night bringer / night bearer

GallupsMirror

New Member

Thanks in advance for your help.

1. Clearly state the entirety of what you want translated. Quotation marks are helpful here.

"Night Bringer"

Any variation or combination of terms with a similar conceptual meaning-- such as "Night Bearer", "Dark Bringer", "Dark Bearer"-- is acceptable.

2. State what you intend to use the translation for.

This will used as the name of a character in a science fiction novel I am writing. I understand the name "Lucifer" translates into English as 'light bringer', or 'bearer of light' or 'day bringer' and so on. The name 'Night Bringer' is intended as a deliberate counterpart to the name Lucifer.

Ideally, the new name should be a single Latin word. Instances of the new name that are simpler, easier to pronounce, or suggest that it's a play on the name 'Lucifer' are preferred (in that order), if there are such choices available in constructing it.

3. Elaborate on what it means to you. Many words can be interpreted in several ways. We need some context to make sure you get the correct translation.

The character literally introduces a cycle of day and night to an artificial Earth-like world which previously had known only eternal daylight. The introduction of night resolves problems with plants and wildlife brought from Earth that were struggling or becoming alien-like in their efforts to adapt.

A scholar in the novel, one who understands ancient languages from Earth, cites the name of Lucifer and begins referring to the character in Latin as 'Night Bringer'. The scholar notes with a sense of irony how the new Latin name refers to the conceptual opposite of the ancient name of Lucifer: one who righted a natural world by bringing darkness to it.

The important thing is that the name seems credible and authentic: like an educated, creative person with genuine knowledge of the Latin language coined the name and applied it. For obvious reasons, I don't have much confidence that an automated English-to-Latin translation tool can invent the name accordingly.

4. Latin is gender specific. Please state if your phrase refers to a man or a woman.

The name will be used to refer to a woman.

I may have a few follow-up questions in creating the name and the fictional Latin scholar who applies it, depending on your reply. Once we're through I'll be happy to drop some money into your tip jar for a job well done.

Thanks again,
Gallup
 

Ignis Umbra

Ignis Aeternus

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Hi,

Unfortunately, I can't think of any single word to express this idea, but I did find a feminine word for bearer: Gerula. Hence, here is my proposition:

Gerula Noctis or Noctis Gerula, whichever order suits you best.
 

Pacifica

grammaticissima

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There is a star, the evening-star, which was called Noctifer, literally "nightbringer" (Lucifer is also the name of the morning-star, did you know?). The noun is masculine, but if we turn it into the feminine it would be Noctifera (even if this form isn't attested, it's a very likely one).
 

Ignis Umbra

Ignis Aeternus

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...why didn't I guess that...much better than mine...
 

Misius

Active Member

And in Greek it would be probably νυκτόφορος (night bringer: nyktophoros) in opposition to φώσφορος (phosphoros: Lucifer = light bringer). In a later context we also have/had things as Χριστόφορος...
 

Misius

Active Member

... I contemplated that possibility (iota).
Is the accent really on paenultima? I derived the accent positions in other words from Χριστόφορος, which was the only I had found in its Greek form.

So νυκτιφόρος in this form, with this accent position and with iota is attested by Philo Judaeus: good. I should have checked the dictionary before.
 

Misius

Active Member

Well, you assume that there was a stress, but there rather was a tone/a pitch. (See Vox Graeca, W.S. Allen)

The vowel is then a normal part of the word without any special treatment, so it is not really that odd.
 

limetrees

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There is a star, the evening-star, which was called Noctifer, literally "nightbringer" (Lucifer is also the name of the morning-star, did you know?). The noun is masculine, but if we turn it into the feminine it would be Noctifera (even if this form isn't attested, it's a very likely one).
And the cool thing here, Gallupsmirror, is that the morning star (Lucifer) and the evening star (Noctifer(a)) are both in fact the same being , the planet Venus, so you might be able to work this into your characterisation somehow.
 
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