Fantasy names for Real World nations

[Quasqueton]

I need fantasy (or fantasy-sounding) names for various nations/regions that correspond or compare to Real World "nations"/people. Preferrably, each name needs to be pretty quickly recognized as their Real World counterpart.

Britain/British
France/French
Spain/Spanish
Germany/Germans
Italy/Italians
Norway/Norse (really looking for "Viking" or "Northland/Northman")
Russia/Russians
Africa/Africans
Japan/Japanese
China/Chinese
India/Indians
Arabia/Arabians

I want these nations and ethnic groups to exist in my campaign world, but I don't want to have to constantly remind the Players what the different nationalities/ethnicities look like (or compare to).

I'm thinking it may be best to use similar end sounds or syllables, like maybe "Tikainese" = Japanese. I could probably use the local name for the country (Japan = Nippon?) in some cases, but others are probably too close to the English name (France = France?).

What do you suggest?

Quasqueton

 

[The Amazing Dingo]

Another way to go might be to use the real-world old names for such places.

For instance, France was known as Gaul back in the Roman Era. England was also known as Alba (if I remember correctly...that might be Ireland that was known as Alba).

As for Japan, perhaps use Edo? Its the former name of Tokyo.

 

[Umbra]

Or use another real world language version of the real world name eg in Spanish - Spain / Espana, France / Francia, Italy / Italia or in German - Spanien, Frankreich, Italien. Just use an online english-foreign language dictionary.

 

[Turin Turambar]

Although Britannia is taken, you can use that for Britain, or Albion (alba)

As stated above, Gaul for France..

Spain you can use a couple of the old names used in olde times... Castille or Aragon (no, not Aragorn!)

What is know as Germany today, was once many kingdoms, some of the bigger, more famous ones were: Saxony, Brandenburg and Bavaria

Italy was of course the center of the Roman Empire, but there are regions there you could use: Tuscany, Lombardy or Sicily.

The northern region of Norway, Sweden and Finland is known as Lappland.

Russia, well you have Muscovy or Novgorod.

Africa is quite a large continent, and a few of the countries there still have present day nations, such as Ethiopia, Egypt, etc. But a few you can use could be: Numidia or Sheba, or Nubia.

Japan had an ancient name that was used quite recently: Nippon

Cathay is what China used to be known as many moons ago.

For India, you could use Kashmir, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Gondwana or Bengal.

And finally for Arabia, you can use Araby (warhammer?).

 

[BOZ]

some old names no longer used...
Persia, Babylon, Mesopotamia, Bohemia, Siam, Prussia, Sumeria, Assyria, Carthage

 

[Quasqueton]

Thanks a lot for all these names.

But most of these names are recognizable as Real World names, and that kind of tears the fantasy-world veil. Kashmir and Persia are too well known to pass as fantasy names.

And some are so different from their current names that anyone who doesn't know the history wouldn't immediately recognize the people referred to. I mean, I wouldn't think "French" when I hear the name "Gaul". And "Saxony" makes me think of England.

But some of the names you've given at least give me ideas. Araby and Muscovy hint at the nation and people without being obvious.

Quasqueton

 

[DonaldRumsfeldsTofu]

Well, if you want to make unrecognizable veils, use gibberish names. I'm bad at those, though

 

[Blue_Kryptonite]

My campaign site has alist of the ones I used.

 

[Umbra]

Drop/change a letter/sound or two - Italia becomes Talia or Ital, Persia becomes Persh or Ersia, etc

 

[Zappo]

Warhammer has lots of countries that are less or more corresponding to real world ones. I'm not an expert, but I recall that France becomes Bretonnia, Germany becomes The Empire, Italy becomes Tilea, the Far East becomes Katai... then there's Araby... uhm, can't remember anything else.