Meta:Use of Appropriated Words in BIONICLE

From BIONICLEsector01

Throughout BIONICLE's run, many words from other languages have been used for the names of characters and other story elements. While the most famous examples are of the Māori language (Te Reo Māori), there are also words from other languages including Rotuman and Latin.

List of Polynesian Words used in BIONICLE Canon

During BIONICLE's development, The LEGO Group used several words from Māori in naming the characters and locations in the story. In May 2001, before the official North American launch of BIONICLE, The LEGO Company received a legal challenge from representatives of several Māori iwi (tribes), alleging that their use of certain words were disrespectful to Māori culture.[1] LEGO ultimately acknowledged that they had utilized words and terms from the Māori and agreed to change several of them in future usage, as well as begin developing a code of conduct that would avoid similar mistakes in the future.[2][3] This resulted in many names being changed, both from Māori and from other Polynesian languages. The lawsuit was ultimately settled outside of court.

Multiple in-universe explanations were created to explain the changes, though they have since lost most applicability. At the time of the change, The LEGO Group initially stated that the Tohunga changed their species name after realizing they were all one people.[4] However, this explanation was only relevant at the time, and has been completely dropped from continuity, along with the name itself. The characters who had to be given new names were done so under the explanation of Naming Day, wherein characters receive new names for acts of valor; while the concept of Naming Day still exists in the story, any materials set in a time period prior to the change still refer to the characters by their new names. Despite this, most Māori words continued to be used.

Character Names

  • Ahi[note 1] - "fire" in Māori
  • Akamai - "smart" in Māori. Also means "smart," "clever," expert," "smartness," "skill," "wit" in Hawaiian
  • Gali - "water" in Gamilaraay
  • Hafu - "rock," "stone" in Rotuman
  • Hahli[note 2] - may derive from hali meaning "to carry," "to fetch," "bear" in Hawaiian
  • Huki - can mean "pull" in Māori. Derived from "huke" meaning "to dig up," "expose by removing the earth," "excavate," and "mine"
  • Inu[note 1] - "to drink" in Māori
  • Io[note 3] - named for the supreme creator deity in Polynesian mythology
  • Kāpura - "fire" in northern Māori dialects
  • Kōpaka - "ice," "frost," "hail," or "glacier" in Māori
  • Kōpeke - "cold" or "to be cold" in Māori
  • Kongu - "to be cloudy," "overcast" in Māori
  • Lewa - means "sky," "atmosphere," "space," "air," "upper heavens," "aerial" in Hawaiian (ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi)
  • Lhii - may come from Lhi in Tahitian which means "skill," "wisdom," "dexterity"
  • Kotu - from koutu meaning "to dip," in Māori
  • Maku - "wet," "moist," "damp," "soggy," "dampness," "wetness," "moisture" in Māori
  • Makuta - similar to mākutu, meaning "witchcraft", "magic", "sorcery" or "spell" in Māori. Makutu also means "to inflict physical and psychological harm and even death through spiritual powers," and Alastair Swinnerton recalls taking this from Hawaiian
  • Marō[note 1] - means "stiff," "hard," "solid" or "unyielding" in Māori; also means "victory" in Rotuman
  • Matoro - "to investigate" in Māori
  • Nokama - may derive from Noka or Nokata or "to tie up," "make fast," "a boat from going adrift" in Fijian
  • Huma - may come from Hawaiian where it is the name of the star Aquila
  • Jala - "to burn" (especially grass), "to set fire," to flare up" in Rotuman
  • Mātau - "know" in Māori. Also means "axe" in Fijian
  • Nuparu[note 2] - may derive from paru meaning "dirt," "mud," "earth" in Māori
  • Nuju - may come from Rotuman where the word means "spokesman," or "mouthpiece" (person)
  • Onepū - "sand," "sandy" in Māori
  • Onewa - can mean "basalt" in Māori
  • Onua - possibly derived from honua in Hawaiian meaning land, earth, world
  • Papu[note 4] - taken from papa, meaning "world"
  • Podu[note 5] - "the bridge" in Romanian; "clearing forest by burning to provide cropland" in Telugu
  • Pōhatu - "stone" in Māori
  • Rangi[note 4] - "sky" in Māori
  • Tahu - "burn" in Māori. Also means "to set on fire," "light," "set alight," "burn," "ignite," "combust"
  • Taipu - "sand hill," "sand dune" in Māori
  • Takua[note 2] - may come from Tongan where it means "to call by, "to designate." Also is a kind of goatfish, a good bait for dropline fishing in Māori. Kua means "the back of a person in Hawaiian
  • Tamariki[note 6] - "young," "youthful," "immature" in Māori
  • Tamaru - "to shade," "cloud," "overshadow," "overcast," "gloom" in Māori
  • Tio[note 1] - "ice" or "freezing cold" in Māori
  • Toka[note 1] - means "rock," "large stone," or "boulder" in Māori
  • Vakama - "to set fire," "burn" in Fijian
  • Wairuha - similar to wairua, which roughly means "spirit" in Māori
  • Whenua - "land" or "ground" in Māori

Rahi Names

  • Brakas[note 5] - may derive from bråka in Swedish which means "to argue," "to fight," "to brawl," or "to make trouble"
  • Daikau - from dai (an animal or fish trap) and kau (plant) in Fijian
  • Fikou - "hermit crab" in Rotuman
  • Fusa - may derive from Swahili for "soften by gentle beating," "attack"
  • Hikaki - from hika or "to rub violently," "kindle a fire by friction" in Māori
  • Hoi - from hoi a or "turtle" in Rotuman
  • Hoto - may derive from Māori for "barbed stinger," "barb," "spike" (of a stingray" in Māori
  • Husi - from husila or "woodpecker" in Rotuman
  • Jaga - from reumajaga or "scorpion" in Rotuman
  • Kahu - a Māori word[note 7] - "swamp harrier," "harrier hawk," "Australasian harrier" in Māori
  • Kane - may derive from kanakana or "cow pasture" in Fijian
  • Kewa - from kea in Māori, the New Zealand mountain parrot[note 7]
  • Ko - may derive from a Fijian indicator of a proper name, person, or place
  • Kofo - "smoke," "to emit" (of fire) in Rotuman
  • Kopen - "hornet," "wasp" in Hawaiian
  • Kuma - "baby rat" in Rotuman
  • Kuna - a Hawaiian word for a variety of fresh-water eel
  • Maha[note 8] - may derive from the Māori word for "many," "abundance," "number," or "majority"
  • Makika - may derive from makikithe Hawaiian word for monstrous lizards or dragons who could leap and spring like a grasshopper
  • Manas - "mud lobster" in Fijian
  • Moa - a Māori word for an extinct flightless bird of New Zealand
  • Muaka - May derive from mu'aki or "to grind teeth" in Rotuman
  • Puku[note 9] - can mean "drive" in Māori. Also means "rock," "boulder" in Rapa Nui
  • Ra - a Fijian title - in stories for children, as in Fijian or European fables, animals may be referred to as Ra Vonu (Sir Turtle), Ra Qio (Sir Shark), and so on, for other animals
  • Rahi - "size," "greatness" in Māori
  • Rama - may derive from ramu or "mosquito" in Tahitian
  • Ruki - a type of fish in Rotuman
  • Takea - may derive from "open outringger canoe" in Fijian
  • Taku - "duck" or "goose" in Rotuman
  • Tarakava - from tara, or "to catch" (usually fish, crustacea), and kava, which is a type of fish
  • Tori[note 1] - "cat" in Māori
  • Thali-Whali - may derive from waliwali in Hawaiian which means "gentle," "easygoing," "good-natured," and "smooth"
  • Ussal[note 5] - may be derived from mussel, an English word for a creature that shares the beach with crabs
  • Vako - from ivako, a Fijian word for "cow horn" or "goat horn"
  • Vatuka - from vatu (stone, rock) and ka (thing)

In 2001, lego fan and employee Daniel Lipkowitz designed several creatures as personal projects, taking Māori words to name them. In 2002 some of these creatures were given new, original names and formally published by the lego club. Mukau did officially use its original name briefly, before being altered. The change was reportedly at the request of Bob Thompson, who found Mukau too silly.

  • Pikari - "to prance about" in Māori
  • Kapakapa - a migratory locust in Māori
  • Mukau - from the English word "moo" and "cow"
  • Pepekewaro - from pepeke (frog) and waro (coal) in Māori

Mask Names

  • Akaku - "vision," trance," "mirrored reflection," "hallucination," "to see a vision" in Māori
  • Aki - derived from Akamai
  • Hau - can mean "hit" in Māori. Can also mean "vital essence," "vitality - of a person," "place or object"
  • Huna - "conceal," "hide" Māori
  • Kakama - can mean "efficiency," "be quick," "nimble," "alert," "active," "capable" in Māori
  • Kanohi - can mean "face" or "mask" in Māori
  • Kaukau - "swim" or "bathe" in Māori; kau also means "to wade" in Rotuman
  • Miru - "alveolus" (air sacs of the lungs) in Māori
  • Komau - may come from ko (to dig) and mau (for you - used in this way when the possessor will have control of the relationship or is dominant, active or superior to what will be possessed.)
  • Mahiki - may come from Hawaiian where it means "to cast out spirits," "exorcise"
  • Matatu - from matataau in Māori. Older sources define this as meaning "to move aside"
  • Pakari - "strong" in Māori. Can also mean "to be mature," "ripe," "hard," "strapping," "muscular," "well-built," "sturdy," "robust"
  • Rau - "to read," "recite," "enumerate" in Rotuman
  • Rua - derived from Wairuha
  • Ruru - "owl," "morepork," "Ninox novaeseelandiae" in Māori
  • Vahi - "to be past" (of events, time) in Rotuman

Location Names

  • Fau - "cheek," "side of the face" in Rotuman
  • Hura - means "begin to flow" in Māori and "to shed tears" in Rotuman[note 10]
  • Ihu - "nose" in Māori and Rapa Nui
  • Kanae Bay - "jaw," "chin" in Māori
  • Koro - "village" in Fijian
  • Krom - may derive from Danish for "chrome." Also means "crooked" in Dutch[note 5]
  • Kūmū - "promontory" or "headland" in Māori; it is also similar to kumkumu, meaning "beard" or "chin" in Rotuman
  • Leva - means "hair" in Rotuman
  • Mafa - means "eyes" in Rotuman[note 10]
  • Mata - "face," "countenance" in Māori
  • Mangai/Mangaia - "mouth" in Māori. Mangaia may also mean "temporal power" in Mangaianm
  • Marn Tunnels[note 5] - from marl or marlstone, a lime-rich or mudstone made of clay and silt in Turkish
  • Motara - "forehead" in Rotuman
  • Nui - "big," "large," or "great" in Māori
  • Naho - "eye sockets" in Hawaiian[note 10]
  • Niho[note 11] - can mean "edge" or "tooth" in Māori
  • Pala - may come from Hawaiian for "seaweeds" or "scum"
  • Pakohu[note 12] - "chasm," "gully," cavity" in Māori
  • Papu Nihu - "row of teeth," "set of teeth," in Hawaiian. Papa can also mean "reef"
  • Tiro - "inspection," "view," "look," "survey," or "gaze" in Māori
  • Tren[note 5] - may derive from Danish for "trench"
  • Wahi - can mean "place" or "area" in Māori. Also means "to divide," "to split"

Societal Names

  • Amaja - from A'maja or "to develop a story/theme" in Rotuman
  • Amana - from whakamana or "to give prestige to," "confirm," "enable," "authorise," "legitimise," "empower," "validate" in Māori
  • Bula - "to live," "life," "live" in Fijian
  • Cabolo - "to make a sudden loud noise" in Fijian
  • Haka - named after a ceremonial Māori dance
  • Huai - "to dig up something covered in the ground" in Hawaiian
  • Ignalu - from Latin ignis (fire); Hawaiian nalu (surf, waves)
  • Kahuna[note 1] - "priest," "sorcerer," "magician," "wizard," "minister," "expert" (in any profession) in Hawaiian
  • Kaita - "be large," "big," "major" in Māori
  • Koli - "meteor" in Hawaiian
  • Lutu - "to fall" in Fijian
  • Maca - "to be empty," "to make dry," "to dry out" in Fijian
  • Madu - from Niu Madu, a mature coconut in Fijian
  • Matoran[note 13] - derived from "Mata Nui[10]
  • Toa - can mean "hero", "warrior", or "champion" in Māori. Also means "courage," "bravery," "champion," "winner," "expert," "warrior," "brave man"
  • Tohunga - "spiritual advisor" in Māori. "Skilled person," "chosen expert," "priest," "healer"[note 13]
  • Nga Rara[note 1] - from ngā, meaning "the", and rārā, over there, yonder. or from ngārara, insect, creepy-crawly, monster, computer virus.
  • Ngalawa - "traditional," "double-outrigger canoe" in Swahili
  • Turaga - "chief" in Fijian
  • Suva - "mound or pile of stones used to mark a place" in Fijian
  • Volo - "ball" in Fijian
  • Vuata - "fruit" or from Kauvuata which is a fruit tree in Fijian

List of Words used by Templar

In 2003 Templar needed names for the Matoran characters it would feature in Mata Nui Online 2: The Final Chronicle. Drawing on words from real languages around the world that represented the six elements, they compiled a list of names and submitted it to LEGO with the designs for the characters in the game. LEGO later independently drew on some of the names from the list, modified them with variations they could legally use, and applied them to the characters from the Matoran wave the following year in 2004.[11] Several Matoran from MNOG II reappeared in the Toa Metru Mini Promo CDs, although because most of the Templar list of names were not approved by LEGO's legal team, they are ambiguously canon.

Plants

Ta-Koro Names

Le-Koro Names

Ga-Koro Names

  • Amaya - Arabic female given name. "Night rain", per baby name books. Also "night rain" in Japanese
  • Kai - "Sea" in Hawaiian
  • Kailani - Hawaiian female given name. "Heavenly sea," or "the sea and the sky"
  • Marka - "Wet" in Finnish. Also "steady rain" in an African language
  • Nireta - Greek female given name. "From the sea", per baby name books.
  • Nixie - A female nix (water spirit) in English
  • Okoth - Hindu male given name. "Born during the rains", per baby name books. Also "born when it was raining" in an African language
  • Pelagia - Greek female given name, which in turn comes from Greek (pélagos, "sea"). Also "seafaring; of the sea" in Latin
  • Shasa - Kalaharian female given name. "Precious water", per baby name books. Also "precious water" in an African language
  • Visola[note 16] - Kanyan female given name. "Longings after waterfalls", per baby name books.

Onu-Koro Names

  • Aiyetoro - Nigerian male given name. "Peace on earth", per baby name books
  • Akamu - Variant of Adam in Hawaiian, which in turn comes from Hebrew (adamah, "red earth, ground")
  • Azibo - Egyptian male given name. "Earth", per baby name books. Also "Earth" in Malawi
  • Bardo[note 14] - Scandinavian male given name. "Son of the earth", per baby name books.
  • Damek - Variant of Adam in Czech, which in turn comes from Hebrew (adamah, "red earth, ground")
  • Dosne - Celtic male given name. "From the sand hill"
  • Kaj - Danish male given name. "Earth", per baby name books. Originates from Latin Gaius
  • Mamoru[note 15] - Japanese male given name. "Of the earth", per baby name books
  • Tehuti[note 15] - Thoth, Egyptian god of earth, sea, air, and sky
  • Zemya - "Earth" in Bulgarian

Ko-Koro Names

  • Arktinen - "Arctic" in Finnish
  • Eiry[note 16] - Welsh female given name. "Snow" or "bright as snow"
  • Jaa - "Ice" in Finnish, Estonian
  • Jaatikko - "Glacier" in Finnish
  • Kantai - "Frigid zone/belt" in Japanese
  • Kokkan - "Severe cold" in Japanese
  • Kylma - "Cold," "chilly," "bleak," "chill," "coldness" in Finnish
  • Lumi - "Snow" in Finnish, Estonian, Ludian, and Vod
  • Pakastaa - "To freeze" in Finnish
  • Talvi - "Winter" in Finnish, Karelian, Komi, Vod
  • Toudo - "Frozen Soil" in Japanese

Po-Koro Names

  • Akmuo[note 15] - "Stone" in Lithuanian
  • Ally - Celtic male given name. "Stone", per baby name books
  • Bour - Ghanan male given name. "A rock", per baby name books
  • Epena - Hawaiian male given name. "Stone", per baby name books
  • Gadjati - "Stone" in Serbian. Also "to shoot" or "to aim for" in Croatian
  • Golyo - "Sphere" or "ball" (mistranslated as stone) in Hungarian
  • Kamen - "Stone," "block," "brikc," "flint," "rock," etc in Slovene, old Slovak
  • Kivi - "Stone" in Finnish
  • Pekka - Finnish variant of Peter, which in turn comes from Greek (pétra, "rock")
  • Piatra - "Stone" in Romanian

List of Other Words used in BIONICLE Canon

The following names were added post-2003 and were approved by the legal team.

  • Antroz - derived from Antrozous, a genus of bat
  • Aqua - Latin for "water"
  • Bohrok possibly derived from borac, Serbo-Croatian for "fighter"
  • Cendox - Latin for "one hundred"
  • Certavus - Latin for "competitive"
  • Chirox - derived from Chiroptera, the scientific name for bats
  • Fero - Latin for "bring," "carry," or "bear"
  • Herēmus - a Latin adjective derived from ancient Greek meaning "desert"[note 17]
  • Huma - a bird from Persian mythology, wich symbolizes good luck and happiness.
  • Gelu - Latin for "frost" or "cold"
  • Kaxium - Latin for "box"
  • Kirop - derived from Chiroptera, the scientific name for bats[disputed; see discussion]
  • Lein - in both Latin and Welsh, it means "line"
  • Lesovikk - from Lesovik, a name for the Slavic tutelary deity Leshy
  • Magna - Latin for "big"
  • Malum - Latin for "evil" or "disaster"
  • Metus - Latin for "fear"
  • Nocturn - likely derived from "nocturnal
  • Perditus - Latin for "lost" or "ruined"
  • Rahkshi - possibly derived from rākha, Arabic for "ashes" or "destroyed remains"
  • Scodonius - Latin for "scepter"
  • Spherus - Latin for "sphere"
  • Skopio - similar to scorpio, which is Latin for "scorpion"
  • Solis - translates to "of the sun" in Latin
  • Surel - Latin for "brother"
  • Tarix - in both Latin and Azerbaijani, it means "history"
  • Telluris - translates to "of the earth" in Latin
  • Thornatus - Latin for "thorny"
  • Umbra - in both Latin and English, it means "shadow"
  • Vahki possibly derived from väki, Finnish for "power," "strength," "force"
  • Vastus - Latin for "vast" or "huge;" can also mean "waste." Finnish for "opposition"
  • Velika - in Latin and Croatian, as well as other Slavic languages, it means "big" or "great"

List of Words Possibly Derived from English

  • Axonn - likely from "axe"
  • Bara - possibly from "barren"
  • Bio - likely from "biological"
  • BIONICLE - derived from "biological" and "chronicle"
  • Bitil - likely from "beetle"
  • Biodermis - derived from "biological" and "epidermis"
  • Bota - likely from "botany" or "botanical"
  • Boxor - likely from "boxer"
  • Brutaka - possibly from "brute"
  • Carapar - likely from "carapace"
  • Ehlek - possibly from "eel"
  • Gavla - possibly from "galvanize"
  • Glatorian - likely from "gladiator"
  • Kalmah - likely from "calamari"
  • Kio - likely from the metric prefix "kilo-"
  • Krika - possibly from "cricket"
  • Mahri - possibly from "marine"
  • Mantax - derived from "manta" or "mantis"
  • Metru - likely from "metro"
  • Mio - likely from "million"
  • Mutran - possibly from "mutant"
  • Nuva - possibly from "new"
  • Photok - likely from "photon" or the prefix "photo-"
  • Protodermis - derived from "prototype" and "epidermis"
  • Radiak - possibly from "radiation"
  • Thornax - likely from "thorn"
  • Vamprah - likely from "vampire"
  • Vorahk - possibly from "voracious"
  • Voya - possibly from "voyage"

Trivia

  • The Māori words used within the BIONICLE universe are often pronounced vastly differently than their real-world counterparts. For example, Whenua's name is pronounced wen-NOO-ah in BIONICLE,[13][14][15] while the word it is derived from is actually pronounced fen-OO-ah. Aside from the combination of "WH" making the same sound the letter "F" makes in English, the rest of the differences in pronunciation come from the vowel and vowel combination sounds, which are similar to that of many Asian languages, such as Japanese.
  • The usage of several words in the landscape of the island of Mata Nui serve as early hints to the true nature of the island covering the face of the Great Spirit Robot.[16]

Notes

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 This name was used in the story bible as of August 2000, but did not appear in later canon.[5]
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Some names like Takua, Nuparu, and Hahli were introduced in 2002 and may not follow the same naming scheme as the early entries to the canon.
  3. A being mentioned on the Polish version of the 2001 BIONICLE website.[6] Io is referred to as the "Great Creator" who gave the six heroes the name "Toa" and placed them in the world to guard it and maintain the balance of the elements. The name does not appear in any other BIONICLE media.
  4. 4.0 4.1 One of two beings mentioned in the Mata Nui Online Game. Their names were derived from Rangi and Papa, figures in the Māori creation myth. The Papa Nihu Reef was also called "Papu Nihu Reef" in early media. Rangi's name does not appear in any other BIONICLE media. According to the August 2000 story bible, Rangi and Papa are short for Ranginui (the "sky father") and Papatuanuku (the "earth mother"). [5]
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Although this term was introduced with the other early polynesian terms, no polynesian origin has been identified for it yet. Here is a possible alternative origin for the term.
  6. Nobua is a non-canonical character from the alpha v0.006 build of BIONICLE: The Legend of Mata Nui. In an unused audio file, Nobua's dialogue seems to refer to himself as "Tamariki" instead of Nobua, suggesting that this name was used earlier in development.[7]
  7. 7.0 7.1 For a long time, this Rahi was not considered to be a part of the official BIONICLE canon, having been completely replaced by the Gukko.[8] It has since been reapproved by Greg Farshtey not only as a canon Rahi, but also a subspecies of the regular Gukko.[9]
  8. In the Mata Nui Online Game II: The Final Chronicle, Maha were referred to as "Mahi", which can mean "work" in Māori. It is unclear if this was an intentional use of a Māori word or a coincidence. The English translation is potentially relevant, since Matoran sometimes use Mahi as beasts of burden.[citation needed] However, if the former is true, it marks a rare or unique instance a Māori word was introduced into the BIONICLE canon in years following the lawsuit.
  9. In Māori, "puku" can mean "drive". Much like "mahi", it is unclear if this was an intentional use of a Māori word or just coincidence. The English translation is potentially relevant, since Matoran often use Ussal crabs as a form of transport and even refer to them as "taxi crabs" in Mata Nui Online Game.
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 The Hura-Mafa River connects with Lake Naho, which means "eye" in Māori, foreshadowing the hidden Great Spirit Robot.
  11. The Papa Nihu Reef was called "Papu Niho" or "Papa Niho" in most early media.
  12. This name was used in the story bible as of August 2000, referring to "the canyons of the mind of the Mata Nui", but did not appear in later canon.[5]
  13. 13.0 13.1 Villagers of Mata Nui were frequently also referenced by their villages with their elemental prefix followed by "Koran" as derived from "Koro" (eg Ta-Koran, Ga-Koran, etc). This word was quickly replaced with "Koronan," likely owing in part due to the meaning of the real religious text spelled "Koran" in English. This word was again replaced by "Matoran" as derived from "Mata." "Matoran" ultimately also replaced "Tohunga" as the name of the villagers' species.
  14. 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 This name was cut during the development of Mata Nui Online Game II: The Final Chronicle.
  15. 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 Nuhrii, Orkahm, and Tehutti were originally called "Nuri", "Orkan", and "Tehuti", respectively, in the Mata Nui Online Game II: The Final Chronicle, but their names were changed in all following media. Ahkmou was also originally named "Akmuo" during development, but the name was changed prior to the release of the chapter in which he appeared.Similarly, Mamoru was later intended to be changed to Mamru to not be too close to the original name, although this change was not uniformly reflected in the game's files.[11] This was not a result of the challenge from the Māori peoples, but rather because their original names were never legally approved. Those names are considered non-canon.[12]
  16. 16.0 16.1 This name does not appear in Mata Nui Online Game II: The Final Chronicle. However, Peter Mack stated that Matoran for each Koro were designed and named by Templar Studios.[11] Since Vhisola and Ehrye's names appear to be consistent with other 2004 Matoran (Nuhrii, Tehutti, etc.) who have alternative spellings of relevant names in other languages, it is possible that they also originated from this game's design document and were unused in-game, similar to Afa and Bardo.
  17. The name Heremus is also possibly derived from haereō/hereō - Latin for "I am stuck," "I cling to," "I am stranded." Another possible origin is herēmīta, a Lanin noun derived from Ancient Greek meaning "hermit."

References

  1. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/1362435.stm
  2. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/1627209.stm
  3. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/oct/31/andrewosborn
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  6. LEGENDA MATA NUI http://bionicle.onet.pl (archived 21 August 2001 on Wayback Machine.)
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  14. "Whenua." Encyclopedia, pp. 116-118.
  15. "Whenua." Encyclopedia Updated, pp. 156-157.
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