Kyne's Notes

Naming Characters in Elder Scrolls Fanfic

I struggle to come up with names for new characters. Is the name easy to say? Is it unique or interesting without being outlandish? Does it fit the character’s personality? There’s a lot to consider. It seems to help if I hold to certain rules.

Don’t name every character

Finding just the right name for a new character can take hours. That’s time that could be spent writing. So if I’m about to bring in a new character, I ask myself if they really need a name.

Some characters only exist to add life and color to a scene, or to make the setting more real (we expect an inn to have an innkeeper), or to serve a function before immediately exiting stage right. When characters are used like props, they probably don’t need a name. In fact, it’s often better if you don’t name them so you don’t mislead readers into thinking that a random tavern wench or cabbage merchant is going to be important later.

That also applies to named NPCs. If Corpulus Vinius the innkeeper only appears in a scene to mop up some spilled beer and make a grumpy remark about the Winking Skeever’s drunken customers, then we can just call him “the innkeeper” and be done with it.

Choose lore-friendly names

I try to give my characters names that feel like they belong in the world of Tamriel. With humans it’s easier because they borrow from real cultures: French names for Bretons, Latin names for Imperials, Scandinavian names for Nords, Moorish names for Redguards. I find it’s trickier for elves and other races, because that means making up something that both sounds good and reflects the character’s culture.

But sometimes I bend this rule. In real life you’ll meet people with unusual names, and I’d expect the same in Tamriel. Skyrim has its own example in Brand-Shei; he’s a dark elf, but because he was raised by Argonian parents, he doesn’t have a Dunmeri name.

Some deviations from the norm are easier to buy than others. I think of Cyrodiil as a melting pot of cultures where you might meet a human with an elven name or an orc with an Imperial name. That sort of thing almost certainly wouldn’t hold in the Summerset Isles, home of an ancient race of elves who are obsessed with pure bloodlines and probably have laws against names like “Balgruuf” and “Steve.”

Avoid giving characters similar names

I once started writing about a Dragonborn named Robin. Problem was, her companion was Rumarin. Not only did the “Robin and Rumarin” alliteration sound awfully contrived, the names are just similar enough to invite confusion, or at least eye fatigue.

When it’s time for a new character, I review the names of all the important characters in the story. If a name I’m considering sounds too close to a major character’s name, or if it even starts with the same letter, I’ll avoid it. That’s not always possible when you’re pulling NPCs into your story, but then that’s another reason to treat them as unnamed characters when it makes sense.

When reviewing a list of existing characters, I try to spot patterns to break out of. For example, there were a lot of two- and three-syllables names, and almost none of them started with “K.” When it was time to introduce someone new, I challenged myself to come up with one-syllable names starting with “K.” The result was “Kell,” a short name that felt reasonably Nordish.

Sound out the name

Sometimes a name looks better than it sounds. The only way to know for sure is to say it out loud. If it’s awkward or difficult to pronounce, then it’s probably not the best choice.

Above all, the name should fit the character. What the name means matters less than the way it sounds. Take Grelod the Kind, the headmistress of the Riften orphanage. I don’t know what “Grelod” means, but as a name it works for a mean old woman. The first part evokes the word “growl,” and there’s something unlovely about the “lod” syllable. Say the name fast and “lod” sounds like “lud,” which rhymes with words like “mud” and “thud.”

Or consider Indoril Nerevar, an ancient general and saint of the Dunmer people. The name “Nerevar” sounds close to “never” and “nevermore,” which gives it a kind of sadness and a sense of belonging to a long-ago past, a time that will never be again.

If all else fails, I’ll try out a name for a while in early drafts. If it doesn’t grow on me, I’ll swap in another name, and then another. This can be slow and painstaking, but the process is worth it when you finally hit on a name that feels so right that you can’t imagine your character going by anything else.

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