@Naten: Okay, let me try guessing at your name. I know you play IE games, so I assume you're familiar with Icewind Dale and Icewind Dale 2. And there is a boy in IWD named Nate, who appears as an adult named Nathaniel in IWD2. And as a druid, Nathaniel is naturally the thoughtful and philosophical type, and would also be interested in names and stuff, or whatever you crazy treehuggers do for fun. Druids also walk on trails, right? You mentioned trails in your last post. And since Nathaniel is impersonated by some evil person or something (I don't really remember the details too well), that would match your sinister-looking portrait perfectly. Plus, your reference to Tiax as "tiny ax" and the thing about tiny animals demonstrates a certain preoccupation with forest critters, also a druid-y thing.
But! Both Nathaniel and his imposter wore green. And that hood of yours is brown. So Nathaniel can't be right.
Therefore, I can only assume Naten is an acronym, for one of three things:
1: Non-Aggressive To Eccentric gNomes 2: iNcredibly Attentive To Epistemological Nihilism 3: Naten Actually Translates to "Erotic Newt"
@Naten: Okay, let me try guessing at your name. I know you play IE games, so I assume you're familiar with Icewind Dale and Icewind Dale 2. And there is a boy in IWD named Nate, who appears as an adult named Nathaniel in IWD2. And as a druid, Nathaniel is naturally the thoughtful and philosophical type, and would also be interested in names and stuff, or whatever you crazy treehuggers do for fun. Druids also walk on trails, right? You mentioned trails in your last post. And since Nathaniel is impersonated by some evil person or something (I don't really remember the details too well), that would match your sinister-looking portrait perfectly. Plus, your reference to Tiax as "tiny ax" and the thing about tiny animals demonstrates a certain preoccupation with forest critters, also a druid-y thing.
But! Both Nathaniel and his imposter wore green. And that hood of yours is brown. So Nathaniel can't be right.
Therefore, I can only assume Naten is an acronym, for one of three things:
1: Non-Aggressive To Eccentric gNomes 2: iNcredibly Attentive To Epistemological Nihilism 3: Naten Actually Translates to "Erotic Newt"
@Semiticgod simply incredible detective work. Although my name has nothing to do with any of those things, (never played any of the IWD yet). I also think trees are terrible huggers. I am somewhat non-aggressive to eccentric gnomes, i might have kicked one this one time.. i was in a hurry. Actually I am pretty sure I am not an acronym but don't think i haven't tried to be.
My name is actually Albanian, "natën" means "night". I am not Albanian though (I don't think) but I find it suits me well. It has been my name since I was little because my brother could not pronounce my name properly. My real name is Nathan as could be guessed.
Alright I got one. Mazzy is Australian slang for "amazing" (could be wrong), it also means in Israeli "Precious" and "a Pearl". There was also a popular band in the 90's called "Mazzy Star".
I believe Viconia DeVir gets her name from House DeVir from RA Salvatore's The Dark Elf trilogy (The Legend of Drizzt series.) DeVir was the fourth house in Menzoberranzan that was eventually destroyed by House Do'Urden. I believe in the story, it was mentioned that there was a DeVir cleric that disappeared before the falling of the House.
I believe Viconia DeVir gets her name from House DeVir from RA Salvatore's The Dark Elf trilogy (The Legend of Drizzt series.) DeVir was the fourth house in Menzoberranzan that was eventually destroyed by House Do'Urden. I believe in the story, it was mentioned that there was a DeVir cleric that disappeared before the falling of the House.
Yup. It also means that Viconia is likely the eldest of all the NPC's, since House De'Vir was destroyed at the same time Drizzt was born. There was also a bit cut from the final game where Viconia would attempt to betray you in the Underdark, hoping to get back in with the drow, but not knowing that her house was gone so she would have quickly had a change of heart. Although that all probably belings in the 'Did you know' thread.
Yup. It also means that Viconia is likely the eldest of all the NPC's, since House De'Vir was destroyed at the same time Drizzt was born. There was also a bit cut from the final game where Viconia would attempt to betray you in the Underdark, hoping to get back in with the drow, but not knowing that her house was gone so she would have quickly had a change of heart. Although that all probably belongs in the 'Did you know' thread.
I never knew this and I am grateful you shared this information.
Alright today I have one that is a little more complex than some. As was mentioned in an earlier post Korgan is possibly a name that was inspired by a small city in Turkey called Korgan that was well known for it's iron ore. I now have a few other possibilities. Korgan could be connected to the name Cogan which is of Irish (of Welsh origin) meaning: habitational name from an area near Cardiff, which may have been named with a Welsh word meaning ‘bowl’, ‘depression’. Irish (Leitrim): variant of Coogan. While looking up the variant Coogan things got more interesting, this is what I found.
The surname Goggin has several origins. In some cases it is a variant of the surname Coogan, and derived from the Irish Mac Cogadháin, meaning "son of Cogadhán". The Irish Cogadhán is diminutive form of Cúchogaidh, derived from elements meaning "hound of war".[1]
In other cases, the surname Goggin is derived from the place name Cogan, which is in the diocese of Llandaff, in Glamorganshire, Wales.[2] The earliest reference is to Emma de Cogan (possibly mother of Milo, Richard and Geoffrey), c.1138.
The first of the family to arrive in Ireland was the famous Milo de Cogan who came to Ireland as Strongbow's right-hand man in the Anglo-Norman Invasion of 1169. The first arms for de Cogan were "Gules, 3 lozenges, argent" and their geometric design and colours indicate close relationships with the FitzGeralds and de Barrys. Near to Cogan village the de Sumeris (from Sommery near Dieppe) held land. Their proximity to the Norman court at Rouen and the de Cogans being part of the household of the Earl of Gloucester may hint to the same genesis.
Milo de Cogan being a famous figure in Irish history makes this a very real possibility for the inspiration of Korgan.. At least I think so. "Hound of war" is also fairly fitting.
No offence, but your theories are WAY way overstretched. It is said that the simplest solution is usually the most correct.
In this case, it seems to me like the developers came up with the after a visit to Turkey or from someone and liked the name as a small reference to the city and that's it.
Mazzy and Safana are examples of that. Simple and obscure words turned into names, as I have mentioned above.
Hell, Coran could be the word "coral" or Conan after it was changed a bit, for all we know.
No offence, but your theories are WAY way overstretched. It is said that the simplest solution is usually the most correct.
In this case, it seems to me like the developers came up with the after a visit to Turkey or from someone and liked the name as a small reference to the city and that's it.
Mazzy and Safana are examples of that. Simple and obscure words turned into names, as I have mentioned above.
Hell, Coran could be the word "coral" or Conan after it was changed a bit, for all we know.
@Archaos No offence taken. I know I am way off on some of these and maybe close on a few. Really I just like finding the coincidences that pop up sometimes. I have noticed a fondness for Irish names being distorted slightly several times tho for example. Maybe I am wrong but here is a recent one i found that might interest someone else. Solaufein is a play on the Irish name Sullivan which means "dark eyed one" or something like that and Viconia is likely also based on the Irish name Viona which is a variant spelling of Fiona which means "fair woman". The Irish theme seemed strong the more I looked. It has been very interesting. Likely alot (not all) of these weren't given too deep of a thought other than flipping threw a Irish name book or a greek one occasionally. Sometimes merging two words together (possibly Jaheira was Jehova mixed with Hera = super mother-nature god) or a pop culture or historical figure reference here and there (David Garrick, Mazzy Star). I have my own similar processes when i write and usually don't over complicate things. I am more than satisfied now with what i have found. The "right answer" is impossible to be sure of unless that person who made them responded to this (would be very cool).
In short it has been a fun journey. Thanks everyone for any contributions that were made to this I think I am done now tho.
In japanese, Yoshi means "good luck", and the japanese word mo can mean "for all". So Yoshimo possibly means "good luck for all", fitting name for a thief who's a master of traps.
This is wrong, mo does not mean "for all". And you can't really say what a Japanese name means if you don't know which kanji it's written with. Many Japanese names that are pronounced exactly the same could have very different meanings. But one example of Yoshimo could be 善最, where the first kanji means virtuous or good (as in opposite of evil), and the second one means utmost or extreme. So put together the name means "the most virtuous".
In japanese, Yoshi means "good luck", and the japanese word mo can mean "for all". So Yoshimo possibly means "good luck for all", fitting name for a thief who's a master of traps.
This is wrong, mo does not mean "for all". And you can't really say what a Japanese name means if you don't know which kanji it's written with. Many Japanese names that are pronounced exactly the same could have very different meanings. But one example of Yoshimo could be 善最, where the first kanji means virtuous or good (as in opposite of evil), and the second one means utmost or extreme. So put together the name means "the most virtuous".
@dib I was hoping someone would correct me about that, I really don't know anything about Japanese and just chose the ones from the (many) possible meanings of the words that seemed to fit. That meaning you gave makes Yoshimo's name seem very ironic, since he isn't very virtuous at all and even has a hidden agenda.
I'm amazed by the lack of tolkienism in this thread. He is, after all, the father and grandfather of all modern fantasy. Tolkien's world was largely based on Scandinavian and Celtic mythology, that's why many things in modern fantasy sound Irish.
It was Tolkien who created this fantastical land filled with humans, elves, dwarves, halflings and orcs. FR is a continuum of that tradition, and one that I very much like.
I'm amazed by the lack of tolkienism in this thread. He is, after all, the father and grandfather of all modern fantasy. Tolkien's world was largely based on Scandinavian and Celtic mythology, that's why many things in modern fantasy sound Irish.
It was Tolkien who created this fantastical land filled with humans, elves, dwarves, halflings and orcs. FR is a continuum of that tradition, and one that I very much like.
@Yannier he also was a devout Catholic and had Christian themes hidden throughout his books. That's not really important to names tho..
I'm amazed by the lack of tolkienism in this thread. He is, after all, the father and grandfather of all modern fantasy. Tolkien's world was largely based on Scandinavian and Celtic mythology, that's why many things in modern fantasy sound Irish.
It was Tolkien who created this fantastical land filled with humans, elves, dwarves, halflings and orcs. FR is a continuum of that tradition, and one that I very much like.
@Yannier he also was a devout Catholic and had Christian themes hidden throughout his books. That's not really important to names tho..
Yeah, you can easily make connections between Silmarillion and the Bible. Some events are alike, like the exile of the Noldor and the Exodus of the Israelites. Although Tolkien himself has expressed that the Third Age ends roughly around 4000 B.C.
Those proposed etymologies remind me of medieval writings where they try to explain stuff like the name of Britain being derived from Brutus of Troy, or bestiaries that attribute moral qualities to certain animals.
Back with the original thread topic, perhaps there might not have been so much thought put into the names but I'm sure it does happen, for example in BG Dark Alliance II the cleric of Helm PC is called Allessia, the usual spelling for the real world name is with a single L & is of Italian origin, the feminine version of Alexis, meaning Helper & Defender, both desirable traits in Helmites.
The password to get into the Thieve's Guild is Fafhrd. Ring any bells? Although Mouser would have been more appropriate, since, of the two of them, he was the one with thief skillset.
Looks like no one is familiar with these. Fafhrd and Grey Mouser were two heroes created by Fritz Lieber, appearing in stories written between 1939 and 1980 or so. Showing my age now ...
Comments
But! Both Nathaniel and his imposter wore green. And that hood of yours is brown. So Nathaniel can't be right.
Therefore, I can only assume Naten is an acronym, for one of three things:
1: Non-Aggressive To Eccentric gNomes
2: iNcredibly Attentive To Epistemological Nihilism
3: Naten Actually Translates to "Erotic Newt"
My name is actually Albanian, "natën" means "night". I am not Albanian though (I don't think) but I find it suits me well. It has been my name since I was little because my brother could not pronounce my name properly. My real name is Nathan as could be guessed.
Can I call you Newton?
Safana is an islamic name meaning pearl.
The surname Goggin has several origins. In some cases it is a variant of the surname Coogan, and derived from the Irish Mac Cogadháin, meaning "son of Cogadhán". The Irish Cogadhán is diminutive form of Cúchogaidh, derived from elements meaning "hound of war".[1]
In other cases, the surname Goggin is derived from the place name Cogan, which is in the diocese of Llandaff, in Glamorganshire, Wales.[2] The earliest reference is to Emma de Cogan (possibly mother of Milo, Richard and Geoffrey), c.1138.
The first of the family to arrive in Ireland was the famous Milo de Cogan who came to Ireland as Strongbow's right-hand man in the Anglo-Norman Invasion of 1169. The first arms for de Cogan were "Gules, 3 lozenges, argent" and their geometric design and colours indicate close relationships with the FitzGeralds and de Barrys. Near to Cogan village the de Sumeris (from Sommery near Dieppe) held land. Their proximity to the Norman court at Rouen and the de Cogans being part of the household of the Earl of Gloucester may hint to the same genesis.
Milo de Cogan being a famous figure in Irish history makes this a very real possibility for the inspiration of Korgan.. At least I think so. "Hound of war" is also fairly fitting.
No offence, but your theories are WAY way overstretched. It is said that the simplest solution is usually the most correct.
In this case, it seems to me like the developers came up with the after a visit to Turkey or from someone and liked the name as a small reference to the city and that's it.
Mazzy and Safana are examples of that. Simple and obscure words turned into names, as I have mentioned above.
Hell, Coran could be the word "coral" or Conan after it was changed a bit, for all we know.
In short it has been a fun journey. Thanks everyone for any contributions that were made to this I think I am done now tho.
It was Tolkien who created this fantastical land filled with humans, elves, dwarves, halflings and orcs. FR is a continuum of that tradition, and one that I very much like.
"I have a really cool sounding baddy name... but clearly his muggle mother didn't give it to him... what to do?!"
Perfect, ageless, peaceful and wise.
I'm sceptical.
I think I'll have some bran when I get breakfast tomorrow?