Monday 26 October 2020

Names

One way to convey to readers that a story is set in an exotic society or period is to give some of its characters appropriately exotic names. In Poul Anderson's "The Sky People," "Loklann sunna Holber" and "Robra sunna Stam" are personal names followed by patronymics, "...son of..." By contrast, two other societies have retained surnames:

the Meycan calde, Don Miwel Caraban, has a daughter called Donita Tresa Caraban;

the visiting Maurai ship's captain is Ruori Rangi Lohannaso.

Centuries later, in "Progress":

both another ship's captain, Ranu Kaelo Makintairu, and his cyberneticist, Alisabeta Kanukauai, are related by blood to the Lohannaso Shippers' Association;

Mericans retain patronymics as evidenced by Lorn sunna Browen of Corado University;

a Beneghali scientist-administrator is called Indravarman Dhananda.

Multiple cultures flourish in the centuries after the War of Judgment.

1 comment:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

And "Miwel" was how Anderson speculated "Miguel" would become. And "Pablo" became "Pawolo." And Don Miwel's daughter's name "Tresa" plainly evolved from "Teresa."

Stirling shows us a small ethnic group in the Change world apparently stemming from our Chicago who used patronyms like "sunna," which I now think was a homage to Anderson.

Ad astra! Sean