STARGATE ONE - Names of Characters and Actors
Here is a list of the names of the major actors and characters of the Tv series SG-1 translated into Latin and Greek. What's a classicist doing playing with this? Well I like Sg-1 and at the time I was bored and sick and needed something to play with and its a change from the Romans killed how many of the enemy or I am a lovesick hellenistic yuppie ... etc
(A note on transliterating Greek oo = omega ee = eta etc - my schema reflects the ancient pronounciation not the demotic!
Please feel free to use this list as teaching material -
it might be useful for a Junior grade Latin or Greek class to illustrate the links between Latin and English?
RDA / Jack O'Neill
I'll start with our noble leader of the pack and literally the boss too as a executive producer of the show
RDA - Richard Dean Anderson and his alter-ego Colonel Jonathan "Jack" O'Neill.
The closest equivalent to a Colonel in the Roman military would be the rank of Tribunus Militum.
An exact parallel in Greek is not possible however there is a similar roughly parallel Byzantine word and rank Pro-istamenos.
Jonathan is originally a Hebrew name but it does not derive from the same origin as John.
(which comes from Iohanan
- God is gracious or God favors)
"Johnathan" means God's Gift or God has given a son.
The nickname Jack however is related to John via a medieval abbreviation Jan which lengthened to Jankin then changed to Jackin, the origin of Scots Jock, and then got shortened back to Jack. No relation to Jacques or Jacob or James.
Jack is actually a "John" from Iooannees the Greek version of Hebrew Iohanan.
Since Jack is a diminutive form it should be Iooannellus in Latin!
As for O'Neill it derives from a Celtic and Nordic word meaning champion or hero which tended to be changed into Latin as Nigellus the origin of the English name Nigel.
In Latin Jack O'Neill is Tribunum Militium Ioonathas "Iooannullus" Nigellus however you could also translate "Champion" into Defensoranus?
In Greek (transliterated) O'Neill is (h)O pro-istamenos Ioonathas "Ioonnees" (or Ioonnides?) Heerooikos - "heroides" of the family of heros. In Classical Greek Clan names for aristocrats were the preferred ancestor's name plus the -is / ides suffix.
Richard Dean Anderson
Richard's first name is Germanic and originally meant something like royal strength - rich coming from reich which derives from the IndoEuropean *reg radical.
(*Righ or *reg is the origin of Irish Gaelic ri(gh), Welsh - rhi Gaulish - rix and Latin rex as well as Germanic - rich and -ric)
"Hard" once had a broader meaning and implied strength and the power to endure. The modern German Equivalent is Reichhardt.
Dean may come from Old English Denu - valley or from Latin Decanus - Leader of 10, a later latin variant of the military rank Decarchus adopted by the Church.
Anderson is son of Andrew or Andreas, a popular saint with both the Scots and Scandivians.
Andreios in Greek means Manly so a certain Galilean fisherman must have been a "macho" type. It is ironic that we know Peter and Andrew by what were probably their nicknames rather than their Hebrew names. Saints Rocky and Macho!
In Latin Richard's name would be either Richardus Decanus Andreianus or Regius Decarchus Andreianus
In Greek Richardos Dekarchos Andreidees
Note also that a Greek hearing the name Niall might have been tempted to presume the Niall clan were a lost branch (post Trojan war migrants) of the famous Neleids family! Germanic and Celtic names were usually transcribed by sound rather than meaning into Latin and Greek though sometimes some attempt was made to translate the meaning of the name in the original language.
This means literally RDA is the royal tough guy, leader of ten, of the "manly" clan. And one could interpret Jack O'Neill's name as God 's gift ahero from a long line of them! Scary!!!!
Capt. S. Carter/ Amanda Tapping
Our radiant Sam is an Air Force not a Naval Captain so I'll make her title of rank Ductrix or Ducissa which was a military leader before it was used to indicate an aristocratic rank.
As Sam is also a scientist we could refer to her as a Magistra
.....Samantha is an odd name - some books claim it comes from the Aramiac for Listener and it only started being used in the 19th century with any regularity.
Carter = carrier - Portitor or fem. Portitrix in Latin, however one could also use Ianitrix - Portress or Gatekeeper (fem.)?
In Latin Sam Carter is Ductrix or Ducissa et Portitorix Samantha.
In Greek this would become Hegemoon (leader) or Despoina Samantha Phoreus or (fem)Phoreousa.
(The ph in classical Greek is the initial aspirated "strong" p at the beginning of English words)
A Portress or Gatekeeper could also be a Puloora?
Amanda's first name in Latin means Beloved which is Eroomenee in Greek or Agapeemenee.
Tapping means of the Clan of Taeppa which means one of Amanda's ancestors was pre-Norman conquest and founded an AngloSaxon clan maybe aristocratic in the Rochester area of Kent in England that her family migrated to Canada from.
In Latin this would be Tappanna and Greek Ta(i)ppidees.
Tappanna Amanda and Greek Eroomenee Taippidees.
(If by any chance this comes to Amanda Tapping's attention, I hope you don't think I'm being an obsessive fan, it's just I was sick with spring allergies and I like playing with words ...)
Dr.Jackson/Michael Shanks
Daniel Jackson is a Doctor of Archaeological Science unless his Ph.D was rewarded for linguisitcs research?
An ancient Roman would have referred to him as being a Philosophus Rerum Antiquarum Scientiae, a philosopher or learned man whose studies dealt with the knowledge of ancient things.
In Greek this would be Philosophos tees episteemees toon palaioon.
Daniel means God has judged and Jackson is well see the note on Jack. It's another accident of irony that Daniel is a Johnson considering O'Neill is probably old enough to be his father and keeps treating him as a boy. So Daniel's name is Latin is Daniel(us) Ioannus or Ioannulus? And in Greek Daniel (treat as 3rd d. Noun) Ioonnadees.
Michael is Hebrew or Who is like God! Though I suspect Michael is not particularly archangelic?!
Shanks comes from Old English Sceanca - "legs" which was later replaced by Old Norse leggr, the origin of legs in Modern English.
Leg in Latin is Crus (not crux) so Crurianus and in Greek Skelos - so skeladees. Crurianus Michael (3rd d. Noun) Michael Skeladees.
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General Hammond / Don S. Davis
Time for our favorite very modern major general!
Maior Legatus Ammonius - A Latin speaker would probably have dropped the inital H from H and changed it to the popular Egyptian suranme Ammonius - yes that is from Amun the Egyptian God. Greek Colonists in Egypt equated Amun with Zeus and Ammonios became a popular name.
Hammond however actually comes from Old Norse Hamundr the origina of Modern Amundsen which means something like High Protection" though it may also derive from Germanic *Haimo * heim via the Norse from Hamo which is the "ancestor of Icelandic Amlothi / and Hamlet!!!
Home is Domus in Latin and Oikia in Greek.
In Greek Meizoon or megistos strateegos ammonios. Strateegos or more commonly Strategos is generally translated by commander or general but its original meaning is more like arranger or organizer of the ranks of infantry.
Mr. Davis' surname is a variant of Davidson and David means Dear or Beloved or Favorite. Latin speakers would change this Hebrew name to Davus, Davidus or Davianus, and I suspect the personal name Davus which appears in the Imperial period comes from David. However one could also change his name to Amandus in Latin or in Greek Eroomenos or Philoidees?
Don is short for Donal(d), Dynfnval in Welsh which comes from the Celtic *domhan plus Valu - flath chief prince world ruler or *dubno - walos.
During the Imperial period this name in Britain, in the Gaelic areas, would have most probably been Dom(H)nal hence Domnallus or Dumnalus in Latin. The Donal element responds to Cymric Dumno- and Gaulish Dubno - so the name could have also been Dubnius or Dumnius.
We have several options in Latin: Domnal(l)us, Dumnalus, Dubnius, Dumnius. Greek speakers would have followed this but using an o in the ending. I have given several variants of this name because there were Celtic speakers all thoroughout Western Europe who became Roman citizens. The most likely form of the surname would be Davus or Amandus. Some clerks would have added the - ianus clan suffix and called the family Davianus or Amandianus
In Greek the best translation would probably be Philos plus - idees - the Beloved family Philoidees.
Teal'c - Jaffa Prime/Chris Judges
Teal'c - A Roman hearing this name would change it to Telacus and a Greek to Telakos.
Jaffa would suggest the place name Joppa - Ioppee in Greek to them and they would presume Teal'c was born in this city. The Title and rank Prime would become Princeps in Latin and Prootos in Greek so Princeps Ioppus Telacus or Greek Prootos Ioppos Telakos.
Chris' first name is the short form of Christopher - Christophorus in Latin and Christophoros in Greek - Christ bearer. Judge - did you dempster means Judge from Old English Dema. Later the deemster - was replaced by the Latin Judge from Iudex which is Dikastees or kritees in Greek.
Dr. Janet Frazier/ Teryl Rothery
Last but not least our gifted physician!
A medical Doctor (female) is Medica in Latin and Iatra in Greek - Healer.
The name Janet derives from Joanna < Ioanna and Iooanna .
Frazier is complicated. It seems to be from Freel or friseal borrowed from Englsih frizzle or curl and be some kind of pun of Red Gaelic curly hair - perhaps the Anglo-French knight who married into a local Gaelic clan to start this family line was a redhead himself and was punning on being more redheaded than the local Gaels? Many books claim Frazier also derives from Fragula or Fragana - Strawberry - a red fruit with curly leaves. Fragula in Latin is Phraoula in Greek .
Medica Fragulana Ioanna in latin and Greek Iatra Iooanna Phraoula(dees).
Teryl would get changed in Terylla or Terulla in both Latin and Greek.
The family name Rothery is interesting. There are three possible origins.
1) The anglo-irish name word Roth meaning red from Gaelic ruadh or rudri. In Latin this would be Ruber or rubrana as a name for a red head? And Greek eruthros.
2) It maybe Old English from Rother - the name of a river.This could also be Celtic
3) Rothery may come from Rothericus and be related to Roderick from Germanic *Hrodh plus rik - meaning something like famous ruler! or royal perosn or realm well spoken of since hrodh may be a cognate of * OE raed?
Peter William' s Name
Peter's First Name means ROCK in Greek. His family name Williams means Son of Thought Helm - Will + Helm. I refuse to translate Helm inot Greek since the result is extremely long an dunwieldly!
In Latin Petrus Guilelmus or Guilemianus. However you could just use the Helm element and change his family name to Cassius or Cassianus from the noun Cassis?
In ancient Egyptian this would make his name something like Iner SaKherpeshenRekh. I have substituted the word for the blue war crown since that's the closest thing I know of to a helmet which the Egyptians did not seem to have used?
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