"Yeah, Goliaths. We spent all night coming up with that one."

[Gez]

Well, you can borrow names from the giants imagined by this funny old fellow, Rabelais (European monks didn't do kungfu, but they wrote bawdy tales).
Gargantua has been accepted in the English language as a synonym of giant (hence, gargantuan for giant-sized).
Gargantua was the son of Grandgousier (the father) and Gargamelle (the mother). Gargantua himself would then be the father of Pantagruel, whose name has stayed as a synonym of gluttonery.

(For some reason, Peyo, the author of the Smurfs, took Gargamelle's name, masculinized in Gargamel, as the name for his sorcerous villain. Grandgousier is literally "Bigthroat" in old French, it would be Grandgosier now.)

Other characters in this story of ravenous, and totally larger than life giants include Ponocrates (Gargantua's instructor) and Picrochole (sovereign of a nearby country, who starts a war against Grandgousier and gets defeated).

 

[JoeGKushner]

I loved Races of Stone. I'm all about 'generic' crunch that I can adapt to my FR campaign with a wink and a nudge.

That said, the Goliath name is one taken to represent them to the outside world. I've read many novels where elves and dwarves had other names for themselves and were identified as elves and dwarves only by outsiders. I mean after all, dwarf itself is kind of an insulting title no? "Are you calling me a short human? By Kahzul Kul I'll smite thee!"

 

[Ranes]

this funny old fellow, Rabelais...

Other characters in this story...

Fascinating and enlightening. Thank you.

Merric, if you're still reading, I hope my tired attempts at humour last night caused no offence. I always appreciate hearing what you have to say.

Actually, one of Mystaros's suggestions, hruka, is growing on me. The pronunciation options (silent h: ROO-ka or implied vowel: hu-ROO-ka) are simple and interesting, not absurdly unspeakable at all. Nor does the sound have any unfortunate word associations, for me. That may be a measure of my ignorance.* By all means, let me know.

* GW once received a letter from a chap in Belgium explaining the unintentional connotations in Flemish of a certain WFRP title.

Edit: Or how about this for a measure of my ignorance?

The goliath language, Gol-Kaa, uses only thirteen basic sounds, which include neither hu nor roo. Back to the drawing board.

Edit v2: Something about woods and trees? Gol-Kaa works. The gol-kaa speak Gol-Kaa.

 

[Goobermunch]

Edit: Or how about this for a measure of my ignorance?

The goliath language, Gol-Kaa, uses only thirteen basic sounds, which include neither hu nor roo. Back to the drawing board.

Edit v2: Something about woods and trees? Gol-Kaa works. The gol-kaa speak Gol-Kaa.

Or you could simply go with the explanation that the sounds Hu and Roo are such holy sounds that they are never used except for in the name of "the Blessed People."

--G

 

[Christian]

(Was playing a RPGA module the other day, and the names of the characters were laughable. I know that because the players couldn't stop laughing. Nor could I. )

I have a vewy gweat fwiend in Wome named ... Hey! Grandma! You didn't need to whack me with that umbrella, I wasn't gonna say ... Ow! Stop it!

 

[Cam Banks]

While it's true that the word goliath has Old Testament roots it, like "behemoth", is now a standard noun and adjective. So, it's perfectly appropriate for it to be used as a racial name.

There were other giants in Hebrew folklore and Biblical reference with the name, as well. Later translations of Samuel attempted to state that the other Goliath mentioned in that book was brother to the first Goliath, but it's possible the word was descriptive to begin with (like calling somebody "Rusty" when they've got red hair).

Cheers,
Cam

 

[Scotley]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who didn't like the name. I love the race and would very much like a chance to play one. I haven't come up with an alternate name I like yet, but Hruka is growning on me.

Weighing in on the Balor debate--I always figured that Balor was as close to Balrog as they could get without raising the ire of the Tolkien estate.

Scotley

 

[Ranes]

While it's true that the word goliath has Old Testament roots it, like "behemoth", is now a standard noun and adjective. So, it's perfectly appropriate for it to be used as a racial name.

Name your source.

My Oxford English (Reference) Dictionary disagrees. Goliath, as a figure in the David and Goliath legend, Goliath beetle (of the genus Goliathus) and the Goliath frog native to Central Africa, it has. Goliath as a noun or adjective it has not.

As your view of the word's appropriateness was based on the incorrect assumption that it had entered the vocabulary as noun and adjective, you might want to re-evaluate.

You are half-right with regards to behemoth. It is a noun only.

 

[Ranes]

Hruka is growning on me.

You'd better get a professional to look at it. Sorry. So, are you going with Goobermunch's secret holy sound explanation or are you throwing out the linguistics?

Weighing in on the Balor debate--I always figured that Balor was as close to Balrog as they could get without raising the ire of the Tolkien estate.

You figured correctly.

 

[Non-human Resources]

You could always assume that they have a unpronounceable or nearly unpronounceable name, then have Goliath be what others call them.

Human: So, what do you call yourselves?
Goliath: We are the lskdlas.
Human: Umm, we'll call you Goliath, Ok?