I was wondering about the names I gave my characters in a fantasy wip (I should clarify. It has: no magic, no bizarre races, or unusual creatures- just a place with a different history- and not necessarily medievalish). They don't strike me as all that bizarre- in fact, I was (sort of) surprised to learn that one was a real name (albeit with a different pronunciation)- but there could also be others that seem similar to real names I'm not even aware of- which isn't something I'm really going for with any of them. So I'd really appreciate the fresh impressions of some people who don't know them as characters. What are your first impressions (physical appearance, though more importantly, personality, etc) of characters with these names? (Accent always falls on the second-to-last syllable, if you care to know- unless otherwise marked, of course). Kelten Calea Elgo Rugen Taják Denek Elonia Tevir Enen Lired Nikar Jorvín You certainly don't need to comment on all of these, I'd just be grateful for whichever ones you pick. Thanks, I really appreciate your feedback!
Nikar - a free person, human, something to do with flying (maybe some flying mounts?) Denek - a tavern keeper? fat, jolly Rugen - warrior type, maybe a bandit but a noble one, something like Robin Hood Elgo - is it a woman? a noble lady? elf? Tevir - something similar to a dwarf, stout, short, strong Elonia - a beautiful woman, gentle, tall, slim Jorvin - a northern warrior, wanderer? Enen - the protagonist? something to do with magic? Would be interesting to find out who the characters really are
Elonia- probably a teen girl? May be more mature than her peers, and probably likes more ladylike hobbies, like piano or singing. Is a magic user. Kelten - the main character, probably your average dude with a secret. Probably a little cultured/knowledgeable. Calea- Kelten's love interest. Is a tomboy, and pretty skilled in battle. May have been isolated as a child. Has either a rivalry with Elonia, or is protective of her, like a little sister. Either Rugin or Tajak are the worldly older characters who pull no punches. Maybe mercenaries? Help the others on whatever it is that they're doing. Tevir- Kelten's little bro. Elgo- the dude who dies first. Denek- a gentlemanly figure. That's all I got.
Names with lots of vowels tend to be conceived of as female , also if the name ends with a vowel suggests femininity. "Hard" consonants like r, k, g, sound male, and aggressive at that. Grrkk! B, d and s are softer, more feminine. I'd see both Dajak and Tenek as practical men, for some reason. Skilled with some craft or good hunters or something like that. The names are short and not overly aggressive. Calea and Elonia are clearly women. Elonia maybe associates with "elegy" and sounds more poetic than Calea, also the shortness of the name makes is less musical. Tevir, Lired and Nikar sound more like commoners, not noblemen. Not very aggressive names, in spite of the "r" in them, but that is softened by the "i"s and the other, softer consonants. These boys could be servants? Jorvin sounds almost like scandinavian or sapmi, a lone hero of some sort? Rugen and Kelten must be warriors, though Kelten is more poetic, Rugen sounds like an older man to me, Kelten the young hero.
Thanks, this is both funny and helpful! Spoiler: For those who've already put down their ideas about the characters behind the names... Elonia definitely seems the easiest to connect with her character; though she's more of a 20+ woman (nurse, actually), her gentleness would still be her defining trait (aside from her tragic end- good job on the elegy tracing, @Michail Bulgakov). AND she's a fair dark-haired damsel . Calea... no, not a tomboy- more of a devoted wife, mother, and sister (though she has a fair amount of firmness about her). Not Kelten's love interest- though they are super-attached as brother and sister (he raises her in the wake of their family being dispersed). Somehow, I have the feeling everyone's going to pronounce her name the correct way- which isn't how I'd imagined it (KuhLEah). Anyway, she's all honey colored. And Denek is her phlegmatic, horse-rancher husband. Kelten is a protagonist (starts young) ... besides also being: Enen, Lired, Tevir, (Enen again), and Nikar. Not all at the same time, but I hope I can make the name switches clear. (You'd expect an intelligence agent to have a complicated life, wouldn't you?) His hair, eyes, skin are varying shades of inconspicuous, nondescript brown. Something of a chameleon, he's actually trying to figure out who he really is... Elgo on the other hand... poor guy. While I'd never claim he's the strongest male character, he's definitely not a lady, elf/creature, or first victim... A medic/doctor, adopted and raised by an enemy of his family, and who poisons his (unrecognized) brother (and thus saves him), I'd say his life's complicated, but not that complicated. Does he seriously need a different name? Rugen was Rugo, until I considered that sounded too similar to his brother's name: Elgo (and Hugo?). A soldier yes, but of a more duty-bound, rule-oriented set. Taják is more your reckless bandit character (suffered most from losing their father and the rest of the family). Not technically the most attractive guy (on the darker side), his energy and charisma give him spark and spunk. Jorvín- short guy, but nevertheless undetterred. A wanderer of a type (a doctor too), loner- but only b/c he'd rather keep those he cares about safe from his dangerous secrets.
Calea is a feminine-sounding name, it reminds me of Roman female names like Flavia or Atia. I'm imagining a very regal or noble woman. Rugen makes me think of a dangerous warrior. Taják makes me think of a merchant. Like Tajak the Turk, Tajak the Jew, or Tajak the Ottoman. It works really well with an epithet. Elonia, see comments on Calea. Tevir makes me think of a pious man, maybe even a member of the clergy. Elgo makes me think of a soldier, a proud man who holds rules and laws being upheld above all else. He believes things should have order and structure. Nikar makes me think of a middle-eastern nobleman. Jorvín makes me think of a scandinavian farmer or warrior, tall and fair-haired.
If anyone would care to do mine, I'd be grateful. Aelle Aergol Arlene Arthur Gaheris Igraine Caius Cado Cerdic Morgana Uther Vivianne Spoiler: If anyone is curious about pronunciation A-ella Air-gull Ar-leen Ar-fur Ga-hair-iss Ig-rain Kay-us Ka-do Ker-dik Mor-ga-na You-fur Viv-ee-anne
Aelle- I'm thinking willowy woman (though maybe young), free-spirited Aergol- (her brother maybe?) Tall, noble character, proud Arlene- small, dark girl, mischievous and independent minded Arthur- noble, wise, fair and just (maybe to a fault), middle-aged character Gaheris- not positive on whether it's a woman or man, but see either as older, wiser characters, mentoring (or rather impetuous, beautiful young woman) Igraine- same, though I'm more inclined to say older man, perhaps a veteran warrior Caius- young soldier, possibly officer, and maybe a little conceited or haughty Cado- Father and leader, aging in the story Cerdic- (Cado's son? ) Young warrior (most likely to knock heads with Caius. Morgana- mature woman (Cerdic's mother?), skilled with her hands, but knows when and when nor to speak Uther- trusted servant, aide to Cado, or perhaps younger son. Good with words and persuading- allegiance questionable at some point Vivianne- Young girl, vivacious (idk, alliteration?) Brightens up a room with her laugh P.s. pronunciation was mostly how I thought, though I'm pretty sure most people will completely miss/ignore the f/th switch
The f/th was mostly for anyone not English. I pronounce it th, but French and German people are notoriously awful at pronouncing it (the Spanish who pronounced cerveza as therbetha can do it perfectly fine though).
Here are my random guesses. - Which are probably way out, but it's fun to try. Kelten - Brave male warrior. Possibly a leader of a group of warriors. Calea - Strong warrior woman of some sort. Elgo - Some small none human. Maybe a friendly but Cantankerous goblin Rugen - Kelten's burly but not so smart best friend. Taják - Proud warrior from somewhere exotic. Denek - Male in his 50s. Gruff ship captain. Elonia - Female. Younger and more innocent than Calea. Maybe a healer Tevir - Male. An unscruplous merchant/fixer type. Enen - This is a hard one. I'll guess a female with sort of authority. Maybe the leader of a convent. Lired - A male bard. Nikar - Male thief. Jorvín - Another warrior from Tajek's tribe. (as indicated by the accent on the second to last vowel)
Thanks for the input, plothog- I appreciate your fresh perspective. Feel free to click on the spoiler in my post above for some idea of where your shots landed.
Kelten- bar owner. Calea- she has green hair and plays the fiddle. Elgo- he's overweight and speaks German. Rugen- farmer. Has an affair with the milk maid next door. Taják- ironworker and martial artist. Denek- European traveling scholar. Elonia- basically Katniss of the fantasy world. Tevir- scandalous. Enen- elf goddess. Lired- evil entity. Has no gender. Mostly because I can't decide on one. Nikar- soldier. Jorvín- catapult operator. Writes poetry.
Kelten- Shop owner. Calea- A woman with political power. Elgo- Librarian. Rugen- Thief. Taják- Metalworker. Denek- Old homeless man. Elonia- Sounds more like a name for a location than a person. Tevir- High-ranking knight. Enen- Textile worker. Lired- Ferryman. Nikar- Photographer. Sorry, I keep thinking "Nikon". Jorvín- Warhammer-carrying infantry.
Kelten - Ninja! Calea - Elven Princess. Warrior or mage, both possible. Elgo - Lonely wanderer. Rugen - Mercenary. Strong person. Taják - Adventurer. Denek - Pretty serious person. Elonia - Noblesse. Tevir - Knightly Enen - Mage-ish. Occult. Lired - Same as above Nikar - Warrior. Definitely. Jorvín - Young cavalier in training.
This is way more than you asked for, but hey, I've got writer's block, so maybe this will prove to be an inspiring writing exercise for me! This sort of thing is always fun, at the very least. Kelten - A male warrior/fighter. Someone who is young and constantly feels that he is on the brink of discovering his destiny. Perhaps this is because it somehow reminds me of Kaladin from the very beginning of The Way of Kings. Calea - A female who masks her intelligence with her femininity and beauty. Someone who is secretly smug and cynical, which somehow makes her likable to those who know this side of her. I pictured dark hair, tan skin. Think Inara from Firefly. Elgo - An older male who scoffs at the brute minds of young men, and favors those who have the same yearning for knowledge that he does. He may look old and thin and brittle, but he is as surprisingly quick in his body as he is in his wit. Rugen - A fatherly figure. I picture a large, somewhat fit man with a red beard streaked with gray. This is only because my MC's father's name is Rubien, however. Taják - An arrogant male whose pride is as tender as he is (although he thinks he's quite tough). He's the type of deluded man who believes he is a divine gift to women and all other men can only hope to become half of what he is. I pictured a somewhat short man with a short neck who walks as though he should be 7 feet tall. Denek - A shy young man/teenager. He gets teased now for what he thinks is being an awkward late bloomer, but he doesn't realize that the peers that tease him only do so because they see something so good and so pure in him that it makes them ashamed of their own selves, and they don't know how to deal with that. (Perhaps a more self-aware male version of Luna Lovegood?) Elonia - Similar to Denek, but female. She is insecure about her beauty, which is blossoming faster than she can handle. She has a streak of independence, but lacks the self esteem it takes to nurture that. I pictured tall, with red hair and dark brown eyes. Tevir - A middle-aged woman with the fascination and curiosity of a child. I pictured frizzy, loosely-tied hair and the tendency to subconsciously fiddle with her sleeves or collar when she's deep in thought or focused. Like Elgo, she does not obsess over such superficial things such as beauty or pursuing a husband like all other women seem to do, but instead she prefers to study things, particularly the stars and planets. She and Elgo should definitely meet. Just saying. Enen - A tomboy. She feels like things were going great in her life until she developed curves and her male friends started treating her differently. I pictured a less feminine version of Emma Watson. Lired - A thief, or some other sneaky type of person. This could be a male or female, or neither or both for that matter. This person is quick to run away from things that make him/her uncomfortable. Any discomfort equals danger/threat in this person's mind, even with things like making friends and reflecting on his or her own personality. Nikar - A younger brother of someone, perhaps several people. He is tremendously loved by his family, even though they call him annoying and pick on him. He wants to be strong and brave like his older brothers, but even he knows he's too naive and wiry to ever be like them. Jorvín - A dominant male or female. This person is very clever and opportunistic, the type of person who is always two steps ahead of everyone else. I pictured a small-framed person for male and for female. Very clean cut and charming.
@tristan.n Hang in there and run that scribbling boulevard! In the meantime, I'm quite happy to have your detailed input and perspective. Feel free to get some kicks out of how your guesses landed with the spoiler above. @Holden LaPadula , @NeighborVoid , and @Cattlebruiser: Thanks for your impressions! You're welcome to check out how close (or far) you came with your speculations in the spoiler above.
To me the first six seem to belong to the same kind of people, and the last three sounds almost scandinavian, maybe from ancient nordic sagas, or icelandic.
I'll give it a go I suppose There's only some that stand out to me though- Kelten: Has no harsh pronunciation so he must be a protagonist, and is probably your main character since he's at the top of the list. Would strike me as an easy-going, calm and collected guy with compassion who is in search for something great. Calea: A strong secondary female who is serious, yet fiery with adept skill in weaponry. Would strike me as having either dark red, or brown hair. Elgo: It sounds both young and old, so I'd guess it's either a spirited old man who collects an insane amount of artifacts and books, or it's a young boy who has spunk. Rugen: This name kinda goes two ways for me. I'd either think it was a bear of a man with a hearty laugh and good spirit, or an antagonist that is a spy and betrays everyone. It's a name that can remind me of Beast off of Grave Mercy, but at the same time have this ugliness to it that makes me think of a villian. Taják: A tall, dark skinned man who is wise, and hardly smiles. Maybe a monk of some sort, or a serious swordsman. Nobody ever knows which side he's on, and he has his own mission to carry out. Elonia's guard possibly? Elonia: The name is flowing and elegant so I'm guessing she's royalty, and is quite beautiful. Level-headed though, not one of those whiny, always in distress types. Probably blonde, and quite slender. Lired: A troublemaker with spiky hair, is charismatic and confident, probably a sassy, lovable thief. Jorvin: I can only really say it sounds like it's a heavyset man, probably middle aged. Sounds like he has a business, maybe is a merchant or runs a pub?
Thanks for the detailed input, Shalayla! Feel free to check out how close (or far;-) you got with the spoiler in my reply above.
This is a really interesting and fun idea for a thread! Might post mine up later... To mix it up a bit, I’ve grouped your names by nationality/tribe/culture as I perceive them. Kelten – (m) Warrior (Protagonist?) Rugen – (m) Old/wise retired warrior/trainer Enen – (?) could be male or female Elgo – (m) Young boy Lired – (?) I have trouble imagining this as a name – not sure why. The others are all really very good! Elonia – (f) Obviously a desirable lady! Taják – (m) I imagine these 3 are from somewhere quite exotic. Foreign traders or enemy soldiers Denek – (m) Nikar – (m/f) Tevir – (m) These guys I see as being from a peaceful realm somewhere across the way... Jorvín – (m) Calea – (f) Now I can check out the spoiler...!