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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 1246 Views
eyjafjallajökull? jh - 19/09/2010 01:16:49 PM 676 Views
Yes, that one is quite evil Camilla - 19/09/2010 01:19:16 PM 744 Views
Hmm. snoopcester - 19/09/2010 02:03:49 PM 706 Views
Awww Camilla - 19/09/2010 02:06:44 PM 847 Views
It makes sense for him, though. Rebekah - 19/09/2010 02:12:23 PM 673 Views
Re: It makes sense for him, though. Camilla - 19/09/2010 02:14:36 PM 667 Views
Re: It makes sense for him, though. Rebekah - 19/09/2010 02:19:07 PM 733 Views
sorry to keep nitpicking snoopcester - 19/09/2010 02:40:35 PM 580 Views
Re: sorry to keep nitpicking Rebekah - 19/09/2010 02:42:45 PM 603 Views
Re: sorry to keep nitpicking snoopcester - 19/09/2010 02:44:32 PM 658 Views
Mat and Elayne and Thom are pretty recognizable as English names *NM* Darth_Katie - 19/09/2010 04:32:20 PM 306 Views
Some Dutch girl's names are lovely. Legolas - 19/09/2010 04:20:57 PM 688 Views
Yeah, he once said that BlackAdder - 19/09/2010 08:47:05 PM 646 Views
But it's spelled Elena or Yelena in the Roman alphabet, surely. Legolas - 19/09/2010 04:14:46 PM 763 Views
I know the example I quoted is spelt that way snoopcester - 19/09/2010 04:19:56 PM 634 Views
I actually rather like David Eddings' names. Rebekah - 19/09/2010 02:26:52 PM 837 Views
Re: I actually rather like David Eddings' names. Camilla - 19/09/2010 02:28:30 PM 631 Views
Ce'Nedra is one of the rare cases where the apostrophe is justified. Legolas - 19/09/2010 04:16:51 PM 660 Views
Me too Elaine - 20/09/2010 03:01:02 PM 721 Views
Nynaeve ("Neigh-neev" ) Lordling - 19/09/2010 02:45:22 PM 735 Views
Re: Nynaeve ("Neigh-neev" ) Camilla - 19/09/2010 02:49:53 PM 717 Views
Funny, I hate the "neigh-neev" pronunciation. Darth_Katie - 19/09/2010 04:29:14 PM 768 Views
me too ranagrande - 19/09/2010 06:31:11 PM 571 Views
Re: Funny, I hate the "neigh-neev" pronunciation. Lordling - 19/09/2010 06:45:54 PM 754 Views
Mild-may-your-sufferings-be-at-the-hands-of-the-wicked. Chas - 19/09/2010 04:18:31 PM 735 Views
That is very cool. *NM* Camilla - 19/09/2010 04:21:49 PM 283 Views
I just looked up that book series... Missa Sedai - 20/09/2010 05:24:11 PM 688 Views
Quite a bit. Chas - 21/09/2010 12:04:51 AM 668 Views
It's fantastic. *NM* Aeryn - 21/09/2010 04:02:16 PM 312 Views
iain m banks has some great names... temeraire - 19/09/2010 04:52:49 PM 656 Views
I was grumbling to myself about his names last night Camilla - 19/09/2010 04:56:44 PM 747 Views
That's a fairly silly stance, you know. Legolas - 19/09/2010 05:04:22 PM 818 Views
I don't know Camilla - 19/09/2010 05:08:29 PM 636 Views
hehe... sometimes i just make up my own nicknmes when his are too long temeraire - 21/09/2010 04:37:43 PM 662 Views
I've always been quite impressed by Anomander Rake. Tim - 19/09/2010 10:05:10 PM 612 Views
That is a good name, I agree. Camilla - 19/09/2010 10:18:37 PM 552 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 290 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 363 Views
The ships in the Culture do have the BEST names. *NM* LiterateDog - 20/09/2010 07:13:45 PM 312 Views
Robb Hobb has the easiest names in the Fitz series *NM* Dark Knight - 20/09/2010 03:50:07 AM 316 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 315 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 294 Views
+1 *NM* Fox and Ravens - 20/09/2010 05:11:58 PM 280 Views
Hands down winner is Zaphod Beeblebrox. *NM* Tigr - 20/09/2010 03:56:58 PM 313 Views
So true *NM* Camilla - 20/09/2010 04:00:06 PM 275 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 670 Views
That is a very good one. Camilla - 20/09/2010 07:13:42 PM 615 Views
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