Let's talk about naming.
I always try and have some relatively interesting names for different
characters and many of them are original, like Minava, Kano, or what have you. However, when naming places or certain people,
usually based entirely on personal preference, I will take certain naming
conventions or even whole names from other properties and adapt them. One that you might not have seen coming is
Alnor, our old aquillan friend. His name
is a take off on the Marvel hero Namor.
Granted, there's not many similarities, however I liked the sound the
syllables of Namor's name created. It
had a powerful, regal tone to them. So,
I created a similar tone. Basic naming
conventions break down into four different types. Adaptations from other sources, like what we
say before with Alnor and Namor, straight copies of other sources but in
different uses, religious symbolism, and basic etymology adaptations. These do not, of course, take into account
any names I create myself.
When
copying a name from another source, I tend to favor the weird or the unique,
but I don't like using them in the same manner that others have. For example, fans of Final Fantasy might
notice that Mina's town, Gesthal, is the same as an unsavory emperor in one of
their games. There's almost no
connection, but I felt the pronunciation and sound was such an interesting bit
that I decided to use it. This has
happened in other works that I have created, such as naming a robot after
Dragons from myth and fiction or adapting a full name out of two or three
names, like Gilbert Albelo, a combination of two names from different
characters in Ogre Battle. I tend to
keep these at a minimum, mostly because I can usually find decent names of my
own to make, but it's a nice little tribute/ easter egg.
Religious
symbolism in naming is a bit more common, but only just. It's usually reserved for Dragons,
Metronians, and Goetians, as they have direct religious parallels. And even if they don't they may have
parallels to me. For example, Agni, the
primary villain of my book at the moment, is actually a force of good in Hindu
lore. However, I selected the name
because he is a force of fire, divine fire even, which adds a layer of
interesting religious discomfort with Agni's eventual appearance and
presence. Likewise, Rudra is, I believe,
a wind spirit of sorts, but because I saw the name used for a dragon long long
ago, I adapted it for use with one of my dragons. Such is how it goes.
Basic
etymology adaptations are always fun.
Even if the etymology of Serano is different from earth, it can lead to
some interesting names. Nihilons are
directly taken from the laten term Nihilo, or nothingness. It is meant to be a connection to the
Void. aquillans also have a connection
with the etymology aqua, because they are aquatic beings. Nal-vey, Jela-Vey, and Sel-vey have some
basic etymology in them, but are more adaptations of syllabic sounds. Nal sounds like nothing, Sel is silver, Jela
has a more golden feel to them. Bear in
mind, these are just how my mind might perceive these sounds.
I like to
think that these kinds of conventions are how most writers come up with certain
things. We either have easter eggs we
want to include in our stories, themes, or what have you that allow us to
create naming conventions that fall in line with a specific idea we have. Very little comes from a vacuum, as they
say. And the adaptations and conventions
can be as toned down or as insane as the writer. I especially like in One Piece how all the
main character's attacks are named after fire arms and they get more insane and
high caliber the deadlier the attacks.
No one
pulls a name out of thin air, there is always something. Sometimes its simply a sound that we enjoy hearing,
sometimes it's a name we heard before, sometimes it's a combination of unlike
terms to create something wholly new.
Originally
I didn't include last names in my stories, especially this one. However, I think it adds a level of identity,
familiarity, and memorability to certain characters. Minava Gren, Celine Gren, Nivtenc van Arios,
it adds something else to remember. Of
course, one of my greatest fears is that if I bring the name up again, people
will just have forgotten it existed to begin with, because when talking with
people you are familiar with, you seldom ever have to use last names. It's important for introductions, but after
those are out of the way, they are less important and fade into the background. Also, last names offer another layer of
intrigue and possible hints at a character's true nature. I am especially fond of Deminos Savant. While he is a failure in many areas as a
conjurer and a mage, a savant is someone who is considered wise, a genius, or
otherwise is knowledgeable in something they shouldn't be. I think this plays nicely into the idea that
Deminos has potential.
Now,
whether or not people pick up on these little naming conventions or tricks is
kind of a crap shoot, so being all clever and smug about naming...isn't really
recommended. From my perspective, these
are sorta like in jokes that I write into the story for no one but myself. However, if other people can discover them, I
think that'd be really cool, as there are several I didn't mention here.
In the age
of Wiki, there is plenty of user compiled data on anything from video games to
books, so it's not hard to disseminate this kind of information once it's been
acquired. I suppose somewhere, deep
down, I would like people to care enough to do that over my book, just the same
as others have for anime or video games that I've loved. Sometimes it's fun just to see how powerful
or crazy someone is by visiting a wiki.
Wasted many an hour myself on Naruto, One Piece, and Toriko wikis, just
sort of bathing in the crazy and the community.
I suppose
that's one reason for naming conventions, and easter eggs in general. We want to expand our sort of internal
community, but we don't want to solicit that kind of gathering. We want people to find what we have hidden
and to understand its meaning and in that way, draw us wayward people, writers
and readers, closer together.
