The naming of mythic beasts.

[Rider of scaled wing]

Greetings all, this will be my first thread here on Chronicles, and i'm very glad to have discovered this place as I've recently started work on a story i hope to eventually have published.

Now, as is probably the norm, I'm opening up with a question, If there are any other fantasy writers here, how do YOU come up with names for non human creatures? For example, I have a dragon I've been referring to as "Thurndil" for a time, but the people closest to me in my life have all said it's not 'Strong' enough for a dragon, and I think they may have a point. Any advice?

 

[dwndrgn]

Make a list of 'strong' names you like (from fiction or real life) and analize what you like about them - do they sound strong, have strong connotations, have only one sylable or two, do they start with consonants or vowels...that type of thing and just start playing around with them. Mix them up, turn them around add parts of this one to that one, change the accent...just fiddle until you come up with something that just feels right.

Oh, and welcome to the Chronicles!!

 

[Dean F. Wilson]

Try playing with the sounds - harsh, guttural sounds, for example, are used for Dwarves, who not only have a similiar appearance, but dwell in land that is also alike. So, caves: craggy, rocks, stone, brick, etc. G's and K's are obvious sounds you'd want if you want to evoke this kind of thing.

Elves, on the other hand, are tall and fair, dwell in light, flowing environments like forests, and often are exemplar with music, which means they should have names that are flowing and musical, and not harsh at all. L's and R's are obvious sounds that would go with this.

Now, for a dragon... scales, wings, fire, flame, etc. You might also want it to sound harsh if it's an enemy dragon as opposed to a friendly one, so might employ harsh sounds like "K"s and "G"s

Firnag or Skaelog or something like that might be apt.

Then there's the other way entirely - let the Muse take you and write completely random names and pick what suits. I can almost guarantee that the best-fitting name will have sounds or word ties that reflect the nature, territory, etc. of the creature in question.

-D

 

[Telperaca]

How about a name generator?

Or translating a name to a different language:

Silver Wolf = Telperaca
Black Dragon = Moriloke
(Quenya; Elvish)