In my current novel my protagonist is a dreamwalker who travels to a place called the Isle of Forgotten Dreams. Here there are dreams that are self aware and are as much people as we are. I'm been calling these dreams simply "Dream Entities" as a placeholder, but the name just sounds really really clunky. I can't just call them "Dreams" because it would get confusing. I've tried to think of something else to call them, but I'm drawing a big blank. Any suggestions?
So if you want to avoid "Dream" in the title, just remove it, but give them a descriptive word with it and just keep that. Dream walkers ---> Walkers Dream eaters ---> Eaters It works for a lot of different things, especially when those things bleed into the material plane. Trying to think of a few more really quick. Dream Born ---> The born With these ideas, a quick sentence can give where the name came from as well. Most races are named what they are for a reason. It can be pretty entertaining. If there's something special about them, or if when they first appeared they seemed all powerful, they could have special names. The people who first saw them could have thought they were gods and called them Kami or something like that. Maybe they have a distinguishing trait. Any-how, hope I helped.
I would probably end up calling them dreamfolk. Apparitions? Mares, alluding to nightmares (if applicable)? Thinking of dreams and sleep makes me think sandman - sandfolk?
But... Dream Walkers and Dream Eaters imply that they are within the dream, but ToDandy has asked for a name of a dream as a living entity ITSELF. SO - Rather than A Dream Walker, you would end up with something like A Walking Dream. A Sentient Dream... Hmmm.... The Italian word for dream is Sognare, and the french word for sleep walker is Somnambulist Sognambulis Or maybe attach the idea of sentience to the dream word... Cognisognare... Don't know. Just brainstorming.
Terry Pratchett called such creatures 'Dromes' in The Wee Free Men, where they trapped you in dreams spun from images in your mind. You may, or may not get away with using that. You're talking about a sentient dream A quick Google gives me lots of Latin words for 'dream' (depending on context I presume) adlucinor allucinor alucinor consomnio dormito hallucinor halucinor imaginatio insomnium quies somniatis somnio somnior somnium So I'd try for a compound word using part of sentient + part of one of the above. eg. Sentalluc Just my penn'orth
It depends on how menacing you want them to sound as well. I like the sound of The Allucinador, something similar to that could both be friendly and also take a menacing turn. But it kind of makes me think that the creatures might look like Arnie.
Dreamfolk isn't bad. I kinda like it. Unfortunately Sandmen are in the book and are different, so that can't be used.
Lucid Dreamers are also a thing in the book. Anyone who is a lucid dreamer can be trained to become a dream walker. That might get a little confusing. Good suggestion though.
I'm not really looking for something that sounds menacing. These dream entities are mostly like the inhabitants of the dreamworld. Like people they can be good or bad, cruel or kind. I probably should have pointed that out, thanks!
How about just calling them "The Locals"? Simple, easy to understand, and fits well into everyday usage.
Okay... for some reason your description made me think of whales... And the word 'Mysticeti' for whales could be something... But you seem to be looking for something a bit less flourished... like dreamfolk or sandmen... Mystfolk
Omnibiends Omnilites Thetas (From Theta Waves) Oneironta (Oneiro = Dream, Onta = Beings) Existrals (Exist + Astral) Hypolucians (Below + Light) Yumejin (Dream + indication of ones ethnicity) Prismals (Prism + ... random ending that sounds nice) Deltanimos (Delta waves, which is a dreamless sequence though + animos, which means "beings")
It might be best to call them something etherial that isn't obvious at first, unless these beings are never secret to anyone in the story. Dream Folk is obvious, but maybe that's what you want. I prefer a mysterious entrance since they are after all apparitions. Who names them, the dream folk themselves or others? That also matters. How about "Muons"?
You could just call them people, like they would probably want to be called, and guide the reader in another way to avoid confusion. If they have a degree of awareness like you and me, I doubt they would want to think that they're just dreams. Do they even know what they are? Maybe the truth about their reality is a fact they wouldn't accept. Perhaps learning that fact could lead to their deaths (as in the end of the dream).
All interesting ideas, but within the story there are Dreamwalkers (humans who have made their way into the sleeping world), the dreams entities (which are born in peoples dreams and make their way to the sleeping world), and the Sandmen (natives of the sleeping world). I think using just "people" is too general of a term and will get confusing, especially when referring to just one of the three. There is also the unfortunate problem that these dream entities do know exactly what they are, because they have to migrate from people's dreams to the sleeping world. You have some good ideas, but within how the world is currently constructed, it doesn't really fit. Thanks again for the help everyone! I'm loving a lot of the feedback and suggestions so far.
how about 'conscious' or 'The Conscious' . Simple, yet also effective in stating that they have a dregree of awareness.
How about the Nightman? Jokes aside, here are a few suggestions. Somnium = dreamers in Latin Dormientium = sleepers in Latin Aerum = ethereal material in Latin Ghist = ghost in Latin Of course, you could always just go original. I would leave that to you since you're the author, it should come from you.
