|
Naming People and Places is fairly fun, But remember to be consistent.
Names and Places
Place names can make or break a map. Here I will discuss the nuances of naming your map and it's locations, and why you
should not use too many apostrophes in your names.
Make sure the places of an area reflect the sounds of the local language. The locals or the recent local conquerers tend
to do the naming of all towns and landmarks of an area. It doesn't make sense to name a town "Park Grove" if the
people speak a language that sounds like "Agamtha miyk rampent tovain talkeent.", if you see what I mean.
Name style
There it is again! Style. It applies to naming your map as well as drawing it. Here we will discuss the different parts
of names, and how they affect your map. Here is a list of the most common styles:
Cliché - avoid names like "Skull Mountain" at all costs
Guttural - Dwarves, Orcs, Trolls, etc. all talk in a guttural form of speech.
Noble - Elven. What else can I say?
Archaic - Good for medieval fantasy
Original - The best type. Make up your own language and let the good times roll!
Alien - Languages that are so far away from human sounding as to be unpronounceable. Avoid these if you want a map people
will remember.
Cultural - Jamaican sounding words go with the Jamaican culture. You will never hear a dragon say "Ya mon!"
.
Naming People is a complicated phenomenon.
Some people name their children off of family names. Some use religious names or shortened names from religious names.
Some people just use names from cultures they either are a part of or identify with. Some people name their children after
friends or family members. Some names are used because they are popular. Play with the names in the lists below or just use
the names as they are to create good names for your characters.
Female Names
Male Names
|
