Monster Names....and their meanings

I wanted to see how many people know the origins or definitions of the doom monster names. most of these are obvious and the rest can be figured out simply by using a dictionary. Here are some of the more obscure ones.

Revenant- A body, living or dead (in this case undead.)

Cacodemon- emphasis on the caco prefix, I don't know this one but somebody once told me it meant bad in latin or greek.

Mancubus- bastardization of the two demons
Incubus and Succubus, one being a male that has sex with human women in their sleep. and the other one, vice versa I believe. this is a man - cubus

the rest are all pretty self-explanatory.

What about the original/working names for the doom enemies? You can still find evidence of them via lump names and so on.

Xanthier said:

Cacodemon- emphasis on the caco prefix, I don't know this one but somebody once told me it meant bad in latin or greek.

Cacodemon - "Harsh Devil" (actually a pretty generic term given the type of monster)

Baron of Hell - "Baron" is supposed to indicate the lowest ranking member of the highest order. In this case, the Baron is considered a boss in Doom and it is of course the weakest boss you will encounter.

Enjay said:

What about the original/working names for the doom enemies? You can still find evidence of them via lump names and so on.

Neat, that really is some fuel for the brain... Let me fetch a list of all the sprites names and we'll see if we cna make sense out of all of them :D

POSS - Former Human
SPOS - Former Human Sargeant
VILE - Archvile
SKEL - Revenant
FATT - Mancubus
CPOS - Former Human Commando
TROO - Imp
SARG - Demon
HEAD - Cacodemon
BOSS - Baron of Hell
BOS2 - Hell Knight
SKUL - Lost Soul
SPID - Spider Mastermind
BSPI - Arachnotron
CYBR - Cyberdemon
PAIN - Pain Elemental
SSWV - SS Wolfie
KEEN - Commander Keen
BBRN - Boss Brain

The ones out of here that really interest me is the Imp and Demon, what could they possibly stand for O_o?

Imp: Small devilish demon, usually lesser in rank than the other demons.

Xanthier said:
Revenant- A body, living or dead (in this case undead.)

No, it's someone who's returned (from death.) It's in most decent dictionaries. Was also a monster's name in AD&D.

Cacodemon- emphasis on the caco prefix, I don't know this one but somebody once told me it meant bad in latin or greek.

Bad or evil, from greek. Especially related to badness or lowness or character, including insanity. Demon also comes from greek and originally meant spirit, god, godling or shade (either bad or good.) Was also a spell's name in AD&D.

Mancubus- bastardization of the two demons
Incubus and Succubus, one being a male that has sex with human women in their sleep. and the other one, vice versa I believe. this is a man - cubus

Manc- (latin) means missing a hand, and both hands have been replaced by flame throwers.

EarthQuake said:
Baron of Hell - "Baron" is supposed to indicate the lowest ranking member of the highest order. In this case, the Baron is considered a boss in Doom and it is of course the weakest boss you will encounter.

The id guys played AD&D, and there Devils had hierarchies with titles such as Dukes, Barons, etc. And the greatest ones were "Arch-Devils" which was kind of used for Arch-Viles. The Hell Knight naturally also fits into this type of naming by extension.

POSS - Former Human

Possessed marine or guard.

SPOS - Former Human Sargeant

Possessed (shotgun) marine or guard.

SKEL - Revenant

Skeleton

FATT - Mancubus

Fat, heh.

CPOS - Former Human Commando

Possessed (chaingun) marine or guard.

TROO - Imp

Demon trooper (see DOOM Bible.)

SARG - Demon

Demon sargeant (Doom Bible.)

HEAD - Cacodemon

The head of the monster on the cover of AD&D's Manual of the Planes.

BOSS - Baron of Hell

Boss, but note that its sounds use BRS (from bruiser brothers, as called in the DOOM Bible.)

SPID - Spider Mastermind

Spider (called simply Spiderdemon in DOOM.)

BSPI - Arachnotron

Baby spider.

Comiclez said:
Imp: Small devilish demon, usually lesser in rank than the other demons.

A little devil, a devil's child, or a devilish or mischeivous child or childish person.

Cacodemon can also mean "bad demon" or "ugly demon".

myk said:

Cacodemon

Bad or evil, from greek. Especially related to badness or lowness or character, including insanity. Demon also comes from greek and originally meant spirit, god, godling or shade (either bad or good.) Was also a spell's name in AD&D.

Werent cacos inspired by something in D&D called the Astral Deadnaught?

Inferno said:

Cacodemon can also mean "bad demon" or "ugly demon".



Werent cacos inspired by something in D&D called the Astral Deadnaught?

Yes

Also, I think in the case of SPOS and CPOS, the S and C could very well stand for sargeant and commando, respectively.

In an early id interview about Doom II, they were planning on calling the Mancubus "Fatso". Perhaps this is the reason for the "FATT" sprite name.

Id left some old monster names in the Quake code as well:
Shalrath > Vore
Oldone > Shub Niggurath
Wizard > Scrag
Boss > Chthon

Inferno said:
Werent cacos inspired by something in D&D called the Astral Deadnaught?

Though that name was made up long after the picture, when someone decided to use it ingame.

The floating ball one eyed monster concept is likely from the beholder (one of the most memorable non-standard monsters in AD&D.)

myk said:

Manc- (latin) means missing a hand, and both hands have been replaced by flame throwers.

This is just your theory. My theory is still that the name Mancubus is cobbled together from "manducus", a character in antique commedy that personfies gluttony, and incubus. The outstanding characteristic of the Mancubus is that it is FAT, not that it is missing something. I´m not even sure if his hands are missing, or if they are just inside those napalm launchers.

Inferno said:

Cacodemon can also mean "bad demon" or "ugly demon".

I think "cacodaemon" is in the first place a fix term meaning evil spirit.

Cacodemon means "Flying tomatoe that shoots blue rasberry candy."

Tetzlaff said:
This is just your theory. My theory is still that the name Mancubus is cobbled together from "manducus", a character in antique commedy that personfies gluttony, and incubus.

You've mentioned it before, but I didn't pay much heed to it because it's rather weak and far-fetched; it's only a vague association in both form and meaning, while mine is an exacting word hybrid.

Had it been Manducubus... but you don't maim a word root like that if you're trying to retain any meaning.

The outstanding characteristic of the Mancubus is that it is FAT, not that it is missing something. I´m not even sure if his hands are missing, or if they are just inside those napalm launchers.

So? The outstanding characteristics of the Cacodemon are that it's bodiless and one eyed. Manc- is not just that it's "missing something," it is used for people who are missing a hand, most commonly replaced by a wooden one, or a hook (e.g., fictional pirates.) Also, something to follow in giving names to simple designs is to make those names as complementary as possible, fitting well and adding information to give a fuller picture. The notion that the hands have been wickedly removed and replaced by instruments of destruction is confirmed due to the name.

In my interpretation the root is being used properly in full and semantically portrays what you see (a demon with hands replaced by mechanic parts,) as opposed to a vague similarity in the words with a free assiciation between gluttony (something pretty irrelevant in an FPS) and being fat, through a traditional comedic character of sorts.

Also, look here. The main characteristics of this effigy are its huge head and prominent jaws, not a big fat body and a small head.

myk said:

You've mentioned it before, but I didn't pay much heed to it because it's rather weak and far-fetched; it's only a vague association in both form and meaning, while mine is an exacting word hybrid.

Sorry, but your assumption that a made up name like Mancubus would be the result of an exacting and meaningful combination seems much more far-fetched to me.

The invention of names doesn´t only work that exact way, and it´s a bit unrealistic if we think that the monster names were composed under the consideration of strict semantic rules. Obviously the "-cubus" ending is taken from incubus or succubus, but probably just for the simple fact that they sounded evil and demonic.

Your theory with the "manc-" coming from "mancus" doesn´t make much sense to me, because it describes in no way a defining feature of that monster.

The notion that the hands have been wickedly removed and replaced by instruments of destruction is confirmed due to the name.

The Cyberdemon also has one arm replaced with a rocketlauncher, could it be called "Mancurex" then? mancus for being mutilated and rex for being the king of demons...

Actually I think both of us are wrong... I accidently stumbled upon the word manducus when I was translating something in latin, thought it sounds almost like mancubus and then was surprised to read that the term means glutton, which fits the Mancubus pretty well. But it is probably just a fun coincidence, I doubt that the id Soft guys were so into antique drama (you never know though).

But the whole "missing a hand" thing isn´t convincing either, it would suggest the Mancubus prominent feature would be being impaired and weak (because mancus does mean all this).

I think it´s more likely that the "man-" really comes from italian "mangiare" or maybe french "manger", to eat, because, well, it is definitely fat and sure eats a lot ;)

or maybe because it kind of resembles a man.
EDIT:
hmm..
"Manduci: effigies with great, gaping jaws, used by the ancients in processions, making noise with their teeth, inciting laughter in others and causing fright..."

where is John Romero when you need him.

I had thought of Man- as "man" originally as well, though it seemed a bit mismatched and corny, till I recalled the common "manco" in Spanish and Italian, and then considered it in Latin.

Tetzlaff said:
The invention of names doesn´t only work that exact way,

You can play many word games to name the monsters, but since the naming is for a popular game one would think the designer would use either a straightforward method, or something easy to detect (somehow relative or systematic) because the names are there to stick, not to sound completely weird.

and it´s a bit unrealistic if we think that the monster names were composed under the consideration of strict semantic rules.

That's not my point, though; the thing is, the designer thought of a name as fitting and euphonic as possible. And it's not just semantic; basically there are two components in a word, the semantic one and the formal one, and I was pointing out both are showing here. The proper root of the word was kept intact and the meaning is illustrative in relation to the monster design.

Your theory with the "manc-" coming from "mancus" doesn´t make much sense to me, because it describes in no way a defining feature of that monster.

Picture the designer (probably Petersen) looking at the sprites and thinking of a name "ah, a fat demon with flamethrowers instead of hands..." Many things may have crossed his mind till he got to a name using latin that reinforced a notion of what the monster is (hands replaced, as mentioned) while sounding colorful and fluent.

And "mancus" is not just some haphazard word he came up with, either; it was used commonly as a nickname for people with a maimed or missing hand, and is used so even today in Latin-based languages (like mine.) In Latin nicknames based on physical characteristics were very common (like Caesar meant "severed," reputably delivered by surgical incision.) Note the historical example here:

The chronicle notes:
He intrusted to Mancus the defence of Tigranocerta, which city, as I have already said, the king had built in this region in honor of himself, and to which he had summoned the principal inhabitants of the country under penalty of confiscation of all of their goods that they did not transfer to it.

Tetzlaff said:
The Cyberdemon also has one arm replaced with a rocketlauncher, could it be called "Mancurex" then?

That doesn't have any demonic elements. Anyway, what matters here is that we have the names already and from them look back for elements that may tell us their origins. Each name has its background; some may share some characteristics (word combinations, latin, titles, etc.) but each is different.

But the whole "missing a hand" thing isn´t convincing either, it would suggest the Mancubus prominent feature would be being impaired and weak (because mancus does mean all this).

The name is not just a loose tag, it forms part of the whole; you can't think it's weak because it isn't: the 600 hit points and the flames it shoots ensure that. Plus think of seaworthy pirates, Darth Vader, and the Cyberdemon. Weak? Also, the creatures of Hell must live in a world of hatred and torment, where their parts are painfully torn off and replaced by brutal weaponry to perpetuate their evil.

I think it´s more likely that the "man-" really comes from

I don't think a designer with any idea would chop up the word root unless it were totally obvious, and in Latin Man- (manus) is "hand."

Another monster I had considered is the Arachnotron. The termination tron is used in games for robot like things; but in addition it actiually means instrument or tool. That'd be food for fan-fic writers, as they could portray them as the direct minions or servants of the Spiderdemon. And in DOOM II they are often placed in groups with the Mastermind, e.g., in maps 23 and 28, or also 12 in Coop.

And fianlly, the Pain Elemental also has an AD&D-like structure. The game had elementals, the most common being of the four elements, but in any case each of a "substance" followed by "elemental," like Earth Elemental, for example.

I almost listed the elemental and arachnotron but I thought that they were too simple and straightforward, since most of us have background on D&D and the like.

The thing is, cubus or ubus isn't even a word by itself they come from succubare and incubare "lie under" and "lie upon" respectively, much like a hen incubates an egg by sitting on it. All I'm saying is that don't put too much thought into it cause it doesn't follow precise guidlines, but I'd be interested to see if mancubare is a word.

no but mandare is to put in someone's hand.

Interesting...

manceps: a manciple, clerk of the kitchen.

mancipulus: a panier man (Middle Temple).

mancinus: lefthanded.

mancus: the curve of a sickle or scythe.

-from the glossary of latin words

more...

Case Singular Plural
Nominative manus manus
Genitive manus manuum
Dative manui, manu manibus, (manubus)
Accusative manum manus
Ablative manu manibus, (manubus)
Locative mani manibus, (manubus)
Vocative manus manus

The -ubus endings in the dative, ablative and locative plurals are used for acus, arcus, quercus, tribus, and usually for lacus and portus. The -ibus ending is used for most other fourth declension nouns.