Noble Family Mottos/Sayings/Words

[Colt Ward]

One of the early scenes in GoT is a young Bran being forced to learn important Houses' words/mottos . . .

 . . . and like the Middle Ages roots was to put the polish on someone like Bran (using his description of course) who established himself with power & title.  For example, William established the motto 'dieu et mon droit' for England (and eventually UK) probably for a variety of reasons and his successors kept it for many of those same reasons.  The House of Romania uses Latin for 'Nihil Sine Deo' which is 'Nothing Without God.'  Historically they seem to be used in either the language of government/diplomacy (French) or to use the language of the Church/Education (Latin) the practice does not seem widespread until the 17th Century.

With the end of the 2SW and rise of neofeudalism in the Houses focused mostly among the Mechwarrior class, they adopted a lot of the old traditions . . . land with the house/manor and service duty with their weapons & training.  Would this practice possibly be adopted in a House?  More in one than others?  Actively discouraged?  What language?

For instance, the Federated Suns is commonly given the Brit/French culture- particularly the romanticized late Medieval & following Renaissance periods.  Would they use lofty sounding French phrases?  Something like 'L'honneur est la force' which means 'Honor is Strength'?

[Pat Payne]

I had a few that I'd posted a few years ago:

While not at all canonical, here are two I could see as being used for two of the Successor States:

Free Worlds League: "Alis aquilae (on an eagle's wings)" -- Riffing on the Marik emblem
Draconis Combine: "Fukoku kyōhei" (富国強兵, "Enrich the state, strengthen the military") -- this one sounds right both as it was the motto for the Tokugawa Shogunate, and because this sounds plausibly like Kurita's policy in a nutshell

And a couple others:

Interstellar Expeditions: "Astra inclinant, sed non obligant (The stars incline us, they do not bind us)"

Mercenaries in general: "****** gladio et sale (With sword and salt)" -- This was the motto of a well-paid Roman legionary, as salt was the common pay for a Roman soldier. (Edit In... OK, so the Latin word for "with" triggers the auto censor...  [face palm])

[Tai Dai Cultist]

HBS's BattleTech game has the family mottoes for the Great Houses.  Canonicity may be dubious though, given the platform.

[Colt Ward]

House Arano book has them, good catch- I forgot them.

For example, Arano's is "Without foresight or vision, the people will be lost."
Decimis- "Rise above the mountains and excel."
Karosas- "There Is No Greater Wealth Than Knowledge"
Gallas- "Met Volle Zeilen" -Dutch for 'With Full Sails'?
Parata- "Friends and enemies die, the land remains."
Madeira- "Behold Our Splendor."
Espinosa-  "Forever Vigilant."

Would the Draconis Combine have mottos for nobility?  I just wondered if it fit in with bushido properly.

[Pat Payne]

House Arano book has them, good catch- I forgot them.

For example, Arano's is "Without foresight or vision, the people will be lost."
Decimis- "Rise above the mountains and excel."
Karosas- "There Is No Greater Wealth Than Knowledge"
Gallas- "Met Volle Zeilen" -Dutch for 'With Full Sails'?
Parata- "Friends and enemies die, the land remains."
Madeira- "Behold Our Splendor."
Espinosa-  "Forever Vigilant."

Would the Draconis Combine have mottos for nobility?  I just wondered if it fit in with bushido properly.

Maybe not mottoes, as that doesn't seem to be a particularly feudal Japanese thing. Pretty sure Mon/Kamon are going to be prevalent though.

[abou]

If the 3025 CapCon motto is not a verbatim quote of the Black Knight from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, there is no justice in this world.

[Robroy]

"Sic gorgiamus allos subjectatos nunc!" “We gladly feast upon those who would subdue us.” -Addams Family

This was always one of my favorites.

[Colt Ward]

Hmm, but what would be the proper planet for the Addams Family to have settled with their mech as neo-feudalists.

[Pat Payne]

Hmm, but what would be the proper planet for the Addams Family to have settled with their mech as neo-feudalists.

Dunkelwalderduenklerfluessenschattenwelt/Bob?

[Xiwo Xerase]

Hmm, but what would be the proper planet for the Addams Family to have settled with their mech as neo-feudalists.

Belladonna, in the FedSuns.

Back on topic, I would expect noble houses to use mottos with Latin, Greek, their current language, or their (adopted?) ancestral language.  For example, I wouldn't be surprised if the original noble houses on Skye and Donegal used Gaelic for their mottos.

I would still expect to see mottos in the Draconis Combine but they'd be more like creeds than something to hang under a coat of arms (or, for the Combine, mons).

Would House Cameron's motto be "The Inner Sphere is not enough."?

[Colt Ward]

Marik motto in . . . Hungarian?  The Lyran motto would have to be in German, and I would expect it to be for most nobility that follows Tharkad and the dominant culture.  But like you said, I expect the Isle to use Gaelic for the same sort of political reasons William used French.

[Ogra_Chief]

Most modern nation states and their provincial charges, as well as cities, have mottos; thus likely carried to the stars as well. So I can see that being carried upward and outward if you will. Plus, if all the cool kids are doing it...

[Colt Ward]

Oh yeah, cities do but I do not know any families that have mottos.  It sort of fits with a feudal family also being a political entity- the equivalent of a city, county (where did that word come from?), state or even planetary government.

[Ogra_Chief]

Family heraldry is not that far removed, I'm sure in 20th century more than a few (US) immigrant families could have produced papers of birth from the old country. Which no doubt incorporated either noble and papacy heraldry. What is heraldry but a flag of this is, my domain, the land of my birth.

Heraldries might well still be of some importance if not for the collapse of dynastic kingdoms in the early 21st century. At least imo. I could easily see the system arising a new in defense of lord and planet, much as it did in the beginning.

[ClarkeMarek]

Marik motto in . . . Hungarian?  The Lyran motto would have to be in German, and I would expect it to be for most nobility that follows Tharkad and the dominant culture.  But like you said, I expect the Isle to use Gaelic for the same sort of political reasons William used French.

Probably a Slavic language, like Czech, Polish, Serbo-Croatian, or Macedonian, as that's where the Marik name originated from.  Hungarian's a whole nother language class entirely.


EDIT: Since it's gonna get brought up:

http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/1/Marik

https://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=marik

[glitterboy2098]

"Sic gorgiamus allos subjectatos nunc!" “We gladly feast upon those who would subdue us.” -Addams Family

This was always one of my favorites.

sounds like something House Amaris would have.

[Mendrugo]

Hmm, but what would be the proper planet for the Addams Family to have settled with their mech as neo-feudalists.

Sighisoara (historical birthplace of Vlad Dracula)

The best tagline I ever saw for the Capellans was from their introduction into MWDA:  "Eight Centuries of Hatred"

[Colt Ward]

Probably a Slavic language, like Czech, Polish, Serbo-Croatian, or Macedonian, as that's where the Marik name originated from.  Hungarian's a whole nother language class entirely.


EDIT: Since it's gonna get brought up:

http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/1/Marik

https://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=marik

Yeah, I just want to say it was attributed further south for where the Mariks came from.  I want to say it came up with using certain historical buildings for 3D terrain.

[Phalanx]

Sighisoara (historical birthplace of Vlad Dracula)

The best tagline I ever saw for the Capellans was from their introduction into MWDA:  "Eight Centuries of Hatred"

So interestingly enough, The Dracula name comes from the Order he was inducted into, the Order of the Dragon. So you have a planet named after the birthplace of the historical Vlad Dracul(Dracula), which is located in the Draconis Combine.
Now THAT sounds like a Halloween-appropriate Touring the Stars.

The House mottos from the HBS Battletech game are:

Davion - "By Freedom's Sword"
Kurita - "Honor the Dragon"
Liao - "One Vision"
Marik - "We Stand United"
Steiner - "Indomitable Will"

[Daryk]

"We stand united" is just begging for "And we sit otherwise..."  :D

[DOC_Agren]

Steiner - "Indomitable Will"

Really I thought ours would be "Inmovable Walls of Steel"  or the more practical "Show us the MONEY"   ;D

[Colt Ward]

Us?  ME!  Elsies do not share . . .

[GermanSumo]

lets see:

Davion: "I like Chinese" (Monty Python Song)
Liao: "Im going slightly mad" (Queen)
Marik: "The roof is on fire" ("Fire, Water, Burn" Bloodhouse Gang)
Steiner: "I like big Butts and i cannot lie" (various Interprets)
Rasalhague: "Pretty fly (for a white guy)" (The Offspring)
Kurita: "My Samurai" (Shanadoo)
St Yves: "I need a Hero" (Bonnie Tyler)
Outworlds Alliance: "The Safety Dance" (Men without Hats"
ComStar: "Telephone" (Lady Gaga)
Word of Blake: "Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!!" (Vengaboys)
Star League: "Anything you can do (I can do better than you)" (various Interprets)
Taurus Concordat: "Cotton Eye Joe" (Rednex)
Magistracy of Canopus: "Candy Shop" (50Cent)

[Phalanx]

Magistracy of Canopus: "Candy Shop" (50Cent)

I imagine Kossandra Centrella was a fan of Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and (perhaps) Nicki Minaj.

[Kidd]

lets see:

Davion: "I like Chinese" (Monty Python Song)
Liao: "Im going slightly mad" (Queen)
Marik: "The roof is on fire" ("Fire, Water, Burn" Bloodhouse Gang)
Steiner: "I like big Butts and i cannot lie" (various Interprets)
Rasalhague: "Pretty fly (for a white guy)" (The Offspring)
Kurita: "My Samurai" (Shanadoo)
St Yves: "I need a Hero" (Bonnie Tyler)
Outworlds Alliance: "The Safety Dance" (Men without Hats"
ComStar: "Telephone" (Lady Gaga)
Word of Blake: "Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!!" (Vengaboys)
Star League: "Anything you can do (I can do better than you)" (various Interprets)
Taurus Concordat: "Cotton Eye Joe" (Rednex)
Magistracy of Canopus: "Candy Shop" (50Cent)

Songs is really something else

Word of Blake: Sadeness - Enigma
Canopus: My Humps - Black Eyed Peas

Concordat is spot on :D

[Robroy]

For the Taurus Concordat I was thinking Wild and Free by Rednex might work also.

[truetanker]

Would the Draconis Combine have mottos for nobility?  I just wondered if it fit in with bushido properly.

   酔生夢死

“Drunken life, dreamy death.”

TT

[Intermittent_Coherence]

Really I thought ours would be "Inmovable Walls of Steel"  or the more practical "Show us the MONEY"   ;D

I thought it was "Bigger, Heavier, Better" myself.

lets see:

Davion: "I like Chinese" (Monty Python Song)
Liao: "Im going slightly mad" (Queen)
Marik: "The roof is on fire" ("Fire, Water, Burn" Bloodhouse Gang)
Steiner: "I like big Butts and i cannot lie" (various Interprets)
Rasalhague: "Pretty fly (for a white guy)" (The Offspring)
Kurita: "My Samurai" (Shanadoo)
St Yves: "I need a Hero" (Bonnie Tyler)
Outworlds Alliance: "The Safety Dance" (Men without Hats"
ComStar: "Telephone" (Lady Gaga)
Word of Blake: "Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!!" (Vengaboys)
Star League: "Anything you can do (I can do better than you)" (various Interprets)
Taurus Concordat: "Cotton Eye Joe" (Rednex)
Magistracy of Canopus: "Candy Shop" (50Cent)

I thought the Outworlds Alliance would have "Amish Paradise" by Weird Al.

[RolandHTG]

House Davion "Pro Omnia Patria"

[abou]

House Davion "Pro Omnia Patria"

Ouch... sorry, man, but that isn't real Latin. You basically wrote, "All the things fatherland for."