# Needing a mythological-influenced name for fire & electricity based weapons **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 18, 2008, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/needing-a-mythological-influenced-name-for-fire-electricity-based-weapons/473292 "2008-11-18T16:05:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2008, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/needing-a-mythological-influenced-name-for-fire-electricity-based-weapons/473292/21 "2008-11-18T21:12:52Z")
> [@phouka](#): > > I have a request out to my brother, **rincewind** the lurker, to dig through his copies of the Walt Simonson run on Thor and find the answer. > > In doing so, I hope to curry favor with our evil overlord. Was that the one where he attacked Asgard, and the Asgardians and Midgard fought against his fire demons ? He named his sword “Twilight” in that one. ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/needing-a-mythological-influenced-name-for-fire-electricity-based-weapons/473292/22 "2008-11-19T21:53:36Z")
Yep, that’s the one. Brother rincewind found it for me. It’d be an awesome name for a weapon if it weren’t the title of a cringe-inducing Mary Sue vampire epic. Sorry about that, oh, evil overlord. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/needing-a-mythological-influenced-name-for-fire-electricity-based-weapons/473292/23 "2008-11-19T22:00:01Z")
> [@phouka](#): > > Yep, that’s the one. Brother rincewind found it for me. > > It’d be an awesome name for a weapon if it weren’t the title of a cringe-inducing Mary Sue vampire epic. > > Sorry about that, oh, evil overlord. Hey, this is a thread about my novel. I’m not an evil overlord right now. 'Cept to Silver Tyger Girl, of course, and in that case it’s just because of my enormous respect for her. Also because of her irrational hatred of a certain Thundercat. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/needing-a-mythological-influenced-name-for-fire-electricity-based-weapons/473292/24 "2008-11-19T22:07:53Z")
Rifle, musket, weapon, blaster, ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/needing-a-mythological-influenced-name-for-fire-electricity-based-weapons/473292/25 "2008-11-19T22:10:58Z")
> [@Paul in Saudi](#): > > Rifle, musket, weapon, blaster, I’m actually using variations of “rifle” & “gun” when my two viewpoint characters, who are both humans and neither from the fantasy world in question, refer to the items. But in dialogue spoken by the fantasy creatures using the weapons, I prefer for reasons of narrative logic\* to use the terms from the imaginary language. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/needing-a-mythological-influenced-name-for-fire-electricity-based-weapons/473292/26 "2008-11-19T22:36:27Z")
Hellmouth. Hellstriker. Hellblast. ---
**Author:** ![kitemaker\_chuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a88e4f/32.png) [@kitemaker\_chuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitemaker_chuck)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/needing-a-mythological-influenced-name-for-fire-electricity-based-weapons/473292/27 "2008-11-19T23:30:04Z")
Have you tried going to Seventh Sanctum? They have some pretty good random name generators and the like. [http://www.seventhsanctum.com/](http://www.seventhsanctum.com/) ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/needing-a-mythological-influenced-name-for-fire-electricity-based-weapons/473292/28 "2008-11-20T01:01:17Z")
Sixteen Candles. Smokestack Lightnin’. Mojo. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/needing-a-mythological-influenced-name-for-fire-electricity-based-weapons/473292/29 "2008-11-20T01:51:24Z")
Personally, I’d stay away from “Mjollnir”—it’s been done to death. (Back with helpful suggestions, later) ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/needing-a-mythological-influenced-name-for-fire-electricity-based-weapons/473292/30 "2008-11-20T15:21:26Z")
> [@Ranchoth](#): > > Personally, I’d stay away from “Mjollnir”—it’s been done to death. > > (Back with helpful suggestions, later) I was only using it as a place-holder, and Silver Tyger girl provided the perfect alternative for the lightning-rifle above. I’m still thinking about the fire-rifle, which has as placeholder “surt” at the moment. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/needing-a-mythological-influenced-name-for-fire-electricity-based-weapons/473292/31 "2008-11-20T16:20:47Z")
Siegfreid’s sword was Nothung or Balmung. However, those are Norse and not firelike enough. You must name it after BB King’s guitar. Consider these scenarios. “Sir, The Knights Teutonic have crossed the frozen river Don. They outnumber us a hundred to one. We are all that stands between them and Holy Mother Russia!” or “Sir, Godzilla has leveled Tokyo! He is now crushing the last armoured unit beneath his floppy feet. We are all that stand between him and the orphanage!” or “Sir, your Mother in Law is coming to visit!” Our Protagonist can only reply to his Squire/Sergeant/Red Shirt with: “Give me…Lucille.” ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/needing-a-mythological-influenced-name-for-fire-electricity-based-weapons/473292/32 "2008-11-20T16:24:09Z")
Nothung? I can see why he’d give it an alternate name. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/needing-a-mythological-influenced-name-for-fire-electricity-based-weapons/473292/33 "2008-11-20T16:39:20Z")
I got vision and the rest of the world needs lasik surgery. ---
**Author:** ![Gukumatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/74df32/32.png) [@Gukumatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gukumatz)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2008, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/needing-a-mythological-influenced-name-for-fire-electricity-based-weapons/473292/34 "2008-11-20T20:25:02Z")
The word rifle wouldn’t make a lot of sense for an elemental “magic” projectile, which probably wouldn’t need spin. It’s recognizability would pretty much work against it, wouldn’t it? For the fire-based weapon, I’d nominate Accipiter (or Accipter). (Musket comes from the french word mousquette, which is a sparrow-hawk, the Accipiter Nisus. Ornithologists would have a laugh, at least :p) ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2008, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/needing-a-mythological-influenced-name-for-fire-electricity-based-weapons/473292/35 "2008-11-21T02:31:46Z")
You might try “[firelock](http://www.thefreedictionary.com/firelock)” for the flame-rifle…a bit inaccurate, probably, but the term is archaic enough that you could probably get away with repurposing it. Along the same lines, you could try “Ognemet” or “Fougasse.” ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2008, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/needing-a-mythological-influenced-name-for-fire-electricity-based-weapons/473292/36 "2008-11-21T06:27:09Z")
Baphometa Arc (Baffo) Bactrian Fire (Balkher) ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2008, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/needing-a-mythological-influenced-name-for-fire-electricity-based-weapons/473292/37 "2008-11-21T15:01:22Z")
You could use Jayne’s name for his beloved gun in Firefly: Vera. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/needing-a-mythological-influenced-name-for-fire-electricity-based-weapons/473292.md?page=1)