True Names as a Magic System
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- Опубліковано 8 лют 2025
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Even the best armour can't protect you from the mortifying ordeal of being known.
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I think a really great work of fiction in this regard would be the Earthsea Saga
What most common group of insects. What most common way to Drink out of fruit
Beatle Juice is getting a sequel
Hard for someone to hurt those you care about & to gather information on you if they don't know your name.
Oenomancy might not exist but knowing a name does have consequences!
The ancients are not foolish as people like to think they are; many could do with being more cautious though myself I go by my Name though not in full.
By the way you if you know anything abaout Monster it would have been very good if you includet it in this video since in Monstee the way that the Milan manipulates pepole is true their name there is also a hole character representing what hapens to pepole who have no name or how they have no emotions anymore
There's no more powerful word of command than a mother shouting the full name of her child.
Or a partner.
Eep.
Or wife 😂
Or a sibling or a really close friend lol
dear god this is a primordial fear
First name: no threat
First and middle: 50/50 shot youre in trouble
First, middle, and last name: youre dead
😂
In Turkey, people used to give their new born child a hidden name only the parents knew. Because you need to know a persons name to cast a spell on them, this practice was to protect the child from evil eye and magic that might be cast on them.
Isn't that the origin of the middle name in general ? Iirc first was the common name second is what your family did so they knew who you were and the middle name is an anti magic measure to be kept secret
Interesting
@@TheEldritchVoidyes that’s the origin of the Middle Name. Even now on official documents (at least in America) they only ever ask for the first letter of your middle name rather than the whole thing.
Cool
Oha böyle bi şey mi varmış bilmiyodum. Doğu tarafında mı?
Makes me think of Spirted Away when Haku gets his REAL form and memories back when Chihiro tells him is real name is "Kohaku River"
Oh hey I just saw that film and musical two day sago
I'm still salty he just flew away at the end instead of coming with her.
@@brainflash1well he’s not just a boy. He’s likely the spirit of the river
@@blaizecramer6052 But where the hell is he going to go?
@@brainflash1 To the sea probably, as most rivers do.
There is a book series that I loved reading as a kid called "Fairy Oak". The narrator is this tiny glowing fairy whose job is to babysit the protagonists, a pair of twin sisters who grow up to become sorcerers. Her name is (get ready) Ifjoyfulyoushallbeyoushallwishtotellittome, or Telli for short. The reason for such a name is that, in this universe, fairies like her are physically obligated to do whatever humans or magicians order them to do as long as they say their full name without mistakes. In the past, this led to fairies being constantly abused by them, forcing on them too many tasks of all kinds of degree and importance, encouraging human laziness and little regard for the fairies, until one day they came up with the idea of naming fairies with long and complicated tongue-twisters. This way humans had to create a strong bond of trust with a fairy in order to know their name and use it carefully, for the tasks that in fact do matter. It's such a cool worldbuilding detail that I haven't forgotten since and I thought it would be fun and appropriate to share here. Cannot reccomend the series enough. Thanks for the new video!
I used to play WoW with a beta tester, who would name drop another beta tester called Mommysaysifmynameistoolongthealliancecanseemehidingbehindtrees, or at least, that's what he called his toon until Blizzard imposed a character limit on player names.
Cool
Cool but what does memorization have to do with building trust?
@@piusdoe8984 i guess bc its not common to find a fairy. They come from a different country, and Im guessing they just don't give out their names to any random person they meet. The narrator, for example, was hired by the girls' aunt to babysit them, so she went to live with them until they became of age, so they have plenty of time to practice 😉
I tried to find these-are they Spanish only? Do you remember the author?
What is a name but how people perceive you:
Some people call me the space cowboy
Some call me the gangster of love
Some people call me Maurice
'Cause I speak of the pompatus of love
Oh @@misspinkpunkykat, You are such a joker..
See you space cowboy
There are some who call me...Tim.
@@mistingwolf Easy come, easy go
“[Names] are given to you when you’re a baby, often before you were even born”
This is actually a modern thing, historically, babies were rarely named before their first birthday, because infant mortality was so high parents would often not give a name until they were reasonably sure the child would survive
yes and no. Depends on the culture. Different parts of the world, even different peoples in the same parts of the world, could and did experience wildly different average child mortality rates. In addition, there are many religious reasons to name a human at or before birth, reasons that stretch back into prehistory.
Ever since I read "The Inheritance Cicle" I've given a lot of tought to the idea of knowing your own true name, knowing yourself that well could actually be extremely helpful, being able to know who you are down to every last detail would be amazing for self-improvement
Absolutely
Oh I love that series my copy of Eragon is actually misprinted so a portion of the book repeats itself and skips a major plot point which sucks but is also kinda cool
The way Eragon accidentally discovered the old butcher’s name was very unsettling, though. If he had been even slightly more vengeful…
I loved the inheritance cycle but it took the magic system completely from Earthsea
ERAGON MENTIONED
"We become our names" as someone that picked an online nick and started treating it more and more as part of me, I agree so much. I picked the name in reference to some character, then started reinterpreting it and it became my own and I try to live by what that name means to me know. I'm changing it again but trying to keep what it was in a way
This is the biggest reason name etymology exists. Because it's the well wishes of the parent imparted upon the child for the things they hope the child will embody.
A name is the story that follows you no matter what you do or where you go
It’s weird how it always happens because the more I learn why my families names mean the more I realize how fitting it was. My Grandpa’s name meant Spear and my Uncles name meant Soldier. My Uncle is a Police Detective and before that was a reliable Cop in his department. My Grandpa (according to my mom) was a tough man in his younger years but in his later years was the man who essentially led the entire family. My Dad’s name means White and his Brother is Black and they’re exact opposites of each other. My name means a lot of different things depending on the time period and how it was used. It means Trickster, Tormentor, and can even be used as a verb for being tired. All of these things apply to me because I love to mess with people and I’m always a little tired.
Ive chosen a nickname when i was 8 or smth and ive always kreptri it, never gonna change it. 👍
Ive only chreanged a letter 1ce to let every1 know the correctre prononciatreion and alshoerkrtrdzszh because it washre cooler, but shreuffice to say, it didnt really do much lmao. 😂
Same thing here. This username came from the nickname my mom used to call me to her online friends. It’s pretty much my whole online identity.
It's started all by one day when author was called by full name
and when you hear your mother go out her way to call you full name which consists of 15 total ["words"] names - you in trouble
92 likes and no comments? Nobody fucking fix it
"LuciusDidus! Go clean your room, NOW!"
@@Kokorocodon I did do it tho
@Kokorocodon The most clean it been
@@LuciusDidus NOT NEARLY CLEAN ENOUGH
Skulduggery Pleasant’s power system has a whole thing around names. You have your given, taken, and true names. Given is your birthname, taken is the name you choose (sorcerers live longer and age slower than mortals, so they change names every few decades) and your true name is in a magic book of names first shown in the first book, and then becomes very relevant later. The knowledge of a True Name allows you absolute power over the person, and they must obey the user’s command.
You’re the second person that doesn’t mention the important part of why the True Names are so powerful: they connect to the source of all magic. Also the fact that the Given Name, once taking a third name, can’t be used against people, and that sorcerers are able to use the Given Name of a mortal to gain some control, or commanding them to sleep
Was looking for an sp fan!
Finally people who know of the best book ever!! 🎉🎉
Looking for this comment
Thank you for mentioning SP! Just a lil note: the true name is supposedly linked to the foundation of magic (this is not a spoiler it is said in the first book)
This topic reminds me of a scene from the Dresden Files, which also has the concept of Names. Specifically in Ghost Story, where Dresden is talking with Uriel. Dresden flippantly refers to Uriel as "Sunshine" and Uriel loses his shit. Then he goes on to explain how Names DEFINE beings like him. And watching humans casually throwing around names was like watching children throw around live hand grenades.
MINOR BACKGROUND SPOILERS FOR GHOST STORY AND DRESDEN FILES GENERALLY.
This is a very good point, and a great moment from that book. But you left off one of the things I enjoy most about that moment! He doesn't call him Sunshine, he calls him "Uri." And Uriel in both anger and fear tells him that the part he left off is very important.
He doesn't clarify what that means, but if you know anything about bible linguistics you will know that "El" is one of the names of god. Uriel is an angel, and almost all angels have names that end in el, and their names usually mean something like strength of God or mercy of God or something like that. By cutting that part off of his name, Dresden was accidentally threatening to redefine him as an Angel without God. Basically (and inadvertently) threatening to cut him off from the entire point and purpose of his existence. And given that Uriel has to have known other Angels who *did* fall and become separated from God (and are now the merciless and eternally damned killing machines we see in the books), you can see why he would probably take that RATHER SERIOUSLY.
What the guy above me said but i do think its funny that he had to think for a second before deciding that the name mr sunshine was fine.
@@petershea6666 Heh, it's been years since I read that book, so I suppose it's natural that some scenes are a bit scrambled in my memories. Thanks for the rundown.
All good! In your defense, he does call him (and many other people) Sunshine throughout the course of the stories.
I think it might as early as Storm Front that Harry explains that one's true name is how one says it. If you can perfectly imitate the way in which someone says their full name, you gain control over them. IIRC, he makes a bargain with a demon by telling it how to perfectly say one of the parts of his name.
Going back further, in Egypt your name and/or identity was part of your literal soul and in the journey to the afterlife you had to give the Devine sentinels their names before they would allow you to pass.
Further more, I've read somewhere that... Of all the Ancient Egyptian anatomy of the soul, someone's name is *the most important* part! 'Cause, without a name, you cease to exist.
Hence why particular infamous Pharaohs had their names removed from stuff after their death. (To get rid of them even in the Field of Reeds/Afterlife.)
Not only that, but gods were bound by that rule as well. Ra gave names to everything, and thus he was extremely powerful, as he knew the secret names of most things. Then, Isis learn Ra's secret name and gave Ra's power to Horus so he could fight Seth for the throne of Egypt.
'May I have your name?' is the most dangerous thing a faerie can ask you. Don't want to lose your name, after all. :D
Fae identity theft, it's a growing problem.
I love this. Names are powerful because once named, one becomes known! And villians have more power the less you know about them. It's deep in my culture, ala king Solomon
Commenting before I even watch; The Inheritance Cycle (Eragon) has literally my favorite magic system (with a close second to The Magicians by Lev Grossman and the fantastic tv show version thereof).
Oh eragon was a amazing book series. But then came the movie.
@@dreamslove9851 There is no Eragon movie in Ba Sing Se
And the videogame ...
@@John_the_Paul i remeber watching it before the books. Then watching it many years later when I finally read books... And I was so. Utterly dumbstruck
@@NoctaKitsune there is a game? Oh god don't tell me it's shit.
6:29 : "In reality, names don't really have much to do with you as an individual"
There's been some really fascinating studies that have proven otherwise actually. Our names have an extreme amount of power that determines not just how we see ourselves but also how others see us and "who" we are, including even how we may act or dress.
For example; the "stereotype name" which is a stereotype that is given to names. A common example is the name 'Karen'. It immediately invokes the image of a crazy older woman who's white and likely dressing in a very specific way. Most Karens you meet will probably invoke that name's sterotype.
Another example; "Tom". You probably immediately thought of a casually dressed probably surban white male right? Maybe a specific person in your life?
People who shift their gender and/or sex likely change their own names as well to better reflect who they are. People with certain names have been known to even have a higher likely-hood to be 'successful' in life. While others can actually be turned away from jobs primarily based on the name of the individual.
So, names actually have a lot to do with you as an individual. Which Tale Foundry does kind of talk about later with names that are symbols and definitions.
You reminded me of that article about a man who named his sons "Winner" and "Loser" respectively. Iirc Winner went down the drug and crime spiral while Loser graduated successfully from some university. And it makes you wonder indeed, a bit like the nature vs. nurture debate. There is power in a name, but only as much as we (and sometimes others) afford to give it.
Hey, I recently found your channel and have been binging your videos. I clicked on this one and was shocked when you started talking about Jewish naming customs. As a religious Jew and one specifically from a community that is closely associated with the Baal Shem, you did such a good job. This video was really well researched and you did a great job with the pronunciations. Thank you it was soo cool to see my culture be discussed on a channel I really enjoy.
Ages ago I read some kind of story about a world where no one has names, and the few people who do rule the world. The main character is being hunted by... something I can't remember. Either way later in the story one of their friends (possibly love interest, unclear) sacrifices themselves in order to let the main character escape, and in a heart-wrenching scene they give the MC a name, and with that, the power to fight back. I've been trying to figure out what this story is, what type of media it even is, at this point I'm not even sure if this was actually something I read/watched or if I dreamed it. I have an extremely vivid mental image of that scene with the sacrifice and name, both of them crying.
If you find it let me know!! That sounds so cool
Try r/tipofmytongue, they're great at things like that
That sounds amazing! I know it’s not the same, but it reminds me of The Kane Chronicles. They had a whole thing about how everyone and everything has a true name that can’t just be read or discovered, that it has to be freely given by the person themself or the one closet to them. When they had to give the name back, they lost power over them and forgot how to even pronounce the name.
Did you remember?
Here for when someone figures it out, sounds cool
DC kind of played with this idea. Mxyzptlk might be the most stupidly overpowered character in the entire DC Universe, which is really saying something. And yet, all you have to do to defeat him is trick him into saying his name backwards.
With really few exceptions, when he put another rule.
Originally that wasn’t his name, but was instead the incantation for the spell that sends him back to his dimension
Though IIRC, it was spelled slightly differently back then
RIP Gilbert.
Secret identities for super heroes is pretty much the modern telling of the magic of true names when you think about it.
There’s stronger characters: the Monitors, TDK, Perpetua/Hands, and the Great Darkness
Bleach somewhat does this, with names being called out to use abilities, but only true names calling out the truest forms of those abilities. Two of the strongest characters in the series have various levels of control over names.
Yup
also vanitas no carte where names are basically the main plot point, with the villain's thing being persuading/hypnotizing vampires into giving up their true names to the entity (the villain), who then corrupts it
It's also used somewhat in Slime Isekai. Whenever a non-human person is given a proper name, they become more human-like in appearance. As well as gaining intelligence, physical and some magical strength.
And also Yumichika, who hide his zanpakto's ability by calling by the wrong name..!
Especially Ichibei, using the power of names.
Imma be honest, when he mentioned a VPN I was so ready to skip the add that I shot up from sitting in my chair, only to ber phantomly haunted by the names of SurfShark or Nord
Same. Lmao.
(Maybe not the shooting up from my chair part tho)
SAME, we truly are Pavloed by this companies aren’t we 😭😭😭
Same lol
I don't know why but the title made me think about doctor who, like there is an episode of Season 3 "Shakespeare Code", it's about witches, and they can kill by saying a name, and stopped by saying their name. And I partially listened to audio story where was a character from another dimension that works by text, and his name was "nobody noone" so as explained in the story if you say "nobody knows where is the key " he now knows where the key is
EDIT: If anyone reads this and is interested the audio is called "Death In The Family "
Who is the author? so I can be sure its the right one.
@@cowcannon8883 I am sorry but what author? Most doctor who audios are produced by BIG FINISH, if that's what you're asking.
DW touches on this a few times! Was just thinking about the series 7 finale Name of the Doctor, and then remembered the show pulled it off so much better, with the whole concept of The Master, mostly the episodes where he hides his identity as Professor Yana/Harry Saxon, would love to know if there's more instances of characters' names being given lots of power🖤🖤🖤
@@L0g0Z0g0 sorry guess my dumbass apparently skipped over the Dr who part then didn't realize that the "death in the family" was also a Dr who series
@@bobsbrain397 Yeah definitely, but it's way more metaphorical, also how is Name of the Doctor special? Like the whole show is sorta about his name, and this episode only uses it as password to his grave.
That Time I got Reincarnated as a Slime has a real cool spin on this: in a fantasy world, lords and demons have names. Adventurers and people-esque things have names. But goblins don’t, Dire Wolves don’t, and your commoner monster races didn’t have names, because names explicitly give monsters power. Names are much more than titles, which is what monsters typically are assigned: “loch ness monster” for an IRL example. Names make them automatically more than a monster, a fuller being, at the cost of the name giver’s magic temporarily. It can be done to make a vessel or because you’re homies with the monster, and it’s so COOL.
I think this idea is derived by how the machinery of culture would be impossible without language and without the mechanisms of culture we would be rather sad primates.
Was really excited to hear about the king killer chronicles here as its a valuable idea to a true name magic system
I was thinking the same thing when I saw this. With the concept of true names it HAD to be mentioned.
Another example is Lord Voldemort in HP, or even better, the power of names in Death Note
death note was the first thing that came to mind
My mind immediately went to Spirited Away. Chihiro signs a contract to work in the spirit world bathhouse, followed by the witch Yubaba removing a few characters from her signature and renaming her as Sen. By the next morning, Sen has forgotten her original name until Haku reminds her, warning her that completely forgetting her name would result in her being unable to return home.
Naming kids with dead relatives is something done in my family, well as middle names. My niece's middle name is after my dead sister and one of my nephew's is after a dead uncle. This is so a part of them will live on! So far so good for these kids!
I know of an Egyptian myth where a god couldn't be saved without his true name being revealed. In Journey to the West, Sun Wukong tries to use a fake name to evade a trap but it doesn't work. He still got out!
Pfp (Profile Picture) and / or Banner Sauce (Source [Artist])? 🗿
You mean Ra, when Isis used an incredibly potent poison to trick him into giving her his true name, which she then used to force him into retiring and giving Osiris the throne.
@@coltonwilliams4153 yup, that's the one! Thank you!
@@coltonwilliams4153 Yup, that's it!
1:32 OK Slim Shady
Nah that's wild
I bet Em could find a way to rhyme that name with orange.
@@aceundead4750He rhymed it with banana
"Back... to... you..., Bob"
This is why my family has nicknames and very rarely ever uses given names. Its a way for us to communicate on the down low and also provides a sense of security in the event of danger.
I've been a witch for 12 years and it is an extremely common practice to have a witches/magickal name to keep you protected from any spellwork. I love this channel so much.
Does such a name function an addition to the truth, or more of a mask?
@@_ridor I don't quite understand your question but I'm going to do my best to answer.
Some witches say that their witch name is their true name on like a spiritual level but in my experience this is usually not the case. Mostly the witch name is a mask for protecting the witch. A witch getting your full name can seriously fu*ck you over if they are doing baneful magick.
i havent watched the video yet but if Skulduggery Pleasant - my favourite book series - isn't mentioned even once i will CRY. i will report back with news
EDIT: was not mentioned! :o[ okay time to infodump. so the series has a three-layer system of names.
there's your self-chosen name, which is what you assign to yourself when you're a sorceror so people can't control you with your birth name. (e.g. Valkyrie Cain)
then there's your birth name ... which is self explanatory. name given to you at birth - the name you go by outside of a magical environment (e.g. Stephanie Edgley)
and THEN, there's your True Name. nobody knows it, not even yourself. you have to either discover it or be told it by something (e.g. the Book of Names, which has the special power to make people de-motivated to read it when you try and get close to it). and with your true name, you can cause HUGE amounts of chaos. learning your own true name allows you to become a god-like being and an absolute force of destruction.
it's really cool !!!
I also enjoy skulduggery pleasant and haven’t watched the video so it better be mentioned
I adored the concept and that's why I watched this video in the first place.
I was somewhat disappointed with Derek Landy's execution of the idea though.
Skulduggery Pleasant has been my absolute favourite series ever since I was a wee boy. Due in no small part to Landy's use of names.
@@dubiousAutomaton I've only recently tried the series and totally fell in love with the premise, characters and slow burn story telling. The names were a big part of that.
Yeah, I love the series too. Especially because the concept of you knowing your true name changing you, is so different to any other take.
Bro aced Pablo's name
Bro exposed his name to the fairies
@@EspartanicaHe’s been really silent since, now I realise...
Pretty good but "Nepomukeno" and "Tipriano" were dead giveaways. "C" is most often a "S" sound
I truly expected a VPN ad spot when you mentioned privacy 🤣
I don't think any of us would have been upset because of how natural that would have fit in lol
IT'S GIVING "The inheritance cycle" AHHHHH
Subscribed. Why? Cause one line of this video made my mind completely change the entire concept of my book and then gave me the full explanation of a concept I struggled to grasp for months. So this video is the reason I can now finish my book. Also the art style is amazing
When i saw the topic, I was hoping my favorite series would be mentioned, and the fact you actually brought up the inheritance cycle brings me so much joy! So glad to see it here
I love SCP, especially the lore about fairies. If you learn the name of a fae, it can steal yours, and literally become you on a fundamental level.
Also the Demons in Undervegas, they don't want people to know about their true names because they would most likely be enslaved for it
In DND everything has a form of true name called 'power words'. For instance if you said the power word for a chair you could make a chair appear or disappear. Also the form of what happens upon saying the word is directly impacted by the common perception of what that thing is. (There are even angles known as 'word arcons' dedicated to preserving the meaning of words) Even the power word for death can be used to kill anything that cannot withstand it.
Are the angles names "Isosceles", "Equilateral", and "Scalene"?
Saw this and I thought of Shadow Slave (a novel)! It's got an incredible magic system with true names and dreams (nightmares, really) pivotal to the plot.
hehe HAHA, im just scrolling the comments for any snippet of shadow slave, IT MAKES ME SO HAPPY TO SEE IT OUT IN THE WILD
I’ve always found the idea of names as a bind or a spell interesting because, in a way, they are. Names are just boxes we assign things into to catalog them and it seems to never truly show what the thing is. A tree is in a plant category but really it’s got a lot more to it than just a plant.
One of my favorite magic systems, reminds me of Egyptian Mythology.
The Kane chronicles!!
@@user-PIANO22110EXACTLY WHAT I THOUGHT OF WHEN CLICKING THE VIDEO
@@BrokenVessel_ripSAMEEEEEEE
I was once told as a kid that people have second and even third names to protect them from fae trying to steal their names. Since pretty much no one expects you to give more than your first and last names in any situation, not mentioning your second name keeps you safe. And then you've got an even rarer third name in case they do think to ask for your second.
I actually saw a relevant pirate software clip recently. He mentioned that he was saved from identity theft one time because the person trying got his middle name wrong on some forms.
@@Tigersight0 Yet more proof that anti-fae protection measures work in a digital era as well.
Oh eragon was such a amazing book. I read it when i was 13-14 and the system of having to know the real names of objects snd concepts was so unique.
Here in programming we learn to not to use the word "chair" altogether and instead we use the word "sittable", something that you can sit on 😂
In a sense, that means that when creating an entity (a function or a class), we intentionally restrict its power by not allowing it to know something's true name.
"This is a T, which has the traits ISittable and IMovable, but you don't get to know anything else about it."
Thanks!
Actually, your pronunciation of Picasso’s full name was 99% perfect!
14:08 I smelled the "Brilliant" ad from five million miles away the second you said "nevertheless." YOU CAN'T FOOL ME WITH YOUR TRANSITIONS! AAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHA!
11:44 "ROCK!" Mystical explosion.
I know that the Touhou series makes use of a variation of this. It is built around the idea of a name being something defined by human belief.
The core is that stuff such as the divine and supernatural is by its nature mysterious. By giving them names, they becomes collapsed and lose their mysterious nature.
There is also one character with the power of purification who managed to purify herself of everything, including her name.
Just when I get yelled my full name to come over to see whatever Instagram post my roomie found
Edit: 9:20 oh I'm glad you mention this stuff a little in the video, I didn't know you would so I wrote the below first.
"Eragon" the book by Christopher Paolini and the subsequent books in the series are the examples of "true names have power" that my mind goes to because that is the main magic system. If you know the name of the thing in the language of magic you can control it, even people. For people you have to know and truly understand them in order to figure out their name and it truly is terrifying to be utterly controlled and forced to know, understand and acknowledge who you really are with no delusions.
Shadow slave and the name of the wind are one of my favorites fantasy novels and are like this
Bro i immidiatly thought of shadow slave too
Went str8 to the comment to search for a fellow shadow slave reader
We have gathered
Was looking for this comment Lost from light is a cool name
I thought he would mention shadow slave
Imagine the sway you'll have as a producer working with a musician if you can effortlessly name exactly what they're trying to go for.
You forgot to mention another symbolic meaning behind names that is arguably more important than all others.
That is that to name something is to identify it, and therefore to understand it.
When a doctor specifies an illness, the puzzle pieces fit together they all of the sudden can fix it.
When you name the reason behind something that bothers you, you now know how to tackle the problem, whether thats a scary demon in a movie or something less creepy.
12:45 "what sounds would these names even be composed of?" maybe the sounds of a CNC machine whirring and cutting away material to form the object? :p
Oh my lord, your covering the magic system in Eragon!
1:24 Light Yagami is giving up on him😂😂😂
1:50 AYYYY, School of Athens reference! Nice :3
The Case Study of Vanitas does a really good job with this concept
Was waiting for Eragon to mentioned lol
I actually scared my family because I got so excited when you mentioned Inheritance lol
I've always liked the concept of "true names" or "hidden names," something that tells you exactly what that person is, what that thing is, who YOU are. As I've gotten older, though, it feels...incredibly invasive, and entirely too personal. Idk, though.
Thematically, names are your legacy, a signpost of your very identity. When a man declares, "I am Spartacus," he is not merely stating his name, but also saying, "Everything you have heard Spartacus do? I have done that. I have the ability, and the drive." Historically, many people are given epithets or titles that are their names that symbolize what they are capable of. When Liu Bang conquers all of China, he adorns himself the title "Han Gaozu," or "The High Ancestor of Han" - the name itself is a symbol of his accomplishment.
I have in my minds a magic system that relies on this concept, where names can be removed, worn, or otherwise donned. The "name" is representative of a person's history. You can wear a name and retain what is fundamental to your original name, but if a name is removed it has detriments. The name reflects the memory of that person, the ability to recognize them, and the person's skills - someone without a name can build a new name, and even retains some of their original talents, but in a highly degraded form. Someone who wears the name can be recognized as the original holder and gains attributes of the holder.
Suppose you were to take Usain Bolt's name. He would still be a fast runner, even without his name, but not to the same speed. Any person could then wear the name "Usain Bolt" and become a world-class runner.
4:33 there aren't countless names, there are just ten, and you can say the letters of his true name but not pronounce it. for those who intrested the true name is Y E H O V A
LOVE this content. Software developer here. I might be a little emotional right now but this video made me cry. That's all have have the mental capacity to say ATM, but PLEASE keep up the great work!!!!!
i have a character who (sorta?) uses names interestingly.
basically, he has a console, which he can type code into, which he can use to effectively manipulate reality.
like, bro can `getPerson(fullName).startAction(speak("bleh"));` and the person will just... be compelled and actually just do it.
and since he can do that by simply getting someone through their real name(or in other words, the unique name that references them in the world's code), he always hides his name, in fear that someone else might use something similar against him.
Life Console
I think your summation of the ineffability of words is really accurate. It also gives me reminders of how often Zen Buddhist authors will point to students not getting the point of a koan because they insist on trying to use language to answer the question, and still missing that there wasn’t a question.
The idea that your name is what makes you unique in the universe. Without your own special name you become something generic or basic. Becoming just a human almost makes you an object.
Wow, this takes me back! I tried to create a language as a kid that would describe things in a way that when heard you would have a rough understanding of what it looked like even if you had never seen the object before. I would separate everything into sections and the form of each section would get its own sound. If the sound for "round" is "bo" and the sound for a cylinder shape is "la", then a small ball could be described as a bo, a bigger one is a bobo and a bean shape would be bolabo. I remember giving up on the idea when I tried to describe a star shape.
I was such a weird kid. 😄
4:46 you said it perfectly ;)
Earthsea was the first fantasy I have read and this video has been a big blast from the past.
as someone who speaks Hebrew i can say your pronunciations are not completely terrible, which is way better than most English speakers
Thanks
Fr this is the best channel ever
True Names as a Magic System is a video I have been quietly waiting for years to see you make. I am excited (Eragon was my first YA/Hero's journey fantasy series)
Immediatly thought of eragon when I read the title
This genuinely might be your best video, this trope appears so much in stories I've been revisiting (Dr. Who and Death Note especially) and your examples and points are fantastic, thank you for making and sharing mister Foundry🖤🖤💖💖💖
*Flash of Tales From The Valley*
STAY IN THE BOX, NO STAY IN THE BOX! NO! NO! GET OUT OF MY SKIIIINNNN
The entire time watching this I was waiting for The Inheritance Cycle to be mentioned and the wait definitely paid off for the satisfaction
Another perfect example is Sunny from Shadow Slave
"Do Chairs Exist?" on Vsauce gives some amazing food for thought on this same concept.
I've always considered a TRUE NAME as something equivalent to invoking something, or someone's, soul. A description of something that includes all of it's history, it's thoughts, it's form, everything that describes its existence. But to do this, you would need an infinite number of words, which is, of course, impossible.
Thank you so much for this video, I really enjoyed it!
In Revelation 14:3. It describes a special group of people, the 144,000, who sing a unique song before God.
"And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth." (Revelation 14:3, NIV)
This is very interesting being that it could be "THE LANGUAGE" The all superior one with a name for everything. This is just a theory, the verse could be more figurative speech, but it's very cool imo.
After the age ends, it also says in Revelation 20 something that each child of God or citizen of heaven will get a new name that is only known to God and that person. They find out their new name by receiving a white stone with the new name on it. Pretty cool.
@@cdheidt that's very interesting 🤔
And In Revelation 19 it describes the return of Jesus as a conquerer who has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself.
A true name is the energetic sound vowles and cadences that link with the very essence of a thing usually spoken in a long forgotten language of creation or the true speach and when u call that name with power and authority u comand the thing itself
Sunless from shadow slave also has to keep his true name a secret, else he becomes a slave.
I remember reading the inheritance cycle and being utterly enamored by it's magic system of true names.
It was awesome.
eragon?
Finally, I was looking for this comment
Mentioned, as it should be. As was "A Wizard of Earthsea," another essential modern reference.
The video recommended before this being about sim swapping is a delightful connection
my favorite example of this is the kane chronicles by rick rordian
One of my favorite series is the Diane Duane's Young Wizards series (starting with So You Want To Be A Wizard). The magic system is almost hard sci-fi in how it's implemented - to make anything happen, you must describe it fully and how you want it to change, and 'sign' it with a description of yourself. If you describe yourself wrong, the spell fails, or sometimes it works but you change yourself.
Any Eragon fans here ??
you are a very comforting youtuber, soft spoken and kind
thank you for making what you do
I am surprised he didn't mention the collection of thousands of fake Chinese letters, letters open to names, pronunciation, and meaning.
that video made me think of Doopliss, the boss of the fourth chapter in paper Mario the thousand year door. Doopliss steal Mario identity and challenge him to guess their name, essentially asking Mario to see past through the perfect disguise of the duplighost. Before Mario find Doopliss name, they are invincible, the disguise is perfect, but when Mario utter it name, the disguise has now a flaw that make them vulnerable.
THE NAME OF THE WIND!
i play this channel in the bg while I study cuz his voice is so calming, it helps me focus
No one calls Esteban Julio Ricardo Montoya de la Rosa Ramírez a thief!
No one has the time!
I love that, I remember seeing a mind control spell in a bad DND homebrew video, and all you needed was the name of the target, and I love the idea. I couldn't get the idea of a world where the reveal of your name is the greatest act of trust out of my head ever since.
A honor mention: Skyrim and the Thu'um.
The dragons and the dragonborn are so connected with the "Voice" that the words they say appears in reality. Like Fire or literally Force. When you say a dragon's name they must appear. But to a normal human, it's needed years of meditation about that word.