Name origin of Arceus

[Ditto616]

Being the nerd that I am, I play World of Warcraft. Being the Pokémon nerd I am, I like to know things like name origin and such. Now, one day when I was playing WoW, I obtained a sword known as Archeus. This sword does arcane damage when you hit enemies sometimes. Almost right away, I noticed the similarity between Archeus and Arceus, both being related to things that are divine. Though I didn't find a common origin, I did find this:

In alchemy, Archeus, or archaeus, is a term used generally to refer to the lowest and most dense aspect of the astral plane which presides over the growth and continuation of all living beings. The term was used by medieval Paracelsus and those after him, such as Jan Baptist van Helmont.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archeus

I would like to emphasize the "presides over the growth and continuation of all living beings"

I believe this is where the name for Arceus comes from. This is my own opinion. Do you agree with me, or do you have another theory?

[GreenLiquid]

Very interesting. That may very well the case. I had always assumed "Arch Deus," but that's a very close match. That said, however, perhaps Acheus also has an origin in Arch Deus?

[PokeRemixStudio]

Maybe the second half of the name is supposed to be like Zeus.

[LiteTheIronMan]

Originally Posted by PokeRemixStudio

Maybe the second half of the name is supposed to be like Zeus.

That's what I always assumed to be the closest, going by Bulbapedia's definition.

WARNING: A bit too much copypasta, so it may be tl;dr for some. But, I suppose it's interesting if you'd like to pay attention. The following was ripped from Bulbapedia's Arceus entry, including design origins and relations to its name:

Originally Posted by Bulbapedia

Origin
Arceus is particularly based on a creator deity, present in many world cultures. Or it may be a reference to the Chinese mythical creature, the Qilin. Its myth is nearly identical to that of the Pangu, the Chinese creation deity.

Arceus may also be inspired by (or a representation of) Avalokiteśvara who, in Buddhism, is either pictured with eleven heads and one thousand arms (the latter of which is mentioned in Arceus's flavor text) or in a white four-armed manifestation (which could look similar to Arceus's Normal form).

Some inspiration may have come from a horse, because of its Platinum sprite and attack movements in Pokémon Battle Revolution.

Arceus, as the master of the Dragon trio, may also based on Kaptan, the ruler of heaven and the king of the gods, according to the Philippine mythology.

Name origin
Arceus's name may come from the words arch (highest) and deus, which is Latin and Greek for god. It may also have a root in the Latin word arcanus, which means secret; sacred mystery. Or Arceus's name which was pronounced as (Arh-keus) maybe a combination of "Arch" and a mispronounced word "Chaos".

Arceus's name may also come from the word archaic (ancient), which comes from the Greek arkhaios, and is derived from the ancient Greek word for "beginning", arkhē. It could have also come from the Latin word archetypus (original). Alternatively, Arceus's name can be seen as a portmanteau of Zeus, the most powerful of Greek gods and arch (highest).

Arceus' name is pronounced with a soft "c" by the announcer in Pokémon Battle Revolution; in keeping with its probable name origin, it is pronounced with a hard "c" in television commercials and in Arceus and the Jewel of Life.

[Ningamer]

Arceus' name is pronounced with a soft "c" by the announcer in Pokémon Battle Revolution; in keeping with its probable name origin, it is pronounced with a hard "c" in television commercials and in Arceus and the Jewel of Life.

How exactly do you pronounce "Arceus"?

After reading through all your ideas, I'm going to side the Arch Deus one. Since Arceus is pretty much a god, it's the one that makes most sense to me. Of course, it's not correct if a lot of people agree with it. To find out completely, you'd probably have to go over to GameFreak HQ.

[Gible]

it is weird........

[Ditto616]

Originally Posted by Ningamer

How exactly do you pronounce "Arceus"?

After reading through all your ideas, I'm going to side the Arch Deus one. Since Arceus is pretty much a god, it's the one that makes most sense to me. Of course, it's not correct if a lot of people agree with it. To find out completely, you'd probably have to go over to GameFreak HQ.

You would pronounce it Ark-ee-us, but the katakana for Arceus, アルセウス, translates it out to a "soft c" sound. That's probably why there's been confusion.

[Shadow]

I agree with the Archeus and Arch Deus theories. They make the most sense to me. Plus, the two theories are somewhat related to each other.

Originally Posted by Ditto616

You would pronounce it Ark-ee-us, but the katakana for Arceus, アルセウス, translates it out to a "soft c" sound. That's probably why there's been confusion.

Personally, I pronounce it with a 'soft c'.

[Justjack91]

Cool find. I wouldn't be surprised if that was intentional and Arceus is connected to various meanings.

I use a soft "c" when saying his name, but then again, I use to say Lugia's name with a hard "g" before I saw the second movie.

[Yoshizard]

Originally Posted by Justjack91

...I use to say Lugia's name with a hard "g" before I saw the second movie.

I still say it with a hard G.

Anyway, nice find! I didn't have any clue where his name came from...

[James]

Arch = In Christianity "Arch" Angels are above normal angels, and Arceus does have a angelic appearance. And Deus, I kinda put it under the "god" category.