names & thanes

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From: David Dunham (ddunham@radiomail.net)
Date: Fri 15 Apr 1994 - 08:25:11 EEST


Guy Robinson said
>Unless the inventor of the name is proficient with linguistic
>principles there is no way by which I can recognise whether a
>specific name is from the West of Genertalia or from Dragon
>Pass in Central Genertalia.

Genertela. "-ela" is a Gloranthan suffix for "land of." This unfortunately is one of the few linguistic rules you can derive -- Greg is NOT a linguist. I think that's your real complaint, not that they're fantasy names, but that they all sound good to Greg but don't have any linguistic consistency. He's gotten a little better in King of Sartar, at least.

Another linguistic problem: the word "thane." In Pagan Shore, thane is essentially a clan chieftain. In the Orlanth writeup in Heroes I.4, anyone in the Orlanth Rex subcult (which includes tribal council members on council business) is called thane. But in King of Sartar, the rank is broadly defined to any sort of leadership role: heads of household, godi, leading merchants, and members of the clan council [243] (does this mean the Trickster member is automatically a thane?). And it's listed as an occupation [246].

And of course there's Elmal the Loyal Thane, obviously this third meaning. So Greg not only Gregged Yelmalio, he Gregged Orlanth Rex.

Has anyone dealt with this in their Orlanthi campaigns?

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