Learning Japanese with Berserk: Blessed King of Longing
Added 2022-05-08 18:33:33 +0000 UTC
In volume 10, as the Band of the Falcon is about to begin its rescue operation, Griffith is visited in his cell by evil spirits and gets a glimpse of the astral world, from where the God Hand tells him they will meet soon enough.
They call him by a specific title, which occurs only once in the series: 渇望の福王, pronounced かつぼう の ふくおう (KATSUBOU NO FUKUOU), which translates to "blessed king of longing". Note that 福, which is translated as "blessed" here, means "good fortune", "good luck" or "happiness", but doesn't carry a connotation of something being "holy".
That aside, the key word in the phrase is 渇望 (KATSUBOU), which can be translated as "craving", "yearning", "longing" or "thirsting". In fact its first kanji (渇) specifically means "thirst". The word is connected to Griffith's previous thoughts in the episode, about his dream and the conflicted, yearning emotions he feels towards Guts as he lies half-mad in the darkness.
Comments
Great question! I had a discussion on the matter with Puella yesterday. While it's not a definite, conclusive thing (i.e. could be a coincidence), it's absolutely worth noting and keeping in mind.
Skullknight.NET
2022-05-09 07:22:36 +0000 UTCIs that “thirst” also one more water connection by any chance or just coincidental?
hsvfan-jan
2022-05-09 07:05:40 +0000 UTC
