Ragnarok Posted October 30, 2008 Report Share Posted October 30, 2008 Hello folks. As most of you know (or could guess) by now, I am running a Norse/Germanic-themed game in the Spring. I have currently reached an impasse, however. One of the hardest things for me is naming characters/NPCs, and so I would greatly appreciate it if you could help me think of some more genuine or appropriately-sounding Norse/Germanic names, for both males and females. I would normally just do this on my own, but I think this aspect of the game deserves more variety and depth than my sole efforts could provide. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teh bunneh Posted October 30, 2008 Report Share Posted October 30, 2008 Re: Norse/Germanic Names I usually just go to www.babynames.com. Use their advanced name selector, choose Male or Female, and select the nationality you want. Obviously, it's modern as opposed to Dark Ages names, but it's a good starting point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ragnarok Posted October 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2008 Re: Norse/Germanic Names I have tried name generators, including that one, before. I generally find that for some reason I don't care much for a lot of the names that it comes up with. Maybe that's because I'm overly picky or something, but I'll give it a try anyway. Thank you! Keep 'em coming folks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yesman Posted October 30, 2008 Report Share Posted October 30, 2008 Re: Norse/Germanic Names Kate Monk's Onomastikon. The authenticity has been challenged before, but the names "feel" right. http://www.gaminggeeks.org/Resources/KateMonk/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted October 30, 2008 Report Share Posted October 30, 2008 Re: Norse/Germanic Names I suggest looking at the section of the online Encyclopedia Mythica dealing with Norse Mythology: http://www.pantheon.org/areas/mythology/europe/norse/ . That page will take you to articles with lots of names of gods, giants, heroes, etc. as well as links to other sources. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L. Marcus Posted October 30, 2008 Report Share Posted October 30, 2008 Re: Norse/Germanic Names Kate Monk's Onomastikon. The authenticity has been challenged before, but the names "feel" right. http://www.gaminggeeks.org/Resources/KateMonk/ . . . More specifically: the Old Norse Names list. As a Swede, I can say that the names look as genuine as you're ever gonna get. If no-one in the group speaks a Scandinavian language, it's good! Excuse me while I collapse in laughter, contemplating a Viking berserker named Balle . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawnmower Boy Posted October 30, 2008 Report Share Posted October 30, 2008 Re: Norse/Germanic Names And for Anglo-Saxons, 100% guaranteed authenticity at http://www.pase.ac.uk/pase/apps/persons/index.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curufea Posted October 30, 2008 Report Share Posted October 30, 2008 Re: Norse/Germanic Names There are the names I used for my Western Shores campaign- Brondheim Names (Norse) Irolan Names (Germanic) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil Posted October 31, 2008 Report Share Posted October 31, 2008 Re: Norse/Germanic Names Checking the Academy of St. Gabriel is always a good idea, especially if you want to be totally authentic. For example, their list of links re. Scandinavian names: http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/scandinavian.shtml And German names: http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/german.shtml Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narratio Posted October 31, 2008 Report Share Posted October 31, 2008 Re: Norse/Germanic Names .Excuse me while I collapse in laughter' date=' contemplating a Viking berserker named Balle . . .[/quote'] What he really meant was that it's tricky finding printable lines for lymerics that start "The was a young Norseman named Balle..." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L. Marcus Posted October 31, 2008 Report Share Posted October 31, 2008 Re: Norse/Germanic Names No no no -- it's the name itself. It's nowadays a slang term for the male genitalia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnaskar Posted November 2, 2008 Report Share Posted November 2, 2008 Re: Norse/Germanic Names It should be noted that Balle was an actual semi-common viking name, though Langballe (lit. Long Balls) was a more common version... if you want the real stuff Icelandic names are probably the best modern equivalent. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icelandic_name http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Icelanders Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Obvious Posted November 3, 2008 Report Share Posted November 3, 2008 Re: Norse/Germanic Names No no no -- it's the name itself. It's nowadays a slang term for the male genitalia. Wiener slang hasn't stopped people in English speaking countries from naming their kids Dick, Willy, or Peter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L. Marcus Posted November 3, 2008 Report Share Posted November 3, 2008 Re: Norse/Germanic Names Oh, pfah -- English speakers . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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