Period place names

Zelenka · Jul 28, 2011

Firstly, my WIP is actually more historical fantasy / alternate history but I thought maybe people in this part of the forum might have come across a similar problem, but forgive me if I'm in the wrong place

My current WIP is partially set in the Mediterranean area during the Bronze Age, and one issue that's come up is names of places etc. At that time, for instance, Egypt wouldn't have been known as such, but to me it's a bit confusing to use the 'accurate' rather than popular names. It's easier to say Egypt than spend ages having to explain tha this is Egypt. But then would I run the risk of people thinking I don't know that they would have referred to themselves by another term? Or of losing a sense of 'accuracy', which is important to me?

Has anyone come up against a similar issue and if so, what route did you opt for?

alleycat · Jul 28, 2011

I've never really dealt with this issue. In general, I probably would use names people are familiar since this is fiction. An alternate would be to put in a foreword or glossary with both the ancient and modern names, and then use the ancient names if you prefer.

Tepelus · Jul 28, 2011

I know what you're going through, my WIP takes place in 15th century Eastern Europe and the names of cities and other places were different back then than they are now. I'm using the names of the places my characters would have used in their time period (I still have to switch a few whenever I finish this thing) and then make an author's note or something about the names somewhere for readers to reference to, and/or make a map with the current names and the names used back then.

DeleyanLee · Jul 28, 2011

Zelenka said:
My current WIP is partially set in the Mediterranean area during the Bronze Age, and one issue that's come up is names of places etc. At that time, for instance, Egypt wouldn't have been known as such, but to me it's a bit confusing to use the 'accurate' rather than popular names. It's easier to say Egypt than spend ages having to explain tha this is Egypt. But then would I run the risk of people thinking I don't know that they would have referred to themselves by another term? Or of losing a sense of 'accuracy', which is important to me?

Egypt was known as Kemet, back in the day. Most people who are into ancient Egyptian stuff are familiar with the word "Kemetic", so it's a natural connection. Not that far of a jump and completely figure-out-able with a little googlefu.

Personally, I use what suits the mood of the book I'm writing in. As you're writing historical/alternate Fantasy, people will go with the flow of whatever you choose to use, just be consistent.

pdr · Jul 29, 2011

Perhaps...

Jess, well done the Debut Dagger short list by the way, and I hope you have agents and editors interested, anyway, perhaps you could include a gorgeous map with curlicues and mythic animals at the front of your book showing the areas with its original names and a key showing the modern names?

Zelenka · Jul 29, 2011

pdr said:
Jess, well done the Debut Dagger short list by the way, and I hope you have agents and editors interested, anyway, perhaps you could include a gorgeous map with curlicues and mythic animals at the front of your book showing the ares with its original names and a key showing the modern names?

Actually this was the idea I had. I'm thinking, having read the thoughts here, that I might go with the accurate names. If a reader knows the history, they'll know where the place is, if not, then I'll do my best to portray the place so that they can still eno it and figure out what it's all about. That's what I'm thinking anyway. Thanks all for the responses.

Puma · Jul 30, 2011

I like pdr's idea of the map. But I've always been a map-aholic. Puma

Tepelus · Jul 30, 2011

Hey, I mentioned using a map first!

PretzelGirl · Jul 30, 2011

I've read books where the names of places used were not modern. I've also read a book set in the future that used made-up names for the places we know today ... it was post-apocalyptic, and people were starting over, and giving new names to things.

Anyway both of these had in common one thing: specific characteristics of the place that gave me a hint as to what they are. They didn't have a glossary or a map, and if the place they described sounded like Egypt, and it wasn't, does it really matter?

Does the reader have to know that your story is set in Egypt? They might gather that from your descriptions, anyway, but if they don't, they'll still see a desert, wide-open spaces and feel the heat in their mind's eyes.

Airball · Aug 1, 2011

In the Mistress of the Art of Death series, the author calls her setting Cambridge, even thought it would have been known as Gretenbridge at the time. She just tucks in an author's note at the end.

That, along with the map, should cover you.

Good luck!

W.J. Cherf · Aug 1, 2011

Toponym Issue

I think that we would all agree that making your ms. understandable to the widest market of readers possible is the first priority.

That said, the use of recognizable terms is probably the best approach: Egypt, Greece, Crete, Syria, Cyprus, etc.

However, to an Egyptian their land was called Kemet - "the black earth," to a Greek, Hellas, etc.

Very best of luck.

Anne Lyle · Aug 1, 2011

My feeling is that the cover art and cover copy should set the reader up to expect Ancient Egypt, so calling it Kemet within the text should be fine. You might want to make it clear in your query, however, e.g.

In "Atlantis: The Oncoming Storm", an alternate history fantasy set in Ancient Egypt, a temple scholar struggles to save his family from the worst tsunami mankind has ever seen...

(or whatever!)

Anne Lyle · Aug 1, 2011

Airball said:
In the Mistress of the Art of Death series, the author calls her setting Cambridge, even thought it would have been known as Gretenbridge at the time. She just tucks in an author's note at the end.

AFAIK Cambridge was called Cantebrigge in the early Middle Ages, which a modern reader would easily confuse with Canterbury, so it would make sense to use the current name instead. Before that it was called Grantabrycg, but the Normans couldn't pronounce the Anglo-Saxon "Gr" properly!

ETA - admittedly the spellings back then were very fluid. Maybe the author took her version from an old map or document...

Period place names

Zelenka

Going home!

alleycat

Still around

Tepelus

And so...

DeleyanLee

Writing Anarchist

pdr

Zelenka

Going home!

Puma

Retired and loving it!

Tepelus

And so...

PretzelGirl

Airball

W.J. Cherf

VP, Egyptian Studies Society

Anne Lyle

Fantastic historian

Anne Lyle

Fantastic historian