Dragon names what? why? where?

zur312

Saladrex Firkraag Nizidramanii'yt and many more

Where are those names from?
What is the meaning of them?
Why are they so strange?
and so on

lunar

They are supposed to sound unpronouncable and quite difficult-if not downright impossible for human tongue. To show off their superiority and how simple and boring us humans are. I can't even write the shadow dragon's name correctly without looking it up, so most people dub them 'Thax', 'Nizi', etc.

artificial_sunlight

For your fun http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_dragons
Not al of them have difficult names.

CoM_Solaufein

And none of them are named Smaug.

AendaeronBluescale

Names that are usual in one's race always sound strange to those not of that race.

recklessheart

The Dragon names in Baldur's Gate were exceptionally cool and fitting to the race. With the exception of course of the half-Dragon Draconis, who had a terrifically unoriginal name. But he's only a half-Dragon, and he's dead now anyway

SCARY_WIZARD

"I AM GARDANTHOLANANDORNIKUS, VANQUISHER OF EADRIC THE PURE."

In the 3rd Edition Draconomicon (well, v3.5...sureyeawhateva), younger dragons had less, uhh, "what were you smoking" names. Imagine what their Truenames would sound like...

Kamigoroshi

Asgorath (a.k.a. Io), Astilabor, Bahamut, Garyx, Hlal, Kalzareinad, Kereska, Lendys, Null, Sardior, Tamara, Task, Tiamat, Zorquan, Zotha.

... Is it just me, or are all Draconic pantheon names in contrast to most dragons rather short...?

XerxesV

Chrysophylax Dives. Best name ever, but probably not the best dragon.

Btw, how cool would it be to see dracoliches in BG3?

Kamigoroshi

Even better: awakened, ancient draco-demi-liches. :P

dib

Only if they're also vampiric demons.

AendaeronBluescale

The older the dragon the longer and more complex the name, as that is indirectly a measurement of a dragon's deeds and tells the dragon's story. That's why some hatchlings don't even have a name until their first winter passed.

Perhaps, however, the dragon deities noticed the problems in worshiping (they tend to be only be worshiped by few in comparison to those deities of the humanoid races) and chose shorter, pronounciable names. Who knows.

Lord_Tansheron

I suspect that complicated though they may sometimes be, the names we see are already shortened, simplified versions of true draconic names. Since they are not even close to a humanoid race (at least not most of the time), it's no surprise that their language is so different and alien we can neither physically pronounce it, nor properly transcribe it. The best we can hope for are sort of "nicknames" that are an approximation of sorts.

Kaltzor

I read them as they are spelled... Not sure how horribly inaccurate the pronounciation is, but I don't think they'll care for too long... They seem to have bigger worries with the 6 somewhat powerful adventurers and such attacking them.

ajwz

When dragons write their names down on paper, people are too scered to point out that they are just writing random letters and that human language doesn't actually work like that.

Malicron

Kamigoroshi said:

Asgorath (a.k.a. Io), Astilabor, Bahamut, Garyx, Hlal, Kalzareinad, Kereska, Lendys, Null, Sardior, Tamara, Task, Tiamat, Zorquan, Zotha.

... Is it just me, or are all Draconic pantheon names in contrast to most dragons rather short...?

I get the feeling dragon names might be the equivalent of a a human buying a sports car, or a giant house. They're already gods, what do they have to prove?

CoM_Solaufein

Mxyzptlk would be a good name.

Mathsorcerer

Dragons, being incredibly vain, like to give themselves very impressive-sounding names which are long and difficult to pronounce. This also gives them an easy way to scoff at our pathetic mispronounciation.

Anduin

As a mummy I regularly ride to work on my Draco-lich Fphpftheruriaeeydudud.

Try and pronounce it and you will realise why I call him Fred.

I'm very proud of him as he goes like a bat out of hell (especially when the morning comes...)

Anduin

Mathsorcerer said:

Dragons, being incredibly vain, like to give themselves very impressive-sounding names which are long and difficult to pronounce. This also gives them an easy way to scoff at our pathetic mispronounciation.

A bit like the french then...

Aristillius

The most important quality criteria when naming dragons is that it should also qualify as (or already be) the name of a death metal band.

redline

Or a condiment.

/saladrexx