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I'm trying to create a name for an elf character that sounds both Elven and Azlanti at the same time, and am struggling to figure out one that doesn't sound ridiculous, or too much like the names of other characters I'm trying to play.
I know it has to begin with a vowel (all Azlanti names do), but it can't be A, E or O, since I already have characters with names starting with those letters. I also want it to sound sort of Greco-Roman, which is what Azlanti names sound like, but also Elven as well.
To give an example, I found this name in a database of Elven names:
Its Greek origin is obvious (THIS! IS!! SPARTA!!!), and it's been adjusted to sound elfy. I'd probably use it myself but, 1) it starts with a consonant and 2) when you say the name out loud, its roots show too clearly, which would surely result in people imagining my character as an elven Gerard Butler, while I'm going more for Leonard Nimoy.
Anyone better with elf names than me wanna help? I've checked a few name databases, but all the ancient Greek names seem to start with either a consonant or an A. >.<
Iomedes is a cool sounding name. Change it to be more elfy though.
Just remember that if you want it to 'sound' greek, you need to have 4 syllables and have them come out like the beat of drum kind of.
Lea-yon-a-das
Le-vit-i-cus
That is just how greek works. Langauges often have their own common beats and rhythm (I am pretty sure english works more with iambic pairs). So whatever you do- 4 beats. That is what you want for a greek sound.
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Just remember that if you want it to 'sound' greek, you need to have 4 syllables and have them come out like the beat of drum kind of.
Lea-yon-a-das
Le-vit-i-cusThat is just how greek works. Langauges often have their own common beats and rhythm (I am pretty sure english works more with iambic pairs). So whatever you do- 4 beats. That is what you want for a greek sound.
Thanks for the tip, lemeres!
Iomedes already meets that requirement...so how could I make it more elfy?
Make it Iomedias, perhaps?
Iodemes?
Just gonna throw in another random suggestion here: Ikthelion/Ikthelia (male/female). Definitely has Greek roots (from Ikthus "fish"), but different enough that it's not like the character is named "Fish". If you want to play on the connection though, the character could be an aquatic elf, or at least a fisherman by trade. Just a thought.
LOL, why don't go the full way to Ecthelion?
LOL, why don't go the full way to Ecthelion?
Haha. Didn't even catch myself on that one. Good call. This would give the OP the 'I' name he asked for though.
Just remember that if you want it to 'sound' greek, you need to have 4 syllables and have them come out like the beat of drum kind of.Herakles, Homeros and Perikles (among others) beg to differ.
EDIT: Oh, and I don't know if it works as an elf name, but Io was the name of a (female) lover of Zeus.
...you think ANY language always plays by its own rules 100% of the time? That is....cute.
Of course, this could be a result of the difference between the common spoke tongue and what people actually bothered to write down... or read.
The '4 syllable' thing might be more due to the meter used in Greek epic poetry than actual practice. Of course, that lead to a presumption of what 'sounds' greek, because the Renaissance was all about reading greek classics.
I am sure that the Scottish-Koreans of the 25th century will think we all spoke like we were in a Shakespearean poem.
Given that what we consider to be elf usually ranges between Tolkien and Celtic, you're not going to see a lot of phonetic harmony with Latin and Greek.
Might as well ask for a Telly Savalas with long ears.
Given that what we consider to be elf usually ranges between Tolkien and Celtic, you're not going to see a lot of phonetic harmony with Latin and Greek.
Might as well ask for a Telly Savalas with long ears.
True... if you want to stick to both, you might as well use english, since it is 'close enough' to an attempt to mix germanic and latin languages.
Of course, you could try to depart form tolkien-esque influences. Greek seems like an appropriate motif for a race that is commonly associated with 'old, high culture and arts, and mostly relegated to legends'. You can take them from pacifist tree dwellers to warlike residents of ivory towers on Olympus like mountains.
Just remember that if you want it to 'sound' greek, you need to have 4 syllables and have them come out like the beat of drum kind of.
Lea-yon-a-das
Le-vit-i-cusThat is just how greek works. Langauges often have their own common beats and rhythm (I am pretty sure english works more with iambic pairs). So whatever you do- 4 beats. That is what you want for a greek sound.
And in Elvish and Greek, all Cs are hard.
Its Kirkee, not Sir-see.
Its Keleborn not Seleborn.
Etc.
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Vaarsuvius.
Wait, that's not random at all!
What class or character concept, roughly, is your Elf? A few suggestions:
Pyromancer/Chaos Mage? Heraclitus
Hydromancer/mariner? Thales
Universalist/Order Mage? Anaximander
Bard? Euripides
Archer/Cavalier? Xenophon
Paladin/noble? Pericles
Ranger/expert dungeon crawler? Theseus
Thief? Autolycus
Innocent "forever young" sort? Lysander
Alchemist? Archimedes
Monk or Druid? Diogenes
General all-around f~$$ing trouble-maker? Socrates