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Ranak
Learned Scribe
USA
190 Posts |
 Posted - 05 Apr 2011 : 17:28:58
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I've noticed that naming conventions in the Realms vary greatly, from epic to awkward. I can only guess that is because of the great number of hands TSR/Wizards/Hasbro have had in the process.
What are your favorite realms names?
In my opinion, simpler names work better - Khelben just sounds strong, Manshoon manages to be catchy and evil sounding, etc.
More complicated names (any name with more than one apostrophe) or names that sound too similar to real world things (Pasta Fzoul and Cinnabun, I mean Crenshinibon) can be distracting
How do authors come up with names?
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Cleric Generic
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
565 Posts |
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Lily M Green
Learned Scribe
Australia
115 Posts |
Posted - 05 Apr 2011 : 18:55:20
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^Heh
Honestly, and please don't roast me with a fireball, I hate
Drizzt's name. I've always mentally added an extra letter 'i' into it before the 't' when I read it, which then makes me think of drizzle rather than Drist, and drizzle is no name for a hero! Sorry. ;/
I've noticed that Welsh naming conventions seem to crop up a fair bit. By that I mean lots of Ll's G's Wy's etc.
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Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy, and taste good with ketchup.
A Dark Alliance - Beyond Baldur's Gate |
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Cleric Generic
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
565 Posts |
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Aryalómë
Senior Scribe
USA
666 Posts |
Posted - 05 Apr 2011 : 23:16:43
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| The Gaelic words/names are popular as well. |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 05 Apr 2011 : 23:31:19
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Double 'i', double 'a', put one of those up-pointing arrow-thingies over a letter, etc, etc...
But yeah, there are some very bad ones, like Dagnabbit and Bouldershoulder (Over-the-shoulder-boulder-holder... REALLY? Are we in 3rd grade still?)
Although I think RAS is one of the top FR writers, his names leave a LOT to be desired.
My one and only CKC article (non-canon of course) had some pretty awful ones as well. Although the names I choose were no worse then many I have read (too RW-ish), I really should have put more effort into making them sound 'Realmsish'.
In other words, Richard Montoya would become Riikheart Moantoia, etc...
And I've learned to Google any 'kewl names' I 'create' before setting them down (I swear I had no idea Punjabbi was a real place - I took it from the genie-guy in Little Orphan Annie).
So, I shouldn't make fun of others, since my own are amongst the worst.  |
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Edited by - Markustay on 05 Apr 2011 23:32:19 |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31799 Posts |
Posted - 06 Apr 2011 : 01:56:37
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Name patterns vary with region, social class, era and other factors, and you get to intuit the patterns, but they're too complex to easily spell out, in the main. [Though we can say that the rich, the self-important and mages have longer names than farmers and labourers.]
The best solution, I think, for understanding naming conventions in the Realms, is to simply read lots of Ed-lore. You'll soon notice naming patterns and trends and can implement them accordingly. |
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Ranak
Learned Scribe
USA
190 Posts |
Posted - 06 Apr 2011 : 02:03:02
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Fox-at-Twilight is one of the more unusual names that I've come across.
Ed's names are very distinctive. In his Falconfar series, the main character, Rod Everlar, could have come from FR.
RAS's name's indeed vary in believability, but I never found them to be too distracting. |
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Alystra Illianniis
Great Reader
USA
3750 Posts |
Posted - 06 Apr 2011 : 05:02:32
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| I think some of RAS's names are humorous intentionally/ As MT mentioned. Tne Bouldershoulders are one of those whose names I can't help but giggle at a little. And I think that's half the point. They are obviously meant as comic-relief. Their names reflect this- Ivan is the straight-man to Pikel's more amusing comic in full slapstick style. I sort of imagine them to be like the Laurel and Hardy of the Realms, or perhaps FR's version of Bing and Bob(Crosby and Hope, respectively, to you young'uns out there- google them if you don't know who they are!) Athrogate (sounds like agitate) is another one whose name seems very apropos considering how often he seems to do just exactly what his name suggests. I think the names in RAS's books were carefully chosen specifically for the impressions they make. |
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Lord Karsus
Great Reader
USA
3746 Posts |
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Lily M Green
Learned Scribe
Australia
115 Posts |
Posted - 06 Apr 2011 : 07:35:30
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quote:
Originally posted by The Sage
Name patterns vary with region, social class, era and other factors, and you get to intuit the patterns, but they're too complex to easily spell out, in the main. [Though we can say that the rich, the self-important and mages have longer names than farmers and labourers.]
The best solution, I think, for understanding naming conventions in the Realms, is to simply read lots of Ed-lore. You'll soon notice naming patterns and trends and can implement them accordingly.
I was going to ask about that, actually. I noticed that the 'Welsh' or I'd go so far as to say 'Cornish' conventions seem to crop in Amnish names, especially noble family names. Is this (because they are) evocative of Arthurian legend? |
Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy, and taste good with ketchup.
A Dark Alliance - Beyond Baldur's Gate |
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Quale
Master of Realmslore
1757 Posts |
Posted - 06 Apr 2011 : 11:05:31
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quote:
Originally posted by Ranak
I've noticed that naming conventions in the Realms vary greatly, from epic to awkward. I can only guess that is because of the great number of hands TSR/Wizards/Hasbro have had in the processs?
There are exceptions (e.g. Thay) but it seems that TSR/WotC came up with different naming styles, in the core Realms area (Ed's) names are generic fantasy and have no patterns. |
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Alisttair
Great Reader
Canada
3054 Posts |
Posted - 06 Apr 2011 : 15:33:13
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For Athrogate I almost read Astrogate - like if its a gate in space or something.
But anyways, finding a balance between generic fantasy names and cool fantasy names must be a daunting task for authors, especially if there are LOTS of characters showing up. |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 07 Apr 2011 : 08:13:25
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Most of the FR names that I like are Ed's. I don't know about RAS. I only read very few of his novels. But Dritzz certainly sounds so "uncool" to me. 'Tis like "psst!" It could have been a name of an insignificant goblin.
For non-FR, I admire most of the names by Brent Weeks, Brandon Sanderson, Raymond Feist,and Trudi Canavan. |
Every beginning has an end. |
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Jelennet
Learned Scribe
Russia
131 Posts |
Posted - 08 Apr 2011 : 08:29:20
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There are some other problems if you speak two languages... Some FR names sound plainly unflattering if you know Russian.
For example there was a witch named Dynaheir from Rasheman in BG1. Dynaheir in Russia has a very dirty (about sex), rude meaning. So dirty that I won't explain it here - it's obscene.
Kozakura allways makes me laugh. Koza is a female goat in russian. Kura is a female hen.
I like books about Drizzt very much, but sadly I can recall some jokes about R. A. Salvatore names. Pook means fart... Drizzt sounds almost like diarrhea...
In Mask of the Betrayer there was a guy named Kozlov. In Russia it's not a name, it's a surname derived from kozyol - male goat. NWN guy got only a surname, he even hadn't got a name.
Some names sound good for my ear - Aerie, Viconia, Keldorn, Maya, Artemis, Arilyn, Elaith and others.
Simple names can sound very fine and be pretty, but I think that a writer sometimes just needs something stranger - for example when he is writing about a dragon. |
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Chosen of Asmodeus
Master of Realmslore
1221 Posts |
Posted - 08 Apr 2011 : 11:17:48
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| Pook was just a silly name. I get the feeling RAS does that intentionally for his own amusement. Thibbledorf Pwent is a rediculous name(granted, for a rediculous dwarf), and then there was the dwarf named Dagnabbit. Which is an old timey "curse" often used in works as a safe replacement for "god d*amnit". Yosemite Sam used it quite often. I think that was the point where I couldn't take RAS's books seriously anymore; he was playing the death of someone who's name was a loony toon's characters catchphrase way too seriously. |
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Fantasy Names and the Realms
