#their names are Marpha and Eva

[kedicatt]

drafts of critters for one of my stories

+versions with hair because they are supposed to be anthro in the final design

[etymology-of-the-emblem]

Marpha / マーファ

Marpha is the name of the Verdanian castle ruled by Prince Gandolf in Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War. Marpha is the name of the apple capital of Nepal. However, I don't believe that to be the intent behind this name.

The Japanese name of Marpha is マーファ (rōmaji: māfa). I believe this to be a corruption of マーフィ (rōmaji: māfi), the Japanese rendering of the name Murphy. Murphy is an anglicization of the Irish surnames Ó/mac Murchadha and Ó/mac Murchadh, meaning "(descendant of) a sea warrior".

I believe the name is intended to reference Diarmaid mac Murchadha, a king of Leinster who was deposed by the High King for the abduction of Derbforgaill, wife of king Tigernán Ua Ruairc. Exiled, Mac Muchadha fled to England to request aid from King Henry II. He gained support from some of the Anglo-Norman nobles and invaded Ireland, marking the beginning of the Norman conquest of Ireland. All of this is very appropriate regarding Marpha's ruler and the conflict between Verdane and Grannvale: Gandolf abducted Edain like Mac Muchadha did Derbforgaill, which brought about conflict with a neighboring nation.

I do have to recognize some possible issues regarding my theory. First of all, Diarmaid mac Murchadha is often anglicized as Dermot MacMurrough, using an alternative anglicization than Murphy. There is also the presence of a character in Jugdral's second game, Thracia 776, named マーフィ, and is thus localized in the current fan-translations as Murphy. This could suggest that Marpha is intended as another name. However, I do not feel this would outright reject my speculation, as in Genealogy of the Holy War itself are the names エヴァ(rōmaji: eva) and オイフェ (rōmaji: oifei) — both of which are referencing the Irish name Aoife.

If anyone would like to suggest alternative possibilities of what Marpha's name is supposed to be, please contact me. I'm always happy to discuss, and will make edits when needed.