The Republic of Heaven

Rai wrote:

Daniel wrote:

Enitharmon wrote:Apropos of nothing at all, 'Pantalaimon' is Greek for 'all sufferings'. Just thought I'd show off!

Really? I thought it was derived from 'Panteleimon,' a Macedonian saint whose name means 'all-merciful'. [google]

Do either of you know what Kirjava means? Serafina never says but she says she'll know in time.

kirjava's finnish for colourful... something like that... she'll know in time 'cause she becomes a colourful cat.

my site, but the linking's screwed up right now wrote:Pantalaimon

Panteleimon, Greek – all merciful

Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon, Patron Saint of the Commission, feast day 27 July (9 August, Gregorian); his skills as a physician and his reputation as a man of God brought him to the attention of Emperor Maximilian. After interrogation, he reaffirmed his faith in Christ. He was executed (after many attempts) 27 July 304 AD (Russian Orthodox).
http://crch.rbsocc.org/st_pant.html

Azrael - According to the Koran (Islamic) Azrael is one of four archangels, the angel of death, who severs the soul from the body; name and concept are borrowed from Judaism, meaning "help of God" in Hebrew

There has to be a connection between that and Roger.

whoa, never realised that. and wow, people do visit my site.


but whoa... i should've realised that.

That's pretty awesome. :jaw drops: Pullman had to have known about it, or it is one of those wonderufl coincidences that really makes you think.

Side note: As we were naming off Asriel/Azraels, there was an Azrael in Dogma. (that Jay & Silent Bob film that is in many ways like HDM)

except God is senile and so not female.

pvflaggirl wrote:That's pretty awesome. :jaw drops: Pullman had to have known about it, or it is one of those wonderufl coincidences that really makes you think.

Side note: As we were naming off Asriel/Azraels, there was an Azrael in Dogma. (that Jay & Silent Bob film that is in many ways like HDM)

who was azrael in dogma?

some guy called jason lee was in heartbreakers, almost famous, vanilla sky (http://www.imdb.com)

no, which character was that... what'd he do?

He was the guy in white who planned the whole thing, the former muse. He sent Bartleby and Loki the article that told them about the church. He was in charge of the guys with the hockey sticks.

ooh i seem to have missed that 1! care to explain,
although i suppose army, navy no difference in the end.Im underthat pp knows everything illusion as well.
i think hes the messiah lol

Missed what one?

I know you can find these in any books of names...but Lyra means a lyre (you know, a harp-like instrument), and Will (William) means 'Iron Will' as in determination. I think they suit the characters, don't they? I didn't know about Kirjava/Pan/Asriel/Metatron etc...but that is SO COOL (sorry, have had obsession with names ever since reading Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea Quartet...and nobody ever thinks about NAMES any more except authors and psychopaths like me.)

at my annotations site, i got a whole thing on pan and azrael. well not really azrael... i've a got a link for him.

I'm going on your site, Jess, after my sister uses the phone. I shall come back on line afterwards and rave about how good it is, no doubt!

or how incomplete it is, LoL.

but Lyra means a lyre (you know, a harp-like instrument),

I thought Lyra might be a variation on Lyca from Blake's poems The Little Girl Lost and The Little Girl Found in the Songs of Experience, excerpts from which appear in the epigraphs in The Amber Spyglass and which generally have a beautiful relevance to Lyra.

http://www.everypoet.com/archive/poetry ... ntents.htm

Max wrote:

but Lyra means a lyre (you know, a harp-like instrument),

I thought Lyra might be a variation on Lyca from Blake's poems The Little Girl Lost and The Little Girl Found in the Songs of Experience, excerpts from which appear in the epigraphs in The Amber Spyglass and which generally have a beautiful relevance to Lyra.

http://www.everypoet.com/archive/poetry ... ntents.htm

And, of course, http://www.bridgetothestars.net/index.php?p=epigraphs

I love the coy way the very first chapter heading quote leaves out the first line of the stanza!

Sleeping Lyca lay
While the beasts of prey,
Come from caverns deep,
Viewed the maid asleep.

You are all probably right...much much more likely! But I was just going by the exact definitions of the names...As in, when you go on 'name' websites and they tell you what your name means (I think I've spent far too much time doing this!) But seriously...NO ONE THINKS ABOUT NAMES ANY MORE!!!!!!! (except us, here, in this forum!)