Dear Herman, For once, this is a case of mythology that came to be recently enough for its creators to tell us about their motivations on Wikipedia:
Ahsoka was created by George Lucas <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Lucas> and Dave Filoni <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Filoni>.[2] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahsoka_Tano#cite_note-2> The character was developed to illustrate how Anakin Skywalker <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anakin_Skywalker> develops from the brash, undisciplined Padawan apprentice in *Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars:_Episode_II_%E2%80%93_Attack_of_the_Clones>* (2002) to the more reserved Jedi Knight in *Episode III – Revenge of the Sith <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Episode_III_%E2%80%93_Revenge_of_the_Sith>* (2005).[3] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahsoka_Tano#cite_note-TVGuide-3> Lucas, who had two daughters, also wanted the character to appeal to girls.[4] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahsoka_Tano#cite_note-taylor-4> Early in development, Ahsoka's name was "Ashla".[5] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahsoka_Tano#cite_note-5>[a] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahsoka_Tano#cite_note-7> Lucas renamed her after the ancient Indian emperor Ashoka <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashoka>; the spelling was then altered by screenwriter Henry Gilroy <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Gilroy>.[7] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahsoka_Tano#cite_note-8> ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahsoka_Tano) and Twitter: 'In honor of #CloneWars 10th, the title page for the series bible I wrote back in 05. When we met with George to discuss the bible he changed Anakin's Padawan from 'Ashla' to 'Ashoka', after the Indian Emperor of the Maurya Dynasty. I later tweaked it to Ahsoka to make her unique.' ( https://twitter.com/HGilroy67/status/1019372713712893952) All my best, Antonia On Wed, 11 Oct 2023 at 11:08, Charles DiSimone via INDOLOGY < [email protected]> wrote: > Dear Herman Tieken, > > I don't know if Ahsoka is related to Aśoka but there is a long history of > Sanskrit and related influence in Star Wars. I recell reading that Yoda > takes his name from yoddhṛ. The Duel of the Fates song from Episode 1 has > its chorus sung in (mangled) Sanskrit. Additionally, Tibetan and Kalmyk > were supposedly the inspiration, in part, of the language of the Ewoks. > > With my best wishes, > Charles > > Prof. Dr. Charles DiSimone > Associate Professor of Buddhist Studies > Department of Languages and Cultures > Ghent University > > > On Wed, Oct 11, 2023 at 9:44 AM Tieken, H.J.H. (Herman) via INDOLOGY < > [email protected]> wrote: > >> Dear List members, >> >> I saw announced a sequel to Star Wars which features a character called >> Ahsoka. I am curious to know if this is a mangled version of Aśoka, via >> Ashoka (in Dutch papers the aspiration in the name Gandhi is often >> misplaced: Ghandi). >> >> with kind regards, Herman >> >> >> Herman Tieken >> Stationsweg 58 >> 2515 BP Den Haag >> The Netherlands >> 00 31 (0)70 2208127 >> website: hermantieken.com >> >> *The Aśoka Inscriptions: Analysing a corpus*, New Delhi: Primus Books, >> 2023. >> >> https://primusbooks.com/ancient/the-asoka-inscriptions-analysing-a-corpus-by-herman-tieken/ >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> INDOLOGY mailing list >> [email protected] >> https://list.indology.info/mailman/listinfo/indology >> > > _______________________________________________ > INDOLOGY mailing list > [email protected] > https://list.indology.info/mailman/listinfo/indology >
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