Ancient Name

An Ancient Name (or tocaitl) is a title borne by certain members of the six tribes of Natlan, as well as a special obsidian stone representative of the title. 
Each Ancient Name is typically associated with a desirable attribute, such as "resilience" or "leader," which the chosen recipient will embody. An Ancient Name is also associated with the heroic deeds of all its previous bearers, and thus, the passing down of Ancient Names is a way of preserving the tribe's history and culture.
==Receipt==
Typically, each tribe's Wayob is responsible for granting Ancient Names to worthy tribe members. According to Xilonen, the recipient must have "done something in their lifetime that exemplifies the "spirit" of the Name." The recipient may not understand exactly why they were selected, but most will strive to live up to their title. While it is the Wayob who select the recipients of these Ancient Names from among their corresponding tribes, an Ancient Name is not typically restricted to any one tribe, apart from those of the Heroes of Natlan, or those associated with a particular tribe's individual culture or tradition.
Alternatively, the Pyro Archon can commission a new Ancient Name for an individual that they deem to merit one, although several strict conditions must be met. An extremely skilled smith, a trained Name Engraver, is chosen for the work and forging the Ancient Name will ultimately cost them their life. According to Xilonen, the forging technique itself is not difficult, but gathering information about the intended recipient's life must be done rigorously and meticulously. She states that if any falsehoods are included, the Ancient Name would turn out "seriously defective" and could "potentially lead to cognitive issues for the current bearer."
Typically, only memories and experiences of Natlanese people are recorded by the Night Kingdom and can thus be acknowledged by the Wayob to be used as the basis for an Ancient Name. Because of this, only people from Natlan have historically received Ancient Names. However, in recognition of the Traveler's deeds of rescuing Kachina and helping repel the Abyss, Mavuika promises one for them, leaving to Xilonen the problem of determining how to accomplish this without the requisite memories. After Yohualtecuhtin, Lord of the Night, is awakened, she offers them a solution by creating the Pilgrim's Chronicle, which will record the Traveler's past and future deeds in Natlan, in lieu of the Night Kingdom. After the Abyss invasion of Natlan, Xilonen presented the Traveler with the Obsidian Ancient Name stone, inscribed with the Ancient Name chosen for them by the Lord of the Night: .
The receipt of an Ancient Name is considered a special honor. Their deeds under the Ancient Name become part of its legacy and become a source of inspiration for later bearers. However, an Ancient Name can be lost if it is not passed on, causing the deeds of its past bearers to be forgotten. This may happen if the Name bearer dies in the Night Warden Wars without anyone in their group returning victorious. Mavuika states that Tenoch lost his Ancient Name while still alive, likely due to his status as an exile. The forging of new Ancient Names has allowed Natlan, over time, to replace the loss of Ancient Names by their bearers' deaths in the Night Warden Wars.
==Privileges and Responsibilities==
Prior to the end of the Night Warden Wars, Ancient Name bearers were required to participate in the Pilgrimage of the Return of the Sacred Flame. They were typically expected to lead a team in the first phase, and the leader's strength was commonly seen as being the principal factor in the team's success. While it was permitted for a team to have more than one bearer, this was rare in practice as some felt that doing so can give the perception of cowardice. Bearers could become medically exempted from participating in the Pilgrimage at all, usually from lingering or serious injuries, such as in the cases of Atea and Chanca.
The bearers that won the Pilgrimage were usually required to fight in the Night Warden Wars against the Abyss, although the Pyro Archon could release someone from this obligation. Vichama was once exempted at the request of his team after winning a spot and then suffering an unfortunate battle injury before being sent. When not exempted, bearers could continue to participate in the Pilgrimage and be sent to the Night Warden Wars for as long as they felt capable doing so. The most famous bearer of "Uthabiti" had fought in twenty-seven Night Warden Wars by the time he was over sixty years old, though this is considered exceptional.
If at least one member of a combat team returned victorious from the Night Warden Wars, the slain members of the team could be brought back to life via the Ode of Resurrection. However, if an entire team fell, its members could not be revived. The tales of their acts were eventually forgotten, and their Ancient Names lost; hence the phrase, "The victors shall burn bright, while the losers must turn to ash."
With the Night Warden Wars ended, there is no more need to select warriors to send against the Abyss, so the Pilgrimage has been changed to be simply a competitive event. The requirement that Ancient Name bearers compete appears also to have been removed.
Six of the Ancient Names are associated with the Heroes of Natlan. In the present day, six warriors received these Ancient Names prior to their acknowledgement by the Wayob to mark their selection as the modern heroes. For these heroes, truly "connecting" with their Ancient Name will grant them the memories and knowledge of its previous holders. This was due to the work of the Name Engravers of the time, who made some special modifications to those six Names. According to Pacal, Ancient Names typically do not confer any special powers — the recipient must contribute to its legacy on their own merit.
==Stone==
Each inheritor of an Ancient Name receives a special obsidian stone in the shape of a feather. These Ancient Name stones (sometimes simply referred to as Ancient Names themselves) are crafted by specially commissioned Name Engravers, such as Xilonen (and formerly her mentor, Tlazolli). Glowing characters from the Latin-Based Language of Teyvat appear on both sides of stone, spelling out the Ancient Name in syllabic form (e.g. ). The process of forging an Ancient Name stone also involves engraving it with the deeds of the Name's first bearer, though these engravings do not appear to be visible on the final product. It is implied that an Ancient Name must be "stored" in one such stone, and cannot exist as an entity on its own.
==Ancient Names and Their Bearers==
The following Ancient Names (or Ancient Name meanings) are currently known. The warriors who are among the six heroes at the time of the cataclysm or the six corresponding modern heroes are named in bold.
Name 	In-game Meaning	Current Bearer 	Previous Bearer(s)
 	Blessing 	Xilonen 	Sundjatta, Sakkuk
 	Devotion 	Ororon 	Sanhaj
 	Leader 	MavuikaHoYoLab: The Brightest, Most Splendid, Most Resplendent Flame Reborn 	Pyro ArchonsThe usage of the name here implies that this is the ancient name used by the Pyro Archon.
 	Turnfire 	Kinich 	Burkina, Yupanqui
YouTube: Character Teaser - "Xilonen: The Duty of Name Forging"	Guidance 	unknown 	
YouTube: Character Trailer - "Mavuika: Blazing Heart" 	unknown 	unknown 	
 	Hope 	Traveler 	none
 	Memory 	CitlaliIt is unclear whether Citlali received the Ancient Name or not yet since the ancestor only said that she will inherit the name "when the time comes."	
 	Unity 	Mualani 	Tupac
 	Kinship 	Tlazolli 	
 	Resilience 	Kachina 	
 	Power 	Iansan 	Wanjiru
 	Transcension 	Chasca 	Menilek, Lianca
 	Seek 	noneInteractable: Record Penned by AllVichama died during the events of the Archon Quest, and no new bearer has yet been named. 	Vichama
The following individuals are known to be Ancient Name bearers, but which Ancient Names they bear are unknown:
* Current
** Cauich
** Chanca
** Kibangu
** Kaiulani
* Former
** Atea
** Mallko
** Pisac
** Tenoch
==Mantras==
Every Ancient Name is associated with a certain mantra, which is usually revealed through a dream to the tribe Chiefs by one of the Wayobs.
===Heroes of Natlan===
=== Others ===
When the Traveler fully embodied the aspirations of the people of Natlan as their 'hope', a projection of their Ancient Name appeared and the Lord of the Night acknowledged them with a mantra, unlocking their Nightsoul's Blessing.
;Tumaini
:"In the beginning, there was darkness. Until someone set themselves aflame. Only then did the universe know light."
==Gallery==
Ancient Name Traveler Tumaini Signature.png| as signed by the Traveler
==Trivia==
* The feather-like appearance of Ancient Name stones may be a reference to the bird-like designs of Wayob Manifestations.
* According to Xilonen, the usage of an Ancient Name to commit a crime was unheard of, and after Tlazolli was caught doing so, it was unsure how the Children of Echoes would proceed with her punishment.
===Etymology===
* The Nahuatl word means "name," "fame," or "reputation." It is the source of the Spanish term 
* The known Ancient Names originate from :
** 
** 
** 
** 
** 
** 
** 
** 
** 
** 
** 
** 
==Notes==
==Other Languages==
==Change History==
==References==
==Navigation==
es:Nombre antiguo
pl:Starożytne Imię
vi:Tên Cổ