“Fire giant” doesn’t fit the rhythm of the sentence. “Eldjotun” does, though. I may use it if I can hunt down my copy of Children of Odin & other such books that would have been available for a nerdish teen to read in 1987; if I can justify thecharcter knowing the word, I’ll likely use it.
ETA: Off to tutor. See you guys after the election. Vote!!
Wikipedia has a “list of species in folklore and mythology by type” section—a bit small, but I did link to the section on fire-creatures.
The Cherufe sounds promising. (It beats “Salaman” [sic], I guess)
Any particular reason you can’t use dragon? How about another name for dragon, like drake, i.e. fire drake?
Because the bit I’m working on is about a war in a fantasy realm, and the dragons’ have already been established as waiting for one side to win the war so they can eat the losers.
Salamander would seem to be ideal.
Failing that, perhaps seraphim or kerubim. Or hellhounds. Or some variant of the ignis fatuus (will o’the wisp, corpse candle, kitsune-bi, etc.)
Surtr Surtur
Logi
Charizard
Cacus, Enculadus or Typhon (two giants and a serpent) in greek mythology.
A deviation of the many-tailed foxes in Japanese mythology.
Eldjotnene, the Fire Giants of Norse mythology.
Fire Elementals.
Orks with flamethrowers.
Manticores and chimaeras.
Ishum or Nergal
Lucifer?
Wyrm?
Muspeli, meaning the denizens of Muspelheim, the realm of fire in Norse mythology? Of course, your reasons for excluding their ruler Surtr might apply to them as well…
So are Firedrakes and Fieryworms out?
**Haserapim **are described as Fiery Ones. They are either some type of angel (possibly fallen like a Balrog) or a fiery serpent. They are connected with Seraphim.
Thought of another one: “Britain’s Gog and Magog were the last survivors of a race of evil giants.”
I have occasionally seen them describe as Fiery Gigantic Beings.
Actually it does not. I was looking for class names, not for names of individuals, so if Muspeli is as you describe it’s almost perfect. I’m going to have to track down my copy of Children of Odin to see if that term is used therein, as that would have been the viewpoint’s character major introduction to Norse myth.
Marid? (since dijinni and afrit are out)
Yes. They’re basically dragons, and as I’m talking about a battle in a war of mythological creatures in which the dragons are Switzerland, I can’t use them for this line. Basically I’ve been looking for a way to say “balrog” without writing “balrog.”
Use the **Haserapim **then. Here you have a fiery being that is an Angelic type. I think we just loosely described a Balrog.
Right now I’m vacillating between that and Muspeli. As I wrote above, since I’m relating a character’s thoughts–and said character is a 13-year-old girl from 1987 Memphis–I have to be able to persuade myself that she’d know the word. Jotun she’d know, as well as leviathan, jinn, hydra, and even hecatonchire; she’s a kid who’s mainlined Bulfinchs Mythology, Hamilton’s Mythology, and the children of Odin.
Now that I think on it, I should check Bulfinch & Hamilton for the two finalists. I know where my copies of both of those are.
Also, given that “eldjotun” means "fire giant, does anyone know the construction for ice or frost giant?