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Hello friends and gamers, Your favorite cookie recently discovered a fun observation about the originations of weapon names in past Final Fantasy games! For longtime Final Fantasy fans, it may […]
Your favorite cookie recently discovered a fun observation about the originations of weapon names in past Final Fantasy games! For longtime Final Fantasy fans, it may not come as a shock that a few names are borrowed from various folklores and mythologies. While researching the names throughout Final Fantasy history, I happened to find something cool about the ultimate zodiac weapons. Note that this will be referring to the Final Fantasy 12 Zodiac Age remastered edition which includes the International Zodiac Job System and core game systems on steroids.
Before I delve into the Final Fantasy 12 fun, I want to share why I started researching in the first place. Because of Xbox Gamepass, I have been replaying the Final Fantasy 13 trilogy lately. There are a ton of mythological references throughout the trilogy, but the presence of Norse mythology takes the most spotlight in the FF13 series. Not only are the story elements surrounded in Norse lore, but also a vast majority of Hope’s boomerang weapons are named after famous Norse birds (I’ll do another post about these later). Yeah, so this alone is what prompted my inner child to research and learn more about name origins. Just my weird curiosity again haha.
Alright, how about a fun fact about the first set of ultimate weapons? In the original international Japanese version, the set of ultimate weapons had a letter at the end of each name. Sorting the weapons by attack strength would categorize them on the menu to literally spell out “FINAL FANTASY.” Awesome! However, the Zodiac Age remastered edition sadly packed the bags with this special lettering of the previous FF weapons.
RPG fans are used to seeing strange weapon names. At this point, we are so used to looting everything, equipping the best gear available, scrapping the rest for resources, and then getting back into the action. Seriously, take a look at this list of names down below and try to guess their origins—preferably without looking the names up. Funny enough, Google Search may not even show the results you need because of the word origins.
Any guesses? No sweat! Out of pure awesomeness, the new ultimate weapons are named after the 12 months of the Hindu Solar Calendar! Why is that so thrilling to me? Well, I love random knowledge. The Hindu calendar is a dating system used in India which has been around since 1000BCE. Yeah, it’s been around for an insane amount of time!
It is based on a year of 12 lunar months and solar months. The lunar portion of the calendar is still used to establish dates of the Hindu religious year. As for the other side, the solar calendar is surprisingly used very little. What is freaking cool about the solar calendar, though, is that the 12 months are named and defined by the zodiac signs! Ding ding ding. Each month corresponds to a zodiac that fits snug as a bug on a rug into the style of FF12 Zodiac Age!
Mesa, the ultimate ninja sword, is upgraded from the serpent’s blade and utilizes poison damage. In Hindu culture, Mesa is represented as the first sign of the zodiac, Aries. Mesa translates to “ram, while mesi means “sheep”. Both words are also used to refer to the wool of the creature. Aries is often depicted as a ram or sheep so Mesa is basically a literal translation.
A great and powerful spear, but Vrasba is outclassed by only the ultimate zodiac spear in the game. This weapon is named after the Indian solar calendar month of Vrishabha, the zodiacal sign of the Taurus. Vrishabha means excellent, strong, or the best. Taurus is often depicted as a bull and the meaning of Vrishabha is also bull.
Mithuna is the ultimate gun and must be obtained from the Mudslinger bazaar in FF12 Zodiac Age. In Indian culture, Mithuna means couple, pair, or union (often in a sexual sense). Corresponding with the zodiac sign of the Gemini, Mithuna heavily represents two souls connecting as one being.
One of the two ultimate short swords in Final Fantasy 12 Zodiac Age. The Karkata is upgraded from the Blood Sword. Karkata is a really fun weapon due to the fact that it inflicts confusion on any enemy who is not immune to confusion. Now, this zodiac sign is interesting because it’s most often referred to as Karkata, but the later Hindus called it Kulira. Karkata (Kulira) corresponds to the zodiacal sign of the crab, Cancer. Karkata and Kulira both literally translate to crab or Cancer, the fourth sign of the zodiac.
One of the two ultimate short swords in Final Fantasy 12 Zodiac Age. The Simha is upgraded from the Darandal and obtained only in the bazaar by trading rare materials. Using Hindi language, Simha literally denotes a lion or wild animal. Simha is also referred to in other Hindu texts as a great wild beast and notes of one specific lion taking the form of an attribute or a weapon for a deity. Logically, Simha corresponds to the zodiac sign of Leo.
Take hold of the ultimate pole, Kanya, an upgraded version of the Whale Whisker in Final Fantasy 12 Zodiac Age. This weapon can only be used by the Monk. The solar month of Kanya corresponds to the zodiac sign of Virgo. Across many mythologies, the symbol for Virgo is always related to a maiden. Virgo is also historically represented as a divinity of agriculture.
Kanya has a few definitions but all of them are really similar. The word can be used to suggest a woman, an unmarried girl or daughter, a girl around 8 years old, a virgin, or a maiden. It also is the root word for many religious practices in Hinduism. Kanyadaan is the religious ritual of a bride’s father walking her down the aisle at her wedding. Another popular ritual is Kanya Puja: nine young girls dressed as the Goddess Durga are worshipped on this holiday. In Hindu philosophy, these nine girls are considered the nine forms and manifestations of the natural force of creation.
The Tula is the ultimate crossbow in Final Fantasy 12 Zodiac Age. Translated to English, Tula means a balance, a scale, or a weight in silver/gold. Tula is represented as the seventh sign of the zodiac, Libra. The symbol of Libra is not depicted as an animal, but as a balance of scales! Like Kanya, the Tula also has different religious practices in its honor. In many Indian regions, the Sun God, Surya, is worshiped on Tula Sankranti day. Special prayers are also offered to the Goddess, Lakshmi, for a good harvest.
The Vrscika is the ultimate hammer, upgraded from the Scorpion Tail. Vrishcika Rashi corresponds with the zodiac sign of Scorpio. Vrishcika translates to “scorpion.” The Rig Veda, one of four sacred Hindu texts, describes Vrishcika as a beast with poison to be feared like that of serpents. And of course, the sign of the Scorpio is depicted as a Scorpion. Pretty cool!
The Dhanusha is the ultimate bow, upgraded from the Sagittarius. Dhanu translates to “bow.” And what is the meaning of bow without the famous archer, Sagittarius? That’s right! Dhanu Rashi represents the zodiac sign of Sagittarius, the ancient half-human half-horse centaur known for his divine skill of healing and archery. Relating to Indian culture, the bow was the chief weapon of the Vedic Indian (1500 BCE – 500 BCE). The last act of the funeral rite included the removal of the bow from the right hand of the dead man.
The Makara is the ultimate hand-bomb, upgraded from the Volcano. Makara is our 10th amazing zodiac representation. It is a Sanskrit (an ancient Indo-European language of India) word referring to the “great Indian crocodile” but it can also mean fish, sharks, or just sea animals. Oddly enough, Makara is regarded as a sign of love or a sign of Cupid. Capricorn is the zodiac sign for Makara, and Capricorn is based on the constellation of Capricornus. Capricornus is commonly represented in the form of a sea-goat. That’s right! A mythical creature that is half-goat, half-fish.
The Kumbha is the ultimate katana, upgraded from the Masamune. In addition to being the strongest spiritual katana, it is the longest short-range weapon with double the reach of all other short-range weapons. Kumbha translates to pitcher or water pot, which is in reference to the Aquarius zodiac sign. Aquarius means water-carrier in Latin. Nothing too deep here haha
The Mina is the ultimate dagger and obtained as a rare drop from the Larva Eater. Mina is the twelfth sign of the zodiac, Pisces, and literally means fish. Pisces is also the literal Latin term for fish. I think the strangest thing I found upon researching Indian zodiacs is that Mina also refers to a type of dramaturgy (study of theater composition and the representation of the main elements of drama.) This type of theatre element is a woman who has large breasts, is unhappy, has many servants and offsprings, and is fond of water.
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