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Thinking about names, and RPGs. And how, just based on our experience of one species on one world:
-Families may not have names (James O'Donnell starts as James son of Donnell)
-Individuals may not have unique names (Sextus Burrus might just be the 6th son of the Burrus family)
-Families may not have names (James O'Donnell starts as James son of Donnell)
-Individuals may not have unique names (Sextus Burrus might just be the 6th son of the Burrus family)
-People might have multiple names for different worlds in which they live (Saul of Tarsus also being called Paul the Apostle, using the Latin name Paul in the Latin-speaking World)
-Names may be whole concepts (If-Jesus-Christ-had-not-died-for-thee-thou-hadst-been-damned Barbon)
-Names may be whole concepts (If-Jesus-Christ-had-not-died-for-thee-thou-hadst-been-damned Barbon)
(He just went by Nicholas, mostly)
-Names might be strictly controlled by a government or heirarchy (France rejects the name "Nutella," for instance)
-Names may be written in whatever order (Korean names, for instance - for "Kim Nam-Gi," Kim is the family name)
-Names may be written in whatever order (Korean names, for instance - for "Kim Nam-Gi," Kim is the family name)
There's a lot more, but the caffeine isn't working.
Feel free to add others, I'll QT them.
Given that, the idea that every character in Ye Olde Fantasy World uses a modern western binomial strains credulity.
Feel free to add others, I'll QT them.
Given that, the idea that every character in Ye Olde Fantasy World uses a modern western binomial strains credulity.
Have elves that don't ever refer to each other, and therefore never need to distinguish one from another beyond pointing. If pressed, they might say "The Warrior from the Uberwald who Slew The Red Dragon in the Year of the Three Floods."
They take names when dealing w/ humans.
They take names when dealing w/ humans.
Have Dwarves who are just named their Rank, their Craft, and the place they work.
"Burdurazan Kolruun Abbroduka" might just mean "2nd Order Journeyman Brewer in the Two-Hammer Brewery"
"Burdurazan Kolruun Abbroduka" might just mean "2nd Order Journeyman Brewer in the Two-Hammer Brewery"
How about names that reflect the community's opinion of the individual?
"Good-hearted bastard of the Drunk who plays Fiddle Well"
"Good-hearted bastard of the Drunk who plays Fiddle Well"
No personal identity, just deeds as recounted by the rest of the group.
Or how about names that are just the community they come from? Maybe with a profession name on top.
"Baker of Three-trees." "Guardian Vicksburg." "Of Tyre." Etc.
"Baker of Three-trees." "Guardian Vicksburg." "Of Tyre." Etc.
Communities with dense and complex systems of nicknames, where nobody but your (mother|father|priest|shaman|first love|etc) knows your "True Name."
Maybe not even you. Maybe they keep that safe for you.
Maybe not even you. Maybe they keep that safe for you.
Maybe being named is a moment of someone else taking power over you, and your family explicitly CANNOT name you.
So friends may name each other, as children, to keep each other safe from hexing.
So a whole bunch of people go around secretly named "Laserninja" and "Strikewolf."
So friends may name each other, as children, to keep each other safe from hexing.
So a whole bunch of people go around secretly named "Laserninja" and "Strikewolf."
Maybe, like in American Deaf culture, you have namesigns - something ascribed to you by a community, which reflects both your spoken name and something about their opinion of you.
Very much so. Just with my relatively simple name, I've been known by a diminutive form of my first name, my full first name, and solely my surname at different stages,
Not to mention taking online handles (Null, Izaea) as identity. https://twitter.com/AgnesFezellis/status/1359575840963530754?s=20
Not to mention taking online handles (Null, Izaea) as identity. https://twitter.com/AgnesFezellis/status/1359575840963530754?s=20
Maybe the length of your name denotes something - high or low status.
Maybe everyone gets ten-syllable names, and you reveal more and more of them to people as you trust them.
Maybe everyone gets ten-syllable names, and you reveal more and more of them to people as you trust them.
Maybe a name is a snatch of melody, or song.
Maybe it's a pictogram or glyph, and isn't otherwise spoken.
Maybe it's situational depending on the time of year, or time of day.
Maybe it's a pictogram or glyph, and isn't otherwise spoken.
Maybe it's situational depending on the time of year, or time of day.
I remember a podcast where a guest talked about how each member of his large central African family called him something different, and just assumed he'd know they meant him.
Maybe you don't get a surname at all, or a patronymic, but just a given name and a chosen name.
I'm thinking of the Domesday book. Humphrey Goldenbollocks. John Fuckbutter. "Klak." Hugh the Ass.
I'm thinking of the Domesday book. Humphrey Goldenbollocks. John Fuckbutter. "Klak." Hugh the Ass.
Maybe your surname is just the direction of your hometown. "Jim Southwest." To distinguish from Jim, who was born here, and Jim North, who came from a different direction.
And which changes depending on where you are.
And which changes depending on where you are.
How about names that are just "Famous Relative" + "My relation to them"
Jotunhammer's Third Grandson's Cousin
Jotunhammer's Third Grandson's Cousin
VERY MUCH THIS. https://twitter.com/mary_vogt/status/1359586403588460545?s=20
Quoting here: None of the following are true.
People have exactly one canonical full name.
People have exactly one full name which they go by.
People have, at this point in time, exactly one canonical full name.
People have, at this point in time, one full name which they go by.
People have exactly one canonical full name.
People have exactly one full name which they go by.
People have, at this point in time, exactly one canonical full name.
People have, at this point in time, one full name which they go by.
People have exactly N names, for any value of N.
People’s names fit within a certain defined amount of space.
People’s names do not change.
People’s names change, but only at a certain enumerated set of events.
People’s names are written in ASCII.
People’s names fit within a certain defined amount of space.
People’s names do not change.
People’s names change, but only at a certain enumerated set of events.
People’s names are written in ASCII.
People’s names are written in any single character set.
People’s names are all mapped in Unicode code points.
People’s names are case sensitive.
People’s names are case insensitive.
People’s names sometimes have prefixes or suffixes, but you can safely ignore those.
People’s names are all mapped in Unicode code points.
People’s names are case sensitive.
People’s names are case insensitive.
People’s names sometimes have prefixes or suffixes, but you can safely ignore those.
People’s names do not contain numbers.
People’s names are not written in ALL CAPS.
People’s names are not written in all lower case letters.
People’s names have an order to them. Picking any ordering scheme will automatically result in consistent ordering among all systems...
People’s names are not written in ALL CAPS.
People’s names are not written in all lower case letters.
People’s names have an order to them. Picking any ordering scheme will automatically result in consistent ordering among all systems...
...as long as both use the same ordering scheme for the same name.
People’s first names and last names are, by necessity, different.
People have last names, family names, or anything else which is shared by folks recognized as their relatives.
People’s names are globally unique.
People’s first names and last names are, by necessity, different.
People have last names, family names, or anything else which is shared by folks recognized as their relatives.
People’s names are globally unique.
People’s names are almost globally unique.
Alright alright but surely people’s names are diverse enough such that no million people share the same name.
Confound your cultural relativism! People in my society, at least, agree on one commonly accepted standard for names.
Alright alright but surely people’s names are diverse enough such that no million people share the same name.
Confound your cultural relativism! People in my society, at least, agree on one commonly accepted standard for names.
There exists an algorithm which transforms names and can be reversed losslessly. (Yes, yes, you can do it if your algorithm returns the input. You get a gold star.)
I can safely assume that this dictionary of bad words contains no people’s names in it.
I can safely assume that this dictionary of bad words contains no people’s names in it.
People’s names are assigned at birth.
OK, maybe not at birth, but at least pretty close to birth.
Alright, alright, within a year or so of birth.
Five years?
You’re kidding me, right?
OK, maybe not at birth, but at least pretty close to birth.
Alright, alright, within a year or so of birth.
Five years?
You’re kidding me, right?
Two different systems containing data about the same person will use the same name for that person.
Two different data entry operators, given a person’s name, will by necessity enter bitwise equivalent strings on any single system, if the system is well-designed.
Two different data entry operators, given a person’s name, will by necessity enter bitwise equivalent strings on any single system, if the system is well-designed.
People whose names break my system are weird outliers. They should have had solid, acceptable names, like 田中太郎.
People have names.
People have names.
Do y'all know Pablo Picasso's full name?
Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso
Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso
