Many Norse location names derive from landscape features, such as rocks, trees, plants, and animals, and once properly introduced to them we can start to recognize the pattern. While the locals will simply tell you it has always been like that and that the town must have gotten its name due to how popular the term “good night” was, the real reason behind why it was long forgotten even if anyone actually knew it at the time. Others will tell you it is only a myth and even if you find the cave you won’t make it out alive as monsters dwell inside.Ĭalling a name weird is in the eyes of the beholder, as they say, and while someone will recognize the name and the implication immediately, others will simply lack the knowledge and find it strange or peculiar at the very least. Stories say one can find another exit, on the other side, one that leads into a beautiful paradise. Located in the northern regions where the snow never melts, there is a large cave at the bottom of a frozen mountain. While the people were victorious, and ultimately won the war and their freedom, many found the keep to be their last place to see, a place where they made their last stand. In a vicious war, several human generations ago, this keep was the last point of defense for the kingdom, before the capital itself. The village soon went from becoming a town to now a major trading hub on the very crossroads of the realm, where hundreds of people flock to see the relic. More people came, and more houses were built until a village was born. The first people who found it built a house nearby, marveling at the strange rock, especially as it glowed in night. One sunny day, a small green rock-like object fell from the sky. A good way to start is to think about the world the location is set in, the region in which it exists, the history behind it, and the creatures living there, and see if there’s a connection that might offer more stories once discovered.

Good Fantasy Place NamesĪ good name depends on the location itself, the purpose behind it, and the target audience in real life. While names serve an obvious purpose, we can make them also act as covers of a book, gates to the rich lore behind it, and the names that usually stick with us are the ones that immediately raise questions that make us thirsty for more information. Sometimes the name isn’t even the original one but one that got repeated by people over time, slowly but surely pushing the real name away, or perhaps the old name is forbidden by the new rulers and any mention gets you in trouble with the law. Names often allude to events of the past or extraordinary deeds and serve as an introduction to future lore. Naming a place, whether it’s a mountain, a town, city, or even an ancient temple can really set the mood regardless of what you’re going for.

Magical names for kingdoms