originally posted by Thom
Janny,
A quick question for you if you would and can…thanks in advance. I was looking through the glossaries and noticed that many of the characters them have last names. Except for the koriathain. Is there a reason for that? Do they have last names, and if so what are they? Esp. morriel, lirenda, selidie and elaira.
Thom - You Asked - and there's a bit of history to behind this one. Also a funny sort of co-incidence, as I am, this moment, actually tinkering on the side with a storyline from here…grin.
Before refuge on Athera, since the order's founding, initiates to what is now the Koriathain give up their past and their families when they come to the order. Originally, they actually gave up their former names, for new ones given them by the Order. These became the names they went by, with the order considered their only tie - their only loyalty, in relationship. Therefore, they only had one name for their individuality. If this were so, today, and they had to sign legally, the signature would be: Prime Matriarch, Morriel Koriathain. Or First Senior Lirenda Koriathain. Initiate Elaira Koriathain. Legal "family" status was acknowledge as Koriathain.
When the Order arrived on Athera, this practice of completely giving up the birth name was forced out of practice by the compact. Paravian Law held that the soul named the child, and that facet of life should not be dropped. The birth name must therefore remain an inviolate part of identity. So the practice on Athera had to be amended to compromise - the surname was dropped, and only the given name from birth retained in use within the order.
There is an induction ceremony held, before the formal oathswearing, wherein the surname and the past ties to family are "ritually forgotten" - and no surname is ever pronounced after that. It is effectively renounced and eradicated.
originally posted by Thom
Janny,
Thankyou for answering. What would elaira's last name be or morriels for that matter. If you can answer that is…tinkering with a story…really do tell. Thankyou again.
thomas
originally posted by R’is’n
Oh… more Atherian stories. I like the sound of that! 
originally posted by Ypso
I'm not sure if it's actually the right place for posting this, because it has nothing to do with the names of the Koriathain, but with names in general.
So I was really surprised and amused some time ago about HOW much Lysaer's name suits him. I presume that it's (like the other following names) just a coincidence that the first three letters of Lysaer's name, lys, are at the same time a Danish word which means "light" (or even "candle").
Another funny thing is the name of Kitz, a man-at-arms in the sunwheel company out of Etarra, who appears in "Peril's Gate". When reading his name for the first time there was a wide grin on my face, because in German Kitz terms a fawn or a kid. So it's a really cute and funny name for a warrior. 
The last thing I found was that Dakar shares his name with the capital city of Senegal (tripped over it in a geography lesson years ago).
I hope I'll pick out some more such names sometime, because it really makes fun to find names from the Athera world in the real world. 
Ypso
(Message edited by admin on January 23, 2007)
originally posted by Blue
I was doing a word search puzzle not too long ago, and the subject was "D" place names. Would'nt you know, one of them was Dakar? It was real tough to find, I might add. I got the giggles, thinking that perhaps Dakar was out drinking and wenching, and would be back later.
originally posted by Hunter
So I guess you haven't been watching the famous Dakar rally that's just finished? A two week trial from Lisbon to Dakar through some very unfriendly terrain… hard enough in a car, let alone a motorcycle or a truck!
originally posted by Hunter
Janny pronounces his name as DAH-kar, the city is pronounced more DACK-ar…
Janny - you mention above "what is now the Koriathain"… was this order called something else prior to fleeing to Athera?
originally posted by Jeffrey L Watson
Ypso,
Something went awry in your post such that apostrophe's were showing up as question marks so I edited your post to correct these.
Jeff Watson