Aviators vs. Bird People

zanizh · Feb 5, 2009

So I'm working on a new fantasy short...

I'm having a problem naming the bird creatures in a vital part of my story. I don't want to call them "Bird People" as that sounds a bit cheese-ish. I'm thinking I might have seen a movie once that featured ugly bird things that were called aviators...? I can't recall the name of the movie because I've slept since then.

Anyway, I'm trying to think of something to call them and am leaning towards calling them aviators. Is there anything wrong with this?

jvc · Feb 5, 2009

How about, hmm, let me see. Avions?

Higgins · Feb 5, 2009

jvc said:
How about, hmm, let me see. Avions?

Are there any Aviotrixes? Avionics? Avionophiles? Avionophobes?

Nivarion · Feb 5, 2009

harpies?

doesn't have to be the evil ones, if they aren't evil. are they evil?

zanizh · Feb 5, 2009

Higgins said:
Are there any Aviotrixes? Avionics? Avionophiles? Avionophobes?

Avionophiles. There we go. LOL.

zanizh · Feb 5, 2009

Nivarion said:
harpies?

doesn't have to be the evil ones, if they aren't evil. are they evil?

Seems like I've heard that somewhere before, too.

And yes, they are super duper evil... like "I want to eat your children" type evil!

jvc · Feb 5, 2009

Higgins said:
Are there any Aviotrixes? Avionics? Avionophiles? Avionophobes?

Err, also - Avinalaf.

Sophia · Feb 5, 2009

If they're creatures with their own wings, rather than people who ride on giant birds, say, then "aviator" wouldn't sound right to me, as that's the word for a pilot or someone else who is operating an aircraft.

You could try "avians" (not "avion", unless you're going for a French sound). But that's pretty common. You say that they're evil, which gives you a good opportunity to give them all sorts of names that their enemies, who may hate and/or fear them, would use. Derogatory names that reduce the power of the enemy in their own minds - tweeters, wingers, birdbrains, air-shitters... use your imagination!

The bird creatures would have their own name for themselves, but if your human characters (assuming you have them) don't speak with the bird creatures, then there's no reason they would use it.

sirensix · Feb 5, 2009

Avians sounds good to me, especially for a short story. I feel like in short stories being "generic" helps because there is less room to develop a whole world. I also love the idea though of their enemies having a derogatory nickname for them.

zanizh · Feb 5, 2009

ElaraSophia said:
If they're creatures with their own wings, rather than people who ride on giant birds, say, then "aviator" wouldn't sound right to me, as that's the word for a pilot or someone else who is operating an aircraft.

You could try "avians" (not "avion", unless you're going for a French sound). But that's pretty common. You say that they're evil, which gives you a good opportunity to give them all sorts of names that their enemies, who may hate and/or fear them, would use. Derogatory names that reduce the power of the enemy in their own minds - tweeters, wingers, birdbrains, air-shitters... use your imagination! The bird creatures would have their own name for themselves, but if your human characters (assuming you have them) don't speak with the bird creatures, then there's no reason they would use it.

Air-shitters! Another good one! LOL.

On a serious note, this is excellent advice. Thank you for sharing this with me. I now have a better idea of the way I'm gonna go with this.

Smiling Ted · Feb 5, 2009

Write down all the words you associate with birds: wing, feather, claw, fly...
Then pick a language that sounds appropriate for your world - Latin, Arabic, Spanish, Mandarin...
Then choose one of the words and translate it.
That should give you a good start.

Zoombie · Feb 5, 2009

"Those F@(!ing assholes."

That's my suggestion.

Though I do like Avians...that's pretty good for a flying race.

Shadow_Ferret · Feb 5, 2009

How about Aves Sapiens.

Or Raptormen.

dclary · Feb 5, 2009

Raptorians? Gah... Ferret beat me to it.

FennelGiraffe · Feb 5, 2009

Icarans

Aquilans

Shadow_Ferret · Feb 5, 2009

dclary said:
Raptorians? Gah... Ferret beat me to it.

Yeah, but yours is gender neutral.

dclary · Feb 5, 2009

Shadow_Ferret said:
Yeah, but yours is gender neutral.

Yes, unless the feminine is Raptorinas. ^_^

Judg · Feb 5, 2009

Not avions, please. That's French for airplanes.

I like Smiling Ted's idea, but I would probably take the word and twist it a bit to make it less obvious.

Of course, I have my own idea for my own birdpeople if I ever write that book, but I'm keeping it for me.

Besides, my birdpeople aren't evil.

Nivarion · Feb 5, 2009

yep, super evil and eating children fits the harpie.

(ROFL) air shitters.

Esopha · Feb 5, 2009

Judg said:
Not avions, please. That's French for airplanes.

Yes. This. I had a great mental image of pilots beating at their planes with wrenches.

If you choose to use a word from another language, you should consider incorporating that language into your book in other ways, or it would seem like a world-building copout to me. You could always make up your own name for them.

Also, I love the derogatory nicknames. Definitely consider those.

jvc · Feb 5, 2009

Judg said:
Not avions, please. That's French for airplanes.

I knew I'd heard that word before. I, of course, meant Avians

Or Avialons, or something like that. At this point I have no idea what I mean. Must be the cider

.

Alina · Feb 5, 2009

'Aviators' also makes me think more of airplane pilots than flying creatures. I like Avians personally -- it's simple and to the point. If you're still looking for options though, you could (among other things) look at bird taxonomy terms to see if any fit your needs. (Passerines sounds cool, but that's for finches, not evil flesh-eating birds!)

Thomas_Anderson · Feb 6, 2009

zanizh said:
Seems like I've heard that somewhere before, too.

And yes, they are super duper evil... like "I want to eat your children" type evil!

Harpies are of Greek mythology, and were also pretty evil. So, it all fits.

tailstrike · Feb 6, 2009

My vote is for air-shitters!!!

Gynn · Feb 7, 2009

Does the name have to be derivative of Latin?

If your characters are grunts that are trying to kill the bird people, have them call them "Squawkers", since that's the sound they make when you run a spear into their plush hides.

Aviators vs. Bird People

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