There's a Name...and then there's a name..

Since we spoke of names and how we got them in the last post, I thought I would list names from my story and speak of them briefly. (only because after talking about how names came about, and reading responses the character names popped into my head. So it's either write this or think about it for days!)

The list below are the Characters that I named for the story I wrote. A well known secret that I learned while I lived in California was that many of the Character names and names of planets in Star Trek were taken from Street names that were in San Fernando Valley (where I lived) and surrounding areas such as Hollywood itself. I can't begin to tell you how many times, as I drove around and had to find street names, that I would begin to laugh when I recognized it as a name of a character or planet in Star Trek!

This fact alone had me researching on the Internet for street names in different states and areas for possible character names I might need when i first began to write my story. So many of my names are simply street names! At times I would take that name or even a "normal name" and just change the spelling. Re: the name Emylee is indeed Emily... I simply put a twist on the spelling. Pretty much many names that had i's in them I made a y instead.

Other things I did to come up with names was to use just part of a name. Re: Kien. Kien is a giant in my story... his name comes from the last part of J R R Tol-kien's name..heh. But I pronounce it like the word "kind", without the d of course.

For the name B'Lena I took a lesson from Anne McCaffrey in how she shortened names of the dragon riders. And the name Rhys came directly from John Rhys Davies who I totally enjoy in his movies.

And my main title "Kesterwood Forest", well Kester was a street name close to where i lived in Encino California. I had quite a number of street names and variations listed and would go down the list each time a new character was about to enter the story to see if I had a name ready and waiting. If nothing seemed to fit for me, .. it would be back to the browser again!

Finding, changing and making up the names of Characters took some time but in the end it was a lot of fun matching names to the characters.

I find it interesting too how each individual pronounces the names of any characters in Fantasy books. It makes no difference how they are pronounced to that person until you meet someone who read the same book and you begin talking about it and find they pronounced it differently. Then you begin to wonder which way is right! But of course, both are, because that's how each of your deciphered it.

As I look down the list of names I notice how in Fantasy, very few names are simple, like John or Carol.. I wonder how making up such fantastical names all began?? If anyone has a thought on that I think it would make a good post! (and leave a link on whatever my lasted entry is so we can all go read it!)

Lastly I will leave this link of Art attempts I have made of only a few of the Characters listed below, in case you want to see if the name fits the looks of the character.

CAST OF CHARACTERS (and others met along the way)

(In Alphabetical Order)

Abbercorn……………… .Staff owner
Adara…………………... .Daughter of Elesmyr & Madira
Aldebar………………….Tree People
Alwen……………………Adopted father of Aldebar
B’Lena…………………..Swamp Lady
Ballew…………………..Cook at Redfurr Inn
Begira………………….. Worker at Deer Dance Inn
Berwyn………………….Owner of Deer Dance Inn
Bisbee……………………Female Dwarf, would be cook
Blyn……………………..Giant leader, father of Koree
Bugtussel………………..Owner of Bugtussels Inn
Cylin…………………….Mother of Berwyn
Dadwer………………… Cook at Redfurr Inn
Daere……………………Giant
Daragon……………….. Dragon
Dobbins……………….. Inkeeper Hobbs Hold Inn
Don-key-o-tee…………..Donkey
Draymen……………….. Giant, friend to Bisbee
Elesmyr…………………Staff owner
Emylee………………… Daughter of Adara
Fawke…………………. Dragon
Firestorm………………. Ancient Dragon
Forester…………………Old man in Kesterwood
Founa………………….. Wife of Leidesdorn
Galbraith………………. Wife of Abbercorn
Glyder………………….. Eagle
Grenloch……………….. Owner of Crosswicks Inn
Greyloch………………..Staff owner
Greymaulkyn………….. Son of Greyloch & Kaelyn
Hetford………………… Wolf man, leader of the wolf pack
Higbee…………………. Bisbee’s Uncle
Kaelyn…………………. Wife of Greyloch
Kayne………………….. Giant
Kenbyra…………………Staff owner
Keeva…………………...Giant
Kien……………………. Giant, friend to Abbercorn
Koree……………………Giant, wife of Kien
Laika…………………… Male dwarf, friend to Abbercorn
Lander…………………..Dragon
Laurasya……………….. Wife of Kenbyra
Leidesdorn………………Half brother of Abbercorn’s
Lilith…………………….Foundling of Kesterwood Forest
Kinseeker………………..Dragon
Lucas-Rhys…………….. Laika and Bisbee’s son
Lupi……………………..Wolf
Madira…………………. Wife of Elesmyr
Nabreena………………..Tree People
Nanny Kathryn………… Servant in Elesmyr’s castle
Narian………………….. Tree People
Odile……………………Cave Dwarf, friend of Abbercorn
Ohm…………………… Landling
Olwen…………………. Cave dwarf Leader
Pantyra………………….Owner of Eatery
Parka…………………… Dolphin type animal
Ravendor………………. Apprentice to Greyloch
Rayne………………….. Owner/ Eagle Landing Inn
Rhys…………………… Abbercorn’s Owl
Roseberry……………… Worker at Bugtussels
Shakira………………… Adopted mother of Aldebar
Skyy…………………… Dragon
Stray…………………… Lupi’s cub
Travis………………….. Foundling of Kesterwood
Weslwy………………… Servant in Elesmyr’s castle
Wulf…………………… Wolf

Places They Journeyed..

Aldenwood
Bolder Mountain
Brookshire
Cenji
Cinderville
Colderwood
Crosswicks Inn
Dark Woods
Deer Dance Inn
Dragons Keep Mt.
Eagle Landing Inn
Elberon River
Higbee Hollow
Hobbs Hold Inn
Jesypp Village
Kalispell River
Kesterwood Forest
Lotha Forest
Maligwyn Falls
Mt. M’Vena
Redwood Forest
RedFurr Inn
Solace Swamp
Southumberland
Stonevale
Timberwick
Valley of Lost Souls