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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 1596 Views
eyjafjallajökull? jh - 19/09/2010 01:16:49 PM 1013 Views
Yes, that one is quite evil Camilla - 19/09/2010 01:19:16 PM 1089 Views
Hmm. snoopcester - 19/09/2010 02:03:49 PM 1046 Views
Awww Camilla - 19/09/2010 02:06:44 PM 1186 Views
It makes sense for him, though. Rebekah - 19/09/2010 02:12:23 PM 1000 Views
Re: It makes sense for him, though. Camilla - 19/09/2010 02:14:36 PM 998 Views
Re: It makes sense for him, though. Rebekah - 19/09/2010 02:19:07 PM 1078 Views
sorry to keep nitpicking snoopcester - 19/09/2010 02:40:35 PM 929 Views
Re: sorry to keep nitpicking Rebekah - 19/09/2010 02:42:45 PM 959 Views
Re: sorry to keep nitpicking snoopcester - 19/09/2010 02:44:32 PM 1021 Views
Mat and Elayne and Thom are pretty recognizable as English names *NM* Darth_Katie - 19/09/2010 04:32:20 PM 455 Views
Some Dutch girl's names are lovely. Legolas - 19/09/2010 04:20:57 PM 1044 Views
Yeah, he once said that BlackAdder - 19/09/2010 08:47:05 PM 993 Views
But it's spelled Elena or Yelena in the Roman alphabet, surely. Legolas - 19/09/2010 04:14:46 PM 1112 Views
I know the example I quoted is spelt that way snoopcester - 19/09/2010 04:19:56 PM 993 Views
I actually rather like David Eddings' names. Rebekah - 19/09/2010 02:26:52 PM 1176 Views
Re: I actually rather like David Eddings' names. Camilla - 19/09/2010 02:28:30 PM 959 Views
Ce'Nedra is one of the rare cases where the apostrophe is justified. Legolas - 19/09/2010 04:16:51 PM 1001 Views
Me too Elaine - 20/09/2010 03:01:02 PM 1061 Views
Nynaeve ("Neigh-neev" ) Lordling - 19/09/2010 02:45:22 PM 1077 Views
Re: Nynaeve ("Neigh-neev" ) Camilla - 19/09/2010 02:49:53 PM 1049 Views
Funny, I hate the "neigh-neev" pronunciation. Darth_Katie - 19/09/2010 04:29:14 PM 1132 Views
me too ranagrande - 19/09/2010 06:31:11 PM 927 Views
Re: Funny, I hate the "neigh-neev" pronunciation. Lordling - 19/09/2010 06:45:54 PM 1108 Views
Mild-may-your-sufferings-be-at-the-hands-of-the-wicked. Chas - 19/09/2010 04:18:31 PM 1058 Views
That is very cool. *NM* Camilla - 19/09/2010 04:21:49 PM 433 Views
I just looked up that book series... Missa Sedai - 20/09/2010 05:24:11 PM 1103 Views
Quite a bit. Chas - 21/09/2010 12:04:51 AM 1002 Views
It's fantastic. *NM* Aeryn - 21/09/2010 04:02:16 PM 482 Views
iain m banks has some great names... temeraire - 19/09/2010 04:52:49 PM 991 Views
I was grumbling to myself about his names last night Camilla - 19/09/2010 04:56:44 PM 1113 Views
That's a fairly silly stance, you know. Legolas - 19/09/2010 05:04:22 PM 1177 Views
I don't know Camilla - 19/09/2010 05:08:29 PM 966 Views
hehe... sometimes i just make up my own nicknmes when his are too long temeraire - 21/09/2010 04:37:43 PM 1006 Views
I've always been quite impressed by Anomander Rake. Tim - 19/09/2010 10:05:10 PM 947 Views
That is a good name, I agree. Camilla - 19/09/2010 10:18:37 PM 878 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 457 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 517 Views
The ships in the Culture do have the BEST names. *NM* LiterateDog - 20/09/2010 07:13:45 PM 467 Views
Robb Hobb has the easiest names in the Fitz series *NM* Dark Knight - 20/09/2010 03:50:07 AM 464 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 468 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 444 Views
+1 *NM* Fox and Ravens - 20/09/2010 05:11:58 PM 437 Views
Hands down winner is Zaphod Beeblebrox. *NM* Tigr - 20/09/2010 03:56:58 PM 492 Views
So true *NM* Camilla - 20/09/2010 04:00:06 PM 425 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 1034 Views
That is a very good one. Camilla - 20/09/2010 07:13:42 PM 958 Views
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