Fantasy Place Names from Real Places

[scottanderson]

A while ago I compiled lists of place names from several lands, and here they are for you to use.  Similar names are a good way to establish the flavor of a particular realm.

English place names sound like Hobbits' and Men's places.

Irish place names sound like Elven places.  Actually, I called the document "Elf Place Names" but the names are from real Ireland.

Scottish place names really do sound Dwarven.  Maybe it's because that's the stereotype for dwarves, or maybe it's the stereotype for dwarves because it sounds right?

I think Dutch place names would be good for Gnomes.  Do you?

Welsh place names would be good for Hobbits, Gnomes and Elves, depending on the particular name.

One way to use all of these is with a list shuffler, then you will always have an appropriate name (not in alphabetical order!) for the next hamlet or little town.

[tetramorph]

These are great!

I like to name things really generically, then imagine how words got elided and pronunciations shifted over time.

Things like colors: green, blue, grey, brown, white.

Near things: river, ford, bridge, crag, mount, mountain, down, hill, field, copse, close, lea, manor, wood, etc.

Then I do direction by the Sun, so:
N = Night, Midnight, Nix
S = Noon, Day
E= Dawn, Rise
W = Dusk, set

So, I have an Elf village to the far west of the OS map called "Settinson," from the old Elf for "House of the Setting Sun."

The hobbits have a village Far East on the map called "Dawnslee," from "Dawn's Lea."

And sometimes I just go for fun. The village tucked into the forest I decided was a close found in a glen. So I named it "Glen Close"!

[randyb]

Sept 22, 2016 6:40:19 GMT -5 tetramorph said:

These are great!

I like to name things really generically, then imagine how words got elided and pronunciations shifted over time.

Things like colors: green, blue, grey, brown, white.

Near things: river, ford, bridge, crag, mountain, down, hill, etc.

Then I do direction by the Sun, so:
N = Night, Midnight, Nix
S = Noon, Day
E= Dawn, Rise
W = Dusk, set

So, I have an Elf village to the far west of the OS map called "Settinson," from the old Elf for "House of the Serting Sun."

The hobbits have a village Far East on the map called "Dawnslee," from "Dawn's Lea."

And sometimes I just go for fun. The village tucked into the forest I decided was in a close. So I named it "Glen Close"!

There's a lot of good verisimilitude in this. Many real world place names have just that kind of lineage.

[hengest]

scottanderson, I dig the lists. Thanks for sharing your work product with us.

So lovely, all that variety in each list!

Grendon Warren!