Giant Name Generator
Long, geological giant names built from mountain, thunder and deep-time elements, every syllable glossed, with landform lineage names.
2,250,000 combinations in this form
- Marbalfotur Stonecloak
Marbal marble + fotur foot
marble foot
Stone unmoving rock + cloak hooded wrap
unmoving rock hooded wrap
- Ostrilskrefa Stonebreath
Ostril east wind + skrefa stride
east wind stride
Stone unmoving rock + breath living wind
unmoving rock living wind
- Zenvalthumal Deephall
Zenval zenith + thumal thumb
zenith thumb
Deep far below + hall long house
far below long house
- Jorvaldtonnur Chasmteeth
Jorvald bedrock + tonnur teeth
bedrock teeth
Chasm yawning rift + teeth hard fangs
yawning rift hard fangs
- Vorndelskjolda Morainehall
Vorndel horizon + skjolda bulwark
horizon bulwark
Moraine glacier rubble + hall long house
glacier rubble long house
- Cloudvardagar Skymantle
Cloudvar cloud + dagar days
cloud days
Sky high heavens + mantle draped cover
high heavens draped cover
- Rimgarddagar Deepsleep
Rimgard hoarfrost + dagar days
hoarfrost days
Deep far below + sleep long slumber
far below long slumber
- Brendelsvala Northshadow
Brendel treeline + svala respite
treeline respite
North cold quarter + shadow cast darkness
cold quarter cast darkness
- Basalthathar Summitshadow
Basalth basalt + athar breath
basalt breath
Summit highest point + shadow cast darkness
highest point cast darkness
- Pelmarrikur Ironshadow
Pelmar headland + rikur ruler
headland ruler
Iron unyielding metal + shadow cast darkness
unyielding metal cast darkness
- Ostrilbrynja Morainejaw
Ostril east wind + brynja mail
east wind mail
Moraine glacier rubble + jaw grinding maw
glacier rubble grinding maw
- Zenvalskuggi Oldbridge
Zenval zenith + skuggi shadow
zenith shadow
Old age-worn + bridge stone crossing
age-worn stone crossing
- Tordanvaldur Thundercloak
Tordan thunderhead + valdur wielder
thunderhead wielder
Thunder sky's voice + cloak hooded wrap
sky's voice hooded wrap
- Ostrilrygga Morainebreath
Ostril east wind + rygga spine
east wind spine
Moraine glacier rubble + breath living wind
glacier rubble living wind
- Deepstansagar Oldshadow
Deepstan deep stone + sagar story
deep stone story
Old age-worn + shadow cast darkness
age-worn cast darkness
- Grimholdskjold Stormtread
Grimhold dark peak + skjold shield
dark peak shield
Storm tempest + tread heavy footfall
tempest heavy footfall
- Skyrilknura Graniteshadow
Skyril sky + knura knuckle
sky knuckle
Granite speckled rock + shadow cast darkness
speckled rock cast darkness
- Frostheimkaldr Granitebridge
Frostheim frost realm + kaldr chill
frost realm chill
Granite speckled rock + bridge stone crossing
speckled rock stone crossing
- Snaevalrotar Glaciermantle
Snaeval snow peak + rotar root
snow peak root
Glacier creeping ice + mantle draped cover
creeping ice draped cover
- Mornvelmunda Stonecloak
Mornvel moraine + munda protector
moraine protector
Stone unmoving rock + cloak hooded wrap
unmoving rock hooded wrap
- Sedimardjup Stonefist
Sedimar sediment + djup depth
sediment depth
Stone unmoving rock + fist clenched hand
unmoving rock clenched hand
- Tordandagar Northbrow
Tordan thunderhead + dagar days
thunderhead days
North cold quarter + brow jutting forehead
cold quarter jutting forehead
- Snaevilmynna Ashveins
Snaevil snow peak + mynna mouth
snow peak mouth
Ash volcanic dust + veins ore seams
volcanic dust ore seams
- Magmalnathir Marblebones
Magmal magma + nathir kin
magma kin
Marble streaked rock + bones old skeleton
streaked rock old skeleton
How giant names are built
¶A giant name is two long elements, and the first is a feature of the world rather than a quality of the person: Bergal a mountain, Glacir a glacier, Thundral thunder, Vorndal the horizon, Iskald the deep cold. The second element is a measure or a part of the world's own body — aldur an age, vegar a span, fathmar a fathom, ryggur a spine, oxlar a shoulder, tramar a footfall. Thundraloxlar is thunder shoulder, and it is meant as a description of scale, not a boast.
Length is the point. Giant names run four to six syllables on open vowels with almost no hard stops, because the name is spoken slowly by something that has never been in a hurry, and the alternating stress gives it the rocking cadence of weather moving across a range. Feminine forms close on -a, giving Glaciloxla and Bergithaldra. The neutral set belongs to the eldest, and it joins a world-word to a time-word — Aldheimaldur, old world age — because after enough centuries a giant is named for duration.
Lineage is landform. A giant family is known by the piece of the world it holds, joined to the part of itself that holds it: Frostshoulder, Thunderstride, Ridgebones, Glacierbreath. This is a territorial claim as much as an ancestry, so a giant driven off its mountain is understood to have lost the second name along with the ground, and the polite form of address for such a giant is the given name alone, which every giant hears as an insult.
Questions
What are good giant names?
Long ones. Pair a world feature with a measure of scale and let the syllables run: Bergalaldur, Thundraloxlar, Glacirvegar, Iskaldryggur. Four to six syllables is normal and anything under three sounds like a large human rather than a giant. Say it slowly; if it can be shouted quickly it is not a giant name.
How are giant names different from troll names?
Almost inverted. Troll names are two dull closed syllables built from stone, moss and bog, and they land like a dropped rock. Giant names are long, open and geological, built from mountains, glaciers, thunder and deep time. Trolls are named for the ground they sit on; giants are named for the ground they can see from where they stand.
What are good giant last names?
Landform lineages: Frostshoulder, Thunderstride, Ridgebones, Stonebrow, Glacierbreath, Summitreach. The first half is the piece of the world the family holds and the second is the part of the giant that holds it. Because it doubles as a territorial claim, it is the name a giant gives when it wants to be taken seriously.
Why are giant names so long?
Because length signals age and reach. Every element added to a giant's name records something it has outlasted, so a short name reads as young and a six-syllable name reads as older than the valley it lives in. Mortals shorten them for convenience, and giants regard the shortened form as a nickname rather than a name.
Are there separate female giant names?
The elements are shared and only the ending differs. Female names close the second element on -a, giving Glaciloxla, Bergithaldra and Skyrilathra, which lengthens the final beat rather than softening it. The neutral set is used by elders of either sex and pairs a world-word with a time-word instead of a body-word.