Names in The Owl House: Breakdown and Analysis
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- Опубликовано: 2 окт 2024
- Say my name, say my name! Today, we will be exploring the fascinating naming conventions of the Owl House--digging into the literal, narrative and meta-narrative meanings and possible reasons behind the many monikers of this show. We covered as many major and a good chunk of minor characters as possible, but if there is anyone we missed you're dying to hear about please let us know in the comments below!
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Thank you to everyone who joined us for the premiere! We are so humbled by the number of people who came to our very first Idle Screening and a thousand Happy Birthdays to @giraffegirl16. We can't wait to see you all in the next one.
I actually like to think the yellow cardinal owned by Dell is named Biscut and is a she like how Flapjack was a he. Its just something funny.
Also....I JUST realized; Abominations magic is just diet necromancy & golem building. No wonder Darius can change his body into a slime monster without the unpleasant effects that belos/Philip went through.
Fun fact, Dana has equiphobia, or the fear of horses. Given that Dana has religious trauma, it makes sense she would name Philip this.
She's scared of horses? Huh. Makes me wonder if she considered making them the banished demons instead of giraffes.
@@dylansharp8471 Let's be honest, giraffes are wayyy weirder than horses.
When did she ever mention religious trauma. I don't doubt this, but where's the information coming from?
Honestly, a horse hater naming the villain of their story “horse lover” is funny as heck
What is religious trauma?
Surprised you didn't mention the other Blights naming convention. It feeds into a fan theory I have that Odalia named the twins while Alador named Amity.
Odalia means "wealth" and due to her obsession with power and status, named her kids Edric and Emira, meaning "rich and powerful" and "princess" respectively.
Meanwhile Alador, meaning "destiny" ,named Amity, meaning "friendship", signifying he wanted more for her than what the familial affiliation offered.
If true it's quite poetic.
That's neat!
Mainly we had to cut for time. This was originally going to be a bonus video. The original target was ten minutes. I wanted to talk about names SO bad. We had to cut a ton of people from the list. But yeah, those are great observations and quite true! Thanks for your thoughtful comment!
Another thing about the Blights is that their names seem just barely off from a sort of putridness/destruction, which fits well with them running an Abomination company. Amity immediately reminded me of the word calamity, frog show aside, a great disaster. Alador looks a lot like malodor, a very unpleasant smell, fitting for the member of the Blight family working with Abominations the most. Odalia also looks a little bit like odor, but that might be a coincidence. Edric and Emira don’t give me these same vibes, but they also aren’t practicing abomination magic, so it makes sense that they wouldn’t follow the same convention
I love this!
I LOVE THIS IDEA!
I think another thing worth noting with Raine is that, in D&D, there is a specific subclass of the Bard called the college of whispers. The main function of members of this subclass is to use the status of the bard to get into valuable positions and learn important secrets, only to turn and use what they learned to sow chaos and destruction. This perfectly describes Raine’s role among the covenheads, acting like a normal Bard but secretly plotting to stop the Day of Unity.
AWJEFPEJOSJG THAT IS SOMETHING I TOTALLY MISSED AND WHILE I AM SURE IT WAS A COINCIDENCE GIVEN THE LEAD TIMES ON WHEN THESE THINGS CAME OUT THAT IS A HILARIOUS OBSERVATION. LOVE THAT.
Oooh! Awesome!
...like Zoolander? 🤣
Also the word "palisman" itself is very punny because it's a mix of "pal" and "talisman". A talisman is a charm, and pal is an informal word for friend. Palismen are magical charms in a way, but they also often develop close friendly bonds with their owners.
Yeah! And I love the silly portmanteaus and while the localizations for this show didn’t localize the names of individual Palismen Spanish and Japanese both basically created similar portmanteaus. Really adorable stuff.
Combining the witch's staff with a witch's familiar was such a clever move on the show's part. So iconic
In portuguese they translated it to "Pairlisman" 59 times less cool, but still a good translation wich has a good way of wirds
The word "pal" comes from the Romani word "phral," which comes from a Sanskrit word that means "brother." So "pal" means "bro." And the Roma are often associated (usually as a negative stereotype) with talismans.
Dana also coined it due in part to her love for Pokémon!
I always thought Belos sounded a lot like bellows, the device used to stoke flames. Which suits the pseudonym's purpose perfectly, Emperor Belos is a tool used to stoke the flames of destruction for the boiling isles. If you want an ironic/funny meaning, it could also be interpreted as "windbag" which Philip himself certainly is. It also matches with the characters introduction which is back dropped by the titan's heart, a kind of bellows themselves and the eventual final gambit Belos makes.
I also thought it sounded like 'bellicose' meaning 'warlike'
He's stoking the flames to burn all the witches
@@spv4711 😲
I thought it was like boo-los
Camila also made me think of two different flowers - camellia and chamomile.
The latter is more due to me being German and Camila sounding very much like the German word for it. Chamomile is probably not what they were going for, but for what it's worth: it is well known as a beneficial herb, has a calming effect and aids in wound healing.
Camellia are Asian in origin. As flowers they symbolise love, unity and faithfulness. In Europe they were linked to wealth, nobility and beauty. They also took on connotations of rebirth because they flowered in winter as well as death because their blossoms were used in funeral wreaths for the same reason.
You are absolutely right! Great additions!
@idlescree In Europe Camomile also have an association with something easy, simple, but still beautiful. It's also a childish (?) thing to picking up Camomile and giving it to your loved ones, it is also cam means love.
About child like things - our mother of six didn't lose her light of life and love to cosmic nerd stuff 😊
One thing about camellias, they flower in winter. One of the best thing about winters in asia is that you can still find beautiful camellia flowers.
They're also associated with the new year so thereyour connection to transformation.
I also immediately thought of chamomile!
Each time there is a talk about names in The Owl House, I always think about Belos and the old Latin saying "Si vis pacem, para bellum"
What does that mean?
@@coffetrueno9791 "If you want peace prepare for war"
@@dracorim6370 hoooooooo im totally using that for a fanfic
@coffetrueno9791 in which "bellum", as you can guess, is specifically "war"
@@namawa7779bellum has the accusative plural form "bellos" which closely resembles "Belos". In a sentence, bellos would act as the direct object and be plural (wars instead of war).
Another thing about Amity being a Puritan virtue name-it plays into her family’s heavy association with the Emperor’s Coven, given that Belos himself is a Puritan!
Was. Belos ceased to be a Christian before he even took that name. And taking it solidified him as an apostate.
@@AtarahDerek his actions (colonization and attempted genocide) are completely in line with what the actual Puritans historically did. The first Thanksgiving was a celebration of genocide. Belos absolutely still qualified as a Puritan.
@@EclipseDoesArt 1. The Pilgrims weren't Puritans, they were Separatists.
2. The first Thanksgiving was NOT celebrating genocide. Unless you think Squanto somehow magically genocided his own people from England, where he was a slave. Besides, it was HIS tribe that was known for genocide, and he renounced that line of thinking when he saw the blowback it generated. THAT'S why he gifted his people's land to the Pilgrims, who came to America as refugees from persecution.
3. Belos qualified as a Puritan only in the same sense that Oliver Cromwell did. He did NOT qualify as a Christian. Christians don't deify themselves.
@@AtarahDerekidk if you know this but a lot of puritans did/do very bad non biblical stuff
@@somedragonbastard See my above comment.
Just when I thought Raine couldn't be more awesome in this show, you've given me another reason.
I am so gay for Raine there arent even words. They are seriously one of the coolest characters ever and their VA is phenomenal and has also performed one of my favorite audibooks.
@@idlescree I fell for Raine hard. Started with the blush and little stamp of the foot when Eda unmasked them, grew watching them play the violin (BBC Sherlock got me), and then they plucked a single note on that beautiful red fox palisman of theirs, landed like a graceful ballerina, and sneered a 'come and get me if you dare' greeting. I was in love!
@@shadowfoxgirl im so gay for them too omg
I want to talk a bit about the "Golden Guard" title of Hunter, since I find it interesting.
The Golden Guard title isn’t one of Hunter's names, it's something Belos forced him to have. As such, the meaning of the title doesn’t reflect Hunter himself but rather how Belos sees him.
The Golden part of the title refers to the value that Belos places on Hunter as Caleb's succesor. It also tells the type of value Belos has to him. Belos doesn’t value Hunter as a full person but as more of a possession or a luxury, like gold. There's also the idea of a "golden child", a child onto which high expectations are placed, which certainly fits Belos's ridiculous expectation that Hunter be a better version of Caleb- a golden version if you will.
The Guard part is unusual given what we see of Hunter's actions. Even when loyal to Belos, the Golden Guard doesn’t really guard anything. He's more often out on missions. This could perhaps be the point, showing that Hunter acts contradictory to the title given to him early on. It could also refer to the general relationship of a guard serving a master like Hunter serving Belos. Lastly, the guarding could be metaphorical. Hunter's reason to exist in the beginning is to shield Belos against the fear that Caleb may have been right, or that Caleb genuninely chose the Boiling Isles and wasn't "corrupted" by it, by creating a Caleb that is loyal to Belos.
YESS that's the first thing I thought about when I first heard it, and you put it into words! Thank you!
Regarding Eve: the original Hebrew calls her Adam's "rescuer". She was made to rescue Adam from his loneliness. Evelyn could also be seen as rescuing Caleb from the puritanical culture he was unhappy in.
Hawthorn berries are considered medicinal and good for treating digestion problems and inflammation. I was often told to eat hawthorn tanghulu by my Chinese friend's mother when staying in Shanghai. She said it was good to eat after a big meal to help you digest it.
Another thing about Belos is that it kinda resembles the word "bellum". Which means "war" in Latin. And he IS an embodiment of war on a whole kind. I think...
With Belos’ name implying his self-righteousness, it’s also possible that Evelyn is a pun on “a villain,” because she is who ultimately made him decide witches were evil and needed to be exterminated. It creates a sort of ironic naming convention of the true good/evil in this story
Edalyn?
@@Kagomai15 Evelyn is the witch that Caleb eventually “fell in love” with, prompting Belos to kill Caleb, do all the Golden Guard stuff, and so on. Though, given the -lyn ending and Eda’s ties to the portal door, it’s likely that Evelyn was an ancestor of the Clawthornes
great video but how DARE you miss the most important name of all........... Hooty, truly there is deeper connotations we dare not dream of hidden behind such a powerful name
Vriska, I will BITE--
I WILL say there is immense amusement to me in that Lilith assigns Hooty a pet name of "Hootcifer" which, yknow. Lilith and Lucifer as buds is methodologically fitting.
I'LL BITE BACK!!!!!!
and of course obviously a nod to calcifer too, howls moving castle my beloved... which like that movies vibes fit in with the whole found family bit@@idlescree
It's also worth noting that the origin of the English word "wolf" is "wulf," an anglo-saxon word that means hunter.
Circularity!
"His eventual successor, Waffles" yep that hit me like a truck
OvO how did it take me THIS L oNG to realize how terrifying the name Raine would be in the world like the BOILING ISLES. Holy shit good catch
Friendship Plant-Disease is my fave toh character
No mention of Barcus or Mattholomule Tholomule? I want my money back.
An interesting wrinkle with Lilith is that she's the older child, which means Gwen and Dell likely had some particular reason to like the name Lilith over applying the family naming tradition. Maybe there was an older family member or friend she was named after.
Ironically Barcus, derived from Marcus and Matt (Matthew) are both names associated with deities aifkjgsadfj
I mean Barcus is obviously Bark (because he’s a dog) + Marcus.
@fictional-girl_05 it could also be a reference to Bacchus the God of wine and with him being in the potions track that would make sense
@@oreoeater6615 Let's gooooo I love sneaking greek/roman myth anywhere
I genuinely believe if we'd gotten a full season 3, Gus would have gotten his chance to really shine. A fan of human suddenly dropped into the human realm, there's no way Gus wouldn't have gotten episodes that centered on him, which would have meant fun AND character development. Still, what we got didn't feel entirely lacking in quality. Like you said, for being a master illusionist, it was a great character choice that Gus was more often than not the truth keeper. What I find interesting is that his strength was revealing the truth to/about others, but one of his reoccurring weaknesses was revealing the truth to himself (e.g. his social anxieties or the times when he doubted his own abilities).
I feel like if we got a full 3rd season he would’ve made his own connections i the human world, either by finding whole new friends or befriending Vees group. I feel like they were originally planned to get more screen time, plus a Gus and Vee centered episode would’ve been so fun, they have a lot of similarities with anxiety and I really wanted to see Gus kinda step into that role that Willow first took when they meet. I feel like that would’ve really ended his character arc in a satisfying way
I always thought that Belos was related to the word "Bellicose" - as a tip of the hat towards the fact that a person who is bellicose is 'favoring or inclined to start quarrels or wars' - which is sorta what he has done and or wants to do. He has waged war on wild magic.
This is such an obvious one that I genuinely can't believe I overlooked it aslfjldsjg you are absolutely right that is entirely possible! Great interpretation, thank you for pointing it out!!
A couple of notes that may- or may not- be relevant to names.
The first use of Phillip that I know of- and why it's lasted as a name- was Alexander the Great's father, Philip of Macedon. And he was very similar to Alexander in being warlike and a conqueror... but not a success, especially when compared to his son.
King: There's an old... Superstition? Mystical belief? Not sure of the term... that the health of the land is tied to the king, and it seems to be relevant.
Stringbean: Don't go looking into it- there's a lot of regional variation in common food-plant names. Also that error screen is hilarious.
As always, I thoroughly enjoy your videos!
These are all such good observations, ESPECIALLY that bit with the king's connection to the health of the land...dang. You are correct, and that would have been good to include!!!!
Fun fact the name Lilith has been translated as screech owl
Yep! It's a squishier translation but absolutely a thing.
@@idlescreeOr only, Owl.
@@idlescreeSince Lilith Clawthorne, is a Boiling, Isles History Enthusiast, future Historian/Museum, Curator and owls, are associated with knowledge; Tis a fit, Name for Nerdy, Aunt Lily.
I find it unique that Edric and Emira’s names are very similar. Edric meaning rich and powerful. And Emira meaning princess and leader
I always felt Belos' name came from bellows, a tool for feeding flames, like one would use for perhaps, heating a crucible? For purifying metals? 👀👀 it's pronounced the same way, and tbh I think fits his whole vibe as someone out to purify the world from all witchcraft (and as someone who tends to steadily and carefully stoke the flames using tools)
The name Lilith being a representation of transgression and the fact that Lilith is confirmed to be aromantic asexual is such a unique twist so props to you for even piecing that together!!
Hunter may not have an official last name, but I can't view him as anything but a Noceda. Luz already considers him a brother, and Camila is the only adult to treat him with kindness from start to finish which is the kind of guardianship he deserves. Hell, even in the context of this video, pair together the "hunting for his own identity" with "do not yield", and it's really his whole character arc of Hunter and all the people who care about him never giving up on helping him achieve that independence from Belos. And if you wanted to get really meta about it, you could even point out that the absolute peak moment of "hunting for his own identity" was at the moment he was literally refusing to yield control of his body over to Belos, and it was Mama Noceda who "rebirthed" him from his would-be watery grave. "Hunter Noceda" all the way, as far as I'm concerned. 🥰
That said, I like the meta of associating him with "Clawthorne" as a runner up. Not just for the obvious familial connections, but I particularly like the 'hawthorn' relation against his status as a grimwalker. The 'corpse tree' with healing properties. Hunter is literally born from a corpse, yet chooses an identity associated with life and healing. Consider also those bright red berries and a signature magenta eyes marking a grimwalker as such. Also I'm geeking out a little because I googled the 'corpse tree' thing out of curiosity only to discover that hawthorn wood is notably good for CARVING, and the Clawthornes were renowned for their palisman carving skills and it's what Hunter went on to do.
That's a good theory from a naming standpoint
I personally prefer Deamonne because I feel it's implied that Darius adopts him, since, when everyone is going to hug their families at the end, Hunter goes to Darius (and Eberwolf is there, tho that's not the point)
Hunter Noceda Clawthorne it is then! 😊💕
I feel there is also something to be said about Belos' similarity to bellows, a device used to stoke flames, mayhaps keep the embers going past their natural fading point? Also to its homonym of a deep loud roar, something made by a powerful beast, an association very useful to someone claiming to be the voice of a titan
25:23 To be fair to him, the illusions _were_ convincing enough to _everyone_ except Gus.
God this video is so good, I CRAVE Owl House content
Damn I've missed this show. Both the actual owl house show and this channel.
Almost spat out my drink at the picture of Waffles.
And Vee is best adorable shapeshifter.
I once read the theory that Belos' name is derived from the alleged slavic god Belobog, considering that Kikimora is named after a spirit of the same name in slavic mythology. What's interesting here is that Belobog's status as a real god is unclear, but it's supposedly the god of Light, Good, Order and Virtue, the name itself literally means "White God". All of this could fit into Belos' character, a false ruler with a false name that claims to have a power almost divine (being able to speak to the Titan), and that his own twisted delusion sees himself as the Hero, a Paragon of Virtue and Order, as the Good guy of the story, and was even able to convince everyone that this was true, that he was good enough to be their ruler, powerful enough to hear the titan's wishes. He created a mask of light, virtue, holyness, good, and all so he could eventually destroy them completely
23:43 Today I learned Darius' last name is Deamonne, which I think I might've known at some point but forgotten.
I'm actually amazed with how consistent in quality and deep with thought all your videos are! Nearly every single aspect is so well presented and explained. Most people (I feel, I guess?) don't usually look very deep into names when it comes to character analysis. Seeing something analytical of something that comes off as so surface-level or simple is so interesting to me! Also I got really exicted when you got to the Collector! I knew if they'd be brought up, it probably wouldn't be too in-depth since there's not that much to talk about with his name, but it still feels so satisfying to me to finally see him being included in analytical content on the show.
Thank you for your thoughtful comment! We waffled on including the Collector but in the end it didn't feel right doing King without including them, because of how powerful their thematic connection is. Sun/Moon, semi-immortal being to immortal being, past and future, singularly alone but having company in each other no one else will ever be able to understand etc. I am so glad you found the inclusion meaningful!
I can certainly appreciate that frustration with certain terms getting bandied around to the point of meaninglessness! Nothing wrong with having a preference or a pet peeve.
Bellos could also derive from the latin "bellum", which means war given that he's literally at war with the witches. It's so fascinating to see how much thought was put into all these details ofthe show
Principal Bump is also voiced by Bumper Robinson, so that's where the Bump came from
CUTE
Belos always reminded me of the Spanish word "bélico", which means "warlike" or "related to war".
Reminds me of the English word bellicose, or the Latin root of all the words mentioned, Bellum, meaning war
Other things of note regarding the name "Belos":
While "Bael" is a figure in demonology, it originates from the Canaanite "Baal", meaning "Lord". This was not one figure, but rather a title. The most famous Baal was the deity Baal Hadad, who would later gain the epithet "Baal-Zephon", meaning either "Lord of the North" or "Lord of the Heavenly Dwelling". It is from "Baal-Zephon" that we later gain "Baal-Zebul", an insult hurled against Baal Hadad by the ancient Abrahamists. "Baal-Zebul" meant "lord of the flies" or "lord of the feces", and it is from here that we get "Beelzebub", a figure in demonology who is the Demon Prince of Gluttony. Fitting, considering Belos's hunger for Palismans.
When I first watched the Owl House however, I made a different connection entirely. When I first heard the name "Belos", I near instantly thought of the Latin "Bello", meaning "to war, to fight". Considering Belos's initial stance of antagonism against personal identity, and later against the Boiling Isles as a whole, this too feels fitting.
And for Lilith:
The name actually predates Abrahamism, and can be traced back, in some form or another, to ancient Mesopotamia. According to translations from Samuel Noah Kramer, Lilith appears in the Epic of Gilgamesh, as "Kisikillillake", albiet this was not in the original tablets (the original being Sumerian, these tablets being either Assyrian or Akkadian). Variations of the name are associated with a number of often aggressive female night, wind, and water spirits, along with associations with snakes, "zu birds", and indeed owls. Others have theorized a Lilith figure as a priestess of the goddess Inanna, who is better known as Ishtar. Like most mythological figures from other cultures, the Abrahamists had a field day with Lilith. Honestly, I think it a shame she is most known as the biblical "first woman, turned demon" - there's far more fascinating history and symbolism to be found here. There is a lot of meaning one can unpack here from pre-Abrahamic sources, and too from modern sources and interpretations.
In French, porter means carrying, which I think is the origin of the porters in North America
I noticed that LITERALLY EVERY. SINGLE. COVENHEAD, have an extremely ironic name. Raine is a double agent, Terra is more predatory than plant themed, Darius is prissy but head of the abominations, Eberwolf had a scary name but is adorable, Adrian Graye is extremely extra and arrogant but has a commoner name.
Thanks for the video I did know the meaning of the names.
I love how Steve is such a well written and deep character AND MOST OF IT IS ON ACCEDENT!
Eeee!!!! I’ve been hoping for this one I’m so exited
Excite!
I'm surprised you didn't bring up the idea of flexibility in willows, given that's what came to mind for me first- that old idea of oak breaking where willow bends, a symbol of resilience and strength in flexbility instead of rigidity
We were really pruning details for time! That is absolutely true of willow trees! But in the context of this show, we felt that "acidic soil" and "will ruin the shit out of your structural foundation with surprise brute force you wont see coming" was more important to keep! If there was more bending or themes of flexibility with this character we may have prioritized it then.
@@idlescree fair
Phillip is a biblical name
Is Felipe, one apostle
But I don’t know what he does in the history.
And Caleb is one of the guys that lead the conquest of the Promised Land
I always read Belos as very similar to lat. Bellum which i believe to remember means war. Thats always what that name meant tot me
Amity means friendship if I recall correctly?
The only one I knew of before hand was Luz, and by extension Noceda from your Belos video. But this is inspiring me to think more about names and what that means for my own characters. And if I had to pick a favourite off the top of my head because they are all so good. I’d say Willow and Lilith are utterly fascinating to me
I look forward to seeing what the bird does next. I don't watch any live action so haven't watched Tokyo drift (never even heard of it) but I hope their video get some exposure.
The Bird has a lot of amazing ideas cooking and we are SO excited to share them with you!
My headcanon is that hooty's surname/second name is hooters
Seconded
Hooty Hootson the Sixty-seventh.
I laughed my butt off when Steve came up.
I wasn't expecting to see a Good Omens clip today but that made me smile really biggly for some reason /ref
We love sneaking in references to our other favourite shows and movies- even if we don't have full videos for them (yet!) it's just so fun when viewers recognize 'em! 😁
I was very surprised to see you not include 'bellows' for the meaning of Belos because I personally saw a huge connection between Belos and the word. Although many people consider bellows as a wind related thing, bellow has a meaning in a loud roar or scream that also comes from Old English. I personally thought that the disparity between the shy and manipulative Phillip and the loud and bombastic Belos was very intentionally connected to the definition. It also would apply to his final monstrous roar and outbursts of violence against Hunter. Regardless, I absolutely loved this video. It was an instant like and sub to your channel.
That is certainly a valid interpretation! Names are fun like that--everything in here is an interpretation and in order to keep it under 2 hours long we had to pick and choose details. I appreciate your thoughts, the word "bellows" hadn't really occurred to me. Very interesting! Thank you for subscribing!
11:54 The Welsh ending is pretty funny, considering Matthew Rhys is Welsh.
LMAO nice!
I have see the tumblr exclusive video you post on there.
One day, I will name a character something like Vulture and they're going to be a horrid little man who eats trash and wears the most colour-clashing outfit you've ever seen.
Tbh I always assumed that Wittebane was a mixture of words “Whittle” as in woodcarving and “Bane” like in curse? But your version makes much more sense, I guess :D (Don’t come at me, English is not my first language)
OOOOHHHHHH. Excited!
Although baal zvuv, or Beelzebub, is the king of demons, the word baal itself means "owner". If Belos' name is coming from the root baal, I feel it's fitting he wants to own the entire realm
10:10 I thought I'd throw out one of my own thoughts on Emperor Belos. I always thought his name was meant to be a nod to "bellows" As a noun it is a device used to pump air usually used to stoke fires, while as a verb it is a deep rumbling cry or roar. When we first encounter Belos he is beneath a giant beating heart, much like a lung would be. His words feed the fires of hate and fear toward Wild Magic, and in the finale he literally breaths life into the Titan's corpse. When he speaks it is often in hushed and muttered tones, though they are intermixed with cries of anguish or hatred. He is a bellowing bellows, not just the "Voice of the Titan" but a sort of "Lung of God"
I went to a classical school for my entire life, and as a result, I’ve read all of the ancient epic poems. One such poem being the Aeneid. In the Aeneid, there’s a Character named Camilla (double l). Camilla is the warrior queen of the Volscians (a tribe of all female warriors, kind of like the Amazons) and she fights alongside Turnus, who’s the king of the Rutulians. In the Aeneid, Aeneas (destined founder of Rome) leads the escaped Trojans to Italy so they can Found their destined city. However, there’s already people living there. Turnus refuses to give up his land and power to Aeneas and they wage war on each other. Camilla fights with Turnus to try and drive out the Trojans and she‘s all around a badass. She does end up perishing during the battle but she is regarded and a great and badass ruler. I think her Story of power and bravery could have helped Name Camila. Camila grows into a badass protector, kind of like the mythological Camilla
*Tinella Nosa!?*
"She's had a name this whole time?!"
DAMN YOU PANCAKES
you are SO right about gus not having enough time because dear god do i love his character but there was not nearly enough of him to make him beloved as he should have been
Lilith _did_ get _really_ close with Hooty towards the end :p
I made a comment about Owl House content containing my utter queer neurodivergent joy- but now I give my neurodivergent rant WHY
Firstly, I write a decent amount, fanfic, DnD, etc- and I've never really tried hard when it comes to names. Maybe a smaaaall amount of contextual resonance within the most important character? Usually not even that
But watching this has opened my eyes to how incredibly useful names can be in a narrative context- how it can builds narratives within readers heads to be subsequently knocked down or reinforced, or maybe recontextualized. Without meaning to this video convinced me that names are just as vital as character design in terms of storytelling. Maybe that's obvious, but I don't think so, I think a lot of people - including formerly me- tend to dismiss names when it comes to analyzing stories.
Secondly, OMG the actual naming conventions used in Owl House are sooo good, Amity has always tickled the back of my head as a good name- but I've never really thought about why and this context absolutely fills me in and explains. I've already heard and agreed to how great Hunter and Luz are as names, and I think it makes sense that the rest of the names are really good.
Willow in particular, it both met my expectations and surprised me- yeah, a willow- sad but strong, a tree- but specifically grief and particularly how Willows character develops over time to reveal the strength she has is just so good.
Absolutely agree about how sad it is Gus never got to really complete his arc, but I think he's such a great character even without it Gus is a solid A tier in terms of characterization.
I wasn't sure about the Clawthornes, I hadn't ever heard of the Hawthorne tree but everything explained fits so perfectly with Eda's and eventually Gwen's characterization..
Probably my most favorite naming convention has to be Hunter and Liliths tho, giving us a name that fits so perfectly into an archetype only to recontextualize that name to fit a different interpretation OF the same archetype, brilliant stuff.
There will absolutely be a Morgan in my DnD campaign that tried to fit the same level of recontextualization!
I almost didn't click on this video, I only did because as far as I'm concerned your videos have been 100% hit rate (also I'm STARVED for Owl House content) will absolutely be checking out the other videos, thanks for the great video!!
Names have power. Think about how hard people fight for names in real life! How a major character is named in a story has a big impact on how they are received (even/especially if you're doing fantasy kitchen sink names like Kissen--from the book Godkiller by Hannah Kanner or something--depending on the language you are writing, even the syllables can have connotative power).
Word names like the Owl House are SUPER deliberate and can really take a character name to the next level because when used carefully they can basically hook a reader instantly by prompting a question. For example, a protagonist in one of my favorite books--I referenced it in another comment earlier--has a protagonist who calls themself Misfire (Ophelia was Murdered, by Draikinator). Why the hell would you call yourself that?? That question prompts interest, which gets someone to turn the page.
Eeeee I'm so glad that the video meant something to you, and truly that is a very high compliment. Thank you for the vote of confidence, and we hope to see you in the next one!
@@idlescree I appreciate the feedback and advice! I'll definitely be tuning in for other stuff, can't wait to see more
I normally listen to your videos, but I glanced at the screen and saw good omens and sjejfhksjejf currently hyperfixating on that, it’s SO GOOD- I can’t believe that s2 ended like that. We’re gonna have to wait 3 YEARS for another season, at the bare minimum. You should do a video essay like you do for the owl house on it! ^^
Raine is the physical embodiment of "Be Gay, Do Crime" and I love them so much
Fantastic work as always.
So excited gahhhh
I do want to mention that the name Caleb, while meaning wholehearted, also ends up being extremely close to the Hebrew word for dog, which could be a neat connection to Hunter
I have to wonder what Philip Wittebane or Belos (whatever one is really in the driver's seat at this point) would say to someone like Oda Nobunaga. Someone who would give so little of a damn about this kind of savior posturing that he would willingly take up the name 'Demon king of the sixth Heaven' as mockery of that very posturing.
Also I call flapjack "the pancake" when in conversation with my friend 😭
Your videos are always delicious, thank you for the good food.
wdym hunter doesnt have a last name his last name is owlhouse /j
Yup.
I always associated Camilla's name with Camelias, the flower. It's quite dainty and pretty, which is kind of how the rest of the witches treat her at times. She's not at ease in fights or with magic like the rest of them.
However, the literal meaning of "Helper to the priest" might be a sort of nod at how she's the biggest mom character. She's a helper to Luz and her friends especially towards the end and stops at nothing to take care of them and treat them like her own.
You could also see it through yhe lens of how in the beginning she's helping thr "priest" of normal. She's sending Luz to reality camp because she was told it was the right thing to do
I live for this shit! It's amazing! I never know what to tag Hunter as in shit! My boy needs an official last name dammit! Seriously, though, all of this video was awesome. I don't have a favorite part. Analyzing names is so much fun, but so difficult sometimes. Long, live, Flapjack! 😀
I can finally leavvee... 14:10 IM BACK IN THE FUCKING BUILDING AGAIN! OHHH MY GOD
You forgot hooty! His name has a very elaborate meaning as it derives from "hoot," the onomatopoeia used to refer to the sound that an owl makes.
Does any one know the naming convention of the other coven heads? (Hettie Cutburn, Vitmir and Osran) The only exception is Mason which may comes from the french word ‘’maison’’ which means home in french.
Regarding Caleb, in Hebrew it means Dog. There is a character in the bible named Caleb (Kallev) Ben Yefune, but the name is not really clear and not used in other places. The interpretation of "he's all heart" (Kulo Lev, not Kal Lev, which would be light hearted) is very late and usually used as folk etymology to explain why the word for dog is Kelev (spelled כלב, same as the name) by dog lovers for the last few hundreds of years.
Thanks for this interesting video about a show I love! Hope you find this bit of extra info interesting as well.
Couple of other possible affiliations:
Philip could be a grim reference to “phileo,” a Greek term sometimes translated to “brotherly love” (why Philadelphia is the “city of brotherly love” etc.)
And Clawthorne could also be evocative of Nathanial Hawthorne, who was an American author from Salem, MA. His ancestor, John Hathorne, was a hanging judge during the Salem Witch Trials and Nathanial Hawthorne hated that aspect of his lineage.
Those are also really good. Clawthorne /N. Hawthorne is an aspect I thought to stick in there but cut it for time, I'd love to talk more about the Puritanism things running around in TOH at some point...
@@idlescree Oooh I'd be so stoked to watch that!!
Belos reminds me of Ertai from Magic: The Gathering. He starts out as a boastful but competent wizard, with a betrayal streak a mile wide, clearly. I'm a little fuzzy on what happens after Evincar Volrath dies and Evincar Crovax takes over, but Phyrexia eventually takes Rath, and Ertai goes over to the side with more power. He becomes a twister, monstrous, inhuman beast. But as the flavor text on his card says, even twisted by dark magic and disfigured by Phyrexian technology, in the mirror he only sees glory.
AGGSRSFF I love your guys analysis videos they’re so good!!!
20:10 THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE LEGEND!!!
Regarding Willow - I’m wondering about the similarities with Willow Rosenberg from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Another, at first, unassuming and shy Willow, turned incredibly powerful and dangerous Willow. The tree can be incredibly destructive, like you said, but not only to man-made stuff! Also to ecosystems. They can make it impossible for other organisms to live where they are. The big difference here ofc is that Willow Rosenberg became a genuine danger to the whole world in season 6 of Buffy and Willow Park, even when she loses control, doesn’t exactly go truly “dark”. But. I do think it’s interesting. I wonder if the iconic character development of Buffy’s Willow partly inspired The Owl House’s Willow. There’s something incredibly empowering about seeing a character who is underestimated and sort of relegated to the background, come to be recognised as a genuine powerhouse, and even someone to be feared. I love it.
I'm not the type to go into detail about people's names as much as their sounds. For example, I have a family member whose name is Tamara, or Tammie for short. At face value, Tamara is an older-sounding name, like Gwendolyn. Tammie doesn't believe in the idea that names hold deep meanings beyond initial sound, but at the same time, her name fits her. She is a very old-fashioned woman who thinks women and men have specific purposes in life, such as child-bearing and protection. If anyone knows the deeper meaning behind her name and why this might fit someone like her, I'd love to hear it!
Eda is a direkt reference to the garden of eden in that Way Lilith, evalyn and edalyn has a theme of the story of Adam and Eve
6:39 HES ALSO HUNTING FOR HIS PS5!! (I’ve watched to much The Owl House Abridged)
Camilla's name seems to me like a reference to camelias, medicinal plants (like her job) and often used in teas (like she's always drinking). A lotta the meanings also match but like baby name sites, flower meaning sites are kinda.. meh
Oh my God
This is a perfect video topic. I looked up the characters names and loosely looked the meanings and there's some though put into them for sure. It's anazing
What are the connotations of a name like Morgan or Lilith? I found this part of your video very interesting and would like to know more if you have time :)
Editor here; The Morrigan is a celtic goddess of conflict, fury, and death. She's a bringer of death and is known for stirring the political plot in a story. The name probably also inspired the name for the character Morgan le Fay, from the legend of King Arthur, who, depending on which version of the Arthurian legend you know, gives birth to a twisted bastard child who murders her later in life. Point is, she either causes death or dies herself.
As for Lilith, Lilith is a character from the bible, the first wife of Adam who defied him and basically refused to be a "good wife" to him. She would later go off, having sex with demons and giving birth to demon children to defy God. She wound up becoming a powerful female demon herself, akin to a female Lucifer. Lilith in the Owl House is called this as a subversion of this biblical figure, and instead of sleeping with demons, this Lilith is literally Aromantic and Asexual. It's an interesting name choice with good meaning and intention behind it.
@@HedgehogEditor thank you so much, your editing is great by the way!!
Lilith being aroace makes me so happy because I am too.
It would have been cool to get direct confirmation of that in the show but frankly ideas about this in the Boiling Isles are probably not that defined because there's no NEED to. It would be so funny if the kids brought Lilith back a bunch of pride stickers and were like "this one's you!" and she'd be like ohhh thats so charming. Arocace! That describes me perfectly! etc.
To me Belos reminds me of bellic, bellicose, belligerent, etc. From the latin word for war, which fits since he's pretty much a warmonger on a crusade of his own.
And it goes nicely with the warrior theme of his other name.
Also if we’re saying “lyn” connects all the Clawthorne women, and Eve is the first woman, Evelyn might refer to her being the ancestor of the Clawthornes.
The peace sign is the V of Victory
The word "Bellus" is one letter away from "Bellum", meaning war, conflict or army. I just can't imagine Dana and the others naming this guy "Belos" without that at least partly in mind.
15:34 lol the obly damien i ever met was my kind old irish tutor who goes kayaking and makes pancakes every Sunday, im saved from the curse of hearing damien and thinking edgy