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If I wanted to invent a new name for a fictional angel, and I wanted it to sound like a legitimate Biblical angel name, and even MEAN something in Hebrew ... where would I start?
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It would need to end in "-el" and be constructed in a similar way to "Gabriel", "Michael", and "Raphael" ... but mean something else. Preferably "Pissed off God," since the character is a fallen angel Posts: 1539 | Registered: Jul 2004
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If there's a specific meaning, any of us here who speak Hebrew could turn it into an angel-type name for you.
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How about "Thinks he's a much bigger irritant to God than he actually is"?
[Edit - I'm not suggesting that for Geoff's character. I'm just curious what that 'el-ified name would be.]
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quote:Originally posted by Noemon: I seriously would like to know that that concept, translated into an angel name, would be.
Hafrael was the best I could do. The thing is, "Thinks he's more of an annoyance to God than he really is" doesn't have a single word in English, let alone in Hebrew.
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Can you form a compound word with something like 'boaster' or 'braggart'? So Braggart-Hafra-el, which we could idiomatically retranslate as "Brags About Annoying God".
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quote:Originally posted by Noemon: I seriously would like to know that that concept, translated into an angel name, would be.
Hafrael was the best I could do. The thing is, "Thinks he's more of an annoyance to God than he really is" doesn't have a single word in English, let alone in Hebrew.
Well, you never know what sort of thing a language will have a word for; it was worth a shot.
KoM's suggestion would get close, if it's something that would work in Hebrew.
Ooh, what would "Ignorant of God" be?
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Burel? - I'm not sure if that means God is ignorant...
Elemel? God is Hidden...
Edit: On second thought. Lisa, a lot of the name with the "i" in the middle, like Galiel - would that not mean that God is my exiled one? Like Tzurishday? God is my form?
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Thank you for all those Hebrew names for angels, Lisa. I wonder--would Kalbiel be for someone who is dyslexic?
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quote:Originally posted by Armoth: Edit: On second thought. Lisa, a lot of the name with the "i" in the middle, like Galiel - would that not mean that God is my exiled one? Like Tzurishday? God is my form?
Not necessarily. Gavriel? The "i" needn't be first person possessive.
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Wow! It'll take me a minute to go through all the suggestions, but this is awesome, Lisa! I wasn't sure how straightforward it was to invent new names using Hebrew, so I wasn't expecting this much. Thanks!
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My favorite so far is "Naetzel" because it seems like the character could go by "Nate" Though "Galiel" flows better off the tongue, and isn't reminiscent of "Pretzel" ... hmm ...
Some of the others (particularly "Kalbiel; Dog of God") sound like they would make great side characters in the same fiction. The villain Kalbiel. I like it.
What about "Conflicted about God"? or "Confused about God"?
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Music of God: Shirel (Shir = Song, There is no real word for Music in Hebrew, Modern Hebrew has "Muzika")
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Music of God could also be Nagniel (from nigun, or tune). Oyviel could be enemy of God, but Nochriel would probably be better. Oyev means enemy in Hebrew, while Nochri is a biblical term that means both gentile and enemy.
Mardiel could be rebel against God (and in fact, Nimrod, also from the root m-r-d, is understood traditionally to have the same meaning).
Fights with God? I think that would be Yisrael, no? "For thou has struggled with God and men and prevailed".
Confused or conflicted... well, Balbiel could be mixed up about God, or confused one of God. Conflicted probably doesn't have a word. Same with distrusts. There's a word for trust, but not really for the compound distrusts. Maybe Chashdiel, which could be Suspicious (one) of God.
Hebrew's ideal for this sort of thing, btw. When I changed my last name from Aaronson to Liel, I made that name up. And then I found out the name existed already, both as a surname and as a girl's given name.
Naetzel, btw, Geoff, is pronounced na-etz-EL. But I suppose most readers would read it as NAY-tzel. I have a similar problem with my name. It's LEE-el, but people are always reading it as LIE-el or LEEL. I've thought about writing it as Li'el or putting a diareses atop the e, but I'm too lazy for that.
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Lisa, yeah, I figured each vowel in the Romanization was probably meant to be pronounced independently, and not treated as dipthongs ... but still, finding a way to tie a common American nickname to it makes it way more viable as a name of a "cool guy" in a work of fiction, so I'd probably go for the "Nate" thing anyway Posts: 1539 | Registered: Jul 2004
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