I need help with a building name for a fantasy WIP

Wasn't sure which forum to put this in but since it's a question about a fantasy WIP, hopefully it's okay here.

I'm totally stuck on finding a name for a building in my city. The buliding contains the central courts for my country, as well as the offices of the key legal personnel. The obvious thing would be 'Palace of Justice' but that just doesn't fit right.

Just wondered if anyone had any suggestions?

waylander said:

Tell us a bit more about the world. What level of technology and society are we talking about?
Is there a god/goddess associated with justice/judgement? If so it could be the temple/palace of [god's name]

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Not sure which bits would be of use (as I have a load of wordbuilding done), but..

There's no specific god of justice, as it's a monotheistic society. I suppose there might have been an older deity (the current religion has taken over the pagan cults that existed before, and so most of the older gods' names have been adopted as demons, characters from fairy stories etc).

Society-wise they are at a medieval level in technology, but more early-modern in terms of diplomacy and politics. This story is set on a group of islands, ruled by an hereditary monarchy, then a feudal system

(Nessam's post just got emailed to me whilst I was typing this so I'll answer here as well)

In terms of names, I'm avoiding making up exotic sounding titles or names for people as I don't like reading fantasies like that myself. I've used a lot of old terms, and where the legal system's concerned, mostly historical terms from the Scottish Legal System (for instance, my MC is the Procurator Fiscal and the chief judge in the country is the Lord Advocate.) The only really odd name I have is the one for the Parliament, which is referred to as the Sansiege. My feudal system is based on a hierarchy of castles built throughout the isles, referred to as the Great Sieges, so the Sansiege is considered a body within the feudal system even though it doesn't have its own castle. (before anyone worries about how dull this fantasy story will be, this is just background I made up for my own use, so I know how things work. Probably won't end up in the actual story).

I'm not sure what else people would need to know so sorry if I'm missing something obvious. Please just tell me and I'll try to explain better.

So what I was looking for was something other than 'Palace of Justice' that would sum up a building that's the hub of the legal system. My brain just isn't working to get it right now.

nessam said:

Ok this is more of a common word list I found on the subject but hopefully it helps
Council (or counsel as I believe is more common)
Lords
Lord Advocate
Crown office

I kind of like Counsel of Lords for your building
This website was useful for coming up with some ideas for names
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Gtgl1/GuideToGovernment/Judiciary/DG_4003292

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I have a 'Council of Barons' within Parliament, so I suppose 'Council of' something would fit in with that. Just looking at that website, I suppose I could go with Court of Session, just keep with the Scottish thing. Or maybe 'Halls of Session'. I don't know if that sounds weird or not.

I know this might sound a silly thing to be stuck on, but just all the things like 'High Court' and the likes sound more like the body of people than the building, even though I know buildings are referred to like that here. At the moment the thing is called Palace of Justice but every time I see it in my notes or prose, it jars me.

waylander said:

Was the building of the 'Palace of Justice' purpose-built or did they take over an older building? If the latter you could use the old name of the building and accept that everyone in the story knows what goes on there

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Wouldn't I have to explain that out to the readers though, or would it be enough to describe what's going on there? (My first scene there involves the staff going up onto the roof, as you get the best view of the executions from up there).

The whole city was originally one large temple, so it's feasible that it could be called 'St Somebody's Hall' or something. In fact I do quite like that idea. I don't want the story to get bogged down in backstory though.

Ok, I'm liking that sort of thing. It's a silly little detail but it's stumbling me every time I go to continue with the scene, so thanks guys for the help, it is much appreciated!

Melisande said:

these suggestions might be totally off, but these are my five cents worth;

The House of Courts
The Hall of Justice
The Judicial House/Court/Palace
The House/Hall of Verdict
The Sentence Hall/House
The House/Hall of Judges
"Judgement Hall"
The "Supreme Law"

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I'd not thought of 'Sentence Hall' or Verdict Hall but that gives me an idea for a bit within the building. Just made me remember something from my class in medieval French law, where they would deliver verdicts in front of the whole parlement and everyone got their verdict at once. Cool, thanks!

ProtoMatic said:

Justitiarium Imperia Nothing like a bit of pig latin.

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Oh, there is plenty of pig Latin in this. And pig Venetian-Italian

Ageless Stranger said:

denique justicia orchestra = The Final Justice Senate.

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I had an eye on Curia Regis as a sort of sub-title for it. I have no real reason for having Latin in this world, but for some reason it seems to fit. Since my characters all speak English anyway, I figured I'd just put it in the prose as if it has every right in the world to be in Latin, and hopefully it won't jar anyone out of the story.

FennelGiraffe said:

By the way, counsel and council are both correct spellings...for two different words.

counsel -- verb meaning to give advice; noun meaning someone who gives advice (a counselor is also a person who gives advice)

council - noun meaning a group, usually performing an official administrative function (a councilor is a member of a council)

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A counsel in this context too is a noun in itself, meaning a lawyer, as in 'Queen's Counsel' or QC, one of the more experienced barristers. I suppose in terms of administrative justice you could have either or (either King's Council, as in a sort of Curia Regis, delegated authority type thing, or King's Counsel, as in a specific person).

I'm rambling on again, aren't I. Not a morning person

Smiling Ted said:

The older a court is, the less likely it is to have a name that modern readers would immediately recognize as related to the law - particularly if it served as a court before the rationalism of the Enlightenment.

For a taste of these names, try Dickens (esp. Bleak House) and John Mortimer's Rumpole stories. (Dickens was a court reporter before he became a novelist; Mortimer was a practicing barrister.)

English Common Law is particularly rich in archaic-sounding legal terms (Courts of Chancery, Courts of Equity, Assizes, the Old Bailey, Temple Bar, Inns of Court, etc.)

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I'm actually a law student specialising in European Legal History, and you're right, a lot of the older courts have quite decent names (I've always liked the Scottish legal system's terminology, which was why I went with that for the names of the actual institutions. It was just the building itself that was evading me).

Just as I know some other folk are using this thread for their own books, I just wanted to point out though that 'Old Bailey' and 'Temple Bar' are based on the historical site of the building, rather than anything specifically legal.

Smiling Ted said:

Absolutely. Even better, in fact - nothing like an unfunctional name to give it that Jarndyce and Jarndyce feel, eh?

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Exactly. My place is now named after part of the old abbey, whose buildings they commandeered. I want it to feel kind of musty and outdated.

MattW said:

What's the fantasy equivalent of Dewey, Cheetem & Howe?

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Oh, that was a-whole-nother hair-pulling session ages ago. This story actually started life centred on a fantasy law firm (which it isn't now) but poor Voyager had to try and help me get a name for the stupid thing, and had to endure me going slowly insane because I couldn't get the name I wanted.

Story was an unmitigated disaster, which actually was a good thing because I went back to the drawing board, worked on the notes some more, and came up with this new version. Silly thing is, I can't even remember the name of the firm now. (I think Voyager was keen on 'Elfman and something')