Whats in a name

[Verdandi]

I started playing EQ fresh out of college, having just spent my entire senior year writing a thesis about the Viking mythological character Loki. I wanted to start a barbarian because I've always loved snow (and a shaman because they were the only barbarian that could make pretty sparkles), and having Vikings on the brain they seemed a natural source of names. I flipped through the index of my copy of The Poetic Edda looking for names I liked. The Vikings had a very different sense of what makes an attractive name, but finally I found Verdandi. She is the Norn (like the Greek Fates) of the Present, or Necessity, depending on source and translation.

Her surname was a joint effort between Verdandi and her husband Daktor (now deceased [retired]) in preparation for their wedding. So deep was their attachment to their homeland that they felt the snow in their very blood: Snowblood.

I lost several alt names in the server merge, resulting in far less appealing alternatives at present. I'll mention the original names. Two are just made up, Kalana and Nari, while the rest are also Viking: Sigyn (wife of Loki), Skadi (a goddess, part giantess - now renamed to Thiassi, Skadi's father), Laufey (mother of Loki), Gerd (a beautiful human woman), and Byleista (I forget, a giantess or dwarf I think).

So yea, most of them are...well, technically against the naming policy. But hardly anyone would recognize any of them, so they didn't detract from immersiveness and certainly didn't come to the attention of any GMs. And now most of them have had to change anyway, so it's a moot point. *sigh*

[Elyssanda]

My main's firstname Elyssanda, Just sounded pretty to me.. Never heard it anywhere. her Surname however, DesertSong, came because At the time, I lived in the desert and she's a bard.

Hubby's main Leearran SemperCorpus. Our sons are Lee and Garran, and he's a pally (retired Marine in RL) so he's always dead....

Lee's main- Vah Shir BL name is Catteni is named after a race of cat-people (no surname currently)

Garran took over a ogre shammy of mine.. her name is LaPetite Chou. which is kinda a French *nickname*

[Tillinghast]

Wait a minute! Your husband is a retired Marine and named his son Garran for the M-1? That's funny.

Okay, I know it is Garand for the M-1, but that is close.

Tillinghast
Vendor Mule

[Neebat]

My main (hardly played any more) high-elf paladin has a name I used when playing MUD's - Neebat. Originally, I think I came up with this the way Apple computers got thier name, in desparation, they grabbed something handy and said let's name it THIS!

I actually worked hard to come up with a surname for Neebat Neverfear. I wrote out and played with about 40 different names and variations, consulting with my wife to find something that would work for both a paladin and a ranger. It means to me that those around me should take comfort from my protection, but to those around me, it usually means I don't know enough to be cautious.

My wizard's tale is a bit more complex. I started a wizard because it was taking too darn long to get the guild together for raids. I wanted someone who could zip them rapidly to the location, so Zipper was born, as a Dark Elf Wizard. Looking around Neriak, I started thinking about surnames.

Seeing the pet undead, and the surnames with apostrophes, I stumbled across the surname "N'Spectre". But an inspector of zippers would have to be a gnome, so I recreated him. Zipper has been a gnome ever since.

I went ahead with the dark elf spelling as well as I could, "Zipper Nspectre" until the server GM (back when there were such things) removed it. I replaced it with my guild's name "Zipper Wyrmbane" for years until the server GM was gone. Then I petitioned for a change, about the same time I finished 6 AA. Today I'm proud of my role, and ideally sized: "Master Zipper Inspector"

Since remarrying, I've played my ranger mostly. I imagine him to be a grandchild of Sam Gamgee, whose parents were raised in the Shire on tales of the great deeds of the fellowship. His name is Togolas, pronounced just like "Legolas" but lower. He's set out to prove that you don't have to be an elf to know the woods.

My wife's characters have names mostly derived from her published fiction, so Togolas and Tysche Ravenwing share a surname derived from a moon-elven wizard. (Tysche is apparently the elvish word for Luck in her world.)

[Elyssanda]

Wait a minute! Your husband is a retired Marine and named his son Garran for the M-1? That's funny.
Okay, I know it is Garand for the M-1, but that is close.
Tillinghast
Vendor Mule

OK.. well, it would be funny if that's where he got his name...Buuuuut...
David Eddings wrote a series of books named the BelGariad that my husband and I were reading while we were dating and the Hero of the books is named Garion. Hubby pronounced it G-air-ran, but I told him if we wanted our son to be named that we'd have to changet eh spelling, because teachers would end up pronouncing Garion as G-air-E-on.

[Ixiola]

My first main was Ixiola Mandragoran. Ixiola was a character I played from a very modified D&D campagne in high school over 20 years ago. The character name actually was a modified version of something which popped out of a random word generator I wrote on the PC. Mandragoran is a nod to the Warder's Warder from the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan, A'Lan Mandragoran. And since she is a ranger, it fit for the last name.

My current main's first name popped out of the EQ Random Name generator, after about 20 or 30 interations until I found something I liked. The last name though, was a must-do given I'm a gnome. Until I had a real sig made for me, my tag line used to be, "Ykina Zunderfoot, so please don't step on her."

[Kitathia]

AWESOME thread - it's like storytime

Ok, My hubby started playing in 98 and in 99/00 just to see what THIS EQ thing was I started a char too.

The first one I made was Darnelle (Human Rouge) was supposed to be Danielle but I was Queen of Typo that day (even back then) so it ended up bering Darnelle. I hated that the vendor wouldn't buy/sell to me so I deleted her after 6 levels.

The second one I made was Ittybit Bigfeets ( Female Halfling Paladin) Deleted.


I too wanted more "sparkle" so I made Smilla (Female Barbie Shammy) The name comes from the book:
Smilla's sense of Snow - by Danish Author Peter Hoeg

(I'm Danish - loved the book and name..) Smilla is now played by my hubby mostly since I got my own account and started over with Baby Barbie Shammy, Lunea ( Wanted Luna ( moon) as her name but it got refused.) Got a tad frustrated starting over on the same class so she got put aside.

Chauntia Arcaneus, Woodelf Druid married to my hubby's evil Dark Elf wizard hence the last name. Chauntia was the closest I could get to the Druid Goddess from R.A Salvatorie's books.

Kitathia (no lastname.. yet) Was supposed to be Kitkat ( like the chocolate snack ..) but Kitathia is what I ended up with.

Eressea- Highelf cleric (E rez ya) yeah, I made that pun too.. And Eressea just looked pretty.

Tivoli - Dark-elf enchanter Tivoli is Denmarks oldest amusementpark in the heart of Copenhagen.

That should do it for now. I like the fact that people TAKE time to find/ make a special name for their char. like you do for a child/pet instead of all the jokes you see running around.. though they are good for a chuckle.



Kitathia 56 Animist of Quellious Nife
*proud owner of the 4th Shawl
Chauntia 52 Wanderer of Quellious Nife

[Reijinn]

Reijinn Thunderbearer: First name, sounded like it fit a halfling, and surname was thought up because i followed Karana.

[Reijinn]

Oh, also put that name together based on Ryujinn, a name i usually use for final fantasy 7 (Of course, refused)

[Grenoble]

Grenoble (shaman), Lhiandelle (mule), Azbaelus (SK): All are from a book I wrote, and trying to get published. Actually, Azbaelus was a D&D character that led to the idea for the book. Yes, Grenoble is a city in France, and I pulled the name for a dragon in the book by flipping through Les Mis. I've had people send tells to that character in French, assuming I'm from Grenoble.

Laedria (main now, wizzie) and Panfilla (druid)...I just made up.

[scarbrowed]

I have been using the handle Scarbrow since the early 80's on BBS's. I was a joke on Scarface, because I actually have a scar in my eyebrow from a child. (It started on my forehead from a car accident, but as I grew it moved to my eyebrow.)

I did not understand why the game did not let me use the name, so I changed it to Scarbrowed. It was over a year before I found Scarbrow was a mob in EW. My last name of Wildoak just seemed natural for a druid.

[Nefertiti Nazguul]

Neferteti Nazguul-(55 necro <ATM>) This actually the second necro I have made with this name. The First being a dark elf. Did not like that char so well. Then made this one and she stuck. First name came from Egyptian history stuff and last name came from JRR Tolkeins books. I thought it appropriate.(erudite)

Subu-(52 warrior) came from my desire to have a halfling named after Bupu from Dragonlance novels. Ended with a Ogre named Subu. Those that have grouped with Subu have nicknamed her 'Momma Subu'. Must be the mom in me.

Jadzia Dax-(52 Bard) well it stuck. (human)

Nastie Lover-(32 pally) cause I am. And it stuck (high elf)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
the other side:

Mashee-(53 Ranger) named for a friend from Australia that we used to play Ultima Online with. (wood elf)

Ardog Royalblood- (35 Cleric) wanted to have a one eyed dwarf named Arggh. It did not want to take. As I was deleting the name the family dog came into the computer room. I said "what does our dog want?" And low and behold Ardog was born. The deposed King of Kaladim.( dwarf)

Mortagh Nazguul- (40 chanter) General Mor'tagh-Klingon High Counsel and the last name Nef needed her a mate. She is a nastie lover after all.(dark elf)

Shaylafi- (20 SK) newest addition. Taken from the Dragonlance novels. Dalamar used to call Raistlin- shalafi meaning master. (human)

And thats the family as you can see by levels there is one dominate person who plays EQ more. They are all in Knights of Passion that Nef is the Leader of.

[Lanthorny]

names

all my main characters have names from random name generator or are derivations of it ...

but when i found some originality I made some very low level twinks and mules ...

Vodevil - necromancer - named after the Marilyn Manson Track - and also as being an evil DE necro Vodevil Wevil sounded kinda cute.

Slimtrady - Ogre - bazaar mule - umm think you can guess where this came from!

and my latest mule which I was amazed got past the name approval ...
based on many many frustrating hours in a certain GoD zone ...
introducing a new Dark Elf SK...

Fuqua

[kadasi]

Kadasi started out as Kamasi, I didn't like the sound so replaced the m with an s. My alt is a DE necromancer whose name is Emmanon. That name derives from when I played D&D, couldn't think up a name for my thief so spelled NO NAME backwards. Current Emmanon has to have two m's because I started a different toon with the name and the name filter wouldn't let me keep it its original way after I deleted him. By the way, Reijinn, nice avatar but the pants are all wrong lol.

[Froni Thunderpaws]

Froni and Frani Thunderpaws are both from one of our cats Frannie - she is the feisty one and it seemed to be a good match. Thunderpaws is what we call it when the cats run around like crazy and make a thundering noise. I wanted to use the name for the druid because of wolf form - it was the spell I wanted to get to most when I first started.

Ianai is for my favorite kitty - Ian. He is much quieter.

Qordel Vandre is my bard and well Qordel comes from chordal and Vandre is Rom for a wanderer.

Draba is Rom for amulet and magic.

Kekau is the Indonesian word for the feeling from waking up from a nightmare and the name of my dark elf mage mule.

Gnuminus is a gnome cleric based on the word numinous.

And Martinian is both cats, Martin and Ian, and is currently the kitty rogue I made last year just to make Pan Seared Orange Tuna.

I have all sorts of other chars - Ambiel was a bard (ambient + ariel), Purrian (original kitty rogue named for Ian), Lathe (gnome necro), lots of chars either based on puns or mythology.