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Post by Se'aref-'Apop-er-bau-neru on Jan 4, 2014 15:30:40 GMT
By now everybody has probably noticed that I'm using actual Egyptian names and words in my posts as C'tis. C'tis has a heavily Egyptian undertone - what with them having the line of Neter pretenders and a few truly Egyptian monsters such as the phoenix and Ammut - yet normally uses a naming scheme based on Assyrian or Babylonian. Because of this I've been renaming all my commanders to proper Egyptian names, and like most names in Egyptian, they all carry a meaning. With the C'tissian reptilian theme, I've been using a lot of references to serpents and crocodiles, and selecting gods to do with death and the underworld. So far only a few names of deities have showed up, but I'm intending to expand the vocabulary used in my posts. Aside from names I've also put in several lines of text, which more or less confirm with late Egyptian spelling and grammar. I've taken a few liberties with spellings and sentence construction to better fit what I wanted, or if I couldn't find a word that I needed. For those who have never seen me rant about the language in the chatroom, Egyptian is an Afro-Semitic language, so the structure has some vague connections to other languages like Arabic and Ethiopian. Egyptian was used for a very long time - we have written material dating back to about 3000 BC, and the last recrded use is just before the Arab conquest of Egypt in the 7th century AD. As such, changes have happened to the language over time, yet less than one might expect. The oldest forms, Classical Egyptian, are in use in the Old Kingdom, the age of the pyramids. in the Middle Kingdom a standardised form is created, which we know as Middle Egyptian. This set of spelling and grammar is the one used most, and remains the standard for inscriptions, especially in temples. In the later New Kingdom the disparity between the spoken language, which of course changed over time, and the written language, which hasn't, leads to the introduction of a new set of spellings and grammar which we term Late Egyptian. It's this version that I've been using to make sentences, since it's rather easier in use than Middle Egyptian, especially verb-wise. When the Greek influence in Egypt grows, a final form rises, spelled with mostly Greek letters, but using a slightly adapted form of the Late Egyptian grammar: Coptic. This form is in use in the Coptic church to this day. Interestingly, the use of Greek letters means that finally we can see the vowels used, as the older forms don't actually write a lot of vowels. There are a few signs we read as vowels, but they are likely similar to Arabic semivowels, in that they indicate a lengthening of a preceding unwritten vowel (a, y, or u/w). In Coptic we suddenly see the use of vowels that cannot be predicted from the hieroglyphic spelling of a word. This leaves me with some freedom to choose vowels as I see fit, as long as it's consistent. I've been using this freedom to work around the province names, for example, which often have vowels in them I can't directly confirm in Egyptian terms. Below, I've separated the words and lines used as follows: Names
Titles
Provinces and place names
Text
Each of these has a list of the relevant names I've used in my posts, with a short explanation of their meaning. Enjoy! |
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Post by Se'aref-'Apop-er-bau-neru on Jan 4, 2014 15:31:06 GMT
Names
The names I've used are based on existing deities and name patterns within Egyptian. There's a clear preference for theophoric names - names which invoke a god - to give a person the blessing of a deity for protection or success. Most of the generic commanders I've named on Late Egyptian name patterns. The king is named a bit more freely, as royal names tend to be a little archaic; the names I'll use for the high-ranking priests and ancestors are directly taken from serpent names from stories and myths. The standard Egyptian way of identifying a person is by naming them, and their father and/or mother, depending on the gender of the person and how elaborate they're prepared to be.
The pretender
Se'aref-'Apop-er-bau-neru
sar (to cause to rise) =f (suffix 3rd person singular) app (Apophis) r (to, onto, towards) bA.w (power, authority, awe, might, but also rage or courage) nrw (terrible, frightful)
This is probably the longest name I'll be using in the game. It can actually be read in several ways, thanks to the ambiguity of middle egyptian verb forms, but I intend the verb that starts the name to be read as "He causes to rise" or "May he cause to rise". Either works well. Apophis or Apep is the demonic serpent that lives in the underworld: according to the mythology, Ra on his bark sails through the sky by day and goes into the underworld by night, so that he can emerge on the other side again in the morning. During his travels, he is beset by the terrible snake Apep, who tries to eat the sun, which would cause eternity to end and chaos to rule. The bark is protected by the gods Horus and Set, who slay the serpent every night. Set is later replaced by a second Horus because of politics, as Set was the national deity of the vanquished early kingdom of northern Egypt, and Horus the national deity of the victorious southern Egyptian faction that unified the country.
The verb sar is usually said of rising up a slope or onto a throne, but that's boring, so I susbstituted bA.w, which is a rather multifunctional word with a great number of meanings depending on the context and the determinative used. In this case, it means something along the lines of power or might, but with an implied sense of overwhelming awe and authority. Because I thought just bA.w was a bit bland and not 100% definitive of the kind of power, I added nrw, which means frightful or fear-inducing - terrible power that cowes those who stand before it.
The king
Mezehh-imy-iteru, son of 'Apop-em-hat, son of Tef-shutehh-imy-djuf
- mzH (crocodile) im.y (who is within) itrw (river) "the crocodile who is within the river": crocodiles, alongside hippos and lions, are one of the most dangerous animals in Egypt, so naming my conquering king after one in its natural habitat seemed like a fine choice.
- app (Apophis) m (in, at) HA.t (front) "Apophis/Apop/Apep is foremost": a theophoric name, based on the format of Amenemhat (Amon is foremost) but using Apophis.
- di (to give, to place, to cause) =f (suffix 3 sg) StH (Set) im.y (who is within) Dw (mountain) =f (suffix 3 sg) "Set who is in his mountain gave him": another theophoric name of a more standard late pattern. The name invokes a deity, who is said to be the one who caused the child to be born. Set, as god of chaos and warfare, fits in well next to Apophis; "who is in his mountain" is one of his epithets. Sometimes specific version of gods can be entities onto themselves, and Set-in-his-mountain may be revered as a separate entity from Set.
The high priest and his following (will be moved to commanders when they appear)
Most of these names are from a long, long list of serpents from stories, myths, cults, and protective imagery.
Wenti - wn(y).ty "The conqueror", an epithet most often used for Apep, also wnty, a serpent of Apep.
Djesertep - Dsr.t-tp "She with upraised head", a snake.
Wenunut - wnwnw.t "She who moves to and fro", a serpent.
Mehen - mHn "The encircler", a serpent, and also the name of a board game called Serpent.
Wamemty - wAmm.ty - A serpent of Apep.
Nehhbitka - nHb.it-kA "Lotus of the ka/soul", a feminine protective serpent that guarded the queen.
Itenu - itnw - A divine serpent
Webinuf - wr-bin.w=f "He whose badness is great", a serpent from the Nile Delta.
'Aned - and - A sacred serpent.
Bia - biA - The saced serpent of Elephantine.
Qebhut - qbH.wt "She who pours water", a divine serpent.
Emwehnef - im.y-whm=f "He who is in his burning", a serpent.
Asbet - Asb.t - A serpent goddess.
Ikher - ixr - A serpent-headed god.
Imne - imn - A serpent demon or deity.
'Ankhit - anxi.t - A sacred serpent.
Heqer - HQr - A serpent goddess.
'Achenirt - axn-ir.t "Shut-eyed", a serpent in the underworld.
Udjedj - wADD - A beneficient serpent.
Henbaa - HnbAA - A divine serpent.
Ikhtute - ix.t-wt.t - A divine serpent.
Utet - wt.t "Oldest one", a serpent goddess.
Nebses - nb-ss - A sacred serpent from Sebennytos (modern Samannud) in the central Delta.
Neserher - nsr-Hr "Burning of face", a serpent from the underworld.
Hiu - hi.w - A hostile serpent, but also an ass or gazelle.
Akeriu - Akr.yw serpents as earth gods, which I used here to indicate the whole of the magic-possessing C'tissians.
The 'Ashau - aSA.w "lizards", plural of aSA. The plural form can also mean "many", and that they are: the many lizardfolk that make up the C'tissian people. Unlike Akeriu, this term also includes the non-magical populace of the land.
Commanders in order of appearance
Tefset, son of Petusir - di=f-StH "Set gives him", similar to the king's grandfather. pA-di-wsir "The one Osiris gives"; similar to the di=f-[NN] pattern, here with Osiris, god-king of the underworld.
Khausunhemhemty - xAa=w-sw-n-hmhm.ty "They place him before the roaring one", another common theophoric name pattern. Hemhemty is an epithet commonly used for Set and Apep, and other evil creatures.
Pesherinep, son of Peteanket - pA-Sr-inpw "The child of Anubis", Anubis being the god of embalming and mummifying. Rather than a god of death, Anubis is the god of funerary activities and the necropolis. pA-di-anq.t "The one Anukis gives", Anukis being a serpentine goddess.
Tesnakhtenanket, daughter of Tanitanket - di=s-nxt-n-anq.t "She gives victory to Anukis", here using the 3rd pronoun feminine =s rather than =f, the masculine, because the lizard commander is not marked for gender, so I inserted a female commander for the hell of it. There's a habit to provide a matronym rather than a patronym for women, hence the second name is also a woman's name: tA-n.i.t-anq.t "She of Anukis" is a common theophoric pattern for women's names, the male variant of which is n.i-sw-[NN].
Setemhat, son of Iaertes - StH-m-HA.t "Set is foremost", similar to the king's father. iAH-i.ir-di-sw "It is the moon who has given him", where the moon is used as a god itself, or as a form of Toth.
Patjau - pA-Taw "The one of the wind/breath" can be a short form of a longer theophoric name, including the deity to whom the breath belongs.
Useremhat, son of Pasyf - wsir-m-HA.t "Osiris is foremost". pA-syf "The child"
Tinetwertihekau, daughter of Shemty - ti-n.t-wr.ty-HkA.w "She of the two-great-of-magic" refers to a pair of uraeus (upraised golden cobras set on the brow) goddesses. The godesses' joint name is written with two upraised cobras. Her mother is Smty, a rather uncommonly attested goddess from the central Egyptian region and the Fayum. Smithis in Greek.
Khausunre, son of Perefemshemsukhons - xAa=w-sw-n-ra "They place him before Ra", using the same pattern as above but using Re as the deity. pr=f-m-Sms.w-xnsw "He who goes forth in the following of Chonsu" does not follow a particular pattern. This is a mash of my own. One who goes in a following is basically one within a retinue, a procession, or an expedition group: some group following a leader. The deity involved is Chonsu, who is a moon god, son of Amon and Mut.
Irthoreru, daughter of Tinetimhotep - ir.t-Hr-r.r=w "The eye of Horus is upon them". While Horus is a prissy in my version of myths, he still has the Eye, which is a symbol of health, protection, and completeness, and is associated with the colour green because the word for health, wadj, also means green. ti-n.t-ii-m-Htp "She of Imhotep" where Imhotep on its own means "he who comes in peace". Both Imhotep and this name are fairly common names.
Djehutymes, son of Patjenef - DHw.ty-ms-sw "Thoth caused him to be born", on the pattern of Ramessu. pA-Tnf "The dancer".
Wekhemonkhs
These are the sauroliches, the revived kings of lore, the ones who came before.
'Apop-em-hat, son of Tef-shutehh-imy-djuf - see the king's name above. Father of Mezzeh-imy-iteru, king, general, and prophet.
Tef-shutehh-imy-djuf, son of Shutehh-mes-su - first name, see above. StH-ms-sw "Set caused him to be born". Grandfather of the king.
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Post by Se'aref-'Apop-er-bau-neru on Jan 4, 2014 15:31:16 GMT
Titles
I will only explain the titles that aren't rendered in English here. If someone wishes me to add the English-rendered titles too, drop me a message and I'll see about adding those to the list with an explanation.
The pretender's titles
Wekhemonkh - wxm-anx, "One who repeats life": a lich, one who is resurrected. Moreso, the pretender is the wekhemonkh, but there will be more as the game progresses.
Achem - axm - A crocodilian demon.
Ra-heza - r-HzA "Mouth of terror", a term used for crocodiles.
Nib'ashau - nb-aSA.w "Lord of 'Ashau", in contracted form. Lord of lizards, lord of many.
Adu of Tamere - adw n.i tA-mry "Furious one of Tamere", with furious one being another term for crocodiles.
Septeh-khentyuf - sptx-xnt.yw=f "Who makes his enemies writhe on the ground", a serpent-themed title in the 'defeater of the enemy'-theme.
Deities' titles
Hemhemty - hmhm.ty "Roaring one", or a kind of serpent identified with Apep. Th epithet is most often used for Apep, but also by Set.
Whose voice is Isfet - isf.t "chaos", or disorder, lack of Ma'at "order, propriety". A rather difficult concept, since Ma'at also encompasses a certain sense of cyclicity, and isfet is basically absence of all that. In traditional Egyptian ideology, Ma'at is what is good and what the gods protect, and what the king ought to protect. Isfet is a horrid thing, and is subsequently also very rarely named, since words have power. In the version I'm using, however, the lack of cyclicity is seen as good, because it means (for my C'tissians) that one can break free of the circle of life and death, and progress beyond it.
Other titles
Choachite - a choachite is someone who pours water and does offering rituals at the tomb chapel of the deceased within the necropolis. They were usually paid handsomely for preforming these services on a regular basis, and it was a very common profession in Late Kingdom Thebes, as we know from the many documents they left behind. The word itself is a Greek version of the Egyptian wAH-mw, "one who pours water".
The vizier - the vizier was the second most powerful person in Egypt, and was ranked directly under the king. He was sort of a prime minister, who was directly involved with the grittier work of the government.
Lector priest - a lector priest is the priest who reads from the sacred scrolls at ritual proceedings. They keep the books in order, and make sure things happen as they should. They also read liturgies for the dead.
Imerzau - imy-ra-zAw "Overseer of guards", my best translation for bailiff.
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Post by Se'aref-'Apop-er-bau-neru on Jan 4, 2014 15:31:32 GMT
Provinces and place names
Here I will list every province and location named in the post. The provinces will be given alongside their in-game name, so they can be traced. I will give the names as they appear in the text after their initial introduction. The province names are made by either translating names where possible, or by fitting Egyptian words to the existing sounds. Noteworthy here is that in Egyptian, there was originally no 'L' sound, so instead they used either the r or n-r, such as the word r-bnr "outside", which is written ebal in Coptic. I've taken the liberty of replacing any l's encountered in province names with r's.
note: if I have time and feel like doing it, I will make a map with all of the names used here overlaid on it.
Places other than provinces
Tamere - tA-mry "The beloved land", one of the names used by Egyptians to name their land. Other names include the valley, the black land, the two lands (which is not used here).
C'tis - qd.ti=s - referred to by Apep as qetiss, possibly actually based on Qadesh. Rather, I changed it to the spelling shown at the beginning, which would mean "One who sculpts it", referring to the land or the City, depending on whatever I want it to be, since both are feminine anyway.
The City - niw.t - This is how people referred to Thebes as the south-Egyptian capital: it is The City, and everybody knows exactly what you're talking about.
Duat - dwA.t - The netherworld, the underworld, the land of the dead, where Osiris is king and Apep resides alongside many other demons.
Padjtamere - pA-aD-tA-mry "The Edge of Tamere"
Heby-itjetj Imenty - hby-iTT imn.ty "Western Ascending Ibis", the left river branch.
Heby-itjetj Iabety - hby-iTT iAb.ty "Eastern Ascending Ibis", the right river branch.
Tjetefti A'at - Ttf.ty aA.t "The great overflow", the sea-like river that flows across the map. It's called this because it flows off the map into the void.
Aganet - agA-nt - the canal between Tjerendjes and Fagyqe is named after a canal in the delta.
Domains
Domains are larger areas of land that subdivide it into general zones. The domains are listed for every conquered province. The City does not count as part of a domain, as it is one unto itself.
Na-ashu-ni-Sakhmet-nekhet - nA aS.w n.i sxm.t nxt.t "The fir trees of Sakhmet the victorious", named after the wooded area within it. This domain encompasses Mennunahet, Chenmenduat, and Andreyat.
Shutehh-imy-djuf - StH im.y Dw=f "Set on his mountain" is actually a particular form of Set, which the dry hilly domain is named after. It encompassed Shembarirek, Faynirekhya'a, and Djudennet.
Pa-ihu-ni-heby-a'a - pA iHw n.i hby aA "The stable of the great ibis". The domain is named after the river Heby-itjetj, which springs in the general area. It encompasses Iusrean, Raqden, and Iskuenet.
Hor-kes-kher-neter-a'a - Hr ks xr nTr aA "Horus who bows down before the great god". In my version of mythology, Horus is the useless son of Isis and Osiris, who comes running to his mother with even the slightest hint of trouble, and then goes out to mess with mortals by telling them his whiny tale of how he should be king of the gods. He is terrified of Set, the form of the great god on the mortal plane, and will press his face to the ground to escape Set's annoyance with him. This domain encompasses Renuredhor, Iaqistenemherkhentyuf, and Khamryon.
Nebten-merut-qedut-em-ta - nb.t=n mr.wt qd.wt m tA "Our lady of love, who is shaped in the land". Referencing the statue on the map. The area is dedicated to Isis or Nephtys, I haven't decided yet. It encompasses Waqru, Tjerendjes, and the shores of Mubinarqheh and [second water province].
Pa-'a-ni-Rennenutet - pA-a-n.i-rnn-wt.t "The arm of Renenutet" is a lost domain which was south of the City before the sundering of the land, and has since been lost to the void of Nun. This resulted in the drying out of the lands that remained south of the Djewunadj. The river that had a far larger spring in this area dried out, and the Hebytjetj now only runs to the north.
Henbet-Sobek-neb-pa-iu - Hnb.t-Sbk-nb-pA-iw "The garden of Soknopaiou". Soknopaiou is the Greek name of Sobek-lord-of-the-isle, a particular form of Sobek (the mummiform crocodile god) honoured in the Faiyum area. Sobek is associated and equated with Osiris, sharing the aspect of mummification and fertility. This domain encompasses Shenuygenberk, Awzemaro, and Tashiabty.
Aw-ib-Sobek-em-heb - Aw-ib-Sbk-m-Hb "Wide is the heart of Sobek in festival". Being wide of heart is an expression for being happy or joyfuland of course a god would be joyful for being in a festival dedicated to them. This domain encompasses Iperesyqya'a, Qorbyon, and Rerya'a, the lands along the Hebytjetj A'a along which the bark of Soknopaiou travels down the river to the lake for sacred rites, and back to the temple in Iperesyqya'a.
Ifed-ni-henbet-bity - ifd-n.i-Hnb.t-bi.ty "The square of the garden of the beekeeper" is the roughly rectangular area comprised of Teryder, Kheprya'a, Khoposhpeshenta, and Paramy.
Ta-mesketyt-em-pryt - tA-msk.tyt-m-pri.t "The evening bark in going forth" is named for the ritual procession of the sun bark, which is set in the water at the isles of Ditfen and follows the bank of the river intul it lands in the south of Fagyqe at the mouth of the Aganet canal. There, small reed boats are set adrift to roll off the edge of the world. Originally, the boat would have proceeded much further downriver, but since the cataclysm this is no longer possible. The ritual is celebrated in a festival in early summer, and symbolises the descent of the sun into the underworld, where Shutehh coils around it to shield it from the demons and unfulfilled dead. The domain consists of Faqyqe, Ditfen, Pmutjawymymu, and Muwerronedj.
Pedsut-medjet-mu-qat-udjebu - pdsw.t-mD.t-mw-qA.t-wDb.w "The shore deep of water and high of banks" is named after a water in the underworld in the Amduat, a text describing the passage into the underworld by the souls of the dead. Pedsut is a word actually used for the shore of the Nile delta region with the Mediterranean. I thought it an appropriate name. It comprises of Irepnifay, Shenuyusokht, Henneter, and Mumedj. Beyond its waters lies the abyss before the divine isle.
Sites
(The City of Tombs) Chery-neter - Xr.yt-nTr "What is below the god" is an old term used for the necropolis.
(The Empoisoners' Guild) - I got nothing here. I can't find a word for poison.
(The Throne of Summer) Neset-shemu - ns.t-Smw "The throne of summer".
(The Throne of Bones) Neset-qesyu - ns.t-qs.yw "The throne of bones".
Provinces in order of appearance
(Isurian) Iusrean - iw=s-r-an "It shall be beautiful". A fertile province between two river arms. What else would it be to desert-dwelling reptiles with great hopes for the future?
(Faldenburgh) Mennunahet - mnw-n.i-AH.wt "Fortress of fields". Faldenburgh is a more-or-less Germanic compound word, felden "fields" + burg/burough, so I simply translated as best I could. There is no actual fortress or fortification here.
(Shamballac) Shembarirek - Sm-bAw-rrk "Heat of the hill of Rirek" is a little wawkward as a name, but I did manage a reference to yet another serpent, Rirek, who is notedly hostile, which fits well for a wasteland/mountain border province at the edge of the world.
(Rim Mountains) Djudennet - Dw-dnn.t "Mountain of the Skull", for the obvious reason that there's a skull mountain on the map
which is also called Djewunadj - Dw.w-n.i-aD "Mountains of the Edge", a literal translation.
(Andoria) Andreyat - and-r-iA.t "Aned upon the hill"
(Lliledhor) Renyredhor - rny-rD-Hr "The roped calf of Horus"
(Spire Woods) Shenuy-tep - Snwy-tp "Forest of the peak", which is as literal as I can get. With Egypt's climate, they don't really have forests, so the closest thing is a shenuy or shenwy, a tree garden.
also named Chenmenduat - xnm.t-n.i-dwA.t "Well of Duat", given that there's a well that goes to the underground provinces.
(Ragdan) Raqden - rq.w-dn "The enmity is cut off"
(Escuania) Iskuenet - iz-kwn.t "Palace of the fig tree", where the word is can also mean a tomb, but here I intend it to be palace.
(Fanligia) Faynirekhya'a - fAy-n.i-rkH.y-aA "Carrier of the great fiery one". This one was tricky because it also needed to be somewhat appropriate for a Throne of Ascension. As the 'Ashau go out with the idea that the world is theirs, and the thrones are the seat of their god, this worked out surprisingly well for me. Apep is associated with fire and burning, and several of his subordinate serpents are also named "one in his burning" and "fiery of face", so great fiery one is perfect.
(Ipriscia) Iperesyqya'a - ip.t-rsy.t-qy-a'a "The southern inner room, great of form". I translated ip.t as domain in the relevant post, as ip.t-rsy.t is the Egyptian term for the Luxor Temple, the temple of Mut which is south of the great temple of Karnak dedicated to Amon. ip.t can also mean inner chamber, women's quarters, and is sometimes rendered as harem room, but the latter has been proven inaccurate. It's some sort of room or compound with restricted access, and also works for the sanctuary of a temple. It fits well with the province, which has a large structure with a town around it on the map.
(Iaciste) Iaqistnemherkhentyuf - iAq-istn-m-Hr-xnt.yw=f "Iaq who spits in the face of his foes". Iaq is yet another serpent.
also named Iaqisten - iAq-istn "Iaq who spits", simply abbreviated from the above.
(Wyc) Waiqru - wA.t-iqr.w "The road of the excellent ones". The excellent ones or iqeru are the spirits of the blessed dead. This province is named as such as it is a sort of natural passageway between mountainous Djewunqemry and forested Tjerendjes, leading into the Tjetefti A'a, the great flow that washes off the chunk of earth that is left of Tamere and into the endless void.
(Cimri) Djewunqemry - Dw.w-n.iw-qmry "The mountains of Qemry", where Qemry means... nothing. It's a name. Get over it.
(Knightmarsh) Khamryon - xA.t-mryn "The marsh of the knight". While the word for marsh is one of many Egyptian words for the term, mryn, here rendered mryon because I like it that way, is actually a Semitic loanword. The Egyptians have a word for horseman, but not specifically a knight.
(The Embracer) Mubinarqheh - mw-bin-arq-HH "The cataract which embraces eternity". Mubin is a word for a cataract, possibly derived from mu-bin, "bad water". At cataracts the water of the Nile flows across a layer of rock it cant erode, which causes low waterfalls, rapids, and unpassable stretches of river. It seemed appropriate for a place where the greatest body of water flows over the edge of the rock of the world. Heh actually also means "millions", and I'm using it in the sense of millions of starts looming in the void.
(Fogyc) Fagiqe - fAg-iqr "Claw of Iqer" where Iqer is a crocodile god of Dendera.
(Troll Woods) Shenuygenberk - Sn.wy-gnw-brk "Forest of the blessed golden oriole". The golden oriole is a yellow songbird with black wings. the word berk is a Semitic loanword, it can mean to bow or kneel on homage, or to bless. Since there's no actual troll in the woods, and there's no word for such a thing, I simply ignored it and put something else in.
(Tiny Willow) Tjerendjes - Tr.t-nDs "Small willow". Exactly as described.
also called Nebtenmeruqeduemta - nb.t=n-mr.wt-qd.wt-m-tA "Our lady of love, formed of the land". Named after the statue of a goddess holding up a heart. the word merut can mean love, desire, or wish. Qedut literally means shaped, formed, or built, it's a very physical word, since there's also a physical statue involved.
(Azimar) Awzemaro - Aw-zmA-ra "The width which unites the mouth (of the river)". Zema is the same word also used for the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt, so its use here is not entirely proper, since it's more of an actual 'uniting' rather than a 'being part of the things encompassing' which I use it for here. It is, of course, one of the two shores around the side of the Tjetefti A'at flowing from the central lake.
(Ostmark) Tashiabty - tAS-iAb.ty "The eastern border". Since a mark is a border area, this is a perfect translation.
(Dathen) Ditfen - di-tfn "The one who gives joy", where I cheated di for i.di or di.w depending on which grammar set you want to stick to, but it's a relative, and it does occur in this form occasionally.
(Lake Purple) Sheirtu - S-irt.w "Purple lake" is a literal translation.
(The Lake of God) Henneter - Hn.t-nTr "The waterflow of the god" is also literal. The word henet also refers to a water in heaven, and is used for the boundary of the realm. As such it is an excellent choice for a water boundary beyond which lies the insane dominion of R'lyeh.
(Corbion) Qorbyon - qr-byn "The stormcloud of the phoenix". The word for phoenix is more commonly vocalised benu, but I'm allowed a liberty or two or thousand with this game. The phoenix is a bird symbolising new life, fire, and light, and might be related to the benben, the capstone of a pyramid, which was gilded to reflect sunlight.
(Kepria) Kheprya'a - xprr-aA "The great scarab", more completely xprr-aA-StA, "the great secretive scarab", which is a deity. It should properly be Kheprer, probably, but I can do some cryptic writing: since have two r's, and the ending in y can indicate a dual, xprr and xpry are kind of the same. Right?
(Tyradir) Teryder - try-dr "The unclean is repelled", or "Repel the unclean", if the word order is taken more literally. This would be an apotropaic name, warding off uncleanliness and thus bad things.
(Laria) Rerya'a - rry.t-aA.t "The great hippopotamess". Which is my best one-word render of a female hippopotamus. While the word can also mean hog, this is a more appropriate reading for a rivermouth province.
(Lapintha) Irepnifay - irp-n.i-fAy.t "The vineyard of the carried shrine". A fayet or fayt is a portable shrine (literally a carried thing), which would have an image of the deity, usually a statue of sorts, inside a closed and decorated shrine, shaped like a boat, with poles underneath it. Priests or designated carriers would take the posts on their shoulders and carry the shrine along its route in celebrations, and the movements of the shrine could have prophetic properties. This power was used to decide on legal matters that could not be cleared by a court, as these were usually word-of-mouth conflicts and problems of religious or superstitious nature. On another note, this is the province that gives the finger to R'lyeh and the seat of the god of all by means of three rock pillars, and it is awesome.
(Wailwind Waters) Pmutjawymymu - pA-mw-Ta.w-ymym.w "The water of the wailing winds" is almost literal, except that I have the water singular and the wailing winds as plural.
(Sea of Rond) Muwerronedj - mw-wr-r-nD "The great water of the spell of protecting". As there is no real word for sea in Egyptian, there are several descriptive compound words, such as great water, or wadj-wer, "great green/freshness". Ra or ro can mean anything from mouth to speech to utterance to spell, as these things are very closely connected. Words have power in the Egyptian language. The alphabet was created by Thoth, and is imbued with divine forces. Nedj is a word for protecting or shielding something, and the waters here shield against the empire across from it at a now crucial step in the journey of the night bark which departs from Ditfen.
(Copos) Khoposhpeshenta - xpS-pSn-tA "The khopesh which split the land" refers to this province as the one where the great crack started. It is said that here the blade of the god of all things struck the land, and the land shattered under its force. Here the ground broke open into Duat, and the crevasse shattered the earth around it. Only Tamere as it remains was unscathed, as it was the isle of stability on which the god of all stood as he wielded his blade.
(Palame) Paramy - pA-rmy "The weeping one" is the land where the god of all shed his tears for the destruction of the world at his hand.
(Hall Woods) Shenuyusokht - Snwy-wsx.t "Forest of the wide hall" is the land where the front hall, the wide hall, of the domain of the god of all stood, which was where he descended from the sacred inle unto the surrounding lands at the great shattering.
(Dragon Pointe) Reshiydjenehty - rSy-DnH.ti "Summit of the winged one" is a literal translation. The name isn't translated specifically as winged serpent or reptile, as the 'Ashau see themselves as the base of everything, the standard being, so a dragon is simply a person with wings rather than something truly 'other' to them.
(Moon Sea) Imyah - ym-iaH "Sea of the Moon" uses the worm ym, which is a Semitic loanword. It is the only word which means sea all by itself known. Iah is the moon, which is associated with Thoth.
(Deep Sea) Mumedj - mw-mD "Deep water" is a literal translation.
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Post by Se'aref-'Apop-er-bau-neru on Jan 4, 2014 15:31:50 GMT
Text
Here I'll explain the short sections of untranslated text - the mystery chants if you will - as they occasionally occur. I'll use those mostly for things spoken by deities, chanting, and other miscellaneous stuff.
First post, 'Apop responding to the beseeching
iw=y ir sDm=tn i bAk.w=y "I hear you, o my servants,
im.yw pA tA km - who are in the black land - (synonym with Tamere)
mtw=y sDb pA wHm-anx and I will resurrect the repeater-of-life, (the term I use for liches)
pA Axm pA r-HzA the crocodile, the mouth-of-terror, (a term for a crocodile)
pA nb aSA.w pAy=tn nb the lord of 'Ashau, your lord,
pAy=y bAk pA n.i-sw.t my servant, the king
Hr pAy=f xnD.w di anx upon his throne, given life
wsir Hna StH sptx by Osiris and Set, who makes
pAy=f xr.w r pA tA i.sTzy his enemies writhe upon the ground, who raises
tp=f r psg m Hr xfty.w=f - his head to spit in the face of his enemies - (as a cobra would spit venom)
intf sar=y r bA.w nrw he in one who causes that I rise to terrific power,
nTr aA nb qd.ti=s nb aSA.w great god, lord of C'tis, lord of 'Ashau,
Adw n.i tA-mry - furious one of Tamere - (another word for crocodile)
tw=y sDb=f r sar=y I resurrect him for my raising."
16th post, first stanza of the evening hymn to Se'aref-'Apop-er-bau-neru
iwy sp 2 m Hr=k Sfy Praise twice to your imposing face,
sarf-app-r-bAw-nrw nb qd.ti=s Se'aref-'Apop-er-bau-neru lord of C'tis,
aA SfSfy in nfr.w xn.ty great of awe, giver of splendour, foremost
Hw.t-nbw-wr.t xpr Ds=f nn Hr xw=f of the Great Workplace, created by himself, without there being his equal.
iwy n=k qrH anx pr m nwn nwn.t Praise to you, living ur-snake that proceeds from Nun and Nunet
m ir.w=k n wsir Hr ns.t dwA.t nb iqr.w In his form of Osiris on the throne of Duat, lord of the excellent dead
qmA StH Hna app nTr pAw.tyw Who created Shutehh and 'Apop, god of the primordial ones.
This hymn has been adapted from an existing hymn. The original is dedicated to the serpent goddess Anuket, and was found in Komir.
17th post, second stanza of the evening hymn to Se'aref-'Apop-er-bau-neru
iwy n nTr aA wxm anx Praise to the great god, who repeats life;
iwy n nTr mw.t bX m wHm Praise to the god of death and birth-in-repeating; (my best short at rebirth)
iwy n aA SfSfy in nfr.w Praise to the one great of awe, who brings splendour;
iwy n sar=f-app-r-baw-nrw Praise to the one who raises 'Apop to terrible power.
20th post, the ill omen in Tashiabty
This is a reference to Roman-era Egyptian astrology. Iah, the moon, is in the house Sesher, "the evil demon", the twelfth and last house of Egyptian astrology. This particular house is the one in which the sun rises above the horizon, and because of dust, the sun is dimmed, and so the house is associated with bad effects and dimmed brightness. Most of the horoscope predicitons I know of don't say a lot of good for people born with planets in this house, so it makes for an appropriate bad omen to have a star fall with the moon standing in the twelfth house.
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