Character Notebook: What's in a name?

[Sofija]

Where did your character get their name? Were they named after a family member (grandmother/father, aunt/uncle, ancestor)? A famous figure in lore history? Linguistical meaning (example: means peace in ancient Asura)? Or is it purely an OOC reason?

Sofija's parents named her that because it means "wisdom". She has lived up to her name letting her knowledge and skill guide her in all aspects of life, except when she gets a few mugs of ale in her. But even then, she's more tempered than some Norns can get
While technically Sofija's spelling of her name comes from Serbia, Croatia, and that region, (and it's my NOR name ) it's been a popular name throughout most of Europe. Plus I'm sure the proper Nordic spelling had already been taken as it's usually spelled Sonja. And when I see that spelling, I can't help but think of Brigitte Nielsen

[Ismene (Quirk)]

Love this question - and so glad you asked since I completely forgot this week! Thank you!

Fribble means (in real life) "a foolish or frivolous person; trifler" which before I started playing her seemed to fit an Asura. IC'ly, her mom's name was Franji and her dad's name was Pibble, so mixing the names together they arrived at Fribble. There is not much deeper to it than that!

Preceptor Keahi got her name after a traumatic incident involving a too-close look at the eternal alchemy and it's various branches of destiny. Keahi means fire or flames in Hawaiian and was originally intended for a Charr character (as they strike me as kind of Maori in some respects, the dance especially). It stuck when I remade her since I like the name and she is kind of fiery in a smoldering, banked-embers kind of way. The Preceptor title is not an official one but is meant to serve as a lesson to curious Asura not to overreach themselves when messing with meta-magical constructs and glimpses of the future.

[Nimue]

Ooh, nice question - names are important, and I usually spend a lot of time thinking about a name when I make a new character. So here goes:

Nimue: That one was easy, my first character in a new game is always a Nimue, unless the name is unavailable (like it was in SWTOR). I have been using the name as my handle on various forums for years and I'm rather fond of it. Can't go wrong with Arthurian legends in a fantasy context

Skadi: She's named after the ancient Norse goddess of hunting and winter, which seemed fitting for a Norn ranger. I'm trying to keep up the Norse naming scheme with her pets, such as Hugin the raven and Munin the owl, but it's starting to become slightly difficult as she acquires more of them

Cessair Fiach Dubh: An Irish one. According to some versions of the Lebor Gabála Érenn (The Book of the Taking of Ireland), Cessair was the leader of the first wave of settlers to arrive in mythical Ireland. Fiach dubh means "raven" in Irish, which is kind of ironic since her hair is not black, but white. Ravens are traditionally seen as tricksters, which seemed fitting for a Mesmer.

[Sofija]

Meng Jiangnu: The Meng noble line is one of the oldest noble houses with a long and cherished history. A combination of her paternal and fraternal grandmother's names, Jiang and Niu, though the i sound was dropped. It can mean River Girl or Lady in their ancient language and written as 孟姜女. Though not commonly used anymore, Jiangnu must still study and show a native fluency for due to her status, and her mother's wishes.

OOC'ly: Meng Jiangu comes from ancient Chinese history. The Wiki on her name can be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Meng_Jiang. And here's a beautifully animated version:




I also used the name as the basis for my Powertech in SWTOR.

[Ismene (Quirk)]

These are really great!

[Sofija]

Glad everyone enjoyed the question. It's an important one for me. A name, to me, defines the character. It's who they are and how everyone else views them. I often spend longer on a name than I do creating the character. Or have a name in mind I want to use, then design the character around that. Or their name immediately comes about once I create them.

Rolinda Starling: As she is an orphan, never knowing her parents, her name's just what they called her at the orphanage so, for her, there is no history or meaning behind her name. In OOC'ly, Rolinda was my very first SWTOR character on The Shadowlands. Her name came about because I wanted something that sounded beautiful while being unique. I now use that name for any sort of Ranger class character I make. As for her family name, my favorite comic book character is Green Arrow, and in the TV show "Arrow", the city was called Starling City (was recently changed back to the original comic name Star City last season I believe). As she's a ranger, and her favorite color is green, I felt it fit her perfectly.

[Sofija]

For anyone who's wondering, here's the original Rolinda:

[Sofija]

And here's her namesake in GW2

[Sofija]

Klok: It means intelligent, or smart, in Swedish. Fitting for an Asuran who was an engineering progeny from an early age.

Hermod Korpson: Hermod was a son of Odin who rode to the underworld to plead with Hel to release his brother. A name I felt fitting for a Norn Revenant. His story also reflects it as well. Just days before he and Sofija were to wed, he went to commune with the Raven Spirit only to go missing. He has returned after 10 years a changed man due to the journey the Raven spirit sent him on. His family name refers to it as well as Korp is Swedish for Raven so Korpson means Son of Raven.