Why do all the names rhyme?

[mellojoe]

I picked up the audio book for TSR during my re-read.  I'm loving it.  A cool new experience.

 

However, I've noticed something that I didn't before:

 

All the names seem to rhyme with one another.

 

Egwene, Elayne, Moiraine

Aiel, Faile

Perrin, Verin

 

 

Is there something I'm missing?  Or just one author's preference for pronounciation?

 

[Impressive Bosom]

I just think that there are SO many names, so many characters that have to be named, some were just bound to rhyme.

[The Fisher King]

Thats a cool question. Who knows? Its probably geographical/cultural similarities.

 

Moirane is from the country of Damodred and Elayne from the country of Andor and Egwene from the faaaaaar back of Andor too....so there would be similarities i thinks...certainly none of their names are close to other people's names from farther away places like Shara or Waste or Seanchan...

 

Also, no matter what Mr Jordan said, I have never ever (and will never lol) pronounce in my own head Egewne as Eg-WAYNE...

 

Unfortunately Mr Jordan was pretty insistent on his pronounciations being respected.

 

Much as i love the man, i gotta admit i loved it when Melanie Rawn was asked by a fan about how to prounce her character's names and she said ''Any ol way you like - after all, its not like THEY are ina position to complain!''

 

LOL

 

 

Fish

[OptimusPrime]

Dont forget Matrim and Mazrim. Mazrim is a cool name

 

I like how a lot of the names are obviously variations of modern names.

 

Matrim = Martin

Luc = Luke

Aram = Aaron

Nynaeve = Nina-Eve obviously

Elayne = Elaine

Melaine = Melanie

Siuane = Susan

Lan = Alan

Daved = David

Jaim = James

Verin = Verity

Haral = Harold

Alsbet = Elizabeth

 

Theres many more that I cant remember

[mb]

I like how a lot of the names are obviously variations of modern names.

Unless Robert Jordan commented about that, it would be anybody's guess whether the variations were intended or not.

 

Moirane is from the country of Damodred

Actually Damodred is her surname.  She is from Cairhien.

 

I just think that there are SO many names, so many characters that have to be named, some were just bound to rhyme.

I think I would agree; though Robert might have intentionally made some names rhyme when making the pronunciation keys.

 

[OptimusPrime]

Quote from: OptimusPrime on November 30, 2009, 01:04:59 PM

I like how a lot of the names are obviously variations of modern names.

Unless Robert Jordan commented about that, it would be anybody's guess whether the variations were intended or not

 

My guess is that it was intentional, taking into account both the similarties I listed and the fact that our time was in Randlands past and future.

[mellojoe]

Siuane = Susan

PS:  From what these readers say in the audiobooks, Siuane is pronouced like "SWAN" as in the bird.  Not too much like Susan, anyway.

 

But the rest I agree with, but its probably more of a writer's trick than anything else.  Make it similar enough to be recoginized, but different enough to feel like a far-away place.

[OptimusPrime]

They feel like realistic names. Not everyone has flambouyant (sp) names and virtually no names are made up of words.

 

Has anyone ever taken note of how great the thirteen Forsaken names are together?

[Ashaman DeRouge]

Some of the most emotive names in the series. Probably helps that most of them are semi-nicknames, bit of creative license.

[dholm]

Also, no matter what Mr Jordan said, I have never ever (and will never lol) pronounce in my own head Egewne as Eg-WAYNE...

 

It's "EH-GWAIN".

 

A great many of the Andoran names are taken from Arthurian legend: Nyneve, Morgause, Elaine, Gawain, Galahad, Guinevere, Merlin, etc.

[The Watcher and Wanderer]

Dont forget Matrim and Mazrim. Mazrim is a cool name

 

I like how a lot of the names are obviously variations of modern names.

 

Matrim = Martin

Luc = Luke

Aram = Aaron

Nynaeve = Nina-Eve obviously

Elayne = Elaine

Melaine = Melanie

Siuane = Susan

Lan = Alan

Daved = David

Jaim = James

Verin = Verity

Haral = Harold

Alsbet = Elizabeth

 

Theres many more that I cant remember

 

LOL, I just don't think I'd be able to take Lan quite as seriously if his name were Alan.  No offense to anyone out there named Alan but C'mon just picture it.  Ooooo it the big scary warrior, Alan LOL.

 

Jaim - actually there is no one in the series by that name.  It was a typo that somehow got into some editions of TDR.  In all other books it is Jain.

 

Verity? Really?  That's a name?  It can't be a very common one.

 

Aram s an actual name, a biblical one.  There are still some people with that name.

[mb]

The names Thom mentions when talking about the First Age (Shadow Rising Chapter 20); those for sure seem to be intentional parodies.  (Mosk, Merk, Elsbet, Anla)  Mosk and Merk Encyclopaedia tells are Moscow and America; Elsbet it tells is Queen Elisabeth; Anla it tells is 'Ann Landers'/'Dear Abby'.

Encyclopaedia site identifies a number of other names::

-'Lenn'='John Glenn'

-'Salya'='Salyut' or 'Sally Ride'

-'Materese'='Mother Teressa'

-'Ind' it speculates 'India'

Those names come from Eye of World Chapter 4.

Other names, it would be anybody's guess on whether they are intentional parodies; and anybody's guess on what they are supposed to represent.

 

Jaim - actually there is no one in the series by that name.

Actually, there is a character named Jaim; mentioned in Eye of World Chapter 32.

 

[The Watcher and Wanderer]

Other names, it would be anybody's guess on whether they are intentional parodies; and anybody's guess on what they are supposed to represent.

 

Some have speculated that since Rand is a Messiah type figure that some of his followers have been given names to resemble those of Christ's Apostles:

 

Perrin = Peter

Mat = Matthew

Thom = Thomas

 

Of course if this is the case then somebody better keep and eye on Juilin

[Obligatory WOT Reference]

The names Thom mentions when talking about the First Age (Shadow Rising Chapter 20); those for sure seem to be intentional parodies.  (Mosk, Merk, Elsbet, Anla)  Mosk and Merk Encyclopaedia tells are Moscow and America; Elsbet it tells is Queen Elisabeth; Anla it tells is 'Ann Landers'/'Dear Abby'.

Encyclopaedia site identifies a number of other names::

-'Lenn'='John Glenn'

-'Salya'='Salyut' or 'Sally Ride'

-'Materese'='Mother Teressa'

-'Ind' it speculates 'India'

Those names come from Eye of World Chapter 4.

Other names, it would be anybody's guess on whether they are intentional parodies; and anybody's guess on what they are supposed to represent.

 

Jaim - actually there is no one in the series by that name.

Actually, there is a character named Jaim; mentioned in Eye of World Chapter 32.

 

 

Also Perrin has a cousin named Jaim Aybara who shows up at the end of tSR

[Agitel]

Quote from: OptimusPrime on November 30, 2009, 01:04:59 PM

I like how a lot of the names are obviously variations of modern names.

Unless Robert Jordan commented about that, it would be anybody's guess whether the variations were intended or not

 

My guess is that it was intentional, taking into account both the similarties I listed and the fact that our time was in Randlands past and future.

 

That, and he basically hints at it in The Great Hunt, too.

 

"But he heard a hundred names when he looked at each face, some so different he did not

recognize them as names at all, though he knew they were. Michael instead of Mikel. Patrick instead of Paedrig.

Oscar instead of Otarin."