Not to be confused with theancient language of Tellius or theAncient Texts ofFates.

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Ancient Letters is a term to refer to a particular script appearing onYlisse andValentia. More specifically, it appears inFire Emblem Awakening andFire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia. This script is not currently known to have appeared on Archanea, only Valentia, duringMarth's time.

History

The origins of the Ancient Letters are unclear. They are not acknowledged by characters during the events of the game. They may bear some connection to thedragontribes, almost always being featured on dragon-connected weapons or magic.

Legend

A legend that can be used to decode most instances of Ancient Letters was provided inThe Art of Fire Emblem Awakening, aFire Emblem series art book featuring concept artwork and notes. Similar to the implementation ofancient language inFire Emblem: Path of Radiance andFire Emblem: Radiant Dawn and theAncient Texts inFire Emblem Fates it is a simple cipher based on the English alphabet. It lacks distinct uppercase and lowercase letters.

Appearances

Fire Emblem Awakening

Falchion

TheFalchion as it appears inFire Emblem Awakening features Ancient Letters inscribed into it.The Art of Fire Emblem Awakening provides a closer look:

This is an English sentence backwards, when reversed it becomes the legible:

Fire Emblem

TheAwakening appearance of the titularFire Emblem also features Ancient Letters.

The inscriptions describe the respective orb that goes into each slot.

Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia

World map

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The entirety ofFire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia's world map is labeled in Ancient Letters at geographic points of interest. The letters spell out the name of the location using Latin words and Japanese names (e.g. Dolk Imperium or Sofia Castrum).

Some Latin phrases are misspelled; the labels corresponding to Dead Man's Mire and The Swamps of Duma, "Mors prlus" and "Doma prlus" respectively, use "prlus" instead of "palus", the Zofian desert is labeled "Sofia desart", the Deliverance Hideout is labeled "Cataconb", the Dragon's Maw is labeled "Doraco vallis" rather than "Draco vallis", Ram Woods is labeled "Ramsil" likely as opposed to "Ram silva" like other forests, and the Last Bastion is labeled "Bastellum" rather than "Castellum".

Some labels correspond to more general areas that don't have proper names; the region west of Zofia Castle, referred to as Northern Zofia, is labeled "Sofia Patet" (Zofia Plains), the Desert in eastern Zofia is labeled "Sofia desart" (Zofia Desert), and the valley corresponding to the Valley Approach is labeled "Mira vallis" (Mila Valley).

Silver Sword

According toFire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia concept artwork and character artwork fromFire Emblem Heroes, ValentianSilver Swords are typically inscribed with Ancient Letters.

Unlike other instances of Ancient Letters, this set when deciphered becomes a Greek phrase.

When translated, it becomes:

Warp circles

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Fire Emblem Heroes

Geirskögul

TheBrave Heroes variant of Lucina features Ancient Letters on her personal weaponGeirskögul.

Unlike previous uses of Ancient Letters these are slightly different from the standard set, though these could just be from artist error or a previously unknown contingency involving two of the same letter being side-by-side.

The phrase is typically interpreted as "anime project success" though it is unclear what this implies, if anything.

Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE

Excellus

Excellus has ancient letters along the side of his body.

This phrase could be interpreted as "gate of wisdom", possibly referencing Excellus's arch-like shape in this game.

Additionally, Excellus has six rectangular objects that float around his body, each displaying an Ancient Letter.

If the letters are read left-to-right as they appear while Excellus is idle:

If the letters are read clockwise from the top during Excellus' attack "All a part of the act":

It is unknown what word or phrase, if any, these letters are meant to spell out.

Arena Coins

The coins received from the Urahara Arena each display an Ancient Letter on their front, and several Ancient Letters along their rims.

Front letters:

• Beginner Arena Coins: C
• Intermediate Arena Coins: B
• Advanced Arena Coins: A
• Legendary Arena Coins: S

Rim messages:

Ruin

Touma's weapon Ruin features Ancient Letters on the blade.

This phrase could be interpreted as "reaper dome slate", but the significance of this is unknown.

Wo Dao

Yashiro's weapon Wo Dao features Ancient Letters on the blade.

"Magro" appears to be an Italian word meaning "thin" or "lean". Since the weapon's design strongly resembles a kitchen knife, this may refer to food, particularly meat.

Yatsuka Sword

Yashiro's weapon Yatsuka Sword features Ancient Letters on the blade.

This can be interpreted as "To live is to think", a quote from the Roman philosopher Marcus Tullius Cicero.

Flying platforms

During the Opera of Light: Fire Emblem ritual, the Mirage Masters stand atop pillars that create magic circles, which act as flying platforms. These platforms have Ancient Letters on them:

This is a reference toTokyo Mirage Sessions's concept as aShin Megami Tensei andFire Emblem crossover. "Shin Megami Tensei" can be translated as "True Reincarnation of the Goddess", which could be considered synonymous with "the authentic descent of the goddes".

This interpretation is supported by theMedieval runes also on the circle, which translate to:

The spaces can be re-arranged to form "Megami Tensei XS Falaa Emuburemu", or "Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem".

The extra "s" may be the one missing from "goddes" in the Ancient Letters text. In that sense, reading the two circles together could produce this message:

Gallery

• 
  Artwork ofTobin: The Clueless One; note the Ancient Letters on hisSilver Sword.
• 
  Artwork ofLucina: Brave Princess; note the Ancient Letters onGeirskögul.
• 
  Image of the World Map ofShadows of Valentia with Ancient Letters.
• 
  A warp with theBrand ofNaga, circled by Ancient Letters.

References