So, let's begin!

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

Thomas Knight

I liked the duality of the name, referring to an actual knight. Not only that, but as a kid I just loved “Knight Rider,” with David Hasselhoff as “Michael Knight.” There was also a 90's TV series from Canada called “Forever Knight,” with Geraint Wyn Davis as “Vampire Cop” Nick (Nicholas) Knight; I really enjoyed that one, too. So if I needed a knight, he could as well carry this telling family name. I chose “Thomas” as the name exists in many languages, no matter if English, French or German.

Phoenix

My first cat was a Siamese cat. She was like a family member and even once protected us from a burglar. She died of old age (over 20!) and I had a hard time getting over her not being around anymore. But since then, I just love Siamese cats. I tried to come up with a fitting name and at some point remembered a hilarious British sitcom called “Phoenix Nights.” Thus I thought Phoenix would be a great choice, especially also in regards to the Greek fire bird that was reborn through the ashes of its predecessor.

Cranfo

I will write more about the Court Jester in one of the other parts, but in short, the name “Cranfo” is a tribute to Michael Cranford and his “The Bard's Tale” computer games (The Bard's Tale 1 & 2). Back in the Amiga / early PC days, those were such cool games for the time...first-person dungeon explorer style games, a bit like a digital D&D. It left a lot to the player's imagination, perhaps that's why it was so awesome back then.

Sæla

I needed a joker to losen things up a bit; someone funny, cheerful and optimistic. I like him a lot. He isn't all too serious about things and always comes up with some reference or quote (just like me, ha!). Sæla translates into “happiness” in Old Norse. Quite fitting. Fist bump!~

Ylja

While I was searching for a name for her, my playlist jumped to David Guetta's “She-Wolf,” which is a great song with a visually stunning music video. That's what took me to “Ylgr,” literally “She-Wolf” in Old Norse. As it sounded a bit too “rough,” for my taste, I changed it to “Ylja.” Was very happy with it.

Taka

This one gave me a headache. I tried a lot of names but eventually ended up with “Taka,” which sounded cool. I didn't picture him Asian, as that word exists in many languages. In Japanese, 鷹 means “Hawk,” in Old Norse it can be translated to “capture, seize, or catch.”

I couldn't remember having heard that name before, not even when I was in Japan. Well, until I played the “Ghost of Tsushima” game, where “Taka” happens to be the name of a blacksmith. But at that time, the book was already finished for over a year.

The Fàiltan army leaders

Their names are all words taken from Old Norse:

Megin - translates into “strength” or (supernatural) “power”

Vægher – means “glory,” “honor,” or “fame”

Frami is another powerful name. It can be translated into “luck,” “fame,” or “courage,” just to name a few.

Frægiligr – means “honorable,” or “magnificent”

Leppr

That one made me smile - and still does. Ever heard of or played the legendary “The Curse of Monkey Island” game? There was this bald chef in the infamous “Scumm Bar” that used to disturb the main character's (“Guybrush Driftwood”...uh, I mean “Threepwood”) looting efforts. So I needed a name for the innkeeper and named him “Leppr,” as that translates into “lock of hair.” It also reminded me of that hilarious Animaniacs “Schnitzelbank” episode. A “Schnitzelbank” is apparently some sort of carpenter tool and doesn't literally refer to a Schnitzel put on a bench. 

Fafnera

I was always fascinated by the medieval, Germanic Nibelungen legend, in which Siegfried killed a dragon and bathed in its blood. By doing so he became invincible, except for a tiny little spot on his back covered by a basswood leaf. Like for Achilles, this turned out to be fatal in the end. The name of the dragon was “Fafner,” and I was happy about creating a scenario where there was a female counterpart that actually survived.

The 4 Kingdoms

Verðld or “Veröld” is of Icelandic origin and simply means “World.”

Fàilte is Gaelic/Scottish and means “Welcome.” It also exists in Irish, as “Fáilte,” but has the same meaning of course. Dugr, in Old Norse, translates to “fearlessness” or “courage.” Machair is also Gaelic and specifies a certain fertile grassy plain found on part of the Northwest coastlines of Ireland and Scotland.

Crystal City / Skið-Garðr

I imagined the city to be located in the barren Veroldian wasteland, where climate is rough for most of the year and where winter has a tight grip on it for several months. Skið-Garðr translates to “fortress of the snow-skate,” while “Garðr” is a fortress or stronghold. Its citizens have telling names derived from Czech language, and I had a lot of fun with those. The guards: “Zelenáč” translates into “rookie,” and “ Průzkumník” into “scout.”

The magistrate, “ Pochybný,” translates into “dubious” or “questionable.” Nomen est omen. Lhář, who falsely claimed his sheep were torn by the dragon, translates to “Liar.” The kid, “Moudrý,” translates to “Wise.”

Marglóðttr

That's a merger...entailing the words “marglóð” which translates to “gold,” and “knǫttr” which simply means “ball” or “sphere.” So in a way, it's just what it is...a golden ball.