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  1. Kirvee

    Kirvee New Member

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    Help Naming a Character

    Discussion in 'Character Development' started by Kirvee, Jun 29, 2009.

    I need help picking a name for a character that appears way later in my demon story. He's a wolf demon, so I'd like his name to have a meaning like "wolf" or something similar.

    I've looked around and found a few candidates, but I'm indecissive. Any of these would work, but which one sounds best as a name?
    ------------------------------------

    Faol: Gaelic word for "wolf"

    Tyr: God of war and justice in Old Norse Mythology

    Zeev: Hebrew for "wolf"

    Conri: Irish Gaelic for "wolf king"

    Conall: Gaelic for "strong wolf"
     
  2. DocDoom187

    DocDoom187 New Member

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    babyhold.com allows you to search for names by meaning. Personally I'm in favor of Zeev but that may be because I'm Jewish and speak fluent Hebrew :p
     
  3. Kirvee

    Kirvee New Member

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    Ah, I was using behindthename.com which does basically the same thing.

    That's 1 vote for Zeev, XD.
     
  4. cybrxkhan

    cybrxkhan New Member

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    In my opinion, I'd prefer a name that looks the easiest to pronounce and doesn't look the weirdest (and readers will probably prefer it that way, anyhow). So, out of that mix, "Tyr" and "Conall" look to be the simplest and easiest on the eyes and ears, so I'll go with Tyr, just because of the mythological connection.
     
  5. nativesodlier

    nativesodlier Member

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    Zeev!!!!
     
  6. Kirvee

    Kirvee New Member

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    2 votes Zeev, 1 vote Tyr. I can make this into a poll, right? Maybe I should do that....
     
  7. embersglow

    embersglow New Member

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    I struggle so much with character names, I always want them to mean something and reflect something about the character so I like what you've done here.

    I think out of all of them, Tyr is the best. I like to connection to mythology and the way it simply looks as though it'd fit right in to a fantasy-style novel. Although Faol seems quite an epic name for a wolf as well, haha :)
     
  8. Cogito

    Cogito Former Mod, Retired Supporter Contributor

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    If you already have name candidates, why are you looking for a vote?

    Would you name your child by committee?
     
  9. CharlieVer

    CharlieVer Contributor Contributor

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    I think it depends on your story and your personal tastes.

    Personally, "Faol" makes me think "Foul" or "Fowl."

    "Zeev" makes me think "skeeve." (He may also have something up his sleeve.)

    Is your wolf demon evil or heroic?

    Heroic, I'd go with Tyr, Conri or Conall.

    Evil, I'd go with Faol or Zeev.

    Or you could just keep things simple and name your character "Bob."
    I like "Bob." Great, all-purpose name. Unless you prefer "Dave."

    Then again, "Zeev" could be a very normal name, if instead it was "Steve."
     
  10. Dr. Doctor

    Dr. Doctor New Member

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    I agree, but for the sake of the thread I'm voting for Conall. I just like the way it sounds.
     
  11. ABStarns

    ABStarns New Member

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    Asking for personal opinions regarding a name is harmless.

    I'd have to second Conall as well.
     
  12. Kirvee

    Kirvee New Member

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    @Cogito: As I said in the OP, I like all those names for my character, but I can't decide on one, so I want others opinions on which of the ones I like would be best.

    And actually, yes, some people DO name their kids by commitee. I've heard stories from real people about it happening.

    So far: 2 votes Zeev, 2 votes Tyr, 2 votes Conall

    @Charlie: Um, I can't tell from your answer which you think sounds best (unless you're voting for all of them?). But to answer your question, my wolf demon is actually part of a rebel group. The leader, actually. The whole group is like his "pack" and to the other members he's the equivalent of a big brother.
     
  13. Cogito

    Cogito Former Mod, Retired Supporter Contributor

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    If you're going to be a writer, making decisions far bigger than this are part and parcel of the process. You can't become dependent on other people's opinions over every decision, and believe me, the choice of a name is the least of them. It's best that you get into the habit of making decisions about your writing by yourself.
     
  14. Kirvee

    Kirvee New Member

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    Um I do make my own decisions on things bigger than names. I've rarely consulted anyone on the plot because I largely know what I want to do and have been able to decide what should be done. It's the stray threads that I need help either removing or implementing.

    Most of the characters I have planned so far have names that I chose on my own, but some of them are hard to name, ok? Like this character as well as my main villain (there just doesn't seem to be any possible name for him that sends across the right mix of feelings for fear, power, control and evil).

    I realize you're trying to help me, but honestly I feel like you're scolding me in every single topic of mine that you post in. This is called asking for advice. I just want opinions to see which name sounds and looks best as well as which name seems most popular. I might use the most popular one, or I might use the second most popular one. Either way, the decision is still mine to make, but I value individual opinions.
     
  15. CDRW

    CDRW Contributor Contributor

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    I'm wondering why you chose Tyr for your list instead of Fenrir, Skoll, or Hati who were actually wolves in Norse mythology. Fenrir even bit off Tyr's hand.

    I like norse names though, you can get some really cool ones, especially if you go through and find some of the alternate names.
     
  16. marina

    marina Contributor Contributor

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    I like the sound of Conall the best, plus "con" makes me think of "con artist", which makes me think of a predator, which, of course, describes a wolf.
     
  17. Gallowglass

    Gallowglass Contributor Contributor

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    Since there's a Gaelic theme here, why don't you go the whole way and give him a descriptive word after the first name, or a patronymic?

    And I'd also warn you that you are probably wrong in how you're pronouncing the names. You could end up with something embarassing if your readers learn how it's really pronounced before you do ;)
     
  18. ApocRK

    ApocRK New Member

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    Why don't you name him the exact opposite of a wolf, a word that means rabbit or something. So the name and character have a nice contrast going on with each other.

    When a person is going to name their child, they usually pick a few names and then look them over with their spouse. Just think of it this way, he puts your opinions is such high regard that your like family to him. Think of it as a compliment :p
     
  19. Kirvee

    Kirvee New Member

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    @CD: Ah, Those names were actually not in the list that showed up on the site I used. I asked for names meaning "wolf" and Tyr was the only one that showed up from Norse mythology. But I do know those other names, but they don't really sound right when I imagine him. Except maybe "Skoll" but that name makes me think of "skull" which doesn't fit him.

    @Marina: Aah, excellent call there! He actually does have to do some stealing and con people so that he can get food and other things for the rest of the group.

    @Gallow: I don't speak Gaelic (although it's on my list of languages to learn). My family is part-Irish, though. I know I might be pronouncing one or two of them wrong, but for some reason a lot of the names didn't have a pronunciation key. Do you happen to know the correct way to say them?

    @Apoc: Clever idea, but it bugs me.....generally, when I make a character and a name for them happens to not come to me at the same time as their image, I like to give them names with meaning. A name to describe them, I guess.
     
  20. Gallowglass

    Gallowglass Contributor Contributor

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    They don't have a pronounciation key because not many people realise just how difficult the Gaelic languages are to pronounce - you can basically ignore the fact we use the Latin alphabet.

    I can try and help, but I'm a native speaker of Highland Gaelic, not Irish - and a northern dialect, at that. I should be reasonably accurate, but probably won't be exact:

    Faol - Fal (short vowell sound - not much stress on the last two letters of the original word)
    Conri - Cunrii (long vowell sound)
    Conall - Cunna (with a slight hint of the two Ls, but they should be almost silent)
     
  21. Kirvee

    Kirvee New Member

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    @Gallow: Ah, I see. Thank you for that :-D. My only question is: by "cun" do you mean it sounds like a "kuh" sound or a "koo" sound?

    Hm, so for now most people seem to like either Zeev, Tyr, or Conall as a name.....that narrows the list a bit, at least. Right now I think the sound and meaning of "Zeev" and "Tyr" is sticking to me so.....

    Re-vote, of these two names, which one sounds the best?

    a) Zeev

    or

    b) Tyr
     
  22. Gallowglass

    Gallowglass Contributor Contributor

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    The latter ;)

    And I vote for Tyr, because:

    1) It looks similar to another Gaelic word :D
    2) Zeev sounds more fantasy to most, and others will recognise it as Hebrew as soon as they see it
     
  23. tophathaiku

    tophathaiku New Member

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    Depends on the perimeters of the story...

    If you are portraying an evil demonic wolf, I don't think I would go with Tyr, who is the God of Justice, Law, War, and the Sky. He also sacrifces his hand to an evil demonic wolf named Fenris. Just so ya know...:)

    So, what is this wolf? Why is he demonic? Where is the setting? What are his plans? Is he Irish, Jewish, Russian?

    Personally, I would go with Faol or Zeev.
     
  24. Kirvee

    Kirvee New Member

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    @Toph: He's not evil. He might do minor things like steal or cheat people out of something, but he does it with good intentions in mind.

    He's a half-demon. Demons in this story aren't typical evil servants. It's more accurate to say they're a race of human-like creatures with spiritual, mental and physical alliances to a particular animal.

    I have more in-depth descriptions of the races in my first blog post (dunno if I can link it...).

    The setting is in a somewhat medieval-styled world.

    He's the leader of a rebel group (that's the reason he steals and cheats people, to provide for the group).

    I honestly couldn't tell you what his human ethnicity is. In my mind, everyone in my story is white unless they have a really dark tan.

    So right now there's 1 vote Tyr and 1 vote Zeev.
     
  25. nativesodlier

    nativesodlier Member

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    Zeev!!!!
     

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