Why do fantasy- and sci-fi stories "require" fantasy and sci-fi names? - Writers Forum

WriterDude · 07-19-2008, 10:25 AM

I'm a big fan of fantasy and sci-fi, but one thing I've never understood is why stories like these seem to "require" fantasy- or sci-fi style names. You never heard the name John Smith in a fantasy novel. It's always Johnnyafe Smihtnie or something crap like that. Patrick? That would be Paterik or something similar.

This isn't usually a big problem, although "The Prince of Nothing" books really turned me off by using long, complicated fantasy-style names for pretty much everything and everyone. It got too confusing to keep track of everything, so I just gave up.

Again this isn't usually a big problem, but I'm just curious why you never see "english" names in fantasy or sci-fi.

SparkyLT · 07-19-2008, 10:33 AM

You do sometimes, but I'll admit it's usually going to be the side characters who have normal names.

Me, I have a thing for names, and I always like coming up with my own. I can justify this, though. Scifi, while not always, generally takes place in the future, where there would be different, strange names. Fantasy might take place in another realm or something (faeryland or whatever), so with a different culture there's bound to be different names. That's my excuse anyway. But even I'll admit it can be annoying when someone comes of with some lengthy way of spelling "Joe Mud"...

WriterDude · 07-19-2008, 11:36 AM

I know sci-fi often takes place in the future, and yes, even Earth are sometimes involved. But even so, at what point do we agree "The future is now!" and start naming our kids Kerianseray or Gilthanas?

SparkyLT · 07-19-2008, 11:41 AM

hah, valid point. I can see commercials doing that sort of thing. But, seriously, I think it's a gradual process. I mean if you went back in time they'd be flipping out at some names that are common today. mind you I can't think of any right now, but...

WriterDude · 07-19-2008, 02:40 PM

Actually, over here in Norway, we have a lot of names that weren't common a hundred years ago, but old names are getting more popular again. I think it pretty much goes in a natural cycle to avoid a lot of people getting the same name. The really old names we don't use anymore have a more modern version that's very similar to the original ones, so we're still a long way from sci-fi and fantasy names.

SparkyLT · 07-19-2008, 04:04 PM

eh, we're still a long way from the year 2351 or whatever too. I see your point...scifi\fantasy writers (I among them) can get pretty out there with names. But hey...there's gonna be crazy people out there who name their kids after characters in books, so...maybe people like me are speeding up the Name Revolution...

Ilasir Maroa · 07-19-2008, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WriterDude

I'm a big fan of fantasy and sci-fi, but one thing I've never understood is why stories like these seem to "require" fantasy- or sci-fi style names. You never heard the name John Smith in a fantasy novel. It's always Johnnyafe Smihtnie or something crap like that. Patrick? That would be Paterik or something similar.

This isn't usually a big problem, although "The Prince of Nothing" books really turned me off by using long, complicated fantasy-style names for pretty much everything and everyone. It got too confusing to keep track of everything, so I just gave up.

Again this isn't usually a big problem, but I'm just curious why you never see "english" names in fantasy or sci-fi.

English names? Why, are all the fantasies you read set in England?

lin · 07-19-2008, 06:01 PM

You're kidding about this thread title, right?

You think people are going to be impressed by an evil, powerful wizard named Vernor? Or a hellborn vixed warrior maiden named Sadie?

Or a quest hero's sidekick named Sam? Oh, wait a sec...

WriterDude · 07-20-2008, 08:16 AM

No, I am not kidding with the title, lin. I just don't see why we can't use normal names in sci-fi and fantasy. An evil, powerful wizard named Vernon would be stupid, but I haven't heard anyone complain about a good, powerful wizard apprentice called Harry.

And if a hellborn, vixed warrior maiden named Saide is stupid, how come no one complains about a hellborn-ish, vixed, warrior maiden named Sonya?

When I say "english", I mean "normal" names like John, Jack and so on. Dune have several normal names like Paul and Jessica, but even it uses names like Duncan, Alya, Leto and and so on.

Long way from the year 2351? Not really, it's only 343 years to go, and we still use names that were common over a thousand years ago. I even have a nephew called Odin, for that matter.

lin · 07-20-2008, 12:41 PM

Quote:

good, powerful wizard apprentice called Harry

Sounds like you answer your own question. You've been studying Ox, haven't you?

lin · 07-20-2008, 12:43 PM

Odin? Pshaw

I knew a guy in Seattle named Eyho who had kids named Heidi and Thor. Try saying those name and wonder who was fantacizing.

I knew a couple in Big Sur (rumored to have been associated with the Manson family before splitting) whose kid was named Dwarf.

Come to think of my seventh grade class had a kid named Ray Gunn. That's pretty sci-fi, huh?
(We also had a kid named Allen Raper. Not so bad... but swear to god his brother was named Randy)

WriterDude · 07-20-2008, 01:15 PM

Heida and Thor (with or without the H) are pretty common names here in Norway, and that just raises the question again. When do agree the future is now and start naming our children sci-fi or fantasy names? Come to think of it, even Adam and Eve are common names...

lin · 07-20-2008, 01:24 PM

The idea wasn't how common they were. It's what it would be like runnning around being Heidi Eyho or Thor Eyho.

dwellerofthedeep · 07-20-2008, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WriterDude

When I say "english", I mean "normal" names like John, Jack and so on. Dune have several normal names like Paul and Jessica, but even it uses names like Duncan, Alya, Leto and and so on.

Emphasis mine.

I don't know about Alya but Duncan and Leto are names you can find on earth. My brother's middle name is Duncan as was the previous king in Shakespeare's Macbeth. I don't like fantasy names a whole lot most of the time. The Wheel of Time, for example, has a lot of names that are sometimes difficult to get straight. I write fantasy and sci-fi with ordinary names. Aliens might demand different names, however.

Ilasir Maroa · 07-20-2008, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WriterDude

No, I am not kidding with the title, lin. I just don't see why we can't use normal names in sci-fi and fantasy. An evil, powerful wizard named Vernon would be stupid, but I haven't heard anyone complain about a good, powerful wizard apprentice called Harry.

And if a hellborn, vixed warrior maiden named Saide is stupid, how come no one complains about a hellborn-ish, vixed, warrior maiden named Sonya?

When I say "english", I mean "normal" names like John, Jack and so on. Dune have several normal names like Paul and Jessica, but even it uses names like Duncan, Alya, Leto and and so on.

Long way from the year 2351? Not really, it's only 343 years to go, and we still use names that were common over a thousand years ago. I even have a nephew called Odin, for that matter.

I don't see the issue in Sci-fi, if Harry and John are descended from earthlings.

If your wizard is from Earth, then "Harry" could be a great name. If your wizard is from "Fionavar", then perhaps "Loren" is more fitting. If your knight is from "Denirazh", then "Liosse de Velishaf" would seem reasonable. Culture, I believe, is the ticket here. A fantasy world is unlikely to develop the same languages as exist on earth, which means the names would be different as well as the words. There's nothing wrong in "translating" a story into English, but proper names don't usually move well between unrelated languages. So they tend to be different. You wouldn't write an MC from the USSR named John Michaels, would you?