Part 1: Clarifications for the Base Image

The listed names are what most people go off when they try to figure out the elders’ names.
From left to right, they read:

  1. Tsadi
  2. Ayin*
  3. Teth
  4. Alef
  5. Daleth
  6. Lamed
  7. Samekh

*This was misspelled as “Aylin” in the above image, most likely due to a spelling mistake made by the concept artists.

Proof 1 for this amendment: All other elder names listed above correspond to a letter in the Hebrew alphabet.

Alternative spellings of Tsadi (written as Tsadeh) here was just a matter of alternate ways to transliterate/ pronounce the letters. Both written pronunciations are accepted to be correct. However, research into the language has shown that “Ayin” does not often have an alternative pronunciation. Therefore, the extra “L” in the concept image is most likely a mistake.

Proof 2 for this amendment: The concept artists have misspelled certain things before, perhaps due to miscommunication or having English as a second language; take the image below as an example.

In the character traits noted in the Forest Elder’s concept designs, the trait “cynical” is spelled with an “s”.

Therefore, there is reasonable proof that the name was supposed to read “Ayin.”

Part 2: Elder names and Proof:

Before going into detail, here a summary of Elder names:

  • Isle of Dawn Elder: Daleth
  • Daylight Prairie Elder: Ayin
  • Hidden Forest Elder: Teth
  • Valley of Triumph Elder(s): Samekh
  • Golden Wasteland Elder: Tsadi
  • Vault of Knowledge Elder: Lamed
  • Eye of Eden Elder: Alef

The following detailed sections will be divided into the respective Elders. The proof sections will continue to grow as I flesh it out.

Daleth:

The name was mentioned in the Tom Zhao concepts, linked on the final page of this document. Avian themes are characteristic of the Isle Elder.

Above is the a social media release for the Isle elder. The name reads “Daleth,” and his related terms are “dawn” and “ferry post,” referring to the characteristics of his realm. This confirms the connection between the name and the character.

Ayin:

Concepts for the Prairie Elder, given in a social media release by TGC. Notice how the misspelling has carried onto this concept, which was also drawn by the same artist as the Teth description and the name concept.

 Their old headdress is also a match to the name concept.

 

Teth:

The simplest and most straightforward name match. A majority of the fandom correctly guess this as the Hidden Forest Elder’s name.

Their name was also present in this concept:

Samekh:

There is only one name given to the two twins, because a TGC release at CAFA GAME ART (2018) stated that there was only supposed to be one elder for the Valley of Triumph: a priestess.

“A translation of the text reads: Perfection, romantic, optimism, eternity Descendants fly with light creatures on the summit, practice their flying skills. Light creatures leave them when they arrive in the arena. Descendants summon and challenge an ancient(priestess). She tells them the lighthouse is just beyond the clouds. Descendants then start flying down the mountain towards a mysterious castle, but suddenly lose control of flight.”

The name “Samekh” was used to label the twins in this concept too:

Tsadi:

 

Wasteland was supposed to be a modern, abandoned cityscape, as shown in the Tom Zhao concepts to the right and below. As per the TGC social media release, “these animal-themed, cursed characters became like bosses for each level… the animal-themed bosses gradually became more humanoid. In one iteration they were each missing parts of their bodies (arm, heart, head, etc). They slowly turned into what we know today as the Elders." Hence, the old, animal-themed elder of the Golden Wasteland used to feature modern objects, such as the TV and bicycle shown on the spider-like elder’s back.

A concept for the Golden Wasteland, previously known as “the Shores of Manna.”

Perhaps the more definitive proof comes from this concept, depicting a warrior with a great whale behind them; the name in brackets read “Tsadi”:

Also shown in the image to the right in a TGC social media release.

Lamed:

The art below portrays all the old elder designs in order. Notice how in the spot before the Eden Elder, the vault elder wears the same, birdlike mask:

The same of which is portrayed here, under the name “Lamed”

Furthermore, in the next section, it is proven that the letter “Lamed (ל)” in Hebrew alphabet pertains to the concept of  “study and learning.” Which aligns with the theme of the Vault of Knowledge, and the presence of spirit scholars. This will be expressed in detail in the latter sections, but its just good to know the context of their name before the below image, where they are seen teaching you about your fate.

From a TGC social media release, they confirmed that this hunched-over, crowlike elder was their old design for the Vault Elder. Perhaps they were designed this way due to the connections between crows and intelligence.

Alef:

To the left is the figure that was labelled “Alef” in the first image of the document. Notice the three-pronged crown and the halo glow around this figure. You may recognise it from the “favourited friends” constellation. This is the constellation of the Eden Elder: the king of the Sky Kingdom.

A tall crown was also present in a concept of the corrupted version of the King, illustrated to the right of the reference image. More depictions of the Eden Elder and his three-point crown are below. The rightmost image depicts a corrupted Alef, hence the crown has several growths of darkness on it, obscuring its shape.

   

The name “Alef” also appears in the concepts following the Vault of Knowledge art( depicting “the plan (Lamed).” The order suggests that this structure was designed for Eden/ Orbit. The image depicts the Ark, which was turned into the floating castle you see before orbit today. The presence of two names here (both Alef and Resh) will be explained later in the Hebrew alphabet analysis, but essentially describe the same person: Eden Elder.

As a refresher, here is the Hebrew Alphabet that will be used for this analysis:

Hebrew Name Analysis

Daleth (Isle of Dawn Elder):

Daleth (pronounced ‘da-let’) is the fourth letter in the Hebrew alphabet. While the specific root of this name is not known, it is commonly accepted that the preceding, ancient letter that lead to ‘Daleth’ looked like a door. Similarly, the Hebrew word for ‘door’ is “Delet.’ Perhaps this is referenced as Daleth is the Elder who welcomes you into the Kingdom of Sky; actively functioning as the door to the kingdom. In a spiritual sense, ‘Daleth’ is said to represent humility. Another source expresses that Daleth represents the choice to open oneself to hope or remain closed off. A Tom Zhao concept aligns with this sense, as depicted to the right.

Ayin (Daylight Prairie Elder):

Ayin (pronounced ‘ah-yeen’) is the sixteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It is derived from the Hebrew word for eye, and is recognised to symbolise sight, both physical and spiritual. When applied to a person, the source expresses that “Someone who has the letter ע in their name is a big-hearted person with a constant desire to help others. They are people without an ego, and all they want is to see that things are good and go well for others.”

Teth (Hidden Forest Elder):

Teth (pronounced ‘tate’, but the fandom says teth) is the ninth letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Perhaps this is reflected in the number of tied hair segments she has (four on the front, five on the back). It also had developed from the pictogram of a ‘spinning wheel;’ a large one was inside her temple in the older versions of Sky. There is a sense of duality associated with this letter; although it is the first letter in the Hebrew word for ‘purity’ (used to describe the creation of light in Judaism and the separation of light and darkness) , it is also the first letter for the word ‘impurity’. This may be reflected in the production of dark stone in the Hidden forest, in which she applies light to dark stone. Aside from the main source used for these analyses, another source expresses that ‘Teth’ also represents a serpent.

Samekh (Valley of Triumph Elders):

Samekh (pronounced ‘sah-meck’) is the fifteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet. In a literal sense, it means ‘support.’ Its essence expresses something circular; something with no beginning and no end. It also often represents a fortified wall, which protects/ allows for a sense of security. This circular theme is present throughout the Valley; in the ice rink, the globe rings and structure shape of the Citadel, and in the old Valley Elder cutscene, with the clearest visual found here.

Tsadi (Golden Wasteland Elder):

Tsadi  (pronounced ‘tsah-dee’) is the eighteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Dual in nature, it is said to represent both righteousness and hunting (the word is derived from either a fishhook or a bird trap). This is perhaps reflected in his role of protecting the city (and when we meet him, the entrance to the vault), against the dark creatures. It is also the root word for “fortress” (metzad); ruined fortress walls are also present throughout the Wasteland level.

Lamed (Vault of Knowledge Elder):

Lamed (pronounced lah-med) is the twelfth letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It refers to לִימוּדִים (limudim) studies, or learning. The main source to this analysis recognises this as “...the thing that most elevates people. Thanks to learning, a person’s spiritual level rises and soars.” The letter is derived from a goad (Malmad habakar), a tool (shaped like the letter Lamed) used in Biblical times used to direct animals; teaching them the correct way to go. A weird thing is, Lamed represents royalty. Perhaps this reflects Lamed taking a leadership role (as ‘the plan’ to lock Alef in the storm), or a previous relationship to the king, as per their old design here, wearing a similar three-point crown.

Alef (Eye of Eden Elder):

Alef (pronounced ah-lef) is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The letter symbolises oneness and unity. The word “aluf,” comes from the letter Alef, and means a (military) “general,” or a “champion,” and has connotations of greatness. The Eden elder’s victories were said to be celebrated in the Valley of Triumph, and may be related to this symbolism.

Additional: Eden Elder’s other name, Resh.

Resh (pronounced ray-sh) is the twentieth letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It represents wickedness, thus contrasting to the other name of the king, Alef. Since the king functioned as the sort of ‘antagonist’ for the latter parts of the storyline, and concepts show that the king grows corrupted by dark stone usage, it can be inferred that ‘Alef’ refers to his uncorrupted state, and ‘Resh’ refers to his corrupted form.

Links to Evidence:

Elder Livestream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12iKbUJRiy0

Tom Zhao Concepts: https://www.tomzhao.com/sky1

CAFA GAME ART 2018 Imgur Album: https://imgur.com/a/iGkSRIX

Main Source for the Hebrew Alphabet meaning analysis: