So, ZOG is the name of a prevalent antisemitic conspiracy theory, which I personally find enough of a reason not to use it for any kind of governing entity, but combined with the fact that it was run by goblins (given their history as vehicles of Jewish stereotypes in certain works of popular fantasy fiction) especially makes it something I don't feel great about. Like with the shorter form of shotalashu, I imagine this is another case of not looking up if your fantasy names might have some unintended connotations, but I'd like to be able to give a different name when uncovering goblin relics in the Echo Wood all the same.
Zogog.
I think Arkat's suggestion of Zug is a good one since:
1) River Goblins likely did not have a written language.
2) Writing down overheard names from people with whom you don't share a language is prone to coming up with different names historically (e.g. Bombay and Peking instead of Mumbai and Beijing) that sound similar to the real name but aren't quite right.
So the name of the Goblin, and thus the eponymous kingdom is Zug pronounced "zuhg."
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I think Arkat's suggestion of Zug is a good one since:
1) River Goblins likely did not have a written language.
2) Writing down overheard names from people with whom you don't share a language is prone to coming up with different names historically (e.g. Bombay and Peking instead of Mumbai and Beijing) that sound similar to the real name but aren't quite right.
So the name of the Goblin, and thus the eponymous kingdom is Zug pronounced "zuhg."
While I have nothing against Zug, I wonder if that was meant as a joke. Zug zug, as in 'Zug zug Lana?' (I honestly don't even remember what absurd movie that was from, only that a T-Rex got smacked in the crotch in a funnier scene...)
It would amuse me if any of dozens of tribes of goblinfolk have wildly different names for this legendary kingdom of theirs, like Zogog and Yug and whatever, and get into ridiculous fights over who is remembering their history right. (Narrator; none of them are.)
Since they don't have a written language, and not uncommonly have unique challenges with different words due to some wildly different dentition, it would make sense that goblins don't consistently pronounce things the same way over generations anyway.
And you can't even check your data with other goblinoids. Ask a hobgoblin (it failed, and therefore was weak and irrelevant, best shunned and forgotten, a mistake to count on such undisciplined allies as goblins and bugbears) or a bugbear (which will tell you the scariest lie it can think of), and continue to be frustrated.
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Given how prominently barghests figure into the history of the Kingdom of Zog, it seems plausible that they named the kingdom after the barghest deity Zogmugat. So maybe some variation of Zogmugat-land would make sense.
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Given how prominently barghests figure into the history of the Kingdom of Zog, it seems plausible that they named the kingdom after the barghest deity Zogmugat. So maybe some variation of Zogmugat-land would make sense.
Kingdom of Mug