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Hello! I finished Claude’s route and found so many MENA cultural references in the game which I was SO ecstatic about. This goes further to Claude’s ethnic coding specifically, and surprisingly so many specific references to mostly ancient Turkish and Iranian cultural aspects. I wanted to compile all the ones I noticed, enjoy!

Claude Backstory Spoilers for FE3H: Golden Deer Route

Claude’s Ethnicity Coding and Design

Claude, as established by the game, is half East Fodlan and half Almyran. One of the most blatant references, however, is the fact that his house is named the “Golden Deer.” Deer have a big significance in Islam (which originated in and is heavily tied to the middle east). Turkic peoples that converted to Islam brought with them from the Eurasian Steppe their beliefs and cults involving horns, deer, antlers, hides, etc. In the Ottoman Empire, and more specifically in western Asia Minor and Thrace.

His combat instructor (the one that he mentioned in the support) has a Farsi&Arabic name (Nader) and wears a chokha, except fashioned without the left sleeve. Chokhas are casual-wear for nobility, so Nader charging into battle like this is the equivalent of Dimitri showing up at the battle of Eagle&Lion in khakis. Cool attempt though.

Accessories, Facial hair, and Achaemenid Archer References

Claude’s timeskip design takes more Persian inspiration but still has an Ottoman/Turkish flair, like an amalgamation of his parents’ influences.

Claude’s story promotion, class titled “Barbarossa”, is a reference to Hayreddin Barbarossa, a Turkish admiral born in Lesbos and retired in Istanbul.

Claude’s Interests, Habits, and Cultural References

In Claude’s support chain with Annette, Claude references the Zoroastrian holiday called “Chaharshanbe Suri”, which originated in Iran.

Chahar Shanbeh Suri or ” Festival of Fire” is a prelude to Nowruz which marks the arrival of the spring season. The celebration usually starts in the evening, with people making bonfires in the streets and jumping over them. Some believe jumping over bonfires is a way of taking away negative energy, sickness, and problems and in turn getting fulfillment, warmth, and energy. Chahar Shanbeh Suri serves as a cultural festival for many Iranians.

Claude also references that he practices meditation, the practice of which originated in Zoroastrianism. Zoroastrians are encouraged to base their lives on the principle of Asha (or Right Behavior) which can be achieved by right thinking or Vohu Manah. This state of mind can be acquired through working within or contemplation of nature, or through chanting songs of praise, both a form of meditation. In reference to “contemplation of nature”, Claude also expresses his belief in thanking nature instead of the Goddess in his supports with Leonie and Petra.

In Claude’s support with Petra, he explains that Almyra does not have tall trees, so he is not accustomed to climbing them. In this map of natural tree ranges (green correlates to density) across the world, take note that northern Iran does not have many, especially when compared to more western European areas where Garreg Mach would have an IRL counterpart in.

In Claude’s B support with Hilda, he mentions being trained in horsemanship from a young age, just like ancient Persian boys in their education. Among that education, archery was also a focus, and aligns with Claude being able to use mounted units post-timeskip and being an archer pre-timeskip.

In the lost items feature, Claude loses a board game piece described as a “stone”, and also has a specific gift item that is a Backgammon board (since chess pieces were originally made of ivory, not stone), described as for someone who “likes tactical thinking.” Backgammon was invented in Iran, and to Iranians it has deeper cultural significance. It is a practice to balance mind and anger, handle extreme joy and disappointment, it resembles daily life. It is a model of free will and determinism–much in line with Claude’s ideology and behavior.





EDIT: I made a mistake on claude’s parents and that assumption so i deleted those bits. thanks for being understanding!

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This covers the majority of what I discovered playing the GD route. Thank you for reading!

1 year agoAugust 6, 2019