Story of the Emblem

Pegasus vs Tenma

When I started this Tumblr blog a couple of months ago, one of the first posts I made was about a part of Subaki and Selena’s C support convo that I found intriguing.

I wondered how this would be rendered in English, since tenma (天馬), the word used to refer to a horse with wings, is usually translated as “pegasus.” Would they change it to “Winged horse,” though that sounds a bit…clunky? Would they make them different breeds of the same animal?

NOA’s answer: the pegasi of Hoshido and the pegasi of Archanea are two different breeds! I don’t yet have access to the English version of the Revelation path, but I’ve been able to read the English version of the support convo online, and the part below was rendered thusly: (My translation of the Japanese text is above, while the official English is just below.)

Selena: “Or, actually, how is it that a man like you is able to ride on a pegasus? Only pure-hearted maidens are supposed to be able to handle a pegasus!”
(English: “How could a brash man like yourself ever tame a pegasus? Generally, they only allow the most purehearted maidens to ride them.”)

Subaki: “Pegasus…?”
(English: “What ever do you mean?”)

“Ah, you must mean the foreign sacred animal. The pegasus and the temma are different.”
(English: “Oh, you must be talking about the breed of pegasi from your country. They’re considerably different from ours.“)

Selena: “Huh? Really?”
(English: “Really? Is that true?”)

Subaki: “Yeah. They certainly look similar, but they are very different species. The Hoshidan tenma and the Nohrian falcon don’t dislike men, so they’re not limited to women. Anyone can ride them.”
(English: “They’re similar, but they are different breeds entirely. The pegasi of Hoshido and falicorns of Nohr don’t mind men. They’ll let anyone ride them, whether or not they’re female.”)

“And I believe this is written in the ‘Art of Warfare’ book given to new recruits…”
(English: “I’m surprised you didn’t know that. It should be written in any basic tactical manual for new recruits.”)

Either way, it’s interesting to note that Subaki seems aware of different breeds of pegasi, and even acknowledges that there are tenma-like animals in distant countries. That’s remarkable for someone who probably hasn’t spent much time outside of Hoshido!