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Awww Camilla Send a noteboard - 19/09/2010 02:06:44 PM
Reading Joe's post below, I remembered that I really like the name Ilyena. It is, to my mind, the best of the made-up names of Robert Jordan's books. And science fiction and fantasy suffers under a tendency to make up some stupid names, frequently unpronounceable, which only seem to be there to make it clear that we are not talking about the real world. Being slightly obsessed with how words sound and also how names fit things, this is something I find rather distressing.

For it to be a made up name, doesn't it have to have been made up for the book and not an existing name?

Helen Mirren, for example, is of Russian descent and her first name at birth was Ilyena.


Dammit. I had a sneaking suspicion that might be the case (well, not the Helen Mirren bit, that would have been a weird thing to have a sneaking suspicion about, but the real name thing). Trust Jordan's good names to be taken from the real world.

So.

-What is your favourite made-up name in a work of fiction?

-What is the worst example you can think of?

I can't think of either off hand. I just wanted to be a smartarse and point out that Ileyna isn't a made up name. Or at least not made up by Jordan:P

Broadly speaking though, I tend to prefer names that are varients on real world ones.
*MySmiley*
structured procrastinator
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Good names Camilla - 19/09/2010 11:25:23 AM 1300 Views
eyjafjallajökull? jh - 19/09/2010 01:16:49 PM 727 Views
Yes, that one is quite evil Camilla - 19/09/2010 01:19:16 PM 796 Views
Hmm. snoopcester - 19/09/2010 02:03:49 PM 762 Views
Awww Camilla - 19/09/2010 02:06:44 PM 904 Views
It makes sense for him, though. Rebekah - 19/09/2010 02:12:23 PM 724 Views
Re: It makes sense for him, though. Camilla - 19/09/2010 02:14:36 PM 720 Views
Re: It makes sense for him, though. Rebekah - 19/09/2010 02:19:07 PM 789 Views
sorry to keep nitpicking snoopcester - 19/09/2010 02:40:35 PM 634 Views
Re: sorry to keep nitpicking Rebekah - 19/09/2010 02:42:45 PM 658 Views
Re: sorry to keep nitpicking snoopcester - 19/09/2010 02:44:32 PM 711 Views
Mat and Elayne and Thom are pretty recognizable as English names *NM* Darth_Katie - 19/09/2010 04:32:20 PM 329 Views
Some Dutch girl's names are lovely. Legolas - 19/09/2010 04:20:57 PM 742 Views
Yeah, he once said that BlackAdder - 19/09/2010 08:47:05 PM 696 Views
But it's spelled Elena or Yelena in the Roman alphabet, surely. Legolas - 19/09/2010 04:14:46 PM 813 Views
I know the example I quoted is spelt that way snoopcester - 19/09/2010 04:19:56 PM 688 Views
I actually rather like David Eddings' names. Rebekah - 19/09/2010 02:26:52 PM 888 Views
Re: I actually rather like David Eddings' names. Camilla - 19/09/2010 02:28:30 PM 686 Views
Ce'Nedra is one of the rare cases where the apostrophe is justified. Legolas - 19/09/2010 04:16:51 PM 726 Views
Me too Elaine - 20/09/2010 03:01:02 PM 772 Views
Nynaeve ("Neigh-neev" ) Lordling - 19/09/2010 02:45:22 PM 783 Views
Re: Nynaeve ("Neigh-neev" ) Camilla - 19/09/2010 02:49:53 PM 770 Views
Funny, I hate the "neigh-neev" pronunciation. Darth_Katie - 19/09/2010 04:29:14 PM 816 Views
me too ranagrande - 19/09/2010 06:31:11 PM 631 Views
Re: Funny, I hate the "neigh-neev" pronunciation. Lordling - 19/09/2010 06:45:54 PM 804 Views
Mild-may-your-sufferings-be-at-the-hands-of-the-wicked. Chas - 19/09/2010 04:18:31 PM 789 Views
That is very cool. *NM* Camilla - 19/09/2010 04:21:49 PM 306 Views
I just looked up that book series... Missa Sedai - 20/09/2010 05:24:11 PM 742 Views
Quite a bit. Chas - 21/09/2010 12:04:51 AM 722 Views
It's fantastic. *NM* Aeryn - 21/09/2010 04:02:16 PM 337 Views
iain m banks has some great names... temeraire - 19/09/2010 04:52:49 PM 710 Views
I was grumbling to myself about his names last night Camilla - 19/09/2010 04:56:44 PM 798 Views
That's a fairly silly stance, you know. Legolas - 19/09/2010 05:04:22 PM 867 Views
I don't know Camilla - 19/09/2010 05:08:29 PM 689 Views
hehe... sometimes i just make up my own nicknmes when his are too long temeraire - 21/09/2010 04:37:43 PM 719 Views
I've always been quite impressed by Anomander Rake. Tim - 19/09/2010 10:05:10 PM 663 Views
That is a good name, I agree. Camilla - 19/09/2010 10:18:37 PM 603 Views
I like that the older beings in Malazan have varying names (e.g. Anomandaris Purake). *NM* Ghavrel - 20/09/2010 02:20:15 AM 312 Views
I was going to mention that one myself, too. Just rolls right off the tongue. Delicious. *NM* lord-of-shadow - 20/09/2010 06:13:10 AM 387 Views
The ships in the Culture do have the BEST names. *NM* LiterateDog - 20/09/2010 07:13:45 PM 335 Views
Robb Hobb has the easiest names in the Fitz series *NM* Dark Knight - 20/09/2010 03:50:07 AM 338 Views
oh man, i don't know how i forgot robin hobb...... i adore her names. especially nighteyes. *NM* temeraire - 21/09/2010 04:31:33 PM 343 Views
A Song of Ice and Fire tends to have good names. Grounded, but just exotic enough. *NM* lord-of-shadow - 20/09/2010 06:14:13 AM 319 Views
+1 *NM* Fox and Ravens - 20/09/2010 05:11:58 PM 302 Views
Hands down winner is Zaphod Beeblebrox. *NM* Tigr - 20/09/2010 03:56:58 PM 340 Views
So true *NM* Camilla - 20/09/2010 04:00:06 PM 299 Views
I don't know who has the best names overall, but I'll always love the name Bellatrix Lestrange. LiterateDog - 20/09/2010 07:12:18 PM 721 Views
That is a very good one. Camilla - 20/09/2010 07:13:42 PM 675 Views
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