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Old 08-07-2019, 12:19 PM   #1
Michael Thayne
 
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Default How do you name your dragons?

Simple question. I'm trying to come up with a system of naming dragons for my fantasy game that (1) makes it look like the names all came from the same language (2) feels vaguely stereotypically "draconic" (something which sorry, I can't articulate) and (3) isn't Latin. I like Welsh or vaguely Welsh-looking names for elves, but am struggling to come up with something similar for dragons.
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Old 08-07-2019, 12:33 PM   #2
thorr-kan
 
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Default Re: How do you name your dragons?

I don't use it for dragons, but when I'm stumped for a name, I type something into translate.google.com and run through a few languages until something looks cool. Finnish, Yiddish, and Welsh seem to be prime contenders.
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Old 08-07-2019, 12:41 PM   #3
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Default Re: How do you name your dragons?

Well, I generally make native draconic names not something human vocal chords can replicate, and the names humans use to refer to dragons are local language and descriptive. One option might be to play around with source choices from something like https://www.behindthename.com/random/ (Norse or modern analogs might be a good choice).
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Old 08-07-2019, 01:17 PM   #4
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Default Re: How do you name your dragons?

I was just listening to some language samples, and I found Estonian to feel somehow right for dragons. Couldn't tell you why.
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Old 08-07-2019, 04:42 PM   #5
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Default Re: How do you name your dragons?

For various reasons, dragons in my current campaign have three syllable names. Each syllable starts with a consonant or consonant set drawn from F, Fr, G, Gr, K, Kr, R, S, Sh, Th, Thr, X, or Z and has a vowel, and the final syllable may have a consonant. So Zarathrax or Greesifu.

It's simple and distinctive but comes off as reasonably "draconic" in my opinion.
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Old 08-07-2019, 05:25 PM   #6
Michael Thayne
 
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Default Re: How do you name your dragons?

Quote:
Originally Posted by mlangsdorf View Post
For various reasons, dragons in my current campaign have three syllable names. Each syllable starts with a consonant or consonant set drawn from F, Fr, G, Gr, K, Kr, R, S, Sh, Th, Thr, X, or Z and has a vowel, and the final syllable may have a consonant. So Zarathrax or Greesifu.

It's simple and distinctive but comes off as reasonably "draconic" in my opinion.
Oh, I'm stealing this.
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Old 08-07-2019, 09:00 PM   #7
khorboth
 
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Default Re: How do you name your dragons?

If I'm looking for verisimilitude in names, a couple of techniques I use:

Repeat suffixes or prefixes frequently. Outsiders looking at American names will frequently see things like -son and -ton.

Make the names clunky in English. Idioms and conventions translate poorly. Just look at meanings of any other language's names. So...

Grakadon. Which translates to "the big one who is majestic and/or wealthy"
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Old 08-07-2019, 10:29 PM   #8
Michael Thayne
 
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Default Re: How do you name your dragons?

Quote:
Originally Posted by mlangsdorf View Post
For various reasons, dragons in my current campaign have three syllable names. Each syllable starts with a consonant or consonant set drawn from F, Fr, G, Gr, K, Kr, R, S, Sh, Th, Thr, X, or Z and has a vowel, and the final syllable may have a consonant. So Zarathrax or Greesifu.

It's simple and distinctive but comes off as reasonably "draconic" in my opinion.
Do you have any particular rules about dipthongs, long vowels, etc.?
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Old 08-08-2019, 12:33 AM   #9
Mysterious Dark Lord v3.2
 
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Default Re: How do you name your dragons?

I usually name them by the first thing that springs to mind.

Which is why my first campaign dragons are named Yaaaaaa!, Oh-God-No, Run-For-It, and Don't-Eat-Me-Eat-Him.
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Old 08-08-2019, 06:01 AM   #10
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Default Re: How do you name your dragons?

I ask the dragon what their name is and write it down. Then I give them an ice cream soda and watch the clouds of steam.
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