Human cultures adapt names from other languages into names that sound more comfortable to their ears. We don't refer to the Irish name Aengus as Oíngus but as Angus. The Romans didn't call Ireland Éirinn they called it Hibernia. The reason fantasy names often sound weird is that they violate the way we normally handle names. I could keep going, but hopefully this illustrates the process. Hegyros (Mountain top city) has a certain ring to it So from these, and there are a ton of options here that are obviously not included, we start combining: So in this situation let's go with Hungarian (I like the sounds of this language): It's a pretty magical world with a serious tone. Once you do this you can optionally also add -polis -ville -burg -shire -ton or something similar if you want to give it a certain English language familiarity as a city name suffix. Pick words with meanings that fit and then use the one word, or perhaps splice two or three together. This mainly means find a language where the sound fits the world's setting/style Pick a language that fits the style of your world/or a particular nation depending on your scale. I would recommend google translate for this little effort. You just need to make sure it is pronounced correctly. The real name likely isn't written in English, so all you're doing is translating it. Remember, if they pronounce them wrong, just alter the spelling. After going over names in your head for so long, it can be helpful to write them down and have someone else read them to you. And if you get stuck, you can always uses James' method for inspiration.Īdditionally, the answer supplied by Bookeater is a great method to test the names once you have them. It takes more time, but it is a lot more thorough. However, the answer by Durakken is also a great method, and will hold up in the event that your novel is the next Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings. I think for those simply looking for a good name, this is a great way to go. POST-ANSWER EDIT: I've marked the reply by James as the answer. So here's the question: is there some formula or rule I can follow to make geographical names sound similar and unique? I'm talking about a completely made up name, like Paolini's 'Alagaësia,' I'm not talking about names like 'Middle Earth' which simply use English words. Being the author, it might just be me, but I was wondering if there was some way I could ensure the name of my land would reflect the style and theme (in this case, noble and majestic) like I want it to. The land does have a name, which sometimes sounds all right, but most of the time sounds kind of stupid.
I have a land that the novel takes place in. I'm writing a traditional fantasy novel (minus the cliches).
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