Ninth House: What Do Lethe's Code Names & Role Titles Mean

Summary Lethe's role names are inspired by classic literature and history, reflecting the duties and status of each member within the house.

Dante and Virgil's roles symbolize mentorship and guidance, while Oculus serves as the watchful eye of Lethe House.

The code names add an air of secrecy and prestige to the roles, emphasizing the highbrow and traditional nature of Yale's secret societies.

The house of Lethe plays a pivotal part in Ninth House, and the titles of the roles of the house hint at the parts each one plays within the story. Leigh Bardugo's Ninth House series revolves around Alex Stern, who finds herself being pulled deep into the world of darkest academia, discovering a world in which Yale's secret societies are still for the rich and privileged elite, but use real and powerful magic. That magic has put politicians in the Senate and elected presidents, gotten classified military secrets out of dead corpses to change the tides of war, given Hollywood celebs box office hits, and toppled nations.

That sort of power leads to easy abuse and corruption, which is why Yale's ninth house, Lethe, was created to oversee the other secret houses and keep them in line. That oversight function requires Lethe to operate as a well-oiled machine, with every member serving in a specific capacity. As such, each of Lethe's roles in Ninth House, which is getting its own Amazon adaptation, has a special title and code name, and the titles have much deeper meaning than simply being clever academic jokes.

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Ninth House's Lethe Roles & Titles Explained

They All Tie Back To Classic Literature & History

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All the role titles for Lethe are, appropriately enough, based on classic literature or in history. Each one befits the duties the role performs, specific to the person's status. Two roles are the equivalent of field agents of Lethe House, one role is administrative, and the last in-house role is the dean and overseer. A final role belongs to an off-campus liaison between Yale and the world outside academia.

Dante and Virgil's role names are self-explanatory to anyone who knows their literature, and a cheeky academic joke. As the older, veteran undergrad in the field, Virgil trains Dante, the newcomer to Lethe House. In Dante's Inferno, it's the spirit of Virgil who guides Dante through the circles of Hell, revealing to and teaching him the arcane mysteries of the afterlife – and the hellish dangers they pose. It's a fitting comparison for the Ninth House roles, with Lethe's Virgil, Darlington, acting as the wise mentor for the new Dante, Alex, guiding the incoming freshman through the obscure and mystical rituals of both Lethe and the other secret societies of Yale.

While not literature-based, the name "Oculus" is also just as fitting for the role currently held by Pamela Dawes. "Oculus" means "eye" in Latin, and Oculus is indeed the eyes of Lethe House, watching over the house and its members, as well as being Dante and Virgil's academic eyes as their research assistant. It's Oculus' role to see to everyone's needs and keep Lethe running smoothly. Without Oculus' eye watching over the house, noting the magical and non-magical that need refilled and restocked, understanding the needs of Dante and Virgil, noticing when things are out of place, Lethe would cease to function. This arguably makes Oculus' role the most important in all of Lethe, despite being an administrative role rather than a field one.

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Similar to Oculus, the role of Praetor is also taken from Latin. In Latin, a praetor was an elected magistrate. The word "praetor" means "one who goes before" and in this way, it makes sense for the role. Lethe's Praetor serves as the liaison between the secret society and the President of Yale, serving as a buffer between the members of Lethe and the college. Ancient Rome awarded the title of praetor in two different ways: one to the commander of armies, and the other to a member of a magistrate, elected to carry out duties. In a way, the title of "Praetor" is something of a pun, as Lethe's Praetor oversees the would-be soldiers of Lethe and also performs high-level administrative duties. Despite not being in the field, the Praetor role has proved dangerous in the Ninth House books, with Lethe's Praetors all being murdered in gruesome ways.

The last code name is a role that isn't part of Lethe House proper, but one who acts as a liaison between Lethe and the New Haven police department. Centurion, like Praetor, is a Latin counterpart for the modern role of Lethe's Centurion, currently Detective Abel Turner. In ancient Rome, a centurion was an officer in the Roman army, a commander of a century, or a unit of 100 men. Over the centuries, the word "centurion" has become associated with images of a stalwart defender, its connotation that of a staunch guardian. As the non-military equivalent of an officer in an army and the liaison who guards New Haven's civilians against the potential threats posed by Yale's secret societies, Centurion is a fitting name for the role.

Book Title Release Date Ninth House October 8, 2019 Hell Bent January 10, 2023 TBD TBD

Why Lethe Uses Code Names In Ninth House

They're Honorary Titles & Underscore The Secrecy Of The House

Lethe using code names for the role serves a few purposes. On the surface, it seems somewhat pointless seeing as how the rest of Yale's secret societies know exactly who Alex and Darlington are and their roles as Dante and Virgil. However, the secrecy is less for the other students and Yale and more for the outside world. Yale's secret societies, particularly their rituals and members' identities, are closely guarded. Even though Lethe is the one meant to monitor the other houses, their own rituals are still secretive and need to be hidden from the world, along with its various members.

Outside of the need for secrecy, the names are fitting of Yale: highbrow, symbolic, and deeply enmeshed in ancient history and classic literature. It's snobbery, but it's snobbery with meaning and deep roots in history and tradition – something Darlington, of all the characters of Ninth House, can understand and appreciate. Lethe House and Yale's societies still hold many secrets, but with a third book in the Ninth House series on the way, more of Lethe's mysteries will surely be unraveled.

Leigh Bardugo's Ninth House series is currently being developed as a TV show for Amazon Prime.