Mahoyaku Spells

[hyalinee]

Hello! This is primarily my own research and analysis, with some comparing to this JP user's analysis of the spells. This might not be entirely accurate, but hopefully gives you some idea to how I concluded what the spells mean, as well as my choice for romanising the spells the way I did.

EDIT: Made some updates based on this thread.

This is also still a work in progress, as I'm tweaking some of the spells (mainly Rutile, Chloe, and Lennox).

Anyways, please enjoy!


Changelog:

10 Jan 2021 - Added some additional information for Brad, Nero, Rustica, Shylock, updated Chloe and Lennox's spells

Western Country

Rustica

Katakana: 「アモレスト・ヴィエッセ」 || Amoresuto vu~iesse
Romanisation: Amores Viesse
Meaning:
Portugese; Latin
amores - love (plural), term of endearment.
viesse ->vir - come, would come (singular, subjunctive)

love will come; lovers will come

Subjunctive suggests anticipation, hope. ie literal translation is love comes, but I would translate it as I hope love will come. Which makes perfect sense to Rustica, because he’s still hoping to find his bride.

Is Rustica secretly Snow White

An alternate take on the spell is it is parts of the phrase Amor est vitae essentia⁠— love is essential, which would make the spell amor est viesse. Also a very Rustica-esque sentiment.

Chloe

Katakana: 「スイスピシポ・ヴォイティンゴーク」|| Suisupishipo vu~oitingōku
Romanisation:
Meaning:
Latin
cognitio - learning, knowledge
sui ipsius - self

Theorised to be part of the phrase “Initium sapientiae cognitio sui ipsius”, which translates to knowledge of self is the beginning of wisdom. However, Chloe’s spell is just cognitio sui ipsius, which is know thyself. The Greek phrase for this is gnōthi seauton, which can be found chiselled into the walls of the Temple of Delphi.

Shylock

Katakana: 「インヴィーベル」|| In'vu~īberu
Romanisation: Inviebelle
Meaning:
Latin; English/French
invie -> invius - inaccessible
belle - beautiful/charming woman

inaccessible beauty

Invie can also be seen as a shortened form of invitation, making Shylock’s spell invite beauty. But given Shylock’s yearninghistory, an inaccessible beauty perhaps makes more sense.

There is also a theory that speculates that Shylock’s spell could be parts of the Latin phrase in vino veritas, or translated in wine you find truth. ie people are more truthful after drinking, which is definitely something Shylock has experience with.

Murr

Katakana: 「エアニュー・ランブル」 || Eanyū ranburu
Romanisation: Eanul Lambru
Meaning:
Latin; English; Spanish
eanul -> lunae - moon (feminine)
lambru -> umbral - shadow; threshold

shadow of the moon

Ah, what do you say about Murr's spell.

Northern Country

Snow & White

Katakana:「ノスコムニア」 || Nosukomunia
Romanisation: Noscomuna
Meaning:
Spanish; Latin
nos - to us, us(reflective) / we, us
comuna - commune

Our community, a community ourselves.

Snow is White, White is Snow, etc etc. The twins have never needed anyone else besides each other, and were a community onto themselves.

Mithra

Katakana: 「アルシム」 || Arushimu
Romanisation: Arthim
Meaning:
Hindi
Sememe - a semantic language unit of meaning (too many brain cells required for Mithra imo)

alternately, no meaning, simply an anagram of Mithra’s name. which would suit him, the dumbass. Tiretta probably saw him and gave up with the fancy spell words and slapped his name down anagrammed and said THERE. DON’T YOU DARE FORGET.

Owen

Katakana: 「クーレ・メミニ」 || Kūre memini
Romanisation: Cur Memini (koo-ray me-me-ni)
Meaning:
Latin
cur - (impatience) why, wherefore, for what reason?
memini - remember

Why remember?

Tying into Owen’s lack of a memory, and the fact he has two spells, I wonder if this was a recent spell. But perhaps also as a question for himself and for the Sage. Why should he remember, and does he really need those memories?

Katakana: 「クアーレ・モリト」|| Kuāre Morito
Romanisation: Quare Moritor
Meaning:
Latin; Spanish; Japanese
quare - why
moritor - die (second/third person, future, imperative)
morito - common name of the glossy ibis in Spain.
morito - 守人, protect people

Why protect people?
You die/He dies, why?

Moritor is an imperative, making it a sort of statement. Quare Moritor is questioning mortality, and seeing as Owen can’t really die, probably makes perfect sense to him. You could frame it as a curious question, as in why do you die when you don’t need to (you just need to pull an Owen and seal away your soul, or yknow, be stronger than everyone like Oz)? Or you could frame it as a child’s question, why do people die?

Bradley

Katakana: 「アドノポテンスム」 || Adonopotensumu
Romanisation: Adnopotensum
Meaning:
Latin
ad - to, towards
potens - strong; powerful
sum - be

to being powerful

For Bradley, the weakest of the Northern wizards, he’s striving towards (more) strength, but he’s always been that way.

The phrase is also theorised to be a quote from Seneca's De Ira, specifically the phrase ad nocendum potentes sumus, translating to we all have power to do harm. Which I think, is a philosophy Bradley subscribes to but probably, not in the way Seneca meant for it to be taken. Seneca was also Nero's tutor and advisor, helped to stabilise his rule before Nero went bonkers. This parallels the implications that Bradley raised Nero and taught him most of what he knows.

Eastern Country

Faust

Katakana: 「サティルクナート・ムルクリード」|| Satirukunāto murukurīdo
Romanisation: Salliuqnart Mullcredo
Meaning:
Latin; English
salliuqnart -> tranquillas - to quiet, to calm
mull - to think over
credo - to trust, believe in; belief system that influences the way you live

to calmly think over a belief/and believe

I think back to Faust’s history and his revolution, in the things he must have believed in. The spell initially starts out as proof of his conviction, that he has thought this over and this is what he believes in with all his heart, but after the revolution becomes a warning to himself.

Nero

Katakana: 「アドノディス・オムニス」|| Adonodisu Omunisu
Romanisation: Et Uno Disce Omnis
Meaning:
Latin
et - for (usually and, can mean for depending on context)
uno - join, unite; one
disce - learn
omnis - all; every

For one, learn everything

Nero changed his spell word after urging (threats?) from someone because it lacked conviction. So for himself, he is learning what he can.

Nero’s spell is also very similar to a quote from Virgil’s Aeneid, ab uno disce omnes, which translates to from one learn all. There is speculation that his spell and Bradley’s have parts taken from the respective quotes their spells came from.

Heathcliff

Katakana: 「 レプセヴァイヴルプ・スノス」|| Repusevu~aivurupu sunosu
Romanisation: Repsev Aivulp Sunos
Meaning:
Latin
respev -> vesper - evening
aivulp -> pluvia - rain
sunos -> sonus - sound

Dusk, sound of the rain

When you think about Heath’s mana area being under his covers on rainy mornings, it makes perfect sense because it’s important to him.

Shino

Katakana: 「マッツァー・スディーパス」|| Mattsu~ā sudīpasu
Romanisation: Matzah Sodipas
Meaning:
Hebrew; Latin
matzah - bread, flatbread
sodipas -> sapidos - tasty, delicious

Bread Tasty™

So you know how Shino’s big backstory is about bread and delicious pies and being fed by Lady Blanchett? It makes perfect sense because it’s a defining thing for Shino and he’s very straightforward about what he wants, but also Oh My God, Shino.

(When I embarked down this research spiral, I said to my friend that Shino’s spell was probably something like bread tasty pie delicious and I Did Not Want To Be Right. But I Was. Damnit Shino.)

Southern Country

Figaro

Katakana: 「ポッシデオ」 || Posshideo
Romanisation: Possideo
Meaning:
Latin
I possess, own. have

I wonder at Figaro’s spell, what is it he has and owns. Especially when you consider that Figaro is very much the loneliest figure in the entire franchise from his own actions of deliberately distancing himself from people and things. He has very little to tie him to anyone or anything. Who, or what, does he possess? Or perhaps, a reminder he possesses nothing at all.

Lennox

Katakana: 「フォーセタオ・メユーヴォ」|| Fōsetao meyūvu~o
Romanisation: Forset Hao Meiuva
Meaning:
Latin
Forsan et haec olim meminisse iuvabit

Basically portions of the phrase, which translates to “and perhaps it will please (us) one day to remember these things” from the Aeneid by Virgil. An alternate translation: “someday, perhaps, it will help to remember those troubles as well.”

Lennox has had a troubled life up to this point, this phrase would remind him that there are better days ahead, that one day he will look back and remember those days perhaps with pleasure, or perhaps with relief. But with the knowledge he has survived it so far, that he has made it through. If you consider this in conjunction with the fact that his assigned tarot is the Wheel of Fortune, it highlights how important that period of his life was to Lennox, and how much it has changed him and set his course.

Rutile

Katakana: 「オルトニク・セトマオージェ」|| Orutoniku setomaōje
Romanisation: Ortonik
Meaning:
Latin; English
orto -> ortus - a birth (dative/ablative, masculine/neutral)
nik -> kin - family
-nik (suffix) - denoting a person associated with a specified thing or quality.

ortonik - a birth from the family/to the family; alternately person who gave birth

Mitile

Katakana: 「オルトニク・セアルシスピルチェ」|| Orutoniku searushisupiruche
Romanisation: Ortonik Seal Sispilce
Meaning:
Latin; English
orto -> ortus - a birth (dative/ablative, masculine/neutral)
nik -> kin - family
-nik (suffix) - denoting a person associated with a specified thing or quality.
seal - to close off
sispilce -> eclipsis - omitted; omission

ortonik - a birth from the family/to the family; alternately person who gave birth

Mitile’s spell is basically I was born to this family [redacted]. Considering it was given to him by Figaro in an attempt to seal his magic, I wonder what his actual spell would be, when he realises the full scope of his power, and how this will change him.

Central Country

Oz

Katakana: 「ヴォクスノク」 || Vu~okusunoku
Romanisation: Vox Nox
Meaning:
Latin
vox - voice
nox - night

Voice of the night

Arthur

Katakana: 「パルノクタン・ニクスジオ」|| Parunokutan nikusujio
Romanisation: Pernoctant Nixzo
Meaning:
Latin
pernoctant - to spend the night with (active, present, plural, third person)
nix - snow
zo -> oz

He who spends nights with Oz in the snow

The spell is basically Arthur’s childhood with Oz. His mana area is seeing the aurora borealis from the window of Oz’s castle, and you only see the aurora at night. Oz probably let him stay up too late.

Cain

Katakana: 「グラディアス・プロセーラ」 || Guradiasu purosēra
Romanisation: Gladius Procera/Procella
Meaning:
Latin
gladius - sword
procera - long; tall
procella - storm, tempest; tumultuous
procelles - French; storm, tempest

The sword is tall; the sword storm/storm of the sword/tumultuous sword

His sword is very long, you guys.

Okay innuendo aside, Cain is clearly more proficient with his sword than he is with his magic, as demonstrated when he comes to save you at the very start of the main story. Hence the alternate reading/spelling of procella, meaning storm. His sword is also a storm.

Riquet

Katakana: 「サンレティア・エディフ」|| Sanretia edifu
Romanisation: Sanretea Edif (san-ruh-tey-uh e-diph)
Meaning:
Latin
sanretea -> aeternas - to immortalise
edif -> fide - faithfully

to faithfully immortalise

Given Riquet’s background, his spell is fairly self explanatory. His entire world has been that cult, and he has a very strong belief and faith that is demonstrated very often in the story, even if he may occasionally cave for chocolate.

Other notes:
I leaned deeply on the assumption that the spells were in Latin, English, French, or one of the more well spoken languages in the world (Spanish, Portugese).