What is the etymology of your moniker?

[bearclaw]

When I was still an active member of the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism), I started a fighing unit of heavy fighters. The name of the unit was to be Bearclaw. Archers were to be called Teeth of the Bear. I took the name because where I live, our town mascot is the Kermode bear, a rare spieces of black bear that has white fur that only live in this part of the world. The fighting unit never got anywhere but I started using the name (with a small 'b') Online.

For those who don't know, the SCA is a mediveal recreation club.
http:\\www.sca.org
Chances are there is a chapter near you.

Oh, and incase you were wondering, the Kermodi bear is NOT an albino. It is an actual sub-species of black bear.

[gregebowman]

My "etymology" is simple. I just got lazy and used most of my e-mail address to have a handle on here. I usually don't go by having my middle initial in my name, but when my server was creating my account, they asked for my first name. I gave Greg, as I prefer that to Gregory, but then they asked for my middle initial and then my Last name. They created my e-mail account using the info I gave them. If I do use my middle initial, I prefer using my full first name, but I didn't know how they were going to create my e-mail account that way. Oh well. I can live with that.

I was tempted to use my old handle I used when I lived in Phoenix and got my first modem. I was known as Nanoc back then, but when I tried using that name on a couple of sites after I got my pc, I found out a lot of people were using that handle. So I'm just using gregebowman for most of the sites that require a user id.

[Arakiel]

I was actually *looking* for an avatar name...found Arakiel under a list of Fallen Angels so Arakiel I became...that was like 7 years ago... I usually have an Arakiel character in every game I play now. Heck he even has a Last name (Gazorkull)

<pauses for a schizophrenic episode>

right, im better now...

[Gandalf Parker]

I DungeonMastered games a couple of decades ago and people had a hard time coming up with names. I cringed at hearing people use Conan or Drizzit. (I know, strange for a guy named Gandalf)

Anyway I would tell people to write out their full name, and maybe the well known one they wanted to use, then scramble the syllables around. It usually generated a couple of very unique fantasy-world names which still felt personal and "themselves". And often had a feel of a race or class to them.

So I often used Ganthony the Wizard, Ardony the Ranger, Gardell the Paladin, Garker the Merchant or Thief, etc etc. They all felt very personally named because they were my name just pieced together different.

[narf poit chez BOOM]

Arakiel said:
I was actually *looking* for an avatar name...found Arakiel under a list of Fallen Angels so Arakiel I became...that was like 7 years ago... I usually have an Arakiel character in every game I play now. Heck he even has a Last name (Gazorkull)

<pauses for a schizophrenic episode>

right, im better now...

Schizophrenia is not Multiple Personality Disorder. A person with Schizoprenia has disordered and illogical thoughts. A person with MPD effectivily displays multiple personalities in the same body.

While a person with Schizophrenia can beleive there are other personalities in their body, in MPD the personalities appear to actually exist and not just be random figments.

[Raging Deadstar]

narf poit chez BOOM said:

Schizophrenia is not Multiple Personality Disorder. A person with Schizoprenia has disordered and illogical thoughts. A person with MPD effectivily displays multiple personalities in the same body.

While a person with Schizophrenia can beleive there are other personalities in their body, in MPD the personalities appear to actually exist and not just be random figments.

Thank you Narf, I read that and I was about to clear that one up myself...
Arakiel: Just be very careful what you say on issues like that, You never know who might accidently offend.

[dogscoff]

I've been told that the root of my real life first name (Tyrel) is that of the Scandinavian god of battle (Tyr). You're into mythology, is that true??

Yes, Tyr was a norse (viking) war God, who was the general of all the Aesir's (the Gods') armies. His most famous story is the one with Fenris the Wolf, a giant monster sired by Loki (the ambiguous trickster God) and a giantess. Fenris had a sibling called Jormungund, a giant snake that circled the world with his tail in his mouth. Anyway, Fenris was growing bigger and bigger and hungrier and hungrier, and the Gods were afraid of him, so they decided to tie him up.

They tied him up, but he broke the bonds, so they tied him up again with stronger chains, but he broke those too. In the end they had some magic chain made that wold be strong enough, but this time Fenris refused to be chained up. They said it was just a test of strength and that they would untie him if he couldn't break it, but he didn't trust them and still refused. In the end they only got him to agree to being chained up by saying that one of them would put their hand into his mouth as a symbol of faith. If he failed to break the chain and they refused to untie him he could bite off that hand. Tyr volunteered for the job and lost his hand, but Fenris stayed tied up until Ragnarok, the final battle, where all bonds are undone. Fenris was mutually killed by Odin in the final battle, IIRC. I'd have to check my sources about that, it could have been Thor.

Anyway, the story with Tyr and Fenris is probably where the Italians get the phrase "In bocca al lupo" (into the mouth of the wolf) meaning "Good luck".

Othaglot & Cane readers may feel a nagging recognition at the phrase "Bocca al lupo". Chapter 23. A stylised Jormungund appears as the symbol of my Viking shipset, and in the O&C story as a symbol of the Jormungund clan. Coincidence? I think not...

Read the O&C story here. It's just a few clicks away from the shipset, too.


EDIT: Now that I think about it, "In bocca al lupo" is probably more to do with the story of Romulus and Remus, the orphaned twins who were raised by wolves and subsequently went on to found the city of Rome. Oh well.

[Raging Deadstar]

If I recall correctly...

Thor kills Jormungand but dies of the snakes poison afterwards.

Odin is killed by Fenrir, but one of Odin's Sons kills Fenrir to avenge his fathers death.

I'm pretty sure thats it, But I haven't brushed up on my Norse as much as i should

[Arakiel]

Raging Deadstar said:

Thank you Narf, I read that and I was about to clear that one up myself...
Arakiel: Just be very careful what you say on issues like that, You never know who might accidently offend.

You guys are kidding right? Your not ACTUALLY reading that much into every little thing typed on this goofy thread are you? If the people here are THAT sensetive to every little thing put down and have to super analyse every word typed then this may be the Last post I bother making here. Which is kinda sad cause it seemed like a nice forum about the game. Life is serious enough, I don't need BS like this on some goofy forum thread for a game.

[narf poit chez BOOM]

Arakiel said:

You guys are kidding right? Your not ACTUALLY reading that much into every little thing typed on this goofy thread are you? If the people here are THAT sensetive to every little thing put down and have to super analyse every word typed then this may be the Last post I bother making here. Which is kinda sad cause it seemed like a nice forum about the game. Life is serious enough, I don't need BS like this on some goofy forum thread for a game.

It's not a matter of seriousness, it's a matter of nearly >everyone< >in the entire english-speaking world, at least<, making the exact same mistake >every single time<.

After a while it gets a little annoying.