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As part of his question about the etymologies of the auspice names in Werewolf: The Forsaken, @OpaCitiZen discusses the origins of "theurge":

What I'm looking for: I remember, for example, that the word "theurge" (used in the oWoD Werewolf, also an auspice) comes from "theurgy", which Google defines as "the operation or effect of a supernatural or divine agency in human affairs" and, still according to Google, has its roots in the Greek "theos" (god) and "-ergos" (working), which combine into "theourgia" (sorcery), which makes it pretty obvious why the designers of that game picked it.

Now, in my answer, I noted that the Forsaken names are the Apocalypse names gone backward through Grimm's Law. But that begs the question of just what the Apocalypse auspice names mean. So, given that, from where do Ragabash, Galliard, Philodox, and Ahroun come?

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Here are the answers I have so far:

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  • \$\begingroup\$ With regards to "Ahroun". do you have anything to support that? Like a note from the game designers... \$\endgroup\$
    – Discord
    Jun 2 '14 at 15:26
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    \$\begingroup\$ Nothing like that -- the attribution dates back to a WW lingo FAQ from 1996 on Usenet. groups.google.com/d/msg/rec.games.frp.storyteller/Y7crcslxm0o/… I have found no contradictory information, and no analogues in other languages. Plus, it's so intuitively right that I believe I recall a WWer confirming it back in the day. I'll upvote someone who gets a better answer, but it passes my smell test. \$\endgroup\$
    – Jadasc
    Jun 2 '14 at 17:00
  • \$\begingroup\$ @Discord In portuguese, at least, the "Wolf howl" is treated like "Auuuuuooooooooo", so it really makes sense. Also, if you ever read a real wolf howling and tried to make the same sounds by yourself, "Auuurooooooooonnn" it's really close to what you would get. \$\endgroup\$
    – T. Sar
    Jun 2 '14 at 17:08
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    \$\begingroup\$ I wasn't trying to dispute anything, just curious. :) As that Usenet FAQ points out, WW used a lot of actual, albeit archaic, words. It seemed a little strange that they just made one up, but it is a pretty perfect fit. \$\endgroup\$
    – Discord
    Jun 6 '14 at 16:45

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