Hey, Keberoxu: The real Adso

The cat known as Adso of Melk is a rare example of Gabaldon failing to check her sources. His literary predecessor is the novice who accompanies William of Baskerville, the detective monk protagonist of Umberto Eco's novel "The Name of the Rose".

The name "Adso" refers to the Latin phrase "Adsum Domine" (I am here Lord). The saint took his name from Isaiah 6:8, in which the prophet receives his marching orders from God. "Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.”

But every cat I have ever lived with would walk up to me at some point in every day to announce, "I am here!"