Help Me Name My Swords?

[Manveruon]

So I've never done this before with, well, just about anything, but after posting about them a bit recently and getting tired of trying to refer to one as "the Bristol" and the other as "the Custom," or "the Arming Sword," I feel like just maybe my swords might need names.

So... I'm at a loss, any thoughts? Putting it out there to the group, because I've got nothing, haha. I'm looking for something not TOO corny, if possible.

20160204_191415-1.jpg (140.77 KiB) Viewed 14468 times

[Elleth]

Fun!

Where do they "live?" Middle Earth exclusively? The real historical Europe sometimes? Elsewhere?
Are they new creations in that world, or ancestral? Is there a particular story you attach to either?

How do they feel to you?

[Greg]

I would name the custom something more British/Western European, since you're planning to wear that for a historical impression, and it just seems to fit that genre better, whereas the bristol should probably follow Middle-Earth blade naming conventions and be Sindarin.

For what it's worth.

Alas, I'm terrible at this topic. I'll ponder it a bit, though, since I've handled them.

[Manveruon]

Agreed wholeheartedly, Greg!

And yes, Elleth, all very good points! The Bristol is going to be my dedicated ranger sword from here on out, so that one definitely "lives" in Middle Earth. It's my fantasy blade. The arming sword, on the other hand, I plan to use mostly with my SCA garb and when/if I ever do Robin Hood or other historical Medieval impressions, so that one should probably be in English (or even Middle-English, which could be cool!). I may use the arming sword with my ranger gear occasionally, but probably far less than the Bristol.

As far as their "stories" are concerned... I'm not sure, really. That's a good question though.

The arming sword I definitely think of as my "Robin Hood" sword, and the scabbard and belt system I'm making is theoretically going to feature tooled oak motifs (oak leaves, branches, acorns, etc.) when it's finished. I feel like that sword should have history (it sort of feels like it has history, even though it's new), and maybe needs a sort of "heroic" name. I almost see it as my "Albion" (the sword from the BBC show Robin of Sherwood), but I don't want to rip off that name, heh.

As for the Bristol, it actually resembles Isildur's sword from the films quite a bit:


But it also has somewhat Elvish lines, especially with regard to the shape of the crossguard. Historically speaking it's a late-Medieval design, so I feel like maybe it's a newer sword, based on older traditions? Kind of like the "Cult of Narsil" seax a few folks here were talking about a while back - inspired by cultural motifs of the broken Narsil, but adapted for practical use over the years. So, yeah... I guess I would call it a new sword in a traditional style. But I'm curious to know what others think when they look at it (and as you mentioned, Greg, you have a Bristol of your own, so you know the sword intimately).

So that's what I've got. Thoughts?

[Greg]

You could try "Avalon", being the supposed resting place of King Arthur, instead of Albion (which would be bad to rip off for two reasons, the lesser of which would be the TV show, and the greater whoops of the two being confusing it with a blade out of a certain notable bladeshop of the same name).

[Manveruon]

That's an excellent point about the name Albion. I like the name Avalon, but I think perhaps it's too generic. I'm going to cast around the net a bit to see what I can find to inspire me. I think, for the arming sword, I'm looking for something that evokes a very old, somewhat mystical, almost pagan feel. Possibly something nature related, or specifically related to the oak? Not sure. But I'll have a look around and see if I find anything.

[Taurinor]

I think, for the arming sword, I'm looking for something that evokes a very old, somewhat mystical, almost pagan feel. Possibly something nature related, or specifically related to the oak?

I'd be careful of looking for something pagan-esque for a Robin Hood sword. Christianity became dominant in the eighth century, and a lot of the current re-imaginings of Robin Hood are set during Richard the Lionheart's reign in the late 12th century. It's thought that some Anglo-Saxon paganism was blended into folklore, though, so maybe you could look to British folklore for inspiration.

If you wanted to explore the Arthurian angle more, you might consider one of the lesser known old names of Excalibur. Some examples are Caledfwlch (Welsh), Kaledvoulc'h (Breton), Calesvol (Cornish), and Caliburnus (Latin), according to Wikipedia (which is always totally accurate, of course).

[Manveruon]

I have to laugh a little, because that's actually a rant a lot of people have heard me myself make. Drives me nuts when people try to argue that there was some kind of pagan subculture in England during the Middle Ages, and even more nuts when it's portrayed that way in fiction and on screen. But I'm not specifically saying I want the name to be "something pagan," so much as I want it to evoke something... I dunno, very natural? A little mystical? I'm not suggesting it be named, like... Woden's Raven or something. I'm thinking more along the lines of... like... "Oakheart"?

As for the Arthurian connection... yeah... hmmmm... not sure really. I was familiar with the name Caledfwlch from Bernard Cornwell's Warlord Chronicles, but having a mouthful of consonants doesn't appeal to me much, so I'll probably steer away from anything Welsh, haha.

[Peter Remling]

When Sauron destroyed the first white tree, almost all of it was burned. A small dead branch was smuggled out and kept as a symbol for the people. In order to boost the spirits, the branch was cut up and made into grips and inlays on many Ranger weapons. The grips were covered with leather but the Rangers who owned them know the grip was made from the wood of the White Tree.

Many of these weapons were named in part for the wood they bore.

I'll leave the actual names for the linguists in the group.

[Elleth]

Mav - no, that makes sense. More feel than direct influence.

For the Bristol... something in Sindarin certainly I think.
"Younger leaf" perhaps? Signifying a new creation, still connected to the old line of Numenor?
To get a little closer to the lengendarium - Star-glint? A tiny sliver from the starry host?


For the arming sword.. I'd be tempted to look up Brythonic for "oaken-root" as a nod to a still-living, strong-but-unseen connection to older pre-Saxon days.
(Patrick Bergin's Robin Hood is still my favorite: the Norman/Saxon tension was a great plot element)

[Manveruon]

BRILLIANT! Great stuff guys! That gives me plenty to chew on!

[Manveruon]

...But I could definitely still use suggestions, heh.

I've got a few preliminary ideas I've worked up, based on a Sindarin/English dictionary I found online.

- Tirithelin - Guard Star
- Eryntirith - Forest Guard(ian?)
- Faelelin/Faelin? - Gleaming Star ("gleaming" also having the meaning of "just" or "fair")
- Elinglin - Star Glint (as recommended by Elleth)
- Thalion - dauntless, steadfast

This is just the product of my bashing together Sindarin words, however. I have no skill with that language, so I'm probably going at it all wrong, heh.

[Greg]

Bear in mind, anything Welsh or Gaelic with a few hundred consonants and extra vowels will sound fairly normal upon pronunciation.

Case in point.

GSCHWJORED, pronounced "SWORD".

[Elleth]

Ooh - I really like "Tirithelin" - that's word's got a nice feel to it.
I suspect once adding proper Sindarin grammar to it, it will change a bit: Sindarin mutates like crazy.
I don't think enough to change the flow of the word though.

Arda Lambion forum, Council of Elrond forum, or our own Ernildir might be able to give you a more grammatically correct translation.


(and if you don't use "star glint" I'm gonna. )

[Manveruon]

I'm actually quite fond of Faelin or Elinglin, but I have no idea if I'm even forming those correctly (likely not).

Otherwise, I'm still open to whatever people might come up with. Some elements I might like the name to include are:

- Justice
- Fairness
- Strength
- Guardian
- Star
- Preservation
- Defender
- Watchman

I would actually love the name to somehow reflect the quote by Faramir: "'I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend."