Timewaster's Guide Archive
Local Authors => Writing Group => Topic started by: Parker on January 31, 2007, 05:12:03 AM
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So I'm trying to come up with a name for a type of magic user who essentially focuses on killing other magic users and mythical creatures. The thing is, it's for a fantasy book that takes place in Slovakia, and I'd like to use a Slovak word for it. But a lot of Slovak words look just plain old wacky when they go into English. This is where you come in. Do any of these look good? I'd rather not tell you what they mean at this point. Maybe I will once the discussion goes on for a bit. Vote in the poll, or just post your thoughts here. Thanks!
edit: added "type of"
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I'm not a huge fan of any of them. However, of the group, Kosa is hands down my favorite.
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... a lot of Slovak words look just plain old wacky when they go into English.
Most of them look like jibberish and the reader really needs to be able to at leat nominally pronounce it. I vote for Kosa, too. Better yet, come up with some more words.
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I'm with SE and Nessa, I voted Kosa because it's the only one that's readable.
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Me three. Kosa reads. One of the biggest complaints I've seen with fantasy books is when the names of people/places, etc are so foreign to an English reader that they can't even figure out how to pronounce them in their own head much less talk to anyone else about them.
I understand wanting to use a Slovic word, but you have to consider your intended audience and what they will read as Pronouncable.
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I had no trouble pronouncing kosa zubatej and I feel like the "bane of all other magic users" the "wizard killer" needed a cooler name than just kosa.
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I completely agree about names needing to be pronouncable, etc. Hence this poll. I speak Slovak, making me tainted from deciding what works and what doesn't--I know how they all sound. Thanks for the input--keep it coming. I'll probably post some new ideas in a bit.
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What is the origin of Slovak? You might look for words there as well.
I'm thinking that if I was to make up a name for something to be used in an English speaking country I might look at Latin or old English words.
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While I can understand your desier to use words/names based off another language you've got to realise that most people don't care what your modivation was if they cannot read it, or it's too complicated. What I would do is ditch trying to find a slovic work for you to use and create a new word yourself that sounds slovic, I wouldn't trap myself into a real language like that.
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There's a whole lot of names here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Name_days_in_Slovakia) that look easier to pronounce. Of course a lot of them are originally from other languages.
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I have the Slovak names. But I'd really rather avoid naming a cool wizard by a personal name. It would be like a Slovak naming an English type of wizard Fred. "The Fred strode into the room, and all conversations stopped. The last time a Fred had come to town, half the citizens had ended up turned into poodles." This wasn't the final list--I was just looking for some feedback, which I'm getting. I'll talk it over some more with my wife (who's Slovak) and see what else I can dredge up.
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At first glance, I didn't like any of the names. But after looking over them again, I've decided they aren't so bad. Just avoid the consonant heavy names. Vrah and Kosa Zubatej appeal to me the most. Kosa by itself is okay, but it doesn't conjure up an image of a wizard for me like Kosa Zubatej does.
And I agree with avoiding propper names.
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Ohhhh! I thought you were wanting feedback on a proper name for a Slovak wizard/magic user. One person, I mean. You're asking what to name that type of magic user?
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That's right. Sorry about the confusion. Slovak has a name calendar, as Ookla pointed out. Thus, finding proper names is a breeze; there are only so many you can choose from. (Slovaks think our way of making up names and spellings is ridiculous. Don't get my wife started on it.) The trouble I've been having is finding a good Slovak word for a type of magician. For example, the regular words for magic users in Slovak are mag (mage), carodejnik or carodej (wizard), mudrc (wise man) and kuzelnik (magician). At first I had hoped to use one of those in a compound Slovak word . . . until my wife pointed out that Slovak doesn't do compounds, and they typically resist coining new words. Thus, to do "mage killer," I couldn't really do magvrah or vrahmag--those would be nonsense words (and the first sounds too much like Mumra (the villain in Thundercats) to me). You can't put two nouns together. So I could do maga vrah (killer of mages), or something like that. (Actually, that's one of the new words I'm thinking about). This initial poll was to give me an idea of which way to head in the naming process. My apologies on the confusion of what I was asking for--I'll reword my initial post.
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Whoa! Yeah, that totally changes things. I like the way maga vrah sounds, as a "class name" per se.
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I like vrah kosa or cepel vrah.
One word, I like vrah better than kosa.
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I completely change my vote from kosa now that I know that you were looking for a type of magician not a name. As for names of personal people, I am almost tired of fantasy writers thinking they NEED to think up their own names. I mean being creative is important, but often i think it is over done. Why can't a person be named Adam, or David, or William, most names were around in the time periods where most fantasies take place. I prefer to mix both created names and real ones. I think it would be a neat effect.
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Vrah sounds like some kind of kickass omnipotent destroyer god, so I choose dat one. Perhaps the god part is my mental association with the Egyptian Ra (or is it Rah?).
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I liked vrah and kosa, but I agree the rest are pretty odd.
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I think Parker decided this months and months ago.
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Coming up on a year soon, actually. Well--10 months, at least. :-)
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Er, what was your final decision on this, anyway? Just curious.
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wow, didn't catch that date.... sorry.