Castle faction names.

[GalacticTremor]

It seems that both castle sets and the factions have different names depending upon where you live.

As a child I always called the black falcons black Knights and I called the black Knights dragon knights.

The lion knights are often called the crusaders by some but is that politically correct. I've always preferred lion knights.

So what's your take on the different names for both factions and sets that are out there.

[Aanchir]

These sorts of naming discrepancies were very common back in the 80s and 90s! My understanding is that back then, the separate regional marketing departments got a lot of leeway in how they named the sets, characters, and factions. It wasn't until the 2000s that these names started to become more standardized, probably mostly because of the Internet.

I've actually spent quite a bit of time looking this stuff up in old catalog scans just to satisfy my own curiosity. Here's what I've found so far in reference to the Castle theme specifically:

• The category named Lion Knights in the US was named Ritter vom Löwenorden (Knights of the Lion Order) in Germany, Leeuwenhart Ridders (Lionheart Knights) in the Netherlands, Rytíři znaku Lva (Knights of the Lion Emblem) in the Czech Republic, and Le Château du Seigneur (The Lord's Castle) in France.
• The category named Royal Knights in the US and UK was translated verbatim as Konïgliche Ritter (Royal Knights) in Germany, but in the Netherlands they were ALSO called Leeuwenhart Ridders (Lionheart Knights).
• As you mention, the category named Black Falcons in the US was named Black Knights in the UK.
• However, the category named Black Knights in the US also uses that name in the UK catalogs I've seen. It is translated verbatim as Schwarze Ritter in Germany, Zwarte Ridders in the Netherlands, Černí rytíři in the Czech Republic, and Les Chevaliers Noirs in France.
• The category named Dragon Masters in the US was called Dragon Knights in the UK, was translated verbatim as Draken Ridders in the Netherlands and Drači rytíři in the Czech Republic, and was named Ritter vom Drachenorden (Knights of the Dragon Order) in Germany.
• The category named Forestmen in the US and UK was named Robin Hood in Germany, Vreijbuiters (Freebooters) in the Netherlands, Lesní Lidé (Forest People) in the Czech Republic, and Les Hommes de la Forêt (Men of the Forest) in France.
• The category named Fright Knights in the US and UK was named Verwunschenen Rittern (Cursed Knights) in Germany.

I realize there's a lot of translations I'm missing, so if anybody has old catalogs from other countries, I'd definitely appreciate hearing about whatever you can find in them!

Edited January 24, 2021 by Aanchir

[Alexandrina]

Admittedly much of my knowledge of classic Castle subthemes comes from trawling through the Bricklink and Peeron databases to compile an unfeasibly long wishlist in my youth - but I've always been under the impression that the Lion Knights and the Crusaders were different subthemes, albeit with similar colour schemes.

[GalacticTremor]

  On 1/24/2021 at 11:58 PM, Aanchir said:

These sorts of naming discrepancies were very common back in the 80s and 90s! My understanding is that back then, the separate regional marketing departments got a lot of leeway in how they named the sets, characters, and factions. It wasn't until the 2000s that these names started to become more standardized, probably mostly because of the Internet.

I've actually spent quite a bit of time looking this stuff up in old catalog scans just to satisfy my own curiosity. Here's what I've found so far in reference to the Castle theme specifically:

• The category named Lion Knights in the US was named Ritter vom Löwenorden (Knights of the Lion Order) in Germany, Leeuwenhart Ridders (Lionheart Knights) in the Netherlands, Rytíři znaku Lva (Knights of the Lion Emblem) in the Czech Republic, and Le Château du Seigneur (The Lord's Castle) in France.
• The category named Royal Knights in the US and UK was translated verbatim as Konïgliche Ritter (Royal Knights) in Germany, but in the Netherlands they were ALSO called Leeuwenhart Ridders (Lionheart Knights).
• As you mention, the category named Black Falcons in the US was named Black Knights in the UK.
• However, the category named Black Knights in the US also uses that name in the UK catalogs I've seen. It is translated verbatim as Schwarze Ritter in Germany, Zwarte Ridders in the Netherlands, Černí rytíři in the Czech Republic, and Les Chevaliers Noirs in France.
• The category named Dragon Masters in the US was called Dragon Knights in the UK, was translated verbatim as Draken Ridders in the Netherlands and Drači rytíři in the Czech Republic, and was named Ritter vom Drachenorden (Knights of the Dragon Order) in Germany.
• The category named Forestmen in the US and UK was named Robin Hood in Germany, Vreijbuiters (Freebooters) in the Netherlands, Lesní Lidé (Forest People) in the Czech Republic, and Les Hommes de la Forêt (Men of the Forest) in France.
• The category named Fright Knights in the US and UK was named Verwunschenen Rittern (Cursed Knights) in Germany.

I realize there's a lot of translations I'm missing, so if anybody has old catalogs from other countries, I'd definitely appreciate hearing about whatever you can find in them!

Expand  

That's an extensive list. I guess we can thank the internet for helping to standardise Lego's naming. It seems the only true faction is the black Knights as they have the same name across the board.