Girl Genius XXIX: A giant corkboard of continuity madness

[Fyraltari]

Wulfenbach certainly sounds German, and isn't Mechanicsburg somewhere in Romania or Hungary? And Othar is certainly Scandinavian, although I'm not culturally educated enough to identify the nationality of "Tryggvassen". You're right that the pun only works in English, which is not the lingua franca of Europa.

EDIT: Just learned that Othar is from Norway.

Considering that the Wulfenbach Empire upholds the [i]Pax Transylvania[/i*], I suspect the original baronny was seated in Transylvania, and the family sees itself as transylvanian even though it was most likely founded by germanophones.

Given the importance of the Storm King's legacy in the noble family I would, have guessed that, just like in the real world, the european lingua franca is, well, la langue française, but the Paris arc established, I think, that these people aren't speaking French.

So I guess they are all speaking either German or Romanian.

I think they are deliberately keeping Mecanigsburg's location besides "Eastern Europe" vague. That's probably for the best.

*Yes, I realize the name is just a "mad scientist" joke.

[Manga Shoggoth]

From some earlier strips we know that currently not only Lucrezia is able to give orders to revenants. Either the voice signature is no longer the requirement, or those commanders have synthesizers similar to the one Clancrezia has.

Yes, but the problem Tarvek was trying to solve with his sister was explicitly controlling Geisters - it is suggested she could already control revenants.

[Vinyadan]

In general, I see the Wulfenbach as Transylvanian Saxons and the 50 families as Baltic German nobility (which included elements from Poland, Russia and Sweden). Mechanicsburg also sounds more or less like a German town because of the "burg".

Then again, a noble family could simply bear the name of a place it shares no blood with or it hasn't visited or ruled over in hundreds of years.

Also yes, I would expect them all to speak French among themselves: Gil and Tarvek spent a long time in Paris, and, historically, a German court like that of Friedrich the Great used French as a lingua franca, and Russian and German big shots were rumored to speak French better than the language of the people they ruled.

Agatha led a more normal life, but she was good enough to go to a university, so I assume she learnt French and Latin. Plus German if Beetleburg was a German city and maybe the language of the surrounding land, like Hungarian or Rumanian.

[Manga Shoggoth]

Language-wise, we know that English is the common trade language (or, at least is a common trade language).

There's a footnote in the novels covering the other languages (Can I find it? I can not!) - if I recall correctly, German is the common European language, and Agatha is noted as being able to speak at least three languages (German, French and English, I think).

[Shining Wrath]

Language-wise, we know that English is the common trade language (or, at least is a common trade language).

There's a footnote in the novels covering the other languages (Can I find it? I can not!) - if I recall correctly, German is the common European language, and Agatha is noted as being able to speak at least three languages (German, French and English, I think).

The word for "Other" in various non-English languages (per Google translate):

• French: autre
• Italian: altra/altro (f/m)
• German: andere
• Norwegian: annen
• Romanian: alte
• Spanish: otra/otro (f/m)

It appears the pun / linguistic shift only really works in English; Spanish is close but the gender of the adjective would have to be feminine, which The Other is, but Othar is not.

[Fyraltari]

Honestly, it could work in French. Since we don't have a "th" sound, we default to "t" when reading it. So the only thing needed to go from "Othar" to "Autre" would be to drop the "a" sound, which isn't very crazy as far as linguistic shifts go.
Also "Othar" allready sounds like it could be slang for "autre".*

But the use of untranslated French at several points in the comic makes it clear it's not supposed to be the language they're all speaking.

*[Size=1]I remember playing Warcraft III as a kid, one of the footman's funny lines mentionned "Lothar", since I didn't know who Anduin Lothar was, I assumed he was saying "l'autard" which I assumed was some kind of slang for "l'autre", "the other" (in this context meaning "that one guy").

[geoduck]

Language-wise, we know that English is the common trade language (or, at least is a common trade language).

There's a footnote in the novels covering the other languages (Can I find it? I can not!) - if I recall correctly, German is the common European language, and Agatha is noted as being able to speak at least three languages (German, French and English, I think).

Romanian rather than German is described as the the official language of the Wulfenbach empire.

[Squire Doodad]

Romanian rather than German is described as the the official language of the Wulfenbach empire.

There are several statements that indicate English is spoken around the world because of Albia's exploration teams and/or trade fleets, and likely is the dominant language in Europa.
Romanian may be Wulfenbach's official language, but it likely is a more...local language than English.

[Vinyadan]

There are several statements that indicate English is spoken around the world because of Albia's exploration teams and/or trade fleets, and likely is the dominant language in Europa.
Romanian may be Wulfenbach's official language, but it likely is a more...local language than English.

It can go both ways: Romanian could be the lingua franca in the Empire or it could be merely an official language used to write documents and laws. After all, the Empire has only existed for 20 years. I'm not sure that's enough to impose a new lingua franca, especially with the Baron's approach of allowing old rulers to keep their position if they accept him as overlord.

English being the language of commerce around the world could also be very expansive or restrictive. It could be the language all merchants speak, everywhere, and so their costumers, or it could be like Italian for music, with mere loanwords seeping into most European languages.

Also, the world could have different lingua franca than the Empire. Like how Swahili is the lingua franca of parts of Africa, and Persian of parts of Asia, but English is the lingua franca of the world.

Romanian rather than German is described as the the official language of the Wulfenbach empire.

Is that from the novels?

[Manga Shoggoth]

Spoiler

Show

Romanian rather than German is described as the the official language of the Wulfenbach empire.

Is that from the novels?

The quote I was thinking of was from the novels, and Romanian does ring a bell. I may just have to sit down and read the novels again...

[Shining Wrath]

I think the Jagers speak Romanian while the Empire speaks German, but if you want to reverse that I can live with it.

[Ellen]

Oh, right, there's no way this could possibly end badly.

(I figure that statement is true often enough in Girl Genius to not require a spoiler tag).

[DavidSh]

Not exactly the same art style as Phil, but having the same coloring hides this a bit.

[Shining Wrath]

Cheyenne doing the penciling and the coloring is close enough to Phil that it's an "uncanny valley" sort of effect - it's actually kind of creepy, in a "wait what's wrong here" sort of way.

Every Heterodyne charters the guild of monsters. I assume this includes Franz and lesser creatures?

[Manga Shoggoth]

Yup, Cheyenne's art style is very distinctive.

Well, at least it will be a interesting break while Phil recovers.

[Shining Wrath]

Yup, Cheyenne's art style is very distinctive.

Well, at least it will be a interesting break while Phil recovers.

And that informs a question we were kicking around. The Ht'Rok'Din identifies the standard language as "Nordd'man", presumably "Northman". North of Mechanicsburg might be German, or Polish.

[Fyraltari]

And that informs a question we were kicking around. The Ht'Rok'Din identifies the standard language as "Nordd'man", presumably "Northman". North of Mechanicsburg might be German, or Polish.

Yeah but that comic also says Agatha is in France when the rest of the comics make it seem like (England notwithstanding) the actual European countries don't exist with a lot of city-states, temporary spark kingdoms and whatever the Polar Lords are even supposed to be instead.

[Radar]

Yeah but that comic also says Agatha is in France when the rest of the comics make it seem like (England notwithstanding) the actual European countries don't exist with a lot of city-states, temporary spark kingdoms and whatever the Polar Lords are even supposed to be instead.

France could still be considered as a cultural region regardless of the existence of a state with that name.

[Fyraltari]

France could still be considered as a cultural region regardless of the existence of a state with that name.

Fair enough.

[Zazu Yen]

Heh, "tedious 'origin story'". The last 19+ years have been preamble. Our children may live to see the actual first chapter :D.

[Shining Wrath]

Yeah but that comic also says Agatha is in France when the rest of the comics make it seem like (England notwithstanding) the actual European countries don't exist with a lot of city-states, temporary spark kingdoms and whatever the Polar Lords are even supposed to be instead.

Or: France is re-established as a nation during the benevolent rule of the Heterodyne-Wulfenbach-Sturmvarous troika. The resolution of the "tedious origin story" presumably features the defeat of The Other, a reconciliation with or defeat of Albia, the removal of Martellus as a threat, the death or pacification of Othar, the defeat of the Polar Lords, the elimination of Zola, and while we're at it the subjugation of a whole lot of malign Sparks. Once you've done all that, Collette expanding her realm outward from the Seine valley to the point where it can be called "France" is not a very big ask.

I wonder if Grandma's game is to lure significant British forces away from Londinium, and then have Zola attempt to supplant Albia somehow (presumably with the aid of the Steelgarter cabal)?

More pedantically, the center of Paris is called "Le Isle de France", so technically if you go to Notre Dame, you're visiting France.

[Fyraltari]

Once you've done all that, Collette expanding her realm outward from the Seine valley to the point where it can be called "France" is not a very big ask.

Tarvek would probably object. That's the kingdom he's trying to inherit*, after all.

More pedantically, the center of Paris is called "Le Isle de France", so technically if you go to Notre Dame, you're visiting France.

Nope. The center of Paris is L'Île de la Cité (City Island) while L'Île-de-France is the region around Paris (also called the Parisian area sometimes) and not an island at all.


*Based on Andronicus Valois bearing the name of a dynasty of French kings, the Storm King/Sun King parallels.

[theangelJean]

the benevolent rule of the Heterodyne-Wulfenbach-Sturmvarous troika

Agatha Heterodyne, Newly Installed Dark Lord

hmm ... forum thinks this post is too short

[Shining Wrath]

Tarvek would probably object. That's the kingdom he's trying to inherit*, after all.



Nope. The center of Paris is L'Île de la Cité (City Island) while L'Île-de-France is the region around Paris (also called the Parisian area sometimes) and not an island at all.


*Based on Andronicus Valois bearing the name of a dynasty of French kings, the Storm King/Sun King parallels.

You are of course correct, I confused the district with the island.

hmm ... forum thinks this post is too short

If you don't think there's humor afoot in calling Agatha a dark lord and Von Mekkhan "ruthlessly efficient", I can't help you.

[Shining Wrath]

"... so many wax seals they're bringing it over on a hand truck".

[Manga Shoggoth]

I've seen a couple of charters like that displayed in various castles - some of them are more seal than document...

[Ailurus]

Given we're on page 47, I'd like to put forward "Where a Monster can Live Well" as a new thread title.

[Shining Wrath]

It appears that perhaps not all monsters are benign. Trope subversion, subverted!


Also, I'm not sure the worst monsters are the two conversing. Bit of business in panel #1: a crocodilian shopping at "Used Meats". I DO NOT WANT TO KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON THERE.

Thread title: "Bigger on the outside than the inside".

Finally, just how mad did Paracleezeus have to be to be considered mad by Heterodyne standards? That's like being a foul-mouthed longshoreman, or a carny with lots of tattoos, or a nerdy software engineer.

[Rockphed]

Thread titles: Girl Genius XXX: Monsters are important
Girl Genius XXX: Run them out of town
Girl Genius XXX: Begone Churl or I shall Transfer Your Brain To a Spaniel
Girl Genius XXX: Begone Churl
Girl Genius XXX: Being Too Reasonable
Girl Genius XXX: Desecrate a Sacred Relic
Girl Genius XXX: Clay Tablet Romance Novels

[Kantaki]

From Snakkerjape's eyeroll I guess this isn't the first time he heard the hospital rant.

Also, vote for Bigger on the outside than the inside