I started using the name for D&D in the late '70’s, sorta/kinda ripped off from a Welsh goddess. The fact that I’m male, as was my character, bothered me not at all, 'cause the “wyn” ending seemed reasonable as a masculine suffix in “Elvish,” despite its feminine connotations in Welsh. My father, whose first language was Welsh, was less impressed.
[/QUOTE]
Dude, you’re a DUDE? :eek:
Ow, my brain hurts. I hate it when I have to do a radical re-write of a Doper persona in my head.
I think Tolkien is an excellent source of names, with all his different cultures. It also meant the other players could remember both the name and the class.
Also Tolkien, although it was probably borrowed unconsciously. It’s only used in a placename, Druwaith Iaur, which was the original homeland of Ghan Buri Ghan’s people.
I thought the medical term ‘erythema’ was so pretty that I named the first bunch of WoW characters I made with nothing but anagrams of it. Etheamyr was my favourite. My EQ druids (praise Karana) were named after airports, Idlewild and Narita. Idlewild’s last name was Ohare. Loved that teleport spell. If I didn’t loathe short races so much, I was strongly contemplating a halfling druid named Heathrow.
But if I ever do get around to writing a pulp fantasy novel, the plan is to do a run through IKEA first for names. Every time we go, I see characters everywhere. Skrin! Doubtless a pickpocket and of low virtue! Flyt! Well there’s a faerie sort of name if ever I heard one. Knodd! How could Knodd not be a sturdy dwarven fellow? Granliden! There’s a warrior’s name for you. I know they all probably mean stuff in Swedish, but they’re fabulous.
I named a heroine in my D+D world Quisiera because I liked the sound of the word as a name, not knowing how many Spanish speakers would be playing my campaigns…but her name’s too entrenched now in my games and fiction I feel like I can’t change it, so Quisiera she will stay.
[QUOTE=Cemetery Savior]
There was this pulp-looking set of stories (a trilogy) with titles like "Sos the Knife, Var the Rope, and something else…this must have informed our naming.
[/QUOTE]
Neq the Sword, from Battle Circle, by Piers Anthony. Obscure, and probably a bit better than most of his crap. I ran across it at a used book store here and since I used to be an Anthony fan, had heard of this book, and despite looking for it earlier hadn’t read it yet, I picked it up. Wasn’t as painful as I thought it might be, considering I haven’t read much of his stuff since I was in my teens. It helps that it’s one of his non-punny books.
The problem with D&D names is the overarching influence of Tolkein and the knockoffs of his stuff that cluster around the game. Add in the fact that the vast majority of Fantasy seems to draw from Celtic/Norse backgrounds, and you get people who have a hard time thinking up character names that don’t sound vaguely alike. It’s probably even worse if you get people who read Conan stories or, gods forbid, Gor.
[QUOTE=Sleel]
Neq the Sword, from Battle Circle, by Piers Anthony. Obscure, and probably a bit better than most of his crap. I ran across it at a used book store here and since I used to be an Anthony fan, had heard of this book, and despite looking for it earlier hadn’t read it yet, I picked it up. Wasn’t as painful as I thought it might be, considering I haven’t read much of his stuff since I was in my teens. It helps that it’s one of his non-punny books.
<SNIP>
[/QUOTE]
Like most of his series, I found the first book to be much better than the other two. I enjoyed Sos the rope, but the other two, not so much.
[QUOTE=MGibson]
I’m not sure how that’s any better. Especially if I’ve got to read the names and try to figure out whether it’s suppose to sound like a common name in my language or because it’s spelled different it must have a different pronunciation.
Not that I have room to speak. Recent character names of mine include Alcibiades Aristides and Milo Telemachus Orestes.
Marc
[/QUOTE]
My previous work place was on a street called Orestes Araujo, named after some fellow I have no idea what he did or when he lived.
Arístides it`s also an actual, although archaic, Spanish name. In fact it was the name of the mascot dog (I kid you not) of a particularly leftist rag back in Uruguay.
[QUOTE=jayjay]
Also Tolkien, although it was probably borrowed unconsciously. It’s only used in a placename, Druwaith Iaur, which was the original homeland of Ghan Buri Ghan’s people.
[/QUOTE]
Well spotted, that man!
I use an Encyclopedia of Tolkien names and places for ideas, so undoubtedly that was where I got it.
[QUOTE=WhyNot]
Ow, my brain hurts. I hate it when I have to do a radical re-write of a Doper persona in my head.
[/QUOTE]
Like you had any mental image of who I was anyway? :dubious:
The ironic part is that I’ve actually played two other characters far more than Cerowyn, and neither name was inspired by north-western Eurpoean languages. Obviously, I should have chosen my SDMB name more carefully.
