Help Naming a Character

1 vote Tyr, 2 votes Zeev.

I'll probably wait for one of them to reach 5. Whichever one reaches 5 first is the one I'll use.

 

Wasn't Skeeve the hero in MythAdventures?

You could choose a name with Latin roots, like Lupin. No, wait, that's in Harry Porter.

I guess your stuck with re-using an old name. How about Daemon Wolfe?

Wait, I know: Phenrick Wolfe

It is left as an exercise for the reader to determine where that came from.

 

@Gold: Neither of those work well and both of them are a bit too obvious, I think.

Just choose which of these two names would work well: Tyr or Zeev.

 

Are you STILL hammering at people to make your choice for you, even after getting it down to two?

At what point is this no longer asking for help, but asking others to do it for you?

 

Yes, I've narrowed it to two and now I'm trying to see which of those two is more popular. It's called "Process of Elimination", Cog.

 

in my experience, the important characters mostly have simle names, so that the reader can remember and pronounce them better, or something...
im voting for Tyr because Zeev just seems, to me, a bit unnatural

 

You must admit, he does have a point here. I don't see why you can't just pick one of the two names now.

 

@Doctor: Simple, because as I said in the OP, I'm extremely indecissive when it comes to stuff like this. Unless I become really enamored with one name over another one when I still have choices, I can't make up my mind for one. In this case, I like both of those names equally and neither one sways me more than the other when I think of the character and say each name for him.

Unfortunately, this isn't a case where I could make one a first name and another a last name. I suppose one of them could be a nickname in the rebel group, but then I become indecissive over which one would be his real name and which one would be the nickname/code name.

See my problem?

2 votes Tyr, 2 votes Zeev.

 

If you want a 'wolf-associated' name that is simple, I would recommend Rolf. It is a German name, that basically means wolf.

 

@Marce: I contemplated the name. It's too typical. And it makes me think of the foreign neighborhood kid in Ed, Edd and Eddy.

 

How do you pronounce Tyr? Is it like tyre? And if so, do you really want to name your character after a car part? Because that's what characters will think of, not a wolf. Then again, it works for Axl Rose...sorta...
Not that I like Zeev any better....sounds like Steve, with a weird accent...
I'm with Cog and others....you really should be able to make this decision on your own based on those options. And if you need more help beyond that, roll a die, flip a coin...this thread getting kinda redundant...

 

Well, the word 'wolf' exists in most languages. Two words for wolf I liked were Farkas (Hungarian) and Valko (Bulgarian). There's also Fenrir (Fenrirsulfr), the mythological Norse wolf. Other names that mean wolf are Liulfr ("shield wolf"), Faelan (or Faolan, means "little wolf"), Ulrick ("wolf power") and simply Zev, which is a variant of the Ze'ev name.

If your character is young, I would recommend Faelan or Faolan.

If he is protective, or must sacrifice to save someone in the end, Liulfr would be fitting.

If he is somekind of werewolf or has wolvish attributes, I would recommend Ulrick.

If you want a name that means wolf in its broadest sense, I would recommend Zev, Farkas or Valko.

If you have further difficulty, try imagining your character being called by one of the names mentioned above. The one that rings better is your name. Good luck!

 

@Arron: Wish I could tell you. The site had no pronunciation key for it either. However, based on the very little I know of Norwegian pronunciations and the way it's spelled, I'm inclined to believe it's pronounced more like "tear" (as in crying).

@Marce: I do that already, already looked at those names, too. None of them fit him.

 

Zeev!

 

Faol sounds more suitable for a main character. If you base it on the meaning, I'd say it's best to think about it based on the character's personality. One more thing, I recommend you to name the character by yourself, because it has to be "yours" not others'.

 

I'll have to go along with Ulrick.

--Martin Lesnoy

 

A few important questions you should ask yourself: Is this the name he was born with, or did he or someone else give him this name, later in life? If the former, was his mother/father/whoever named him aware of his wolf-demon nature? If not, then why would he be named something that so obviously means wolf? If the latter, did he rename himself? If so, what was his former name? Why is he choosing a wolf-like name? Is he ashamed that he's a wolf-demon, or proud? If someone else gave him the name, why? Is it a nickname, is he notorious, and what the people call him stuck? Did he choose to go by that name, to protect his identity? If it's something that people call him, what region are they from? What language do they speak? If it's a made-up place, what country/region is similar to the customs of your fantasy land? Choose a name from a place similar to that, then.

I understand that it's cute for names to mean things, but you have to consider what a name really is. If you're born with a name, it will likely not shape your entire life. That is, though, a way you could spin this. If he was named after a wolf, is that what cued him in to the fact that he's a wolf-demon? Are wolf-demons rare? If he's one of many wolf-demons, it doesn't make sense for him to have a wolf-like name. Do they ALL have wolf-like names? Wouldn't that get tiresome?

Any way you cut it, I think naming him after a famous god or member of mythology is unwise, unless your character a) lives in a society that recognizes those gods/myths and b) recognizes the relationship between the two. You could name him Tyr or Fenrir, but if there is no Tyr or Fenrir in your world, how is it a wolf-related name? In addition, those with familiarity with those gods/myths will recognize the names and have preconceived notions about the character, while those without prior knowledge won't. It's best to guide your readers in their thoughts about your character--not to say that they can't form their own opinions, but you can't choose what to say or not say about a character if people are coming at it from two different angles.

My personal belief, when naming characters, is to give them a name that (if the parents are naming them) is reasonable for the area where they're born, or (if they name themselves/are named by notoriety) something that reflects what they desire, or what others think of them. Like I said, if your wolf-demon is one of many, it seems odd if he alone has a wolfish name, but it would be even worse if all wolf-demons had wolfish names from all sorts of real-world myths and legends.

 

Here is what bothers me with the first name. To me, it seems a little to close to Foal. I know you can pronounce it really different, but when you read it you are more likely to see the name rather than hear it. You want a name that looks good on paper, and on the side you want it to sound good as well. I personally like "Tyr". I think it sounds good the way you said it was pronounced, and when I first read it, I also thought it was pronounced "tear". I really don't like Zeev. I can just imagine a character in your story yelling, "Zeev!" To me, it doesn't sound very strong and heroic. The last two are ok, but don't really seem to cut it as strong wolf type. Conri reminds me of poor farmer guy, and Conall reminds me of barbarian. Then again, if your hero is barbarian hero type, then maybe Conall will work after all.

 

i like Ulrick, but i'd suggest "Ulrich" instead. i like the look of it better, and still has the same sound.

 

@Alice: That's excellent advice and thank you for giving it. To answer a few of those questions: He's actually half of a wolf demon (I misspoke in the first post) and while half-breeds are a common minority in the story (and an opressed one at that) he's maybe only one of a few wolf hybrids, but he's the only wolf one I plan on having actually appear in the story. In a way, his name will reflect his personality a bit because, as customary with all half-demons in my story, he has a few traits of a wolf including, but not limited to: territorial, dominance-seeking, pack-orientation (which is why he's like the alpha male in the group of rebels) and in some ways he can be considered a loner.

He, like the rest of the members in the rebel group, was abandoned at a really young age, but he was old enough to have his own name so he WAS given a name at birth. However, I don't know if he should keep his true name or have a nickname that everyone else but his closest of companions calls him. He is rather bitter towards the whole situation that half-breeds are in and has a rather strong disliking/hate towards the two races responsible for the sub-species' situation in the story.

And I chose "Tyr" as an option because he's fighting in a rebel group to seek justice for half-breeds, hence why I chose that name as a candidate.

@Eve: 3 votes Tyr, 3 votes Zeev. And no, he's not a barbarian, XD. He's just....hmm.....well, he's kinda gruff and "rough around the edges" I guess you would call it....and he's sarcastic.

 

Yes, but what does Tyr mean in this world? If there is no god, Tyr, why does it have meaning? Why would his parents name him that?

There's giving a character a name that reflects his or her personality, and then there's giving a character a name tailor-made to his or her personality, and I've just never found that authentic.

 

Kirvee, your problem is that you're searching for a perfect name. All of them fit, you're just not accostumed to them. When I start writing something, at first the name of my characters don't seem to fit. But, I grow accostumed and then I like the names. Just choose a name, the readers will focus more on the writing itself, not in the characters' names.

 

@Alice: I guess...truthfully, though, name meanings are like fun trivia for readers. If a reader is curious enough, they can look up a character's name (assuming it's a real one) and read its meaning and then reflect on how the name fit the character and maybe why the author chose that name. I dunno, maybe I'm just the only odd one who does that.....

@Marce: *hangs head*You're probably right...perfection was ingrained into my very being from a really young age...I kinda like Zeev, but...I dunno...the other comments disapproving of "Zeev" as a name worry me...

 

Kirvee, once you pick a name and go with it, it'll be fine. to you, the author, you may be anxious whether or not it's the right name, but to the reader it will be absolutely fine. to the reader the name will be the character, it will seem totally natural like this is the way it's supposed to be, i doubt they'd think twice.

i mean i never thought Harry Potter should have been named Eric. because i read that book with the name "Harry" it's impossible for me to imagine him with any other name. so really in the long run, any of those are completely fitting. the name doesn't make the character y'know, it's the other way around. you just need to pick one and start writing.

 

Haha, I had that same problem too. Anyway, they might not like the name, but you like it. If the character's well written and believable, the readers will soon take a liking for him. Then, negative thoughts about the name won't even cross their mind.