Made up Words Make up Worlds
No self respecting fantasy series is without coined words.
Shakespeare kept up with tradition long set by the Greek Dramatists of making up words to suit his stories.
“The most exhaustive take on Shakespeare’s invented words comes from a nice little 874-page book entitled The Shakespeare Key by Charles and Mary Cowden Clarke. Here’s how they explain Shakespeare’s literary innovations:
Shakespeare, with the right and might of a true poet, and with his peculiar royal privilege as king of all poets, has minted several words that deserve to become current in our language. He coined them for his own special use to express his own special meanings in his own special passages; but they are so expressive and so well framed to be exponents of certain particulars in meanings common to us all, that they deserve to become generally adopted and used.”
Tolkien, named the father of modern fantasy set the bar very high for the rest of us. Start with Hobbit for instance. Of course there is also his entire Elven Language.
Phrase of the day
A Elbereth Gilthoniel silivren penna míriel o menel aglar elenath! Na-chaered palan díriel o galadhremmin ennorath. Fanuilos le linnathon nef aear, sí nef aearon.
As sung by the elves in Rivendell. It’s an iambic tetrameter hymn, and one of the longest texts in sindarin.
Sindarin [RGEO:72] by Aldaleon
Can you name a fantasy series that does not have imagined character and place names? Would you read such a thing? Of course not! The names are an author’s promise and guarantee that the reader will be transported into a spectacularly magical world.
The best fantasy authors go well beyond characters and places. Endearments, insults, food, military equipment, plant and animal species. How about magical spells, incantations, forces and materials? Even the fairy godmother has her Bibidibobidyboo.
In the Leoshine series we have a mixture of science fiction and fantasy. There is a generated atmosphere that relies on chemical infusion and engines. There are devices and gadgets, hovercraft and interdomiary vessels.
Oh look! Do you see it? Spell check is the darling of spoiler alerts. You’ve heard of “interplanetary” and “intergalactic.” I coined the word “interdomiary” because the space ships travel between Domes — generated atmospheres.
The fantasy elements have to do with kings and queens — ao Kevath and ao Kenan — princesses — tassanara — and horses. (I love horses for their nobility). I almost made the horses into fantastical beasts, but I couldn’t come up with anything more beautiful than what already is. (Did I mention I love horses?)
Glossaries are very important parts of fantasy series. They keep us grounded and educate us in the world we are exploring. I have loaded up Leoshine’s glossary on her website and I look forward to interacting with her fans about Rellogats, Teshaddars, Sassnigors, and Bertrae.
I decided, upon the advice of my culture consultant, to write the glossary from Iliana’s point of view. She is a secondary character, the mother of the Aeolian leader. She is an outsider looking in. Now I’m thinking it would be fun to write a glossary from a Myxolidian’s point of view. They are outsiders looking into the Aeolian ways.
The point of a glossary is to give the reader a foothold in the world. You should never feel like an outsider! Happy reading! Now go and get lost in a fantastically magical world!
I have been writing her for more than twenty years and am very excited to share Leoshine, Princess Oracle, and her glossary with you. Please visit https://leoshine.micandpen.com/ to learn more.
