Hyperborean Names

[Scott Alexander]

The Radarasilikan is still plodding along, but I thought I would clarify the naming system just because everyone seemed to get a kick out of it with the Microns and just in case anyone wants to include any Hyperboreans in anything they're working on.Most Hyperboreans have two names. The first is given them by their parents when they are first born. The second is given to them by themselves whenever they feel like it. It may change over a lifetime if their values or their perceptions of themselves change. The first name is the sathethatoshokan, and the second is the sathethadhakaran. Both names are in most cases actual Hyperborean words rather than just combinations of syllables. Because Hyperborean words are not part-of-speech specific, the first name can either stand alone as a noun or be an adjective describing the last name.The name of the last Elder was Kalir Sethan. Kalir, as a noun, means polar bear. As an adjective, it means polar-bear-like, or simply, noble. Sethan means "mirror". The name Kalir Sethan therefore means "noble mirror". Kalir's parents (who would NOT have been Mr. and Mrs. Sethan) would have given him the name Kalir, meaning polar bear. During his childhood, if there were other Kalirs around, he would have been called by his city (Kalir Othulel, or Kalir of Thule) or, if all the Kalirs around were from Thule, his mother's name would have been used (if his mother's name had been Tanun, he would have been Kalir Otanun, or Kalir of Tanun). As an adolescent, he would have chosen the name Sethan for himself based on some identification with the archetypal properties of mirrors (and these are Hyperborean archetypes, which may or may not have any relation to those of the rest of the world). In his case, he felt he was a deep thinker who was more interested in becoming a part of the world around him than in activity and change. If he had had a change in philosophies, or if he had done something that was so important it deserved to be part of his persona, he could have changed this. For example, if he had become a great warrior, he might have renamed himself Kalir Nixuth, or Noble Sword. There is no formalized system, so not all warriors would be named Sword or something silly like that. A warrior might be named Shield, Bow, Strength, Cunning, Courage, Battle, Peace, Victory, or anything else he identified with.Those who spend decades on the Spiral Path in the Cold Waste and become full kethethail will as part of their asceticism cast off their names to become selfless avatars of the Universe. There are very few of these usathethai, but it is absolutely taboo to ascribe any word to them or distinguish between them in any way. When asked who they are, they will reply only with the words "I wear no name".Useful Hyperborean Name-Related Phrases:"ku'nar sethetha soyerithilo?" - What is your name? (lit: what name do you wear?)"sethethiida ________" - My name is ________Common Hyperborean Names And Their MeaningsIf you make up your own name, please tell me so I can add it to the Lexicon and things aren't messed up. Also please be sure to follow the format for all Hyperborean words, which is five letters, with those in positions two and four being vowels and the rest consonants. These are *Hyperborean* letters, not English letters (for example, "th" is a Hyperborean letter), so the English equivalents may not always have this obvious a structure.Animals (and associations):Kalir - polar bear (noble)Niirus - walrus (powerful, tyrannical)Dalin - fox (cunning)Pikor - seabird (free, unbounded)Vudar - cod (untranslatable, think the kind of goodness characterizing a benevolent old grandmother)Rakhik - dolphin (playfully intelligent)Raxid - narwhal (knightly, strong and honorable)Nature:Ragum - stone Soyoth - mountain Volak - stormMekon - sun Seikor - ocean Dabar - forest Tanun - crystalMabar - amber Korok - gemstone Telem - daylightLarik - goldMitor - springPhilosophical:Shanir - beautyKanin - truthBasar - blessingRekon - energyMareis - goodnessLeber - justiceNiril - mysteryLeker - peaceKarev - understandingMore eventually maybe! Edited by: Scott Siskind  at: 7/29/03 9:04 pm

[UEC]

How bout names for:EvilDeathLifeVenganceand other fun things like that? E. Metzler (UEC)Duke of Brookshire"Never use a BOO/\/\ist as a diplomat" -- GSClicky Clicky..., Tiss for your own good ya know.

[Harvey the Blue]

The problem is the fact that you never explained the Hyperborean symbolism. No one in their right mind would want to be named "polar bear", but "noble" has a certain ring to it. So what about the other animals and such? Harvey SteffkeJadie's Lesser HalfSaves the worldProud bearer of the Shirerothian Silver Sword Award and Imperial Star

[UEC]

I want Death Walker! hehe E. Metzler (UEC)Duke of Brookshire"Never use a BOO/\/\ist as a diplomat" -- GSClicky Clicky..., Tiss for your own good ya know.

[Philip Locke]

Ragum Volak.Painful, eh? Philip Locke
When I am king, you will be first against the wall.

[UEC]

I have no idea... is it? E. Metzler (UEC)Duke of Brookshire"Never use a BOO/\/\ist as a diplomat" -- GSClicky Clicky..., Tiss for your own good ya know.

[Harvey the Blue]

*makes a face at the name* Ouch... Harvey SteffkeJadie's Lesser HalfSaves the worldProud bearer of the Shirerothian Silver Sword Award and Imperial Star

[CasVar MaiLor]

Suggestions:colors... at least the six basic with black and white in there.more phillisophical stuff... like hope.elemental stuff, such as fire. all those dark evil words Erik suggested.

[Jadie Steffke]

Shanir Mabar...Harvey came up with it....*giggles* Harvey's Elf-Cat Girl"May the hasha be with you"Edited by: Jadie Steffke at: 7/28/03 11:38 pm

[Scott Alexander]

Added some archetypal animal associations.Erik, the Hyperboreans wouldn't use stuff like that for names. But since I suppose you're not too interested in the culural niceties, the words would be:evil - manekdeath - leshemlife - meshel (yes, Hyperborean does do certain pairs of opposites by reversing word order)'fraid I don't have a word for vengeance yetLocke, I get the Volak for you, but why the Ragum?Colors:red - RanadThe Hyperboreans didn't have a color orange (which isn't as silly as it seems...a lot of cultures break up the spectrum differently than we). I would use be ranadamekosen "the red of the sunset" to convey that concept.Yellow - ZathonGreen - RetorBlue - BelikPurple - NirudhThe Hyperboreans, like everyone else except the person who invented the spectrum, can't tell the difference between indigo and violetBlack - LesetWhite - LewinElements:Fire - TinenAir - KatherWater - KuwisEarth - MiyitIf some of them sound rather Treesian, it's because the two languages diverged at a rather late point in history (or because it was easier for me to remember, depending on your cynicism.) The philosophical stuff I shall post later.

[UEC]

evil - manekdeath - leshe.....Manek Leshe! Evil Death! E. Metzler (UEC)Duke of Brookshire"Never use a BOO/\/\ist as a diplomat" -- GSClicky Clicky..., Tiss for your own good ya know.

[Kaiseress Aure I]

Don't Hyperboreans have the colour pink?*is saddened* May the hasha be with you
Never let sense conquer nonsense - Quixy, the God of Madness
I'm just a person trapped inside a woman's body. Elaine Boosler

[UEC]

White with Red... E. Metzler (UEC)Duke of Brookshire"Never use a BOO/\/\ist as a diplomat" -- GSClicky Clicky..., Tiss for your own good ya know.

[Zirandorthel]

For axe, is Tuwar acceptable?Because if it is, then, insofar as I've been able to work out the Radarasilikan, I'd like to be named Niirus Tinenetuwar, that is...Powerful Fiery-axe. ZirandorthelThe Golden Darkness"In order to find his equal, an Irishman is forced to talk to God."-Stephen Braveheart Proud Citizen of PyramodiaEdited by: Zirandorthel at: 8/20/03 2:41 pm

[Philip Locke]

What do your friends call you? Locke
Borelít o'Volus

[Zirandorthel]

He Who Has The Big Head. ZirandorthelThe Golden DarknessNiirus Tinenetuwar"In order to find his equal, an Irishman is forced to talk to God."-Stephen Braveheart

[Mikol Rugal]

That is certainly acceptable...it isn't common to see someone with a compound word in their name, but certainly there's no reason who you can't have one.

[Scott of Hyperborea]

Just noticed this again...lemme just say this is REALLY old and I wouldn't want anyone taking it too seriously. It MIGHT still sorta reflect how to choose a Kadhamic name, but I think you'd sound kinda silly if you went by a Kadhamic name these days...they're pretty second millennium ASC. Something like this would only be acceptable in an extremely formal context, or among Priests of Truth, or if you're trying to be unusual or anachronistic. I'd write something about how to form Perelic names, only I change my opinion of this every few weeks myself, plus I don't think anyone cares.

[andelarion]

When I was new to Shireroth, I got a Hyperborean name... Can't remember it though, but it was sort of funny :P

[Nithi Kirenion]

I note that although this was declared obsolete, no one has ever updated it. This must change.

Modern Hyperborean names are marked by two grammatical curiosities - the first name takes an article, and the second name takes the genitive. The article is -i for males and -e (archaic: -a) for females, and the genitive is -ion. Thus a male name will always be XXXI XXXION, and a female name XXXE XXXION.

I have been asked why so many (though by no means all) Raikothin names seem to be two syllables followed by four syllables (such as my own, Nithi Kirenion). I didn't know the answer to this myself, and had to do some library research before I came across the explanation. It dates back to the third millennium ASC, when poetry was quite in fashion and people would compete at social gatherings to compose poems about themselves and each other. The most common meter of Raikothin poetry is the thanve, which in your language is usually translated as "ninefold", which uses lines of nine syllables with a peculiar pattern of stress. For example, here is a classic example from the Book of Loss:

If all the ninefolds writ of Tala
Since Time tore down its twisting towers
Were gathered up, and writ on mica
Sheet upon sheet of storied stanzas,
How quickly would the sheets make brick-piles
How quickly would the bricks form ramparts
The ramparts turn to twisting towers
Till Tala stood again in glory.
And even now, in utmost heaven
Might such things
Be?

Many Raikothin last names have the stress on the second syllable (ie kiRENion, not KIrenion), and certainly the ON in the genitive ending is stressed more than the preceding i. That means that if you want to begin a verse with a name and have the name fit in the stress pattern right, you had better make the first name two syllables and the second name four.

Because many Raikothlin change their names when they grow older, it became popular in the heyday of thanve poetry to have a name that could be quickly and easily rendered into verse. Many Raikothlin changed their names to the 2-4 syllable pattern, and although poetry plays less of a role today, the popular names that have survived from that period are generally 2-4 syllables ones, and names with a different number of syllables sound subtly dissonant and wrong to a person used to hearing the standard names, although they are by no means nonexistent.

Only in Raikoth could a whole people alter their names to make their poetry flow better, and that is something I am proud of.