Why the name "Kevin"

[High Lord Tolkien]

Silly question time:

I tried searching if this has already been discussed but came up with nothing.
It seems so basic I'm sure that it must have.
Why is High Lord Kevin called "Kevin"?
Are the any other cases of Donaldson using "Normal" people's names?

"I am Prothall son of Dwillian son of Larry son of Patrick."
That just doesn't sound too good!
But "Kevin" does?
Why is that?

TIA!

[SoulQuest1970]

I have wondered this myself. I figured he was brought into the Land like Covenent was. I just posed that question on the gradual interview. We should know the answer soon. Unless SRD has to be vague about that too.

[Thaale]

Are the any other cases of Donaldson using "Normal" people's names?

Elena. Lena. There was a Lord Trevor in the First Chronicles.

Why is High Lord Kevin called "Kevin"?

It kind of sounds reasonable in a Ber-ek, Lor-ic, Kev-in way. Damelon kind of grates, though.

Look at it this way: Even if there were no connection between the Land and the real world, by sheer chance you'd expect some short names to be duplicated (assuming both worlds had short names, or names at all). A few matches out of many scores of names seems reasonable.

Actually, I've always found it unconvincing that so few of the Bloodguard's short names have English (word, not necessarily name) homonyms. It seems to me that it you were just picking one- and two-syllable names with no reference to English, you'd accidentally end up with guys named Car, or Mud, or Spin, or Better.

Or consider this: Since TC and LA and HT immediately understand what everyone is saying and vice versa; either:

1) English is spoken in the Land, or

2) When you travel to the Land, your mind is able to translate its language into terms your brain can understand. This seems less unlikely than #1), so probably when Mhoram says something like, "High Lord Kevin sent the Bloodguard to safety," he's not really saying "sent" or "safety" - it's just that TC gets the meaning. So maybe he's not saying "Kevin" either.

So if that's true, why aren't all names translated? Why doesn't TC hear "Atiarin" as "Peggy Sue?" Maybe because Kevin's name had some particular meaning or origin within the Land, one that TC's brain could find an English (or Celtic) equivalent of. Whereas Mhoram might just be a name and therefore untranslatable. That would explain why some words, such as Haruchai, are untranslated, because there are no English or real world equivalents.

"I am Prothall son of Dwillian son of Larry son of Patrick."
That just doesn't sound too good!
But "Kevin" does?
Why is that?

In part because you're so used to Kevin in the Land but not to Patrick. Actually, Raymond Feist and Janny Wurts had characters named Kevin and Patrick in their Empire series. Feist also used names such as Arutha, Lyam and Borric alongside more common names. Once you're used to it, it doesn't throw you.

That being said, there is sometimes a jarring feel to the writing of fantasists like Goodkind who indiscriminately place Richard alongside Kahlen, etc.

[wayfriend]

Someone will mention this post sooner or later. Might as well be me:

This may seem like a silly question, but I'm curious: Is there any significance to the fact that High Lord Kevin is the only character (that I can recall) that you gave a fairly mundane name to? Every other non-"real world" character I can think of has at least a somewhat unusual or fantasy-type name (Berek, Damelon, Linden, even TC goes by Covenant rather than Thomas), except Kevin. Was that intentional?

Sorry, the curious detail of Kevin's name has no particular significance. At least in my mind. When I was searching for a name, it just popped into my head--and as a matter of creative policy I virtually always trust things that just pop into my head (especially where names are concerned). "Sunder" was another name that just popped into my head--but then, so was "Hollian."

[High Lord Tolkien]

Someone will mention this post sooner or later. Might as well be me:

Sorry, the curious detail of Kevin's name has no particular significance. At least in my mind. When I was searching for a name, it just popped into my head--and as a matter of creative policy I virtually always trust things that just pop into my head (especially where names are concerned). "Sunder" was another name that just popped into my head--but then, so was "Hollian."

[/quote]

Thank you!
I'm working on the Gradual Interview slowly.
Not sure if I really want to read it yet.
Might ruin some misconceptions that I am comfortable with!

[Sunbaneglasses]

Why over analyze this?Some names just sound cool,some don't,imagine Mickey Foamfollower,Lord Jethro,Billy Bob of the Bloodguard,High Lord Chuck.Kevin-when you read that,you may have thought,why Kevin?but I bet you did not say "that ain't cool,this sucks".At least you don't read it for years,like Tolkien i.e The Sillmarillion,only to find out you have been pronouncing the names wrong for ten years.Yea Kevin,I like it,I can say it.I just hope I don't find out later it's pronounces Keyvine or Keeveen or Kevine or Keevin.

[High Lord Tolkien]

Why over analyze this?

Who is "over" analyzing anything?
I asked a "silly" question and got some good responses (one, indirectly, from the Man himself!) so there!

At least you don't read it for years,like Tolkien i.e The Sillmarillion,only to find out you have been pronouncing the names wrong for ten years.Yea Kevin,I like it,I can say it.I just hope I don't find out later it's pronounces Keyvine or Keeveen or Kevine or Keevin.

Now with that, my friend, I HEAR YOU!!
I like the pronounciations that I made up when I was 12 years old MUCH better than the real thing.
Tolkien didn't know what he was talking about.
It's pronounced
"Sim-ra-rels" damn-it!

[drew]

Speaking of pronounciations....I always pronounced Atiaran as (a-TAR-e-on)-until I saw the Interview clip on SRD.com when he pronounces her name (A-ti-AR-in)-now I try and try, but I can't bring myself back to the old way.

[wayfriend]

I'm working on the Gradual Interview slowly.
Not sure if I really want to read it yet.
Might ruin some misconceptions that I am comfortable with!

And that hasn't happened at the Watch yet?!?!

[dlbpharmd]

I'm working on the Gradual Interview slowly.
Not sure if I really want to read it yet.
Might ruin some misconceptions that I am comfortable with!

And that hasn't happened at the Watch yet?!?!

We obviously are not trying hard enough!

[High Lord Tolkien]

Speaking of pronounciations....I always pronounced Atiaran as (a-TAR-e-on)-until I saw the Interview clip on SRD.com when he pronounces her name (A-ti-AR-in)-now I try and try, but I can't bring myself back to the old way.

I''m only breifly glancing at this post.
I pronounce her name:

Antarian.

No idea.
Don't ask me.
I know it makes no sense!
Again, I was just a kid.
You'd think that afer reading it over 20 times I'd bother to correct myself.
But that's the way it is with me.

[The Pumpkin King]

Me and my silly dyslexic tendancies thought for the longest time it was "Atairan" (Ah-tie-rahn), but I noticed in my final reading of the books it's quite different. So, four different syllables now for me. "Ah-tee-ar-in"

[Grimmand Honninscrave]

I thought it was cool to find a common name like Kevin for a High Lord in the book. One thing came to mind. How many Hile Troy's do you know. He is supposeed to come from TC's world. I know SRD said he just came up with a name by thinking about a name but Hile doesn't sound like a common name to me.

[Sunbaneglasses]

My 4 year old son has some action figures,robots etc.He has a thing about giving them names-I suggested Hile Troy as the name for a 1980's GI Joe that I passed on to him-and it stuck!I think he was named Duke,but now Hile Troy frequently battles Optimus Prime in our living room floor.

[The Pumpkin King]

I thought it was cool to find a common name like Kevin for a High Lord in the book. One thing came to mind. How many Hile Troy's do you know. He is supposeed to come from TC's world. I know SRD said he just came up with a name by thinking about a name but Hile doesn't sound like a common name to me.

Maybe Hile is the male form of Hilary?

I don't know...

[Landwaster]

One of the Ramen from LFB was a standard name. Can't remember, but it was a 3-letter name, eg Joy or something like that. Also "Amok".

[I'm Murrin]

It was Gay, but that name was chosen for a reason, i.e. she was Gay and later became Rue.

[wayfriend]

I think we just all need to agree that Kevin is the greatest name in the world and SRD could not help but to use it.

[Spork]

... At least you don't read it for years,like Tolkien i.e The Sillmarillion,only to find out you have been pronouncing the names wrong for ten years ...

... and, that it is in fact impossible to pronounce the names "correctly".

[outlander]

I thought it was cool to find a common name like Kevin for a High Lord in the book. One thing came to mind. How many Hile Troy's do you know. He is supposeed to come from TC's world. I know SRD said he just came up with a name by thinking about a name but Hile doesn't sound like a common name to me.

The closest reference to the name Hile that i can find is actually the name Hye which is greek. I would imagine he just made it up though