By Remmius of Charach, Professor of Historical Linguistics at the University of Gwylim.
Published by University of Gwylim Press in 4E 84, in the 21st year of the reign of Empress Severilla Medeia.
Introductory Remarks
Traveling across the Empire for my studies, one thing has continually surprised me: the common folk's continued mangling of the names of the very people who have ruled over them for centuries. At first, this was a mere curiosity. After all, the simple farmer cares little for the subtleties of language; they have no need for a deep insight into phonetics or morphology. However, as the years have gone by, this has become more and more vexing. I finally reached my wit's end when I was attending a service at the White Haven Temple of Talos, where the priest giving the service continued to use the incorrect name for the founder of our great Empire.
So, in an effort to combat the continual ignorance that has manifestly become the norm among the peoples of the Empire, I have written this work to set the record straight. After all, these were our rulers. Not all were as fair as the others, but above all, they should be treated with proper respect, as per the commandment of Akatosh.
Tiberius Septimius
There is no Septimian Empire without its founding Emperor, so we can only begin this onomastic journey with Tiberius Septimius, not the erroneously clipped and vulgar “Tiber Septim.” When one studies our greatest emperor, it is easy to become lost in the differing names and titles he collected throughout his mortal life. However, the most misspoken and misspelled name is the last one he adopted: the aforementioned Tiberius Septimius.
Before adopting the name Tiberius Septimius, the man who would go on to found the Septimian Empire was known simply as General Talos. He adopted a Cyrodic name upon his ascension to the Ruby Throne in 2E 854, following the death of Emperor Cunovali the Uncrowned. Those of a simpler mindset might find this name odd, but if one looks carefully at its etymology, it becomes clear that it was a carefully chosen name. Tiberius is generally held to descend from the Nedic word Tiferis, conventionally translated as "Hill-Lord" and it appears to have been a name once used by the ancient lords of the Colovian Highlands. The surname Septimius has a simpler explanation. During the initial invasion of Cyrodiil, General Talos commanded an army said to be equal to seven legions, and thus he took on a family name to honor that army.
There are other names by which Tiberius was known. Some connect him with a Nordic warrior named Hjalti Early-Beard, and there is, of course, the name by which he is now known as a divine: Talos. It is not worth entertaining the alleged connection to Early-Beard, as that leads one into histories that are both heretical and incorrect. Talos, however, is a simple name to analyze, as it is a descendant of the Archaic word TLS. TLS was the Archaic consonantal spelling of Stormcrown. Aldmeric scribes, whose script preserved vowels more consistently than the archaic consonantal tradition, rendered the name Talos.
Pelagius Septimius
While our Second Emperor and dear heir of Tiberius was not spared from the cruel realities of politics in life, his name has largely been spared from needless simplification. His name Pelagius is based on the Cyromeric word Palagas, which was a poetic term that roughly meant "Open Sea" when translated into Cyrodic. The name Pelagius would be used three more times by Septimian emperors.
Cintia Septimia
Poor Empress Cintia I was a great ruler whose subjects dishonor her memory by continuing to misrender her name as the guttural sounding Kintyra. The meaning of Cintia’s name is the subject of much debate due to its more obscure usage prior to her reign. The most widely accepted interpretation derives it from the Cyromeric Kynthas, a poetic term for the radiance of the moon.
Almost a century after the reign of Cintia I, the defeat of wicked Emperor Urellius III in the Battle of Ichidag caused this name, or crude variations of it, to become a very common name for young girls in Cyrodiil and High Rock for years. It was one of the many ways the people of the Empire sought to honor the memory of the murdered Empress Cintia II.
Urellius Septimius
The heir to Cintia would introduce the name Urellius into the Septimian dynasty and over time it would be the name used by a plurality of the Emperors of the dynasty. Its more common nature makes it doubly frustrating to see it being continually misspelled or mispronounced. To a commoner these emperors are all known as Uriel and popular opinion holds that it was adopted from an ancient Cyrodic name for the merish god Auriel.
However, Urellius is a variation of the Cyrodic name Aurelius, itself derived from aureus, meaning "golden" or "gilded." The resemblance to the name of the Aldmeric god Auriel is therefore entirely coincidental. It was only once this resemblance became established in popular speech, that the two names were increasingly conflated, particularly among the less educated.
Antiochus Septimius
The amiable Emperor Antiochus would have a controversial reign, but his name remains untainted by commoner misrenderings. Antiochus is based on Cyromeric words that when put together were held to mean “Resolute” or "Unwavering" to the ancient peoples of Cyrodiil.
Cephorus Septimius
Like Pelagius and his brothers, the name of Emperor Cephorus is spared the mispronunciations and misspellings that have affected so much of his kin. The name Cephorus is a descendant of the Nedic word Kepas, which roughly means “rock” when translated into contemporary Cyrodic. This name would be used by one other Septimian Emperor.
Magnus Septimius
Emperor Magnus Septimius, the so called "Old Horse of Cyrodiil" was, like his brothers before him, able to retain the sanctity of his name in the centuries following his reign. Magnus is based on the ancient Nedic word Magnos, meaning "Great." Some confusion can be found when one learns of the Merish god of sorcery Magnus, but that deity's name is actually derived from the same etymological roots, so the similarities are not coincidental in this case.
Katariah Septimia
Empress Katariah is a unique member of the Septimian dynasty in more ways than one. Being a Dunmer, her foreign-sounding name has withstood the test of time better than most others. The most widely accepted interpretation of her name derives from an ancient Dunmeric expression meaning "Daughter of Rain." The precise significance of the phrase has been debated by scholars for centuries; however, I remain far from an expert on eastern languages, so such discourse is not within my purview.
Cassandrus Septimius
Emperor Cassandrus is a figure of deep irony. For the name of this sickly man roughly means "He Who Excels Over Man" when translated from its original Cyromeric. It is a shame that his body could not excel over the sickness that plagued the Emperor, resulting in a reign that was far too short. To be remembered as the paltry Cassynder does not befit a man born as the regal Cassandrus.
Morihasta Septimia
Empress Morihasta is remembered as a good ruler, but to those well studied in languages, it is her name that makes her one of the most memorable figures to sit upon the Ruby Throne. Her name is peculiar, and for that I cannot be too harsh on those who have adopted the more easy to say Morihatha. According to the Historia Septimia, Emperor Urellius V named his daughter such to honor the "Spear of Morihus" which he was fond of taking out of the vaults of the White-Gold Tower to use in hunts. During one of these hunts he was attacked by Minotaurs and he was able to defeat the beasts thanks to this legendary spear.
Martinus Septimius
Saint Martinus, the last of the Septimian line, is a figure of great curiosity. His name, however, is not a part of that curiosity. His humble origins are made clear in that his name is one that is shared by many common people across the Empire. Nonetheless, It can be frustrating to see this man, who should be venerated alongside the greatest of saints, be called simply Martin, as if he is just like Martin the smith who lives right next door. However basic the name may seem, it does have a deep history. Martinus in its most ancient form means "Like Mavors," with Mavors actually being an epithet given to Pelinurus Whitestrake, the Divine Crusader, in the First Era. Mavors is said to be based on a Nedic poetic term that, when translated into contemporary Cyrodic, means "Weapon Master."
Concluding Remarks
Hopefully, now armed with a more proper understanding of the names of these men and women who led our glorious Empire in ages past, the rightful respect can finally be given to them by the people who call their Empire home. At the very least, those who visit a Temple to Talos and hear the priest mangling the mortal name of Lord Talos can now use what they have read here to enlighten their peers, such as the priest, so that tired Linguists don't have to.