The ancient tongue was a Nosgoth language, spoken only on occasion and probably antiquated. It featured in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, Soul Reaver 2, and Legacy of Kain: Defiance. It is the Nosgoth equivalent of the real-world Latin language (various Latin phrases are quoted verbatim in these games, but are never referred to as "Latin" within the Legacy of Kain universe).
Profile
Individuals such as Kain, Raziel, Vorador, and Moebius appeared to have at least some understanding of the ancient tongue, as, perhaps, did Vampire hunters and the demon hunters.[1] The following Latin phrases appeared in the series:
- Ignis Fatuus – "Will-o'-the-wisp". Mentioned by Moebius in his first encounter with Kain as the Oracle of Nosgoth, when directing him to Vorador's Mansion.
- Manus Celer Dei – "The swift hand of God". Scrawled in blood on the walls of Vorador's pantry, apparently by Vorador himself.
- Requiescat in pace – "Rest in peace". Carved into a plaque at the base of a statue memorializing Moebius, seen in the Sarafan Stronghold of the post-Blood Omen era.
- Vae victis – "Suffering/woe to the conquered". Repeatedly exclaimed by Kain as a battle cry, and uttered by Raziel in his confrontation with Kain in Avernus Cathedral.[2][1]
Development
It is presumed that, as in the real world, Latin phrases which carry over into Nosgoth encompass this single language. This language is not actually named in the games; it is only referred to as "the ancient tongue" in deleted dialogue from Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain. Kain was to say, "it is odd to read the ancient tongue after so many years. Fatum Iustum Stultorum – how apt". Fatum Iustum Stultorum translates to "righteous is the destiny of fools". In the cut audio, the phrase was mispronounced "Lustum".[3] Silicon Knights also indicated in The Complete Guide To Legacy of Kain that "Vae victis" was mispronounced in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, and intended to correct it in the future, but Crystal Dynamics chose to order the same pronunciation when the phrase returned in Legacy of Kain: Defiance.[4][5]
The ancient tongue/Latin does not feature in Blood Omen 2, but was intended to during development. Deleted dialogue reveals that two variations of "Vae victis" were recorded for Kain by Simon Templeman, but they were omitted from the retail version. A second phrase was planned to be spoken after Kain killed the Builder in the Eternal Prison: "mors mortuibus" (death for the dead). This, however, was also excised.[5][6]
Appearances
See also
- arcane symbols
- Blood script
- Feral humans' language
- Ignis Fatuus
- Lovecraft's Diary
- Meridian's written language
- Vae victis
- File:Wiki-Icon-DC.png Vae Victus (Vae Victis) at Dark Chronicle (by Marie Tryhorn).
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Legacy of Kain: Defiance NPC transcript. Crystal Dynamics. Legacy of Kain: Defiance. (Eidos Interactive). PlayStation 2. (November 11, 2003)
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedBO1-Misc - ↑ File:Wiki-Icon-DC.png Blood Omen: Unused Dialogue at Dark Chronicle (by Marie Tryhorn)
- ↑ File:Wiki-Icon-DC.png Miscellaneous Questions & Answers at SK: The Complete Guide To Legacy of Kain (archived at Dark Chronicle)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 File:Wiki-Icon-TLW.png Miscellaneous Deleted Dialogue at The Lost Worlds (by Ben Lincoln)
- ↑ File:Wiki-Icon-DC.png Vae Victus (Vae Victis) at Dark Chronicle (by Marie Tryhorn)
