He was drawn to the word "Ethereum" because it contained "ether", which refers to the hypothetical invisible medium once believed to permeate the universe and enable the transmission of light. Vitalik found the term aesthetically pleasing and felt it evoked the futuristic, expansive qualities he envisioned for his blockchain platform. While the name may coincidentally resemble enemies from the World of Warcraft game set in "Netherstorm," this was not his inspiration.