What comes to mind when you see/hear the name Cain? What if you hear "Prince Cain"? Is the name too tied to the Biblical associations?
I think of Herman Cain first. The John McCain. Then the canes people use to walk with. Then the Biblical reference. Personally, I think the name is overused, especially if you're making a connection like by giving the name to someone who killed his brother. But that's just me.
I think of a character I named Cain and whose likeness I want tattooed on my arms and back (alongside his pet crow). I can't tell you too much about him, because he's MINE, damnit. I don't see how it's overused. I haven't come across it in too much fiction. I personally love the name. You know what isn't used enough, though? Judas. Judas is an awesome name. I think I'll name one of my future sons Judas.
DAMMIT!! That was my idea! hehe. When I see 'Cain' I think of Dean Cain first and foremost, wearing red and blue spandex, lol! Mmmmmmmmmm.... Dean Cain........... Ahem Then I think of a character in Far from the Madding Crowd (Thomas Hardy) who was called Cain by his uneducated mother, who got the bible story mixed up and thought he was the good one, lol. To soften the effects of being named after a fratricide they nicknamed him Cainy, so I always remember the character Cainy Ball. EDIT: As to whether it's overused, I think it can be a little cliche if it's used for a baddie. It's become so associated with evil characters that it's just too obvious. And I don't think it sounds regal enough to name a prince after. If it is a hereditary monarchy the the heir to the throne would probably be named after former monarchs, and could you actually imagine calling someone 'King Cain' without pissing yourself laughing??
Actually, in his culture/country, the name Cain means something else. And it's pronounced ka-EEN (in his culture). I named him that before I thought about the Cain association from the Bible.
Doesn't matter. As you rightly identified, it's all about the connotations of the name for the reader. A name that comes with thousands of years of cultural association is not the sort of name you want to be trying to reinvent. And if it's pronounced differetly, for heaven's sake just spell it differently. Problem solved. Trying to say 'Oh, it's spelled 'Tomato' but actually pronounced 'tommytootoes'' is just plain fricking idiocy.
Which will mean absolutely nothing whatsoever to 99.9% of your readers who will still pronounce it 'cain'. You asked for an opinion, I gave it. You want a different opinion, ask a different question.
I first think of Michael Caine (I know, the spelling is different and it's a surname ). In any case, I like Cain, sounds sexy. Not keen on the double dot above i, though.
Michael Caine SEXY?? LOL!! But that reminds me, I think Cain is a particularly overused name for romantic hero stereotypes in trashy romance novels too... it's almost like a backlash against the Biblical stereotype, because at some point people thought having a name with negative connotations made their character sound dangerous and rebellious, hence sexy
"You been a baaaad girl. You gonna make me pull out my Cain?" 0.0 Who cares about the biblical stereotype? I'm more worried about limping guys and their weapenises. That's a word now.
Of course it is, dear *false smile* And now it's time to go back to your nice safe cell with the quilted walls, so let's just put on your coat - yes, the one with all the nice buckles up the back... I think the spelling could be the problem. I don't get the same connotation from Cane as I do from Cain. And the weaponsies would be spelled 'cane' as well, yesssss precioussssss
James M. Cain? Actually, if I were going to use the name Cain for a character, I would not be looking for the stereotypical context. I'd be more likely to use it as a surname for someone, probably a woman, who is an authority figure, very strong, somewhat feared by those over whom she has authority, with a capacity for intense anger when pushed to the limit, but with a truly generous spirit that most who know her don't realize she has. Hmmm...must tuck that away for future use...
Lol, Michael Caine may have been sexy 50 years ago but that was before my time Didn't mean to say he was sexy, just the name Cain.
The first thing that came to my mind from reading the thread name is the biblical story of Cain and Abel.
Alright, alright...... It was not meant to be pronounced as "KAYN" in my story. It was meant to have two syllables "ka-EEN". Do you think Caeïn or Caën will look better?
Either one of those is better than spelling it 'Cain' if it's meant to be a two syllable word, coz however much you insist it is said 'Kay-een' people will still pronounce Cain as one syllable. People are funny like that, they simply refuse to pronounce familiar spellings in an unfamiliar way
It is one of my favourite names, so I would instantly take notice of a character with the name. As for what comes to mind: the colour yellow. a character I created with the name. someone who work(ed) at a tourist attraction in London. I don't know what his name is but he is the perfect physical representation of the character mentioned above.
i have to ditto kalli, above... no one reading 'cain' is going to know you want them to think 'ka-een'... and the oddball spelling won't help any, will only annoy readers who'll think you're being either pretentious or worse... stick to names ordinary readers will be able to pronounce at first glance...
