Names, Names, Names, Help naming objects, people... |
 Mar 28 2008, 09:26 PM
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#11
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Rat Spleen Restocker at the Apothecary  Posts: 487 Joined: 1:19pm November 16, 2006 Location: The magical lands of Canada   |
Anyway, about your object...
When I'm trying to think of names for things, I try to look into other, more foreign languages, such as Latin, and also mythology for things i can derive words from. For example, if this thing you're trying to come up with a name for is very light-oriented, and something that can be used to defeat evil, like I think you're saying, you could take the Latin word for "light" and work with it to make something new. One of the results I found from an online translator was "lumen". You could take this, and convert it to something new like "lumenus" or "lumena". Then add a title to it. The Wand of Lumena The Blade of Lumena The Rod of Lumena Just play around and create your own etymology for a word, and eventually you'll have a name that fits. -------------------- Proud Member of Ravenclaw House |
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Mar 28 2008, 09:35 PM
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#12
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Perusing the Magical Menagerie Posts: 91 Joined: 9:37am March 5, 2008 |
QUOTE(BrettMac @ Mar 28 2008, 09:26 PM)  Anyway, about your object... When I'm trying to think of names for things, I try to look into other, more foreign languages, such as Latin, and also mythology for things i can derive words from. For example, if this thing you're trying to come up with a name for is very light-oriented, and something that can be used to defeat evil, like I think you're saying, you could take the Latin word for "light" and work with it to make something new. One of the results I found from an online translator was "lumen". You could take this, and convert it to something new like "lumenus" or "lumena". Then add a title to it. The Wand of Lumena The Blade of Lumena The Rod of Lumena Just play around and create your own etymology for a word, and eventually you'll have a name that fits. the world i am writing about is not our own. I am trying to make all names as completely fictitious as possible with ablsolutely no grounding in language or mythology of earthen things. Sorry. Guess i should have mentioned that from the start. Oops! The main character, the benevolent, pure of heart, sorcerer who specializes in dark magic, has the name Drazik. Pronounced drayzik. His counterpart, the evil mage, will have the name Ackmalad. In case anyone has misunderstood, this thread does not belong to me alone. Any writer looking for others inputs and ideas may post here.  
This post has been edited by darksoul707: Mar 28 2008, 09:44 PM |
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Mar 29 2008, 01:45 AM
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#13
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Hiding in the Iron Maiden at Borgin and Burkes Posts: 319 Joined: 2:44am December 3, 2006 Location: Living, sadly, about as far from Hogwarts as you can get! . . . . Looking for an Antipodean Opaleye. |
QUOTE(darksoul707 @ Mar 29 2008, 02:35 PM) the world i am writing about is not our own. I am trying to make all names as completely fictitious as possible with ablsolutely no grounding in language or mythology of earthen things. Sorry. Guess i should have mentioned that from the start. Oops! Have you considered constructing names from randomly generated elements (eg letters or syllables)?"Neimance", for instance, comes from 'Rene', 'improper', and 'penance', which, in turn, were chosen (by stabbing a finger into a book as I flicked through its pages with my eyes shut) from a book of baby names, a novel (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows), and a dictionary, respectively. Actually there 72 different ways to arrange one syllable from each of those words. This was just the first one that I didn't dislike too much. Similarly, "Yuskim" (which is a name I have used in several role-playing games) was constructed by rolling dice to randomly pick letters from tables that I had drawn up. My system involved creating and then combining one or more syllables of the structure <first consonant><vowel><last consonant> into pronouncable words. By including "Roll twice and combine the results" entries in the all three tables and "Blank" entries in the two consonant tables I could produce words with a more varied syllable structure. Also by adjusting the odds I could increase or reduce the frequency that certain sounds occured. My chart was essentially phonetic in nature so letters like 'c', 'q' and 'x' did not appear ('c' = either 'k' or 's', 'q' = 'k'+'w' and 'x' = either 'z' or 'k'+'s') while 'ch', 'sh' and 'th' did (in fact 'th' occured twice). That was all a long time ago and now with computers it could be done so much more easily and quicker, too. It may sound like a lot of work but if you have to make up a lot of names which aren't linked to real-world origins but do have enough self-similarity to sound like they (could) come from the same culture then it might be worth looking into. - Acrux -------------------- Of course, every time Ron gets a Moment, the first thought in my head is automatically "Well, I guess That's not making the movie." - flyin_car
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Mar 29 2008, 10:28 AM
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#14
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Monster Book Stacker Posts: 368 Joined: 12:29am June 3, 2007 Location: Watching Doctor Who in Ravenclaw Tower--we have a TV now!  |
I use baby name books for EVERYTHING. I have one with a lot of usual names and then I have another that categorizes names according to image. I use it for place names a lot, as well as character names. I also steal names for other books that I read/am obssesed with.
--------------------   The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible.-Oscar Wilde Oscar and Luna icons by marauderthesn |
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Mar 29 2008, 03:49 PM
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#15
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Perusing the Magical Menagerie Posts: 91 Joined: 9:37am March 5, 2008 |
QUOTE(Acrux @ Mar 29 2008, 01:45 AM) QUOTE(darksoul707 @ Mar 29 2008, 02:35 PM) the world i am writing about is not our own. I am trying to make all names as completely fictitious as possible with ablsolutely no grounding in language or mythology of earthen things. Sorry. Guess i should have mentioned that from the start. Oops! Have you considered constructing names from randomly generated elements (eg letters or syllables)?"Neimance", for instance, comes from 'Rene', 'improper', and 'penance', which, in turn, were chosen (by stabbing a finger into a book as I flicked through its pages with my eyes shut) from a book of baby names, a novel (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows), and a dictionary, respectively. Actually there 72 different ways to arrange one syllable from each of those words. This was just the first one that I didn't dislike too much. Similarly, "Yuskim" (which is a name I have used in several role-playing games) was constructed by rolling dice to randomly pick letters from tables that I had drawn up. My system involved creating and then combining one or more syllables of the structure <first consonant><vowel><last consonant> into pronouncable words. By including "Roll twice and combine the results" entries in the all three tables and "Blank" entries in the two consonant tables I could produce words with a more varied syllable structure. Also by adjusting the odds I could increase or reduce the frequency that certain sounds occured. My chart was essentially phonetic in nature so letters like 'c', 'q' and 'x' did not appear ('c' = either 'k' or 's', 'q' = 'k'+'w' and 'x' = either 'z' or 'k'+'s') while 'ch', 'sh' and 'th' did (in fact 'th' occured twice). That was all a long time ago and now with computers it could be done so much more easily and quicker, too. It may sound like a lot of work but if you have to make up a lot of names which aren't linked to real-world origins but do have enough self-similarity to sound like they (could) come from the same culture then it might be worth looking into. - Acrux thanks. i will definitely try that. |
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Mar 30 2008, 11:20 AM
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#16
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Organizing the Halo Rebellion Posts: 3,301 Joined: 2:09pm April 16, 2006 Location: Being angelic, of course |
QUOTE(Star of Isis @ Mar 28 2008, 09:38 PM) QUOTE(darksoul707 @ Mar 28 2008, 11:37 PM) ancient, mystical item that can only be held or wielded by those pure of heart Gradalite or Sangradalis?  Not very inventive but still... I like the sound of these words  I really like the name Sangradalis. It sounds like some magical object that the Knights of the Round Table could achieve. QUOTE(stellasofia @ Mar 29 2008, 11:28 AM) I use baby name books for EVERYTHING. I have one with a lot of usual names and then I have another that categorizes names according to image. I use it for place names a lot, as well as character names. I also steal names for other books that I read/am obssesed with. I also do this, stellasofia. It is a great resource and gives you so many options. Right now I need to figure out a name for a character and then of course a plot. If only there were more time in the day. 
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Mar 30 2008, 11:43 AM
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#17
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Hiding in the Iron Maiden at Borgin and Burkes Posts: 310 Joined: 4:30pm September 25, 2007 Location: Looking for the Invisible Book of Invisibility |
this is random and doesn't necessarily help with naming objects so much as naming people but this website is pretty useful for coming up with ideas and names. just thought i would share it.
--------------------  Avatar & Sig - created by theonlysong |
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Mar 30 2008, 05:34 PM
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#18
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Rat Spleen Restocker at the Apothecary Posts: 487 Joined: 1:19pm November 16, 2006 Location: The magical lands of Canada |
To sort of build on what HG_in_training said, if you're looking for a random generator for naming objects, places, races, tribes, etc., Seventh Sanctum is a good one that was recommended to me. It doesn't have the most thought-out names ever, but it's good for when you're really stuck on something.
-------------------- Proud Member of Ravenclaw House |
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Apr 6 2008, 11:21 AM
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#19
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Shopping the sales rack at Madam Malkins Posts: 2,547 Joined: 4:26pm August 4, 2005  |
Call me old-fashioned, but I like character names that actually mean something, that are relevant to the plot. Think of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre and you have Ms Eyre herself, St John Rivers and Thornfield. Or there's the book I read recently, Life of Pi by Yann Martell - where you have two characters, a teenage boy who was christened Piscine, french for swimming pool, and a tiger, originally christened Thirsty. So both have 'inappropriate' watery names, and the names are linked - 'water, water everywhere, and not a drop to drink' - they both end up cast adrift in the biggest swimming pool in the world, the Pacific Ocean. Both end up with name changes - the tiger ends up with a fully-human name, not just a first name but also a surname. The boy shortens his name to a number, Pi, the number that defines the ratio between a circle's circumference and it's diameter. Following the circumference takes you the long way round, whereas the diameter takes you straight through the middle, direct to the opposite side - and the two attributes are linked by that special Irrational number, Pi. All of these facts are very relevant to the story.
-------------------- "My idea of good company, Mr Elliott, is the company of clever, well-informed people, who have a great deal of conversation; that is what I call good company."
"You are mistaken," said he gently, "that is not good company, that is the best." Persuasion by Jane Austen |
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Apr 24 2008, 10:38 PM
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#20
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Eeylops Owl Cage Cleaner Posts: 231 Joined: 7:52pm November 24, 2007 Location: Hollow Bastion |
I've tried and tried to find a name for this one character in my story. I've tried a name generator more times than I can possibly remember, and even "O great Generator, please bestow upon my character a fitting name, and I shall be most eternally grateful (or at least send an e-mail of thanks to thine webmaster)" can't produce the right-sounding name. He's an outcast-y delinquent (who has a caring personality) (under all his sarcasm, that is). You know the type. Smirks a lot and calls people annoying names but likes them. Leans against the outside of buildings.
I have problems a lot because I have a very "Anime-style RPG" oriented mind when it comes to naming so most of the names I like are already taken by... characters from anime-style RPGs. Anyway this character is a necessary part of my plot so I can't remove him. If you could help me, I would forever regard thee with reverance and awe.  Or at least send a PM of thanks ^ ^Also I guess I should mention that it's set in a Lord of the Rings-y dragon hunting type universe... -------------------- Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is alchemy's first law of equivalent exchange.
In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one and only truth . . . |
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