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Post by khazarkhum on Aug 12, 2007 6:01:50 GMT
Oh, I understood perfectly well what he was saying & what it meant to him...I guess I was being pendantic...or an ass, depending on the POV.
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Post by Angmar on Aug 12, 2007 7:56:14 GMT
Oh, no, Khazar, you were neither. Actually I enjoy when readers ask me questions. I was surprised, though, that no one questioned me on the word "A'allari," which is an real word from a real language (not Arabic).
By the way, all of the names used in these books are taken from actual words. We might not have them exactly correct, but since no one is alive today who knows how to speak them, we are as correct as anyone.
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Post by khazarkhum on Aug 13, 2007 1:31:54 GMT
Tushratta was from Mitanni, which he ruled at the same time as Akhenaten in Egypt. Aziru & Zannanza are Hittite names. Zannaza was the Hittite prince sent to Egypt when Ankhesenamun requested a son as her husband was dead & she had no sons.
At times I feel like I'm seeing old friends!
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Post by Angmar on Aug 13, 2007 3:22:17 GMT
*smiles*
Khazar, probably not more than 10% (I think I am being generous) of the Tolkien fanfic community would know the origin of even one of these names. I am not surprised that you would know them.
A story encompassing so many characters gobbles up names at a rapid rate. We are fine with orcish names because we work from at least five dialects of Black Speech, and those words can always be combined to form new names. The Elvish, both Sindarian and Quenya, can only go so far before they are virtually depleted. (Unfortunately, Tolkien did not give that many endings for masculine and feminine names, so hordes of characters with -riel, -wen, and -on names become tedious after a while).
I am staying away from the ancient Egyptian names, although I am considering Greek and Roman names if I am forced to it. I hesitate on all three, though, because they are already used in a huge number of books. At first, we were dealing with a list of ancient rulers from various cultures, but we knew that the list would eventually run out, and there were very few names for female characters. Last year, Elfhild hit the "motherload" of word lists containing transliterated words from ancient languages, such as Sumerian and Akkadian, so I think we will be set for a long time to come. ;D
By the way, did you ever read Wilbur Smith's "River God?" It's the best of his Egyptian series, in my opinion, especially after reading "The Quest." When the main character, a eunuch, has certain parts of his anatomy regenerated by cloning (this is ancient times, remember), it is too far over the top even for me. Maybe magic, but not cloning. ;D
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Post by khazarkhum on Aug 13, 2007 6:50:19 GMT
No, I haven't read Smith. But I did find this selection of houris: www.shanmonster.com/belly/gallery/index.htmlI think steering clear of the more-familiar Ancient Egyptian names is wise. Mesopotamian names are terra incognita for most folks, so go for it! |
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Post by Angmar on Aug 13, 2007 7:07:15 GMT
Smith has been an action/adventure writer for years, writing primarily on Africa. The first in his Egyptian series, "River God," was outstanding, even if his main character was pure Marty Stu. Possibly that was done for pure humor. I have already mentioned his latest, but that is neither here nor there.
I never before had seen the site to which you referred. Thank you, Khazar. The girls are very charming. ;D
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Post by Elfhild on Aug 14, 2007 4:46:57 GMT
That's a great site. It was down for a couple months, but I'm very happy that it's back now. There were some graphics on there I wanted to keep, but didn't save them in time.
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Elianna Tar-Minyatur
New Member
Then from on high, somewhere in the distance, there's a voice that calls "Remember who you are..."
Posts: 6
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Post by Elianna Tar-Minyatur on Aug 17, 2007 0:52:50 GMT
... I've been instructed by my dear friend Angmar, due to my... innocent age *snickers*... not to read said volumes.
So I have not.
I have merely perused them at leisure.
And the are quite interesting.
*snickers*
((*laughs* Really, love, the two of you are such wonderful authors... I couldn't help myself! I am amazed every time I so much as glance in your directions - you both delight me with your detailed descriptions, and the obviously in-depth research done prior to the writing of these marvelous tales simply shines through.
Not to mention I like some of the more... risqué parts.
*grins*
And now I am done. And I will be quiet lol.
*sits meekly in corner*))
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Post by khazarkhum on Aug 17, 2007 10:54:59 GMT
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Post by Angmar on Aug 17, 2007 23:12:01 GMT
My dear Elianna, we are quite pleased that you like our writing, and, yes, we do put quite a bit of research into everything we do. ;D Your signature graphic is very nice and well done. Keep perusing.  Khazar, thanks for the link to this tremendous site! I really got caught up in the humor. I must say it brings back a lot of memories of Second Darkness, and endless other RPGs and wargames that I participated in over the years. Say, Elfhild, do you remember that lantern incident in Second Darkness? Did you ever figure out what that was REALLY all about? I was the gamemaster and never could understand it. Maybe things would have gone better if we had just rolled dice. |
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