the game of names

[marycatelli]

The naming game in fairy tale retellings is particularly fraught.

Many of the fairy tales have no named characters.  Others have one.  Name, not necessarily character, there are many that give two characters the same name, though I think "The Tale of Three Ivans" is the only one I've encountered with three getting the same name (and no one else in the story, of course).

It makes life interesting when there is a cast of thousands.  Well, dozens.  And I'm not good at coming up with such names as Silverhair or Wolfskin. 

At least I can raid all the fairy tales of Europe.  I will blame the intermarriage of royals for the way names drift, if it comes up.  Though there's only so many variations you can give on John. 

Comments

[jbellinger]

Yes, that's a problem--and I'm never quite sure how to treat spear-carriers.

I've tried picking a characteristic quality of the person or creature-type, using google-translate to put it in Hungarian or Hindi (not too close; not too distant), and then blurring it to make it sound (I hope) vaguely familiar.

[marycatelli]

It can be fun to make them harmonize with the others.