Work Text:
Places:
Adaran - coastal village
Bergid – mountain range visible from Shejidan
Bu-javid – ancestral residence of the aiji, where the legislatures meet, political center of the Western Association
Najida – Bren’s west coast estate, on Najidami Bay
Kajiminda – Lord Geigi’s estate, on Kajidami Bay
Tirnamardi – Atageini ancestral estate
Noburanjiru – ‘Grandmother of Snows’, mountain on Mospheira called Mt. Adam (Allan) Thomas
Cobo - village near coast
Desigien - small association of villages
Fagioni - province near Malguri Sidonin - town near Taiben
Dajoshu - township Banichi is from Talidi - province
Saigiadi Observatory – observatory where Grigiji teaches, located in Caruija forest
Shejidan – capital city of the Western Association
Caruija Forest – public lands, hunting grounds
Marim - Atageini town
Tagi & Mairi - neighbor clans to the island of Dur
Taiben – A plains region of the Western Association, the ancestral home of Tabini’s family
Tasigin Marid – trouble area in the Association, located near the southern coast
~
Mospheira – island ceded to humans by the Treaty, pop. Approx. 4 million three hundred thousand
Phoenix – the starship that carried humans to the atevi world, absent for 178 years
Reunion – space station established by the Guild during their absence from the atevi world, later ceded to the kyo
Brighter Days – Toby Cameron’s boat
Mt. Allan Thomas/Mt. Adam Thomas – mountain on Mospheira where Bren skis
Note: the mountain is referred to by several names, the reader/writer can choose which one they prefer to use
Key Players:
Tabini - Aiji of Western Association
Banichi – Guild Assassin, Jago’s partner, father
Jago – Guild Assassin, Banichi’s partner, daughter
Cenedi – Guild Assassin, man’chi to Ilisidi
Damiri - Tabini’s consort, Atageini Lady
Ilisidi – Tabini’s grandmother, lord of Malguri, aiji-dowager
Tano – Guild Assassin, Algini’s partner, man’chi to Bren
Algini – Guild Assassin, Tano’s partner, man’chi to Bren
Grigiji - Astronomer Emeritus
Cajeiri - Tabini’s & Damiri’s son
Brominandi – Lord of the Association
Valasi – Tabini’s father, Ilisidi’s son, Tabini’s predecessor
Djinana – Malguri caretaker, man’chi to Malguri itself
Maigi – Malguri caretaker, man’chi to Malguri itself
Moni – Bu-javid staff
Taighi – Bu-javid staff
Rejiji – Lord of Dur’s Son
Geigi – Lord of the Association & the Edi clan, of Maschi clan
Tatiseigi – Atageini Lord, lord of Damiri’s clan
Pagioni – past Aiji
Dagina – past Aiji
Manadgi – ateva that made first contact after the Landing
Eidi – Tabini’s majordomo, Guild Assassin
Bindanda – Guild Assassin, Atageini staff/spy, works in Bren’s household on the space station
Kandana – Atageini staff/spy in Bren’s household, also works in Bren’s household
Narani – Guild Assassin, head of Bren’s household in Bu-javid
Sabiso – Atageini staff
Asicho – Atageini staff
Saidin – majordomo of Lady Damiri’s Bu-javid apartment staff
Cosidi – traitor of Talidi province
Murini – of Kadagidi clan, the usurper of the aishidi’tat
Babsidi – ‘lethal’, Ilisidi’s mecheita, mecheit’aiji
Nokhada – Babsidi’s second, gifted to Bren
Supporting Cast:
Desabi Anaro Kasari
Nawari Ruso
Antaro Ismini Gegini
Adaro Direiso
Jeladi Cori Deiso
Jeiniri Majidi Deisi
Keimi Dataini Jegari
Meisi (Damiri’s youngest sister) Deiaja (half Kadagidi, half Ajuri)
Timani Kadiyi Benedi
Geidaro Adigan Kalasi
Giri
Mandi Jelani Keishan
~
Ian Bretano – human who made first contact with the atevi after the Landing, the first Paidhi
Shawn Tyers – head of Mospheiran Foreign Office, later President
Deana Hanks – paidhi-successor, pro-human/pro-space political views
Barbara (Barb) Letterman – Bren’s long-term girlfriend
Paul Saarinson – computer tech Barb married
Toby Cameron – Bren’s brother
Jill Cameron – Toby’s estranged wife
George Barrulin – advisor to the President of Mospheira, member of the Human Heritage Party
Hampton Durrant – head of the Mospheiran State Department
Gaylord Hanks – Deana Hanks’ father, politician, the force behind the Human Heritage Party
Terms:
Agoi’ingai/agingi’ai – felicitous numerical harmony
Aishi/Aishishi – An aishi is an association among intimates
Example: an aishi could be a lord and his household, a husband and wife. Correct grammatical form is aishini, denoting the possessive form of the word.
Aishi refers to an association not only among intimates, but one that creates protective surrounds, such as an aishi surrounding a Stability of One (a person who brings stability to the numbers of any given situation).
Example: Bren is a Stability of One, he and his bodyguards are aishishi (still aishini in the possessive)
Aishi-prejid – a term that roughly means ‘a weakness has to be invaded and fixed quickly for the common good’
Aishid – clan, family, people who share man’chi (Bren, Tano, Algini, Banichi, Jago), associates that can be relied upon
Aishiin – a network of reliable associates
Note – the ‘-iin’ suffix or word ending most often denotes a pluralization
Aishidi’tat – Western Association
Aishidi’mar – Eastern Association
Ai’wita – a mid-sized animal, hunted for food (deer or ibex-like)
Aiji – lord of an association
Aijiia – plural of ‘aiji’
Ajuri – Lady Damiri’s first clan
Ami – ‘Mama’
Amidi ashi – a popular dish made with eggs
Arispesa – ‘Airspace/aerospace’ an Atev’ word that came into existence because of the rapid advancements in technology
Asi-man’chi – man’chi to family: siblings to each other, parent to child (child to parent)
Atageini – Lord Tatiseigi’s clan, Lady Damiri is part Atageini
Note: If I remember correctly, spellings of ‘Atageini’ and ‘Atigeini’ both appear in the books, both are correct
Atev’ – the name of the (only?) atevi language
Note: Ragi is a dialect of Atev’
Extra Note: Argentavis asked where the atevi language is referred to as 'atev' and I knew I'd seen it before so I went looking - I found it! Page 194 in the paperback release of Foreigner, during the conversation with Jago regarding midei.
Athmai’in – children’s forms/language, alerts the listener that the speaker is a novice and to not take offense at any slights or infelicity
Baji-Naji – fortune (baji) and chance (naji), the element of chaos and the unknown in the world
Basheigi – universe, world, earth, environment, ecosystem (in Atev’ the word for universe equally describes the larger physical universe and ones own personal, social universe)
Biichi-gi/biichi-ji – ‘Finesse’
Caiki – small animal, called bobkins on Mospheira (gopher-like)
Chimati sida’ta – fait accompli; atev’ saying ‘The beast is cooked’
Dahamidei – a believer in midei
Dajdi – alkaloid stimulant
Dihawa/bihawa – atevi instinct to test strangers to determine their place/man’chi
Dimagi – alcoholic drink
Gija – alcoholic drink safe for humans
Hadjaijid – mental condition; isolation from networks of society, having no upward or lateral man’chi, no connection to which one emotionally responds, pathologically isolated, has no real leadership – no asi-man’chi (family man’chi) either. Isolated, delusional, disconnected – a sociopath
Hai – exclamation, ‘hurray’
Hamatha ta resa (insert name)-dathasa – ‘Felicitous greetings to your lordship’
Hari’i – ‘By no means’
Haroniin – systems under stress, needing adjustment
Note: the ‘-iin’ suffix appears, denoting pluralisation
Hasdrawad – lower house of atevi legislature, representative of the common people
Hata-mai – ‘It’s all right’
Hei – ‘Of course’
Insheibi – indiscreet, provoking attention
Jeishan (Northwind) – Bren’s yacht
Kabiu – what is proper, in harmony with the earth, the observance of traditions
Kadagidi – the clan of Direiso (traitor) and Murini (traitor)
Kaid’airuni manomini ad’heiji – atevi proverb; ‘It is difficult to see the provinces from the capital’
Kyo – species from deep space
Man’chi – the driving atevi psychological and emotional force, the sense that compels atevi to flock to a leader and follow that leader at all costs
Man’chiin – grammatical form used when more than one man’chi is in play
Mani – a respectful address for ‘grandmother’, possibly extending to other elders or female relatives
Mainaigi – hormonally induced foolishness
Maogishi – a breakdown of order
Mayei-ta – ‘Thank you’
Mecheita/mechieta – quadrupedal animals ridden by atevi. Mecheiti have sharp rooting tusks used to forage for and hunt food, long, sinuous necks (I always thought of camels there) and a very sensitive bone plate in their noses – not to be pressed on! Mecheiti have the same kind of man’chi instints atevi do and always travel in herds, driven to follow their leader no matter what.
Mecheiti/mechieti – plural of mecheita
Mecheit’aiji – the leader of the herd, the animal all the others will follow
Midarga – alkaloid stimulant
Midei – the belief that luck and fortune reside in people – considered heresy
Note: when Bren tried to explain ‘friendship’ to Jago and said that Banichi is a favourable person, so Bren would do favourable things on his behalf, Jago likened that to midei
Midedeni – person who supports midei beliefs
Mishidi – awkward, lacking finesse
Nai’am – ‘I am’
Nai’danei – ‘You two are’
Naigoch’imi – feigned good will
Na’itada – refusing to be shaken in your beliefs, from your position on an issue
Noburanjiru – the root (grandmother) word of ‘kurdi’, also a mountain on Mospheira, called Mt. Adams by Mospheirans
O’oi-ana – a nocturnal lizard-like creature, likes to live in vines
Osi – word without clear etymology, no relationship to other words. When said it indicates one wants a piece of information amplified to its greatest possible extent
Pachiikiin – game animals
Note: the ‘-iin’ suffix appears, denoting pluralisation
Tashrid – upper house of the atevi legislature, representative of the lords
Tekikin – techs, i.e. computer techinicians
Wi’itkiti/wi’itkitiin – the dragonette creatures that live on cliff sides
Note: the ‘-iin’ suffix appears, denoting pluralisation
Prefixes, suffixes and pluralisation:
Nadi – an informal, but respectful, address. ‘Sir’ or ‘ma’am’ suitable for use between a lord and his staff while in a more informal setting
Note: can be used a prefix or suffix if attached to a proper name, though the dash is only used with the suffix
Example: Nadi Bren, Bren-nadi
Nandi/nand’ – A formal address, meaning ‘lord’, ‘my lord’
Note: ‘Nandi’ is a noun, equates simply to ‘Lord’
Example: “Nandi, would you care to sit?”
Nand’ is a prefix and always precedes a name
Example: “Nand’Bren, would you care to sit?”
-ji – sir, miss, ma’am, intimate address used between those of similar man’chi, often used as a possessive qualifier
Note: Also used between those of similar/same man’chi, indicates a relationship close enough for informal address to be used
Example: Aiji-ji – My aiji, Tai-ji – my papa; Bren-ji – Bren-who-is-of-my-man’chi
-ma – suffix address meaning honored sir/lady, can also be used as a possessive qualifier
Example: Aiji-ma – Honored aiji and My honored aiji are both reasonable translations
-daja – used only with noble women specifically – ‘honored Lady’
Note: can be used as a prefix and as a suffix
Nai – Prefix, indicating possession
Note: ‘Nai’ can be combined with other suffixes – nai-ji, nai-ma. As far as I can tell it’s simply a further qualifier indicating an even closer relationship between speakers. I.e. if ‘Bren-ji’ is replaced with ‘nai-ji’ it indicates a much closer personal – not work - relationship.
-iin - a suffix or end of a word indicating pluralisation. Seems to be the most common way to pluralise a word, but not the only one.
Example: Nadi = nadiin, nandi = nandiin, wi’itkiti = wi’itkitiin
Other Notes:
On the subject of languages, there is one overall language used in the Aishidi’tat – Atev’. Atev’ apparently has dialects, Ragi is one of them. Mosphei’ is the language spoken by humans, and I suspect would be considered a dialect of English. When referring to the language itself, capitalization is appropriate – “He speaks Atev’.” “He speaks Mosphei’.”
However, neither ‘human’ nor ‘atevi’ should be capitalized. If you do want to capitalize, though, it should be both or neither.
Ms. Cherryh seems to enjoy using multiple spellings in her books – and purposefully doesn’t try to keep track of them. So there are many words that have multiple spellings – and all of them are correct. It is simply up to the reader/writer to decide which on they’ll use.