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Re: WoT Companion: Shadow names darius_sedai Send a noteboard - 12/11/2015 04:41:52 PM

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Rhavin is certainly odd ... some of these names are interestingly positive, I wonder if the influence of the 50% of Aes Sedai going to the shadow made some of these names less doom and gloom than expected? I also find it interesting that only Moghedien (of the original names) is named after a thing, the rest are much more akin to titles that describe behaviors (although the Spider does that as well).


I'd think it would be the meaning of the name in a cultural context, like if someone was called "Tarantula" or something like that.

I just found it odd that the other names were more open to interpretation whereas "Spider", especially a specific type of spider is a very linear type of comparison, it stood out as different to me.


I didn't really see them as positive. I would have taken Rhavin as something like "I can do whatever I want". License, as opposed to freedom. Likewise with Balthamel. "Teacher of lessons" can be ominous sounding, as in "I'm going to teach him a lesson, he'll never forget."

I suppose my comment was really more along the lines of there is no question that "Betrayer of Hope" or "Giver of Pain" are names for evil people, but there is room for interpretation for a name like "Freedom" can be seen as "good" same with "Teacher of Lessons" ... either of these names could be used to describe a person who was admirable in the correct context. I found that a little surprising.


Graendal I'd venture to say is akin to "Whore" as in "The Whore of Babylon". Yeah, but without the prostitution denotation, which is why I used "Slut" instead. We don't have a lot of terms like that which do not technically refer to prostitution (I think even slut might, historically), which really doesn't fit for Graendal. Meanwhile "whore" also has connotations of compromise, like "sell-out" which is completely inapplicable to Graendal, except as it applies to all the Forsaken and Darkfriends. I totally agree with Whore as a better term, I just wanted to be a little more semantically precise, because the word has multiple uses.

Agreed ... whore does carry the connotation of prostitution. I'd say Graendal, given her change in personality from aesthetic to hedonist could be construed as a "sell-out" to the Dark One. But I see your point on using slut.


Demandred I'd say is more like Back Stabber given the circumstances under which he went to the Shadow.

Ooh, good one.


Thanks

Domani Drag Queen in the White Tower ... Aran'gar watch out!
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Thus showing the utter incompetence of Jordan as a linguist. - 12/11/2015 09:59:11 PM 807 Views
Was there ever any doubt about this? - 12/11/2015 11:44:54 PM 570 Views

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