The name of the region is interesting for me. It relates to norse mythology (as has been brought up before) and a very specific flower with cultural significance in the UK.
The norse mythology angle relates to the dark dwarves Fjalar and Galar, who killed the god of bees Kvasir (the second most prominent Vanir, after Njord) and made his honylike blood into the mead of poetry. Sometime after, they murdered the jotunn Gilling and his wife. Suttungr, Gilling's son, then stole the mead from the dwarves in vengance, before hiding it in his home in a mountain, and tasked gunnlohth (his daughter), with guarding it. Odin heard of the mead, and wanted it for himself, so he worked for Suttungr's brother Baugi for a year. As per the agreement, Baugi opened the mountain, and odin shapeshifted into a snake. then he tricked Gunnloth by saying he would only take three sips of the mead (he drank it all), then took the form of an eagle and flew away. This idea of wickedness and strength loosing artistry in an act of revenge may be interpreted as the inspiration beind the rumored Galar/Kalos war (Kalos is obsessed as a culture with beauty, artistry, and science. It's legendaries are also based off of norse mythology, tying into the possible inspirations for Zacian/Zamazenta in Hati and Skoll).
Galar also contains the word Gala, greek for milk. The galanthus (literally milk flower in it's scientific name), or snowdrop, is of major cultural significance in Britain and the isles. In the balkans, it is a symbol of renewal and rebirth, and in the european flower language (which was actually developed by ottman turks) it means hope and new beginnings, and the heralding of the new year. In the early 1800's Britons began to plant gardens of snowdrops in solidarity with the slavic revolutionaries in the ottoman empire they were funding, and snowdrop gardens became a fad in the time, gracing public insitutions and private residences alike. In britain, they soon took on the meaning they had in eastern europe: that of hope, renewal and rebirth. Interestingly enough, Snowdrops contain a potent onierogenic chemical that is used for a veriety of medicinal uses, from recreational dream enhancement to alleviation f alzheimers symptoms. The same chemical is found in the lycoris flower common to japan, which is very much the snowdrop's counterpart in flower language (lycoris are associated with death and neglect, whilst snowdrops are associated with life, birth, and hope). This is interesting because The lycoris' significance in japanese culture is heavy; game freak may have looked for a european equivalent, found the snowdrop, and also found it was the opposite in meaning. Furthermore, an interesting parallell can be made between the football cultures of the UK and many balkan countries, in their unmatched intensity and fanaticism of their hooligans. Given our (potentially starter) villain team in the form of team yell are football hooligans in all but name, this is quite interesting. The theme of hope and renewal also seems to fit galar's emphasis on personal strength and moving forward whilst respecting the past, somthing seen in galar's geography and architecture.
Any particular reason that you belive GF gave the region its particular name?
The norse mythology angle relates to the dark dwarves Fjalar and Galar, who killed the god of bees Kvasir (the second most prominent Vanir, after Njord) and made his honylike blood into the mead of poetry. Sometime after, they murdered the jotunn Gilling and his wife. Suttungr, Gilling's son, then stole the mead from the dwarves in vengance, before hiding it in his home in a mountain, and tasked gunnlohth (his daughter), with guarding it. Odin heard of the mead, and wanted it for himself, so he worked for Suttungr's brother Baugi for a year. As per the agreement, Baugi opened the mountain, and odin shapeshifted into a snake. then he tricked Gunnloth by saying he would only take three sips of the mead (he drank it all), then took the form of an eagle and flew away. This idea of wickedness and strength loosing artistry in an act of revenge may be interpreted as the inspiration beind the rumored Galar/Kalos war (Kalos is obsessed as a culture with beauty, artistry, and science. It's legendaries are also based off of norse mythology, tying into the possible inspirations for Zacian/Zamazenta in Hati and Skoll).
Galar also contains the word Gala, greek for milk. The galanthus (literally milk flower in it's scientific name), or snowdrop, is of major cultural significance in Britain and the isles. In the balkans, it is a symbol of renewal and rebirth, and in the european flower language (which was actually developed by ottman turks) it means hope and new beginnings, and the heralding of the new year. In the early 1800's Britons began to plant gardens of snowdrops in solidarity with the slavic revolutionaries in the ottoman empire they were funding, and snowdrop gardens became a fad in the time, gracing public insitutions and private residences alike. In britain, they soon took on the meaning they had in eastern europe: that of hope, renewal and rebirth. Interestingly enough, Snowdrops contain a potent onierogenic chemical that is used for a veriety of medicinal uses, from recreational dream enhancement to alleviation f alzheimers symptoms. The same chemical is found in the lycoris flower common to japan, which is very much the snowdrop's counterpart in flower language (lycoris are associated with death and neglect, whilst snowdrops are associated with life, birth, and hope). This is interesting because The lycoris' significance in japanese culture is heavy; game freak may have looked for a european equivalent, found the snowdrop, and also found it was the opposite in meaning. Furthermore, an interesting parallell can be made between the football cultures of the UK and many balkan countries, in their unmatched intensity and fanaticism of their hooligans. Given our (potentially starter) villain team in the form of team yell are football hooligans in all but name, this is quite interesting. The theme of hope and renewal also seems to fit galar's emphasis on personal strength and moving forward whilst respecting the past, somthing seen in galar's geography and architecture.
Any particular reason that you belive GF gave the region its particular name?
