D&D General A Rose By Any Other Name: Names in Greyhawk and a Little Judgin'

[FitzTheRuke]

There's always Gygax being mean and petty: Nosnra, Chief of the Hill Giant Steading - described as "Fat, lazy, and backstabbing"... and clearly Arneson.

 

[Tonguez]

There's always Gygax being mean and petty: Nosnra, Chief of the Hill Giant Steading - described as "Fat, lazy, and backstabbing"... and clearly Arneson.

Oh dear!, I hadnt made that association and now I'm feeling guilty for so gleefully chopping off Nosnra's head

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I always did as well. 10-year old me did not even think of Jeff as a possibility.

I'm not sure, but I think that spelling for the contraction of Geoffrey might be more common in the UK*. It might explain why it jumped out at me at once as a silly name, even when I was 12.


*indeed, I think names with spellings that are not phonetic are generally more common. Monty Python did a sketch on it. My own name is pronounced Pawul Farter.

 

[Tonguez]

Greyhawk has nothing on Kingdoms of Kalamar. I remember looking through the book back in the early 3e days and thinking that it looked interesting and had a well-developed history. But I just couldn't get over the names. Everything seemed to be either difficult to pronounce or just felt clumsy to say out loud. Reanaaria? Pel Brolenon? Doulathanorian? The nation of Zazahnii on the continent of Svimohzia? No thanks.

Those names arent that different to real world names like Hravatska or Kryvyi Rih let alone all the weirdly spelt placenames in England - yeah I'm looking at you Leicestershire

 

[DEFCON 1]

I'm not sure, but I think that spelling for the contraction of Geoffrey might be more common in the UK*. It might explain why it jumped out at me at once as a silly name, even when I was 12.


*indeed, I think names with spellings that are not phonetic are generally more common. Monty Python did a sketch on it. My own name is pronounced Pawul Farter.

"No, no... it's spelt 'Kingdom of Furyondy', but it's pronounced 'Throat-wobbler Mangrove'."

 

[amethal]

Those names are that different to real world names like Hravatska or Kryvyi Rih let alone all the weirdly spelt placenames in England - yeah I'm looking at you Leicestershire

The Map Men have a good video on British place names (no need to single out just England here!)

Why are British place names so hard to pronounce?

 

[DEFCON 1]

The Map Men have a good video on British place names (no need to single out just England here!)

Why are British place names so hard to pronounce?

Their video about the creation of the standard tube/subway map style is also a great one!

 

[SkidAce]

I suppose the name "Kaminion of Aratur" (mix of Kami/spirits and dominion) for a large kingdom in my world gives away my Grayhawk ancestry.

That and my 1st BBEG was "Drolkrad the Darklord"

 

[SkidAce]

Oh, and take a look at the names for the slaad lords, i.e. Ssendam, etc.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

Oh, and take a look at the names for the slaad lords, i.e. Ssendam, etc.

As much as I love the slaad, I always have to do a double take because I immediately want to read them as salad.

DM: Lo, you have met your doom. For it is I, Caesar, the Slaad Lord!

Players: So you're ... Caesar Slaad?

DM: .... shut up.