Nicknames for places.

FIFTHWIND · Posted: Sat May 05, 2007 7:38 pm Post subject: Nicknames for places.

Everything and everyplace has a name of course. But, local people have "pet names" for local places. Some of these nicknames can become world famous. I think it adds a bit of history, richness, and realism to place names.

I've got:
"Kruegan's Throat" as a name of a narrow mountain pass.
"Sailors Regret" for sharp rugged cliffs on the ocean.
"The Whip" for a crevasse cause by a fault-line.

Plus a few other small ones. You know, like the "lover's lane" type things.

What do you have, and do you think it adds a little something to your work?

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mornara · ADMINISTRATOR Joined: 21 Mar 2007 Posts: 2891

I have some of them, and use them occasionally.

"Lord's Mountain"
"Morudin's Teeth"
"Dragon Spine Mountains"

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Kuro · Posted: Sun May 06, 2007 12:34 pm Post subject:

I can only think of two off the top of my head.

"The Dark Lands" for "The Vale of the Immortals"
"The Dark Temple" for "The Temple of Kirnblimis"

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Havoc · ~Master Plotter~ Joined: 21 Mar 2007 Posts: 707

In my writing, some of the fun is mythologyzing events and stuff and coming up with place names!

This is a tad of a spoiler of one of my stories, but the Chernobyl Power Plant, over hundreds of years after a major decline of communication and revival of superstitions has become, 'The Tomb of Cherverus' or similar names, due to regions and other langage differences.

There is only one major place in my world with a nickname, it is called 'The Scar' and nothing more. It is a place where both one of the first civilizations rose, and the place where demons came to be. Currently, it is in the very firm hands of a greater demon.

Nicknames can also come from events and the like, not just geography. They can even come from people.

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mornara · ADMINISTRATOR Joined: 21 Mar 2007 Posts: 2891

I'm working on nicknames, but I just came up with one that I love.

"Bloody Mountain"

Sounds evil or colorful or whatever right? Nope, it was blocking some old geezer's view of the ocean, so he constantly told people how "that bloody mountain is out to spite me". The man and mountain, which has a spirit, eventually began a bit of a war, which ended with the man's death of extreme old age.

The tale now goes that the mountain finally got annoyed enough to kill the man, and that it is a man-eating mountain, and so on and so forth.

_________________
To run from misery’s thrall to where only the knife-edged thrill stands before the endless fall…

To allow for the existence of one god, we must allow for the existence of all gods.