(Author's Note: A lot of this work is based on different naming conventions shown in various Dawntrail promotional information over the past few months, and extrapolated from this thought process. As my thought processes and such happened before Dawntrail's release, the naming conventions may change upon the release of Dawntrail. I have no insight into any of the work the FFXIV staff works on, and this is more my own interpretation of things to come. So take it with a grain of whatever spice or seasoning readily available.)
While we've known about Dawntrail since July of last year, it was only earlier this year that we had been given our first look of Wuk Lamat, our first look at a female Hrothgar coming from the New World, Tural.
"But wait!" you ask. "How did the Hrothgar get to Tural?" While it's not specifically stated, there is some belief that some may have travelled across the frozen over Indigo Deep during the Fifth Umbral Era, in a time known as The Age of Endless Frost. Around this time, they would have probably settled in the area that would come to be known as Yak T'el, and eventually the Grand Jewel of Tural itself, Tuliyollal.
So with that bit of lore aside, we're going to go more into more of the naming conventions. And what better way to look at it, than looking at the southern half of Tural (Yok Tural), the zones within, and their real-world parallels.
And what better way that to start, than with Wuk Lamat herself.
Posted by a now-deleted user on Reddit, they reflected on the name of Wuk Lamat, it's origins, as well as it's meaning. This is what they revealed to us:
For those unaware, Wuk Lamat's is derived from the Mayan language! Roughly, "Wuk" refers to the number Seven, where" Lamat" is associated with the planet Venus, or the stars.
The significance comes from the surname. "Lamat", associated with the 8th month of the Mayan calendar and the planet Venus, represents abundance, transformation and the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. Lamat's iconography in Mayan culture is, essentially, a sign meant to mark a new beginning. Something old dies and passes on, something new blossoms in its place - and in great abundance.
So from this, we can determine that Mayan is one of the naming conventions used for the Xbr'aal.
However in my time trying to research this on my own, I have not yet found an accurate translation engine which may help future Xbr'aal to use this naming format.
Another naming convention I used was from one of the zones in Yok Tural, specifically Urqopacha. Urqopacha's name comes from the Quechua language, meaning "Land of Sierras" The Quechua language is specific to the Andes region of Peru, with the language originating from the Incan Empire.
The final naming convention actually came to me through another person interested in role-playing a Xbr'aal, in a language that I didn't even think of at the time. Like the Quechua language, the Nahuatl language is derived on the language of the Aztecs, and seems to fit the tone and the setting well.
So with these three languages at our disposal, I figure one can best figure a name for themselves using certain translation devices. And as we all know, names are one of the ways to help best define a character as a whole.
With all that being said, I hope this helps those Hrothgar who wish to be Xbr'aal in the coming days, as we finally reach the New World of Tural!
