Tired of "Mana"

[Henrix]

Lleri - Swedish

I'd like to know where you got that from! It does not even sound like a swedish word.

 

[Li Shenron]

It's hard to find a word for something which doesn't exist IRL I picture "mana" as some sort of mental "stamina", but I can't go further than that.

 

[Kaos]

It's hard to find a word for something which doesn't exist IRL

OTOH, there have been many people (in both the past and the present!) who would have sworn on their mother's bones that magic did, in fact, exist in some form or another.


Course, most of them attributed it to working with spirits or devils.

 

[Ahrimon]

If you look up "mana" on dictionary.com the number one definition is:
A supernatural force believed to dwell in a person or sacred object.

Mana sounds like the appropriate term to me.

 

[Wormwood]

I propose Nerdowatts.

 

[Staffan]

Lleri - Swedish

I have to agree with Henrix - I live in Sweden, was born here, and have never heard that word before. It's somewhat similar to the word "lera", but that means "mud" or "clay".

I don't think there's a Swedish word for "magic energy." The closest would be "magi", which just means "magic".

 

[SpiralBound]

Leaving aside the "issues" of is the word mana overused, misused, or displaying laziness when used, there is one point made by the poster that I do agree with. There is a certain lack of variety in only using "mana". I for one would welcome having more words that mean "magical energy", SPECIFICALLY for the sake of having other words to use. A word is not simply it's dictionary definition. Words have a flavour to them, a nuance, associated connotations which when deliberately used can add to the experience of using them.

I'd love to be able to make a distinction between to different magic systems, or two different settings, or even a specific style or mood of campaign by having different words for many things - including the concept of magical energy. Variety means choice, and I can't see that being a bad thing. It's not like having new words for something means that the old words are suddenly outlawed!

Sure, the word may be unfamiler when you first encounter it... but ALL new words are unfamilar when you first encounter them! Besides, once "espirita", "verve" or some such term were described as being magical energies, you'd quickly go, "oh, Baraka means Mana!" At which point you could either learn to use the new term within the context for which it was being applied, or carry on with Mana, translating it every time you saw the new word. Either way, I don't see the need to say "one meaning = one word". That certainly doesn't happen for anything else, so why should it be the case with the concept of magical energy?

 

[Desdichado]

I don't like mana for the same reasons the Mad Kaiser doesn't. I propose The Force.

 

[Henry]

I have to agree with Henrix - I live in Sweden, was born here, and have never heard that word before. It's somewhat similar to the word "lera", but that means "mud" or "clay".

Could it be Finnish, instead?

 

[Felon]

Uchawi - Swahili
Varáz - Hungarian
Lleri - Swedish

LOL...this is pretty much the statement that sums you up. It's one thing that you don't grasp that if a lot of people use a word to mean something long enough (say, thirty years or so), it eventually acquires that meaning. But to top it off, you're suggesting replacements which undoubtedly will be rejected summarily by the masses due to unintuitive spelling and pronunciation.