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.[Blood Omen/5][Blood Omen/6][Soul Reaver 2/5][Blood Omen/Miscellaneous][Defiance/Miscellaneous][Defiance/12] 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.[Blood Omen/5]
- Manus Celer Dei – "The swift hand of God". Scrawled in Blood on the walls of Vorador's pantry, apparently by Vorador himself.[Blood Omen/6]
- 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 era following Blood Omen.[Soul Reaver 2/5]
- 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.[Blood Omen/Miscellaneous]Defiance/Miscellaneous[Defiance/12]
Behind the scenes[]
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".[Blood Omen/Cut content] In the cut audio, the phrase was mispronounced "Lustum".[1] 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.[2][3]
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.[3][Blood Omen 2/Cut content][4]
See also[]
- arcane symbols
- Blood script
- Feral humans' language
- Ignis Fatuus
- Lovecraft's Diary
- Meridian's written language
- Vae victis
- Vae Victus (Vae Victis) at Dark Chronicle (by Ardeth Silvereni).
References[]
- ↑ Blood Omen: Unused Dialogue at Dark Chronicle (by Ardeth Silvereni)
- ↑ Miscellaneous Questions & Answers at SK: The Complete Guide To Legacy of Kain (archived at Dark Chronicle)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Miscellaneous Deleted Dialogue at The Lost Worlds (by Ben Lincoln)
- ↑ Vae Victus (Vae Victis) at Dark Chronicle (by Ardeth Silvereni)