# User Names



## Firawyn

I was just curious (I'm overly curious 98% of the time - humor me!), how everybody picked their usernames.

Did you use the name of a favorite Middle Earth character? Make something original? Use a name you've used on other forums? Other?

For myself, I combined my two favorite LotR characters' names (from a book perspective favorites, I mean):

Fira - for Firamir 

and

wyn - For Eowyn


How about you guys?


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## YayGollum

I went with Other, since it wasn't entirely Tolkien or my own, and this was the first place I used it. I am horrible at coming up with nameses. As a matter of course, my initial thought was to just use my real name. I value honesty. It is silliness to hide behind a pseudonym, I figured. Show off your name and pride. But oh well. Which is why I came up with No-H Thorin first, since my real name is Torin. It didn't roll off the tongue well enough, so in a fit of, "Fine! I'll just write down whatever!" I wrote YayGollum, which does roll off of the tongue a bit better. I didn't wish to just use some name that Tolkien thought up, since I didn't want my thoughts somehow associated with a character who probably wouldn't have agreed, so I merely announced fandom of one character. I kept thinking about making a separate identity called WahooSmeagol, but I thought that it would be too transparent.


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## Persephone

Okay... well...

I was originally with LOTROnline, and there I was Vilya. Then I forgot my log in there and thanks to Greenwood, I found this place and tried to sign up as Vilya again, but the problem is someone already used it. So I tried the next ring of power--NARYA-- and that was available so I used it.


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## HLGStrider

I tried a few Tolkieny things, but all of them were taken (Honestly, only tried Goldberry and Eowyn) . . . I wasn't sure what to put because my name is sort of Tolkieny and sort of my own (HLG's were my initials before I got married). I had used this name before as a pen-name for somethings in high school. I like my name fine for people talking to me but Heidi simply isn't a fantasy writer name in my opinion. Erin and Robin and Elizabeth and Mercedes are fantasy writer names. I know you can be a fantasy writer without a fantasy writer's name. I saw a fantasy writer named something like Mandy the other day and that is definitely not what I consider a good fantasy writer name . . . but too me Heidi is a name for children's books and craft instruction books. It's just too sweet and I expect a Heidi to have braids and dance around with goats on a sunny Swiss mountainside. 

And, not being a feminist, I planned to marry and take my husband's name someday even at this point and so I figured I shouldn't get too attached to the G part of my name. And Strider was so amazing . . .

Initials are very fantasy writerish.

I almost clicked the because I used it before option because I think I used this name on one other forum before I joined this one, but I also never posted on that forum. Something about Star Wars when I was first discovering the interweb (as House and my husband both call it). 

Even now I'm not sure if I got published if I would go by H. L. G. Burke, H L G Strider, H L Burke, H. Garrett-Burke, H. Lyn Burke . . . 

Oh well. 

Lyn is a fantasy writer name.


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## Firawyn

How about HG Burke? I have a friend who, when she married, changed her middle name to what her maiden name was...come to think about it I don't even recall what her original middle name was...


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## HLGStrider

Ah, but Lyn is almost more of a family name than Garrett. My grandma, mother, both my sisters, and one of my aunts and one of my cousins all have that middle name. .. ironically, my aunt with the middle name is my aunt by marriage. She just happened to have the same middle name (fairly common I guess) though she spells it with two n's and so does the cousin who is her daughter. 

I like names that end with the 'yn' sound. As in Coryn (daughter). My second choice of names was Ashlyn.


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## Uminya

I liked looking at the names of the Gondorian kings and reading about them, and so I chose "Ciryaher" because it had a nice sound to it and the character had an interesting story. Originally, it was "Ciryaher Hyarmendacil" but it got shortened after some point I forget.


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## Gwathagor

'Gwathagor' is Sindarin for 'Shadowblade', and is the name of an RPG character that I created many years ago who eventually developed into my mythical alter-self. I use the same name on other forums (The Barrow-Downs, GallifreyOne, etc.)http://forum.barrowdowns.com/index.php?


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## Prince of Cats

All the neighborhood cats and strays make their way to my side porch where I can wait for 10 minutes and have as many as five cats come at once and we hang out - hence the name  It's also synonymous with Prince of Thieves and I move and climb with grace


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## HLGStrider

The prince of cats is also Mercutio's name for Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet and an early draft of the the Lay of Luthien Sauron was actually a large cat by the name of, I think, Telvido, Prince of Cats, which is where I assumed you had gotten it, but I guess I was wrong. 
However, I am so jealous of your following. I've always had a cat but when I got married we ended up in base housing where no pets are allowed. My cat would've never adjusted to city life, however, so she is much happier living with my parents on 100+ mole infested acres. Attached is a photo of my beloved Beatrice, the Queen Bea.


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## Gilthoniel

Aww! It's lovely! I've attached a photo of mine assaulting my brother! It's a bit blurry, though. 

And I made the mistake about Tybalt too. Guess I'm just in a different world...

(Not stalking you, I promise! hehe!)

xo
G


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## HLGStrider

Ooooh, cat looks so cuddly. 

It would be really hard to stalk someone in a different world than you.


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## Gilthoniel

She is. I swear she's 98% fluff! Hehe.

And it would. Thats one of the benefits of being in a different planet... It's a stalk free one!


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## HLGStrider

Can't catch giants without stalks. . .


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## Illuin

I went with Illuin because it’s the story of my life. Once a happy-go-lucky, _light up_ the room kind of guy living in "_the Northeast_". But endless work and the ridiculous cost of living in NY has “_broken me_”. I call it “_The Shadow of New York_”. Thank J.R.R. for the light that remains in the Silmarils. 

Speaking of cats, here’s a good one of Diane feeding one from our latest rescue:


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## nodnarb

ill let yall guess how i got mine...isnt too hard to spot


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## Illuin

Hello Brandon


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## nodnarb

oh so smart lol


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## Barliman Butterbur

First: nobody else even thought of using "Barliman Butterbur," which astonished me.

Second: Barley has the best of Middle-earth: Hobbits and Men dwelling together in peace, each sharing the best of each other's cultures, and living in a place where everyone passes through — the perfect place for getting news.

Third: Men aren't allowed in the Shire by decree, and even if they were, everything would be too small for them!

Barley


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## Illuin

> First: nobody else even thought of using "Barliman Butterbur," which astonished me.
> 
> Second: Barley has the best of Middle-earth: Hobbits and Men dwelling together in peace, each sharing the best of each other's cultures, and living in a place where everyone passes through — the perfect place for getting news.
> 
> Third: Men aren't allowed in the Shire by decree, and even if they were, everything would be too small for them!


 

Well, having become weary of _“The Shadow_”, your hospitality would indeed be a warm welcome; as the light within the Lamp of the Northeast has become but a mere firefly. Maybe it's time I drop in on the Shire and relish a Heineken.


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## nodnarb

i think nodnarb sounds rather easterlingish....what do yall think?


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## HLGStrider

Makes me think a stubby alien with several extra limbs and a preference for Phil Collin's music, that's what I think.


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## Illuin

Sounds like an ancient artifact from The Eldar Days -


"Gamil Zirak of Nogrod will forever be renowned; for it is he who forged the Nodnarb; prized above all else among the Sindar"




PS - HLG, did you see the little guy a few posts back?


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## HLGStrider

The itty bitty baby kitty? Yes. Very adorable. Hand feeding a baby cat must be a lot of work. I once tried to save a kitten whose mother abandoned it first by giving it to another mother and then, when that failed, using an eyedropper, but I'm afraid we lost the poor little thing. My cousin, however, has a cat she raised from a few weeks old. It is now a few months old and still likes to be frequently hand fed.


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## Illuin

Yeah; it’s not what it seems. There is definitely a serious learning curve with hand feeding. Many jump into it without doing the hefty amount of inquiry and research required; resulting in unhappy endings.


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## Noldor_returned

I always liked the Noldor. So I figured what they hey, Noldor and they have returned to Middle Earth. Then one day, I was skimming through Sil and there's a chapter called 'The Return of the Noldor'. What a coincidence!


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## Firawyn

Barliman Butterbur said:


> First: nobody else even thought of using "Barliman Butterbur," which astonished me.
> 
> Second: Barley has the best of Middle-earth: Hobbits and Men dwelling together in peace, each sharing the best of each other's cultures, and living in a place where everyone passes through — the perfect place for getting news.
> 
> Third: Men aren't allowed in the Shire by decree, and even if they were, everything would be too small for them!
> 
> Barley




Oh Barley, I always though you chose Barliman Butterbur because that character brings out the nice side of you...


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## Barliman Butterbur

Illuin said:


> ...Maybe it's time I drop in on the Shire and relish a Heineken.



HEINEKIN???!! That's outworlder slop! Here we have 1420! Still has Gandalf's good word on it!

And you can't get into the Shire: King Aragorn forbade Men to enter it. But Bree's here, and you're surely welcome! (As long as you don't mention those other "beers"...)

~~~~~



Firawyn said:


> "Oh Barley, I always thought you chose Barliman Butterbur because that character brings out the nice side of you...



You made a fatal error, m'dear... 

Barley


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## Firawyn

Barliman Butterbur said:


> You made a fatal error, m'dear...
> 
> Barley



*sigh* We shall see.


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## Persephone

Illuin said:


>



This is one of the most adorable pictures I've seen this morning.


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## Starbrow

I had a hard time picking a name. None of the names from LOTR or the Sil seemed to fit and the ones I made up sounded awful when I said them aloud. Finally I choose Starbrow from my favorite Tolkien short story "Smith of Wootton Major." It seemed to fit the best.


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## Illuin

> by Narya
> _"This is one of the most adorable pictures I've seen this morning_. "


 
We just adopted that little guy out a few days ago. Yeah, great little cat (looks like a porcupine with all the quills coming out of his head). We scrutinize pretty rigorously when people call (don’t want someone who’s got a python that’s jaded with the rodent thing). This couple who adopted “Pinhead” (we give them pseudo-names simply to identify them) are Marine Biologists; their specific area being “Whale and Dolphin” rescue. (it’s true….I googled them before I made my decision). How bizarre is that? I would say that qualifies as suitable owners. They actually took two of the four kittens. Still have two more left.......do you like cats?


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## Persephone

Illuin said:


> We just adopted that little guy out a few days ago. Yeah, great little cat (looks like a porcupine with all the quills coming out of his head). We scrutinize pretty rigorously when people call (don’t want someone who’s got a python that’s jaded with the rodent thing). This couple who adopted “Pinhead” (we give them pseudo-names simply to identify them) are Marine Biologists; their specific area being “Whale and Dolphin” rescue. (it’s true….I googled them before I made my decision). How bizarre is that? I would say that qualifies as suitable owners. They actually took two of the four kittens. Still have two more left.......do you like cats?



I LOVE CATS! but my kid is allergic to furry animals and we had to give away our very reliable and very old sheep dog .

But I love cats. I used to have 21 cats in my house at one time. They died, one by one, and by the time I had my kid, there were no cats in the house left.


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## Illuin

> _But I love cats. I used to have 21 cats in my house at one time. They died, one by one, and by the time I had my kid, there were no cats in the house left_


 
Oh jeez, I sincerely hope that was from natural causes (at least most of the time). I’ve lost a few of my own tragically, but it was a fluke; yet it was heartbreaking. Those lost, at least due to old age...well that's OK. They are like my kids. If there is bad weather; like a wicked thunderstorm outside; I’ll stay by the door calling them all night long. Cat's are just the perfect little creatures in my eyes. Humans could learn a thing or two.


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## Persephone

Illuin said:


> Oh jeez, I sincerely hope that was from natural causes (at least most of the time). I’ve lost a few of my own tragically, but it was a fluke; yet it was heartbreaking. Those lost, at least due to old age...well that's OK. They are like my kids. If there is bad weather; like a wicked thunderstorm outside; I’ll stay by the door calling them all night long. Cat's are just the perfect little creatures in my eyes. Humans could learn a thing or two.




Most of them died of old age. Others were run-over by cars. Others by ringworms. I had a cat once who was so strange he wouldn't eat ANY meat! Honest! You try feeding him fish, he won't eat it. What does he it? Vegies! I SWEAR! He will devour a corn on the cob within minutes! He loves cabbage, and carrots, and milk! His fangs were rounded I guess because he doesn't eat meat, and he died of a heart-attack, I think. 

Any of you thought of changing your usernames at some point?


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## Firawyn

I actually did. Originally I was Sabeen, as some of you old-farts may remember. 

I chose Sabeen because it was off of a movie I like, but I had only just gotten into Tolkien when I joined here. When I started to really really turn into a Tolkien addict, I decided that I should change it to something more Tolkienesque.


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## Persephone

Firawyn said:


> I actually did. Originally I was Sabeen, as some of you old-farts may remember.
> 
> I chose Sabeen because it was off of a movie I like, but I had only just gotten into Tolkien when I joined here. When I started to really really turn into a Tolkien addict, I decided that I should change it to something more Tolkienesque.




So I guess I'm not an old **** cause I don't remember Sabeen.

But I think I know what film that was from... was it from Three Musketeers? The one starring Kiefer, Charlie Sheen, and Chris O'Connell?

I could be wrong.

I also thought of changing my name to Vilya especially since the person who first signed on as Vilya wasn't very active. But, then I got my pub and so I stuck it out with Narya.


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## HLGStrider

I thought about changing one letter in my initials when I got married but then figured that was a silly thing to waste energy on. One letter. . .


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## Persephone

HLGStrider said:


> I thought about changing one letter in my initials when I got married but then figured that was a silly thing to waste energy on. One letter. . .




lol! I'm curious now... which letter would that be?


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## Firawyn

Narya, 

Sabeen was indeed from "The Three Muskateers", though that character's name was spelled differently. I changed it to be original. 

Odd, you've been on here longer than I - I'm surprised you don't remember "Sabeen". I was farily active in the early years.


And Elgee, you would change the G, correct? To...is it "B"? I don't remember.


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## Persephone

Firawyn said:


> Narya,
> 
> Sabeen was indeed from "The Three Muskateers", though that character's name was spelled differently. I changed it to be original.
> 
> Odd, you've been on here longer than I - I'm surprised you don't remember "Sabeen". I was farily active in the early years.
> 
> 
> And Elgee, you would change the G, correct? To...is it "B"? I don't remember.



Well, because I've been on hiatus for a long time. Plus, I rarely interact with anyone outside the RPGs.


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## HLGStrider

yep

But then Elgee just wouldn't make sense anymore. 









not that I ever made sense in the first place . ..


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## baragund

As all of you probably know, Baragund was one of Barahir's twelve "brothers in arms" who continued to struggle against Morgoth's forces after Dorthonion was overrun. 

I was always particularly touched by this prologue to the story of Beren and Luthien. These thirteen companions, fighting against impossible odds to regain their homes and just be a thorn in the side to Morgoth's minions, struck me as one of the more heroic episodes in Tolkien's middle-Earth. "The rumor of the deeds of Barahir and his companions went far and wide..." It is one of those barely glimpsed vistas that someone could really have fun filling out. (Now there's an idea for an RPG...)

I picked Baragund because I thought it would be presumptuous to name myself after the leader. I also admire the loyal assistants, the Sam Gamgee's of the world.


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## Firawyn

HLGStrider said:


> yep
> 
> But then Elgee just wouldn't make sense anymore.




Oh.  I've known you how long and I _just_ got that...I always thought "Elgee" was just something random made up...*smacks forehead* Dur!


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## HLGStrider

I made itself my up just to confuse polyps.


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## Eledhwen

YayGollum said:


> I kept thinking about making a separate identity called WahooSmeagol, but I thought that it would be too transparent.


That made me laugh! I wanted to pick a mortal Tolkien name. I'm not very domestic, so a hobbit name was out of the question, as the female hobbits are all very wifey. Eledhwen, Morwen's 'nickname' fitted the way I felt, and was poignantly mentioned at the end of her life.


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## Firawyn

I had always wondered about your name Eldhwen...I just couldn't palce it...when I think og Morwen, I always think..."Morwen", which is a very pretty name and I would totally name my daughter that...






...That is if I ever had a daughter.


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## Ghorim

Well... I wanted to use something sufficiently dwarvish, and "Ghorim" was a character name that I had kicked around in previous stories I had written. I usually used it for a pretty inconspicuous character... a grunt, a bartender, a fellow of mediocre standing. 

I felt that fit in fairly well with my personality, so I ran with it.


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## Gilthoniel

How do you pronounce your name, Ghorim?

G-horim?

Or with a 'silent' h -

Gorim? 
Like Gore 'im?

Either way, it gives me pleasure to run around, saying it in a dwarfish accent!


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## Ghorim

Yeah, the "Gh" has its own peculiar sound, in my mind, at least. And you roll the "r" very heavily in that typical dwarvish fashion. I'm sure the typical Westron speaker would spout it out like "Gore 'im!" But from a Khuzdul angle, it's closer to "ge-horrrrr-eem." It looks a bit belabored, but a dwarf would say it quickly enough so that all three of those sounds ran together. Hard to imitate, but you get the idea.


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## Gilthoniel

I do, and you have just increased the amount of time I will spend running around, practicing your username...


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## Firawyn

Dear God what is this place coming to?


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## Mike

All the names I wanted were taken, and out of frustration I typed in "Mike" in the box just to see if no one else used it. Turned out nobody did. Now I'm stuck with a highly unoriginal username.


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## Gilthoniel

Firawyn said:


> Dear God what is this place coming to?



I am truly sorry for any hi-jinxed degradation that I might have caused this esteemed forum.


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## Firawyn

lol 


Hey Mike, you do know you could ask our lost in cyberspace administrator to change your name...however I must say that because it is not "Tolkien-ish" like everybody else (mostly), you do stick out. So, by being unoriginal, you are indeed the most original of us all!

Fir-


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