What to call the head of a dwarf high council?

[CathleenT]

Hey, AWers. I'm drafting a story with dwarves that takes place in a dwarf mine, and I'm stuck on a detail. My protag wants to marry the daughter of the Head of the Council, except Head is a really boring title, and I haven't been able to up with a better one. Anyone have any suggestions? I used Old German names for all my dwarves.

 

[CMBright]

Well in Invader Zim the leaders were The Tallest.

On a serious note, are they known for craftsmanship or metallurgy? I'd play with those terms. Guilds have Masters. Iron Master perhaps. Lord of Iron or Master of the Axe. I think Vater is old German for father? (Don't quote me on that.) Originally a Patriarch was the head of a household including servants and... ahem... others, not just wife and descendants.

 

[Unimportant]

der Leiter? or however that would go in old German -- zogo?

 

[Kirkhammer]

If they're miners, maybe just Foreman?

 

[waylander]

Grand Master?

 

[CathleenT]

Thanks, everyone. Any of these would be better than Head. : )

 

[Unimportant]

Foot?

 

[Smiling Ted]

The Underlord?

 

[CMBright]

Thanks, everyone. Any of these would be better than Head. : )

My absurd sense of humor immediately went from Invader Zim's the Tallest to the Shortest. Probably not the height based ruling system you were going for.

 

[frimble3]

"The Big Guy"?
No, if you are going with 'traditional' skilled laborer dwarves, I'd go with something like 'Grand Master', or 'Hall Master', etc. Or, 'Council Master'? Or, perhaps, 'the Speaker'?

 

[mccardey]

Hey, AWers. I'm drafting a story with dwarves that takes place in a dwarf mine, and I'm stuck on a detail. My protag wants to marry the daughter of the Head of the Council, except Head is a really boring title, and I haven't been able to up with a better one. Anyone have any suggestions? I used Old German names for all my dwarves.

Male, female or something else - and does that matter?

 

[Tazlima]

How about Emboss? Because the leader of a group sort of puts their mark on (embosses) both the output and the dynamics of the group as a whole, plus it contains the word "Boss." (If they're sending off gold bars or something, it could be that they're embossed with a different symbol depending on the leader at the time the work was done.

And if this group of dwarves negotiates with other groups, they could send Embossadors.

 

[CathleenT]

McCardey,

In this instance the head of the council is male, but it would be nice to have something that's either gender neutral (like Head) or something that can be modified (like spokeswoman). : )

And Tazlima, embossadors is hilarious. : ) I like that it contains boss, though.

 

[Woollybear]

I feel like you should be guided by his specific role as head of the council. If he decrees things, that's different than if he simply presides. And if he whips votes, different yet again.

How much do you know about how this council operates?

 

[mccardey]

Can you work Great into it? Great not being a word one usually associates with dwarves, and therefore - we;;, pretty great

 

[Nether]

It depends on your world's theming. While you can pick any number of real world titles (I'm partial to Underboss, or even just Boss (I guess chief also works?)), it should fit within the broader confines of your world.

And, not for nothing, but "high council" feels like an odd term for a race associated with being underground.

I will mention that "Grand Master" is a title in freemasonry, and since dwarfs are stoneworkers, you may want to go with a title that evokes stonework (although "Grand Master" is also used as a title in other organizations so... maybe not)

 

[Woollybear]

Ooh.

The High Fulcrum.

 

[iBleed2]

Sounds like a tall order.... Hmmm, I would go with Great Chieftain. Dwarves seem like clannish bunch.

 

[Psychoclown]

Grand Master would be the traditional title of a guild leader. You could go Grand Meister if you want to give it a little more archaic feel. Syndic is also a title you might want to use, or if you want to give a little more majesty, something like First Syndic.

I agree with whoever posted that High Council might not be the best name for a race of underground beings. If you're going for the whole race of craftsmen and laborers, you might want to go with something like the Common Council. Not sure what your version of Dwarven society is, but if they reject traditional monarchies, this might give them more of pseudo egalitarian vibe -though they can still have very entrenched aristocratic families of vie among themselves for control of the council. Just a thought.

 

[Hannah_Deava]

I've always liked the title of "Alderman", sounds very patriarchal and authoritative for a council or ruler. In old German that could be Ältermann, or Ealdorman is the Danish version which sounds quite fantasy-esque