word for ‘seventeen.’ Seraphs - The powerful spirits that emanate from Deus are named for the seraphs, angels guarding God’s throne, often with two or three pairs of wings. In Japan, however, they were called Aion, a complex god of the Mithras cult. Aion looks like a winged man with a lion’s head, and creates and destroys all things. He also possesses the keys to the past and future. He is also said to have represented the union of male and female, a major theme of Xenogears. Shevat - See [Cities]. Sigmund - The name of the Kislev Emperor is likely an allusion to Sigmund Freud, the famous psychoanalyst from whose ideas many of the themes of Fei’s subconscious arise. Sigurd - More commonly written as Siegfried, Sigurd was a great Norse mythological hero, often said to have slain dragons. Solaris - The name of the oppressive empire of the skies is from the Latin solaris, which means ‘of the sun.’ In short, ‘the sun,’ ‘the light.’ Sophia - History and religion are filled with strong women named Sophia (meaning ‘wisdom’), but the self-sacrificing Sophia of Xenogears is most likely named from the Christian Saint Sophia, who stood against the oppressive Roman Emperor Hadrian. Stier - The name of Rico’s massive Gear is German for ‘bull.’ Sandalphon - Mistranslated as Sundel, Archangel Sandalphon (whose name means ‘brother’) was the brother of Archangel Metatron, and often said to have been an angel of music. See also [Harut and Marut], [Metatron]. Terrane - The rocky, frozen continent to the far north is appropriately named: terrane is an area where similar types of rocks can be found in groups. Thames - Men of the Sea thrive on this city on the water in Xenogears, clearly a reference to the mighty Thames River of England. Uroboros - Miswritten as Urobolus, the Uroboros is a complex symbol, meaning a ‘tail-eating serpant’ in Latin. The image of a snake which eats its own tail has been interpreted frequently by Jungian psychologists and others, often seen to mean a creature that gives birth to itself, then ends in devouring itself again. It has been called a paradox, creating itself without God, as if existing outside of normal being. It’s appropriately used in Xenogears, as Krelian uses it as the key to his experiments involved with the false ‘god,’ Deus, and also in that Fei battles it to prove the strength of humanity, indicating that the Uroboros was something beyond traditional ‘life.’ Vierge - The name of Elly’s Gear is ‘virgin’ in French, implying a heavenliness like the Virgin Mary of Christianity (despite the fact that after Disc 2, Elly is longer one…). Wels - The monstrous, tortured beings of Xenogears are difficult to research. It is known that a Wels is a type of large, ferocious catfish. The Japanese, consisting of the syllables we-ru-su, may indicate that something like ‘weres,’ as in werewolf, was implied. Weltall - Fei’s heavenly Gear takes its name from the German word for ‘the universe.’ Wyvern - The name of Ramsus’ Gear is that of a two-legged dragon of classical mythology, which often represented plague or evil omens. Xenogears - The prefix ‘xeno’ means ‘strange’ or ‘foreign,’ implying the otherworldliness of Fei’s final Gear. Yabeh - The name of the ‘interplanetary invasion system’ of Deus may be a reference to Yahweh, the Hebrew God. As the Japanese distinction between ‘b’ and ‘v’ (‘w’) is very slight, this may be a possible explanation. Yggdrasil - Bart’s colossal sandcruiser is named for the Yggdrasil of Norse mythology, the World Tree whose roots and branches reached all ‘layers’ of the world, from the underworld to the realm of the humans and giants to the domain of the gods. Forms of the Yggrasil in Xenogears, from submarine to sandcruiser to airship, also reach many parts of the world - land, sky, and sea. Zeboiim - The ancient Zeboiim civilization of Xenogears is an astounding parallel to the biblical city of the same name, which, along with Sodom, was among the most infamous and depraved cities. One of the five biblical ‘cities of the plain,’ Zeboiim was said to have been destroyed by God for its wickedness, and the real-life city was destroyed in the twentieth century B.C, possibly by an earthquake. Though once a fertile area at the brink of the Dead Sea, Zeboiim was rendered a barren place by this disaster. Xenogears’ Zeboiim, a society where pollution and corruption ran rampant and eventually destroyed everything, is well-named. Zephyr - Shevat’s queen is named for the Greek god of the west wind. Zohar - The power core of Deus and the cause of life, Zohar is brilliantly named. The Sefer ha-Zohar (‘Book of Splendor’) was a key work in the field of Jewish mysticism in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. The Zohar, among other things, deals with the mystical and esoteric elements of the Jewish faith, often discussing the meaning of creation and the 10 Sephiroth. See also [Path of Sephirot]. Author’s Note: Since the introduction of this guide, countless helpful readers have submitted additional references and many corrections. Many thanks to all - rest assured that the next edition will finally include all great new information. It may take some time for the definitive edition to come out, as I’ll be studying abroad for a stint, but I’ll keep reading every single letter I get. One person I can thank now is Lara Skold, whose meticulous comments and revision suggestions made it possible to revise a lot of things right away. For information-hunters, the list of ‘Mysteries’ has shrunk (new discoveries to follow in next edition), but there’s still Aquvy, Dazil, Etrenank, Gaetia Key, Gebler, Kifainzel (Gebler sandcruiser), Lahan, Renmazuo, Strakkii, and Sufal to be researched. Thanks for reading. -Biliography- Encyclopedia Britannia CD. 1999. Jung, C.G. Collected Works Volume 18: The Symbolic Life. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1976. Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition. Sprinfield: Merriam-Webster Incorporated, 1995. Willis, Roy. World Mythology. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1993. Xenogears Perfect Works. Japan: Digicube, 1999. Xenogears and all related names and likenesses are property of Square Co., Ltd. This work is copyrighted 2000-2001 by the author, and shall be redistributed only if it remains entirely unaltered, with full credit is given to the author.