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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 1402 Views
eyjafjallajökull? jh - 19/09/2010 01:16:49 PM 824 Views
Yes, that one is quite evil Camilla - 19/09/2010 01:19:16 PM 899 Views
Hmm. snoopcester - 19/09/2010 02:03:49 PM 856 Views
Awww Camilla - 19/09/2010 02:06:44 PM 995 Views
It makes sense for him, though. Rebekah - 19/09/2010 02:12:23 PM 817 Views
Re: It makes sense for him, though. Camilla - 19/09/2010 02:14:36 PM 818 Views
Re: It makes sense for him, though. Rebekah - 19/09/2010 02:19:07 PM 879 Views
sorry to keep nitpicking snoopcester - 19/09/2010 02:40:35 PM 727 Views
Re: sorry to keep nitpicking Rebekah - 19/09/2010 02:42:45 PM 759 Views
Re: sorry to keep nitpicking snoopcester - 19/09/2010 02:44:32 PM 812 Views
Mat and Elayne and Thom are pretty recognizable as English names *NM* Darth_Katie - 19/09/2010 04:32:20 PM 366 Views
Some Dutch girl's names are lovely. Legolas - 19/09/2010 04:20:57 PM 846 Views
Yeah, he once said that BlackAdder - 19/09/2010 08:47:05 PM 796 Views
But it's spelled Elena or Yelena in the Roman alphabet, surely. Legolas - 19/09/2010 04:14:46 PM 912 Views
I know the example I quoted is spelt that way snoopcester - 19/09/2010 04:19:56 PM 788 Views
I actually rather like David Eddings' names. Rebekah - 19/09/2010 02:26:52 PM 987 Views
Re: I actually rather like David Eddings' names. Camilla - 19/09/2010 02:28:30 PM 776 Views
Ce'Nedra is one of the rare cases where the apostrophe is justified. Legolas - 19/09/2010 04:16:51 PM 822 Views
Me too Elaine - 20/09/2010 03:01:02 PM 868 Views
Nynaeve ("Neigh-neev" ) Lordling - 19/09/2010 02:45:22 PM 875 Views
Re: Nynaeve ("Neigh-neev" ) Camilla - 19/09/2010 02:49:53 PM 862 Views
Funny, I hate the "neigh-neev" pronunciation. Darth_Katie - 19/09/2010 04:29:14 PM 912 Views
me too ranagrande - 19/09/2010 06:31:11 PM 728 Views
Re: Funny, I hate the "neigh-neev" pronunciation. Lordling - 19/09/2010 06:45:54 PM 910 Views
Mild-may-your-sufferings-be-at-the-hands-of-the-wicked. Chas - 19/09/2010 04:18:31 PM 861 Views
That is very cool. *NM* Camilla - 19/09/2010 04:21:49 PM 344 Views
I just looked up that book series... Missa Sedai - 20/09/2010 05:24:11 PM 919 Views
Quite a bit. Chas - 21/09/2010 12:04:51 AM 820 Views
It's fantastic. *NM* Aeryn - 21/09/2010 04:02:16 PM 374 Views
iain m banks has some great names... temeraire - 19/09/2010 04:52:49 PM 807 Views
I was grumbling to myself about his names last night Camilla - 19/09/2010 04:56:44 PM 894 Views
That's a fairly silly stance, you know. Legolas - 19/09/2010 05:04:22 PM 973 Views
I don't know Camilla - 19/09/2010 05:08:29 PM 777 Views
hehe... sometimes i just make up my own nicknmes when his are too long temeraire - 21/09/2010 04:37:43 PM 830 Views
I've always been quite impressed by Anomander Rake. Tim - 19/09/2010 10:05:10 PM 769 Views
That is a good name, I agree. Camilla - 19/09/2010 10:18:37 PM 694 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 354 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 421 Views
The ships in the Culture do have the BEST names. *NM* LiterateDog - 20/09/2010 07:13:45 PM 372 Views
Robb Hobb has the easiest names in the Fitz series *NM* Dark Knight - 20/09/2010 03:50:07 AM 376 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 380 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 355 Views
+1 *NM* Fox and Ravens - 20/09/2010 05:11:58 PM 336 Views
Hands down winner is Zaphod Beeblebrox. *NM* Tigr - 20/09/2010 03:56:58 PM 377 Views
So true *NM* Camilla - 20/09/2010 04:00:06 PM 338 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 815 Views
That is a very good one. Camilla - 20/09/2010 07:13:42 PM 778 Views
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