FFH Country Names + Lurchip Lore

Ok I've been too busy to get started on the story i was planning and the map I got was ridiculously in my favour so its hold untill I have the time to work on it. If anyone has any more info or personal perceptions of the lurchip, im still interested.
 
Here is how I see them

Amurites = Amuril
Balseraphs = Balseraph
Calabim = Calab
Clan of Embers = the Clanholds
Doviello = Dovia
Elohim = Eloia
Grigori = Grigoria
Hippus = Hippa
Khazad = Khazad
Kuriotates = the Kurio Empire
Ljosalfar = Ljosal
Luchuirp = Luch
Malakim = Malak
Sidar = Sidar
Svartalfar = Svartal
 
I think the elves would simply be Dark Alfheim and Light Alfheim. Alfheim is the world in Norse mythology where elves dwelt. Ljosalfar and Svartalfar are both derived from this. Alfar is plural of elf which is also in if Alfheim.

Rereading some Norse mythology, I discovered that the Ljosalfar ived on the surface, whil the Svartalfar lived underground and their skin and ways were "black as tar".
 
Here's my crack at the (probably anglicised or at least... "Earthicised" [Terracised?]) version of the names of the countries of Erebus:

  • Amurites = Amur (compare: Canaanites - Canaan)
  • Balseraphs = Difficult to say. "Serpah" is from Hebrew "saraf" = the highest rank of angel. Obviously they lived in Heaven, so it's kinda difficult... with more information aout the origin of the name it would be easier to say. It's even more confusing that they're not the "Balseraphim", but if they were, I might say "Balseraphey Makóm", which I think would mean "Place of the Balseraphs".
  • Calabim = Hebrew plural again... difficult to say. A single Calabim would be a Calab, so that might be the name of their country. With my limited knowledge of Hebrew, I could guess "Calabey Makóm", meaning "Place of the Calabim" (I think).
  • Clan of Embers = Kael sure makes this difficult for us... :p. It could be anything, really, but would most likely be referred to as "Clanlands" or something similar. Given their disorganised nature, it's also possible that each region belinging to a certain tribe or clan within the overall Clan of Embers might have its own name. The Orcish name of the Clan would help.
  • Doviello = Doviel, perhaps. -lo sounds like it could be a suffix in the Doviello language similar to English -an (Americ-an).
  • Elohim = Elohey Makóm, maybe.
  • Grigori = Grigor, following Latin construction, or something like Grigus/Grigoria/Grigo. The Ordo Medici is the name of the order of Grigori medics, IIRC, and "Grigor" would follow that - if "medici" means "of/pertaining to medicine", or "medics".
  • Hippus = If it's Latin-based, "Hippus" sounds like an adjective describing the people, or the name of the country. So it could be something removed from Hippus or varying by regions owned by clans and tribes, if there are such things among the Hippus; or it could just be "Hippus".
  • Khazad = Khaz/Khaz Khazad/Khaz Khazak/Khaz-something else.
  • Kuriotates = Kuriot/Kuriota
  • Ljosalfar = Álfheimr/Ljosálfaheimr/Ljosálfarheimr/same but without the final "r".
  • Luchuirp = Khaz Luchuirp
  • Malakim = Malakey Makóm, perhaps.
  • Sidar = Sid/Sidar/Sidaria/A name for the region, unrelated to the name of the Sidar, that predates their existence (as with many Islamic tribes in the East)
  • Svartalfar = Svartálfaheimr/Svartálfaheimr/same but without the final "r".
  • Illians = Illia
  • Mercurians = Mercury/Mercuria
  • Infernals = Hell/a specific region of Hell
 
Here's my crack at the (probably anglicised or at least... "Earthicised" [Terracised?]) version of the names of the countries of Erebus:

  • Amurites = Amur (compare: Canaanites - Canaan)
  • Balseraphs = Difficult to say. "Serpah" is from Hebrew "saraf" = the highest rank of angel. Obviously they lived in Heaven, so it's kinda difficult... with more information aout the origin of the name it would be easier to say. It's even more confusing that they're not the "Balseraphim", but if they were, I might say "Balseraphey Makóm", which I think would mean "Place of the Balseraphs".
  • Calabim = Hebrew plural again... difficult to say. A single Calabim would be a Calab, so that might be the name of their country. With my limited knowledge of Hebrew, I could guess "Calabey Makóm", meaning "Place of the Calabim" (I think).
  • Clan of Embers = Kael sure makes this difficult for us... :p. It could be anything, really, but would most likely be referred to as "Clanlands" or something similar. Given their disorganised nature, it's also possible that each region belinging to a certain tribe or clan within the overall Clan of Embers might have its own name. The Orcish name of the Clan would help.
  • Doviello = Doviel, perhaps. -lo sounds like it could be a suffix in the Doviello language similar to English -an (Americ-an).
  • Elohim = Elohey Makóm, maybe.
  • Grigori = Grigor, following Latin construction, or something like Grigus/Grigoria/Grigo. The Ordo Medici is the name of the order of Grigori medics, IIRC, and "Grigor" would follow that - if "medici" means "of/pertaining to medicine", or "medics".
  • Hippus = If it's Latin-based, "Hippus" sounds like an adjective describing the people, or the name of the country. So it could be something removed from Hippus or varying by regions owned by clans and tribes, if there are such things among the Hippus; or it could just be "Hippus".
  • Khazad = Khaz/Khaz Khazad/Khaz Khazak/Khaz-something else.
  • Kuriotates = Kuriot/Kuriota
  • Ljosalfar = Álfheimr/Ljosálfaheimr/Ljosálfarheimr/same but without the final "r".
  • Luchuirp = Khaz Luchuirp
  • Malakim = Malakey Makóm, perhaps.
  • Sidar = Sid/Sidar/Sidaria/A name for the region, unrelated to the name of the Sidar, that predates their existence (as with many Islamic tribes in the East)
  • Svartalfar = Svartálfaheimr/Svartálfaheimr/same but without the final "r".
  • Illians = Illia
  • Mercurians = Mercury/Mercuria
  • Infernals = Hell/a specific region of Hell

Most of these seem pretty good, although it does seem that the word Makóm is a bit over used. At least mix it up a little, maybe using Beth (house of) instead of Makóm for some of them.

Amur sounds good.

Clanslands is fine, but something more thematic would be better. I can't think of anything for it though.

The whole "-iello" looks like the suffix to me (it looks like it would mean "little one from" or something like that). Not sure if what it leaves (essentially Dove) fits for their lands though. Maybe Doviello means something more like "Little Beast." Not sure what to call their lands, probably just "The Tundra" for now.



Grigori is from the Greek Egregoroi, equivalent to the Hebrew Irin ("watchers." Hello Hannah), which would refer to a group of fallen angels. This might be used ironically, or could refer to how Cassiel sits back and watches instead of getting directly involved in creation, and wishes others would do the same. Of course, if it were Latin it would probably stem from Grex-Gregis, "flock." The e in the beginning of the Greek version though makes me think that it is more like Egregious that Gregarious, i.e., standing out of the flock instead of pertaining to or part of a flock. Thus, it would refer to the "sheep who flees the shepherd than the one that remains to be mutton," in Cassiel's words. I know this is wrong, but I like it better. Not really sure what to call their lands though. The Grigori Medics are the "Ordince Medicos," meaning "(medical) Doctors in Order" (plus it uses the Accusative case for medic...weird. I would rather correct it to Ordo Medicorum"


Since I always associate the Hippus with the Rohirrim, I tend to call their lands "The Mark." There are several different clans of the Hippus. Oddly, the singular form for one clan is Hippi and the plural used for them collectively is Hippus (sort of the opposite of what you would expect from a Latin word)


Dwerrowheim could work for the Khazad, it you want to follow the model of the Elves.

I can say that -tates is a Latin plural form of -itas. Kuriotates also reminds me of Kyrios (u and y both come from the same Greek letter), "Lord." (Probably a reference to their god-king, Cardith-Lorda) Thus, Kuriotates is "lordships." I'd expect a name meaning something like "The Lord's Land," maybe Kyrionea? I also thought to look up the Greek word for fatherland to use (since the Latin is used for Patria of the Age of Magic), but it was too close to Patria (it is Patrida)

Ljosalfiem sounds good.

How about "New Kradh-Ke-zun" for the Luchuirp?


Somehow I think it would be appropriate to call the lands of the Sidar "Sheol." It was the abode of the Shades (Raphaim), albeit those shades were the dead. The irony of calling the lands of those who have sacrificed their souls to avoid death by the name of the place of the dead amuses me too.

Svartalfiem sounds good.


Illia doesn't seem quite right, as it it means "genitals, intestines, the lower parts of the body, etc." Of course, Illion (Greek)/Illium (Latin)/Illia (plural in either language) is also an older and more poetic name of Troy (and its environs). Calling their Empire "Troias" seems odd.


I don't think the Mersurians have any country of their own, and if they did it would be in the various Heavens or the Underworld. They don't need a name for their territory, as they are only holding them temporarily as bases of operation from which to attack Demons.


Yeah, I'd just call Infernals lands Hell
 
Interesting ideas, especially about the Grigori - I wasn't aware that their language was actually Latin, but rather something similar to it - is ordince any case of ordo, ordinis; and shouldn't the accusative be "ordinem"? Ah - unless you were referring to medicos. I think it's more of an approximation of a Romance language, with elements of Greek. Are those concrete etymologies of the name?

I find the idea of the Doviello being "little" anythings quite odd. It's a strange sort of mix of Hebrew and Romance, the typical double L and and the -el of the names of archangels. I'm not sure I can imagine the Doviello as describing themselves as "little", and I agree that "dove" isn't quite fitting. Two explanations I can think of is that your theory is correct, and this is an ironic name given to them by outsiders that has since stuck, and remained the same while the rest of language has changed, thus losing its original meaning. The language of the Doviello is probably very beastial, gruff and harsh; sounding almost like roars and growls to foreigners. Their own name for themselves might be quite hard to transliterate into English.

"Makóm", as I said, was from a very limited knowledge I have of Hebrew. It probably would be best to use other words, as well. Perhaps for the Elohim, "Elohey Beth" (Sounds too much like "Elizabeth", doesn't it? I suppose it could have evolved into "Elohabeth"), Malakey Makóm for the Malakim, and I'm not sure about the Calabim. Maybe the word for "lair".

The problem with using a Norse name for the dwarves is that the Svartalfar are essentially Norse dwarves. It seems a bit odd to have two races which are usually considered to be the same thing living on the same world. Since the Svartalfar are really an offshoot of the Ljosalfar, it makes more sense to give them the opposite Norse name to Ljosalfaheim. That's why I suggest using the Tolkien-inspired naming system for the Khazad. I wasn't aware that there was a canonical name for the Luchuirps' empire already - "Kradh" is fairly similar to "Khaz" anyway, you can imagine the slight linguistic shift when the races separated resulting in that; the more traditional Khazad retaining their old word as the innovative Luchuirp progressed, allowing their language to evolve and change. One thing I overlooked when considering the name of their nation was that it could already be right there: Khaz Ad. The word "Ad" seems to be one of those words that doesn't change much over time, even many thousands of years - words like sister, brother, person, etc. (e.g. *aner- -> anēr -> ándras, following the PIE -> Ancient Greek -> Modern Greek evolution of the word for "man"). Perhaps "ad" and "ak" are forms of the same word, a word the Khazad used in ancient times to refer to themselves, which has since been replaced with a word that describes them in relation to their nation - i.e. at first they were the "ad", then they named their city "Khaz Ak" meaning "city/place/home of the ad" or somesuch, then "Khaz Ak" came to apply to the empire which grew out of that city, eventually changing to "Khazak", and the Khazad adopted the "Khaz" from the name of their country - or foreigners did when they encountered them. Does that make any sense? Alternatively, perhaps "Ad/ak" are forms of a word meaning "under" or "beneath", words very important to those who live beneath the surface, and "Khaz Ak" means "underhome", the word for "home" (khaz) also meaning a person, or a dweller, therefore "khaz ak" means both "underhome" and "underdweller". Or maybe Dwarven grammar has a case that describes something as being inside something, and their grammar works oddly, so "khaz" means under, "ak" means home, and "ad" means "something in a home". I'm rambling so terribly...

It baffles me how "Luchuirp" can be related to "Kradh-ke-zun". I'll just assume that it's not and let it pass... Oh, who am I kidding, no I won't. Perhaps "luchuirp" is a word they used to describe themselves after adopting their lifestyle as artisans and craftsmen on the surface, meaning just that - "artisans" or "craftsmen"; while "Kradh-ke-zun" means "Home-above-surface" or somesuch. That would suggest "Khaz" means "home", also.

With Illia, I was thinking not just about the obvious "Illian, American, Illia, America" thing, but also about Troy. It's said that the Illians once had a great empire, isn't it? Perhaps in the same way that Troy, once a great and beautiful city, was laid waste to by the Greeks against very great odds; Illia was destroyed by the Amurites. Though the parallels really stop there - the Illians are clearly evil, while obviously in "real" (or at least only semi-fictional) wars, there aren't really good and evil sides.

Kuriotanea might work for the Kuriotates - close to Greek "Kyrionea", but removed. What would be really interesting and time consuming would be to write the languages of Erebus, alphabets and all. :p

The singular of Hippus is Hippy? Crazy. I always wondered why they always seem to go for FoL (or OO...). Maybe all their grammar is back-to-front Latin, and their land is "Hippi" as well. Though that sounds a little bit silly/Finnish.

Emberlands might be nice for the Clan. I suspect they'd mostly be referred to with derogatory terms by the civilised world, however, and their name for themselves is probably unpronouncable.
 
Yeah, Ordine is clearly in the ablative. Medicos was the accusative part (although it could also be an older or more rustic nominative singular. "O" was originally somewhat between the "O" and "U" sounds. When the pronunciation diverged a little they adopted "U," based on the Greek Upsilon but a little closer to an "O". Of course, this caused some problems when they adopted words that used upsilon in a different sense, so they latter adopted "Y" ("the greek i") from upsilon too).

The language isn't actually Latin, it is described as being closer to Erebus's equivalent of English. I tend to assume that such names might be in Patrian though, which often seems to bear a striking resemblance to Latin (in that everything that I assume is supposed to be in Patrian is written in Latin)


Yeah, most civs names come from the names of various choirs of angels (and fallen angels) in Judo-Christian folk lore. The Grigori at least have their etymology on wikipedia.

You are probably right about the Doviello


At least in biblical usage, Beth is always the first part of the place name, never second. (e.g., Bethel, Bethlehem, etc) Thus, Beth Elohey is probably better them Elohey Beth (it also sounds nothing like Elizabeth). For all I know Makóm should occur first too. Searching online I couldn't find a transliterated form of the Hebrew for "Lair" or "Den," but the Aramaic is apparently "gobe"



Yeah, you are probably right about not using Norse for the dwarves. Tolkienesque is probably better. OF course, Tolkien claimed to have based it on Hebrew (not directly borrowing it, but he used several sounds common in hebrew and tried to make it sound semetic), which would make it like several other civs here.

Kradh-ke-zun is the name of the pre-Age of Ice empire from which the Lucuirp are descended (the Open-Skiers). The Luchuirp are one of several tribes which made up the empire; the only one of these tribes that survived the Ice Age. They are trying to rebuild that empire though, and might like to take its name.


Having a "t" in the Kuriotates' land's name bothers , but I don't know why. A shorter name just seems better to me too .(Of the languages mentioned here I really only speak Latin, although I've picked up a little Hebrew and Greek here and there. I don't know if Kyrionea really counts as Greek.) The Kuriotates are known for their hissing "S" sound; maybe that should appear in their empire's name.
 
Actually, I'm not so sure it takes the genitive at all. I don't know how to decline Hebrew (at least yet), but the second part doesn't usually seem to be any different than if used on its own. According to Wikipedia, it is a combining form meaning "house of" (so the "of" part is pert of this word, not the next), and when used as a prefix it functions as a preposition meaning "at," "in," or "with"

It essentially sounds like the Hebrew equivalent of the Latin "apud" ("at," "with," "among," or "at the house of"), which always takes the accusative. It may just be Beth Elohim.
 
Beth Elohim... Bethelohim... Bethlehem?

Close, but no cigar. At least if you look in the original Hebrew of Samuel David is from "Bait Lechem", which later became Bethlehem when Anglicized. Bait Lechem literally means "House of bread" or more comonly bakery. Why they chose to call a town that is beyond me :crazyeye:
 
-They are dwarves, not nomes, in FFH

They _are_ gnomes. Don't let them fool you! They just pretend to be dwarves for the free beer and kibble.

Also:

"Chthonic" means under the earth or "the underworld." So, hell-ish, but not really "hell." At least originally and according to most dictionaries, I think. I suspect the Great Old Ones have caused popular use to shift.
 
Does anyone know if all Luichurp people's first and second names begin with the same letter or if its just a coincidence that this is the case for both their leaders? (Beeri Bawl, Garrim Gyr)
 
Aye. We should ignore the alliterative names and just be thankful that we don't have names like "Tom Thistleberry."
 
Darn, and here was me planning an entire scenario line for Ice built around Tom Thistleberry, Xavier Xerxes and Reuben Rockspittle, the intrepid Luichurp heroes.
 
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