Llaoihrr Nomenclature

Although this entry is split into first and second names, most Brownies within their tribe only go by the first. They simply don't find that they need more than this, or prefer to use a description of the Brownie in question to refer to them. In fact this description is fairly interchangeable with their second names, but more about that in the section devoted to it. The double name combination is usually only used for official purposes, stories, censuses, contracts and such.

First Names

Llaoihrr first names are strange in their seeming illogical variations. Whilst one Brownie goes by the pretty, memorable name “Cerubell”, another’s moniker sounds like an incomprehensible blast of syllables. The reason for this is in fact quite simple; the Brownies have discovered how impossible the rest of the world find the pronunciation of their names, and often choose instead to simple translate the Browniin word straight into Tharian. Thus “Cerubell” actually goes by the name “” within her own tribe – the Browniin word for the pretty blue flower. Some Brownies don’t choose to do this though , perhaps because their name doesn’t convert to a simple word, or they simply prefer the sound of their Browniin name. For these Brownies there is still the problem of actually making the word pronounceable, and often names are somewhat tharianised to help. This in itself leads to even more variations, depending on which tribe’s particular dialect is used for the conversion. Take this researcher’s own name for example: “rroo’ee” in the original Browniin form. This could easily be converted to Rockee, Rooky, Rooy, Houkie…the list goes on.

Most first names are rather old, passed down from generation to generation and with many hints back to old Browniin. The notion of objects having a spirit or essence seems to find its way into every nook and cranny, and the older names with more history behind them are traditionally luckier. On the other hand, a trend for new, more modern sounding names is also raising its head, and many older names are gaining a new twang, mainly in the form of a new consonant. “T” is very popular, as the short, sharp sound feels positively delectible on the Llaoihrr tongue. The tradional long "rr"s are being shorterned to a more tharian-sounding "r" too, but strangly the long "LL" remains.

It is important for this process to note how Browniin word and sentence structure differs: the noun or the base of the word comes first, then the modifiers are added on. Hence the base of the name comes first, and then modifiers second. Sometimes names can just be the base word alone without any modifiers at all, and names with three or more parts (including base) are quite rare. Monikers longer than four sylibles are impractical as they cannot be written as one word in Browniin (see Browniin Principles for more details)

This list shows some of the more common naming syllables, but it is in no way an exhaustive collection. Where the pieces have significance, the meanings have been added.

Remember: Llaoihrr First Name = Base + Modifier (Or simply Base alone)

Please refer to the Browniin Principles for pronunciation help, as it is somewhat different from Tharian.

Common Male Bases

oorr – Also “toorr” or even “tor” in modern variations

Common Female Bases

rrei – the old Browniin word for “flower”. A well-used and well-loved base.
ehei – Lit: “daystar”. This base is often used without modifiers.
LLou - origin unknown
tulp - a modern base meaning "Tulip" probably came from the Tharian word.
rroos - a modern base meaning "Rose" probably came from the Tharian word. Sometimes spelt "roos" as well.

Common Bases for Either Gender

rrLL – Lit: “leaf” or “dragon”. This is rarely used alone, as it can get confusing. Most common for greenbarks

Common Male Modifiers

Common Female Modifiers

eeLL - unknown. Often used for twins, but unclear why.
‘ee – Lit: “Treasured”.
je - a modern form of "'ee", meaning small/precious.

Second Names

A Brownie's second name is chosen by the Brownie itself, and is usually the word which best describes who they are or what they have achieved. It is not officially finalised until they have completed their full apprenticeship at the age of thirty, although few actually change it more than once in their lifetimes. When they are young a Brownie often either goes by a traditional family name, or names themselves after their colouring: Greenbark, Greybark, Bluebark, and so on. Of course these are the translated versions, the Brownies would leave them in the original Browniin among themselves and only convert them into Tharian for ease of pronunciation by foreigners.

Here are a list of some common names in both Browniin and Tharian. Brownies do tend to translate their second names into whatever language they are speaking, as the meaning is more important than the sounds. Please note that a Llaoihrr can only have a name which actually applies to them: a Brownbark cannot be called "Bluebark" for example. Nor can a gardener take the title "Huntsman". It would simply make no sense.

Birth Names

These are the sort of names a Brownie might be given at birth, so either refering to the Llaoihrr's skin colouring or a family name. If a Brownie was born somewhere other than the Vale, then it is quite normal for them to take the name of that place as their last name. Birth names may in fact stay with the Brownie throughout their life, especially in the case of Family Names.

Brownbark
Greybark
Greenbark
Bluebark
Yellowbark
Ebonybark
Birchbark

Born-in-"------" - if the Brownie was born somewhere unusual
From-"------" - could be a family name if the family originated somewhere else

Job-Specific Names

These can be the general Clan Names, or a reference to something else the Brownie is particularly skilled at. For example, a member of the Prowler Clan who specialises in hunting black beetles might take "Prowler" as their last name, or any version of "Black-Beetle-Hunter", "Beetle-Killer" and so on. In short it denotes that the Brownie in question is an expert in this field.

Prowler
Beetle-killer
Ferretmaster
Foxmaster
Skydiver
Falconmaster
Owlmaster
Tree-Protector (note: this Brownie is not actually famous for protecting trees in general, but rather for defending a tree which is home to others.)
Trader
Bead-Trader
Babbler
Tharian-Speaker
Scholar
Barkstudy-Scholar
History-Scholar
Present-Times-Scholar
Inventor (Lit: Advancement-Scholar)
Hammer'r
Artificial-Wing-Maker
Bubbler
Posion-Bubbler
Preserve-Bubbler
Mage
Imparter

Examples of Unique Names

These are given to a Brownie who has completed some great work or some otherwise recognised feat. Very few Brownies ever earn these names. The "------" would be the particular things they where famous for inventing or discovering or defending against.

"--------"-Founder - for a Brownie who founded a school or trade route for exmple.
"-------"-Finder - if this was the Brownie who first discovered something
"-------"-Inventor
"-------"-Betterer - someone who took an old design and made significant improvements
"-------"-Fighter - for a Brownie involved in a famous fight