Post by Tαℓвσт on Oct 3, 2011 0:14:10 GMT -5
Names--
In the Warriors series, names are very important for the clan cats. The name of a cat indicates his or her rank, and ceremonies are performed when a cat is ready to receive his/her apprentice or warrior name.
That's all well and good, but how exactly do clan names work, anyway?
CO follows a form of Traditionalism.
When a kit is born, they receive a name that best describes their appearance, followed by the suffix of -kit. The name that appears before the suffix is called a prefix. Once a kit ages to six moons (roughly six months in human terms), they will receive their apprentice name, which is the prefix of their Kit name, followed by the suffix of -paw.
When a cat becomes a warrior, the leader gives them their full warrior name, with a suffix that acknowledges a skill or positive personality trait.
The name of a warrior is not just a compound word of two things that might sound good together. These names are formed with a purpose, and not just thrown together to get the job done.
The first part of a cat's name is a noun or adjective that most accurately describes the cat who bears it. Nouns are people, places, and things, but in the case of a warrior name, you're more likely to use a 'thing'. Plants, types of animals. Adjectives are words that describe, such as colors or contrasts: red, blue, dark, light, pale, etc.
The latter half is a little simpler. A suffix is chosen to best represent the character of the cat. A cat who shows exceptional battle prowess will be called -claw, while a cat with strong morals and compassion would be granted the -heart suffix.
All possible suffixes for warriors include:
-claw – a cat with exceptional talent in combat.
-cloud – a cat with "average" abilities who is gentle in nature, patient and not easily unsettled.
-face – a cat with "average" abilities who is considered very good looking.
-fang – a cat who is above average at both hunting and fighting, but not outstanding enough in either to become a -claw or -whisker.
-flower – a nurturing cat who is good at raising kittens.
-foot – a cat who is fast on their paws.
-fur – a cat with "average" abilities.
-heart – a compassionate cat with strong morals.
-leaf – a medicine cat with exceptional abilities.
-nose – a cat with particularly sharp senses.
-pelt – a cat with "average" abilities.
-step – a correlating suffix, and therefore must work with the prefix.
-storm – a cat with an unpredictable and dynamic nature.
-stream – an agile cat who is exceptionally good at swimming - used only by RiverClan.
-stripe – a cat with "average" abilities; they do however, have distinct tabby markings - cannot be used with a prefix that implies stripes, to avoid redundancy.
-tail – an agile cat with a notable sense of balance.
-throat – a cat with "average" abilities who is a good communicator and/or story-teller.
-whisker – a cat with exceptional hunting skills.
Prefixes and suffixes do not correlate, so a cat named Mouseflower is just as reasonable a name Mousetail. Mouseflower having the suffix -flower only tells us that she is a light brown(-and-white) cat who has a natural talent and passion for raising kits. Equally, Mousetail only tells us that she is a light brown(-and-white) cat who is agile and has good balance, and has nothing to do with a mouse having a tail.
On the flip side, when a cat warrants a name-change, it is almost always correlating.
I'm still a little confused...
For a simple example, let's say a dark grey kitten is born. The kit's mother decides to name him Smokekit, because his fur resembles a smokey color. When Smokekit ages to six moons, he then takes on the Apprentice name of Smokepaw. Smokepaw, when he becomes a warrior, has no outstanding abilities but is nevertheless a well rounded and able warrior. He then becomes Smokepelt, to honor this.
Kits are named for their overall appearance, as their mother names them when they are still nursing at her belly. A kit is going to be named after what they look like, not a specific marking on their coat and certainly not over the colour of their eyes.
Important points to note:
- Suffixes are lowercase, as the prefix and suffix combined form one name. ie. Lionclaw, rather than LionClaw.
-The suffix -star may only be used by Leaders.
- Star can not be used as a prefix, as Star is bestowed only upon leaders, by StarClan, as a suffix.
- The prefixes of Moon and Sun are also prohibited, as they represent significant figures in Clan culture.
- Adjectives aside, cats are named for the native plant and animal life in their Clan's territory, so if there are no hares in ShadowClan, there likely won't be any cats with that prefix.
- Clanborn cats are not named for their eye colour, as all kittens are born blue-eyed. The colour enzymes kick in roughly a month after birth, and no self-respecting queen would keep her kit nameless for the first moon of its life just to name it Greenkit.
- A hyphen is only appropriate to use in a name when the prefix ends in, and a suffix starts with a vowel. Ex. One-ear, White-eye.
- Name-changes are not used to humiliate, and are instead earned as acknowledgment and respect to one's strength and ability to survive.
Okay, so, can I name my cat after a phoenix? Or a centaur or something? Those are cool!
In the Warriors series, these are domestic cats that consider larger cats such as Lions and Tigers to be mythical beings. Fantasy creatures such as Dragons, Phoenixes, and other beasts common in fantasy stories would be foreign terms to these cats, and in turn would not be appropriate prefixes or suffixes for clan names.
In the Warriors series, names are very important for the clan cats. The name of a cat indicates his or her rank, and ceremonies are performed when a cat is ready to receive his/her apprentice or warrior name.
That's all well and good, but how exactly do clan names work, anyway?
CO follows a form of Traditionalism.
When a kit is born, they receive a name that best describes their appearance, followed by the suffix of -kit. The name that appears before the suffix is called a prefix. Once a kit ages to six moons (roughly six months in human terms), they will receive their apprentice name, which is the prefix of their Kit name, followed by the suffix of -paw.
When a cat becomes a warrior, the leader gives them their full warrior name, with a suffix that acknowledges a skill or positive personality trait.
The name of a warrior is not just a compound word of two things that might sound good together. These names are formed with a purpose, and not just thrown together to get the job done.
The first part of a cat's name is a noun or adjective that most accurately describes the cat who bears it. Nouns are people, places, and things, but in the case of a warrior name, you're more likely to use a 'thing'. Plants, types of animals. Adjectives are words that describe, such as colors or contrasts: red, blue, dark, light, pale, etc.
The latter half is a little simpler. A suffix is chosen to best represent the character of the cat. A cat who shows exceptional battle prowess will be called -claw, while a cat with strong morals and compassion would be granted the -heart suffix.
All possible suffixes for warriors include:
-claw – a cat with exceptional talent in combat.
-cloud – a cat with "average" abilities who is gentle in nature, patient and not easily unsettled.
-face – a cat with "average" abilities who is considered very good looking.
-fang – a cat who is above average at both hunting and fighting, but not outstanding enough in either to become a -claw or -whisker.
-flower – a nurturing cat who is good at raising kittens.
-foot – a cat who is fast on their paws.
-fur – a cat with "average" abilities.
-heart – a compassionate cat with strong morals.
-leaf – a medicine cat with exceptional abilities.
-nose – a cat with particularly sharp senses.
-pelt – a cat with "average" abilities.
-step – a correlating suffix, and therefore must work with the prefix.
-storm – a cat with an unpredictable and dynamic nature.
-stream – an agile cat who is exceptionally good at swimming - used only by RiverClan.
-stripe – a cat with "average" abilities; they do however, have distinct tabby markings - cannot be used with a prefix that implies stripes, to avoid redundancy.
-tail – an agile cat with a notable sense of balance.
-throat – a cat with "average" abilities who is a good communicator and/or story-teller.
-whisker – a cat with exceptional hunting skills.
Prefixes and suffixes do not correlate, so a cat named Mouseflower is just as reasonable a name Mousetail. Mouseflower having the suffix -flower only tells us that she is a light brown(-and-white) cat who has a natural talent and passion for raising kits. Equally, Mousetail only tells us that she is a light brown(-and-white) cat who is agile and has good balance, and has nothing to do with a mouse having a tail.
On the flip side, when a cat warrants a name-change, it is almost always correlating.
I'm still a little confused...
For a simple example, let's say a dark grey kitten is born. The kit's mother decides to name him Smokekit, because his fur resembles a smokey color. When Smokekit ages to six moons, he then takes on the Apprentice name of Smokepaw. Smokepaw, when he becomes a warrior, has no outstanding abilities but is nevertheless a well rounded and able warrior. He then becomes Smokepelt, to honor this.
Kits are named for their overall appearance, as their mother names them when they are still nursing at her belly. A kit is going to be named after what they look like, not a specific marking on their coat and certainly not over the colour of their eyes.
Important points to note:
- Suffixes are lowercase, as the prefix and suffix combined form one name. ie. Lionclaw, rather than LionClaw.
-The suffix -star may only be used by Leaders.
- Star can not be used as a prefix, as Star is bestowed only upon leaders, by StarClan, as a suffix.
- The prefixes of Moon and Sun are also prohibited, as they represent significant figures in Clan culture.
- Adjectives aside, cats are named for the native plant and animal life in their Clan's territory, so if there are no hares in ShadowClan, there likely won't be any cats with that prefix.
- Clanborn cats are not named for their eye colour, as all kittens are born blue-eyed. The colour enzymes kick in roughly a month after birth, and no self-respecting queen would keep her kit nameless for the first moon of its life just to name it Greenkit.
- A hyphen is only appropriate to use in a name when the prefix ends in, and a suffix starts with a vowel. Ex. One-ear, White-eye.
- Name-changes are not used to humiliate, and are instead earned as acknowledgment and respect to one's strength and ability to survive.
Okay, so, can I name my cat after a phoenix? Or a centaur or something? Those are cool!
In the Warriors series, these are domestic cats that consider larger cats such as Lions and Tigers to be mythical beings. Fantasy creatures such as Dragons, Phoenixes, and other beasts common in fantasy stories would be foreign terms to these cats, and in turn would not be appropriate prefixes or suffixes for clan names.
© Rhye & Laika