Latin aficionados, I have a question.

[WhimsyTheFae]

I do not know Latin, but I tried to piece together a name for a "book of the dead" in my world and I came up with this:

Ex Libris Des Mortuis

Does that come close to what I am shooting for?

 

[Einan]

Hmm. Well, Ex actually means "From". I'll have to check my handy dandy Wheelock's Guide when I get home to see if you're on the mark.

Einan

 

[WhimsyTheFae]

I am pretty sure that I am off the mark, but am hoping that I am close. I don't need the "ex", but the rest sounds cool when I say it. If I am off, how would I correct it. I want it to mean, the book of the dead (of course). I don't like Necronomicon or Libris Mortis, so I am hoping that I can put together a more accurate AND better sounding title (not that Necronomicon doesn't sound cool, but it's so done).

Thank you for your assistance.

 

[Woas]

I believe it would be Liber Morti. Or Liber Mortorum. Depends on what you mean by "the dead" as in a singular or collective thought. You don't need the Des in there because if you are using the genative case for Morti or Mortorum, which implies that the dead are "of" the book.

Liber = The Book
Morti = Of the dead (singular)
Mortorum = Of the dead (plural)

 

[Whisper72]

Well, the 'des' is French, not latin. Latin uses conjugation of the words to indicate the possessive (i.e. 'of the'), so book of the dead would be:

Liber (Book) Mortum (of the dead)

(That is to say, IIRC)

 

[Anti-Sean]

Given my weak Latin-Fu, that appears to be in the general ballpark of a literal translation. Do you want it to sound a bit more flowery? Libris Somno Aeterno is a rough translation of "Book of the Eternal Sleep" - feel free to play around with word endings if flavor is more important to you than accuracy, as much as it might pain any Latin scholars or pedants. Then again, it depends exactly on what you want your Book of The Dead to be/do. Is it a dark tome of ancient, distasteful necromantic secrets? Is it a holy book describing sanctified burial rites and the afterlife? How does the book of the dead interface with your campaign world in general, and your world's ideas about death?

Either way, Perseus is a handy (and fun) tool to play around with for translating fun.

 

[Herremann the Wise]

Unfortunately my Latin-Fu is non-existent. All I know is that Biggus Geekus is latin for sexy!

However, "Libris Somno Aeterno" sounds good, although I'm not sure that eternal sleep/rest is the best way to describe undead. As a latin name for "book of the dead" though, it is definitely both thumbs up.

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise

 

[interwyrm]

Mortis is of Death
Feralis is of the Dead (as in the festival of the dead)
Inferorum is of the Damned (roughly. Inferi is the dead from the lower realms.)
Manium is of the Spirits of the Dead. (incorporeal undead?)
Silentum is of the Dead (probably not appropriate for undead as Silentis implies stillness and rest.)

Codex is a book of wooden tablets covered with wax.
Libellus is a little book
Liber is a book or volume
Volumen is a book (usually scroll-like)


Put the two together and see what you can come up with... there are an astounding 20 combinations!

 

[interwyrm]

Honestly though, you may wish to consider looking it up in a few less known languages as well. (If you can pronounce them) things in... I dunno Romanian, or Mugyar might sound more creepy and forbidden.

 

[IcyCool]

A couple of quick queries to some less than reliable translation sites gives the following for "Book of the Walking Dead":

Romanian:
Carte de la Plimbare Mort

Latin:
Liber Pedes Mortuus