> the language that inspired conception of both of these

I haven’t heard this before. Do you have a source on this?

I do not, but John's old videos on the idea of making a language and addressing the modern problems of archaic languages has been cited many times.

Here is a list with his videos where he goes from conception to something tangible: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TH9VCN6UkyQ&list=PLmV5I2fxai...

The first video is from September 17, 2014.

Zig's first commit was Aug 5, 2015.

Odin has first commit in Jul 7, 2016.

The language is in closed beta, there isn't exhaustive details available. You can see interviews and some details on YT if you look up Jon(athan) Blow with suitable topics.