Shout Out / Safehold

• Nimue's alternate identity of Merlin. She also eventually gives Cayleb a sword and names it Excalibur. Justified because her father was Welsh, which explains her own name. Weber also likes to use Safehold's naming conventions to slip in references.
• Merlin makes several deliberate shout outs to historical events, reasoning that since he's the only one who knows the true history of Earth he might as well "crib all of the best lines." Most notable is during Off Armageddon Reef when he suggests that Prince Cayleb flies the message "Charis expects that every man will do his duty."
• Nahrmahn Baytz is the prince of the Emerald Island. Judging from the text, he doesn't have the accent, though Oliver Wyman gives it to him regardless in the audio books he narrates.
• In A Mighty Fortress, Lock Island says "It's time we were about it", a reference to Honor Harrington's catchphrase.
• Zhan Smolth, the star pitcher on the Tellesberg Krakens and Rafayl Furkal, the Krakens' leadoff hitter in Off Armageddon Reef, both of whom are named after Atlanta Braves stars of the late nineties and early naughties. Considering that Weber lives in South Carolina, it's not unlikely that he's a fan.
• Brigadier Kynt Clareyk (Kent Clark), and his second-in-command is named Layn (Lane)
• Gahvyn Mahrtyn, Baron Whiteford, has a valet named Zheevys.
• Keeper of the Seal of the Kingdom of Charis, Baron White Church, Paityr Sellyrs.
• From By Heresies Distressed we have a Chisholmian delegate to the committee to set up the Imperial Parliament: Sir Paitryk Mahknee
• Several of the various fiefs are shout outs as well: the Earldom of Gray Harbor, the Barony of White Castle, the Barony of Green Mountain, the Duchy of Halbrook Hollow
• Corisandan resistance member Paitryk Hainree (Patrick Henry).
• The titles of the fourth and fifth books (A Mighty Fortress and How Firm a Foundation) are also the titles of Protestant hymns.
• The titles of the second, third, and sixth books (By Schism Rent Asunder, By Heresies Distressed, and Midst Toil and Tribulation) are from the lyrics to the hymn "The Church's One Foundation" by Samuel J. Stone.
• Like a Mighty Army gets its title from "Onward Christian Soldiers".
• Bishop Maikel Staynair's words declaring the schism with the Church of God Awaiting by the newly founded Church of Charis: "Here we will stand, for we can do no other..." are a shout-out to Martin Luther's famous statement at the Diet of Worms: "Here I stand; I can do no other." This phrase is quoted a number of times, usually credited to Cayleb.
• There's a Babylon 5 reference in How Firm a Foundation: "There're good men enough standing behind me. And you're standing in front of me. If you want to survive this night, Colonel, be somewhere else. Now."
• Matches are called Shan-wei's candles. In real life an early brand of matches were called Lucifer matches.
• In Hell's Foundations Quiver, a scout for the Army of God is Lairmahnt Crahnstyn, commonly known as "Shadow"
• Late in the series, Charis discovers ^note OK, it was in Owl's database and someone finally looked at it major gold and silver mines in the Mohryah Mountains.
• One of the Border States is the Kingdom of Hoth. It does not appear to contain any hidden Rebel bases, however.

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